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Research Institutes
April 17, 2026 at 02:16 AM
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With six research institutes available across the world, knowing where to invest your time and resources first is crucial. The most impactful upgrades come from the first row of research at each institute, specifically the 3rd upgrade in each row. Prioritize Max HP, Spirit, and Stamina increases before anything else, as the 3rd upgrade in the first row allows you to exceed the natural cap on these vital stats.
The recommended unlock order is: Scholastone Institute first (for HP), then Porrain (for Spirit/Stamina), and then Urava. After those three core institutes are progressing, move on to Due Haven, Leian Institute, and Goreac for equipment crafting and ATG upgrade unlocks.
Priority | Institute | Key 1st Row Benefit |
|---|---|---|
1 | Max HP increase (exceeds natural cap) | |
2 | ||
3 | Additional stat cap increases | |
4 | Chia Research, Electric Tool Design | |
5 | Laser Cannon Spear unlock, ATG Boots | |
6 | ATG Jetpack upgrade, tank research |
Each research institute requires finding a specific NPC and speaking with them to begin research. Some have quirks or requirements that can trip up players.
Scholastone Institute: Available early in the main story. The research NPC is located inside the institute building.
Porrain: Accessible after progressing through early main story quests. Look for the researcher inside the Porrain facility.
Due Haven: When entering the castle, you must remove your mask or the NPCs will become hostile. Speak to Hinrich on the bottom floor. Hold L1 to listen to his request to begin the research chain.
Leian Institute: Find an NPC named Grand on the 2nd floor of a building in the city center. You need to progress the main story far enough to reach this location before Grand becomes available.
Goreac: The research NPC is not at the Iron Works location. Instead, head further west to the Zaran Tank Works. The NPC is inside that facility.
Urava: Find Balthus on the lower balcony on the north side of the facility. Unlocking research here requires approximately 3 Blood Stones.
Research progress sometimes halts at around 50% completion. When this happens, an NPC associated with the institute will need your help. A marker will appear on the map showing the NPC's location. The request usually involves retrieving a rare material or plant from a specific location in the world. Once you find and deliver the requested item, the research resumes automatically. This is a normal part of the research flow and applies to most research tracks.
Some research rows display a message saying "not enough knowledge required for research." This means you need to explore and interact with the world near the institute or the relevant area before that research path unlocks. Interacting with items, devices, and environmental objects counts toward the knowledge requirement. Talking to nearby NPCs about their discoveries also contributes. Once you have gathered enough knowledge through exploration and interaction, the research row will become available.
Completing the 3rd upgrade of the 1st row at Due Haven unlocks dispatch missions to craft Mech Workers at Marne's Steel Armory. The dispatch task takes 4 hours and costs 5,000 armor plus 10,000 silver. It requires 2 grey-tier main party members assigned to the task. You can craft an unlimited number of Mech Workers this way, making it a valuable long-term resource for dispatching.
The 2nd row of research at Due Haven unlocks the Electric Tool Design Research, which grants the ability to craft Lightning Spear, Flame Spear, and Laser Cannon Spear through dispatch missions at various factories. This is particularly useful if you accidentally destroyed one of these spears, as it provides a way to craft replacements. See the Electric Tool Design Research article for full details on production locations.
Research institutes are special locations scattered across the continent of Pywel in Crimson Desert where players can invest Silver into research projects that yield equipment blueprints, permanent stat boosts, dispatch missions, alchemy recipes, and map markers for valuable resource deposits. There are six institutes in total: two in the Hernand region, one in the Crimson Desert region (Urdavah), and three in the Delesyia region.
Each institute is operated by a lead researcher who requests a specific item before they will open their project tree. Once the entry item is provided, the institute's full set of research projects becomes available. You can identify locations with research capabilities by hovering over them on the world map and looking for the research tree symbol.
For a complete list of every research project and its rewards, see the Research System article.
Institute | Region | Unlock Item | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
5x Lavender | Spirit cap increase | |||
1x Honey Tea | Health cap raised to level 18 | |||
3x Bloodstone | Stamina cap increase | |||
5x Gunpowder | Smelting, ATAG weapons, mining | ATAG Cannon, Laser, Pincers | ||
Delesyia Castle | 3x Copper | Mechanics, mobility, advanced weapons | ATAG Boots Mk. II and III | |
1x Diamond | Electrical weapons, ATAG combat gear | ATAG Machine Gun, Fist, Flamespitter, Welder |
As you invest Abyss Artifacts into your skill tree, each core attribute will eventually hit a hard cap that prevents further leveling. Spirit caps at level 8 (out of 12), Health caps at level 11 (out of 18), and Stamina caps at level 10 (out of 14). To push past these limits, you must complete specific research projects at the corresponding institute and provide rare materials as part of the upgrade. Each stat cap unlock is tied to a single institute and cannot be completed elsewhere.
