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The Anima Chambers Monstrology Guide |
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Wondering how to get started with Monstrology? Not sure how it even really works? Look no farther!
We've covered everything from where to begin, to levelling up and even badge collecting within the side system!
We've covered everything from where to begin, to levelling up and even badge collecting within the side system!
The Basics:
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Monstrology is the practice of taking the "animus" of a creature when you defeat it, using special spell modifiers.
Where most people use Enchants like Epic on their hits for extra damage, Monstrologists use Extracts. Each Extract attaches to a hit just like any other enchant, and can pull a specific category of Animus. |
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Once you defeat a creature with an Extract-Enhanced Hit, you will collect its animus alongside your drops from the fight.
You can access all of your animus in the Monstrology Tome in your Spellbook - Just press T to open it. With the animus you've collected, there are three types of items you can create: Summons, House Guests, and Expels. |
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Creature Summons:You've learned a few minion spells from your Professors. But typically your learned minion spells are underwhelming.
They've got low HP, no stats, spell pools that are unhelpful, and are often nothing more than a meat shield, IF that. |
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But those days are gone! Monstrology lets you summon minions that will actually help you in a fight. Using your animus, you can create a treasure card to summon the creature you extracted.
For only two pips, it will be summoned with same health, spells, stats, and aggression they had against you! The only thing that WON'T transfer to a summon is the creature's cheats, if it had any. You can summon a regular minion, AND a Monstrology Minion side-by-side. However, most wizards can only have one of each. If you're a Myth Wizard, though, you can summon up to three Monstrology Minions to the field at once. |
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House Guests:This one's for the housing community. Ever looked at a mob during a fight, and wanted to keep it somehow? Maybe you wanted it as a pet, or something similar. This gets close.
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When you create a House Guest and place it, the creature will walk around just like a pet or a mount when you place it.
You can attach it to Bread Crumbs, to keep it still, make it play its battle animations, or put it on a walking path. They can be grown or shrunk with Advanced Move, and all sorts of Castle Magic works on them too! Ever wanted a Golden Dragon to guard your gold piles? Check! |
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Creature Expels:This is a cool one. Creature Expels are insta-kill spells for the creature in question.
A creature's health, school, cheats, etc., all become irrelevant as they're defeated for just two pips. |
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This is helpful in boss fights like Medulla. While he isn't extractable, Pork and Beans are! You can wipe them out quickly to make dealing with the boss easier.
As a general rule, only mobs are eligible for Creature Expels. Bosses are not meant to have them, and in most cases that option will be absent from the creature's Tome Page if they're a boss. That doesn't mean they don't exist, though! Kingsisle's made slip-ups in the past where bosses have had expels available for a short time, and people have made those items. These cards are considered retired, now, but they still work fine if you're lucky enough to have one. Some noteworthy boss expels that people made plenty of are Sir Greggor and Squire Greggor. Some rarer examples include the Bane Wyrm, Banrigh Sluagh, and even The Devourer! |
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The Monstrodome:This feature is by far the favorite part of Monstrology in the Community. While not one of the three items you can make with animus, this housing item uses Summons. It requires summons to craft it, and then you put summons into it to create your own custom battles!
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Every dome has four empty slots for Summon Cards. Any extractable creature can be placed in the dome, making for any number of devastating combinations!
These duels are purely for fun with friends - They do not drop the items they normally would in their respective dungeons. They are, however, a great source of entertainment, fantastic challenges, and even gold farming! |
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Extract Spells:
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First things first: You'll need to train your Extract Spells to gather animus. You can get your first spell for free by visiting Monstrologist Burke outside of the Myth School in Ravenwood!
After completing a short tutorial quest, he'll give you Extract Undead. Then, you can start purchasing spells from him in other worlds across the Spiral, for gold! See the table below for a list of his locations, spells, and their costs. For a list of EVERYTHING you can extract on a creature-by-creature basis, Cody RavenTamer over at Final Basion put this hub list together! Check it out! |
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Collecting Animus and Experience:
Next thing to be aware of is that gaining Animus and Experience are tied to your Monstrology Level, and the Opponent's Rank.
If your level is too much lower than the enemy's rank, you won't get animus or experience.
If your level is too much higher than an enemy's rank, you'll still get animus, but you'll stop getting experience.
You can see a table of the Monstrology Levels and the Titles that go along with each below.
If your level is too much lower than the enemy's rank, you won't get animus or experience.
If your level is too much higher than an enemy's rank, you'll still get animus, but you'll stop getting experience.
You can see a table of the Monstrology Levels and the Titles that go along with each below.
