There’s a downside to the new tech tree more noticeable if your actually clearing research and provinces at a similar place, please note I was never really tech locked when doing chapter 1-5. I invested in getting my magic academy to level 5(for PoP spells) and joined an excellent fellowship in chapter 2 helping with my gold and supply problem, which is worst on the new tech tree. The downside for me is lack of stockpile of goods and also hardly any PP spells once at chapter 6, need a good size guest race pit with no space for extra factories to help get more goods.
@Tavina I don’t think this new tech tree is suppose to be taken nice and slow at the same pace as the old one. It’s meant to get everyone to guest races as soon as possible and not spending forever in the lower chapters.