Xenonauts 2 Research Guide: Unlock Every Tech Tree Path

The research system in Xenonauts 2 is where campaigns are won or lost before a single shot gets fired on the ground. Get your project order right and your soldiers will be rolling into late-game missions in Guardian Armor with Gauss rifles. Get it wrong and you will spend months of in-game time watching scientists sit idle, generating a meager $25 per hour while the alien threat escalates around you.

This guide breaks down every research project documented in the official Xenonauts 2 wiki, explains the dependency chains, and tells you which paths to prioritize first.

What happens when no research is selected?

Leave your research queue empty and each scientist defaults to generating $25 per hour. That sounds fine early on, but it compounds into a serious mistake. The funding bonuses unlocked by plot research projects dwarf that passive income. Waveform Analysis, for example, adds $75,000 in monthly funding the moment it completes, and several subsequent plot projects each add another $150,000 per month. Idle scientists are leaving massive money on the table, so always keep the queue full.

How does the research tree work?

Every project has prerequisites, either specific resources you recover from the battlefield or earlier research you must complete first. The tree splits into several distinct branches covering weapons, armor, aircraft, explosives, and plot progression. Most of the best gear sits behind two or three layers of prerequisites, so understanding the dependency chains before you start is the difference between a smooth campaign and a frustrating grind.

Plot research: the backbone of your campaign

Plot projects gate both story progression and your monthly funding income. The chain runs in this order, according to the official wiki:

1. Waveform Analysis (requires Atlas Base mission completed) unlocks +$75,000 monthly funding
2. Xenobiology (requires a Secton corpse) unlocks the Stun Gun, alien corpse analyses, and +$150,000 monthly funding
3. Quantum Teleportation (requires Xenobiology completed and the Crashed Destroyer UFO mission) unlocks +$150,000 monthly funding
4. Alien Origins (requires Quantum Teleportation) unlocks the Quantum Array and +$150,000 monthly funding
5. Cleaner Device (requires Cleaner Base mission completed) unlocks +$150,000 monthly funding
6. UOO-1 Sabotage (requires Antigravity Emitter research) closes out the main research chain

Each of these should be treated as mandatory. The funding multiplier from completing them in sequence is enormous.

What is the fastest path to better weapons?

The weapon research branches are gated behind alien resources you recover from UFOs and combat missions. Here is how the three main weapon tiers break down:

Magnetic weapons

Alien Magnetic Weapons research (requires recovering an Alien Magnetic Weapon resource) unlocks the full suite of Accelerated weapons: Pistol, Shotgun, Rifle, LMG, Sniper Rifle, and Cannon, plus Accelerated Cannon air weapons. This is your first major firepower upgrade and should be a top priority the moment you recover the resource.

Laser weapons

The laser branch requires Alenium Power first, which itself needs Alenium resources. Once Alenium Power is researched, Laser Weaponry becomes available and opens the door to Heavy Lasers, which unlock the Laser Autorifle, Laser Battery base upgrade, Laser Lance, and Laser Cannon air weapons. The Alien Plasma Weapons research (requires an Alien Plasma Weapon resource) then feeds into laser damage and ammo recharge upgrades.

Gauss weapons

Gauss is the top conventional-tech weapon tier. The path runs: Alien Electronics research (requires Observer UFO mission) into Advanced Alloys research, then Gauss Weaponry, and finally Heavy Gauss Weaponry. Heavy Gauss unlocks the Gauss Autorifle, Gauss Battery base upgrade, Gauss Blaster air equipment, and Gauss Cannon. This branch also unlocks the X-132 Gemini Interceptor aircraft and the Colossus Battlesuit Armor, making Advanced Alloys one of the most valuable research nodes in the entire tree.

Armor research: which suits should you prioritize?

UFO Hull Plating (requires Crashed Destroyer UFO mission) is the gateway to Guardian Armor and also unlocks Alloy Plating, Alloy Vehicle Armor, and the Assault Shield Upgrade. Completing it should be a high priority after your first Destroyer kill. Guardian Armor is a significant mid-game upgrade, and the Colossus Battlesuit at the end of the Advanced Alloys branch is the heaviest protection available.

Aircraft research: keeping up in the air

Your interceptors and dropships need research investment too. The key aircraft unlocks are:

• X-3 Dragonfly Dropship and X-55 Phantom Interceptor: both require Alenium Power and UFO Hull Plating research
• X-132 Gemini Interceptor: requires Advanced Alloys research

The Alenium Power and UFO Hull Plating combination is a double unlock that pays off in both the air and on the ground, making it one of the most efficient research pairings in the game.

How do interrogations work?

Interrogations are a separate research category that becomes available after you capture an alien alive during a mission. Each completed interrogation project delivers two permanent bonuses: +1 to Training Rate and +10% damage against all aliens of that species. The species available for interrogation include Cleaner Agents, Cleaner Leaders, Cleaner Soldiers, Mantids, Mentarchs, Psyons, and Sectons.

The Observation: Psyon project also unlocks the Mind Shield Module, which is the only interrogation project with an engineering unlock attached.

Late-game research: explosives and endgame tech

The explosives branch splits into two parallel paths in the mid-to-late game:

• Alenium Explosives (requires Terror Site mission completed): unlocks Alenium Grenades, Alenium Rockets, and Alenium Warheads
• Fusion Explosives (requires Crashed Bomber UFO mission): upgrades to Fusion Grenades, Fusion Rockets, and Fusion Warheads
• Fusion Weapons (requires an Alien Fusion Weapon from a crashed Cruiser): parallel path to the same Fusion upgrades
• Antigravity Emitter (requires an Alien Antigrave Emitter from a crashed Cruiser): unlocks UOO-1 Sabotage, the final plot research project

The Nanofabrication project (requires Alien Base mission completed) unlocks Alenium and Alien Alloys as resources, plus the Nanotech Workshop and Quantum Library base upgrades, making it a strong late-game investment for resource sustainability.

Tissue Regeneration (requires an Alien Surgical Table resource) is worth researching whenever the resource becomes available. It unlocks the Advanced Medkit, Automod Module, and the Surgical Center base upgrade, all of which keep your veteran soldiers in the field longer.

Research priority summary

Based on the full research tree documented in the official Xenonauts 2 wiki, here is the general priority order for a strong campaign:

1. Waveform Analysis (immediate funding boost)
2. Xenobiology (funding plus Stun Gun for captures)
3. Alien Magnetic Weapons (first major weapon upgrade, resource-dependent)
4. Alenium Power (gates lasers and key aircraft)
5. UFO Hull Plating (gates Guardian Armor and better aircraft)
6. Alien Electronics (gates Stalker Armor, Advanced Alloys, and the Gauss branch)
7. Advanced Alloys into Gauss Weaponry (top-tier weapons and Colossus Battlesuit)
8. Continue plot research chain through Quantum Teleportation and Alien Origins

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