Honkai: Nexus Anima Reroll Guide: Level 18 5-Star Picks

Honkai: Nexus Anima does have a gacha, but your first 5-stars do not come out of it. Instead, you spend Aspect Gems at account Level 18, 21, and 24 to choose a specific 5-star Anima from an available pool. The choice is deliberate and permanent, which makes it matter more than almost any other early decision. The community still calls this a “reroll guide” because it answers the same question: which 5-star should you lock in first?

The random side of the game, the two permanent Bond banners and their currencies, is a separate track covered in our gacha guide. This page is only about the milestone picks.

Note: the game is in closed beta (the Evolution Test), so the exact milestone pool and Aspect Gem costs can change. The picks below reflect the current beta and should be treated as a starting framework, not a permanent ranking.

How the milestone picks work

Aspect Gems are scarce, and every gem spent before Level 18 is a 5-star you will not get to choose later. Save them. At each milestone:

1. Level 18 unlocks your first guaranteed 5-star pick. This is your foundation, so weight it toward whatever formation you actually plan to build (see the formation guide for how rows and Aspects work together).
2. Level 21 unlocks a second pick. Use it to cover whatever the first pick left thin, rather than doubling up on the same role.
3. Level 24 unlocks a third pick, usually with a wider pool. By this point you should know which Aspect you are committing to, so pick the Anima that deepens it.

A weak Level 18 pick is not fatal. Levels 21 and 24 exist specifically to round out an early mistake, so do not agonize over the first choice if none of the options are a perfect fit.

Level 18: pick priority

Four 5-stars come up most often in this discussion: Mesmerith, Bladehound, Camcorgi, and Cumulon. Here is how they compare, using each Anima’s actual Aspect depth in the current roster.

All four are damage dealers, so Trait is not the tiebreaker here. What separates them is when their Aspect starts paying out, and the ladders are not the same. See the aspects page for every threshold.

Rank	Anima	Aspect / Trait	Synergy opens at	Why
1	Bladehound	Strength, Explorer	1 Anima	The only Aspect that activates on a single unit. Pays off immediately.
2	Mesmerith	Hate, Blaster	3 Anima	Strong back-row damage, but the Aspect is dormant until you own three.
3	Camcorgi	Memory, Blaster	3 Anima	Same role as Mesmerith, and Memory’s second tier is unreachable for now.
4	Cumulon	Pride, Blaster	2 Anima	Cheap to activate, but Pride’s effect is the weakest on the board.

• Bladehound (Strength, Explorer) is the pick if you have no strong plan yet, and that is a change from the usual advice. Strength grants Light of the Strong at a single Strength Anima, so Bladehound buffs itself the moment it hits the field. As an Explorer it takes 12% Attack SPD from that bonus, and if you place it on the Dominator hex during the Preparation Phase the bonus is increased by a further 50%. Strength then steps up at three and five, and six Strength Anima are revealed, so the ladder is fully reachable.
• Mesmerith (Hate, Blaster) is the pick if you specifically want back-row area damage. Be clear about the trade: Hate grants nothing until three Hate Anima are on the field, and only five exist, so you get a strong unit now and the synergy much later.
• Camcorgi (Memory, Blaster) only pulls ahead if you are already building a Memory team. It is the same role as Mesmerith, so taking both leaves you short of a front row. Memory also opens at three and does not upgrade again until six, which the five revealed Memory Anima cannot reach.
• Cumulon (Pride, Blaster) is the weakest of the four for most players. Pride is cheap to switch on at two Anima, but the payoff is small (3% incoming damage reduction and 4% more damage, rising to 5% and 6% at three), and only three Pride Anima exist. Skip it unless Pride is the specific team you are building.

Level 21: build around what you are missing

Your second pick should answer whatever your Level 18 choice left open, not repeat it:

• Picked a damage unit like Bladehound or Mesmerith? Look for a Protector or a Mascot to hold the front row, since both of those Traits scale on Max Health in Aspect bonuses that split by role, or a Mastermind like Lumehart for field control.
• Already committed to an Aspect? Prioritize a second Anima in that same Aspect over a higher-rarity unit outside it. A shared Aspect at Level 21 starts paying off the synergy bonus described in the formation guide.
• Still undecided on an Aspect? Level 21 is a reasonable point to lock one in, since you will have two 5-stars to build the rest of your roster around.

Level 24: deepen, don’t diversify

By Level 24 you should know your Aspect. Use this pick to add depth to it rather than branching into a new one. A three-unit Aspect cluster from your milestone picks alone is a strong head start on the synergy thresholds described in the formation guide, and it saves you from rebuilding your formation later when Aspect Gems are harder to come by.

Bottom line

Save your Aspect Gems until Level 18 and take Bladehound if you are unsure, because Strength is the one Aspect that rewards you for owning a single unit. Take Mesmerith if you specifically want back-row area damage and are willing to wait on the synergy, and treat Camcorgi and Cumulon as picks for players already committed to their specific Aspects. Spend Levels 21 and 24 on a front row, since every candidate here is a damage dealer. Check the Anima dex for full Aspect and Trait details, compare the thresholds on the aspects page, and sanity-check your plan in the formation planner.