Anime Guardians threw me into the deep end when I started. No tutorial, confusing menus, and a gacha system that felt impossible. I failed Story Mode Act 3 about 15 times before I figured out what I was doing wrong.
180 hours later, I’ve cleared everything. Infinite Mode Wave 200+, all Worldlines, every evolution. This guide covers the progression path I wish I had when I started.
Quick Start (First 30 Minutes)
Before you do anything else:
- Redeem all codes - Check our Anime Guardians Codes page. You need Level 5 first, so clear 2-3 stages.
- Claim the free Exodia unit - It’s in your mailbox. This unit carries early game hard.
- Don’t summon yet - Save your Gems until you understand the banner system.
The Exodia unit from the starter rewards can solo Story Mode on Normal difficulty. I made the mistake of burning 20k Gems on random summons before I even knew what I needed. Don’t be me.
Progression Path
Here’s the order that worked for me:
Phase 1: Story Mode (Hours 1-10)
Clear Story Mode on Normal difficulty first. Exodia handles most of it.
Goals:
- Reach Level 30 (unlocks more features)
- Complete all Acts on Normal
- Save every Gem you earn
Common mistake: Trying Nightmare difficulty too early. Normal gives the same completion rewards. Come back for Nightmare later with better units.
Phase 2: Chainsaw Man Event (Hours 10-30)
Even though this event is from Update 15, it’s still active and the units are busted.
Farm for:
- Denji (farmable, S tier)
- Power (farmable, A tier)
- CSM Coins for the event shop
The Chainsaw Man units don’t require gacha luck. You grind the event stages and buy them directly. Denji carried me through Story Mode Nightmare.
Phase 3: Building Your Core Team (Hours 30-60)
Now you can start summoning. But be smart about it.
Priority banners:
- Limited banners (Re:Zero, Chainsaw Man collabs)
- Mythic rate-up banners
- Standard banner (only when desperate)
Target units:
- Sung Jin Woo (any version, evolves to Shadow Monarch)
- Gojo (Infinity version)
- Any Mythic with AoE attacks
Use Lucky Potions before pulling on limited banners. The rate boost is small but it adds up over 100+ pulls.
Phase 4: Infinite Mode Farming (Hours 60-100)
Infinite Mode is your main Gem source. Each wave after 50 gives 100 Gems.
My Wave 100+ team:
- Sung (Shadow Monarch) - main DPS
- Gojo (Infinity) - crowd control
- Denji - shield breaker
- Support unit with buffs
Position matters. Put your AoE units at intersections where paths cross. Single-target DPS goes on boss lanes.
Phase 5: Endgame (Hours 100+)
Now you’re chasing evolutions, perfect traits, and pushing leaderboards.
Focus on:
- Evolving your main 6 units
- Getting Damage++ traits on DPS
- Farming artifacts from Worldlines
- Pushing Infinite Mode for rankings
Unit Priorities
Not all units are worth investing in. Here’s what to focus on:
Must-Have Units
Sung Jin Woo (Shadow Monarch) The best unit in the game. His shadows scale infinitely and he can’t be stunned. If you pull base Sung, evolve him immediately.
Saitama Full AoE, multi-hit, massive damage. No evolution yet but still S+ tier. The 0.0045% rate is brutal though.
Gojo (Infinity) Long range, high damage AoE, and his Infinity passive blocks damage. Works in every team comp.
Solid Picks
- Lofy (Gear 5) - Can’t be stunned, range increases with attacks
- Void (God Hand) - Summons demons based on enemies in range
- Anos - 2.5x damage when fully upgraded
- Ichongo (True Bankai) - High DPS, hits multiple enemies
Skip These
- Base Legendaries without evolutions
- Any unit without AoE (except for boss killing)
- Starter units (Osto, Bolm, etc.) after early game
Check our Anime Guardians Tier List for full rankings.
Traits Guide
Traits are the difference between a good unit and a broken one. I’ve seen Mythics with perfect traits outperform Guardians with nothing.
