Research Bureau

{{AnnoWiki |content= The '''Research Bureau''' provides a way for highly accomplished players to earn ships otherwise unobtainable, and have some fun doing it.<br />They can reset progress on a tech tree ship line back through Tier II and re-earn the ships all the way up to Tier X, earning valuable points towards those special ships.}}
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{{Video|3532KkNz82o|align=right|The Research Bureau - How It Works}}
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The principle of player progression in ''World of Warships'' is moving from lower tier to higher tier ships up to the apex of each tech tree branch &mdash; the Tier X ship.  However, in doing so, players often leave intermediate-tier ships behind.  These ships offer game play experiences that are equally interesting as those of Tier X ships.  And often, a now-more experienced player will discover that his lower-tier ships seem to play better than when he was first grinding through them.

== Qualification ==
A player may '''qualify''' for the Research Bureau in several ways.<ref>The Research Bureau was introduced with [[Ship:Update 0.8.7|Update 0.8.7]]. At first, five Tier Xs was the only way to qualify.</ref>  Any player with five unlocked tech tree Tier X ships is fully qualified.  Obtaining Research Points in other ways, e.g. through Dockyard events or Battle Performance Bonuses, partially qualifies the player for the Research Bureau.  

=== Partial Qualification ===

Simply earning Research Points unlocks the ability to spend them &mdash; that is, the Research Bureau page in the Armory. See [[#RP Loot|below]].  A partially qualified player does not receive a bonus, nor can they reset lines. 

=== Full Qualification ===

Unlocking five (5) tech tree Tier X ships fully qualifies one.  (The ships do not have to be in Port.)  Immediately on fully qualifying, the player receives {{RP}}&thinsp;10,000 '''Research Points''' (RP).<ref>The {{RP}}&thinsp;10K bonus is awarded once for fully qualifying for the Research Bureau, not for resetting a line.</ref>  The Research Bureau page in the Armory is also enabled.

== Earning Research Points ==

<p>Although small amounts of {{RP}} can be obtained from such things as Battle Performance Bonuses, the primary source is by 'resetting' lines of tech tree ships then re-earning and playing them.</p>

<p>A '''line''' is defined as those ships that must be unlocked consecutively to obtain a Tier X ship. In the case of split lines (e.g. the USA light and heavy cruiser lines), each line includes the ships that are common to both (in this case the Tier II&ndash;V cruisers)).  Excluding Tier I ships, lines consist of:
:* 9 Ships for [[Ship:Cruisers|Cruisers]]
:* 10 Ships for [[Ship:Battleships|Battleships]] and [[Ship:Destroyers|Destroyers]]
:* 8 Ships for [[Ship:Aircraft_Carriers|Aircraft Carriers]] (there are two "side steps" to get to CV's).</p>

{{block|+|content='''<span style="font-size:115%">Neither Premiums, Specials, nor {{Supership}}Superships interact with the Research Bureau and cannot be reset.</span>'''}}

<p>In order to earn Research Points a line is reset as described below. The ships of the line must then be unlocked again. When each of the ships from Tiers V<ref>Since [[Ship:Update 0.9.9|Update 0.9.9]], Tier V ships earn {{RP}}&thinsp;200.</ref> to X of the line is in port, winning a battle<ref>Recognized game modes are Random, Co-op, Scenario, Ranked. Wins in [[Ship:Clan Battles|Clan Battles]] or in the Training Room are not counted.</ref> or achieving 300 Base XP in a single battle earns Research Points. Each higher tier ship earns progressively more RP. Gunship lines earn a maximum of {{RP}}&thinsp;10,200 (base) per reset. Carrier lines earn less: {{RP}}&thinsp;8,000 (base). More than one line may be reset at the same time.</p>

[[Image:Research Bureau point News.jpg|982px|frameless|none|link=https://worldofwarships.com/en/news/game-updates/research-bureau|alt=Research Points per ship win]]


=== Battle Performance Bonuses ===
{{block|i|content=<span style="font-size:115%">The term <b>Battle Performance Bonuses</b> refers to rewards that are triggered by battle results in addition to Experience and Credits.  Two examples are Snowflake-type event rewards and Research Points.</span>}}

At each reset, Battle Performance Bonuses &mdash; in this case {{RP}} &mdash; are calculated and recorded on the ship.  The base {{RP}} earnable for the ship tier (shown in the illustration above) is multiplied by any applicable bonus, for instance the 2x bonus for the first reset of a season, and the total added to any previous bonus on the ship.  

