The best build in Warhammer Survivors is built around Nuln Oil for damage over a wide area, backed by a weapon that hits in front of you and a single-target gun for bosses, with the Dice Cube passive for extra attacks. On the Warhammer 40,000 side that means Nuln Oil, Chainsword, Boltgun and the Whirlwind Battery; on the Age of Sigmar side, Nuln Oil, Nebulous Sea-Fog and the Brazier Staff or Tempest Axes. Evolve each weapon as soon as you can.
Below we cover the rules every good build follows, the full 40K and Age of Sigmar builds with their passives and evolutions, the champions to start with, and the follower combos that push a build further. Warhammer Survivors came out on November 10 with more than 75 weapons, per its Steam page, and these builds use the full game’s evolution recipes.
Rules Every Good Build Follows
- Cover every direction. Many weapons do not reach above and below you, so do not leave those sides open. Area weapons such as Nuln Oil and the Whirlwind Battery spread damage around you, while the Chainsword and Boltgun only hit the way you face.
- Do not follow a fixed level-up rule. We would not lock into a simple rule such as always upgrading one gun first or always filling every weapon slot first. Take a crowd-clearer early and make sure you have a boss-killer by the midpoint.
- Grab the passives that unlock your evolutions. An evolution needs the weapon at max level, its paired passive in your build, then a chest from a boss or elite. Some passives start locked and open up through the game’s objectives, so a recipe may not be available on your first runs.
- Bring something for bosses. Bosses and elites take far more punishment than the swarm, and a pure crowd-clearing build stalls on them.
Best Warhammer 40,000 Build
| Slot | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Weapon | Nuln Oil | Pools of paint that damage, slow and apply Oiled |
| Weapon | Chainsword | Carves a path to move through once you have an extra attack |
| Weapon | Boltgun | Single-target boss killer that evolves into the Heavy Bolter |
| Weapon | Whirlwind Battery | Missile barrages that clear hordes, evolving into Orbital Bombardment |
| Passive | Dice Cube | Extra attacks, and the Boltgun’s evolution partner |
| Passive | Hourglass | Nuln Oil’s evolution partner (Mordant Earth) |
| Passive | Tape Measure | The Chainsword’s evolution partner (Eviscerator Chainsword) |
| Passive | Liquid Green Stuff | The Whirlwind Battery’s evolution partner |
| Passive | Gauntlet | More damage, and the Lasgun’s evolution partner if you run it |
Nuln Oil is the centerpiece. It covers a wide area and works in both universes, and Auroch’s Status Effects post adds a reason to build around it: its Oiled status increases the damage enemies take from fire, so pair it with anything that sets them Burning.
The Boltgun is for bosses. It fires the way you face rather than spreading damage around you, and its evolution, the Heavy Bolter, “unleashes a stream of unrelenting firepower, taking on the toughest of Tyranid swarms and larger bioforms,” in Auroch’s words.
Trooper Kozlowski starts with a Lasgun that brings in extra Cadian Shock Troopers as it levels up, per Auroch, so on him we would run it in place of the Whirlwind Battery. It evolves into the Meltagun with the Gauntlet, which is already in the build.
Best Age of Sigmar Build
| Slot | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Weapon | Nuln Oil | Shared with 40K, and just as strong here |
| Weapon | Nebulous Sea-Fog | Draws enemies in and damages them |
| Weapon | Brazier Staff or Tempest Axes | Close-range damage once maxed |
| Passive | Bugman’s Tankard | The Sea-Fog’s evolution partner (Aquatic Illusions) |
| Passive | Liquid Green Stuff | The Brazier Staff’s evolution partner (Master of Runes) |
| Passive | Sabaton | Movement speed, and the Tempest Axes’ evolution partner (Whirlwind Axes) |
| Passive | Hourglass | Nuln Oil’s evolution partner |
| Passive | Dice Cube | Extra attacks, and the Boltstorm Pistol’s partner if you take it |
Nebulous Sea-Fog is the defensive core. Auroch describes it as conjured fog that draws foes in and damages them. The Brazier Staff fires arcing magma projectiles, per Auroch; if that arc does not click for you, the Tempest Axes are the alternative, and their evolution is the Whirlwind Axes that Auroch describes as whirling blades of arcing lightning.
