The Anime Vanguards Familiars Update 8.5 has landed, bringing a spooky occult twist to the Roblox tower-defense sensation. This update introduces powerful new familiars, a thrilling Frozen Volcano dungeon, and a slew of quality-of-life improvements that make your battles smoother and more rewarding. Whether you’re a seasoned player chasing Infinite mode leaderboards or a newbie building your first team, this in-depth guide will break down everything you need to know about the Anime Vanguards Familiars Update 8.5. Let’s dive into the new familiars, their effects, how to get them, and pro tips to dominate the meta!
What’s New in Anime Vanguards Familiars Update 8.5?
Update 8.5, released on September 16, 2025, shakes up the game with occult-themed content and fresh gameplay mechanics. Here’s the quick rundown based on the latest patch notes:
- New Familiars: Three new familiars join the roster, each with unique buffs to supercharge your units.
- Frozen Volcano Dungeon: A new stage where you battle alongside Brolzi, Roku, and Vogita, earning Dragon Tokens and Spheres for exclusive rewards.
- Innocent Wrath Events: 13 unique events with elemental trials, offering chances to snag the Vanguard Familiar Sukono’s Finger.
- Quality-of-Life Upgrades: Over 30 improvements, including a hide familiars toggle, revamped quest tracker, and customizable currency displays.
- New Codes: Redeem LateUpdate, AngryMan, and InnocentAnger for gems, rerolls, and chips to boost your pulls.
The focus on familiars makes this update a game-changer for strategic team-building, so let’s zoom in on the stars of the show: the new familiars.
New Familiars in Update 8.5: Effects and How to Get Them
Familiars are your trusty companions in Anime Vanguards, providing substantial buffs to your units. The Anime Vanguards Familiars Update 8.5 introduces three new familiars, each with unique effects and acquisition methods. Here’s the full breakdown:
1. Sukono’s Finger (Vanguard Familiar)
- Effects:
- Boosts unit damage by 2–7% (randomized based on stats).
- Grants a 10% chance to apply a bleed effect on attacks, dealing 5% of enemy HP as damage over 5 seconds.
- Elemental Passive: Curse (increases damage against holy enemies).
- How to Get: Complete the King’s Return event, part of the Innocent Wrath event series starting September 16, 2025. This involves clearing specific elemental trials with high scores. Pro tip: Focus on the Frozen Volcano stage, as it has a 20% chance to drop Dragon Spheres needed for event progression.
- Usage Tips: Pair with high-DPS units like Brolzi Super or The Falcon for maximum bleed stacking in Infinite mode. The Curse element shines in occult-themed stages.
2. Silly Fairy
- Effects:
- Increases attack speed by 5–10%.
- Every 15–30 seconds, grants a random unit in range a 15% damage buff for 10 seconds.
- Elemental Passive: Holy (boosts damage against curse enemies).
- How to Get: Obtainable through the Burning Spirit Tree stage (introduced in Update 8.0 but more accessible in 8.5) or the Occult Shop for 300 Dragon Tokens. It’s a grind, but the pity system guarantees it after 50 boss kills in the Frozen Volcano.
- Usage Tips: Ideal for fast-attacking units like Rogita or Okorun (Turbo Evo). Use in multi-lane maps to maximize buff uptime.
3. Dragon Spirit
- Effects:
- Boosts damage by 1–5% and critical chance by 5%.
- On critical hits, spawns a small AoE explosion dealing 10% of the unit’s damage to nearby enemies.
- Elemental Passive: Fire (strong against nature enemies).
- How to Get: Drops from the Frozen Volcano Dungeon (20% chance per Boss Friezo kill) or purchasable in the Dungeon Shop for 250 Dragon Tokens.
- Usage Tips: Equip on AoE-heavy units like Ariun or Gilgamesh to amplify wave-clearing potential. The explosion effect is clutch in crowded occult stages.
Note: Familiar stats are randomized, so use Phoenix Shards (for stat rerolls) or Elemental Shards (for element rerolls) from the Odyssey mode to optimize. Avoid corrupting these familiars until you’re sure of their role, as Corruption Crystals (from Odyssey) are one-time use and can nerf stats if unlucky.
Strategic Tips for Using Familiars in Update 8.5
To make the most of the Anime Vanguards Familiars Update 8.5, here are some pro strategies:
- Prioritize Sukono’s Finger for Endgame:
- Its bleed effect scales insanely in high-wave Infinite runs. Pair it with S-Tier DPS like Brolzi Super or Yehowach to shred bosses.
- Farm the King’s Return event early—its limited-time nature means you might miss it until a rerun.
- Optimize Silly Fairy for Support:
- Use with support units like Saiko (Spirit Medium Evo) to boost summon-heavy teams in the Occult Dungeon.
- The random buff can be a gamble, so position units tightly to ensure it hits your main DPS.
- Leverage Dragon Spirit in Early Waves:
- Its AoE crit explosion clears early waves fast, saving cash for upgrades. Equip on low-cost A-Tier units like Lord Friezo for budget runs.
- Farm Dragon Tokens in Frozen Volcano for consistent drops—team up with friends to speed up clears.
- Reroll Wisely:
- Use Phoenix and Elemental Shards sparingly. Focus on boosting Sukono’s Finger to max damage (7%) or Silly Fairy’s attack speed (10%) for optimal returns.
- Access the reroll menu via the Familiars window in your inventory.
- Event Synergy:
- The Innocent Wrath events reward high scores, so stack Sukono’s Finger with Curse-advantaged units (e.g., The Struggler) for bonus points.
- Pin event missions in the updated Quest Tracker to monitor progress in-match.
- Avoid Common Mistakes:
- Don’t corrupt familiars unless you have spare Corruption Crystals—reversing Corruption II only reverts stats, not the corruption itself.
- Check stage modifiers in the Frozen Volcano; “Warding off Evil” boosts Holy familiars like Silly Fairy.
Quality-of-Life Improvements Boosting Familiar Play
Update 8.5 isn’t just about new familiars—it makes using them easier with these tweaks:
- Hide Familiars Toggle: Declutter your screen during chaotic battles.
- Quest Tracker: Pin objectives to track familiar-related missions in real-time.
- Elemental Filtering: Sort familiars by element in the inventory for faster team-building.
- Sandbox Mode: Test familiar synergies with the new Select Map button.
These changes make experimenting with familiars more intuitive, especially for F2P players grinding events.
Wrapping Up: Master the Anime Vanguards Familiars Update 8.5
The Anime Vanguards Familiars Update 8.5 elevates your gameplay with Sukono’s Finger, Silly Fairy, and Dragon Spirit, offering diverse buffs for every playstyle. Whether you’re bleeding out bosses with Sukono’s Finger or spamming AoE crits with Dragon Spirit, these companions are key to conquering the Frozen Volcano and Innocent Wrath events. Redeem those codes (LateUpdate, AngryMan, InnocentAnger) to jumpstart your grind, and don’t sleep on the pity system for guaranteed drops.
What’s your favorite new familiar? Share your team builds in the comments—I’m always checking for new strats! Like, share, and follow for more Anime Vanguards guides. Let’s keep summoning and slaying! 🔥
RELATED POSTS
View all
