TL;DR
- Ascension boosts 5-star+ units while evolution transforms 3-4 star characters
- Material farming requires strategic NPC quest completion and challenge participation
- Gold management is crucial with costs ranging from 10K to 50K per upgrade
- Always verify unit eligibility before investing resources in progression
- Time-efficient farming can reduce material collection by 30-40%
When advancing through All Star Tower Defense X, you’ll encounter units that hit level caps during combat phases. These limitations indicate your characters require progression through either ascension or evolution mechanics. Mastering these systems transforms your roster from basic defenders into powerhouse units capable of handling end-game content.
ASTDX features two distinct progression paths: Evolution and Ascension. Evolution targets specific 3-star and 4-star characters, providing transformative upgrades, while Ascension elevates high-tier 5-star and above units to their maximum potential. Understanding which path applies to your units is the foundation of strategic team building.

Common Mistake: Many players waste resources attempting to evolve units that only ascend, or vice versa. Always check your unit’s star rating and available progression options before committing materials.
In ASTDX, ascension represents the pinnacle of unit development, reserved exclusively for 5-star and higher rarity characters. This process typically unlocks additional abilities, significant stat boosts, and sometimes entirely new attack patterns that redefine a unit’s combat role.
To ascend a unit, begin by selecting it from your active load-outs menu. Navigate to the unit details screen and locate the Ascend button positioned at the interface bottom. Activating this displays the complete material requirements and gold costs for the ascension procedure.
Once you’ve gathered all necessary components, select the gold amount confirmation to expend your materials and currency, permanently enhancing your character’s capabilities. Ascended units often gain 25-40% stat improvements and frequently unlock powerful new skills.

Pro Tip: Always farm 10-15% extra materials for critical ascensions to account for potential failed attempts or future unit duplicates needing upgrades.
For players lacking top-tier 5-star pulls, evolution provides a viable path to competitive unit strength. This system specifically targets designated 3-star and 4-star characters, offering transformative upgrades that can elevate them to near-5-star performance levels when executed properly.
Initiate evolution by accessing your Units collection tab, selecting the eligible character, and pressing the Evolve option. Similar to ascension mechanics, evolution demands specific material combinations and substantial gold investments to complete the transformation process.

When all prerequisites are satisfied, confirm the gold expenditure to evolve your unit. Successfully evolved characters typically gain 2-3 new abilities, 15-30% stat increases, and sometimes complete visual transformations indicating their enhanced status.
Optimization Strategy: Focus evolution efforts on units with strong base kits and scaling potential. Some evolved 4-star units can outperform non-ascended 5-star characters in specific roles.
Progression materials originate from multiple sources including specific NPC questlines, weekly challenges, evolution rewards, ASTDX code redemptions, and story progression milestones. Strategic farming prioritization can dramatically reduce the time investment required for unit upgrades.
Essential materials like Mage Staffs, Ghost Orbs, and other rare components require targeted farming approaches. Understanding NPC locations and their respawn mechanics is crucial for efficient material collection.

Efficiency Tip: Group material farming by geographical proximity. Complete all quests in one area before moving to the next to minimize travel time between NPC locations.
Advanced players should prioritize time-limited events and challenge modes that offer bonus materials. These often provide 2-3x the normal drop rates for limited time periods.
Now that we’ve established the core progression mechanics, let’s examine specific requirements for meta characters like Broly, Gojo, Sukuna, Frieren, and Goku. Each requires specific material combinations and strategic farming approaches to maximize efficiency.
Before committing to ascension projects, consult comprehensive unit tier lists to identify characters worth the investment. Some ascended units provide exponentially greater value than others based on their role in current meta compositions.


Resource Planning: For popular units like Goku and Broly, expect to invest 3-5 hours of focused farming for their specific material requirements. Planning your resource allocation across multiple units prevents bottleneck situations.

Always verify current material requirements through in-game menus as updates may alter necessary components. The ASTDX development team periodically adjusts progression requirements to maintain game balance.
Action Checklist
- Verify unit star rating and available progression options
- Farm 10-15% extra materials beyond minimum requirements
- Complete geographical farming routes to minimize travel time
- Prioritize time-limited events for bonus material drops
- Consult updated tier lists before committing to ascension projects
No reproduction without permission:Tsp Game Club » All Star Tower Defense X: How to Ascend or Evolve Units Master ASTDX unit progression with advanced strategies for ascending and evolving characters effectively
