How to Beat Story Mode

Story mode is the backbone of Anime Expeditions progression. It unlocks new areas, drip-feeds evolution materials, and gates raid access behind player level milestones. The first map — School Grounds — draws heavy inspiration from Jujutsu Kaisen with cursed spirit enemies and sorcerer-themed stages. This guide covers team composition, placement strategy, upgrade timing, and how to hit all three star missions on every stage.

School Grounds: The First JJK Map

School Grounds is the opening story area accessible from the Story building. It features cursed spirit enemy waves, a school courtyard layout with clear pathing lanes, and escalating boss encounters at stages 5, 10, and 15. Units like Cursed Student (a JJK-inspired Mythic on the Beginner Banner) perform especially well here due to thematic damage bonuses during Storm Weather events. Clear stages sequentially — each completion unlocks the next and contributes to your area completion percentage shown on the Areas screen.

Recommended Team for Early Story

• Slot 1: Yen farmer (Ramen Guy or Stone Alchemist)
• Slot 2: Primary AoE DPS (Frieren, Cursed Student, or Beginner Banner Mythic)
• Slot 3: Single-target boss killer (Gother, Ichigo, or highest DMG unit)
• Slot 4–6: Flex slots for crowd control or secondary DPS as slots unlock

Enable Auto Upgrade for your farmer and main DPS so they scale automatically as Yen flows in. Set boss killers to Priority: Strongest so they focus elite cursed spirits and stage bosses. Use pre-placing to position units before the first wave spawns — this is critical for star missions that limit Yen spending.

Placement Strategy by Lane

School Grounds paths funnel enemies through two main corridors before merging near the exit. Place your Yen farmer at the earliest kill zone where it covers the maximum path length — Ramen Guy benefits from early placement because his passive boosts Yen per kill across more waves. Position AoE units at the merge point where both lanes overlap, maximizing hit count per attack. Save single-target units for corners near the exit where bosses and fast enemies appear. On stages with flying cursed spirits, ensure at least one unit has sufficient RNG to cover elevated path segments.

In-Wave Upgrades and Abilities

Upgrade order matters more than placement in later School Grounds stages. Level your farmer to its first Yen-boost milestone before maxing DPS — starving your economy leaves you unable to place backup units when a boss wave hits. Activate unit abilities manually on boss waves: Gother's rewind ability delays enemies at the exit, and Frieren's arcane charge cycle spikes DPS at three stacks. The boss meter at the top of the screen warns when a boss spawns — save abilities and burst upgrades for that moment.

Star Rewards and Three-Star Strategy

Each stage has three star missions, typically: (1) Win the stage, (2) Win while spending less than a Yen cap, and (3) Win without losing any stocks. The first star comes naturally. For the Yen cap, pre-place units, avoid unnecessary sells, and rely on your farmer's economy rather than over-upgrading early. For the no-stock star, prioritize exit-lane coverage and keep one unit slot free until mid-stage so you can emergency-place against leak waves. Three-starring every stage in an area unlocks bonus rewards on the Areas screen including equipment drops and unit relic materials.

After clearing School Grounds, push into Flower Forest and Rose Kingdom with the same fundamentals. Revisit earlier stages with your stronger team to retroactively three-star them for completion rewards you missed on the first pass.