Anomaly Points are your golden ticket to unlocking the true potential in Digimon Story: Time Stranger. These precious resources fuel your Agent Skills tree and determine which powerful evolutions you can access. Most players struggle with point allocation early on, missing crucial opportunities to accelerate their progress. Here's everything you need to know about farming, spending, and maximizing these game-changing points.
What Are Anomaly Points and Why They Matter
Anomaly Points serve as the primary currency for your Agent Skills progression system. Think of them as experience points for your character rather than your Digimon. Every point you spend increases your Agent Rank, which directly gates access to higher-tier evolutions.
Here's the crucial part most guides miss: your Agent Rank acts as a hard cap on Digimon evolution stages. You can't unlock Ultimate-level forms without reaching Agent Rank 5, regardless of how strong your individual Digimon become.
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Agent Rank requirements scale significantly. Champion forms typically need Rank 3, while Mega evolutions require Rank 8 or higher.
How to Farm Anomaly Points Efficiently
Main Story Missions: Your Primary Source
Main story progression rewards the most substantial point gains. Each completed mission typically grants 5-15 Anomaly Points, with story-heavy chapters offering even more generous rewards.
The game's linear structure means you can't replay story missions, making every point precious. Focus on advancing the main narrative when you need quick rank boosts.
Side Mission Strategy
Side missions offer varying point rewards, but here's the smart approach:
Complete side missions before progressing too far in the main story. The game warns that some become inaccessible as you advance, potentially locking you out of valuable points.
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Check your mission log regularly. Some side quests unlock only after specific story beats, offering fresh point opportunities.
The Timing Problem
You'll face a critical decision point early in the game. The story mentions you can return to complete missed side missions "in due time," but this creates a significant power gap. Waiting means struggling through tougher battles with lower Agent Rank restrictions.
Smart Strategy: Complete all available side missions before major story progression. The temporary delay pays massive dividends in combat effectiveness.
Optimal Agent Skills Allocation
Priority One: Bonds of Loyalty Tree
The Bonds of Loyalty tree (left side of the skill interface) contains the most universally beneficial upgrades. Focus your first 20-30 points here:
- EXP Boost nodes accelerate Digimon leveling
- Strategic CP Application starts battles with charged Critical Points
- Battle efficiency upgrades reduce grinding time
Understanding the Four Bond Categories
Each skill tree corresponds to different Digimon personality types and combat roles:
The Agent Rank Rush Strategy
Your first goal should be reaching Agent Rank 5 as quickly as possible. This unlocks Ultimate-level evolutions, dramatically increasing your team's power ceiling.
Allocate points across multiple trees rather than maxing one branch. Each skill point contributes to your overall rank, regardless of which tree you choose.
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Don't hoard Anomaly Points. Unlike other RPGs, there's no benefit to saving them. Immediate allocation provides instant power gains.
Advanced Point Management
The Side Mission Timing Dilemma
When the game introduces side missions, you'll see this message: "There is no need to stress out about side missions that could not be completed due to progressing in the main mission. The opportunity to complete them will come in due time."
This is misleading advice for optimization. While technically true, waiting creates unnecessary difficulty spikes. Consider this scenario:
You're facing a boss in the Abyss or Gear Forest with only Champion-level Digimon because your Agent Rank is too low for Ultimate forms. Those missed side mission points could have pushed you past the evolution threshold.
Strategic CP Application Unlock
Once you gain access to Agent Skills, prioritize the Strategic CP Application ability. This skill charges your Critical Points gauge by 10 per Agent Rank at battle start.
Higher Agent Ranks mean starting most fights with Cross Arts ready to activate, providing massive tactical advantages against tough opponents.
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Personality-Specific Benefits
Some Agent Skills only benefit Digimon with matching personality types. Plan your skill investments around your team composition:
- Valor personalities gain maximum benefit from Valor tree investments
- Mixed teams benefit more from Bonds of Loyalty universal upgrades
- Specialized builds can focus heavily on matching trees
Pro Tip: Check personality requirements before investing heavily in specific trees. Universal bonuses often provide better value for diverse teams.
Common Allocation Mistakes
Mistake 1: Perfectionist Paralysis
Many players overthink their first skill investments, worried about "wasting" points. The reality? Early game allocation mistakes are easily corrected as you earn more points.
Focus on immediate power gains rather than perfect long-term optimization.
Mistake 2: Ignoring EXP Bonuses
The experience boost nodes in Bonds of Loyalty seem boring compared to flashy combat abilities, but they're actually the highest-value investments. Faster leveling means stronger Digimon across your entire roster.
Mistake 3: Single-Tree Focus
Spreading points across multiple trees increases your Agent Rank faster than concentrating on one branch. Early game progression benefits more from rank increases than specialized bonuses.
When to Prioritize Story vs. Sides
The optimal progression path depends on your current power level:
If you're struggling with battles: Complete all available side missions for immediate Agent Rank boosts.
If combat feels manageable: Focus on story progression, picking up side missions between major beats.
If you're overleveled: Push story content aggressively, saving side missions for when you hit difficulty walls.
Remember, Anomaly Points directly translate to combat effectiveness through evolution access. Every point spent immediately improves your team's potential, making efficient allocation one of the most impactful skills you can master in Time Stranger.
The key is treating your Agent progression as seriously as your Digimon training. Both systems work together to create the unstoppable digital army you'll need for the challenges ahead.
For more Digimon Story: Time Stranger, check out our Equipment Attachment Tier List.