- Saints Arm update brings JoJo Part 7 and Berserk crossover units to Anime Last Stand.
- Top units: Griffith (Femto) and Guts are the standout picks; Diego Brando is solid but mid-tier.
- New mode: Rain Shift introduces a unique racing mechanic with dynamic weather effects.
- Farming priority: Play Infinite mode with max difficulty modifiers for the best drop rates.
- Trait focus: Roll for Sundering, Sniper, or Stellar traits to maximize unit damage output.
Saints Arm Update Overview
The Anime Last Stand Saints Arm update is a massive crossover event combining JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 7 and Berserk content into one package. This update introduces a roster of highly anticipated units, including Griffith, Guts, Diego Brando, Gyro Zeppeli, and Johnny Joestar. Alongside the new units, the update brings the innovative Rain Shift game mode, which blends tower defense mechanics with a horse-racing progression system.
Video Highlights:
- Full breakdown of JoJo Part 7 and Berserk units
- Rain Shift mode gameplay with dynamic weather mechanics
- Step-by-step evolution guides for Griffith, Guts, and Gyro
- Trait rolling results and build recommendations
- Infinite mode farming strategy for secret drops
The update has been widely praised as one of the strongest content drops for the game, offering genuinely fresh gameplay rather than recycled mechanics. The Rain Shift mode, in particular, introduces dynamic weather effects that alter unit SPA, enemy speed, and horse movement speed during races.
The Saints Arm update is considered the best content drop since the Bleach update. It introduces unique mechanics without breaking the game's economy or balance.
Unit Tier Rankings and Abilities
Not all units in the Saints Arm update are created equal. Based on extensive testing, Griffith and Guts stand out as the premier picks, while the JoJo units fall into more specialized or mid-tier roles.
| Unit | Tier | Element | Placement Limit | Key Strength |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Griffith (Femto) | S | Eclipse | 1 | 130% extra damage to Dark and Light enemies |
| Guts (Berserker) | S | Fire | Multiple | Scaling damage with burn and line AoE |
| Gyro Zeppeli | A | Nature | Multiple | Persistent zone damage, easy evolution |
| Diego Brando | B | Dinosaur | Multiple | Summon-based, synergizes with CC units |
| Johnny Joestar | ? | Unknown | Unknown | Bugged — not appearing on banner |
As of the update launch, Johnny Joestar is not appearing on the summon banner. This appears to be a bug. The developers have not yet addressed this issue.
Griffith (Femto) — Detailed Ability Breakdown
Griffith's fully evolved form is a powerhouse. His Eclipse element gives him 130% extra damage to both Dark and Light attuned enemies, covering two typings simultaneously. Key abilities include:
- On placement (once per match): Slows all enemies in range by 30% for 5 seconds, then deals 50% damage to all enemies in range
- Bleed slow: Enemies afflicted with bleed inside his range are slowed by 5%, increasing by 1% per upgrade (cap: 10%)
- Kill scaling: Every 25 kills, Griffith gains 5% damage (cap: 30%)
- Leader Authority: Units in range gain 2% damage, 2% range, and -2% SPA, increasing by 2% per upgrade. Grants himself 3% crit chance and 10% crit damage per unit buffed (cap: 30% crit chance, 100% crit damage)
At full upgrade with a Sundering + Sniper trait combo, Griffith deals approximately 13,600 base damage with 25 range and 7.72 SPA. With a fully maxed skill tree and the best trait, he can reach upwards of 70,000 damage per hit.
Guts — Detailed Ability Breakdown
Guts is a sustained damage dealer with a unique ramping mechanic:
- Every 5 attacks, the next attack becomes a line AoE with 20% bonus range and inflicts burn
- Deals 50% damage to shields
- Each attack grants Guts 1% damage and -1% SPA (cap: 20% after 15 seconds without attacking)
- Loses 1% per 3 seconds when not attacking
Guts has a very short range bubble. Pair him with range-boosting units or use the Sniper technique to maximize his effectiveness. His damage output is exceptional even without a fully maxed skill tree.
Evolution Materials and Farming
Evolving the Saints Arm units requires a variety of materials, including energy items, technique crystals, and special evolution items. The farming process can be time-consuming but follows a clear pattern.
