Sacred Haven of Debauchery

Join, what's up.
Thanks, I replaced the weapon.

So, it makes sense to research lasers later. At least for the particle lances and plasma torpedoes. But there's really no point in touching rocket technology, as in this version, it's significantly inferior to other types of weapons - in the early stages, the low firing rate is a problem (and higher damage doesn't matter, considering you're fighting against corvette armadas), and in the late game, point defense comes into play.
Of the ascension branches, the strongest (and most demanding in terms of micro-management) is the biological one, but the other two are more fun. Especially psionics. And they can't be called weak either.

Added 3 minutes ago
Of the old engines, the strongest is the Warp Drive. But playing in a galaxy where all empires use hyperlanes is more fun, I think. And defensive stations make more sense with that setup.