Anchor Panic is a strategically complex 3D sci-fi turn-based gacha RPG that launched globally in September 2025, featuring over 50 collectible operators, strategic team-building mechanics, and a compelling post-apocalyptic storyline set 100 years after the devastating Shogger War.
| Quick Start Summary | |
|---|---|
| Best Reroll Target | Tern (SSR Support) |
| Essential Early Characters | Karanissa, Merlot, Alice |
| First Goal | Clear Story 5-14 |
| Active Codes | 10+ codes available |
| Energy System | Erosion (regenerates over time) |
| Discord Community | Join 4,900+ players |
Welcome to the ultimate comprehensive guide for Anchor Panic! Whether you're just downloading the game or struggling with early progression, this guide will transform you from a confused beginner into a strategic commander capable of leading your operators through the most challenging content. I've spent countless hours researching, testing, and optimizing strategies to bring you the most detailed beginner resource available anywhere online.
Contents
Before diving into strategies, let's understand what makes Anchor Panic unique in the crowded gacha market. Set a century after humanity barely survived the interdimensional Shogger invasion, you command enhanced soldiers called Operators who use AIMBS technology to protect civilization behind massive Skyborne Barriers.
The game combines traditional turn-based combat with Live2D character animations, creating an immersive experience that rewards both strategic thinking and character investment. Unlike many gacha games, Anchor Panic emphasizes quality over quantity - focusing on building a small, powerful team rather than collecting every character.
Success in Anchor Panic rests on three fundamental pillars:
Resource Management forms your foundation. Every Crystal Ash, Link Permit, and Battle Report must be spent wisely. Early mistakes in resource allocation can set you back weeks, which is why following this guide's proven strategies is crucial.
Team Synergy determines your combat effectiveness. Characters in Anchor Panic have complex interactions through element types (Flame, Lightning, Quantum), roles (Striker, Breaker, Healer), and unique passive abilities that stack or complement each other.
Progression Timing separates successful players from those who struggle. Knowing when to push story content, when to farm resources, and when to save for upcoming banners makes the difference between smooth progression and hitting walls.
Rerolling in Anchor Panic isn't just recommended - it's essential for optimal progression. The process takes approximately 15-20 minutes per attempt, but securing the right starting roster saves months of grinding later.
First, download an Android emulator like MuMu Player or BlueStacks. This allows you to run multiple instances simultaneously, dramatically increasing your efficiency. Install Anchor Panic on your main instance but do not log into any account yet.
Create 4-6 copies of your main instance through your emulator's multi-instance manager. Launch all instances simultaneously and complete the tutorial on Guest accounts. This parallel processing turns a 2-hour rerolling session into 20 minutes of actual time.
After completing the tutorial and reaching the gacha system, collect all available resources from mail, events, and the 7-day login bonus. You'll have enough for approximately 20-30 pulls split between banners.
Tern stands alone as the ultimate reroll priority. This Quantum-element Breaker provides unmatched team support through her Drone Support stacks, increasing team damage by 6% per stack. She remains meta-relevant even in late-game content months after launch, making her future-proof investment.
If you secure Tern from the Regular Link banner, your secondary targets become:
Don't waste time chasing multiple SSRs if you get Tern. One copy of her is worth more than three copies of lower-priority characters.
Many beginners make the mistake of pulling on the Onboarding Link banner immediately. This banner guarantees one of three SSRs (Merlot, Dawn, or Alice) but has fixed rates that don't improve with additional pulls. Save this banner for after securing your reroll targets, then pull until you get your guaranteed SSR - Merlot and Alice are both excellent early-game carries.
Team composition in Anchor Panic follows a flexible structure, but successful early-game teams typically use: 1 Tank, 1-2 DPS, 1 Sub-DPS, 1 Buffer/Debuffer, and 1 Healer.
For completely free-to-play players without rerolling, here's an optimized starter team using only SR characters:
Tank: Antilope or Dione - Both provide reliable damage mitigation and crowd control. Antilope offers more offensive utility while Dione provides superior defensive stats.
Main DPS: Merlot (from Onboarding Banner) - Pairs excellently with Sparkle-Wing for Burn stacking synergy.
Sub-DPS: Sparkle-Wing - Available through story progression, provides consistent Burn application for Merlot's damage multiplication.
Support: Deling - Offers team-wide buffs and energy generation, crucial for skill cycling.
Healer: Streyne or Centaurea - Streyne provides burst healing while Centaurea offers sustained recovery with cleanse utility.
Element synergy dramatically impacts damage output. Fire teams excel at damage-over-time through Burn stacking, Lightning teams dominate single-target burst, while Quantum teams provide utility and sustain.
Role distribution matters more than rarity. A well-built SR team with proper role coverage outperforms a poorly constructed SSR team. Focus on covering all roles before chasing specific characters.
Speed tuning determines action order. Faster characters act first, allowing supports to buff before DPS characters attack. Invest in speed-enhancing Sigils for your support characters.
The most critical rule in Anchor Panic: maximize one character completely before moving to the next. This focused approach ensures you have a carry capable of clearing content to farm resources for other characters.
Battle Reports come primarily from events and missions. Never use Crystal Ashes to purchase these - patience saves premium currency for summoning.
Skill Nuclei require strategic farming in Skill Train mode. Focus on days with double rewards and use Erosion (energy) efficiently.
