Farming materials in Anime Zero is an important part of crafting accessories and awakening characters. However, collecting everything you need can take a long time if you farm the wrong act or difficulty. By choosing the right stages, improving your drop rate, and using the correct farming setup, you can collect materials more efficiently.
This guide covers the best places to farm story materials, how Infinite mode works, which accessories and traits improve drop rates, and where to get special raid materials.
1. Check Your Material Requirements First
Before starting a farming session, open the crafting or evolution menu and check the materials required for your target accessory or awakening. Write down everything you are missing, including the total amount needed if you plan to craft multiple accessories.
Many recipes use the same materials, so calculating your total requirements can save time. Instead of switching between different acts repeatedly, you can focus on one act and collect several required materials during the same run.
For example, if an awakening requires Fine Cloth, Soul Fragments, and Magic Pendants, you can farm all three in Act 1 Nightmare. Checking your recipes beforehand helps you choose the most efficient farming location.
2. Best Story Mode Materials Farming Locations
Story mode is one of the main ways to farm materials in Anime Zero. Normal enemies can drop materials available in their respective acts, and every player has their own material drop chances. This means playing with other people does not require you to split your drops.
Fine Cloth and Shinobi Scrolls can drop in every act starting on Easy difficulty. Other materials require specific acts and difficulty levels.
Act 1 Materials
Use Act 1 to farm the following materials:
- Fine Cloth: Available from Easy difficulty onward.
- Shinobi Scrolls: Available from Easy difficulty onward.
- Eyeballs: Available from Medium difficulty onward.
- Cursed Fingers: Available from Hard difficulty onward.
- Soul Fragments: Available from Hard difficulty onward.
- Magic Pendants: Available on Nightmare difficulty.
Higher difficulties also allow you to obtain materials available on lower difficulties. This makes Act 1 Nightmare a good choice if you need several of these materials at once.
For example, awakening Ezero requires 25 Fine Cloth, 30 Soul Fragments, and 50 Magic Pendants. All three materials can be farmed in Act 1 Nightmare, so you do not need to switch between different acts to complete this requirement.
Act 2 Materials
Act 2 provides another set of materials for accessory crafting and progression.
- Fine Cloth: Available from Easy difficulty onward.
- Shinobi Scrolls: Available from Easy difficulty onward.
- Broken Blades: Available from Medium difficulty onward.
- Tech Components: Available from Hard difficulty onward.
- Sun Cores: Available on Nightmare difficulty.
Broken Blades are needed in several accessory recipes, so you may need to collect a large amount of them. If you also need Sun Cores, farming Act 2 Nightmare lets you work toward both materials in the same session.
Act 3 Materials
Act 3 is the main story farming location for these materials:
- Fine Cloth: Available from Easy difficulty onward.
- Shinobi Scrolls: Available from Easy difficulty onward.
- Mana Feathers: Available from Medium difficulty onward.
- Wave Cores: Available from Hard difficulty onward.
- Forbidden Sparks: Available on Nightmare difficulty.
If your crafting recipe requires Mana Feathers and Forbidden Sparks, Act 3 Nightmare is a suitable choice because it gives you access to materials from multiple difficulty levels.
Should You Always Farm on Nightmare?
Nightmare offers better material drop chances, but it is not automatically the fastest option for every player. You should consider how quickly you can clear each stage and whether you can complete it consistently.
For example, Fine Cloth has a drop chance of slightly above 2% per normal enemy on Easy, compared with 10.2% on Nightmare before drop bonuses. This makes Nightmare attractive when your build can handle it comfortably.
However, if Nightmare takes much longer or you frequently lose, a lower difficulty may give you better results over the same amount of time. The goal is to collect materials efficiently, not simply choose the highest difficulty available.
3. How to Farm Materials Faster in Story Mode
Once you have selected the correct act and difficulty, focus on reducing the time needed to clear each run.
- Group enemies together before using large attacks.
- Use skills that can hit multiple enemies at once.
- Improve your damage so you can clear waves faster.
- Play with other players if solo runs take too long.
- Choose a difficulty that you can complete consistently.
The boss does not provide an additional random material roll according to this guide’s source information. However, you still need to defeat the boss to finish the dungeon and receive the rewards you earned during the run.
A faster clear also means you can complete more runs in the same amount of time, giving you more opportunities to collect the materials you need.
4. Infinite Mode Material Farming Guide
Infinite mode is useful when you want to farm for an extended period or leave your character farming while AFK. However, not every material is available in this mode, so check the required drops before starting.
Unlike Story mode, where normal enemies can provide individual material chances, Infinite mode awards material chances through completed waves and certain boss rewards.
Infinite Mode Material Unlocks
The following materials become available at specific wave milestones:
- Fine Cloth: Wave 1 onward.
- Mana Feathers: Wave 16 onward.
- Wave Cores: Wave 31 onward.
