Early in Aniimo, you stand in front of two guardian Aniimo and can only take one with you. Helion is a fiery lion cub built for close-range burst, while Lunara is a blue-and-white fox that fights at range with debuffs and self-healing. The catch is that this pick is permanent, so it helps to know exactly how the two differ before you commit.
Quick answer: Both are Light-element DPS with identical stats and the Hustle exploration skill, so pick on playstyle: Lunara for ranged sustain and debuffs, Helion for melee burst. The choice is permanent.
What Helion and Lunara have in common
The two starters are far more alike than they look. They share the same core profile, which is why the decision comes down to how you want to fight rather than raw power.
- Element: Light for both.
- Role: DPS for both.
- Exploration skill: Hustle for both.
- Base stats: identical, so neither is stronger on paper.
Because the early game is not demanding, either one carries you comfortably through the opening hours. The real split is their attack range and how they sustain in longer fights.
Lunara: ranged DPS with debuffs and self-healing
Lunara fights from a distance, which keeps her out of danger while you learn dodge timing and enemy patterns. Her standout tool is Fox Mark, applied by Lumin Bolts, which lowers an enemy’s Light Resistance and boosts the damage of any Light attacker on your team. She also heals a little on marked hits, giving her a built-in sustain layer and making her an easy fit in many team compositions.
| Skill | Effect |
|---|---|
| Moon Impact | Drops a full moon for explosion damage. Against a target with Fox Mark, adds small-area damage equal to 10% around it. |
| Moon-Washed | Bathes in moonlight and recovers 20 EP. |
| Lunar Eclipse | Pours moonlight onto the target for heavy bonus BREAK damage that scales with Lunara’s level. |
| Lumin Bolts | Fires 3 Light missiles at separate targets and applies Fox Mark, cutting Light Resistance by 5%, stacking up to 3 times for 10 seconds. |
| Lunar Power (Trait) | When not attacking with an advantageous element, final damage rises 30%. Casting a skill or Ultimate grants 4 stacks of Silver Moon Mark; each basic hit spends one for 100% extra damage and 0.5% HP restored. |
Helion: melee DPS built for burst damage
Helion trades range for aggression. He rewards you for closing the gap and committing to a fight, pulling enemies together with Holy Storm before finishing with his aerial dive. His damage climbs quickly once Solar Halo, Holy Roar, and the Ring of the Golden Sun stack up, so he suits players who want to funnel early resources into one hard-hitting main DPS.
| Skill | Effect |
|---|---|
| Light Bombardment | Dives from the air for a Holy Light explosion on landing. The Ring of the Golden Sun adds 30% damage; with Solar Halo the hit deals 30% more and restores 4% HP, with a 75% chance not to consume Solar Halo. |
| Holy Roar | A holy lion’s roar that, on hit, raises Light damage by 6%, stacking up to 3 times for 20 seconds. Solar Halo applies 3 stacks at once. |
| Sun-Kissed | Bathes in sunlight and restores 20 EP, plus 5 more with Solar Halo. |
| Holy Storm | Spins and leaps to create a storm that pulls targets inward for high BREAK damage scaling with level. Solar Halo adds a 1-second stun on the final hit. |
| Solar Grace (Trait) | When not attacking with an advantageous element, final damage rises 30%. Every 4 basic attacks grant Solar Halo to enhance the next skill. |
Which starter to pick
Neither pick is a mistake, and both hold up well past the early hours. Match the choice to how you like to play.
- Choose Lunara if you prefer keeping distance, want self-healing, and like fitting into many teams. She is the more forgiving, flexible pick for newer players.
- Choose Helion if you enjoy aggressive melee play, tight positioning, and big burst numbers on a single main DPS.
There is one practical wrinkle worth weighing. The melee DPS slot is crowded, since Aniimo such as Scorchhowl, Pawney, and Thornblade play a similar role to Helion, whereas Lunara’s ranged support kit stays useful across more setups. Design and personality matter too, because the starter you keep talks to you throughout the main story as your companion.
Can you get both Helion and Lunara?
No. You can only keep one. Whichever guardian you leave behind returns to the mural where you first met them and is then taken by someone else, and recovering it becomes a thread in the main story. These two cannot be found in the wild or hatched from eggs, so once you confirm your pick, the other is gone from your roster.
Early in the story, Dr. Lewis hints at an item called the Ancient Prism that could let you awaken and obtain the starter you passed on. That path is currently unconfirmed, so make your choice as if you cannot get the other one.
You will know the decision has taken effect once the confirmation goes through and your chosen guardian joins you for the journey ahead, following you into the world of Idyll as your permanent early companion.
