{"id":1744103,"date":"2026-11-10T11:02:26","date_gmt":"2026-11-10T11:02:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hzZqBwJuZSYvsvqpZQ7P59"},"modified":"2026-11-10T11:02:26","modified_gmt":"2026-11-10T11:02:26","slug":"warhammer-survivors-review-more-than-just-vampire-survivors-with-space-marines","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/warhammer-survivors-review-more-than-just-vampire-survivors-with-space-marines\/","title":{"rendered":"Warhammer Survivors review: More than just Vampire Survivors with Space Marines"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Need to know<\/div>\n
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What is it <\/strong>A Warhammer-themed bullet heaven built on top of Vampire Survivors
Release date <\/strong>November 10, 2026
Expect to pay <\/strong>\u00a35.75\/$7.19
Publisher <\/strong>Auroch Digital
Developer <\/strong>Auroch Digital
Reviewed on <\/strong>Steam Deck (LCD)
Steam Deck <\/strong>Verified
Link <\/strong>Steam<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Warhammer Survivors is deadly, and putting it on my Steam Deck was a terrible mistake. Every night it’s the same thing: “I’ll just play for 25 minutes and then go to sleep.” And then it’s 4 am and I’m bargaining with myself: “If I unlock one more weapon evolution then I’ll go to bed.” I’ll never sleep. Too many nurglings still need to die. <\/p>\n

I knew what I was getting into, of course. Vampire Survivors has the same effect (and Deep Rock Survivor, and Megabonk), and while Warhammer Survivors is more than a straightforward spin-off with a grimdark skin, it still hits a lot <\/em>of the same notes. <\/p>\n

One more fight<\/h2>\n
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The loop is just too delicious. If you’re not au fait with bullet heavens and are just here for the Warhammer stuff, here’s the deal: you pick a character with a predefined weapon and trait, and must survive for 25 minutes while increasingly intense hordes of enemies try to kill you, and then a boss will appear and one-shot you. <\/p>\n

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The loop is just too delicious.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

As you fend off the hordes, you’ll enhance your weapons and gain access to new ones, along with passives that augment your arsenal. You’ll start to think, “I’ve got a great combo going here, the boss is toast!” And then you die. Don’t worry, you’ll figure out how to kill each stage’s boss eventually, but until then you are absolutely meant to fail. <\/p>\n

See, with each death comes new opportunities\u2014unless you’ve had a particularly bad run. Any gold you’ve acquired can be spent on beefing up your entire roster of heroes, or you can splash out on a new hero. Maybe you found them in the level and rescued them, or maybe you completed a challenge. And when you unlock a new hero, you’re getting their weapon as well, which means new synergies and ways to fight. <\/p>\n

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So you jump back in with a new hero. Once you complete their bespoke weapon challenge, you’ll unlock that weapon for every character. Perhaps you’ll also complete a bunch of other challenges along the way, netting you new items that you can pick up mid-fight\u2014heals, buffs, temporary weapons. You’re getting stronger and your armoury is growing larger. <\/p>\n

Now you’re playing as a literal tank that can run over enemies, and you’ve figured out how to evolve your weapons with specific passives. The little fireballs you were spitting out have become a huge plume of fire that melts everything in front of you. Your weak little aura is now a massive, screen-filling AoE that burns everything within it. Nothing can stop you. The boss appears and immediately kills you. Back to the drawing board. <\/p>\n

It’s easy to brush off failure when you’re constantly given new toys to play with, and new stages to use them in. And this is why you’re going to forget how to sleep. <\/p>\n

More than a reskin<\/h2>\n
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Developer Auroch Digital likely could have gotten away with simply replicating Vampire Survivors but with Warhammer-themed characters, stages and weapons. While the genre has evolved quite a bit since Poncle birthed it, the OG remains an utter delight\u2014a pure dopamine hit. Sticking tanks, Space Marines, hordes of orks and a reliable chainsword in there sounds like a good time. <\/p>\n

But the Boltgun developer has created something that in many ways feels like a sequel, with enough refinements, tweaks and big swings to thwart any complaints that it’s just retreading old ground. And, I should add, it’s ridiculously cheap. $8 for something you could easily put 50 hours into without realising? The Emperor approves. <\/p>\n

The setting itself is a real boon. Each stage is themed, with enemies drawn from specific factions like skaven or Death Guard, typically offering a more cohesive challenge than Vampire Survivors stages. When you’re dealing with the Death Guard, for instance, you’re going to get poisoned a lot. That’s Nurgle’s bag. Orks, meanwhile, can get amped up and call a WAAAGH!, giving every enemy on the screen a big psychic buff. <\/p>\n

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It’s all very Warhammer, but it’s not particularly grimdark. Auroch Digital has gone for a more playful vibe. So while you’ll unlock familiar weapons, like the chainsword or Storm Eagle rockets, they’re accompanied by weaponised dice and Nuln oil (a black wash used for shading), while passives include things like glue and tape measures. <\/p>\n

It’s cute, but these silly additions aren’t just gag items. Nuln oil is one of the most effective weapons in the game once it’s been evolved, covering the screen in deadly black puddles that ooze across the ground. I will never not pick Nuln oil. <\/p>\n

Multiverse of madness<\/h2>\n
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Warhammer Survivors features two distinct universes: Warhammer 40k and Age of Sigmar. There are some shared weapons and passives, but also plenty of bespoke ones unique to each setting. Each has their own heroes, maps, enemies and objectives, too. You’ll need to progress through them separately, but that doesn’t mean they never interact with each other. <\/p>\n

