What is R&D (the Skill Tree)?
R&D is the skill tree where you develop your ship according to your own playstyle. You convert the R&D Files you collect into R&D Points, then spend those points on skills to earn permanent bonuses for your ship. Whether you become defensive, a collector, or aggressive is entirely up to you.
How Does It Work?
- Collect R&D Files: You get them from quests, ApexGates (spins + completion rewards) and the shop.
- Convert to points: You turn your files into R&D Points. The first point costs 30 files, and later ones rise gradually (the 50th point ~3,200 files).
- Spend on skills: Each skill level costs 1 R&D Point + Credits. Higher-tier skills also require Isotope-9 (from your Skylab storage).
- Limit — 50 points: You can distribute at most 50 R&D Points. The full tree requires 95 points; so you can’t take everything — you make choices based on your style. That’s the heart of it.
- Reset: If you wish, you can reset your allocation with Orbidium and redistribute (first reset 1,000 Orbidium, doubling each time).
Prerequisites: Higher-tier skills unlock once you invest a certain number of points into the skills below them. So for powerful abilities, you must first develop the basic ones.
Three Zones
The skill tree is split into three color-coded branches:
Zone I — Defense (blue): durability, shield, evasion.
Zone II — Collector (purple): experience, credits, box/cargo gains.
Zone III — Attack (red): laser, rocket and mine damage, accuracy.
Zone I — Defense (Blue)
| Icon | Skill | Effect (level by level) | Max |
|---|---|---|---|
| Armor Reinforcement I | Hit Points +5,000 / 10,000 | 2 | |
| Repair Technician | Repair Speed +5 / 10 / 15 / 20 / 30% | 5 | |
| Shield Reactor | Shield Power +4 / 8 / 12 / 18 / 25% | 5 | |
| Shadow Maneuver I | Evasion +2 / 4% | 2 | |
| Armor Reinforcement II | Hit Points +15,000 / 25,000 / 50,000 | 3 | |
| Shield Condenser | Shield Absorption +2 / 4 / 6 / 8 / 12% | 5 | |
| Shadow Maneuver II | Evasion +6 / 8 / 12% | 3 |
Zone II — Collector (Purple)
| Icon | Skill | Effect (level by level) | Max |
|---|---|---|---|
| Veteran Pilot | Experience Points +2 / 4 / 6 / 8 / 12% | 5 | |
| Cargo Master | Cargo Capacity +4 / 8 / 12 / 18 / 25% | 5 | |
| Fortune I | Box Orbidium +2 / 4% | 2 | |
| Tractor Beam I | Cargo Yield +1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 6% | 5 | |
| Profiteer | Creature Credits +4 / 8 / 12 / 16 / 25% | 5 | |
| Tractor Beam II | Box Yield +2 / 6 / 10 / 15 / 20% | 5 | |
| Ruthless I | Honor Points +4 / 8% | 2 | |
| Ruthless II | Honor Points +12 / 16 / 25% | 3 | |
| Fortune II | Box Orbidium +6 / 8 / 12% | 3 |
Zone III — Attack (Red)
| Icon | Skill | Effect (level by level) | Max |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mine Master I | Mine Damage +7 / 14% | 2 | |
| Demolition Expert | Mine Radius +4 / 8 / 12 / 18 / 25% | 5 | |
| Guidance System | Rocket Accuracy +1 / 2 / 4 / 6 / 10% | 5 | |
| Executioner I | Player Laser Damage +2 / 4% | 2 | |
| Missile Expert | Rocket Damage +2 / 4 / 6 / 8 / 15% | 5 | |
| Alien Hunter | Alien Laser Damage +2 / 4 / 6 / 8 / 12% | 5 | |
| Mine Master II | Mine Damage +21 / 28 / 50% | 3 | |
| Marksman | Laser Accuracy +2 / 4 / 6 / 8 / 12% | 5 | |
| Executioner II | Player Laser Damage +6 / 8 / 12% | 3 |
Tips
- You have 50 points, the tree needs 95 — you can’t take everything. First decide your main style (defense / collector / attack) and concentrate your points there.
- Skills contributing to the same stat stack (e.g. Armor Reinforcement I + II together give more Hit Points).
- If you’re unsure, don’t worry: you can reset your allocation with Orbidium and rebuild.
- Isotope-9 is rare (produced in Skylab / dropped by powerful enemies) — keep this in mind when planning higher-tier skills.
You can edit your R&D tree from the in-game Profile › R&D tab. A well-built R&D sends your ship’s power sky-high! 
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