Technique Crystals
- Obtained from Rain Shift mode
- Daily limit enforced
- Used for JoJo unit evolutions
- 5 crystals per clear (guaranteed)
Scary Monster Scales
- Earned from Rain Shift stage clears
- 251 per completion
- Used to purchase buffs for units and Johnny
- Improves stage clear speed
Evil Items & Secret Drops
- Dropped in Berserk Infinite mode
- Includes Guts' evil item, Griffith evo material
- Drop rates not displayed in-game
- Max difficulty modifiers improve drop chances
Energy Conversion Guide
Evolution requires specific combinations of colored energy. Here is the breakdown for each unit:
| Unit | Red Energy | Purple Energy | Blue Energy | Green Energy | Special Items |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guts | 2 | 9 | 0 | 0 | Evil Item (drop) |
| Gyro | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 (craft) | 3 Magical Nature Essence |
| Griffith (Final) | 8+ | 9+ | 1+ | 5 of each | Completed Egg of Darkness |
| Diego | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Technique Crystals |
Griffith's final evolution requires sacrificing 10 Mythic+ units to create the Completed Egg of Darkness. You can use duplicate units for this — equipped and locked units are excluded automatically.
Optimal Farming Route
Clear Rain Shift Daily
Complete Rain Shift mode each day to collect your daily Technique Crystals and Scary Monster Scales. Purchase unit buffs and Johnny speed upgrades with scales.
Farm Berserk Infinite Mode
Load into the Berserk Eclipse stage on Infinite mode with all difficulty modifiers set to 300%. This maximizes your drop chance for evil items, Griffith, Guts, and Skull Knight.
Purchase Shop Energy
Buy available Red, Purple, and Blue energy from the in-game shop using diamonds. Restock every time the shop refreshes.
Run Half-Hour Challenges
Between shop refreshes, run the half-hour challenge on repeat. This provides consistent energy and resources needed for final evolutions.
Craft and Evolve
Once all materials are collected, craft the Raw Spin Energy (for Gyro) and sacrifice duplicates for the Egg of Darkness (for Griffith). Execute all evolutions.
Trait Builds and Optimization
Traits can make or break a unit's performance. The Saints Arm update units benefit from specific trait combinations that amplify their core mechanics.
Best Traits by Unit
| Unit | Best Trait | Alternative | What to Avoid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Griffith (Femto) | Sundering + Sniper | Stellar, Catalyst | Metamorphosis |
| Guts (Berserker) | Demonic | Enhanced, Infliction | Angelic |
| Diego Brando | Enhanced | Infliction | Metamorphosis |
| Gyro Zeppeli | Any damage trait | Enhanced | Placement limit traits |
Do not waste Perfect Stat Prisms on units you are still evaluating. Focus on rolling traits for Griffith and Guts first, as they are the meta-defining units of this update. Diego and Gyro are functional with common traits.
Griffith Crit Build
Griffith's Leader Authority passive makes him a natural fit for a crit-focused build. His self-buffing mechanic grants up to 30% crit chance and 100% crit damage when surrounding units are buffed. To optimize:
- Place Griffith last in your unit composition to maximize the Leader Authority buff
- Surround him with damage units (farm units do not count toward the buff)
- Roll Sundering to reduce enemy defense and Sniper for extended range
- His one-time placement nuke (30% slow + 50% damage) should be used strategically
Diego Brando — Summon Mechanics
Diego operates differently from most units. At upgrade level 5, Diego himself stops attacking and relies entirely on his dinosaur summons:
- Summons a dinosaur with 600% damage HP (32,500 HP) every 30 seconds
- Summons a plant that applies bleed on contact
- Dinosaurs do not deal contact damage — they only apply bleed
- Diego deals 20% bonus damage to enemies with impaired movement (stun, slow)
Diego pairs exceptionally well with crowd control units like Gojo, whose ability slows enemies. This triggers Diego's 20% bonus damage against impaired targets.
Rain Shift Mode Walkthrough
Rain Shift is the headline new game mode in the Saints Arm update. It combines traditional tower defense with a horse-racing mechanic where Johnny Joestar races against Diego Brando through dynamic terrain.
