Science Points

Science Points are a primary unlock and currency resource used to research and enable buildings, workplaces, and monuments in Timberborn. They are produced by dedicated research buildings and also appear as a minor secondary output from certain workplaces. Science Points unlock new construction and workplace permissions for both Folktails and Iron Teeth, and large amounts are required for late‑game monuments and many quality‑of‑life or district management upgrades.

Science generation comes chiefly from four building types: the Inventor, the Observatory, the Numbercruncher, and Mines. The Inventor is the universal starting research building available to both factions with no unlock cost. It employs a single beaver and produces 1 Science Point per hour (about 14 SP per standard 14‑hour workday), requires no power, and is cheap to construct from basic logs, making it the earliest and most accessible source of SP. The Observatory is a Folktails‑exclusive advanced research building that costs 1000 SP to unlock and requires 200 horsepower to operate; it produces significantly more SP than the Inventor and is the midgame backbone of Folktails research. The Numbercruncher is the Iron Teeth counterpart, costing 1500 SP to unlock and requiring 500 horsepower; it produces SP at a higher raw rate but demands a much larger power infrastructure. Mines produce a small amount of Science Points as a secondary output while extracting resources; while not a primary SP source, several active Mines provide a helpful passive contribution to total SP income.

Science Points are spent to unlock new buildings, workplace permissions for bots, advanced district and logistics options, leisure and well‑being buildings, and monuments. Early game SP should be prioritized on survival and infrastructure: common recommendations are to spend the first few hundred SP on larger water storage (Large Water Tank), Floodgate, and plank production (Lumber Mill) so the colony survives droughts and gains the material base for midgame construction. Mid‑ and late‑game SP unlocks include advanced water engineering, transit systems (ziplines for Folktails and tubeways for Iron Teeth), district management tools, and leisure/buildings that raise well‑being; many of these cost from several hundred to a few thousand SP.

Monuments are the late‑game sink for Science Points. Monument unlocks range from roughly 3,000 SP up to 12,000 SP for the largest structures and require enormous material inputs; they provide no gameplay benefit other than prestige and serve as a practical use for surplus SP once all practical unlocks are obtained.

Practical notes and strategy:

• Build at least one Inventor early to start accumulating SP immediately; it has no power requirements and is cheap to staff.
• Transition midgame to faction‑specific research buildings when you can afford the unlock and supporting power: Folktails favor the Observatory (lower power), Iron Teeth favor the Numbercruncher (higher output but heavy power cost).
• Factor Mine SP into your totals—multiple Mines produce a steady passive stream that can represent 10–15% of overall SP in large colonies.
• Allocate the first 500–750 SP toward survival unlocks (water tanks, floodgates, plank production) before pursuing convenience or monument unlocks.
• Use monuments intentionally as SP sinks once practical unlocks are exhausted; plan logistics and builder assignment because monument construction is material‑intensive and time consuming.
• When planning research, also consider unlocking workplace permissions for bots and transportation upgrades that reduce travel time, since faster logistics increase effective SP generation and colony efficiency.