They Are Billions , resetting the campaign technology tree is not a built-in feature, creating a system where strategic choices have permanent consequences. This design forces players to live with their research decisions, often leading to situations where a poorly optimized path makes later missions significantly more difficult or even impossible at higher difficulties. The Challenge of Tech Permanence
The tech tree is a "point of no return" system. Once you successfully complete a mission, any technology you purchased beforehand becomes locked into your save file permanently.
The "Tricked" Feeling: New players often spend early research points on "trap" technologies, such as minor unit bonuses like Mercenaries (+1 Ranger), which lose value rapidly as swarms grow from dozens to thousands.
Soft-Locks: Certain missions, like Cape Storm or The Lonely Forest, require specific splash-damage tools (e.g., Shocking Towers or Lucifers) or advanced food production (Farms). Without these, players may find themselves unable to progress, frequently forcing a total campaign restart. Legitimate "Reset" Methods
While there is no "Respec" button, players can use specific in-game behaviors to adjust their choices:
The "Loss" Loophole: Research choices only lock after a win. If you buy a technology and then lose or quit a mission, your research points are refunded, allowing you to try a different build for that specific challenge.
Strategic Backups: Experienced players often manually backup their save files before spending large amounts of Research Points, allowing them to "reset" to a previous state if a new technology underperforms.
In the survival RTS game They Are Billions , there is no native, official feature to reset your campaign technology tree once you have successfully completed a mission. This design choice by the developers aims to enforce high stakes, strategic planning, and replayability. However, because picking inefficient technologies can effectively "soft-lock" a campaign on higher difficulties, players have discovered several workarounds and unofficial tools to reset their points.
Below is a detailed report covering how the tech tree functions, the official safety nets, community workarounds, and ideal tech paths to avoid needing a reset in the first place. 1. How the Tech Tree & Locking Works
To understand how to manipulate or reset the tree, it is important to understand when the game permanently saves your choices. Earning Points:
You earn Research Points by completing Colony missions and collecting hidden artifacts during tactical Hero missions. The "Soft" Lock: You can purchase technologies and freely undo them as long as you have not started and won a mission since spending those points. The "Hard" Lock:
The very moment you successfully finish any mission, all research points spent up to that point become permanently locked into that campaign save. 2. Official "Safety Nets" (No External Tools) they are billions reset tech tree
Because the community heavily requested a respec feature, the developers added a couple of built-in ways to prevent players from losing dozens of hours to a bad tech branch: Mission Failure Respec:
If you spend points on a technology, enter a mission, and fail that mission, the game allows you to go back to the tech tree and reallocate the points you spent just before that mission. Campaign Backups:
The game allows you to create manual backup saves from the campaign map. It is highly recommended to make a backup save before spending a large batch of research points. If you realize 3 missions later that your build is non-viable, you can revert to that backup. 3. Community Workarounds & Modded Resets
If you are already far into a campaign and locked into a bad tech tree without a backup, you must use unofficial methods to reset your points: Use a Save Editor / Decryption Tool TABRTreset (They Are Billions Research Tree Reset):
This is a popular open-source tool created by the community (available on platforms like
and the Steam Workshop). It cracks the save file's encryption specifically to let you reset the tech tree and hero points without corrupting your progress. Cheat Engine / Trainers Many players use third-party programs like Cheat Engine
to simply grant themselves a massive amount of extra Research Points. While this doesn't technically "reset" what you already bought, it allows you to buy the necessary technologies you missed to avoid having to restart the entire campaign. The "Pirate" Exploit (Legacy)
Due to the game's anti-tamper check triggers, starting the game executable directly from its folder without Steam running sometimes forces the game to treat the save as an unverified copy. On some older versions, doing this caused the tech tree to completely wipe and refund all points upon loading a mission. Technology Tree Progression Guide (Edited)
They Are Billions , the technology tree locks permanently upon completing a mission, offering no native, in-game option to reset campaign choices. Players can, however, use external third-party tools like the TAB-research-tree-reset Steam Workshop mod or manipulate save files to force a reset. Steam Community Technology Tree Progression Guide (Edited)
In the unforgiving steampunk apocalypse of They Are Billions
, a single bad research choice can feel like a death sentence for your entire campaign. Unlike many modern strategy games, the developers intentionally designed the tech tree to be permanent and immutable once a mission is successfully completed. They Are Billions , resetting the campaign technology
Here is a deep look into why the "no-reset" rule exists, how to work around it, and the essential strategies to avoid a campaign-ending soft lock. The Design Philosophy of Permanence
The campaign's tech tree is built on the principle of high-stakes commitment. Research points are a finite resource earned from colony, tactical, and swarm missions.