Milestones:-The current maximum Monstrology Level is 29.
-You can start gaining Animus and XP from an enemy when your Monstrology Level is three less than an enemy's rank. -Once your level is equal to the enemy's rank, you are guaranteed one animus for hitting the creature. -You're also guaranteed a second animus for killing it. -You have a small chance to gain a second animus for hitting the creature (for a total of 3, if you kill). -That small chance increases the higher your Monstrology Level climbs. -You will be guaranteed all 3 animus on a creature's defeat once you are 6 levels above the enemy's rank. -Six levels above the enemy's rank is also when you will stop gaining Monstrology XP. |
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Using Animus:Now that you've learned how to gain animus, and level yourself up enough to gain it from the creatures you want, lets talk about using the animus you've gained.
As we saw before, each creature in the tome can have up to three item types: Summons, Housing Guests, and Expels (Which Bosses typically won't have.) With a few exceptions (Namely, Malistaire the Undying in Darkmoor), all creatures usually require the same amount of animus to create certain items.
You can use your animus on these items in your Monstrology Tome by pressing "T" to open it, locating the creature you're interested in, selecting the proper item tab and clickng "Create Item".
Keep in mind, creating Monstrological Items also takes a small amount of gold. |
Can I speed this up a bit?In fact, yes! There are a few ways to multiply your progress. The easiest and most inexpensive is the Triple Animus Elixir.
You can find this in the crowns shop for 150 crowns per hour, and it does exactly what the name suggests! Any animus and monstrology experience you gain while using this elixir will be tripled! The other multiplier is the Member Benefit, Double Animus. This only doubles your animus and experience. There is an elixir version of this benefit as well, like with all Member Benefits, but they are quite rare. You can most often find them on Crowns Rewards Event Tiers. The Member Benefit may seem underwhelming compared to the Triple Elixir, but they DO stack! This means with both active, you can gain a whopping six times multiplier on your animus gain and experience gain! |
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Below is a list of all the badges you can earn through Monstrology, and how to achieve them!
Badge Title |
Monstrology Level or Achievement |
Rookie Monstrologist |
Level 1 |
Novice Monstrologist |
Level 2 |
Tenderfoot Monstrologist |
Level 3 |
Neophyte Monstrologist |
Level 4 |
Apprentice Monstrologist |
Level 5 |
Initiate Monstrologist |
Level 6 |
Intermediate Monstrologist |
Level 7 |
Journeyman Monstrologist |
Level 8 |
Monstrology Specialist |
Level 9 |
Adept Monstrologist |
Level 10 |
Monstrology Whiz |
Level 11 |
Hotshot Monstrologist |
Level 12 |
Dexterous Monstrologist |
Level 13 |
Monstrology Virtuoso |
Level 14 |
Master Monstrologist |
Level 15 |
Grandmaster Monstrologist |
Level 16 |
Legendary Monstrologist |
Level 17 |
Gifted Monstrologist |
Level 18 |
Transcendent Monstrologist |
Level 19 |
Archmage Monstrologist |
Level 20 |
Promethean Monstrologist |
Level 21 |
Superior Monstrologist |
Level 22 |
Renowned Monstrologist |
Level 23 |
Illustrious Monstrologist |
Level 24 |
Exalted Monstrologist |
Level 25 |
Elevated Monstrologist |
Level 26 |
Grand Monstrologist |
Level 27 |
Prestigious Monstrologist |
Level 28 |
Superlative Monstrologist |
Level 29 |
Plenty of Animus |
Collect a total of 100 Animus |
Oodles of Animus |
Collect a total of 1,000 Animus |
Hoards of Animus |
Collect a total of 10,000 Animus |
Pockets Full of Animus |
Collect a total of 20,000 Animus |
From Rank 1 to Rank 3:
LOST SOUL:
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We need to start at the bottom, and there aren't many Rank 1 Creatures to choose from. The Lost Soul is the most accessible of them, and the logical place to start.
Grinding these creatures to Rank 3 shouldn't take long at all, and then we can be on our way to the next. Find them near the beginning of Unicorn Way. |
From Rank 3 to Rank 7:
AHNIC STRIDER:
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For this space, any Rank 3 Creature will work. However for the sake of this guide and the gold reserves of the people using it, I'll be sticking with Undead Creatures as often as possible.
