Anime Expeditions Evolution Guide
Launch evolutions for Anime Expeditions — sprite and gold costs, quest items, new passives, crafting chain, and which units to evolve first.
By Bloxron Editorial Team · Last updated
13 Evolutions
7 Special items
Permanent forms
13 evolve paths are tracked here — nine launch forms plus four Update 0.5 limited evolves. For roster roles and tier rankings, see Units and Tier List.
Evolution is done in the Upgrades room. You spend colored sprites and gold — most launch units also need a quest item, but Shadow and Crimson do not. The evolved form is permanent and usually unlocks a passive that base form does not have.
How to evolve a unit
- From the lobby, enter the Upgrades room and walk to the Evolve stand (next to Traits and Crafting).
- Press E to open the menu and pick a unit that shows an evolution available.
- Check the material list — missing items are flagged. Use Quick Craft for sprites you can make on the spot.
- Preview the evolved passive before spending. Shadow is the only evolve that needs 3 Rainbow Sprites and 10,000 Gold.
- Hit Evolve Unit once gold and materials are ready. The form and passive are permanent.
Sprite crafting chain
| Material | Source | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Grey Sprite | Base drop from challenges and story | Craft into colored sprites at the Crafting Station. |
| Colored sprites | 5 Grey each for Blue, Green, Pink, Purple | Red and Yellow also drop directly from story and mastery. |
| Rainbow Sprite | 30 Grey to craft | Also drops from weekly challenges and raids — needed for every evolve. |
| Quick Craft | Evolve menu shortcut | Covers craftable sprites only — unique quest items still need their source. |
Evolution cost patterns
| Pattern | Typical cost | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Standard Mythic evolve | 1 Rainbow · 5,000 Gold · 40 colored sprites | Most launch evolutions follow this pattern. |
| Shadow (Divine) | 3 Rainbow · 10,000 Gold · 60 colored sprites | Most expensive launch evolve — no unique quest item. |
| True Saint (Holy) | 1 Rainbow · 5,000 Gold · 30 mixed sprites + Holy Pendant | Only evolve that needs every sprite color at once. |
| Crimson (Brother) | 1 Rainbow · 5,000 Gold · 40 Red/Pink sprites | Lightest colored-sprite load — good early evolve target. |
All unit evolutions
Preview the passive in-game before spending. Shadow is the only evolve that needs 3 Rainbow Sprites and 10,000 Gold.
| Evolved form | Materials | New passive |
|---|---|---|
| Shadow (Divine)from Shadow | 20 Blue, 20 Green, 20 Red Sprites · 3 Rainbow · 10,000 Gold | Divine Spirit — summons a permanent spirit that attacks at your damage. Shadow is stunned 15s on activation; the spirit cannot be killed or stunned. |
| Crimson (Brother)from Crimson | 20 Red, 20 Pink Sprites · 1 Rainbow · 5,000 Gold | Piercing Crimson — fire a 10s beam at a point in range. Enemies take heavy tick damage and gain Crimson Mark. |
| Cursed Student (True Love)from Cursed Student | Student ID · 20 Blue, 20 Purple Sprites · 1 Rainbow · 5,000 Gold | Cursed Mimicry — follow-up attacks every 3 hits. Spirit Bats — every 20 Bleed stacks in range summons a Bat Spirit. |
| Flame Emperor (Reincarnate)from Flame Emperor | Burning Fruit · 20 Red, 20 Yellow Sprites · 1 Rainbow · 5,000 Gold | Wall of Fire — place a wall on any path in range. Enemies passing through take Burn. |
| Salmon Sorcerer (Grade 1)from Salmon Sorcerer | Salmon · 20 Green, 20 Blue Sprites · 1 Rainbow · 5,000 Gold | Crumble Away — all upgrades apply 20% Slow. Plummet — Stagger for 2s when enemies enter half range. |
| Puppet (Telekinetic)from Puppet | Puppet Heart · 20 Pink, 20 Purple Sprites · 1 Rainbow · 5,000 Gold | Complete Control — Rewind all enemies in range for 2 seconds. |
| Elf Mage (Unleashed)from Elf Mage | Cosmic Magic · 20 Blue, 20 Purple Sprites · 1 Rainbow · 5,000 Gold | Arcane Magic — attacks build Arcane Charges into Old Magic, Eruption, and Storm follow-ups. Overcharge adds +5% spell damage on reset. |
| String Demon (Awakened)from String Demon | Joker of the Nonsensical Pirates · 20 Yellow, 20 Pink Sprites · 1 Rainbow · 5,000 Gold | String Sync — links to the nearest ally; their attacks trigger your follow-up, then the link breaks. |
| True Saint (Holy)from True Saint | Holy Pendant · 5 each of Red, Blue, Green, Purple, Yellow, Pink Sprites · 1 Rainbow · 5,000 Gold | Seize — steals 20% damage from the 3 strongest allies in range for 60 seconds. |
Update 0.5 limited evolutions
These forms come from the Villain roster. Exact sprite and gold totals can shift — confirm on the Evolve stand before spending.