When the ship is played to a win (or the base XP in a battle is achieved) the accumulated Battle Performance Bonus {{RP}} is awarded and the total available is set back to zero.

Lines can be reset any number of times per season, and the base {{RP}} value applies to each ship for every reset.

== Resetting a line ==

To enable line resets the player must have qualified for the Research Bureau.<ref>Five (5) unlocked tech tree Tier X ships are not required. However, only lines with an unlocked Tier X may be reset.</ref>

Once line resetting is enabled a button will appear below each researched Tier X ship in the  [[Ship:Port#Tech_Tree_tab|Tech Tree panel]] in Port. Pressing this button (and confirming), causes the line to reset.  For all Tier II through Tier X ships in the line:<ref>Tier I ships have no unlock or purchase cost so are not sold, nor are upgrades and signals de-mounted or the commander sent to reserve.</ref><br /><br />

:* All ship XP {{Ship XP}} is moved to the Tier I ship,
:* Mounted [[Ship:Upgrades|Upgrades]] are de-mounted to Inventory at no cost,
:* Mounted [[Ship:Camouflage|camouflages]], skins, and [[Ship:Flags|signals]] are de-mounted,<ref>Special camos or skins designated to a ship remain designated to that ship.</ref>
:* Commanders are moved to Reserve (slots are added when necessary),
:* The ships in port are sold for Credits at the normal Sell price,
:* Modules, whether mounted or in Inventory, are sold for Credits at the normal Sell price,
:* The relevant Battle Performance Bonus {{RP}} is added to each researched Tier V&ndash;X ship,
:* Tier II&ndash;X ships and their modules become locked,
:* A {{RP}} icon appears in the tech tree and in the [[Ship:Port#Ship_Carousel|Ship Carousel]] on each ship with a bonus available, indicating that {{RP}} can be earned from that ship.

=== Partial line resets ===

Especially with Early Access ships, it is possible to unlock a Tier X ship without unlocking all the ships in the line.  Such a line can be reset. However, ships that were never unlocked cannot earn Research Points after the line is reset. 

For example, A Tier VIII ship is obtained during an Early Access event, but no ship below it on the tech tree.  The player obtains the Tier IX and X ships in the normal manner, enabling a line reset.  After the reset, the Tier V to VII ships may be unlocked and played, yet will earn no RP. Having finally been unlocked, they can earn RP in subsequent resets. 

== Seasons ==

Each '''Research Bureau season''' lasts 90 days.<ref>So far, the seasons appear to end on the closest Friday to the 15th and the next start on the following Saturday.</ref>  In each season, ''the first line reset'' becomes eligible for double (2x) Research Points {{RP}} when the Tiers V&ndash;X ships in the line are played to a win. Season end dates may be viewed by scrolling to the bottom of the tech-tree.

The following dates are for the North American server (European dates are 1 day later):
<!-- :* Season 1 - 21 Aug. 2019<ref>[https://worldofwarships.com/en/news/game-updates/update-087-french-destroyers-part-2/#research-bureau Update 0.8.7]</ref> to 19 Nov. 2019<ref>[https://worldofwarships.com/en/news/sales-and-events/missions-0810/#research Update 0.8.10]</ref>
:* Season 2 - 19 Nov. 2019 to 17 Feb. 2020<ref>[https://worldofwarships.com/en/news/sales-and-events/missions-091/#research-bureau Update 0.9.1]</ref>
:* Season 3 - 17 Feb. 2020 to 17 May 2020<ref>[https://worldofwarships.com/en/news/sales-and-events/missions-094/#research-bureau Update 0.9.4]</ref>
:* Season 4 - 17 May 2020 to 15 Aug. 2020
:* Season 5 - 16 Aug. 2020 to 13 Nov. 2020
:* Season 6 - 14 Nov. 2020 to 12 Feb. 2021 
:* Season 7 - 13 Feb. 2021 to 14 May 2021 
:* Season 8 - 15 May 2021 to 9 Aug. 2021
:* Season 9 - 10 Aug. 2021 to 8 Nov. 2021
:* Season 10 - 9 Nov. 2021 to 5 Feb. 2022
:* Season 11 - 6 Feb. 2022 to 7 May. 2022
:* Season 12 - 8 May 2022 to 13 Aug. 2022  -->
:* Season 13 - 14 Aug. 2022 to 11 Nov. 2022
:* Season 14 - 12 Nov. 2022 to 3 Feb. 2023  (est.)

