Winter Update 3.0: Anime Vanguards Revamps Lobby, Adds New Portals Mode

Roblox developer Kitawari has released the highly anticipated Anime Vanguards Winter Update 3.0, which introduces significant enhancements to the tower-defense game's unit lineup and lobby, along with numerous quality-of-life improvements. This update is set to keep the holiday spirit alive, offering a plethora of new winter-themed content to keep players engaged for weeks.

Upon logging in, players will immediately notice the revamped lobby, now designed to provide more space and a better experience for anime fans. The update also features a remastered UI, including a "much better and cleaner" stage selection interface, as described by the development team.

Kitawari addressed the community's feedback regarding the lobby's previous cramped conditions in the Winter Update 3.0 patch notes, stating, "We heard your issues with our current lobby; it was too small and cramped, and we were running out of places to put new game modes. Get ready for our stunning new lobby – 10x more impressive than anything you’ve seen, featuring a customizable Day and Night cycle which you can check out in Settings!"

A standout feature of the Winter Update 3.0 is the introduction of the new Portals game mode. Kitawari encourages players to use winter units and skins to boost team damage and unlock additional rewards. For those looking to experiment, the new Sandbox Mode offers a flexible environment to test strategies without limitations. The update also introduces 12 new units available through the new Winter Banner, Portals game mode, battle pass, and leaderboard rewards.

Quality-of-life enhancements include smoother unit placement, Evolution Quests now appearing in the special tab, and the addition of search bars in the skins and familiars windows. Units now properly highlight the enemies they are targeting, improving gameplay clarity.

Since its launch last January, Anime Vanguards has seen a consistent stream of updates, with the recent November update drawing inspiration from the popular anime series, Dandadan. For more information on upcoming features and to access active codes, check out our full list here. Below are the comprehensive patch notes for the Anime Vanguards Winter Update 3.0.

Anime Vanguards Winter Update 3.0 Patch Notes

Features

12 NEW UNITS!

The update introduces 12 new units, available across various game elements:

New Winter Banner

• Emmie, Emmie (Ice Witch)
• Rom and Ran, Rom and Ran (Fanatic)
• Foboko, Foboko (Hellish)
• Karem, Karem (Chilled)
• Rogita (Super 4)

New Portals Game Mode

• Soburo, Soburo (Contract)
• Regnaw, Regnaw (Rage)

New Battle Pass

• Dodara, Dodara (Contract)
• Sosora, Sosora (Puppeteer)

Leaderboard Rewards

• Seban
• Rodock
• Giyu

NEW GAMEMODE! Portals

Experience a new game mode with unique mechanics and progress through higher tiers for enhanced and exclusive rewards. Rewards include:

• 3 New Familiars: Doggo, Sebamon, Padoru
• 2 Secret Portal Units
• Winter Currency
• Gift Boxes

Utilize winter units and skins to boost your team's damage, increase currency yield, and secure additional rewards. The update also introduces an elemental interaction system within Portals, offering over a hundred different interactions to explore and exploit.

NEW GAMEMODE! Sandbox Mode

Dive into the new Sandbox Mode, where you can use any units, spawn any enemies, have infinite money, adjust stats, and play freely.

NEW! Boss Event Rerun!

The Blood-Red Commander Igros boss event returns, and Boss Events will now cycle weekly. Next week features Sukono’s boss event, and the Boss Event Shop has been restocked.

NEW! Lobby Revamp

The lobby has been completely revamped to be 10 times more impressive, featuring a customizable Day and Night cycle accessible through the Settings menu.

NEW! Revamped Lobby UI

The Stage Selection Interface has been redesigned for a cleaner and more intuitive experience.

NEW! Unit XP Fusing

Players can now fuse unwanted units into others to level them up, providing an alternative to using XP food items.

NEW! Winter Banner & Currency

Earn winter currency from Portals to summon new units and skins or spend it in the Winter Shop on portals, evolution items, a frosty mount, and Trait Rerolls. This includes:

• 1 New Vanguard Unit
• 3 New Secret Skins
• 4 New Exclusive Units
• 4 New Mythic Skins
• 3 New Legendary Skins
• 1 New Epic Skin
• 1 New Rare Skin

NEW! Leaderboard Units

Previous leaderboard units are no longer obtainable, replaced by two new Exclusive units. Compete to claim these rewards and showcase your achievements.