Sigils deserve special attention. Only invest in Sigils with correct main stats for their slot:
Story mode provides your primary source of Crystal Ashes and unlock materials. Push as far as possible with your main team, but don't waste Erosion on repeated failures. If you fail a stage three times, spend a day farming upgrade materials before attempting again.
Stage 5-14 represents the first major checkpoint. Clearing this unlocks additional game modes and significantly increases resource generation. Most players with proper team building can clear this within two weeks of starting.
With limited Erosion, prioritizing modes becomes crucial:
The Power Model in your base provides passive Erosion regeneration - crucial for F2P progression. Prioritize upgrading this building and assign your highest-level characters for maximum efficiency.
Base decoration isn't just aesthetic. Certain furniture pieces provide minor stat bonuses to assigned operators. While not game-breaking, these small advantages compound over time.
Regular Link features the standard pool with no rate-ups. Only pull here with free Regular Link Permits, never with Crystal Ashes.
UP Link banners feature specific rate-up characters. These rotate every 2-3 weeks and represent your best chance at securing specific operators.
Limited Banners appear during special events and feature exclusive characters not added to the standard pool. Save Crystal Ashes for these if you're F2P.
Character power in Anchor Panic scales dramatically with Ascension levels. Each duplicate provides 100 Character Shards used for Ascension:
| Ascension Level | Shards Required | Total Dupes Needed | Power Increase |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 50 | 0.5 | +15% base stats |
| 2 | 60 | 1.1 | +25% total |
| 3 | 75 | 1.85 | +40% total |
| 4 | 90 | 2.75 | +60% total |
| 5 | 105 | 3.8 | +85% total |
| 6 | 120 | 5 | +120% total |
This system makes focusing on fewer characters more valuable than spreading resources across many.
Active codes provide substantial early-game resources. Here's the complete list as of September 2025:
To redeem: tap your profile icon → Redemption Code → enter code → claim rewards.
Skill queue manipulation allows you to cancel animations by queuing your next action before the current animation completes, increasing damage output by 15-20%.
Element weakness exploitation isn't explicitly shown but exists. Lightning beats Quantum, Quantum beats Fire, Fire beats Lightning. Matching elements correctly provides 20% bonus damage.
Friend support optimization lets you borrow powerful operators daily. Always use max-level friend supports for challenging content rather than struggling with underleveled teams.
Never refresh shops with Crystal Ashes. The conversion rate is terrible compared to saving for banners.
Complete all daily missions even if rewards seem minor. Monthly accumulation equals 3-4 extra pulls.
Join an active guild immediately. Guild shop offers exclusive materials unavailable elsewhere, and guild raids provide premium currency weekly.
The official Anchor Panic Discord hosts 4,900+ active players sharing strategies, team compositions, and real-time updates about events and codes.
The Anchor Panic Reddit community provides in-depth discussions about meta shifts, character analyses, and F2P progression guides.
Follow the official Twitter/X account for immediate announcements about maintenance, compensations, and surprise code drops.
Several content creators provide excellent Anchor Panic coverage:
Usually indicates undergeared characters. Ensure your main DPS has level 40+ Sigils with proper main stats before attempting difficult content.
Poor energy management. Never refresh with Crystal Ashes. Plan farming days around double reward events. Upgrade your base's Power Model for increased regeneration.
Check element matching, ensure proper skill upgrade priority (damage skills first), and verify you're using the correct Model sets for your role.
While this guide focuses on beginners, understanding endgame goals helps optimize early decisions:
Abyssal Tower requires multiple built teams. Start developing a secondary team after your main team clears Story 7-1.
Guild Raids demand specialized compositions. Invest in one strong single-target DPS for boss content.
PvP Arena launches approximately 3 months after global release. Speed-tuned teams with crowd control dominate early metas.
Absolutely. Proper resource management and team building allows F2P players to clear all PvE content. The generous code system and event rewards provide steady progression without spending.
Yes, if you have a functional team. Limited characters often provide unique mechanics unavailable in the standard pool. However, new players should focus on building a core team first.
For SSR characters, the first copy matters most. Ascension 1 (one duplicate) provides significant improvement, but further copies have diminishing returns. For SR characters, max ascension is achievable and recommended.
Select SR characters like Antilope, Deling, and Centaurea remain useful even in late-game content as role-players. Don't neglect good SRs just because they're not SSR rarity.
Completing dailies requires 30-45 minutes. Optimal progression needs 1-2 hours including event participation and resource optimization. The game respects your time with skip tickets for cleared content.
Days 1-7: Reroll for Tern, establish main team, clear through Story 3-1, redeem all codes
Days 8-14: Focus character upgrades on main DPS, clear Story 5-14, unlock base building
Days 15-21: Develop secondary DPS and support, begin Sigil farming, participate in first event
Days 22-30: Complete first ascension on main team, clear Story 7-1, prepare for Abyssal Tower
Anchor Panic offers incredible depth beneath its appealing aesthetic. Success comes from understanding systems, optimizing resources, and building synergistic teams rather than chasing every new character. Remember that patience and planning trump impulsive spending.
This guide represents hundreds of hours of research and gameplay experience. Bookmark it for reference as you progress, and remember that the official Discord community provides real-time support when you need help.
Whether you're aiming for F2P excellence or planning strategic purchases, the foundations laid here will serve you throughout your journey in Anchor Panic. Focus on building your core team, manage resources wisely, and most importantly, enjoy the strategic depth this remarkable game offers.
Welcome to Anchor Panic, Commander. Your operators await your orders.