Guide for Returning Players: Fast-Track to Meta Units (2026)

Introduction: Why This Anime Vanguards Guide for Returning Players Matters

If you’ve taken a break from Anime Vanguards and are coming back to a wave of new content, units, and mechanics, you might feel overwhelmed. Fear not—this Anime Vanguards guide for returning players is designed to get you from zero to meta-ready in under a week. Whether you missed Update 9 or just want to re‑optimize your strategy, the progression path laid out here will save you countless hours of guesswork.

Based on community‑tested strategies (including a detailed player experience breakdown from the community), this guide walks you through six linear stages: Beginner V1, V2, V3, Midgame V1, V2, and Endgame. By the end, you’ll know exactly how to acquire and evolve top-tier units like Broly (Vanguard), Sukuna, Gojo, Griffith, and Guts. Let’s jump in.

Beginner V1: Lay the Foundation (Levels 1–20)

What to Do First

As a returning player, you’ll receive first‑time or returning player rewards, including the Aer unit and materials to evolve him across seven days. However, we’re going to evolve him much sooner to accelerate your progress.

Start by completing Namek Sand Village and Double Dungeon stages. Run them on Nightmare difficulty immediately—the achievements and first‑time clear rewards are worth it. Use Aer to breeze through these stages; he’s strong enough even unevolved for early content.

Key Early Actions

• Set your selection banner to Skeleton King – he’s essential for mid‑game carries and will double his damage in later stages.
• Save trait rerolls and gold for high‑end units. The only exception: roll for Fortune on Speed Wagon and Takarota (money units that boost yen per wave).
• Save gems and don’t waste them on random summons.

Beginner V2: Evolve Your First Mythic (Levels 20–30)

By now you’ve cleared Double Dungeon. It’s time to evolve Aer—or, if you already summoned Skeleton King, swap to him. Evolution requires essence stones, unit‑specific items, gold, and takedowns.

How to Farm Evolution Materials

1. Legend Stage – Sand Village Act 1: Drops blue/red chakra and green essence stones. With a level 12 Aer (even unevolved) you can beat it. Avoid modifiers except “Champions.”
2. Crafting Bench Synthesis: Convert any two legend‑stage evolution items into one of another type. Example: 12 red + 12 blue chakra → 12 of any other legend item.
3. Gold: Easiest method – summon units and sell them.
4. Essence Stones: Buy from gold shop or complete challenges that refresh every 30 minutes. Challenges are tougher but more rewarding.

Important Evolution Tip

Before evolving any mythic unit, roll their stats at least once to get A‑rank across the board. Evolving bumps all stat ranks up by one, turning A’s into S’s.

After evolving Aer (or Skeleton King), grind Demon Slayer Raid stages 1–3 for player XP. If you have Epic Sakura, run stage 4 for snare control. Keep going until level 30 to unlock your fifth unit slot.

Beginner V3: Story Completion & Stat Optimization (Levels 30–40)

Now that you have Skeleton King (hopefully summoned in V1) and an evolved mythic, it’s time to finish the remaining story stages. Again, play everything on Nightmare for maximum gems and trait rerolls.

Evolve Skeleton King

Use the same method as Aer (legend stage materials + essence stones). Skeleton King’s doubled damage in certain legend stages makes him invaluable for the upcoming Griffith grind.

Stat Rolling Strategy

• Save most trait rerolls for end‑game units.
• Roll one trait on each frequently used unit for a stat boost.
• Only roll for 100% stat potential to guarantee all A‑ranks.

Midgame V1: Gojo & Sukuna (Levels 40–60)

This is where the real power spike begins. You should already have evolved Skeleton King and Aer. Now start summoning for Gojo or Itadori (evolves into Sukuna). Itadori is slightly easier to evolve first.

Evolution Requirements

Why Rush These Two?

Both Gojo and Sukuna have familiars that unlock after 10 days of daily usage. Without their familiars, they are “meh.” So the sooner you evolve them, the sooner you can start the daily quest (use them in 25 stages per day for one token; 10 tokens unlock the familiar). This grind can last until endgame, but it’s mandatory for meta performance.

Pro Tip: If the Sukuna boss event is not in rotation, use a Boss Rift (legacy shop) to trigger it manually.

Midgame V2: World Lines, Griffith & Guts (Levels 60–75)

World Lines

Run World Lines (50 stages with weather effects). Completing floor 50 rewards a limited‑time unit, often useful for its release period.

Griffith & Silly Fairy Familiar

Griffith drops from Legend Stage Act 4 at a 5% rate. Skeleton King’s damage is doubled here, making him your primary carry. Use a dedicated strategy (community suggests placing units at choke points). When you get Griffith:

• He also drops the Silly Fairy Familiar, which reduces Speed Wagon’s upgrade cost—essential for economy.
• Evolution: Obtain King’s Egg item. To complete the quest, have Griffith’s summons hit enemies on the path 200 times (summons must die this way). Easy passive grind.

Guts (Optional but Recommended)

Guts is summoned off‑banner as “The Struggler.” He provides a quest item upon summon; completing it evolves him into a powerful meta unit. Worth the effort if you enjoy his playstyle.

Endgame: Broly (Vanguard) – The Ultimate Grind (Levels 75+)

The final target is Broly (also called Vanguard Rarity Broly). To start, you need to clear the Frozen Volcano Dungeon.

Dungeon Mechanics

• Golden Frieza spawns every 3 waves. Defeat him to get a Dragon Ball.
• Collect 7 Dragon Balls → click the button → win.
• Each clear has a 10% chance to drop the Remote quest item.

Required Units to Unlock Broly

Broly evolves from Vegeta (his second evolution). You also need:

• Vegeta (summoned from banner) – needs first evolution before evolving to Broly.
• Frieza (summoned) – evolved form needed for quest.
• Goku Super Saiyan 3 (summoned) – evolved form needed for quest.
• Gogeta (obtained by clearing Frozen Volcano with only Frieza in your loadout – 20% drop chance).

Optimal Clear Strategy

Use Skeleton King or Guts to clear the dungeon until you have evolved Frieza. Equip the “Tyrant Arrives” card on Skeleton King, move him to where Frieza spawns every 3 waves, then return him to the spawn point to prevent leaks.

Once you have the Remote, follow its quest to obtain the item that evolves Vegeta into Broly. Remember: Vegeta must be evolved once before the Broly evolution.

After Broly

Finish the familiar quests for Sukuna and Gojo. Equip their familiars. Your end‑game meta squad should include:

• Broly
• Griffith
• Sukuna (with familiar)
• Gojo (with familiar)
• (Optional) Guts

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1: Is this Anime Vanguards guide for returning players still relevant in 2026?
Yes. The progression stages and unit requirements haven’t changed significantly. Always check for new updates, but the core path remains identical to what top players recommend.

Q2: How long does it take to go from zero to Broly following this guide?
Expect about 40–60 hours of dedicated play if you maximize every farming opportunity. The 10‑day familiar timer for Sukuna and Gojo is the main bottleneck.

Q3: Can I skip Skeleton King?
You can, but he makes the Griffith grind much faster. Community reports indicate his double damage in Act 4 legend stage cuts clear time by roughly 30%.

Q4: What’s the fastest way to get Sukuna fingers without the boss event?
Run Shibuya Infinite mode. Sukuna appears as a rare spawn and drops one finger per kill. It’s tedious but always available.

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For the most up‑to‑date game information, visit the official Anime Vanguards Roblox page. Join the community Discord for live strategies and trading.