Pre-release data. All data is from the closed beta and leaks. It is incomplete and will change before and after launch.

Anima Codex

Strategy guide

A plain-language guide to Honkai: Nexus Anima built from the 2025 closed beta and leaks. The game isn't out yet, so treat everything here as a working understanding that will change — especially after the Evolution Test on 9 July 2026.

What kind of game is this?

Three things bolted together:

  1. A creature collector. You bond with creatures called Anima and build a roster of them.
  2. An auto-battler (auto-chess). You place up to 9 Anima on a board, arrange your formation, then the fight plays out automatically. You don't control units directly mid-fight.
  3. A gacha, layered on top, mainly for pulling rare units and repeat copies.

So winning isn't about reflexes. It's about which Anima you bring and how their synergies stack.

The two synergy systems

Every Anima has exactly one Aspect and one Trait. These are two separate ways to earn bonuses.

Breakpoints are not the same for everything. Some climb at 2/4/6/8, others at 3/5/7/9, 3/6/9, or 2/3/4. The Comp Builder does this counting for you and shows exactly which tier is live — that's the fastest way to learn what's worth stacking.

Rule of thumb: a board that half-commits to three Aspects usually loses to one that fully activates one or two. Hit real breakpoints instead of spreading thin.

Your characters (Animasters)

You bring three Animasters (the human characters) into a battle. One is the active leader and grants a Law — a team-wide buff. The other two contribute Talismans — gear that gets equipped onto your Anima. You can switch which character is leading mid-match. So characters support the creatures; the Anima do the fighting.

(The exact Law and Talisman effects per character aren't published yet — we'll fill those in once the beta shows them.)

In-battle augments ("Nexus Hextech")

At certain rounds you pick 1 of 3 augments that last the match. They come in flavours — Synergy, Upgrade, Combat Power, Economy — and some can fake a synergy between Anima that don't share a type. That's your tool for pivoting a run that isn't coming together.

How you actually get Anima

It's a hybrid, and this matters for planning:

Characters lean more on the gacha. Note: the closed beta shipped with no live gacha — it used a level-gated store (a 5★ Anima cost 800 premium "Aspect Gems"). The launch model isn't confirmed.

Early-game roadmap

  1. Do the story in Iya/Iia. It teaches the systems and hands you starter Anima and companions.
  2. Pick one or two Aspects to build around based on what you collect early, and aim for their first real breakpoints rather than a rainbow board.
  3. Fill roles, not just damage. A board needs a front line (Protector/Striker), damage (Blaster/Gladiator/Hothead), and usually a support (Cherubim/Mascot).
  4. Use the augments to commit harder to your strongest synergy.
  5. Save your premium currency until you know which character or 5★ you actually want — don't pull on the first banner out of excitement.

Saving for the units you want

Until real rates are confirmed, plan as if it works like other HoYoverse games: a soft pity that ramps your odds late, a guaranteed 5★ by a hard cap, and a 50/50 on whether a 5★ is the featured unit. The Gacha Planner turns your pity and pull count into a real percentage so you can decide whether to pull now or keep saving.

How to prep before the beta