Last Z: Survival Shooter Research Costs and Unlock Guide

Research can consume a huge badge reserve in Last Z: Survival Shooter, but finishing an entire branch is not always the right immediate goal. This Gamevoyant guide compares 14 branches so you can budget around the upgrades you actually want.

Understanding the Badge Totals

The figures below represent the badges needed to complete each individual branch. They do not include badges spent on prerequisite branches.

A targeted upgrade can be considerably cheaper than full completion. For example, Hero Training requires 40,040 badges overall, while the route to Cockpit takes 21,930 badges. Decide on your destination before treating a full-branch total as your next savings target.

Badge Costs and Access Requirements

Some entries have precise completion or laboratory requirements; others are identified by their general position in progression.

Research branch	Full badge cost	Requirement or progression point
Hero Training	40,040	Available along the early combat route
Military Strategies	80,116	Elite Troops at 100% completion
Peace Shield	270,203	Shelter Building at 50% and Military Strategies at 45%
Siege to Seize	270,155	Military Strategies at 40%
Field Research	600,190	Siege to Seize at 100% completion
Alliance Recognition	360,350	The first Alliance Duel cycle
Army Building	750,250	Peace Shield at 100% completion
Fully Armed Alliance	500,240	Part of the advanced offensive route
Unit Special Training	1,500,300	Laboratory level 30
Shooter Training	1,440,070	Laboratory level 25 and Field Research at 100%
Rider Training	1,440,070	Laboratory level 25 and Field Research at 100%
Assaulter Training	1,440,070	Laboratory level 25 and Field Research at 100%
Tactical Master	6,000,590	Laboratory level 31
Steel Age	1,079,410	Laboratory No 2 at level 30

Early Combat Spending and Key Milestones

Hero Training offers a relatively inexpensive starting route. Cockpit is a common pause point, allowing you to redirect badges without paying for every remaining upgrade.

Military Strategies delivers strong value for its badge investment and provides access to two important directions:

• Peace Shield: Requires 45% Military Strategies alongside 50% Shelter Building. Its defensive benefits include Urgent Rescue, making it relevant to surviving PvP encounters.
• Siege to Seize: Requires 40% Military Strategies. This offensive route is worth considering after planning your survivability upgrades, and completing it opens Field Research.

These unlock percentages matter when budgeting: access to the next branch does not necessarily require finishing the current one.

Advanced Combat Routes and Expensive Finish Lines

Field Research becomes available only after Siege to Seize is fully completed. Its 600,190-badge total is heavily weighted toward the closing upgrades, with Recharge Shield serving as the final major hurdle.

Army Building follows a completed Peace Shield branch. Expect substantial badge demands before you reach its last upgrade, rather than assuming the cost pressure appears only at the end.

Fully Armed Alliance is another major offensive investment. Annihilation and Move Out are standout objectives within its 500,240-badge budget.

At 6,000,590 badges, Tactical Master is the most expensive branch listed here. It improves troop combat performance and faction hero ATK and DEF, with Crippling Strike and Bulwark at the end of its progression.

T10 Unlocks and Troop-Specific Research

Unit Special Training contains the T10 troop unlocks. Entry requires a level 30 laboratory, and completing the branch costs 1,500,300 badges. That figure is the full branch price, not a separate quoted cost for an individual T10 unlock.

The three troop-specialization branches share both their entry conditions and their total cost:

• Shooter Training: Strengthens shooter ATK, DEF, and HP, with additional benefits for siege and field troops.
• Rider Training: Improves rider ATK, DEF, and HP, alongside siege and field troop bonuses.
• Assaulter Training: Raises assaulter ATK, DEF, and HP, while also supporting siege and field troops.

Each requires 1,440,070 badges, a level 25 laboratory, and 100% Field Research completion. Account for the prerequisite route separately when comparing these branches with Unit Special Training.

Event Progression and Base Development

Not every valuable research target is a direct combat upgrade.

Alliance Recognition focuses on event returns and sustained alliance progression. Event Expert and Event King are important milestones in this 360,350-badge branch, which is tied to your first Alliance Duel cycle.

Steel Age requires Laboratory No 2 at level 30 and totals 1,079,410 badges. Its scope includes:

• Steel Plant access and production improvements.
• Healing benefits.
• Faster construction and research.
• Greater reservist capacity.

Build a Budget Around Your Next Upgrade

Start with a specific objective, such as Cockpit, Urgent Rescue, or T10 progression. Then check the research needed to reach it, including any unfinished prerequisites outside the target branch.

Keep three figures separate: badges already spent, badges still needed for your chosen milestone, and the cost of completing the entire branch. This prevents an expensive finish line from obscuring a useful earlier stopping point.

Before committing scarce badges, verify the relevant nodes and access conditions in the game. Research updates can change what your current progression requires.

Quick Tips

• Budget 21,930 badges for the route to Cockpit rather than assuming you need all 40,040 for Hero Training.
• Track the 40% and 45% Military Strategies thresholds when planning your next unlock.
• Complete Siege to Seize before expecting access to Field Research.
• Reserve extra attention for Field Research’s costly closing nodes.
• Treat 1,500,300 badges as Unit Special Training’s completion total, not an individual unlock price.
• Add prerequisite spending separately to every branch estimate.
• Confirm current in-game requirements before spending your badge reserve.