The Dark Mage unit, inspired by Judar from Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic, has become a central topic of discussion in Anime Expeditions shortly after its release. Despite not being designed as the most potent character in the Villains update, players quickly recognized its exceptional damage output and a powerful passive ability that has players hoping it remains un-nerfed.
Evolving the Dark Mage
Before optimizing any build, the first step is to evolve the Dark Mage into its Sovereign form. This transformation requires specific resources gathered at the Evolve station within the Upgrades Chamber. Players will need to trade in:
- 1x Magical Amulet
- 20x Sprite (Red)
- 20x Sprite (Yellow)
- 1x Sprite (Rainbow)
- 10,000 Gold
Upon completing this exchange, the Dark Mage will unlock its Sovereign form.
Maximizing Dark Mage's Potential
The Sovereign form's passive ability, Lightning Orbs, is the primary reason for the Dark Mage's current strength. This ability allows the unit to continuously deal damage to enemies within its range. The damage per second is calculated as 25% of the Dark Mage's total DPS, which, combined with its inherently high damage, can rapidly eliminate opponents.
To leverage this passive effectively, the build should focus on maximizing the Dark Mage's DPS. A recommended setup includes:
- Trait: Unbound
- Equipment: Dark Scepter
- Equipment: Magic Book
- Equipment: Shinigami Sword/Three Swords From Hell
Optimal Team Compositions
When building a team around the Dark Mage, supporting its Lightning Orbs passive is paramount. This generally means including at least one unit capable of slowing enemies. These units ensure that opponents remain within the Dark Mage's damaging radius for extended periods. Additionally, a magic buff can further enhance the Dark Mage's DPS, and a secondary damage dealer can provide supplementary offense while the primary unit operates.
A suggested team composition is:
- Support DPS: 8th Sword (with Elf Mage as a potential alternative)
- Slow: Puppet and Salmon Sorcerer (with String Demon as a potential alternative)
- Magic Buff: Shadow (with Forbidden Teacher as a potential alternative)
The sixth team slot can be flexible, allowing players to adapt to specific mission needs. Suggestions include a Coin Farm unit like Ramen Guy to quickly accumulate gold for upgrades.
Acquiring the Dark Mage
To obtain the Dark Mage, players must visit the Summon chamber and select the Villain Banner. As one of the banner's four Mythic units, the Dark Mage has a 0.25% chance of being acquired with each pull.
Villain coins are necessary for these summons. These are primarily earned through Villain chests, obtained by defeating bosses in levels. Villain coins can also be acquired through the Villain Banner Event and active game codes. Players seeking quick access to coins can refer to the Anime Expeditions codes page.
Players are encouraged to utilize the Dark Mage's capabilities before any potential balance changes are implemented. Further guides for Anime Expeditions, including tier lists and equipment rerolling walkthroughs, are available.