Materials, mechanics and upgrades · checked 2026-09-26
Iron Wolf (Struggler): the useful numbers
Iron Wolf (Struggler) is the evolved Guts form. Its kit consumes Bleed stacks for immediate True Damage and builds persistent spill zones. The Wiki lists 25 Red, 25 Purple, 25 Blue and 3 Rainbow Sprites plus 10,000 Gold; the special-item requirement is still unresolved.
- Element
- Dark
- Archetype
- Physical
- Placement limit
- 1
Source: Iron Wolf (Struggler) — Anime Expeditions Wiki contributors. This reference panel adapts their tables and rewrites their mechanics under CC BY-SA 4.0; the adapted panel is available under the same license. No live-client test or Wiki endorsement is claimed.
Sacrificial Brand
Attack hits apply Bleed. Each regular-attack hit immediately deals the remaining damage of all Bleed stacks on the enemy as True Damage, then removes those stacks.
Crimson Spill
An enemy that has been affected by Bleed leaves a 6-second spill when it dies. The unequipped spill applies one Bleed stack every 5 seconds, with at most 2 temporary spills.
Feeding Ground
Overlapping spills merge, adding 4 seconds of duration and 15% radius per merge. After 10 merges a spill becomes permanent. At most 2 permanent spills may exist, and those cannot merge again.
Upgrade costs and level-1 stats
Placement through Upgrade 10 totals 57,350 Yen before discounts. Yen is the in-stage budget; evolution Gold is a separate resource.
Wiki reference at level 1, no ascension bonus, 0% stat potential, no trait, equipment or external buffs, Competitive Mode off. Damage, SPA and range are the displayed regular-attack stats. This is not a total-DPS simulation: passives, Bleed, summons, enemy count and attack animation can change actual output.
| Upgrade | Cost (Yen) | Total spent | Damage | SPA (s) | Range | Unlock |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 · Place | 1,500 | 1,500 | 358 | 4.5 | 19 | False Cannon · cone AoE |
| 1 | 1,850 | 3,350 | 461 | 4.4 | 19 | — |
| 2 | 2,650 | 6,000 | 585 | 4.4 | 20 | — |
| 3 | 3,250 | 9,250 | 700 | 4.3 | 21 | — |
| 4 | 4,000 | 13,250 | 844 | 4.3 | 21 | — |
| 5 | 5,500 | 18,750 | 1,555 | 6.6 | 22 | Sword Slam · cone AoE |
| 6 | 6,000 | 24,750 | 1,893 | 6.5 | 23 | — |
| 7 | 6,500 | 31,250 | 2,350 | 6.5 | 23 | — |
| 8 | 7,500 | 38,750 | 2,985 | 6.4 | 24 | — |
| 9 | 9,000 | 47,750 | 2,529 | 7 | 25 | Rampaging Impact · full AoE, 6 hits |
| 10 | 9,600 | 57,350 | 3,231 | 6.9 | 26 | — |
The Wiki evolution panel omits a special item, while older guides disagree between Crazed Chestplate and Demonslayer. Do not interpret an omitted field as zero cost: this partial recipe is excluded from the gap calculator. Demonslayer also has a separate equipment role, changing the spill interval to 3 seconds.
For your own build, enter the damage and SPA shown on your unit in the damage calculator. Keep level, upgrade and equipped effects consistent between comparisons.
Guts · Iron Wolf
How to get Iron Wolf (Struggler)
Prepare for Snowy Castle: totems and Auto Play →- The September 9 guide reports base Iron Wolf from Snowy Castle Raid, Act 3, Hard Mode.
- ATH associates Demonslayer with Act 1 and evolution, but Earnaldo names Crazed Chestplate as the evolution item. Demonslayer has a separate equipment record; do not assume that equipment is consumed by evolution. Check the live Evolve panel before farming either item.
- This page describes Iron Wolf (Struggler), the evolved form; obtaining the base copy is not the final step.
Act and difficulty are publisher reports. The evolution-item reports conflict. Exact chance, pity and the complete evolution recipe are unverified here.
ATH · September 9 acquisition guideAnswer first
Is Iron Wolf (Struggler) worth building?
Documented jobs
Damage · DOT
Secret · Physical damage classification
September 2026 publisher assessment
PGG's September 8 Update 2.5 list places this form in preliminary S tier. It is not part of the July five-source consensus.