Best Traits for DPS
- Damage++ - The god roll. Massive damage boost.
- Range+ - Quality of life, hits more enemies
- Attack Speed+ - More hits = more damage
- AoE+ - For AoE units specifically
Best Traits for Support
- Buff Range+ - Affects more allies
- Cooldown- - More ability uptime
- Cost- - Deploy faster
How to Reroll Traits
Use Trait Rerolls from codes or farming. Each reroll gives you a random new trait. It’s pure RNG but the codes give you thousands of rerolls to work with.
I spent about 200 rerolls getting Damage++ on my Sung. Some people get it in 10. RNG is RNG.
God Shield Mechanic (Update 21)
The new shield system changed everything. Enemies now spawn with shields that block ability damage.
How it works:
- Shielded enemies take 0 damage from abilities
- Basic attacks break shields
- Once shield breaks, abilities work normally
Team building for shields:
- Include at least 2 basic attack units
- Position shield breakers at the front
- Save ability units for after shields drop
This is why Denji became meta again. His basic attacks shred shields fast.
Farming Strategies
Gems
Infinite Mode - 100 Gems per wave after Wave 50. Best source. Story Mode Nightmare - First clear rewards are solid. Daily missions - Small but consistent.
Trait Rerolls
Codes - Check our codes page regularly. Ragna Capsules - Buy from event shops, drop rerolls. Infinite Mode rewards - Random drops from high waves.
Evolution Materials
Worldlines - Each Worldline drops specific materials. Event shops - Limited-time materials appear here. Boss raids - Rare drops from raid bosses.
Common Mistakes
Spreading resources too thin. Focus on 6 units max. Perfect those before touching others.
Ignoring traits. A unit without traits is half as strong. Use your rerolls.
Summoning on standard banner. The rates are terrible. Wait for rate-ups or limited banners.
Skipping Chainsaw Man event. Free S-tier units. No excuse to skip it.
Not positioning units properly. AoE at intersections, single-target on boss lanes, supports in the back.
Update 21 Tips
The Re:Zero collab is time-limited. Here’s how to maximize it:
- Farm City of Shattered Forest - Best Snowflake rates
- Prioritize Reinhard - He’s the best limited unit
- Get Satella evolution materials - She’s farmable and strong
- Use codes immediately - They expire fast
The Christmas event shop has exclusive artifacts. Farm enough Snowflakes to clear it before the event ends.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to get good at this game?
About 2-3 weeks of casual play to clear Story Mode and start Infinite Mode. A month to have a solid team that can push Wave 100+. Endgame (evolutions, perfect traits, leaderboards) takes 2-3 months.
Is Anime Guardians pay-to-win?
Kinda. You can buy Gems with Robux and whales definitely progress faster. But the Chainsaw Man event gives free S-tier units, codes give thousands of rerolls, and Infinite Mode farms Gems for free. F2P is viable, just slower.
What’s the fastest way to get Gems?
Infinite Mode after Wave 50. You get 100 Gems per wave. A good team can hit Wave 100+ in 20-30 minutes. That’s 5,000+ Gems per run. Codes also dump thousands of Gems on you.
Should I reroll my account?
Not worth it. The free Exodia unit and codes give you a strong start regardless of pulls. Rerolling takes forever and the gacha rates are bad anyway. Just play and build what you get.
When should I start doing raids?
After you clear Story Mode on Hard and have at least one evolved unit. Raids are tough and you’ll get carried early. That’s fine. The rewards are worth it even if you contribute nothing.
How important is positioning?
Huge. Bad positioning is why most people fail stages they should clear. AoE at intersections, single-target on boss lanes, supports in back. Learn the maps and where paths cross.
Related Content
- Anime Guardians Codes - Free Gems and Rerolls
- Anime Guardians Tier List - All units ranked
- Anime Guardians Evolution Guide - How to evolve units
- Anime Guardians Artifacts Guide - Best artifacts
- Anime Vanguards Guide - Similar TD game