Seeing as these ghost kroks are not bosses, not in a dungeon and easily found wandering around, they're my recommendation. Not to mention they're rather unique, and look really cool! Find them in the Ahnic Family Tomb. |
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From Rank 7 to Rank 9:
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KYANITE VALKYRIE:
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UNDEAD WIZARD:
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Now, around this point in the game, creatures start to get real resist. I mean to write this guide in a way where its useful to both max level wizards, and people levelling their Monstrology as they quest, so that resist cannot be ignored. For that reason, I'll be putting two suggestions in each rank bracket where I can.
The Kyanite Valkyries and the Undead Wizards are two of the most interesting-looking Rank 7 Creatures available to extract. If you're a Death, go for the Valkyrie wandering in the Drake Hatchery. If you're a Storm, go for the Undead Wizard, wandering in the Grand Chasm. Any other school, free to take your pick.
The Kyanite Valkyries and the Undead Wizards are two of the most interesting-looking Rank 7 Creatures available to extract. If you're a Death, go for the Valkyrie wandering in the Drake Hatchery. If you're a Storm, go for the Undead Wizard, wandering in the Grand Chasm. Any other school, free to take your pick.
From Rank 9 to Rank 12:
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SEA-BOOTER:
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STEAM VALET:
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Now this is a hard one. There's only two Rank 9 Undead Non-Boss Creatures available, and they're both ice. For that, I'm recommending the Sea-Booter, in Crustacean Empire. They're mixed in with the wandering Blue Bart Boss, who you should try to avoid, but that's easier than the other option being mixed in with plenty of higher-ranked creatures.
For the non-ice alternative here, I'm forced to go with a Golem, instead of an Undead. You can pick up the spell for the Steam Valet in Marleybone, and then find these life creatures wandering around in the Science Center.
For the non-ice alternative here, I'm forced to go with a Golem, instead of an Undead. You can pick up the spell for the Steam Valet in Marleybone, and then find these life creatures wandering around in the Science Center.
From Rank 12 to Rank 14:
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SMOKING MIRROR ZOMBIE:
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MOON SKULL ZOMBIE:
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For this bracket, there are plenty of dino-zombie undead options in Azteca. I'm suggesting the Smoking Mirror Zombies, and the Moon Skull Zombies here. Other options have more health and are harder to farm.
Any Rank 12 Creature works though, so take your pick. Find these, and several other options, wandering in Cenote.
Any Rank 12 Creature works though, so take your pick. Find these, and several other options, wandering in Cenote.
From Rank 14 to Rank 17:
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TERROR HOUND:
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ARACHNA GLADIATOR:
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This is another situation where there just are not many undead options at the right rank to choose from. So, we're offering a Balance Undead Option, and a Death Spider option. You can grab Extract Spider in Wizard City.
The Terror Hounds are found inside the Temple on the River of Frozen Tears, through the door on the right. While these creatures are a little inconvenient, being inside a sigil, they make up for it by having four creatures in the fight, even when you're solo. This is extra experience each fight you do.
The Arachna Gladiators, on the other hand, can be found wandering in The Hive in Khrysalis.
The Terror Hounds are found inside the Temple on the River of Frozen Tears, through the door on the right. While these creatures are a little inconvenient, being inside a sigil, they make up for it by having four creatures in the fight, even when you're solo. This is extra experience each fight you do.
The Arachna Gladiators, on the other hand, can be found wandering in The Hive in Khrysalis.
From Rank 17 to Rank 18:
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GOBBLERTON GOBBLERS:
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GUMMY BUNNIES:
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Unfortunately, as we get farther into the guide, there are less and less undead options available. For this bracket, you won't find any. So, the first option I'm highlighting are Gobblers, because the spell is only 10,000 gold, as opposed to the 100,000 that most extract spells are. You can find the Extract Gobbler Spell on Colossus Boulevard.
A mixed group of Gobblers can be found wandering near the start of Gobblerton in Karamelle, including the Peckish Gobbler featured above.
However, if that's not your cup of tea, you can pick up Extract Golem in Marleybone to farm an assorted group of Gummy Bunnies in the Nibbleheim Mines.
A mixed group of Gobblers can be found wandering near the start of Gobblerton in Karamelle, including the Peckish Gobbler featured above.
However, if that's not your cup of tea, you can pick up Extract Golem in Marleybone to farm an assorted group of Gummy Bunnies in the Nibbleheim Mines.
From Rank 18 to Rank 22:
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WIGHT RHINOS:
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KILLIPEDES:
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VERY EVIL EYE:
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Now here's where we get to the fun part. Our first option is the obligatory, easy to farm Undead Option. You'll find the Wight Rhinos in the Night Forest in Lemuria, and they're alright to farm if you can get past the resemblance to Zafaria's Greyhorn Mercenaries.
