Hearth and Hamlet Best Research Order (Full Release)
A full-release research order for Hearth and Hamlet: food and workers first, then scouting, then trade and Cathedral support. Node costs stay unmarked until
Last verified: August 20, 2026 — Hearth and Hamlet full release on Steam (app 4315040, launched August 19, 2026). Demo numbers are not treated as live data.
There is still no complete public node-cost spreadsheet for every page in the book. Older research-tree wikis still say Demo v1.0.46. This page is a decision order for the live game, with a few first-hour costs that full-release videos actually showed: keep food stable, unlock scouting before big raids, then buy caravan / Church research when those buildings are up.
Why this is an order, not a copied tree
Official store copy: every upgrade feeds a research tree that permanently unlocks technologies — advanced buildings, new policies, and stronger magic. That is the system. The live numbers are what competing demo wikis still refuse to fill in. Until someone logs the full book on the 1.0 build, a route beats a fake spreadsheet.
| Phase | Research job | Why it is first |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Foundation | Anything that protects food workers and storage | Food crash = people leave |
| 2. Information | Hunting scouting, then advanced scouting | You cannot plan soldiers without labels |
| 3. Trade | Caravan / later ship research after Market 3 | Extra caravans are gated on research |
| 4. Crisis | Whatever the Church / Cathedral quest needs | Zombies demand consecrated weapons |
| 5. Luxury | Advisor / Manor quality-of-life pages | Comfort, not survival |
Hunting scouting is confirmed on the live hub: regular scouting adds army count + strength estimate; Advanced Scouting adds attack and defense. Without scouting you can still get the estimate through the notification menu (developer). See Enemy Army Strength Explained.
Caravan research is confirmed after Market level three: additional caravans and later ships come from research once the building is upgraded (player reply, full release). See How to Get Another Caravan.
From Community Gameplay
- First book pages are attached to buildings. After the Fisherman’s Hut, the cheap node was +10% fishing for 500 food. Extra food storage was skipped. (Campfire Kingdom, 07:11)
- Blacksmith research is a multiplier spike. +15% global gathering and later iron tools at 50–100% on a production building showed up as the mid-game power spike, not Manor cosmetics. (Campfire Kingdom, 26:52; Kingdom Part 2, 29:28)
- Scouting lives on the Hunting page. Regular scouting first, Advanced Scouting when gold allows — that is when incoming raids show count and then attack/defense. (Campfire Kingdom, 1:15:43)
- Caravan nodes sit on the Market after you upgrade it. Extra vans, speed, and trade-goods quality are research, not a second building plot. (Campfire Kingdom, 1:54:26)
How to move through the book
The research UI is a book. Extra chapters are not in a second menu. A bent page corner turns the page. Notification icons (for example Hunting) jump you to that page. Details: Research Pages.
Phorust said the full version glows where unresearched technologies sit, and UI scaling is real. If tabs feel tiny, drop UI scaling (known issue) before you assume a node is missing.
What not to copy from demo pages
Demo v1.0.46 patch notes did add Gold, extra buildings, extra research, and Advisor research in the Leader’s Hut / Manor. Those system names survived into 1.0 discussions. The costs, prerequisites, and combat rebalance in that demo note are not 1.0 facts. If another site still watermarks “Demo + official sources,” do not import its node list.
For the first three picks on a new file, use Best Research to Unlock First. For building money sinks that compete with research, use Best Building Upgrade Order.
Sources
- Official Steam store: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4315040/
- Steam Community hub: https://steamcommunity.com/app/4315040/discussions/
- Research pages thread: https://steamcommunity.com/app/4315040/discussions/0/588435430711568428/
- Demo v1.0.46 notes mentioned Advisor research in the Manor — use for system names only.
- Full-release research order footage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQqbBSyw6-w
Fan-made guide. This site is not affiliated with Phorust Studios, Runic Forge, Gamersky Games, Steam, or Valve; all game content and media belong to their respective owners.