- Sun Cores: Boss drops starting from the wave 46 milestone.
- Forbidden Fruits: Boss drops starting from the wave 46 milestone.
Although Sun Cores and Forbidden Fruits become available from the wave 46 milestone, you still need to reach a boss wave to receive a boss drop. On Nightmare, the first opportunity to obtain these materials is from the boss on Wave 50.
Wave Cores can drop from regular wave rewards and boss rewards once they have been unlocked.
How Infinite Mode Drop Bonuses Work
Your material chances improve as you progress further into an Infinite run. Every five waves, the bonus increases by 5% of the original drop chance, reaching a 50% increase from Wave 51 onward.
This means staying in a successful run can be more efficient than restarting repeatedly. You would otherwise need to spend time reaching the later waves again before benefiting from the higher drop bonus.
If your build can continue clearing waves without dying, staying in the same run is generally the better approach.
Materials You Cannot Farm in Infinite Mode
Infinite mode does not provide every Story mode material. You need to return to Story mode for the following items:
- Broken Blades
- Eyeballs
- Cursed Fingers
- Soul Fragments
- Tech Components
- Magic Pendants
- Shinobi Scrolls
Also, if you die during an Infinite run, you stop receiving new rewards while your teammates can continue. This is particularly important when AFK farming, so choose a difficulty your build can survive consistently.
5. Use the Fortune Trait for More Materials
The Fortune trait increases material drop rates by 20%. It also provides bonuses to coins and XP, making it useful when you want to farm several resources at once.
However, the 20% bonus increases the original drop chance rather than adding a flat 20 percentage points to every item. For example, a 10% base chance would become 12%, not 30%.
You should also use the weapon with Fortune for most of the farming run. The reward bonus is based on the weapon you use the most, so switching to a Fortune weapon just before completing a dungeon will not provide the intended benefit.
If your main weapon already has a strong damage trait, you can keep it for regular gameplay and prepare a separate weapon for farming. Just make sure your farming setup still deals enough damage to clear stages quickly.
6. Best Accessories for Increasing Material Drops
Several accessories provide additional material drop rate bonuses while also helping with damage. These are useful choices when building a farming setup.
Flame Pirate Hat
- Slot: Head
- Material drop rate bonus: 10%
- Additional benefit: Damage
- Crafting materials: Act 2 and Act 3
Flame Pirate Hat is a useful head accessory for farming because it increases material drop rates while also providing damage. You can craft it through the accessory crafting menu.
No Life King Shades
- Slot: Face
- Material drop rate bonus: 5%
- Additional benefit: Damage
- Crafting materials: Act 1
No Life King Shades provide a smaller drop rate bonus than the other two accessories in this setup, but they are still worth considering. You can craft them using materials from Act 1.
Blast Archer Wings
- Slot: Back
- Material drop rate bonus: 10%
- Additional benefit: Damage
- Crafting materials: All three acts
Blast Archer Wings offer another 10% material drop rate bonus. They require materials from all three acts, so collecting the required items may take longer if you are starting without a farming setup.
You do not need to craft earlier accessories first. You can save your materials and work directly toward the pieces you want.
If you already own Blast Archer Crown or Shadow Monarch Coat, you can use either of them if their drop rate bonuses fit your current setup.
For any remaining accessory slot, prioritize equipment that improves damage or cooldowns. A higher drop rate is helpful, but it becomes less valuable if your build takes too long to complete each run.
7. Best Titles for Material Farming
Titles can provide extra drop rate bonuses, and the right choice can improve your farming efficiency.
Dragon Eclipse
Dragon Eclipse provides:
- 20% damage
- 10% material drop rate
To unlock this title, defeat 25 bosses as Dragon Eclipse on Hard difficulty or higher without dying.
Once unlocked, equip the title to activate its bonuses. Dragon Eclipse is a strong option because it improves both damage and material drops, helping you clear runs faster while collecting more resources.
Cosmic Warrior
Cosmic Warrior provides:
- 3% damage
- 10% material drop rate
To unlock this title, complete a dungeon as Cosmic Warrior in under three minutes on any difficulty.
This is an easier alternative if you cannot unlock Dragon Eclipse yet. It provides the same 10% drop rate bonus, although its damage bonus is lower.
Remember that unlocking a title does not automatically activate its stats. You must equip it before starting your farming session.
8. Get Extra Drop Bonuses From Your Guild
Guild perks can provide up to 10% additional material drops. Check your guild’s current level and available bonuses to see whether these upgrades have been unlocked.
Joining guildmates can also make farming easier. If you struggle to clear Nightmare or another difficult stage alone, playing with other players can help you finish runs more consistently.
Combining guild bonuses with Fortune, drop-rate accessories, and a suitable title can improve your farming setup. However, make sure your build still has enough damage to complete runs quickly.
