Warhammer Survivors: What To Expect

Warhammer Survivors beautifully blends the addictive gameplay loop of Vampire Survivors with the lore and setting of the Warhammer universe. It’s the same bullet-heaven madness you expect from Vampire Survivors: the pure thrill of surviving hordes of enemies as you get stronger with every passing minute. 

But does Warhammer Survivors have an identity of its own, or is it a Vampire Survivors clone with some Warhammer characters? Well, the answer is a bit complicated. 

What Is Warhammer Survivors About?

Warhammer Survivors is technically a bullet heaven game. If you are unfamiliar, these types of games involve a top-down perspective where your character automatically shoots weapons; all you do is control the movement. You start pretty weak, and by killing enemies, you level up, unlock weapons, and gain passives that make your character stronger. On top of that, these games feature roguelite mechanics, meaning that when you die, you start over from scratch with a weak character again. You also collect coins that are used to get permanent stat upgrades like more health, damage, or faster fire rate, for example. 

If you have played Vampire Survivors, you might already be familiar with the gameplay loop. Games like Brotato and Survivor.io are built on the same gameplay loop with their own individual flair. 

Two Warhammer Universes, One Bullet Heaven Experience

One of the biggest selling points of Warhammer Survivors is that it doesn’t limit itself to a single corner of the Warhammer universe. The game brings together characters, enemies, and weapons from both Warhammer 40,000 and Warhammer: Age of Sigmar. Both are separate from each other, with their own characters, weapons, and stages, with some shared items between them.

This means you’ll be fighting in two very different settings. Warhammer 40,000 takes you to the grim darkness of the far future, where humanity is locked in an endless war against alien races and the forces of Chaos. Age of Sigmar, on the other hand, takes place in a high-fantasy setting filled with magic, monsters, and warring factions.

This means you have the option to choose from two very distinct settings: the futuristic Warhammer 40k universe filled with guns, modern tech weapons, and aliens, or a fantasy setting with swords, magic and monsters.

The playable roster is equally interesting. Warhammer Survivors features over 40 iconic characters from both universes, including Malum Caedo from Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun, Commissar Yarrick, Marneus Calgar, and Knight-Commander Pask. You’ll also get characters from Age of Sigmar, giving players plenty of options to experiment with.

The developers have also recreated these characters, weapons, and enemies in a pixel-art style. It’s a different visual approach from the usual grim and gritty presentation of Warhammer games, but it gives the game plenty of personality.

Weapons, Upgrades, and Character Progression

Much like Vampire Survivors, weapons and upgrades are at the heart of Warhammer Survivors. You’ll start each run with a relatively basic setup, but killing enemies and collecting experience will gradually open up more opportunities to improve your build.

The game features more than 70 weapons inspired by the Warhammer universe. This includes familiar weapons from both settings, giving fans plenty of recognizable equipment to experiment with. As you progress, you can evolve weapons into more powerful versions, turning an otherwise manageable build into something capable of wiping out entire screens of enemies.

However, there’s more to the weapon system than simply picking whichever upgrade looks strongest. Characters and weapons have specific Keywords, which determine who can use certain equipment. Picking a weapon that doesn’t match your character’s Keywords can even bring a follower into the fight instead of giving you the weapon directly

.There’s also a Squad System, which lets you assemble a squad of champions to support your chosen character. This gives you another way to approach each run and experiment with different combinations of characters.

This adds another layer of strategy to the usual level-up system. You’ll need to consider your character’s strengths and available equipment when putting together a build, rather than simply stacking the highest-damage weapons you find.

More Than Just Surviving Enemy Hordes

Warhammer Survivors also introduces a few mechanics that give it an identity beyond its familiar survivor-like foundation.

One example is its Faction Traits system. Inspired by the tabletop games, these traits give different enemy factions their own mechanics, meaning that not every horde behaves the same way. You’ll need to adapt to the enemies you’re facing rather than treating every encounter as another wave of disposable targets.

These additions are particularly interesting because they build on the established Vampire Survivors formula without completely changing what makes the genre so addictive.

Is Warhammer Survivors Worth It?

Warhammer Survivors is going to attract three types of players: the Vampire Survivors veterans, the Warhammer fanbase, and completely new players. And the game is going to be fun for all of them.

For the veterans, a new setting with new weapons and systems, with the essence of the original Vampire Survivors, will make for a fun grind. For Warhammer fans, a mix of gamers and non-gamers, this game will be another cool way to experience the world they are already familiar with. 

Warhammer Survivors is an interesting combination of two things that work surprisingly well together. The survivor-like genre is already built around fighting overwhelming numbers of enemies, and that’s practically the entire premise of the Warhammer universe.

And, if you are still not sure, you can try out the Demo on Steam or Xbox and see if its for you.