Age of Wonders: Planetfall: Research guide – Secret techs, tech trees, and doomsday weapons

They say, “If you want something new, then you have to stop doing something old.” That saying does not necessarily apply to Age of Wonders: Planetfall. Boasting sci-fi and futuristic themes, secret techs, doomsday weapons, alien beings, terraforming, and the like, you’d think we’re well into the 41st Millenium in terms of advancements. However, it also sticks to certain older traditions in the 4X strategy genre such as static tech trees (unlike Age of Wonders III‘s system) and some fantasy elements that almost seem like magic.

In this guide, we’ll focus on the research aspect of Age of Wonders: Planetfall. We’ll look at the tech trees, secret techs, and doomsday weapons which you’ll need to achieve a Tech Victory. Also, don’t forget what we mentioned in our basics guide: Your acquisition of Knowledge as a resource affects your research rate.

Note: We also have our official review and technical review, which cover some of the features and mechanics in Age of Wonders: Planetfall.

The Phoenix Walker from the Promethean secret tech branch.

Age of Wonders: Planetfall – tech trees

For those who’ve played previous Age of Wonders games, Planetfall will be a bit different when it comes to tech trees. Although it went the sci-fi and futuristic route, it goes back to mainstream tradition — that tradition being static tech trees.

You’ve got a couple of tech trees in the game:

• Military tech tree – techs that allow you to recruit new units, upgrades, mods, and tactical operations (special attacks during tactical battles; to be discussed in our combat and diplomacy guide)
• Society tech tree – these techs allow you to boost resource generation, exploit different biome types, improve your colonies, and gain access to strategic operations and doctrines (commands that can be used on the world map or perks for your entire empire; to be discussed in our combat and diplomacy guide)

The society tech tree for your basic empire-building needs.

This is discussed further in our combat and diplomacy guide as well as our character creation guide, but it also bears mentioning here. In Age of Wonders: Planetfall, your units, heroes, skills, operations/”spells,” and secret techs all have their own elemental damage type that they favor. Make sure that you have decent synergy for your selections.

The military tech tree: The top two sections are dependent on your race’s or faction’s elemental damage type/weapons group. The bottom part is the secret tech that can be different for each leader.

Secret techs and doomsday weapons

Each Age of Wonders: Planetfall leader also has a secret tech irrespective of their faction (note that these can be customized prior to starting a scenario or when you customize a commander). These secret techs provide unique units, operations or doctrines, mods, and, finally, their doomsday weapon. Enacting the protocol for the doomsday weapon, which takes 10 turns to be completed, is the final step you’ll need to achieve a Tech Victory.

Here are the secret techs in Age of Wonders: Planetfall:

• Voidtech provides units that can teleport or create wormholes through the fabric of space and time. The Dimensional Cascade doomsday weapon will open rifts through various worlds. Uses Arc and Kinetic damage.
• Synthesis lets you create, upgrade, and hack mechanical constructs. The Singularity doomsday weapon turns every living creature into mindless drones controlled by a powerful AI network. Uses Arc and Kinetic damage.
• Psynumbra summons the creatures of the dark, emphasizing mind control, manipulation, and terror. The Oblivio Mundi is the final dirge that plunges the world into darkness. Uses Psionic damage.
• Xenoplague can create parasitic spawns, super-soldier serum, bioweapons, and healing boosts. The Omega Awakening is the deadliest strain of the virus that wipes out all life. Uses Biochemical and Kinetic damage.
• Promethean secret tech is based on channeling the molten fires and the rage of the earth. Planetary Purification burns the planet into cinders using the PyrX. Uses Thermal and Kinetic damage.
• Celestian secret tech is based on heavenly bodies and ascended beings from beyond the stars. The Final Revelation doomsday weapon calls on all comers, turning the planet towards the path of Light. Uses Psionic and Thermal damage.

That does it for our Age of Wonders: Planetfall research and secret techs guide. Be sure to head over to our guides and features hub for more information. You can grab the game via its Steam store page.