Graveyard Keeper 2 Six Branch Guide: What Each Tech Does

In Graveyard Keeper 2, the six technology branches—Graveyard, Church, Farming, Alchemy, Smithing, and Writing—each unlock a distinct set of crafting recipes, building upgrades, and progression mechanics. This guide explains what every branch does, how they interconnect, and which ones to prioritize early to avoid wasting research points.

Background: How Technology Unlocks Work in Graveyard Keeper 2

Unlike the first game, Graveyard Keeper 2 uses a simplified tech tree with six linear branches instead of a sprawling web. You earn blue, green, and red research points by performing specific activities: blue from studying artifacts and writing, green from farming and alchemy, red from smithing and graveyard work. Each branch has multiple tiers, and you must spend points to unlock recipes and passive bonuses in that branch. Unlocking a tier in one branch sometimes requires a certain tier in another—for example, advanced graveyard decorations need Church tier 2. This creates a natural progression loop where you cannot simply rush one branch.

Graveyard Branch: Corpse Processing and Decoration

The Graveyard branch governs everything related to preparing corpses, building graves, and boosting the graveyard’s rating. Early unlocks include the basic grave, wooden cross, and corpse washing station. Later tiers unlock stone graves, marble statues, and embalming tables that let you inject chemicals to remove red and white skulls. The graveyard rating directly affects how many visitors come to church, which in turn determines your faith income. If you neglect this branch, your church services will be weak and you’ll struggle to unlock higher-tier church technologies.

• Key unlocks: grave markers, fences, corpse prep tools, embalming fluids.
• Why it matters: Higher graveyard rating = more faith = more blue points.

Church Branch: Faith, Sermons, and Building Upgrades

The Church branch focuses on the church building itself, sermons, and the faith resource. Unlocking tiers here lets you improve the church interior, add pews, upgrade the altar, and unlock confession booths that generate faith passively. Faith is the primary currency for buying blue research points and unlocking advanced technologies in other branches. The first sermon you give each week is free, but later sermons require candles and incense, which come from the Farming and Alchemy branches. This makes the Church branch a central hub that connects to almost everything else.

Farming Branch: Crops, Seeds, and Cooking

Farming covers planting, harvesting, and cooking. Early unlocks include basic seeds (carrots, wheat, cabbage) and compost. Later tiers add fertilizers that improve crop quality, greenhouse structures, and recipes for cooking meals that provide buffs. Crops are not just for food—many alchemy ingredients come from plants, and some church decorations require wheat or hops. Farming is also the main source of green research points, so it’s worth investing at least two tiers early to keep your research flowing.

Alchemy Branch: Potions, Chemicals, and Advanced Materials

Alchemy is the most complex branch. It unlocks the alchemy workbench, chemical recipes, and the ability to extract essences from plants and minerals. Potions are used for corpse embalming, buffs for your character, and even as ingredients in high-tier crafting. The branch also unlocks the still for making alcohol, which is needed for some late-game church rituals. Alchemy is heavily dependent on Farming (for plant ingredients) and Smithing (for metal containers). If you skip alchemy, you’ll hit a wall around mid-game when you need embalming fluids to keep corpses from rotting too fast.

Smithing Branch: Tools, Metal Parts, and Construction

Smithing unlocks the forge, anvil, and all metal recipes—from simple iron tools to complex gears and mechanical parts. This branch is essential for upgrading your tools (which speeds up all other work), building advanced graveyard decorations, and constructing the machinery needed for late-game automation. Red research points come primarily from smithing and mining, so this branch also fuels its own progression. A common mistake is ignoring smithing until you need a better pickaxe; by then you’ll be stuck without red points to unlock it.

Writing Branch: Scrolls, Books, and Research

The Writing branch is the last one you unlock, usually after the church reaches tier 2. It lets you produce paper, scrolls, and books that can be studied to earn blue research points. It also unlocks the study table, where you examine artifacts to convert them into research. This branch is crucial for late-game research because it provides a renewable source of blue points, which are otherwise limited. Writing also ties into the Church branch—you need books to unlock higher-tier sermons.

How to Choose: Which Branch to Prioritize First

There is no single correct order, but a reliable early path is: Graveyard tier 1 → Church tier 1 → Farming tier 1 → Smithing tier 1 → Graveyard tier 2 → Alchemy tier 1. This gives you a steady income of all three research point types and unlocks the basics for corpse prep, sermons, crops, and tools. After that, push Church tier 2 to unlock Writing, then use Writing to generate blue points for the higher tiers of everything else. Avoid dumping all your points into one branch early—you’ll starve the others and slow your overall progress.

Common Problems and Misconceptions

One common misconception is that the Graveyard branch is only for aesthetics. In reality, the graveyard rating is the single biggest factor in church attendance and faith income. Another issue players run into is hitting a research point bottleneck—for example, needing blue points but having no artifacts to study. The solution is to prioritize the Writing branch earlier than you might think. Also, don’t ignore the Farming branch’s fertilizer; it doubles crop yields and is essential for sustaining alchemy ingredients.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which branch should I unlock first? Start with Graveyard tier 1, then Church tier 1. This gives you a stable faith income and lets you start building your graveyard rating early.

How do I get more blue research points? Blue points come from studying artifacts at the study table (unlocked in Writing branch) and from writing books. You can also get a small amount from church sermons.

Do I need to max out every branch? No. You only need to unlock the recipes you actually use. Some late-game tiers are optional, like the high-end statues that are purely cosmetic.

Can I reset my research points? No, there is no respec system in Graveyard Keeper 2. Plan your unlocks carefully, or you’ll waste points on recipes you never use.

What is the fastest way to get red points? Smithing and mining give the most red points. Upgrade your pickaxe early and mine marble and iron to speed up the process.

Why can’t I unlock the Writing branch? The Writing branch requires Church tier 2. If you haven’t reached that, focus on improving your graveyard rating and giving sermons to earn faith.

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