Reservoir Anima in World of Warcraft: Shadowlands is a resource that can be used with each Covenant for various rewards. These rewards are mostly cosmetic, including new weapon effects, but ultimately won't provide a benefit to your character in combat. WoW Anima farming takes a number of forms and can be amassed in droves if one uses the right tactic. It's a system that represents the healing of the Shadowlands in-game and also provides unique bonuses for each Covenant.
There are a lot of ways for Anima farming in Shadowlands, but some are much less effective than others. For instance, one should always avoid doing random Heroic dungeons and instead go for Mythic Keystone dungeons for the maximum rewards. It's best to farm Anima from multiple places at the same time, like doing World Quests while queuing, to minimize time spent farming and maximize one's harvest.
Updated August 5, 2021 by Erik Petrovich: Anima is one of the many resources available for players to collect in World of Warcraft: Shadowlands. As players finish upgrading their Covenant Sanctums, though, Anima reserves start to feel much more abundant without anything important to spend it on. Although 9.1 did not introduce any new catchup mechanics for alt characters or new players, many players are nonetheless finding themselves at a loss on how to spend the vast reserves they've built up since the expansion launched.
What Is Anima Used For?
Anima has a few distinct functions, though almost none are associated with increasing the player's abilities at end-game. Once harvested in huge amounts it can be used to upgrade a player's Covenant Sanctum (granting access to new zone-specific features), to improve a Soulbind, to send Adventure Companions on their own missions, and even to unlock unique cosmetics, mounts, and pets. In certain zones, Anima can be used to empower nearby NPCs and world objects for special effects.
It's important not to waste Anima when first starting out in World of Warcraft: Shadowlands, as it can take a long time to farm and build up. It's easy to waste, too, as there are several low-tier but unique cosmetics that can be purchased pretty early on into a player's journey within a Covenant. The best way to spend Anima is to upgrade the Sanctum first, then upgrade one's Soulbinds, then use Anima for Companion quests, and then save the rest for high-tier cosmetic upgrades like covenant-specific mounts.
5 Kill The Weekly World Bosses And Complete Weekly Quests
- Total Anima Received: 250 Anima from World Boss and Quests, 350 Anima from Weekly Dungeon Quests
- Can be repeated once each week, after the Weekly Reset.
Every week, after the Weekly Reset, a world boss will spawn in one of the Shadowlands zones and initiate a special weekly World Quest. The World Quest usually can only be completed with a raid-sized party, as there are sometimes prerequisites (like parties of elites) who spawn before the boss fight begins. These are much more than just your typical rare, these weekly world bosses are proper bosses that might require some coordination to down. It's an efficient but time-gated way for farming Anima.
In addition to the weekly world bosses, there are some weekly and daily quests that reward Anima too. For instance, there is a quest in Maldraxxus at the Theater of Pain titled "Always Bet On Yourself." This quest is repeatable every day, and tasks the player with defeating one of four specific opponents in the Theatre of Pain (not the dungeon, the outdoor area). Another quest to keep an eye on is the weekly "Trading Favors" and "A Valuable Find" quests for dungeons in the Shadowlands. These quests reward five Anima Tokens for 175 Anima in total, as well as reputation.
4 Complete World Quests That Award Three To Four Anima Tokens
- Total Anima Received: Anywhere from one to four Anima Tokens, rewarding 35 Anima each
- Can be repeated when each World Quest appears, typically a handful are available every day across the Shadowlands
World Quests in World of Warcraft Shadowlands are nothing new – they've been a mainstay of the game's endgame for a few expansions now, but their rewards are updated for the new expansion. In addition to gold, reputation, gear, and pet tokens, players can receive Anima Tokens as a reward for several World Quests. Pay close attention, though, because some World Quests don't reward enough Anima to make them worth the time investment.
Look in all four zones for World Quests that grant three to four Anima Tokens total. Some World Quests only offer a measly one or two Anima Tokens (35 or 70 total, respectively) and really aren't worth the effort of going out of the way. The World Quests that offer three or four are much better deals, rewarding 105 and 140 total Anima, respectively. This is especially nice when many Anima tokens are assigned to an easy World Quest, as they can be completed while queuing or waiting for a party to form.
3 Run Low-Level Mythic Keystone Dungeons
- Total Anima Received: Two to Four Anima Tokens from end-bosses in Mythic dungeons (70 to 140 Anima), one Anima Token for Heroic dungeons (35 Anima)
- One Heroic dungeon finder Anima Token can be gained once each day, Mythic dungeons can be repeated without restriction
The end bosses of Mythic dungeons are a good target for WoW Anima farming. Anywhere from two to four Anima Tokens is the most common drop, but some have received only one. Nevertheless, a random Heroic dungeon (using the dungeon finder) only grants 35 each time and only grants a reward once per day.
On the other hand, Mythic Keystone dungeons have the same rewards for each run, including both Anima rewards and the chance to get good gear. The difficulty increase means that the dungeon might take a few more minutes, but it's much more efficient than spamming normal and regular level dungeons. Plus, Mythic Keystone dungeons will still yield quest rewards for the weekly dungeon quests "Trading Favors" and "A Valuable Find".
2 Open Chests And Kill Rares While Doing Daily Callings
- Total Anima Received: A few Small Anima Tokens, generally about 10 to 30 Anima total
- Can be collected throughout a player's adventures consistently, no time-gated requirements
Daily Covenant Callings appear at a rate of once each day and will stay for three days or until the player completes them. These Calling quests take the player all over the Shadowlands to complete World Quests, defend the realms of the Shadowlands, delve into dungeons or collect Coins of Brokerage from rares. These Callings are a guide, in a way, to the rest of the content the player might be missing out on by sticking with one Covenant.
While completing these Callings, keep an eye on the map for rare enemies and treasures that can be opened nearby. Rares and treasures both yield small Anima Tokens worth five Anima each, usually in quantities anywhere from two to six (10 to 30). It's not a lot, but with consistent treasure hunting and rare killing, this becomes very efficient. Be sure to casually look at the map every once in a while and take a detour for these special rewards.
1 Run Castle Nathria At Least Once Each Week
- Total Anima Received: 1,190 Anima for a full clear of Castle Nathria
- Can be repeated once each week, resetting at the Weekly Reset
Castle Nathria is one of two available endgame raids available currently in Shadowlands, as 9.1 added The Sanctum of Domination raid which many players are still having trouble with. Castle Nathria is the current best bet for players looking to rapidly upgrade their gear and pick up a sizable chunk of Anima each week as it has become easier with time (with the same rewards). When it comes to how to farm Anima, this is one of the most lucrative (but restricted) methods.
Every boss, when killed for the first time each week, will drop 3 Anima Tokens, except for the Stone Legion Generals and Denathrius who drop 5 each. Considering that there are 10 bosses in Nathria, a full run of the raid will yield 1,190 Anima (105 from the first eight bosses each, 340 from the final two bosses). This is true even on Raid Finder difficulty, so be sure to set aside a few hours once a week to do a full clear of the raid – it's arguably the best way to farm Anima in WoW.