Summoning high-rarity units in Roblox gets you far, but evolution is what separates a functional roster from a genuinely dangerous one. Nine units in the game can evolve into stronger forms, each gaining stat buffs and a brand-new passive ability that completely changes how they perform on the field. After testing evolved units across raids and mastery stages, the difference in output is hard to ignore. This guide covers every evolution requirement, every passive you unlock, and exactly how to reach the evolution menu.
How do you evolve units in Anime Expeditions?
The process itself is quick once you know where to look. From the main lobby, head into the Upgrades room. Inside, you'll find the Evolve section sitting alongside other progression systems like Traits and Inventory. Walk up to it and press E to open the Evolution menu.
From there, select the unit you want to evolve. The screen displays every required material and flags anything you're still missing. If you're short on a crafted item, the Quick Craft button lets you handle it without leaving the menu. Once every requirement is met and you have enough gold, hit Evolve Unit and the upgrade applies immediately.
Where do you get Evolution Sprites?
Evolution Sprites are the base currency for every evolution in the game. There are five colors (Blue, Green, Red, Yellow, Pink, Purple, and Rainbow), and most evolutions demand 20 of two specific colors plus at least 1 Rainbow Sprite.
The main sources for sprites are:
- Story mode stages
- Challenges and weekly challenges
- Mastery stages
- Expeditions
- Raids
Rainbow Sprites are the rarest and appear across most of the same sources, just at lower drop rates. Prioritize weekly challenges and raids if you're trying to stockpile them fast. For free Gems to fund more runs, check the current Anime Expeditions codes for free Gems and Trait Crystals before they expire.
Sprites drop from raids and challenges
All Anime Expeditions evolutions: requirements and passives
Every evolved unit gains a unique passive on top of its improved base stats. Here's the full table:
| Base Unit | Evolved Form | Key Materials | Gold | Passive Ability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shadow | Shadow (Divine) | 20x Blue, 20x Green, 20x Red, 3x Rainbow Sprites | 10,000 | Divine Spirit: Summons a divine spirit that stuns Shadow for 15 seconds and deals equal damage to enemies. Cannot be despawned, killed, or stunned. |
| Crimson | Crimson (Brother) | 20x Red, 20x Pink, 1x Rainbow Sprite | 5,000 | Piercing Crimson: Fires Piercing Crimson at a target point for 10 seconds, dealing 7,755 damage per second and applying Crimson Mark. |
| True Saint | True Saint (Holy) | 1x Holy Pendant, 5x each of Red/Blue/Green/Purple/Yellow/Pink Sprites, 1x Rainbow Sprite | 5,000 | Seize: Steals 20% of damage from the 3 strongest units in range for 60 seconds. |
| Cursed Student | Cursed Student (True Love) | 1x Student ID, 20x Blue, 20x Purple, 1x Rainbow Sprite | 5,000 | Cursed Mimicry (follow-up on every 3rd attack) + Spirit Bats (every 20 Bleed stacks summons a Bat Spirit dealing 15% of unit's damage per hit). |
| Salmon Sorcerer | Salmon Sorcerer (Grade 1) | 1x Salmon, 20x Green, 20x Blue, 1x Rainbow Sprite | 5,000 | Crumble Away (20% Slow on all upgrades) + Plummet (Stagger for 2 seconds when enemy enters 50% of unit's range). |
| Flame Emperor | Flame Emperor (Reincarnate) | 1x Burning Fruit, 20x Red, 20x Yellow, 1x Rainbow Sprite | 5,000 | Wall of Fire: Summons a fire wall on any path in range. Enemies passing through it are inflicted with Burn. |
| Puppet | Puppet (Telekinetic) | 1x Puppet Heart, 20x Pink, 20x Purple, 1x Rainbow Sprite | 5,000 | Complete Control: Rewinds all enemies in range by 2 seconds. |
| Elf Mage | Elf Mage (Unleashed) | 1x Cosmic Magic, 20x Blue, 20x Purple, 1x Rainbow Sprite | 5,000 | Arcane Magic (builds Arcane charges per attack) + Overcharge (charge reset boosts Arcane Spell damage by 5%) + follow-up spells: Old Magic, Eruption, Storm. |
| String Demon | String Demon (Awakened) | 1x Joker of the Nonsensical Pirates, 20x Yellow, 20x Pink, 1x Rainbow Sprite | 5,000 | String Sync: Attaches strings to nearby units on regular attacks; those units perform follow-up attacks that deal bonus damage before the string breaks. |
Which evolutions are worth prioritizing?
Not every evolution delivers equal value at the same point in progression. Here's how to think about the priority order:
Shadow's Divine Spirit passive
Best early evolutions
Crimson (Brother) has the cheapest material requirement of any evolution, needing only 20 Red Sprites, 20 Pink Sprites, and 1 Rainbow Sprite. The Piercing Crimson passive pumps out 7,755 damage per second for 10 seconds on a targeted point, which is strong for holding chokepoints in raids.
Flame Emperor (Reincarnate) is similarly accessible and the Wall of Fire passive adds persistent Burn coverage across any path in range. Burn stacking is useful in almost every game mode.
Best for raids and late-game
Shadow (Divine) is the most expensive evolution in the game, but the Divine Spirit passive is uniquely powerful because the summoned spirit cannot be killed, despawned, or stunned. That makes it reliable in scenarios where other summons get wiped. The 15-second stun on Shadow itself is a real drawback, so position carefully.
True Saint (Holy) requires a Holy Pendant and six different sprite colors, making it one of the harder evolutions to assemble. The Seize passive stealing 20% damage from the 3 strongest units in range for 60 seconds creates a significant damage amplifier in a well-built team.
Elf Mage (Unleashed) rewards consistent attack uptime. The Arcane charge system stacks into three follow-up spells (Old Magic, Eruption, Storm), and the 5% damage boost on charge reset compounds over long fights.
Situational picks
Puppet (Telekinetic) and its Complete Control passive (2-second rewind on all enemies in range) is a niche pick that shines in wave-clear scenarios where resetting enemy positions buys your team extra time. It's not a top-tier pick for raw damage, but the utility is real.
Cursed Student (True Love) stacks two separate passives, which gives it flexibility. The Spirit Bats component scales with Bleed stacks, so it pairs well with any team that already generates Bleed through other units or traits.
Tips for farming evolution materials faster
- Run weekly challenges every reset. They're one of the most reliable sources of both colored sprites and Rainbow Sprites without requiring a full raid group.
- Don't neglect mastery stages. They drop sprites consistently and can be repeated, making them useful for grinding specific colors you're short on.
- Use Quick Craft in the evolution menu. If you're one special item away from completing an evolution, the Quick Craft button saves multiple menu transitions.
- Check the evolution preview before farming. The menu shows exactly what passive you're getting. If the passive doesn't fit your current team strategy, hold those materials for a unit that does.
For players building out multiple game modes at once, our Roblox guides collection covers other Roblox titles with similar progression systems worth exploring alongside Anime Expeditions.
String Demon and the special item requirement
The Joker of the Nonsensical Pirates required for String Demon (Awakened) has one of the more memorable item names in the game, but the evolution itself is strong. String Sync turns every regular attack into a team-wide follow-up trigger, which scales well in compositions where multiple high-attack-speed units are positioned nearby. The string breaks after the follow-up fires, so the passive resets cleanly each cycle.
For players building out anime-themed tower defense rosters more broadly, the Anime Overload beginner's guide covers team builds and Crystal farming in a similar format if you want to cross-reference progression strategies across games.
