All Hail the Orb Unlock Tier List: All 9 Discoveries Ranked

The all hail the orb unlock system is easier to plan once you separate the room that enables Alchemy from the discoveries inside the Bench. The game has nine Alchemy recipes, but it does not present them as a formal tier list. This guide uses S, A, and B as editorial shorthand for how much a discovery changes the current Devotion and automation loop.

TL;DR: Find and run the Library, reach the Alchemy Bench at the stage 3 progression point, then prioritize Devotion Resonance Crystal and Crystal Conduit. Speedy Transit or Grotto Auto Harvest is the next practical choice depending on your bottleneck. The nine discoveries are not official tiers, and current post-story updates let you finish the research after the final Obelisk.

Current status: September 2026 (quick answer)

The official Steam page lists All Hail the Orb at $6.99 in the US and shows Very Positive reviews at 93% from 1,295 reviews, with 88% from 76 recent reviews when checked for this audit. The game has 46 achievements, is single-player, and launched on April 20, 2026.

The current build is no longer the launch-only version. Official hotfixes addressed the Obelisk progression block, late-game performance, achievement tracking, cultist pathfinding, and the Duck Energy Generator. The post-story update also lets players continue after the final sequence, which changes the old advice that you must finish all nine discoveries before the finale.

How the All Hail the Orb unlock system works

Alchemy becomes available when the Alchemy Bench appears during the Obelisk progression. Current references place that at stage 3. The Bench is the interface for the nine discoveries; it is not itself one of the nine recipes.

The discovery system has two kinds of progress:

• Milestone discoveries: eight recipes arrive as your resources and systems reach their current requirements.
• Library research: Eureka Moments is tied to the Library running and processing books, with a passive chance per book described by current guides as 0.01%.

That means the best build order is partly active and partly patient. You can deliberately find the Library and stabilize automation, but you cannot force every later discovery by clicking one menu button. When a patch changes a threshold, the current Bench tooltip wins over a saved route.

The dungeon is where room assignments and the automation loop turn discoveries into output.

S-tier: Devotion Resonance Crystal and Crystal Conduit

Devotion Resonance Crystal is the first high-impact discovery because it changes the click economy. Current guides describe a 10% chance for an Orb click to trigger a Resonance Crystal chain. The exact chain presentation can change with balance patches, but the strategic effect is stable: a click can create additional Devotion opportunities instead of ending at one output.

Crystal Conduit is its natural partner. It turns the Life Crystal and Resonance system into a more automated source of Devotion, which reduces the amount of manual clicking needed to keep the economy moving. Unlocking only one is useful; having both is where the loop starts feeling self-sustaining.

These two are S-tier because they affect every later threshold. They are not “best” because a tooltip says so. They are best because they change the rate at which the rest of the run arrives.

A-tier: the automation accelerators

Speedy Transit is the best next choice when cultists are spending too much time walking between rooms. Its value grows with dungeon size. In a tiny early layout, the improvement is easy to miss; in a busy layout, less travel means more completed work.

Grotto Auto Harvest is the better next choice when manual harvesting is the thing interrupting your run. Removing a repeated check-in is worth more than a small multiplier if it lets the rest of the system keep running while you explore.

Super Beds improves the cultist side of the economy. It is more valuable when your output is limited by worker uptime rather than by Life Crystal or Resonance production.

Life Crystal Upgrades+ improves the system that Crystal Conduit is already automating. Prioritize it before a small convenience upgrade if your Life Crystal output is the current ceiling.

Cultist Statue Upgrades+ is another compounding improvement. It is less dramatic than the S-tier pair because it does not redefine the whole loop, but passive generation becomes more meaningful as the Obelisk thresholds grow.

The exact order among these five is not fixed. Check which resource is currently flatlining. A tier list that ignores the bottleneck is less useful than a simple observation of your own dungeon.

The right A-tier choice depends on whether transit, harvesting, worker uptime, Life Crystals, or passive output is slowing your current stage.

B-tier: useful, but do not route around them

Prayer of Fertility is a convenience improvement for the growth loop. It can shorten a resource wait, but it does not justify delaying the core automation discoveries.

