Honkai: Nexus Anima Level 18 5-Star Pick Guide

By Wayne Zhao · First published July 7, 2026 · Rechecked November 6, 2026 against our full 5-star Anima ranking, which keeps the same order for these four · Cumulon’s Aspect updated November 10, 2026 · Beta guide, subject to change

Level 18 is where Honkai: Nexus Anima hands you your first real 5-star decision. There’s no roll involved. You spend Aspect Gems on one fixed 5-star Anima, and whoever you lock in tends to steer your team for the next few hours of play.

If you don’t want to overthink it, take Mesmerith. It’s the pick that asks the least of you and pays off right away — a dependable Back-row damage anchor. The other names worth knowing: Bladehound if you’d rather your first 5-star fight from the Front row, and Camcorgi if your roster is already drifting toward Memory.

Best Level 18 5-Star Pick

Rank	Anima	Aspect	Role	Best For
1	Mesmerith	Hate	Back / Carry	Safest first pick, easy early setup
2	Bladehound	Strength	Front / Carry	Frontline players and Strength teams
3	Camcorgi	Memory	Back / Carry	Memory teams with support already started
4	Cumulon	Strength	Back / Carry	Strength experiments, not the safest first run

Blind pick, no strong preference? Mesmerith. Already know you like aggressive melee teams? Bladehound. Roster clearly leaning Memory? Then Camcorgi starts to make sense.

Mesmerith — Best Overall Level 18 Pick

Mesmerith, the safest Level 18 5-star pick in Honkai Nexus Anima — Mesmerith: Hate Aspect, Back-row carry. Full stats on its Anima page.

Mesmerith tops the list because it answers the question most early teams are actually asking: where does my reliable Back-row damage come from?

The magic damage is steady, it slots in behind a stable frontline without complaint, and the sleep effect buys you control when a fight starts slipping away from you — which happens a lot at this stage, when your formation is half-finished and your low-rarity Anima are holding things together with tape.

None of it needs a complicated plan. Drop Mesmerith in the Back row, feed it Hate Anima as they show up, and let your front line stall. Even a rough set of early pulls still leaves you pointed in a clear direction.

Take Mesmerith when:

You want the lowest-risk pick on the board.
You don’t have an Aspect plan yet.
You need a Back-row carry that works the moment you place it.
You’d rather have a stable first team than an experiment.

For a first Beta run, this is the one I’d hand to almost anyone.

Bladehound — Best Frontline Carry Pick

Prefer your first 5-star up front, holding ground? That’s Bladehound.

In the current Beta data it does something the others don’t: damage and frontline presence in the same slot. Your Back row gets to sit back and focus on ranged damage and support while Bladehound absorbs the pressure. Team building gets simpler as a result.

It’s a narrower pick than Mesmerith, but there’s nothing risky about it — especially if your early Bond Encounters already nudged you toward Strength, or you just know you like teams that push forward instead of turtling behind a tank. And if your team keeps folding before the Back row gets to do anything, Bladehound will probably feel better in your hands than Mesmerith does.

Camcorgi — Strong, But It Wants Memory Support First

Camcorgi is a genuinely strong Anima. It’s also the pickiest of the three good picks.

The draw is the Memory Aspect, which has a handful of useful Beta options, and Camcorgi can anchor the whole thing once the team fills out. The catch is timing. At Level 18 you often don’t have the Memory support in place yet, so Camcorgi plays weaker than its ceiling would suggest.

Here’s the line I use: if you’ve already got roughly three useful Memory Anima before Level 18, Camcorgi is fair game. Short of that, I wait.

It gets more tempting if you’re eyeing Cinechel at Level 21. Camcorgi in the Back row, Cinechel up front — that pairing gives the Memory core an actual shape instead of a pile of parts.

Camcorgi fits if your roster already leans Memory, you’re planning around Cinechel, and you don’t mind a slower ramp before the payoff arrives.

Cumulon — Usable, Just Not My Opener

I don’t want to sell Cumulon short — the Anima is fine. Its Aspect support is the sticking point.

Cumulon is now a Strength Anima, but apart from Bladehound the Strength units in this Beta are all C tier, so at Level 18 Cumulon has little around it. Picking Cumulon at Level 18 is closer to a bet on future roster support than a move toward the cleanest possible first team. That could flip at launch — if Strength picks up more support, Cumulon climbs — but for now I’d file it under second-run or testing rather than safe first choice.

So unless you specifically want to test a Strength damage setup, already have the Strength pieces to back it up, or actively enjoy a more experimental opener, I’d start with Mesmerith, Bladehound, or Camcorgi.

What Should You Pick Based on Your Team?

Want the decision in one glance:

Your Situation	Recommended Pick
You are unsure	Mesmerith
You need Back-row damage	Mesmerith
You want a Front-row carry	Bladehound
You already have several Memory Anima	Camcorgi
You want to test a Strength damage setup	Cumulon

The real mistake at Level 18 isn’t picking the “wrong” 5-star. It’s abandoning your anchor every time a shiny new unit drops. Lock in your choice, then build around it for a while before you rip the team apart.

How Level 18 Affects Your Level 21 Pick

Level 18 gives your team its anchor. Level 21 is mostly about patching whatever hole that anchor left behind.

Go Mesmerith and your next headache is usually frontline stability. Go Bladehound and you’ve got more room to move, because your front is already handled. Go Camcorgi and Cinechel becomes the obvious Level 21 follow-up — it props up the Memory plan from the Front row.

FAQ

Q: What is the best 5-star pick at Level 18 in Honkai: Nexus Anima? A: Mesmerith is the safest overall Level 18 pick in the current Beta — strong Back-row damage, useful control, and a team-building path you don’t have to think about.

Q: Is Bladehound better than Mesmerith? A: It can be, if you want a Front-row carry or already have Strength support. For a blind first pick, though, Mesmerith is the easier call.

Q: Should I pick Mesmerith or Bladehound at Level 18? A: Take Mesmerith for a Back-row carry that just works, Bladehound if you’d rather hold the Front row yourself. Mesmerith is the safer blind pick; Bladehound comes into its own once you have Strength support or a team that likes fighting forward.

Q: Should I pick Camcorgi at Level 18? A: Pick it if your early roster already leans Memory, or if you plan to follow up with Cinechel at Level 21. Otherwise Mesmerith is usually the safer bet.

Q: Is Cumulon worth picking at Level 18? A: It’s usable, but Strength support below Bladehound is thin in the current Beta. Treat it as an experiment rather than a first-run recommendation.

Q: Will this ranking change after release? A: Quite possibly. This guide runs on Beta data, and HoYoverse can still adjust skill values, Aspect support, or milestone pools before launch.

Next Steps

Honkai: Nexus Anima Level 21 5-Star Pick Guide — what to choose after your first 5-star anchor
Honkai: Nexus Anima Level 24 5-Star Pick Guide — the last milestone pick and how to fill the gap
Honkai Nexus Anima 5-Star Anima Ranked — every 5-star Anima in one order, with the clause that decides each spot
Honkai: Nexus Anima Tier List — all Anima ranked by Beta performance
Reroll Guide — what to know before your first major choices
Anima Database — stats, Aspects, roles, and individual Anima pages

Fan site — not affiliated with miHoYo / HoYoverse. All Beta details are subject to change.