NEW! Battle Pass Reset

The Battle Pass has been refreshed, offering numerous rerolls, gems, and other rewards, including 2 Exclusive units to unlock through tier progression.

NEW! Tournament Titles

Tournament participants now receive unique titles for each week's event. The top player earns the "Tournament Champion" title, while those ranking 2nd to 5th receive "Tournament Contender."

NEW! Collection Milestone

Collect units of each rarity to unlock special rewards, with greater rewards available as you gather more units.

NEW! Enemy Index Milestones

Earn rewards by completing sets of enemies in your Enemy Index, including Trait Rerolls as prizes.

NEW! Trophy Exchange Shop

A new dedicated area for trophies and a trophy shop have been added, where players can purchase Emotes using trophies.

NEW! Spectate Mode Options

Spectating units now offers options like Default, First Person, Third Person, and Top-Down views, with an updated interface indicating the unit being spectated.

NEW! Health Stocks

The health system has been revamped to use stocks instead of a single health bar. Each stage now provides 3 stocks, with one stock lost per enemy reaching the base. Bosses instantly deplete all stocks upon reaching the base.

NEW! The Hidden Gateway awakens…

The mysterious portal item, a reward from Floor 50 in Worldlines, now reveals its purpose. Use it to open a gateway to a hidden challenge and uncover the secret within.

NEW! In-Game Update Logs

View the latest updates in-game upon joining or by clicking the update button in the top right corner of your screen.

NEW! New Unit Filters!

Filter units by damage, SPA, and range stat tiers for easier unit management.

Changes & QoL

• Custom summon animations now play when viewing a unit.
• Evolution quests are now accessible in the special tab.
• Unit placement during gameplay is smoother.
• "Tracks At The Edge Of The World" added to the Enemy Index.
• World Markers added in the lobby for easier navigation and teleportation.
• Auto Ability now waits if it fails to activate.
• The normalize NPC has been updated to Valentine.
• Improved item tooltip animations.
• A slight camera parallax effect added to some interfaces.
• Winter Currency added to the AFK Chamber.
• Search bars added to the Familiars and Skins windows.
• Improved Unit Traits Index UI.
• Shiny Hunter Game Pass now visible on the bottom left.
• Units now highlight the enemy they are attacking.
• Units can be marked as "Favorite" for easy access.
• Additional unit storage expansions available for gold, totaling 6.
• 3 additional team slots, totaling 8 teams.
• Several rarity gradients have been revamped.
• The loading circle has been updated.
• Switched to Roblox's new chat service with automatic translation.
• Item frames in the inventory are now sorted by rarity.
• The item hover preview frame no longer cuts off regardless of its Y size.

Bug Fixes

• Ishtar (Divinity) now gains the correct range buff from her passive.
• Fixed Haruka Rin's animation from speeding up when upgraded.
• Resolved issues with placing units and swapping teams in tournaments.
• Highest infinite round now updates correctly in the profile UI.
• Fixed Medusa’s ability cursor tracking on consoles.
• Corrected ability timers from going into negatives.
• Improved quality of Battlepass Leveled Up UI icons.
• Fixed the Battle Pass Level Up screen background shadow.
• Resolved multilane unit names being cut off in the unit inventory UI.
• Corrected the Money Earned text offset.
• Fixed Fate Mount visibility in matches.
• Corrected Worldlines loading screen map display.
• Fixed interactions with repulse enemies in the golden castle stage.
• Corrected stage info UI display of items/currencies.
• Fixed JoJo Stand cosmetics breaking on rejoin.
• Corrected Steel Ball Run Acts 4-5 player spawn positions.
• Fixed the leaving keybind in settings UI on consoles.
• Improved Leaderboard UI stage selection with a scrolling frame.
• Significant performance optimizations for late-game runs.

Anime Vanguards Winter Update 3.0 is now live, and players can dive into all the new content and improvements. Stay tuned for more updates and exciting developments from Kitawari.