1. What Are Essence Stones?
Essence Stones are the primary currency for evolving units in Anime Vanguards. Only Mythic, Exclusive, and Secret rarity units can evolve — and every evolution requires a specific combination of essences. They come in three tiers:
Green Essence
The base resource. Cannot be crafted — must be farmed. Required directly (30-35 per evolution) and as crafting ingredient for all higher essences.
Blue / Red / Yellow / Pink / Purple
Crafted from 3 Green Essences + 500 Gold each. Most evolutions require 10-13 of 2-3 specific colors.
Rainbow Essence
Crafted from 1 of each Legendary + 500 Gold. Almost every Mythic/Secret evolution requires 1-2 Rainbow Essences.
Total Cost Per Evolution
A single evolution needs roughly 75-110 Green Essences when you account for crafting. That's the direct Green requirement (~30-35) + Legendaries (30-45 Green to craft) + Rainbows (15-30 Green to craft). Plan for multiple days of dedicated farming.
2. Farming Green Essence (The Bottleneck)
Green Essence is the bottleneck resource — it cannot be crafted, only farmed. Here are the three main sources, ranked by efficiency:
#1 — Legend Stages (Best Rate)
Each Legend Stage run (15 waves + boss) drops 1-3 Green Essences. With a strong SS-tier DPS unit, runs take ~5 minutes. Sand Village is the easiest entry-level farm stage. EX Legend Stages (4-player) drop 1-7 per run.
#2 — Challenges (Supplementary)
Challenges rotate every 30 minutes (regular), 24 hours (daily), and 7 days (weekly). Essence Stone challenges yield ~6 Green per completion. Weekend bonus: rewards are doubled (except Weekly Challenge), giving ~12 Green per challenge. Capped at 20 completions per day.
#3 — Gold Merchant (Quick Buy)
The Takaroda NPC in the lobby sells Essence Stones for Gold (stock resets daily). Pro tip: buy Rainbow Essences and dismantle them for 15 Green Essences each — this is often more efficient than buying Green directly.
3. Crafting Recipes
Crafting is done at the Crafting Desk in the Evolve Area (lobby). You can also dismantle essences back down if you need to convert colors.
| Output | Ingredients | Gold Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Any Legendary (Blue/Red/Yellow/Pink/Purple) | 3 Green Essence | 500 |
| Rainbow Essence | 1 Blue + 1 Red + 1 Yellow + 1 Pink + 1 Purple | 500 |
| Total for 1 Rainbow | 15 Green Essence | 3,000 |
Dismantling (Reverse Crafting)
| Dismantle | Yields |
|---|---|
| Any Legendary Essence | 2 Green Essence |
| Rainbow Essence | 15 Green Essence |
4. Legend Stage Farming Tips
Legend Stages are the hardest Story Mode variants — 15 waves + a boss on Nightmare-locked difficulty. Each stage also drops unique evolution materials needed by specific units.
| Legend Stage | Notable Drops | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Sand Village | Furious Chakra, Scales of Aod | Easiest farm stage — recommended for beginners |
| Double Dungeon | Shadow Traces, Dark Energy Fragments | Required for Song Jinwu evolution |
| Spirit Society | Bucket Hat, Chipped Blade | Bleach unit evolution materials |
| Hill of Swords | Unit Food (280 EXP each) | Best for leveling units |
| Tokyo RailwayNEW | Blood Sword, Grenade Pin, Cup of Coffee | Update 11 Demon unit materials |
Optimal Strategy
For pure Green Essence farming, run Sand Village on repeat (~5 min/run with strong DPS). For specific evolution materials, target the Legend Stage that drops what you need — check the Fandom wiki for per-stage drop tables. Alternate between Legend runs and Challenges when they rotate.
5. Farming Rates & Efficiency
Based on community testing. Actual rates vary by clear speed and team composition.
| Method | Green Essence / Hour | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Legend Stages (Sand Village) | 12-36 | ~1-3 per 5-min run |
| EX Legend Stages (4-player) | Higher per run | 1-7 per run, slower clear times |
| Challenges (weekday) | ~6 per challenge | Rotates every 30 min |
| Challenges (weekend) | ~12 per challenge | Doubled rewards |
| Mixed (Legend + Challenges) | 20-40+ | Optimal rotation |
6. Common Mistakes
Crafting the Wrong Legendary Colors
Check your target unit's exact evolution recipe before crafting. Each evolution needs specific colors — blindly crafting one type wastes Green Essences.
Ignoring the Gold Merchant
The daily Gold Merchant restock is free passive income. Buy Rainbow Essences and dismantle for 15 Green each — this adds up significantly over time.
Farming Only on Weekdays
Challenge rewards double on weekends. If you only have limited play time, prioritize weekend sessions for Challenges.
Evolving Non-Meta Units First
Evolution materials are expensive. Check the tier list before committing — evolve your SS/S-tier units first.
7. Daily Farming Routine
Follow this daily rotation to maximize your essence income:
[ ] Buy all essence from Gold Merchant (resets daily)
[ ] Complete Essence Stone Challenge if active (~6 Green)
[ ] Run Sand Village Legend Stage x3-4 (~5 min each)
[ ] Check Challenge rotation — complete when essence challenge appears
[ ] Run specific Legend Stage if farming evolution materials
[ ] Craft needed Legendary essences at the Crafting Desk
[ ] On weekends: prioritize Challenges (2x rewards!)
[ ] Redeem new codes for bonus materials