You’ll need to find certain collectibles in both universes to unlock some characters and other secrets, and once you’ve maxed out an enhancement in one universe, you’ll be able to unlock a bonus rank that buffs heroes in the other universe. So the attack enhancement will eventually give you two extra projectiles for every weapon in both 40k and AoS. <\/p>\n

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You’ll need to progress through them separately, but that doesn’t mean they never interact with each other. <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

Between them, you’ll get 40 heroes and hundreds of weapons (each of which can be evolved into something deadly and godly), passives, relics and game-augmenting tarot cards. It’s dense! Especially when you consider that so many of these elements interact with each other, birthing new synergies and tactics. <\/p>\n

Because of the way enhancements work, the smart play is probably bouncing between the universes, treating them as parallel experiences. But look, I’m a 40k boy and have no real connection to AoS, so I only really started playing the fantasy stuff after I’d already rinsed my favourite setting. And that feels like a perfectly viable path, and after I’d seen most of what the 40k setting had to offer, it felt like a real treat to essentially begin again in another universe.<\/p>\n

Party up<\/h2>\n
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So the multiverse is a neat addition, but there’s another that’s more significant: followers. Once you’ve unlocked a character’s weapon, it can appear in the level up screen no matter who you’re playing as, but in some cases your hero won’t technically be able to use it. Ultramarine Malum Caedo, for instance, can’t fire tank shells because he’s not a tank\u2014at least not in the literal sense. So if you pick that weapon, you’ll be accompanied by Knight-Commander Pask and his indomitable ride.<\/p>\n

When you pick a weapon that grants you a follower, the attack emanates from them, allowing you to do damage over a larger area or attack in multiple directions. And there’s no need to babysit them\u2014they can’t take damage. Followers are simply rad. Last night I ran through a stage accompanied by a cop, an Ultramarine, a saint, a tank and a very angry dog. What a squad. <\/p>\n

The only downside is that followers do make the game visually messy\u2014the more followers you have, the harder it is to read what’s going on. This becomes a real issue in the late game, where you may have multiple followers, screen-filling abilities, and every inch of the stage is packed with enemies. I’ve had quite a few good runs end badly because it was impossible to see what was killing me. <\/p>\n

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Late-game visibility trouble is a bullet heaven staple, to be fair, but it’s definitely more pronounced here. That said, Auroch Digital has tried to alleviate the problem by adding situational transparency to followers, which is appreciated, but when shit gets really chaotic it doesn’t do much good. <\/p>\n

It’s more notable in the stages that boast elaborate designs or lots of enclosed spaces. A wee room crammed full of monsters, heroes, rockets, bullets, giant swords and maybe a tank\u2014yeah that’s a clusterfuck. I like the more complex stages a lot, however, and the variety is very welcome. There are some real labyrinthine spaces to play around in, where exploration becomes an extra challenge. <\/p>\n

Interior design<\/h2>\n
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The less open stages also let you try out new strategies, like using walls and doors to your advantage. It can be incredibly satisfying to create a kill room with a single entrance. A mix of AoE and direct attacks can hold off all the basic enemies, and if you’ve got something with knockback you can keep elite enemies from getting too close while you chip away at their health. <\/p>\n

Unfortunately this isn’t the most reliable strategy, due to the inconsistent rules surrounding enemies and obstacles. Where Vampire Survivors made it so that enemies were completely unaffected by obstacles, Warhammer Survivors is more of a crapshoot. Some enemies can move through all obstacles, but you’ll also see others moving through one set of walls and then being unable to move through another. <\/p>\n

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I like being forced to abandon my position, to push forward through the throng of lethal bastards. <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

As you get more familiar with the stages, though, you’ll recognise where you can get a wee breather and create chokepoints that allow you to, for a time, hold off most foes. I’d love a bit more clarity, some more defined rules, but I like being forced to abandon my position, to push forward through the throng of lethal bastards. <\/p>\n

The other side of this is that you are almost always affected by obstacles\u2014unless you’re playing as one of the few flying heroes. And even then, you’ll still get trapped in dead ends and your projectiles will be thwarted by walls and other terrain elements. Rather than feeling unfair, it forces you to come up with solutions: auras that push back enemies when you’re trapped, creating gaps where you can make a break for it; AoE weapons that fall from the sky, and are thus unaffected by walls; little boots that make you quicker, weaving between foes and terrain. <\/p>\n

No rest<\/h2>\n
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I’m yet to 100% Warhammer Survivors, but that’s still my goal. It’s rare for me to keep playing something after a review, unless it’s a live service dealio, but I don’t want to put Warhammer Survivors away until I’ve completely mastered it. And it might take me a while. <\/p>\n

It’s a bit trickier than Vampire Survivors. The enemy intensity ramps up a lot faster, while the cadence of your own gains is slightly slower. Enemies don’t always drop experience skulls, so it takes longer before you get the snowball effect and start demolishing everything\u2014making it a lot more common to die in the early game. The intensity actually feels just right, but I’d definitely like to see the experience gain tweaked a bit more in my favour. <\/p>\n

So I’ve got some bugbears, but I can’t stop playing. Like Vampire Survivors, Warhammer Survivors taps into a primitive joy, this devilishly compelling power fantasy that lets you keep finding new ways to slaughter thousands upon thousands of horrible monsters. I’ll sleep when I’m dead, and I’m a survivor. <\/p>\n

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