Safe decision
Build it when these jobs solve a real team gap. Test the complete setup before spending rare rerolls or replacing a proven slot.
Kit interpretation
What Iron Wolf (Struggler) does
Crimson Spill leaves a temporary Bleed zone when a previously bleeding enemy dies. The unit reference reports a five-second application interval; Demonslayer replaces that passive with a reported three-second interval. Keep the equipped and unequipped cases separate.
These are mechanical roles, not a promise that the unit wins every map. Placement, upgrades, target type, allies and stage duration can change the outcome.
Reroll stop rule
Trait direction
Compare an owned damage or attack-speed trait on the same stage before chasing a rare roll. Bleed contribution and enemy density can change the result.
Use the trait odds calculator before committing crystals. A mechanically relevant owned trait can be better account value than chasing a rarer headline trait.
Investment stack
Evolution and equipment checks
No reviewed evolution recipe in the current table
The acquisition report above does not establish a complete evolution recipe. If the live client offers an evolution for your copy, confirm its target form and every material there; no missing recipe is counted as free.
Open evolution gap calculator →1 unit-specific equipment record
Placement and Bleed deaths matter as much as the roll. The abbreviated equipment source does not establish how permanent spills interact with this replacement; do not assume the base passive's entire behavior carries over.
Reported Update 2.5 stats: Damage +1% to +10% · Range +1% to +5%
Crimson Spill replacement (equipment passive): Replaces Crimson Spill. An enemy that previously suffered Bleed leaves a six-second spill on death. Each spill applies Bleed every three seconds; at most two temporary spills can coexist.
Evidence limits: The update report corroborates the item name only. Detailed mechanics and locations come from one community record, not an in-game test. Act, chance, pity and crafting requirements remain unverified.
Reported at Snowy Castle and Armory; confirm the reward panel and recipe. · Partial cross-check
Update 2.5 · Reviewed 2026-09-16
Community item record — Unit, stats, passive and reported locations
Update 2.5 report — Item names and update association only
Original field protocol
How to test Iron Wolf (Struggler) on your account
- 1. Freeze the conditions
Use the same stage, act, party, upgrade, placement, trait and equipment. Record the game date or visible version.
- 2. Measure the kit's real job
Compare the same Bleed setup with and without Demonslayer, recording spill uptime, target density and clear time. Keep single-boss and crowded-wave results separate.
- 3. Keep outcomes separate
Record personal output, team effect, control, economy and clear consistency as separate fields. One blended score hides why a unit worked.
- 4. Repeat and label the sample
Start with at least 10 matched runs when practical, publish the exact count and retain failures. A small sample is useful when it is honestly labeled.
Compare by job
Related units to inspect
Sources, confidence and deliberate omissions
- Community unit record
Form, rarity, damage type and published passive description; some fields are incomplete
- PGG · September 8 tier assessment
Character aliases, role assessment and preliminary rank; not a five-source consensus
- ATH · September 9 acquisition guide
Reported raid and Broken Falcon quest routes; not an in-game test
- Earnaldo · September 8 conflicting item and exchange report
Reports Crazed Chestplate and 100-soul exchanges, conflicting with ATH; not independent live-client verification
- Anime Expeditions Wiki · checked September 26
Inherited passives, upgrade table and partial evolution materials; dated Wiki reference, not a live test
The historical July labels and role scopes stay visible on the five-source tier matrix. Where a dated Wiki table is available above, its level and equipment conditions are explicit. Other unsupported base stats, placement costs, banner odds and universal DPS remain omitted. The live client is stronger evidence for your current version. If a cited mechanic changes, send the page URL, screenshot or official note through the correction channel.
Iron Wolf (Struggler) quick questions
What role does Iron Wolf (Struggler) play?
The documented profile supports Damage, DOT jobs and uses a Physical damage classification. The best role depends on which part of the kit your stage and team can activate.
What trait should I use on Iron Wolf (Struggler)?
Compare an owned damage or attack-speed trait on the same stage before chasing a rare roll. Bleed contribution and enemy density can change the result. Treat this as a direction and stop rule, not a guarantee that one rare trait is optimal for every account.
Is Iron Wolf (Struggler) top tier?
PGG's September 8 Update 2.5 list places this form in preliminary S tier. It is not part of the July five-source consensus. Rankings are dated judgments; matched tests and current balance notes should decide expensive investment.