Stat | Initial Cap | Max Level | Institute | Earliest Access | Special Resource |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Level 8 | Level 12 | Act 2 | 10x Wild Jinsen | ||
Level 11 | Level 18 | Act 4 (Chapter 5) | 5x Abyss Cells | ||
Level 10 | Level 14 | Chapter 9 | 10x Red Seaweed |
The Spirit stat caps at level 8 out of a possible 12. To raise this limit, you need to complete the Mysterious Energy of Wild Ginseng Research project (1B) at the Pororin Research Institute. Lumiel, the lead researcher on the south side of the village, oversees this project.
Pororin is a hidden Shai village that becomes accessible during Act 2. There are two known ways to gain entry. The first is to help a kid retrieve his cat from a rooftop in Hernand City, which gives you a special item that grants access. The second is to travel southwest of Ironwood and help the children in the forest there by climbing the giant living tree creature to retrieve their item. Either method opens the village for you.
Before you can unlock the spirit cap, you must complete the first three faction quests under the Porin Research Institute faction. These quests are straightforward and do not take long. Once they are done, you fund the research with Silver and wait for it to progress. Partway through the research, the project will be interrupted by a new faction quest that sends you to find Jinsen for the researchers. Complete this quest to resume progress.
When the research finishes, you need 10 Wild Jinsen plus Abyss Artifacts to complete the upgrade. Wild Jinsen is one of the harder resources to collect, so plan your sourcing carefully:
Marked gathering location: During the interruption quest, you are given a map marker to the southeast of Pororin. There are 6 Wild Jinsen at this spot, plus 1 that gets returned to you after the quest. This location respawns after roughly 7 in-game days.
Roaming merchant: A traveling merchant sometimes appears at the Greymane camp and patrols the main road leading to Hernand City. He is most active at night. He sells 2 Wild Jinsen per visit.
Farming at Greymane camp: You can plant Jinsen at the farm plot inside the Greymane camp. Completing the Horin research line grants a bonus to gathering yields, so planting one Jinsen may return two when harvested. This provides a renewable long-term source.
The Health stat caps at level 11 out of a possible 18. To break through, you need to complete the Abyssal Energy Research project (1B) at the Scholastone Institute. This research costs 130 Silver and takes about 20 in-game hours. Scholastone first becomes accessible during Act 4, and the research tree opens in Chapter 5.
The researcher, Grunvar, is located at the southeastern point of Scholastone. The faction quest to unlock the health cap upgrade is one of the easiest in the game. You simply walk around the institute examining various research displays, and the quest completes. As with other cap research, the project will be interrupted partway through, requiring you to complete an additional quest before it can finish.
Once the research is complete, the upgrade requires 5 Abyss Cells along with Abyss Artifacts. Abyss Cells drop from Abyss creatures, the strange living organisms found near Abyss Nexus points and Mysterious Energy zones on the map. These include living bushes, animated rocks, and similar hostile creatures.
The best farming spot for Abyss Cells is Drakesfall Castle, located north of Hernand past Rocker's Hill and the Hills of No Return. Inside the castle, you will find large groups of Bismuth Oreback Crabs (disguised as metallic ore on the ground; hit them with Force Palm to reveal them). These enemies drop Abyss Cells reliably. You can create an infinite respawn loop by killing some of the smaller ones while leaving others alive. The castle also has an Abyss Nexus inside for quick fast-travel resets.
The Stamina stat caps at level 10 out of a possible 14. Removing this cap requires the Red Seaweed Research project (1B) at the Urdavah Research Institute in the Crimson Desert region. Urdavah's research tree requires the most story progress of the three stat cap institutes. You need to have reached Chapter 9 and liberated the city before the researcher (Valtus, found on the second floor via the elevator on the west side) becomes available.
Before Red Seaweed Research becomes available, you must complete the prerequisite projects: Desert Lifestyle Research and Bioenergy Amplification Research. The Red Seaweed Research itself costs 12 Silver and takes 18 in-game hours.
The upgrade requires 10 Red Seaweed. Red Seaweed grows on the coasts of Delesyia. One of the easiest gathering locations is the beach south of Dewhaven, near a convenient waypoint. Look along the waterline for the distinctive red plants. You can collect well over 10 from just the first two gathering nodes along the coast, plus additional nodes further south near a shipwreck. Of the three stat cap resources, Red Seaweed is the simplest to obtain.
After upgrading a stat past its cap, the special resource cost is permanently attached to that threshold. If you choose to respec your skill points, you will need to pay the special resources again when you re-level the stat back to the cap threshold. For example, if you raise Health past level 11 using 5 Abyss Cells and then respec, reaching level 11 a second time will require another 5 Abyss Cells. Since Abyss Cells, Wild Jinsen, and Abyss Artifacts are all relatively scarce, it is strongly recommended that you finalize your stat distribution before upgrading past any cap. Avoid respeccing after completing these upgrades unless you are prepared to re-farm the materials.
The two Hernand institutes become accessible during the earlier chapters of the main story. They offer foundational upgrades including stat cap increases, the Faded Abyss Artifact crafting blueprint, and improved gathering tools.
