Cell is OP when you use him as a scaling support-damage unit: place him beside your strongest base-damage carry, evolve him through takedowns, use his spawned copies to buff that carry, and save repeated reset farming for Infinite.
Cell is not a normal place-and-upgrade damage unit in Anime Expeditions. His value comes from copying a carry’s base damage, transforming through takedowns, then turning his semi-perfect spawn and final-form scaling into extra pressure around your best unit.
The important catch is that older buff stacking no longer works the same way. One Cell no longer buffs the same unit multiple times by himself; smaller spawned Cells can still stack their buffs for now, but that interaction may change later.
- Cell’s current role after the shadow nerf
- Why Cell starts at zero damage
- Cell forms, bosses, and unlocks
- How to set up and use Cell correctly in Anime Expeditions
- How smaller Cell creates the 1.6 carry buff
- Bio Gel, perfect-form scaling, and resets
- Mistakes that make Cell feel worse
- Best build and untested equipment
- Warriors Saga availability context
- Frequently Asked Questions
Cell’s current role after the shadow nerf
Cell is still strong, but the way you build around him changed. Before the adjustment, multiple buff applications from the same Cell could stack on one target; now, placing another Cell leaves the same target at a 1.1 damage buff from that direct Cell effect instead of repeatedly climbing by itself.
That makes Cell more of a support-damage scaler than a solo carry. He wants to sit beside your strongest base-damage unit, copy from that unit, and then add value through his own modifiers, transformations, Bio Gel, and spawned smaller units.
KEY!
The smaller spawned units are the reason Cell still has a high ceiling. Their 10% strongest-unit buff can currently stack across multiple Cells, which is how the showcase setup reached a much larger carry buff even after the direct Cell stacking change.
Why Cell starts at zero damage
| Thing | Effect on Cell |
|---|---|
| Copied unit base damage | Cell copies 50% of the strongest unit’s base damage in range. |
| Copied unit buffs, equipment, trait, and ascension | These do not appear to raise the copied value in the test shown. |
| Cell’s own ascension | Cell’s own ascension applies after the copy. |
| Cell’s own equipment, relics, and damage stat | These add to Cell after he copies the base damage. |
Cell can look broken in the wrong way when you first place him because his starting damage depends on what is inside his range. If there is no eligible strong unit nearby, he has nothing meaningful to copy, so his displayed damage can look like zero or far weaker than expected.
His passive copies 50% of the base damage of the strongest unit in his range. The copy is about the target unit’s base value, not the whole upgraded, buffed, equipped, trait-boosted version of that unit.
This is why the best copied target is not simply the unit with the biggest fully buffed number on screen. You want the unit with the strongest base damage inside Cell’s range; Gohan may be the best target, but that specific pairing still needs live-client testing.
Cell forms, bosses, and unlocks
| Stage | Requirement | Unlock |
|---|---|---|
| Base form | Get 50 takedowns; Cell only needs to damage enemies before they die. | Spawns a 10,000 HP boss; killing it moves Cell to semi-perfect form. |
| Semi-perfect form | Get another 50 takedowns. | Spawns a 20,000 HP boss, changes Cell to circle AoE, and unlocks the smaller Cell spawn. |
| Perfect form | Kill the 20,000 HP boss. | Returns Cell to line AoE and unlocks permanent self-scaling through reset farming. |
A takedown is a tag, not a last hit. Cell does not need to finish an enemy; he only needs to damage it before it dies, which matters a lot when faster units or spawned units are clearing low-HP waves.
The attack shape also changes as he evolves. Semi-perfect form moves him into circle AoE, while perfect form brings him back to line AoE with extra scaling tools layered on top.
How to set up and use Cell correctly in Anime Expeditions
This setup turns Cell into a carry amplifier first, then uses his transformations and resets only where the stage length makes them worth the grind.
STEP 1/12
Place your strongest base-damage carry
Put the best base-damage unit you have on the map first so Cell has the right target to copy.
STEP 2/12
Put Cell inside that carry’s range
Place Cell where the carry is the strongest unit in his range, because he copies 50% of that unit’s base damage.
STEP 3/12
Start farming the first 50 takedowns
Let Cell damage enemies until he reaches 50 takedowns; he only needs tags, not last hits.
STEP 4/12
Kill the 10,000 HP boss
Clear the boss that spawns after the first 50 takedowns to move Cell into semi-perfect form.
STEP 5/12
Use semi-perfect form for the support spawn
Once Cell reaches semi-perfect form, his copy value stays the same but he gains the smaller Cell ability.
STEP 6/12
Spawn the smaller Cell near the carry
Activate the ability so the smaller unit takes part of Cell’s damage and buffs the strongest unit in range by 10%.
