In Cities Skylines 2, Development Nodes allow you to unlock new buildings and services. You will find these nodes in the Development Trees, and to unlock them, you will need development points.
After earning the development points, you can jump to the Progression Panel and spend them unlocking different items. There are nine categories for Development Nodes; you will need to think smartly while choosing.
Cities Skylines 2 Development nodes explained
After completing milestones, if you look at the bottom right end, you will see some points, including the Development Points. These points can then be invested in the different branches and nodes present in the Development section.
You can start with the basic service and then branch off to reach the upgraded nodes. The development trees are categorized, so you must spend the points on the best nodes.
- Road Development Nodes
- Electricity, Water and Sewage Development Nodes
- Healthcare and Deathcare Development Nodes
- Garbage Management Development Nodes
- Education and Research Development Nodes
- Police and Administration Development Nodes
- Transportation Development Nodes
- Parks and Recreational Development Nodes
- Communication Development Nodes
Road development nodes
Starting the Advanced Road services, it is an essential development node that you can benefit from in Cities Skylines 2. By unlocking this development node, you can invest in tools such as stop signs, crosswalks, traffic lights, etc.
Similarly, you can invest in installing roundabouts to divert the traffic flow. You can move on to the Parking area, as having these areas at various spots in your city is crucial. This way, the parking problems and the residents will not obstruct the traffic flow.
Lastly, you can consider investing in Underground parking buildings as these can decrease the traffic tension. These may seem expensive, but they will help you level up your city much quicker as more residents will be attracted to it at a large city stage in Cities Skylines 2.
Electricity, water, and sewage development nodes
Among these three essential development nodes, your main focus should be on the Electricity one first. You can shift this focus towards generating green energy that decreases the pollution aspect and also keeps the residents happy.
You can start with the Coal plant and then move on to the Emergency Battery Station to conserve the electricity. Then you upgrade that to a solar power plant as it will be more efficient in making more electrical energy. This will also serve as a clean energy option in Cities Skylines 2.
If you have a large city and are thinking of investing in a Nuclear power plant, then this option will increase the electrical output. However, it will give rise to other factors, especially air pollution.
Spending Development Points on upgrading water and sewage development nodes won’t be that resourceful either. It will only cost you points as your city can suffice with the basic water pumping stations.
Healthcare and deathcare development nodes
Regarding city management, you must spend money on the Healthcare skill tree in Cities Skylines 2. It will cost you more than those medical clinics, but it will be well worth it once you upgrade it.
You can also use the development points on the Disease Control Center, which will be vital for your citizens. By installing these in your city, you improve the health impact on the residents and check if they are affected by air pollution (smog), etc.
Investing in a Cemetery may be a long shot if you have a small city, as this development point is best spent on a large city. This way, it can also serve as a tourist attraction spot and satisfy the citizens in Cities Skylines 2.
Garbage management development nodes
Regarding Garbage management development, your focus should be on the Recycling Centre in Cities Skylines 2. This way, you will be able to keep the ground pollution in check and also decrease it. The residents can use these recycled materials, and in doing so, you can make some cash from it.
Once you upgrade to higher development nodes, you can shift your focus to the industrial waste processing site. This will be an expensive option, but it significantly reduces air and ground pollution in Cities Skylines 2.
Education and research development nodes
As you level up your city in Cities Skylines 2, the requirement for education will increase in your citizens. You can invest in building Colleges first and then upgrade to the Universities.
When considering this particular development node, the first thing you should consider is installing the Firehouses/stations in your city. Remember that natural disasters can occur at any point, and forest fire is one of the dangers that can spread fast.
If a large city has a lot of forest areas, you can think about spending the development points on Firewatch towers, helicopters, etc. Similarly, from the research development node, you can invest in Emergency Warning Systems and Emergency Shelters.
These will come in handy when your citizens face natural disasters like tornados, etc. However, if you have not enabled the natural disaster mode, you can ignore spending your development points on the emergency shelter and other aspects in Cities Skylines 2.
Police and administration development nodes
Law enforcement is one of the things that will keep the crime aspect in check in your large cities. You should spend your development points first on the Police Headquarters node and install them in different parts of the city.
Then, you can move on to the Prison node and focus on upgrading the jail capacity. This development node will keep the crime element in check, but it is more suited for large cities.
Once you have dealt with the police development node, you can move towards the administration node next and spend points on the central bank. This way, your citizens will use the central bank, and you can profit from spending your development points and earn many credits in Cities Skylines 2.
Transportation development nodes
Transportation is a vital aspect of Cities Skylines 2 for many different reasons. Starting from a city, your options should be focused more on investing in those transportation modes that can benefit you more. This will include import and export options, which can be done by setting up trains to fulfill this purpose.
Moving onto the transportation development tree, you can explore other nodes, such as the Subway, which is a step up from the train. This way, the residents can travel more quickly and efficiently from one city to another.
As you upgrade your large city and increase its wealth, you can look towards higher options such as the Space Centre node. It will cost you a lot of credits, but it will increase the city-wide attractiveness and recreational value in Cities Skylines 2.
Lastly, it would be best to consider spending your Development points on the Tram in the transportation skill tree. It is a cheap option compared to the subway and can house more passengers as well. You can set up its tracks in different parts of the city and link it with other cities to improve the transportation aspect for the residents.
Parks and recreation development nodes
Parks are essential in every part of your city, and for that, you will need to unlock the park maintenance upgrade. The maintenance aspect may not seem like much, but it is crucial as it will keep your park clean and full of citizens.
This way you will be able to increase your city’s attractiveness and the citizens will be satisfied by spending their time in these Park areas.
Communications development nodes
If you want to extend the communication development node in your City, then spending your development points on the Server Farms is necessary. These are comparatively cheaper than the radio mast and telecom towers in Cities Skylines 2.
This way, you can use other upgrade options, such as Satellite links, when your large city becomes rich. This will not only result in boosting the attractiveness of your city but also increase the network capacity.
Ensure you do not miss out on investing in these development nodes, as they will significantly benefit you regarding Milestone points and credits.