Pororin is a hidden Shai village located southeast of Hernand, just east of Emberwind Workshop. Unlike the other institutes, Pororin is not accessible from the start of the game. You must first discover the village by approaching it three times (and getting knocked out each time by the Shai defenders). After the third attempt, a Shai child named Arkin appears and tasks you with retrieving the Relic of Pororin from the top of a giant walking tree creature. Hand over the relic to complete the "Unreachable Village" quest and gain free entry to Pororin.
The lead researcher at Pororin requires 5x Lavender to open the project tree. Research here focuses on herbalism, alchemy formulas, and gathering efficiency. The most important project is the Mysterious Energy of Wild Ginseng Research (1B), which permanently raises your Spirit level cap. The Pororin institute also unlocks the Magic Scythe and Pororin Fishing Rod through dispatch missions, as well as alchemy formulas for Freya's, Meliara's, and Haiden's Elixirs.
The Scholastone Institute sits high in the mountains of the Hernand region and is typically the first research institute players encounter. You visit Scholastone as part of the main campaign during Chapter 4 and later unlock the research tree in Chapter 5. The lead researcher, Grunvar, is a grumpy old orc who will send you on a short quest before agreeing to help.
Grunvar requires 1x Honey Tea to become the research director. You can craft Honey Tea at a cauldron by mixing Honey with Water, purchase it from merchants, or loot it from certain enemies. Once provided, the full research tree opens. Scholastone's most valuable projects include the Abyssal Energy Research (1B), which raises your Health cap from level 11 all the way to level 18, and the Abyss Energy Restoration Phenomenon (1A), which grants the Faded Abyss Artifact Blueprint for crafting respec items at any Witch cauldron. Later projects unlock improved Cloudcart variants (Cloudcruiser and Skystreaker) and ATAG Thrusterpack upgrades.
Urdavah is an archway city nestled in the sand dunes of the Crimson Desert region. You pass through it during the main quest, and the lead researcher can be found at the bottom of the elevator shaft inside the city. The unlock item is 3x Bloodstone.
Urdavah's research focuses on stamina upgrades, cooking energy boosts, wind-powered weapon systems, and mineral deposits. The headline project is Red Seaweed Research (1B), which permanently raises your Stamina cap beyond its initial threshold. The Gold Vein Research (3A) project is also notable for revealing the locations of gold ore deposits on your map, making it much easier to find Gold Ore for crafting. Later projects unlock the Accessories of the World Vol. IV Blueprint and ATAG Plating upgrades.
The three Delesyia institutes become available in the later chapters of the story. They focus on advanced weaponry, ATAG upgrades, mechanical engineering, and late-game crafting blueprints. Projects at these institutes tend to cost more Silver and take longer to complete than those in Hernand.
Gorthak Ironworks is located in the northwestern part of the Delesyia region, near the border with Demeniss. The lead researcher requires 5x Gunpowder to open the project tree.
Research at Gorthak Ironworks centers on smelting, ATAG weapon systems, and mining efficiency. The Machine Parts Research (2B) project is particularly significant, unlocking dispatch missions for the ATAG Cannon, ATAG Laser, and ATAG Pincers, along with a Vertical Flight upgrade for Oongka's Rocket Pack. The Skilled Workflow Optimization Research (1A) reduces crafting material waste, making all of your crafting more efficient going forward.
The Delesyia Castle institute is housed within the main fortress of the Delesyia region. The lead researcher requires 3x Copper to open the project tree.
Research here emphasizes mechanical enemies, mobility gear, and advanced weapon systems. The Mechanical Anatomy Research (1A) increases the drop rate of components from mechanical enemies, which feeds into late-game crafting. The High-Mobility Power Device Research (2B) unlocks dispatch missions for ATAG Boots Mk. II and III, providing significant mobility upgrades in combat. Mercury Research (3A) adds mercury deposit markers to your map, and the Future Protective Material Study (3B) grants the Plate Armors of the World Vol. IV Blueprint.
Dewhaven Keep is located in the southwestern part of the Delesyia region. The lead researcher requires 1x Diamond to open the project tree.
Dewhaven Keep rounds out your armory with the most aggressive tools available in the game. The Power Joints System Research (2B) unlocks dispatch missions for the ATAG Fist, ATAG Machine Gun, ATAG Flamespitter, and the Welder, some of the most devastating ATAG weapons in Crimson Desert. The Electric Tool Design Research (2A) project adds the Lightning Spear, Electromagnetic Boltspitter, and Quarry Drill. The Alloy Weapon Conductivity Study (3B) unlocks the Weapons of the World Vol. IV Blueprint.
You can work on projects at multiple institutes simultaneously. Start a project at one location, then travel to another and begin a second project while the first one runs in the background.
Stock up on unlock items (Lavender, Honey Tea, Bloodstones, Gunpowder, Copper, Diamonds) as you explore so you are ready to open each institute the moment you arrive.
Focus on the three stat cap projects first (Health at Scholastone, Stamina at Urdavah, Spirit at Pororin). These provide the largest power increases available through research.
Later-row projects can take up to 28 in-game hours. Start these before sleeping at camp to make progress overnight.
Check research progress from the world map without traveling back. Hover over the institute's settlement and tab to the research panel from the diorama view.