STEP 7/12
Farm the next 50 takedowns
Build another 50 takedowns toward perfect form, but watch low-HP waves because the smaller Cell can steal kills before Cell tags them.
STEP 8/12
Kill the 20,000 HP boss
Defeat the second boss to unlock perfect form and Cell’s final scaling tools.
STEP 9/12
Avoid copying another Cell as the main plan
Cell can copy Cell, but it turns into a weaker 50% of 50% chain instead of copying your real carry.
STEP 10/12
Place all three Cells around one carry
Use three Cells around the same strong base-damage unit so each setup can contribute damage and support.
STEP 11/12
Activate each smaller Cell for the carry buff
Trigger the smaller Cell ability on all three Cells to stack the carry buff where that interaction still works.
STEP 12/12
Save repeated resets for Infinite
Use reset grinding when you want long-run permanent Cell scaling, but skip it in normal stages.
Video help
How smaller Cell creates the 1.6 carry buff
Semi-perfect Cell’s ability spawns a smaller unit that takes 35% of Cell’s own damage. That smaller unit also gives a 10% damage buff to the strongest unit in its range, which is why placement around one main carry matters so much.
With three Cells placed and each one using its smaller spawn, the showcased carry reached a 1.6 damage buff. That is the main reason to use Cell even when you are not planning a long Infinite reset grind.
Put Cell beside your best base-damage carry before judging him; his copied damage and support value only show up when the right target is inside his range.
Bio Gel, perfect-form scaling, and resets
| Mode | Best Cell use |
|---|---|
| Normal stages | Use Cell for copy damage, Bio Gel control, and smaller Cell buffs; do not spend time resetting. |
| Infinite | Farm repeated perfect-form resets for permanent self damage growth after Cell has enough time to cycle forms again and again. |
Bio Gel unlocks in semi-perfect form. It slows enemies by 60%, then stuns them for 3 seconds when the effect expires after 10 seconds.
In perfect form, Bio Gel takedowns increase Cell’s range capacity by 0.2, with range capacity shown up to 30%, and his AoE grows larger as the effect builds. The damage-reset scaling is less cleanly capped: the reset ability says 15 uses, but damage continued rising while range showed a capacity limit.
Each reset sends Cell back through the grind while keeping the permanent self damage gain. That loop asks for a lot of takedowns, so it belongs in Infinite where the run lasts long enough to pay back the setup time.
Mistakes that make Cell feel worse
Do not judge Cell from a zero-damage placement. If your strongest base-damage carry is not in range, Cell is missing the piece that turns his passive on.
Do not build the copied unit only for buffs, equipment, traits, or ascension and expect those extras to raise Cell’s copied value. Build Cell himself too, because his own ascension, equipment, relics, and damage stat are applied after the copy.
Placement can also sabotage the setup. If another Cell becomes the strongest target in range, the copy can become a weak 50% of 50% chain instead of pulling from your main carry.
Be careful with the smaller Cell while grinding forms. On low-HP enemies, it can kill targets before Cell tags them, slowing transformation progress; auto reset can also trap Cell in repeated resets once enabled, leaving no clean way to disable it during that run.
Best build and untested equipment
The current safe build recommendation is Shinigami Sword plus the other sword shown with it in the setup. Warrior Pole is the open question because its transformed-unit damage may fit Cell, but that interaction still needs testing.
Cell is magical, so physical-damage-only passives should not work on him. Until Warrior Pole is tested cleanly, prioritize Cell’s own damage modifiers and the support setup around your strongest base-damage carry.
Warriors Saga availability context
Cell is tied to Update 1.0: Warriors Saga, the Dragon Ball Z update window running from August 7 to August 21, 2026. The update adds Warriors Saga content and Dragon Ball-inspired units including Cell, Trunks, Vegeta, Carrot, and Gohan.
Public unit listings are not fully aligned on Cell’s live status: community patch coverage includes him in Warriors Saga, while at least one unit database still marks him as announced and not yet available. If summonability or usability matters before you spend resources, check Cell’s live state directly in the client.
Related Anime Expeditions guides
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Cell need the last hit for takedowns?
No. A takedown counts when Cell damages an enemy before it dies, so he can progress forms without landing the finishing blow.
Do buffs and equipment on the copied unit change Cell’s copied damage?
No. Cell copies the target’s base damage; the target unit’s buffs, equipment, trait, and ascension did not change the copied value in the test shown.
Should I reset Cell in normal stages?
No. In normal stages, use Cell’s smaller spawn and support value instead; repeated reset scaling is mainly worth the time in Infinite.
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