<br />
Note that the 2x season bonus does not depend on the first line reset being unlocked or played first.  The second line reset may be completed and played first, but it will earn only the base Research Points.

Regrinds do not need to be completed within a specific season to obtain the 2x RP bonus.

== RP Loot ==

Research Points {{RP}} can be exchanged in the Armory for items, most notably the unique ships X BB ''[[Slava]]'' ({{RP}}&thinsp;63,000), X BB ''[[Ohio]]'' ({{RP}}&thinsp;62,000), X CA ''[[Gibraltar]]'' ({{RP}}&thinsp;59,000), X CA ''[[Sevastopol]]'' <br>({{RP}}&thinsp;58,000), X CL ''[[Colbert]]'' ({{RP}}&thinsp;57,000), X DD ''[[Druid]]'' ({{RP}}&thinsp;56,000), X DD ''[[Vampire II]]'' ({{RP}}&thinsp;55,000), IX BB ''[[Illinois]]'' ({{RP}}&thinsp;51,000), IX CA ''[[Siegfried]]'' ({{RP}}&thinsp;47,000), IX CA ''[[Van Speijk]]'' ({{RP}}&thinsp;46,500), and IX DD ''[[Paolo Emilio]]'' ({{RP}}&thinsp;43,000), [[Ship:Upgrades#Unique_Upgrades_.28.22Legendary.22_Upgrades.29|Unique Upgrades]], and signal flags.  In the future more items will become available for {{RP}}.  See the [[Ship:Armory#Research_Bureau|Armory page]] for updates and details.

== Techniques ==

There are several ways to use the Research Bureau, understanding that there are two goals: acquire Research Points {{RP}} (RP), and enjoy playing low- and mid-tier ships again.

=== Play It Your Way ===

This is the longest and may be the most rewarding way to earn back the ships of a reset line.  Start with the Tier I ship of the line and play it (if necessary) to earn enough XP {{Ship XP}} to unlock the Tier II ship.  Buy it.  Repeat through Tier X.

As with the first time you did it, no extra experience or credits are required; the ships earn it themselves.  Oh, you might toss in a little FXP to get over a hump or two, but the play's the thing.

=== Blowing By ===

Free XP {{FXP}} will unlock any tech tree ship, so with enough {{FXP}} you can unlock the whole line, selectively purchasing and playing ships as desired.  This technique certainly saves time, but you might miss discovering that that long-hated ship is actually pretty good in your now-skilled hands. 

=== Level up to Six ===

The ships of Tiers II through V are inexpensive to unlock&thinsp;{{Ship XP}} and inexpensive to purchase&thinsp;{{Credits}}.  Some players will immediately FXP past them to Tier VI, and some will use them to earn credits for those expensive high-tier ships. 

=== Doing A Split ===

Some tech tree branches split into two lines:
:*  the [[Image:120px-SOV flag.png|21 px|frameless|link=Ship:Ships_of_U.S.S.R.]] Soviet destroyer branch and cruiser branch split after Tier VII.  
:*  the [[Image:Wows_flag_Japan.png|21 px|frameless|link=Ship:Ships_of_Japan]] Japanese destroyer branch splits after Tier IV.  
:*  the [[Image:Wows_flag_Germany.png|21 px|frameless|link=Ship:Ships_of_Germany]] German destroyer branch splits after Tier VI.  
:*  the [[Image:Wows_flag_USA.png|21 px|frameless|link=Ship:Ships_of_U.S.A.]] American cruiser branch splits after Tier V and the battleship branch splits after Tier VII. 
The splits make resetting and re-grinding those lines a little easier.  Resetting multiple sides of a split line can save a fair amount of time or Free XP over re-grinding two full lines separately.

Using the [[Image:120px-SOV flag.png|21 px|frameless|link=Ship:Ships_of_U.S.S.R.]] Soviet tree as an example, a player who has unlocked both ''[[Delny]]'' and ''[[Grozovoi]]'' can reset both at the same time and need unlock the Tier II&ndash;VII ships ''only once'' to complete both destroyer lines.  (In this case, although they are common to both, unlocking and winning in ''[[Podvoisky]]'', ''[[Gnevny]]'' and ''[[Minsk]]'' earns RP {{RP}} for only one line.)

=== Stacking resets ===

For a player rich in Free XP {{FXP}}, this is the easiest way to accumulate Research Points {{RP}} (RP).  The Tier V&ndash;X ships of a reset line ''need not be played'' to qualify for RP at an eventual first win.  

