Evolution requirements: materials, quests and conditions

Aniimo evolve into new forms once they meet specific requirements. Mostly that means reaching a certain level. Some evolutions follow branching paths instead, and some require special conditions. Those conditions have to be met before you can spend evolution materials, so the materials sitting in your bag do nothing until the condition is satisfied.

Each creature has its own evolution path with its own criteria. That matters in practice: what worked for one species tells you nothing reliable about the next. Look at the requirements in the evolution menu for the specific Aniimo you are raising.

Every evolution costs materials, and evolution stones are among them. Plan for that cost alongside the level, because a creature at the right level with no stones still stays where it is.

When a requirement or material is missing, you do not have to guess where it comes from. Select 'how to get' on that evolution requirement or material in the menu. It shows where the required material or boss can be found, which Aniimo drop the material and how to obtain it.

This is the fastest way to turn a locked evolution into a shopping list. Open the evolution, check each requirement, and use the link on anything you do not have yet. If the answer is a boss, the link tells you which one; if it is a drop, it tells you which Aniimo to hunt.

Certain Alpha Aniimo are fought as Alpha bosses in Alpha challenges, and they drop boss-specific materials needed for progression and evolution. Evolution stones are part of that. The first time you defeat an Alpha boss, you get a guaranteed set of evolution stones, which makes each new Alpha worth beating at least once even if you do not plan to farm it.

There is also a shortcut. Capturing an Alpha Aniimo skips evolving the species altogether, which saves resources. The alternative is the long way round: catch an early evolution, evolve it, and link an item with shards. Hunting, fighting and catching Alphas has its own guide on this site; for evolution purposes, the point is that Alphas both supply the stones and can make them unnecessary for that species.

Some Aniimo evolutions require you to complete specific journey quests. If an evolution stays locked after you hit the level and have the materials, an unfinished quest is a likely reason, and the 'how to get' link is where to check.

Some requirements ask you to defeat target Aniimo. Where an evolution lists three of them, the three requirements are checked separately. You can defeat the targets one at a time across several outings or all together; progress on each one counts on its own.

Certain species do not evolve in a single line. They branch, offering two paths to different evolved forms, and each path has its own requirements set by your quest decisions and the items you collect. Chirpi is one example: it evolves into either Tromber or Tubster. Branching lines are covered in full in their own guide, but the practical lesson here is that a branch is a choice, so read both sets of requirements before you commit.

Bud Squire (also written Budsquire) shows how many conditions can stack on one evolution. It evolves into Melloblum at level 27, but only when it has the Faithful personality and is the only member of your party. It also needs one rose stamen, the Stamen of Kubo's Rose. Miss any one of those and the evolution stays locked, so check the personality first: level and items are things you can work towards, while the personality is part of the creature you caught.

Helmut is the simpler case. It evolves into Pawney (also written Panni) at level 45. Even with a straightforward level gate, the evolution still costs materials, so have them ready before the level arrives.

06Where to start

Before you level an Aniimo towards an evolution, open its evolution menu and read every requirement. Use 'how to get' on anything you are missing. Beat each new Alpha boss once for its guaranteed stones, and check personality and party conditions early, because those are the ones levelling cannot fix.