Anime Vanguards Update 8.5

 Update 8.5 Raid, Odyssey Changes, Units, and Pro Tips

Update 8.5 for Anime Vanguards is finally here, and it’s one of the biggest updates the game has seen in a while. It doesn’t just add new content—it actually changes how you play. Whether you’ve been grinding for a long time or you just started recently, this update gives you a lot to learn and explore.

From a brand-new raid to a completely reworked Odyssey mode, there’s something for every type of player. Let’s go step by step so you don’t miss anything important.

The New Raid: Ruined City

The biggest highlight of this update is the Ruined City Raid. This is a dark, destroyed map where you fight a powerful boss called the Lord of Shadows. The environment itself feels intense, and the boss constantly pressures your team with strong attacks and tricky mechanics.

Difficulty Options

You can play this raid in two modes:

• Normal – Good for casual runs and learning mechanics
• Nightmare – Very challenging and requires proper teamwork

If you’re planning to play Nightmare mode, don’t go solo unless your account is extremely strong. It’s highly recommended to play with a full squad of three players. The boss has a lot of health and some mechanics that are hard to handle alone.

Raid Rewards and Shop

When you defeat the Lord of Shadows, you earn a special currency that can be used in the Ruined City Shop. This shop is very important because it gives you access to some powerful items.

Here’s what you can get:

• Delusional Boy Unit – A brand-new unit available through raid drops or shop purchase
• Evolution Items – Two new items needed for high-level evolutions
• Familiars –
  • Birb Familiar
  • Black Spirit Familiar
    These pets follow your units and give extra buffs
• Other Items –
  • Dog Bones
  • Atomic Essence
  • Fortune Catalysts

These rewards make the raid worth grinding, especially if you are trying to improve your late-game power.

Odyssey Mode Rework 

If you stopped playing Odyssey before, now is the best time to return. The developers have completely redesigned it, and it now feels more like a roguelike mode, where every run is different.

New Team System

Before, you were limited in what units you could use. Now, you can start with your full team, which is a big improvement.

But there’s a twist.

After you use a unit on one floor, it goes on a “break” and cannot be used on the next floor. This forces you to think more strategically and build a deeper roster instead of depending on just one overpowered unit.

Farm units (money generators) are not affected by this system, so your economy stays stable.

Shop and Modifiers

Modifiers have also changed a lot.

• They are no longer random drops
• You now buy them from the Odyssey Shop
• The shop refreshes every two floors

This gives you more control over your run. Instead of relying on luck, you can plan your build based on what you need.

Popular items like the old “Prodigy” card are now replaced with these purchasable modifiers

Boss Rooms and Intensity

Every 5th floor is now a Boss Room, and these are much harder than normal stages.

After beating a boss, you get two choices:

• Cash Out – End your run and take your rewards
• Continue – Move forward to a Vault Room filled with modifier chests

The Vault Room is risky but can make your build much stronger for later floors.

Intensity System

Another great addition is the Intensity setting.

After each floor, you can:

• Increase intensity for better rewards
• Decrease intensity if you’re struggling

This system is very useful because it lets you control your difficulty and avoid losing your progress.

New Units and Evolutions

Update 8.5 also adds some strong new units and introduces a new mechanic called Double Evolution.

Vogita Super 

This is one of the most wanted units right now.

To unlock his second evolution, you need to complete a long quest chain. One of the steps includes saving Brolzi from the Frozen Volcano, which shows how detailed these quests are.

Important tip:
These quests must be done in order, so expect some grinding.

Clatakiri

Clatakiri is now the Floor 50 reward for Worldlines Season 4.

This means:

• Friran is no longer available from this reward
• You should now focus on grinding for Clatakiri instead

Secret Units

Like always, secret units are still part of the game. Some examples include:

• The Struggler
• The Falcon

These units often require Sacrifice quests, where you have to feed or delete lower-tier units to unlock their full power.

Familiars are becoming a major part of the game’s progression system.

Instead of constantly buffing units directly, the developers are now using Familiars to increase power.

New Features

• Familiar Reroll Chips – Let you change:
  • Main stat
  • Elemental stat

This means you can customize your pet to match your build.

Since units won’t get many direct buffs anymore, having a strong Familiar is the best way to stay powerful in late-game content.

A good Familiar with the right element can make a huge difference in your damage output.

Success in Update 8.5

Here are some simple but important tips to help you progress faster:

1. Build a Strong Roster

Because of the Odyssey “break” system, you need more than just one strong unit. Upgrade your mid-tier (B-tier) units as well.

2. Play Raids Efficiently

Don’t try to solo Nightmare mode unless you have top-tier traits like Godly. Playing with a team gives you:

• Higher win rate
• Faster farming

3. Use Codes

Every update usually adds new codes for:

• Gems
• Trait rerolls

These are very useful for getting powerful traits like Almighty or Godly.

4. Save Your Gold

Gold may not seem very useful right now, but raid items like Atomic Essence are expensive. Keep some gold ready for when you get rare drops.

Update 8.5 is a big step forward for Anime Vanguards. The game is moving away from pure luck and becoming more about strategy, team building, and smart decisions.

The new raid gives you a solid challenge, while the updated Odyssey mode adds depth and replay value. On top of that, systems like Familiars and Double Evolution make progression feel more rewarding.

If you take your time to understand these changes and build your team properly, you’ll have a much easier time keeping up with the new meta.

Good luck with your summons—and hopefully, you pull something amazing!