However, if you're willing to spend the gold on Extract Insect in Khrysalis, you can take it to Lemuria's Wildlands to farm the Life Killipedes. These creatures are some of the BEST healing summons in the entire game, and highly recommended.
Once you reach Rank 19, if you'd like a change of pace, some extremely powerful golem creatures are found in the Bass Chamber in Telos. All 3 Variants of the Very Evil Eyes are crazy summons that you can check out on this page.
However, if you're willing to spend the gold on Extract Insect in Khrysalis, you can take it to Lemuria's Wildlands to farm the Life Killipedes. These creatures are some of the BEST healing summons in the entire game, and highly recommended.
Once you reach Rank 19, if you'd like a change of pace, some extremely powerful golem creatures are found in the Bass Chamber in Telos. All 3 Variants of the Very Evil Eyes are crazy summons that you can check out on this page.
From Rank 22 to Rank 28:
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CADD AND PHETT:
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SAM AND ELMER:
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Unfortunately, for this point, you'll need to purchase Extract Spider in Ravenwood. There are simply no other creatures of the right rank other than spiders. Once you've purchased it, you have two fights to choose from. By the time you're in Wallaru, you'll know creatures have universal resist as a general rule. So your school matchup shouldn't matter too much here.
The Cadd and Phett fight can be found in the Distress Cave in Outback. The Sam and Elmer fight can be found in the Bunyip Warrens in Wobbegong Territory. Neither fight is terribly difficult, but seeing as this is the longest stretch of ranks from one place, you may want to swap between them sometime halfway through.
The Cadd and Phett fight can be found in the Distress Cave in Outback. The Sam and Elmer fight can be found in the Bunyip Warrens in Wobbegong Territory. Neither fight is terribly difficult, but seeing as this is the longest stretch of ranks from one place, you may want to swap between them sometime halfway through.
From Rank 28 to Rank 29:
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ZOLOMON:
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PHANTOM KANGAROO:
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Now for this final rank, you unfortunately will have to farm a boss. There are exactly four options that meet the criteria, each with their own pros and cons.
Zolomon, a Spider found in Kingsland, is a fairly basic boss. He's the only fight in his sigil, his cheats are nothing intense, and he's probably the easiest option. However, his Centaur is Spellemental, and removes traps on him when cast. This can be obnoxious, and I personally don't enjoy his fight.
Phantom Kangaroo, an Undead creature found in Wobbegong Territory, has no such obnoxious spells, and also has no real cheats to speak of. However, he's in a sigil with two mob fights before him, making him a bit of a grind if you're solo. However he's extremely unique and interesting looking, and might be worth farming for its housing guests alone.
Luigi di Mario, a Horse creature found in Wobbegong Territory, is a long, tedious fight involving stuns and punishing your base shadow pip stat. Unless you want him as a housing guest, I do not recommend farming this fight at all. It has no redeeming qualities in my opinion.
Finally, Wally, another Undead creature from Wobbegong Territory. This creature is an obnoxious fight. His cheats are annoying and RNG based, and the fight can take a while as a result. However, he's an extremely powerful debuffing summon. He's the only fight in his sigil, and doesn't remove your buffs as you set up to kill him.
Whichever of these creatures is right for you, pick it and farm it out for your final Monstrology Rank. Congratulations, you've maxed!
Zolomon, a Spider found in Kingsland, is a fairly basic boss. He's the only fight in his sigil, his cheats are nothing intense, and he's probably the easiest option. However, his Centaur is Spellemental, and removes traps on him when cast. This can be obnoxious, and I personally don't enjoy his fight.
Phantom Kangaroo, an Undead creature found in Wobbegong Territory, has no such obnoxious spells, and also has no real cheats to speak of. However, he's in a sigil with two mob fights before him, making him a bit of a grind if you're solo. However he's extremely unique and interesting looking, and might be worth farming for its housing guests alone.
Luigi di Mario, a Horse creature found in Wobbegong Territory, is a long, tedious fight involving stuns and punishing your base shadow pip stat. Unless you want him as a housing guest, I do not recommend farming this fight at all. It has no redeeming qualities in my opinion.
Finally, Wally, another Undead creature from Wobbegong Territory. This creature is an obnoxious fight. His cheats are annoying and RNG based, and the fight can take a while as a result. However, he's an extremely powerful debuffing summon. He's the only fight in his sigil, and doesn't remove your buffs as you set up to kill him.
Whichever of these creatures is right for you, pick it and farm it out for your final Monstrology Rank. Congratulations, you've maxed!