Eureka Moments is the unusual case. It is mechanically low priority because it arrives passively through the Library rather than through an active route. It is achievement-critical for The Grand Opus, which requires all nine recipes, but you should not stop the run to force it. Keep the Library operating and let the chance accumulate.

If your current guide calls one of these “a trap,” read that as “low priority,” not “harmful.” The game has no official bad discovery. B-tier means you should let the recipe arrive while you solve the bigger production bottleneck.

Step-by-step: an efficient unlock route

1. Find the Library early: Explore the dungeon with the room's long-term value in mind. Staff it once available so its research process can run while you work elsewhere.

2. Stabilize the first Obelisk stages: Do not rush a stage advance while your rooms are barely producing. A stable resource loop makes the next Bench threshold easier to reach.

3. Open the Alchemy Bench at stage 3: Confirm the current discovery list and requirements in the Bench. Do not use an old screenshot as the source of truth for threshold numbers.

4. Take Devotion Resonance Crystal first when available: It improves the active click and chain economy that feeds the rest of the run.

5. Take Crystal Conduit next: Pair the chain with more passive Life Crystal output. If your current bottleneck is travel or harvesting, choose the relevant convenience discovery after these two.

6. Leave Eureka Moments running in the background: Keep the Library staffed and return to the Bench when a new milestone appears. The current post-story continuation means you do not need to panic before the final Obelisk.

7. Finish the achievement cleanup before closing the save: The Grand Opus achievement requires all nine recipes, and the current hotfix history shows that achievement tracking has changed before. Check Steam after each major unlock.

Common mistakes

Treating the nine recipes as a fixed manual order: Eight are milestone-driven. You can prioritize the system that enables them, not click arbitrary recipes out of sequence.

Skipping the Library: This delays the research path and makes Eureka Moments impossible until you correct the omission.

Rushing the Obelisk: Progression is not just a number. If the dungeon automation is not stable, the next stage can feel like a rebuild rather than an acceleration.

Using launch-era ending advice: Current post-story continuation changed the cleanup window. You can still finish optional work before the finale, but you are not necessarily locked out after it.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best All Hail the Orb unlock?

Library is the first room priority, followed by Devotion Resonance Crystal and Crystal Conduit at the Bench. These are editorial priorities based on their effect on the automation loop.

When does Alchemy unlock?

Current references place the Alchemy Bench at stage 3. Check the current Obelisk and dungeon state if an update changes the sequence.

How many discoveries are there?

Nine. Eight are tied to resource milestones, while Eureka Moments depends on Library research and a passive chance per processed book.

What does Devotion Resonance Crystal do?

It can start a Resonance Crystal chain from an Orb click. Current guides describe a 10% chance; use the current tooltip for balance details.

What does Crystal Conduit do?

It makes the Life Crystal and Resonance flow more automated, reducing how much manual clicking is required to keep Devotion moving.

Can I get all nine after the ending?

Yes, current post-story updates keep the game running after the final sequence. Library research and the Bench remain useful for cleanup.

Is this an official tier list?

No. S, A, and B are editorial shorthand for impact and urgency.

Related Reading

• All Hail the Orb Complete Guide: systems and stage walkthrough.
• All Hail the Orb Alchemy Guide: all nine recipes and the research route.
• All Hail the Orb Best Build Guide: automation timing and resource priorities.
• All Hail the Orb Obelisk Guide: stage progression and thresholds.
• All Hail the Orb Achievement Guide: The Grand Opus and the full 46-achievement set.
• All Hail the Orb Resonance Guide: the click chain and Crystal Conduit interaction.
• All Hail the Orb Automation Guide: room and worker optimization.
• All Hail the Orb New Player Mistakes: pitfalls that delay the first automation loop.

References

• All Hail the Orb on Steam: current price, live reviews, features, and game description.
• All Hail the Orb official Steam community: hotfixes, post-story updates, and developer notes.
• All Hail the Orb achievements: current nine-recipe and progression achievement names.
• All Hail the Orb Alchemy Guide: current discovery order and Library interaction.