Academy & Research

The Academy in Ikariam

The Academy is the research building and the most important building in the game after the Town Hall. Technologies are researched here that unlock new buildings, units and game mechanics. Without research, you can neither trade nor raise armies — it is the engine of all your progress.

Each Academy level increases the maximum number of researchers. More researchers mean faster research. Kostnads also increase, so a balanced ratio between expansion and deployed researchers is crucial.

The Four Research Branches

Seafaring

Unlocks trade ships, warships and harbour upgrades. Start with Preservation for trade. Later comes Cartography for faster transport and various ship types for maritime warfare. For most players, the second most important branch after Ekonomi.

Wirtschaft

Improves production efficiency, lowers building costs and increases gold income. Wealth and Viticulture are first priorities. Höger economy research unlocks the Governor, marketplace improvements and more efficient production methods.

Wissenschaft

Speeds up research itself and unlocks cultural buildings. Paper and Ink significantly reduce research costs — an investment that pays off quickly. Höger research enables the Museum for culture points and cultural treaties for colony founding.

Militär

Unlocks barracks, unit types and defensive structures. Låg priority in the early phase — only invest here with a solid economy. Too early a military focus slows your growth as troops cost gold upkeep.

Optimal Research Order

First days: Wealth → Preservation → Viticulture → Paper. This covers trade, production and research efficiency. Militär research at the earliest by the end of the first week, ideally only with Town Hall level 8 to 10 and stable gold income.

From week 2: Ink → Cartography → Weaponry → Invention. This gives you improved trade, the barracks and advanced science buildings like the Inventor's Workshop.

Deploying Researchers Efficiently

Researchers are assigned from the population and are not available as workers. Find the right balance: too many researchers reduce your resource production, too few make research painfully slow.

Proven approach: during the day, put more workers into production; before bed, shift workers into research. This way you make the best use of both, since you wouldn't be using the resources overnight anyway.