Research Tiers

Research Tiers

Research Cube has seven tiers of ascending power. Each tier has its own Drive item, Cube item, fluid requirement, and Drive capacity. Understanding the tier rules is essential before setting up a research job.

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Tier Table

Tier	Registry Name	Drive Item	Cube Item	Drive Capacity	Typical Research Fluid
IRRECOVERABLE	irrecoverable	metadata_irrecoverable	(none)	0 non-functional
UNSTABLE	unstable	metadata_unstable	cube_unstable	2	(none defined)
BASIC	basic	metadata_reclaimed	cube_basic	4	Thinking Fluid
ADVANCED	advanced	metadata_enhanced	cube_advanced	8	Pondering Fluid
PRECISE	precise	metadata_elaborate	cube_precise	12	Reasoning Fluid
FLAWLESS	flawless	metadata_cybernetic	cube_flawless	16	Imagination Fluid
SELF_AWARE	self_aware	metadata_self_aware	cube_self_aware	Unlimited	Imagination Fluid

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Tier Rules

Drive tier must equal the research tier

The Drive in slot 0 of the Research Station must be exactly the same tier as the research you are running. Using a higher-tier or lower-tier Drive is a hard block the Start button will not activate.

Example: Running Advanced Processor (ADVANCED tier) requires metadata_enhanced in the Drive slot. A metadata_elaborate (PRECISE) drive will not work.

Cube tier must be at or above the research tier

The Cube in slot 1 must be greater than or equal to the research tier. This means a higher-tier Cube can substitute for a lower-tier research job.

Example: Running BASIC research accepts cube_basic, cube_advanced, cube_precise, cube_flawless, or cube_self_aware any tier ≥ BASIC.

Drive capacity limits recipe storage

Each Drive stores recipe IDs in its NBT data. Once a Drive reaches its maxRecipes limit it is full and can no longer receive new imprints. If research completes on a full Drive, the research still counts as done but no recipe is imprinted (a warning is logged).

• SELF_AWARE Drives have no capacity limit.
• IRRECOVERABLE Drives have maxRecipes = 0 and cannot be used for research or crafting at all.

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Built-in Research by Tier

Tier	Research Definitions
UNSTABLE	Unstable Signal, Fragmented Data
BASIC	Basic Circuit, Energy Handling, Material Synthesis, Basic Optics
ADVANCED	Advanced Processor, Quantum Resonance, Alloy Fabrication, Photonic Amplifier, Neural Interface
PRECISE	Precision Engineering, Waveform Analysis, Nanostructures, Temporal Calibration, Biophotonic Matrix
FLAWLESS	Dimensional Folding, Molecular Assembly, Cognitive Framework, Zero Point Energy
SELF_AWARE	Singularity Core, Transcendent Logic, Omniscient Matrix

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IRRECOVERABLE Tier

The IRRECOVERABLE tier is special: it is decorative and non-functional. The metadata_irrecoverable Drive cannot be used in the Research Station or the Drive Crafting Table. It is a lore / collectible item.

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Related Pages

• Research Station how to set up a research job
• Items & Blocks full item registry reference
• Fluid System which fluid each tier needs
• Datapack Research Definition Schema add your own research at any tier