Progress in Solarpunk runs through two systems. The Research Table unlocks most of your buildings, decor, and farming gear, while the Tradebot hands out Blueprints for the electronics and power tech that automate your floating island. Both work in tiers, and each tier opens only after you hand over a specific item.
Quick answer: Complete every research in a tier’s list, then pay the tier-up cost (1x Build-Hammer + 1x Beeswax for Tier 2, 1x Iron Bar for Tier 3, 1x Copper for Tier 4, 1x Wheat for Tier 5, 1x Sunflower for Tier 6). Blueprints come from Tradebot trades and tier up with 1x Silicon (Tier 2), 1x Cobalt (Tier 3), and 1x Algae/Circuitboard (Tier 4).
How Research Table tiers work in Solarpunk
You start at Tier 1 and climb one step at a time. Each tier holds a set of unlockable items, and you spend the listed materials at the Research Table to research them. When you want to move to the next tier, you pay a separate tier-up cost. There is no skipping ahead, so finish the current list before you try to advance.
Cotton is the main bottleneck early on. You only get a few seeds at the start, so plant and harvest Cotton every day to keep a steady supply of Cloth flowing into your research.
Tier 1 to Tier 3 Research Table unlocks
| Research | Requirements | Tier |
|---|---|---|
| Rain Collector | 2x Wood | 1 |
| Well | 3x Stone, 2x Wood, 2x Sticks | 1 |
| Chest | 2x Wood | 1 |
| Beehive | 2x Wood | 1 |
| Bed | 2x Wood, 2x Sticks, 1x Cloth | 1 |
| Tier 2 Unlock | 1x Build-Hammer, 1x Beeswax | — |
| Deco Tables & Chairs | 5x Wood, 2x Sticks | 2 |
| Deco Plants Pack (Medium) | 3x Leaf, 2x Bricks | 2 |
| Furnace | 3x Stones | 2 |
| Map | 2x Cloth | 2 |
| Bottle | 2x Glass | 2 |
| Tier 3 Unlock | 1x Iron Bar | — |
| Airship Dock | 5x Wood, 5x Iron, 5x Cloth | 3 |
| Storage Shelves | 3x Wood, 2x Sticks | 3 |
| Signs & Map Markers | 5x Wood | 3 |
| Magnetic Fishing Rod | 1x Cloth, 1x Iron, 1x Stick | 3 |
| Deco Couches & Carpets | 2x Cloth, 4x Cotton, 2x Wood | 3 |
| Deco Plants Pack (Small) | 1x Brick, 2x Leaf | 3 |
| Wax Briquette | 2x Beeswax, 2x Cloth | 3 |
| Tier 4 Unlock | 1x Copper | — |
Tier 4 to Tier 6 Research Table unlocks
The later tiers shift toward farming, animals, and cooking. Wheat, Sunflower, and Corn act as the gatekeeper items here, so keep those crops planted alongside Cotton.
| Research | Requirements | Tier |
|---|---|---|
| Glass Materials | 5x Glass, 16x Wood | 4 |
| Iron Tools | 5x Iron Bars, 1x Pickaxe | 4 |
| Basic Home Decor | 2x Wood, 2x Cloth | 4 |
| Farming & Animal Decoration | 5x Wood, 2x Wheat | 4 |
| Deco Shelves & Dressers | 5x Wood | 4 |
| Deco Outdoor Bushes & Plants | 16x Leaf | 4 |
| Tier 5 Unlock | 1x Wheat | — |
| Animals Basic Pack | 5x Wheat | 5 |
| Deco Plants Pack (Large) | 5x Bricks, 10x Leaf | 5 |
| Decorative Books | 5x Cloth | 5 |
| Trashcan | 1x Wood, 1x Stick | 5 |
| Foodbasket | 1x Egg, 1x Sheep’s Milk, 1x Truffle | 5 |
| Tier 6 Unlock | 1x Sunflower | — |
| Growbox | 2x Wood | 6 |
| Decorative Plates & Pots & Pans | 2x Iron, 1x Brick, 1x Stick | 6 |
| Cooking | 5x Brick, 2x Iron, 2x Sticks | 6 |
| Deco Outdoor Furniture | 5x Cloth, 5x Wood | 6 |
| Seedspack | 1x Raspberry, 1x Cotton, 1x Wheat, 1x Carrot, 1x Sunflower | 6 |
| Pig Shelter | 5x Carrot, 5x Wood | 6 |
| Better Animal Feed | 1x Animal Feed, 2x Sunflower | 6 |
| Tier 7 Unlock | 1x Corn | — |
Tradebot blueprint trades in Solarpunk
Blueprint research lives in the device sitting in front of the Tradebot. Each research costs a Blueprint, and you earn Blueprints by completing trades. One thing to watch for is that trades which upgrade your Airship level do not hand back a Blueprint, so plan those separately.
| Trade | Note |
|---|---|
| 4x Watermelon | Unlocks Tier 1 – Energy Workbench |
| 12x Cotton | Blueprint |
| 20x Beeswax | Blueprint |
| 10x Watermelon | Blueprint |
| 32x Copper | Airship Research Upgrade Level 2 |
| 5x Silicon | Spend 1x more Silicon for Tier 2 |
| 10x Wheat | Blueprint |
| 20x Cloth | Blueprint |
| 10x Bread | Blueprint |
| 6x Egg | Airship Research Upgrade Level 3 |
| 20x Carrot | Blueprint |
| 20x Sunflower | Blueprint |
| 20x Cobalt | Blueprint |
| 32x Glass | Blueprint |
| 2x Raspberry Muffins | Blueprint |
All blueprint research and tier-up costs
Blueprint research follows the same tier structure as the Research Table. You unlock everything in a tier, then manually meet the next tier’s requirement to keep going. The blueprint side covers your power grid, automation, and advanced docking.
| Blueprint research | Tier |
|---|---|
| Energy Workbench | 1 |
| Solarpanel | 1 |
| Weather Station & Switch | 1 |
| Battery | 2 |
| Energy Furnace | 2 |
| Animal Transport | 2 |
| Advanced Dock | 2 |
| Sensor & Logic Block | 2 |
| Lights Pack | 3 |
| Postbox | 3 |
| Transport Drone | 3 |
| Windmill | 3 |
The blueprint tier-up requirements are straightforward. Tier 2 needs 1x Silicon, Tier 3 needs 1x Cobalt, and Tier 4 needs 1x Algae (Circuitboard). Save those single items rather than burning your only one on crafting.
How to confirm a tier or blueprint unlocked
An unlock worked when the new research appears in the table’s menu. After you reach Tier 2, for example, items like the Map, Furnace, and Bottle show up as craftable options. Once you research a blueprint, the matching building or device drops straight into your crafting menu.
If a tier-up will not trigger, the usual cause is an unfinished list. You must research every item in the current tier before the game lets you spend the tier-up cost. The second common cause is missing the gatekeeper item itself, such as not having the Build-Hammer and Beeswax ready for Tier 2 or the single Silicon needed to move blueprints to Tier 2.
With the Cotton supply handled and your crops cycling, the climb through both tracks is mostly a matter of staying ahead on materials. More tiers sit beyond Tier 6 on the research side and Tier 3 on the blueprint side, so keep your seeds planted and your trade stock topped up as the higher unlocks come into reach.
