Home › Research Research Tree All 46 research unlocks from the current official tree, organized across six tiers. Search by unlock, filter by tier, compare costs, and follow each researched building or tool into its full database entry.
How Research Works Research unlocks new buildings, tools, abilities, drones, and map systems. Most published nodes cost Gold; the official overview also identifies Energy and Auralite as research currencies. The official page is marked work in progress, so undocumented dependencies are not inferred here.
Tier 1 8 Unlock Type Cost Effect Prerequisites Shaker Building 20 Gold Separates Gold and Residue from Wet Sand. None listed Logistics Building 30 Gold Unlocks the Conveyor Belt and Launcher. None listed Hover Ability 50 Gold Unlocks Hover mode for floating in place and phasing through structures. None listed Map Map 100 Gold Unlocks the Map and Minimap. None listed Flare Gun Tool 150 Gold Lights up dark areas. None listed Filter Building 250 Gold Unlocks controlled material routing with the Filter. None listed Sprint Boost Ability 200 Gold Adds a temporary speed boost while holding Shift. None listed Wall Light Building Gold — amount not listed Unlocks the wall-mounted Wall Light. None listed
Tier 2 8 Unlock Type Cost Effect Prerequisites Kinetic Press Building 500 Gold Processes Burnt Residue into Gold and Seed. None listed Flamethrower Tool 400 Gold Burns Residue, melts Ice, and vaporizes Water into Steam. None listed Burner Belt Building 500 Gold Ignites flammable materials when supplied with heat through a Thermal Buffer. None listed Thermal Buffer Building 1,000 Gold Stores and distributes heat to nearby machines. None listed Sweeper Drones Drone 800 Gold Unlocks Sweeper Drones for collecting materials from the ground. None listed Flashlight Tool 600 Gold Shines light wherever the player aims. None listed Conveyor Portal Building 750 Gold Lets material routes cross without mixing. None listed CryoBlaster Tool 1,000 Gold Produces unlimited Snow to freeze Water, solidify Lava, or feed a rain cycle. None listed
Tier 3 9 Unlock Type Cost Effect Prerequisites Fluids Building 1,250 Gold Unlocks the Pipe, Pump, and Liquid Vent. None listed Planter Box Building 2,000 Gold Grows crops, including Wet Seed into Flower. None listed Gun Tool 1,500 Gold Enables ranged digging. None listed Pyro Dispenser Building 2,000 Gold Fires flame bursts every three seconds when supplied by a Thermal Buffer. None listed Clearing Frame Building 1,000 Gold Moves material inside its frame to clear static surfaces and floating objects. None listed Vacuum Tool 2,000 Gold Collects materials into a tank. None listed Activity Heatmap Map 700 Gold Unlocks the Activity Heatmap on the map. None listed Aerokinetic Fan Building 1,500 Gold Moves airborne petals and powders, including large piles of Amethelis. None listed Digger Drone Drone 2,500 Gold Unlocks autonomous digging. None listed
Tier 4 7 Unlock Type Cost Effect Prerequisites Advanced Filter Building 1,500 Gold Filters multiple matter types, including liquids and gases. None listed Drying & Condensing Building 2,500 Gold Unlocks the Steam Dryer and Condenser. None listed Rocket Launcher Tool 2,000 Gold Unlocks the Rocket Launcher. None listed Logistics Mk.2 Building 2,500 Gold Unlocks the Conveyor Belt Mk.2 and Launcher Mk.2. None listed Corraller Tool 1,250 Gold Captures Critters. None listed Hauler Drone Drone 3,000 Gold Automates material transport. None listed Recon Drone Drone 2,500 Gold Unlocks automated scouting. None listed
Tier 5 13 Unlock Type Cost Effect Prerequisites Snowmaker Building 2,500 Gold Uses Energy to convert Water into Snow. None listed Florinol Battery Building 1,500 Gold Stores Florinol as Energy for machinery and tools. None listed Drill Tool 2,500 Gold Uses Energy to break through hard materials. Rocket Launcher , Florinol Battery Smelter Building 3,000 Gold Smelts materials placed on top when supplied by a Thermal Buffer or Lava. None listed Energy Siphon Building 1,000 Gold Transfers Energy between power stores. None listed Flux Emanator Building 2,000 Gold Converts Voidbloom into Fluxite. None listed Copper Mold Building 2,000 Gold Casts a rechargeable Power Brick from Liquid Copper. Smelter , Florinol Battery Void Rift Building 3,000 Gold Produces Void Seeds for void-material production. None listed Energy Connector Building 1,000 Gold Passes Energy between power structures. None listed Steam Turbine Building 3,000 Gold Provides automated power generation. None listed Laser Tool 5,000 Gold Provides sustained excavation through hard materials. None listed Recall Shard Tool 4,000 Gold Teleports the player to a recall portal powered by Voidbloom. None listed Locator Tool 3,000 Gold Consumes Void Juice to scan for hidden alien artifacts. None listed
Tier 6 1 Unlock Type Cost Effect Prerequisites Synthesizer Building 7,500 Gold Uses Energy to convert one material into another. None listed
Source: live Sandustry Official Wiki Research page, checked August 25, 2026. The source is marked WIP; costs and prerequisites may change during Early Access. Sandustry Official Wiki ↗