| Evolved form | Materials | Kit notes |
|---|---|---|
| Crow (Black Fire)from Crow | Limited Secret — confirm sprites / gold on Evolve stand | Illusion tags store Crow damage and release a portion as AoE; Black Fire ticks grant shields that feed more Black Fire stacks. |
| Dark Mage (Sovereign)from Dark Mage | Limited Mythic — confirm sprites / gold on Evolve stand | Freeze support or Lightning-mode full AoE. Set targeting to None once Lightning is active so the aura keeps ticking. |
| Razor Jaw (Hunter)from Razor Jaw | Limited Mythic — confirm sprites / gold on Evolve stand | Roar utility, crit chance, Stagger stall, and a line/path nuke for packed waves. |
| Cursed Immortal (Black Sun)from Cursed Immortal | Limited Mythic — confirm sprites / gold on Evolve stand | Alternate playstyle evolve — usable, but lower raw DPS than Crow or Dark Mage. |
Unique evolve items
Besides sprites and gold, most evolutions need one special drop. The in-game evolve preview shows what you are missing; Quick Craft covers craftable sprites only.
| Item | Used for | Typical source |
|---|---|---|
 Student ID | Cursed Student (True Love) | Unit quest / trial |
 Burning Fruit | Flame Emperor (Reincarnate) | Expeditions / challenges |
 Salmon | Salmon Sorcerer (Grade 1) | Expeditions / challenges |
 Puppet Heart | Puppet (Telekinetic) | Expeditions / challenges |
 Cosmic Magic | Elf Mage (Unleashed) | Elf Mage unit quest |
 Holy Pendant | True Saint (Holy) | Unit trial |
 Joker of the Nonsensical Pirates | String Demon (Awakened) | Expeditions / challenges |
Sprite colors, crafting, and currencies are listed on the Items page.
Which evolutions to push first
| Unit | Priority | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Crow (Black Fire) | Top tier (limited) | Boss DoT and Illusion dumps — chase if you are spending Villain Coins this window. |
| Dark Mage (Sovereign) | Top tier (limited) | Lightning-mode AoE clears dense waves; freeze is the support fallback. |
| Shadow (Divine) | Top tier | Most expensive launch evolve, but Divine Spirit is a permanent summon that cannot be removed. |
| Cursed Student (True Love) | Top tier | Dual passives — follow-ups plus Bleed-scaling bats — hold up in raids and bosses. |
| Razor Jaw (Hunter) | Strong (limited) | Utility and path nuke when you need a Villain Mythic without Crow pity. |
| Flame Emperor (Reincarnate) | Strong early | Cheapest special item loop; Wall of Fire adds Burn coverage on any path. |
| Crimson (Brother) | Strong early | Lightest sprite cost of any evolve; Piercing Crimson is great for chokepoints. |
| Elf Mage (Unleashed) | Late-game | Arcane Charges scale in long waves — needs consistent uptime to shine. |
| Puppet (Telekinetic) | Situational | Complete Control is utility, not raw DPS — best when you need a hard reset on a wave. |
| Salmon Sorcerer (Grade 1) | Support | Evolve when your team already has damage — Slow and Stagger multiply everyone else. |
| String Demon (Awakened) | Situational | String Sync rewards multi-unit lanes with fast attack speed nearby. |
| Cursed Immortal (Black Sun) | Situational (limited) | Playable alternate kit — do not prioritize over Crow or Dark Mage if coins are tight. |
| True Saint (Holy) | Bridge | Seize can buff a stacked team, but six sprite colors plus Holy Pendant make it a grind. |
Where to farm materials
| Source | What you get | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Story stages | Colored sprites and gold | Your baseline while pushing unlocks — run the highest stage you can clear fast. |
| Daily / weekly challenges | Sprites and Rainbow | Most reliable free path; hit these every reset before buying bundles. |
| Mastery stages | Specific sprite colors | Repeatable when you are one color short for a chosen evolve. |
| Raids (level 25+) | Rainbow and special mats | Best once your team can clear consistently — see the Items page for token shop buys. |
| Unit trials / quests | Unique evolve items | Student ID, Cosmic Magic, Holy Pendant, and other one-offs tied to specific units. |
| AFK Chamber | Passive gold / misc | Worth leaving on when you are not actively farming sprites. |
Before you evolve
- Reroll stats on units you are keeping — evolution raises every stat one tier from where you start.
- Confirm the unit still has a team slot after you spend a week farming sprites.
- After evolving, farm exclusive gear from the linked story map if the unit has one.
FAQ
Can every unit evolve?
No. Nine units had launch evolves (Shadow, Crimson, True Saint, Cursed Student, Salmon Sorcerer, Flame Emperor, Puppet, Elf Mage, String Demon). Update 0.5 adds limited evolves for Crow, Dark Mage, Razor Jaw, and Cursed Immortal — confirm costs on the Evolve stand.
Should I reroll stats before evolving?
Yes, if you can. Evolving bumps every stat up one tier, so starting from stronger lines means a better final unit. Do not evolve a placeholder you plan to replace.
Where do Evolution Sprites come from?
Story, daily and weekly challenges, mastery stages, expeditions, and raids. Rainbow Sprites drop from the same sources but less often — weekly challenges and raids are the fastest free path.
Is evolution worth it?
For units you are keeping, yes. You get higher stats plus a new passive that often changes how the unit fits your team — not just a small numbers bump.