Tactical Weight: By making choices permanent, the game forces you to plan your entire campaign from the first mission.
Risk of "Soft Locking": If you over-invest in early-game luxuries (like starting units) while ignoring critical mid-game defense (like Shocking Towers), you may find later missions physically impossible to beat on higher difficulties.
Limited Respec: You can only change your mind about a technology before you complete a mission with it. If you purchase a tech and then lose or restart the mission, your points are returned, allowing for a "single-use" trial. Methods to "Reset" the Tech Tree
Since there is no official in-game button to respec, players must rely on external tools or save-file manipulation.
External Reset Tools (Mods): The most reliable method is the TAB-research-tree-reset tool available on GitHub and the Steam Workshop. This .exe utility cracks the save file's encryption to refund all spent research points.
Save File Backups: Proactive players often create manual backups of their save files before spending large amounts of points. If a chosen path proves non-viable, they can revert to the older save.
Starting Over: For many purists, the only "true" way to fix a broken tech tree is to restart the campaign. This allows you to apply knowledge of upcoming mission requirements to a more optimized build. Strategy: Avoiding the Reset
To avoid needing a reset, prioritize "Essential" technologies that provide high utility across all maps:
Report: Resetting the Technology Tree in They Are Billions ✅ Method 1: Delete Save Data (Complete Wipe)
Subject: Analysis of Technology Tree Reset Mechanics in They Are Billions Date: October 26, 2023 Game Version: Standard Edition / Survival Mode
This resets all Survival Mode progress – tech points, best scores, unlocked maps.
Steps:
%USERPROFILE%\Documents\My Games\They Are Billions\Saves\TechTree.sav (Survival tech data).Highscore.sav if you want a full fresh start.Consequence: You lose all earned tech points and high scores. You start from 0 points again.
If you are using a mod or a third-party trainer (like WeMod or Cheat Engine) that claims to "Reset Tech Tree," and it doesn't work, here is why:
01 to 00. This is extremely advanced and often crashes the game.| Action | Feasibility | Risk | Keeps points? |
|--------|-------------|------|----------------|
| Official reset button | ❌ Not available | – | – |
| Delete TechTree.sav | ✅ Yes | Low (loses all progress) | No |
| Edit save file manually | ⚠️ Possible | High (corruption) | Yes (if done carefully) |
| Use third-party save editor | ✅ Recommended | Medium (backup first) | Yes |
| Start new Windows profile | ✅ Yes | Very low | No |
Best for most players: Delete TechTree.sav and start over – you’ll re-earn tech points quickly while playing smarter.
For minimal loss: Use a community save editor to uncheck specific techs while keeping your total points.
In the weekly Community Challenges, the tech tree is pre-determined by the challenge creator. You cannot reset it. You play the hand you are dealt.
In "The Empire of the Storm" (the mini-campaign DLC), the rules are identical to the main campaign: No reset without file deletion.
However, there is a third mode: Custom Maps. Many custom maps (found on Steam Workshop) have their own internal tech trees scripted by the map maker. Often, these maps include a "Reset Tech" command in the map description. Look for signs or in-game text that says -resettech or similar.