Research Table Costs and Workbench Tiers: What to Prioritize
Scrap is always limited early on. Here's how to decide what's actually worth researching first.
Once you're past the earliest game stage, scrap becomes one of your most valuable resources — and deciding what to research first with it matters more than most new players realize.
Workbench Tiers Gate Everything
Even with a blueprint learned, you can't craft it without a workbench of the matching tier nearby. Tier 1 covers basic early recipes, Tier 2 unlocks mid-game items, and Tier 3 is required for the best late-game gear. Prioritizing a Tier 1 workbench early, then upgrading as your scrap income improves, is the standard progression.
What to Research First
A reasonable early priority list: a weapon upgrade appropriate to your current fights, a way to produce low-grade fuel more efficiently, and basic armor. Avoid researching a string of items you won't actually use soon just because you happen to have the scrap — each research attempt consumes the source item too, so a wasted research is a real loss.
Blueprint Gambling
Workbenches also let you "gamble" scrap for a random blueprint rather than researching a specific known item. This is higher variance — you might get something valuable or something you already have — and is generally better suited to players with scrap to spare rather than as a primary early-game strategy.
Don't Neglect Tier 2/3 Workbenches
It's easy to get comfortable at Tier 1 and delay upgrading, but plenty of genuinely important items (better armor, stronger weapons) are gated behind Tier 2 and 3. If your base and scrap income can support it, upgrading sooner rather than later opens up a lot of your progression.
Should I research or gamble my scrap?
Research a specific item if you know exactly what you need; gamble only with scrap you can afford to risk on a random outcome, since the result isn't guaranteed to be useful.
Do I need to keep my workbench with me at all times?
No — it just needs to be nearby when you actually craft something from that tier. Most players keep workbenches at their base rather than carrying the concept around, since the bench itself is a placed structure, not an inventory item.
What's the biggest research mistake new players make?
Researching items impulsively without a real plan, burning through scrap on things that don't meaningfully improve their current situation — better to have a short list of actual priorities before spending.
Is it worth upgrading to a Tier 3 workbench solo?
If you're generating decent scrap income and want access to top-tier gear, yes — it's a real investment, but it unlocks a meaningful chunk of the game's best items that Tier 1/2 simply can't touch.