Which Champion to Start With
Every universe gives you a starter and then makes you earn the rest:
- Warhammer 40,000: Malum Caedo is available from the start, and his Chainsword fits the build above. Trooper Kozlowski is a rescue on Imperial Bastion, the stage the demo was built around, and once you have him we would switch: his Lasgun brings in squadmates as it levels up. Save the Legend of Catachan, another Imperial Bastion rescue, for later, because he enters each combat zone “armed exclusively with Frag Grenades,” per Auroch.
- Age of Sigmar: Neave Blacktalon, Lorai, Child of the Abyss and Juntal Bernskyn are available from the start. Lorai brings the Nebulous Sea-Fog herself. Ulgromthier, a rescue on the Under-Empire stage, starts with a higher health pool, per Auroch, which gives you more room for mistakes.
Our guide to every champion and how to unlock them has the full list. Whichever you pick, buy the right permanent upgrades between runs: our guide to the best Enhancements to buy first covers why the extra-attack upgrade comes first.
Follower Combos That Push a Build Further
Auroch’s Squad System post explains how a build grows beyond your own champion. Every champion and weapon has keywords, and when your champion picks up a weapon their keywords do not allow, an ally joins to wield it for you. Followers “cannot take damage or collect items,” so they are free extra damage. Auroch named two combos:
- Bastian Carthalos and Lorai, Child of the Abyss: Lorai’s Nebulous Sea Fog pulls enemies into the close-range strike zones of Bastian’s weapon, Uskavar the Sunderer.
- The Castellan and Trooper Kozlowski: the Black Templars Castellan’s attack power grows with every follower, and Kozlowski’s upgraded Lasgun brings in more Shock Troopers, each adding to the Castellan’s damage.
Two evolutions also bring a champion to your side. Evolving the Power Fist, with the Codex Astartes passive, summons Marneus Calgar with the Gauntlets of Ultramar unless you are playing as Calgar, and evolving the Fyrestorm Greataxe calls in Gotrek Gurnisson with Zangrom-Thaz unless you are Gotrek. Our guide on how to evolve weapons has every recipe in both universes.
Want more Warhammer? Our explainer on whether poncle made Warhammer Survivors covers what carries over from Vampire Survivors, and the Warhammer 40,000 guides hub collects everything else.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best weapon in Warhammer Survivors? Nuln Oil is our pick. It damages and slows enemies over a wide area, works in both universes and evolves into Mordant Earth with the Hourglass.
What is the best build for Warhammer 40,000? Nuln Oil, Chainsword, Boltgun and the Whirlwind Battery, with the Dice Cube, Hourglass, Tape Measure, Liquid Green Stuff and Gauntlet as passives.
What is the best build for Age of Sigmar? Nuln Oil and Nebulous Sea-Fog for crowd control, plus the Brazier Staff or Tempest Axes, with Bugman’s Tankard, Liquid Green Stuff, the Sabaton and the Hourglass as passives.
Who is the best champion in Warhammer Survivors? Malum Caedo for the 40K build until you rescue Trooper Kozlowski, and Lorai on the Age of Sigmar side, since she starts with the Sea-Fog. Ulgromthier’s higher health makes him a safe pick once you have rescued him.
How many weapons can you carry? At least six. Steam’s Glorious Pixel Vomit achievement asks for any six evolved weapons at the same time, so plan which evolutions you are chasing before your slots fill up.
Do builds change in the full game? Yes. The full game has far more weapons and evolutions than the demo, and the builds above use its recipes. Demo progress does not carry over, per Auroch’s official FAQ, so anything you unlocked in the demo has to be earned again.
Which weapons can every champion use? Nuln Oil and the D6 Dice are cross-universe weapons, usable by champions from either setting, per Auroch.