A player can reset, then unlock an entire line using {{FXP}} without purchasing or playing a single ship, and the Tier V&ndash;X ships will "remember" that they are due those {{RP}} at the first win.  Then the player can reset, then unlock the same line without purchasing or playing a ship, and the Tier V&ndash;X ships will "remember" that they are due more {{RP}} at the first win.  When those ships eventually are purchased and played for a win, the accrued Research Points are awarded. 

==== Example ==== 

:1) In Season 1 a player unlocks his fifth tech tree Tier X ship and immediately receives {{RP}}&thinsp;10,000. 

:2) He resets his [[Image:Wows flag Germany.png|22 px|frameless|link=Ship:Ships_of_Germany]] KM cruiser line.  All Tier II+ KM cruisers in port etc. are sold.  Then he spends {{FXP}}&thinsp;755,410 (ships plus B hulls) to unlock all nine ships through Tier X.  His Tier V through X ships thus gain the ability to play for double '''(2x)''' {{RP}} (the bonus for his first reset of the season) at any future time &mdash; {{RP}}&thinsp;20,400 for all six. Anticipating another reset, he purchases none of them.

:3) In the same season, the player resets his KM cruiser line again, and again unlocks all nine ships with {{FXP}}.  His Tier V through X ships thus this will collect ''another'' (now '''3x''') RP award when played &mdash; an additional {{RP}}&thinsp;10,200 for all six.

:4) In the next season as his first reset, the player resets his KM cruiser line for the third time, and again spends {{FXP}} to unlock all nine ships.  His Tier V through X ships thus accrue access to yet another double (2x) {{RP}} award &mdash; {{RP}}&thinsp;20,400.  His reset awards have thus 'stacked' to five times '''(5x)''' the base award. 

:5) He then purchases his six Tier V&ndash;X ships, and plays six Co-op games, all wins, thus earning a total of {{RP}}&thinsp;51,000 to add to the {{RP}}&thinsp;10,000 qualifying bonus, giving him {{RP}}&thinsp;61,000 &mdash; enough to buy ''[[Colbert]]'' ({{RP}}&thinsp;57,000).

He has spent about {{FXP}}&thinsp;2.7M, {{Credits}}&thinsp;19.3M to 53M,<ref>The Credits cost depends on a number of things. The numbers given assume a 15% Clan buy/sell discount, and reflect the variance of the number of ships and modules that were sold at first reset.  I.e. the {{Credits}}&thinsp;53M expenditure is if he had ''no'' KM cruiser in port to be sold at first reset &mdash; an unlikely occurrence. {{Credits}}&thinsp;19.3M is if he had them all.</ref> and played 6 games.  Elapsed time, about 2 hours total.

For an all-FXP reset/unlock cycle, the {{Flag of Japan|size=21px}} IJN DD '' Harugumo'' line costs the fewet {{FXP}} to full unlock.

== Achievements ==

The following achievements have been added celebrating milestones in the number of lines reset: 
:* [[Image:Icon_achievement_PARAGON_DROP10.png|50px|link=]]&nbsp;&nbsp;'''Junior Shipbuilder''' (10 resets), 
:* [[Image:Icon_achievement_PARAGON_DROP50.png|50px|link=]]&nbsp;&nbsp;'''Senior Shipbuilder''' (50 resets), 
:* [[Image:Icon_achievement_PARAGON_DROP100.png|50px|link=]]&nbsp;&nbsp;'''Shipbuilding Inspector''' (100 resets), and 
:* [[Image:Icon_achievement_PARAGON_DROP150.png|50px|link=]]&nbsp;&nbsp;'''Chief Shipbuilding Inspector''' (150 resets). 

{{block|i|content=Only lines reset after Update 0.9.9 went live (30-Sep-2020) are counted for these achievements.}}

== Notes ==
[https://worldofwarships.com/en/news/game-updates/research-bureau/ Original News Article]<br />
[https://worldofwarships.com/en/news/game-updates/research-bureau-update/ News Article with 0.9.9 updates]<br />
[https://forum.worldofwarships.com/topic/198177-tldr-research-bureau/ Forum Game Guide]

<references />
<br />
=== Third Party commentaries ===
[https://youtu.be/rpxZQ4l21EY Comprehensive Guide] by Statsbloke (30 min. video).<br />
[https://www.facebook.com/160743397342031/videos/352262856241283 Facebook presentation] with KARMAT1KA and Lord_Zath.


[[Category:Rules pages]]