Weather Effects and Mechanics
| Weather | Enemy Effect | Horse Effect | Strategy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Default | Normal | Normal | Standard tower placement |
| Windy | +20% speed | +5% speed | Prioritize slow/stun units |
| Rainy | Clouds appear | Johnny speeds up | Challenge competitors for extra speed |
| Thunderstorm | Lightning strikes | Risk of damage | Avoid lightning, activate buffs |
| Snowy | -20% speed | +1% SPA | Push for race completion |
NPC Interactions
Throughout the Rain Shift stage, you can interact with various NPCs who offer unique effects:
- Rain More: Challenges competitors to make Johnny go faster, but triggers lightning bolts
- Sand Man: Spawns a boss with 100,000 HP that stuns — defeat it for rewards
- Gyro (NPC): Offers help for 4,500 diamonds — generally not worth the cost
Turn off Auto Retry before completing stages. The current system instantly restarts without showing your rewards, causing you to miss drop notifications. This is a known issue that needs a fix similar to Universal Tower Defense's 3-second buffer.
Rain Shift Completion Checklist:
- Turn off Auto Retry before starting
- Place units strategically along the race path
- Challenge NPCs for Johnny speed buffs
- Defeat bosses to change weather elements
- Activate Ultra Feast buff for +5,000 cash and 10% horse speed
- Collect Technique Crystals and Scary Monster Scales
Berserk Stage Guide
The Berserk content was added as a supplementary addition to the Saints Arm update. It features the Eclipse stage with two modes: Challenge and Infinite.
Challenge vs Infinite Mode
| Mode | Wave Cap | Enemy Types | Drop Rate | Recommended For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Challenge | 35 waves | Dark, Fire | Fixed rewards (50 food items) | Quick clears |
| Infinite (no mods) | 86+ waves | Dark, Grass | Standard drops | Casual farming |
| Infinite (300% mods) | 86+ waves | Dark, Grass | Greatly increased drops | Serious farming |
Playing Infinite mode with all difficulty modifiers at 300% is the most efficient way to farm secret unit drops. The difficulty increase is manageable, and the drop rate improvement is substantial. Evil items, Griffith, Guts, and Skull Knight all drop from this mode.
Team Composition Tips
The Berserk stage enemies are primarily Dark and Fire type. Without a Water type unit, the stage becomes significantly harder with modifiers. Key considerations:
- No hybrid units currently exist in the game — you must dedicate a slot to a hill unit (Genos or Mob)
- Kill units have very low range in the current balance, making placement critical
- Guts' short range bubble requires careful positioning near the path
- Griffith's Eclipse element gives him a massive advantage with 130% bonus damage to Dark enemies
FAQ
Q: What is the best unit in the Saints Arm update?
Griffith (Femto) in his fully evolved form is the standout unit. His Eclipse element deals 130% extra damage to both Dark and Light enemies, and his Leader Authority passive provides excellent team buffs. With a Sundering + Sniper trait combo, he can reach approximately 70,000 damage per hit with a maxed skill tree.
Q: How do I get the Completed Egg of Darkness for Griffith's final evolution?
You need to sacrifice 10 Mythic+ units to create the Completed Egg of Darkness. Duplicates of Griffith and Guts can be used for this. Equipped and locked units are automatically excluded, so you do not need to worry about accidentally losing your main units.
Q: Why is Johnny Joestar not on the banner?
As of the Saints Arm update launch, Johnny Joestar appears to be bugged and is not appearing on the summon banner. The developers have not yet addressed this issue. Players have reported leaving the game running overnight without a single Johnny sighting.
Q: Is Diego Brando worth investing in?
Diego is a mid-tier unit rated approximately 6 out of 10. His summon-based playstyle is unique but underwhelming — his dinosaurs only apply bleed and do not deal contact damage. He synergizes well with crowd control units like Gojo but is not a priority investment compared to Griffith or Guts.
Q: What is the fastest way to farm evolution energy?
The most efficient method is combining daily shop purchases (using diamonds) with repeated half-hour challenge runs. This process takes approximately 1.5 hours to gather enough Red, Purple, and Blue energy for a full set of evolutions. Always buy out the shop each time it refreshes.