Gear crafting starts with the Crafting NPC in the Upgrades area. Open the NPC, check the gear list, inspect the required materials and Gold, then craft only after you know which unit will use the result. The menu can tempt you into crafting the first available item, but Anime Squadron gear matters more when it is attached to a clear unit role. A random crafted piece can consume materials that later block the gear your carry, tank, or farm unit actually needs.
Choose the target unit before farming materials. If your main damage unit is failing to kill bosses, gear that increases damage pressure is the first serious target. If waves are leaking while a tank is supposed to hold pressure, defensive or survival value matters more. If your team needs more economy, a first material stack spent on a rarely placed damage unit delays the real fix. Gear works best when it solves the same failure you see in stages.
Check the recipe before choosing the farming act. Different material tiers are tied to different worlds and act ranges, including early Leaf Village acts for basic materials, GT City for higher tiers, and Marine Lobby for later materials. That means the correct farming spot depends on the recipe, not on the easiest stage you can clear. Replaying an easy act works for low-tier gear, but it wastes time if the gear you want needs later materials.
Use rarity as a progression ladder, not a reason to skip every early craft. Rare and Epic gear can help a new account stabilize if the material cost is low and the unit will stay relevant for several stages. Legendary, Mythic, and Secret gear are better targets when the roster is more stable and the account can farm later acts. Skipping every early craft can leave you underpowered, but crafting every available piece drains Gold and materials before the account knows its long-term team.
Gold matters as much as materials. If a recipe consumes Gold that you also need for perks, decide which upgrade changes clears faster. A perk upgrade can improve every run, while gear improves one unit or role. Craft when the unit is important enough that the gear's value beats the next perk upgrade. If you are still failing because you cannot place units, a Max Yen or Yen Generation upgrade may be better than a gear piece.
Watch set bonuses, but a set is not worth forcing before the unit can use it. A partial gear plan is fine when the individual item fixes a real problem. Chasing a full set too early can lock you into repeated material farming while Story progress stalls. Finish a set when the unit is already core to your team and the remaining pieces come from content you can farm reliably.
After crafting, test the gear immediately in the stage that made you craft it. If a boss survives too long, check whether the damage unit now reaches the kill window. If leaks were the issue, check whether the defensive unit holds long enough for damage to catch up. If the gear does not change the loss, stop crafting more of the same type and inspect traits, perks, or team composition instead.
Avoid copying full recipe tables without checking live-game changes. Anime Squadron is new, so updates can change costs, materials, or gear value. Use the crafting route and decision points first, then recheck exact recipe tables before long farming sessions.