Voxhorde unlocks and Trials: idle or puzzle, your call
Updated September 28, 2026. Figures come from the live game.
The short answer
A new village meets Voxhorde one system at a time. Tier 2 (research, upgrades and the fence) opens at 120 strength, tier 3 (expansion, squads, spores and the League) at 200, and tier 4 (the War Band slot, decoys, Horde Kings and the Daily Challenge) at 360. Or skip the wait: pass that system's Trial, its mini-game at your skill plus 8 with a grade of A or S, three tries a day. Nothing is sold to skip it.
Idle or puzzle, your call
Your first night is small on purpose: build the Pit, bind zombies, post guards, build a Scrapworks, run it loud, meet the First Horde, raid. The bigger systems stay behind a padlock until your village is strong enough to use them. You can wait, and strength grows by itself as you build and bind, or you can beat the system's Trial and open it right now.
| Tier | Opens at strength | Systems |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | 120 | Research, Upgrades, Fence |
| 3 | 200 | Expansion, Squads, Spores, League |
| 4 | 360 | War Band, Decoys, Horde King, Daily Challenge |
Strength counts your best ever, not your current one, so a system that has opened never closes again, even if a raid knocks you down.
The eleven systems and their Trials
| System | What it opens | Tier | Trial game |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research | Serum Lab research | 2 (120) | Serum Sort |
| Upgrades | Building upgrades to level 2 and beyond | 2 (120) | Rivets |
| Fence | Barricades and road-gate upgrades | 2 (120) | Gate Jam |
| Expansion | Growing the island | 3 (200) | Ruin Survey |
| Squads | Picking squads for marches, hunts and guard posts; mutations | 3 (200) | Serum Shot |
| Spores | Spore bursts on raids | 3 (200) | Pipeworks |
| League | Trophies, leagues, seasons and bounties | 3 (200) | Rivets |
| War Band | A second attack slot | 4 (360) | Gate Jam |
| Decoys | Decoys at your gates | 4 (360) | Pipeworks |
| Horde King | Attacking Horde Kings | 4 (360) | Serum Sort |
| Daily Challenge | The daily shared puzzle | 4 (360) | Ruin Survey |
Some things were never locked. The Warehouse is open from the start, strains still unlock with your Binding Pit's level, and path choices still come at building level 3. While the War Band is locked you have one attack slot. While the League is locked your trophies stay at 0 and you are off the Season board; they start counting the moment it opens.
The same rules hold for every village, including ones founded before unlocks arrived: each system opens by strength or by its Trial. The AI villages around you are fully developed and already have every system.
How a Trial works
- Tap the padlock on a locked button, tile or tab. A card shows how much strength you have, how much you need and the Trial.
- Play the system's mini-game. The level is your skill in that game plus 8, capped at 30, fixed when the Trial starts.
- Grade A or S opens the system at once, with a short intro card. Anything lower uses up a try.
- You get three tries per system per day, counted when the puzzle is issued, so quitting halfway counts. They reset at midnight UTC.
Questions players ask
How do I unlock research early in Voxhorde?
Research opens at 120 strength. To open it earlier, tap the padlock on the Serum Lab's research button and play the Trial: Serum Sort at your skill plus 8, and you need an A or S. You get three tries a day.
What is a Trial?
A Trial is the mini-game of a locked system played at your skill plus 8 (capped at level 30). A grade of A or S opens the system for good; a lower grade costs one of your three tries for that system that day. It pays nothing else.
Can I buy an unlock?
No. Gold and the Store do not open systems. You either reach the strength or pass the Trial, and what you earn stays open even if your strength later drops.