9. Is the 2x Drop Rate Game Pass Worth Using?
The 2x Drop Rate game pass doubles the amount of materials you receive when a drop succeeds. It does not double the chance of obtaining an item.
For example, if a successful drop normally gives you one material, the game pass allows you to receive two instead. It does not make the original drop chance twice as high.
This distinction matters when planning your farming session. Fortune and drop-rate bonuses affect your chances of getting materials, while the game pass increases the quantity received from successful drops.
10. How to Farm Raid Materials
Some awakening materials cannot be obtained through Story or Infinite mode. These items require specific raids, so make sure you are farming the correct activity.
Spirited Away Raid: Staff of Homa and Ghost
If you need Staff of Homa or Ghost, farm the Spirited Away raid on Nightmare difficulty. Both materials are used to awaken Flame Director.
- Staff of Homa: 25% drop chance per clear, with a pity system that guarantees it by the fifth clear.
- Ghost: 33% drop chance, giving between one and three when it drops.
You can collect these materials while working toward Flame Director’s awakening. Keep any drops you receive so you do not need to farm them again later.
Shadow Gate: Shadow Monarch and Machi Commander Materials
Shadow Gate is the place to farm the following materials:
- Shadow Essence
- Igris Crest
- Zero Calories Flower
- Zero Calories Donuts
- Shadow’s Cloak
- Monarch’s Blessing
Shadow Essence and Igris Crest are used for Shadow Monarch’s awakening, while Zero Calories Flower and Zero Calories Donuts are needed for Machi Commander.
These materials come from the raid, so Story and Infinite mode cannot replace this farming method.
How Red Gates Work
Red Gates appear in one out of five runs and provide an additional five Shadow Essence. However, enemies inside have 50% more health, making these runs more difficult.
If your team struggles to complete Red Gates, bring other players to improve your chances of finishing the raid.
During the Igris fight, pay attention when he becomes untouchable and summons Oath Knights. Defeat the summoned enemies before the timer ends to prevent Crimson Execution from hitting the entire party.
Consistent raid clears are more important than rushing through the fight and losing the run. Completing the raid successfully is the key to collecting its exclusive materials.
11. Farming Trade Crystals for Rerolls
If you need Trade Crystals for trade rerolls, you can collect them while farming Story mode materials. Every full Story clear provides a separate chance to receive crystals.
The drop chance depends on the difficulty:
- Easy: 5%
- Nightmare: 40%
Fortune and material drop rate accessories do not increase the Trade Crystal drop chance. The 2x Drop Rate game pass gives you two crystals instead of one when a crystal drop succeeds.
Infinite mode does not provide repeatable Trade Crystal drops, so focus on Story mode if these are the items you need.
12. Use Trial Food to Save Awakening Materials
Before farming the last few materials for an awakening, check the food items you have received from Trials. Some food items can replace a missing Story material for awakening requirements.
This can save time if you already have the correct food item in your inventory. Instead of farming a small amount of a material, you may be able to use the food to finish the awakening.
However, food cannot replace raid materials, coins, or gems. It is also intended for awakening requirements rather than accessory crafting.
Check your awakening recipe and inventory before starting another farming session. Saving regular materials for accessories can be more useful if food allows you to complete your awakening without spending those resources.
13. Best Anime Zero Material Farming Strategy
If you want to farm materials as efficiently as possible, follow these steps:
- Check your accessory and awakening recipes.
- Calculate the total materials needed for all your planned upgrades.
- Choose the act that contains the materials you are missing.
- Select the highest difficulty you can clear quickly and consistently.
- Use a Fortune weapon for most of the run.
- Equip Flame Pirate Hat, No Life King Shades, and Blast Archer Wings if available.
- Equip Dragon Eclipse or Cosmic Warrior to activate the title’s drop rate bonus.
- Check your guild perks for additional material drops.
- Use Infinite mode for eligible materials if your build can survive long runs.
- Farm Spirited Away or Shadow Gate for raid-exclusive items.
- Check your Trial food before spending more materials on an awakening.
The most effective setup balances drop rate and clear speed. Increasing your drop chances is useful, but you should not sacrifice so much damage that every run takes significantly longer.
The fastest way to farm materials in Anime Zero depends on what you need. Story mode is the main option for materials such as Broken Blades, Soul Fragments, Magic Pendants, and Tech Components, while Infinite mode is useful for eligible materials such as Fine Cloth, Mana Feathers, Wave Cores, Sun Cores, and Forbidden Fruits.
To improve your results, combine the Fortune trait with drop-rate accessories, a suitable title, and guild bonuses. For awakening materials exclusive to raids, focus on Spirited Away or Shadow Gate instead of repeatedly farming Story mode.
Most importantly, check your crafting recipes and inventory before starting. Choosing the right farming location from the beginning can save a significant amount of time and help you finish your accessories and awakenings faster.