The best character in Warhammer Survivors on the Warhammer 40,000 side is the Black Templars Castellan, whose damage grows with every follower you gather, with Trooper Kozlowski close behind and best of all alongside him. On the Age of Sigmar side, our pick is Lorai, Child of the Abyss, who is available from the start, with Ulgromthier the safest choice once you have rescued him.
These are our picks from what Auroch Digital has said about each champion’s kit, not a tier list from stats, and the game has more than 40 champions to unlock. Below we explain each pick, how to unlock them, the best champions you can use from the very first run, and a few strong alternatives.
Best Warhammer 40,000 Character: The Castellan
Warhammer Survivors builds its runs around followers, and the Castellan is the champion built to exploit them. Auroch’s Squad System post says the Black Templars Castellan “crushes the alien, the mutant and the heretic, and his attack power and skill increase with every follower gained.”
Followers are easy to come by. A champion you rescue during a run fights beside you for the rest of it, and when your champion picks up a weapon their keywords do not allow, “they will be joined by an ally that can.” Every one of those allies adds to the Castellan’s damage, and followers “cannot take damage or collect items,” so the bonus never goes away mid-fight.
How to unlock him: collect the Abaddon Black Warhammer paint pot.
Runner-Up for 40K: Trooper Kozlowski
Kozlowski is the Cadian Shock Trooper who “begins each run with a Lasgun,” per Auroch’s Steam Next Fest post. His Lasgun fires at the nearest enemy, and as it levels up, more Shock Troopers join him, so he builds his own squad without needing anyone else.
He is also half of a combo Auroch picked out itself. When upgraded, “Kozlowski’s Lasgun weapon brings in additional Cadian Shocktroopers to support him,” and each of them contributes to the Castellan’s damage. The Lasgun evolves into the Meltagun with the Gauntlet passive, and our guide on how to evolve the Lasgun covers the steps.
How to unlock him: rescue him on Imperial Bastion. Our guide on how to rescue champions covers every stage.
Best Age of Sigmar Character: Lorai
Lorai, Child of the Abyss, “conjures Nebulous Sea Fog to draw foes in and damage them,” in Auroch’s words. Pulling the swarm together is the most useful thing a kit can do in a game like this: it keeps enemies off you and stacks them up for every other weapon you pick up.
Auroch’s own Age of Sigmar combo is built on her. Paired with Bastian Carthalos, whose Uskavar the Sunderer strikes “in specific close-range patterns,” Lorai “is able to draw enemies into Bastian’s close-range damage zones.” The Sea-Fog evolves into Aquatic Illusions with Bugman’s Tankard.
How to unlock her: she is available from the start.
Safest Age of Sigmar Character: Ulgromthier
Ulgromthier, the Fyreslayer Auric Runemaster, “starts each battle with a higher health pool,” per Auroch, “which is handy given his penchant for aggressively wading into hoards with his Brazier Staff firing off arcing magma projectiles.” More health means more room for mistakes, and in a survival game that is worth a lot while your Enhancements are still low.
His Brazier Staff evolves into the Master of Runes with Liquid Green Stuff.
How to unlock him: rescue him on the Under-Empire stage.
Best Characters You Can Use From the Start
- Warhammer 40,000: Malum Caedo, the hero of Boltgun, is the only 40K champion open from the first run, and his Chainsword evolves into the Eviscerator Chainsword with the Tape Measure. The cheapest upgrade from him is Brother Luca, who costs 200 coins and starts with the Boltgun, the gun that becomes the Heavy Bolter.
- Age of Sigmar: Lorai is our pick of the three starters, ahead of Neave Blacktalon and Juntal Bernskyn. Neave is still a fine choice: Auroch says she starts “with the iconic Whirlwind Axes,” which evolve into “whirling blades of arcing lightning.”
Other Strong Picks
- The Legend of Catachan is fast and starts with nothing but Frag Grenades, so he is strong once your Enhancements are up but rough early. Our guide to where to find the Legend of Catachan covers his rescue.
- Lyssa Revenya‘s Rope and Grapnel “shoots a hook that restrains enemies, often instantly killing weaker foes,” per Auroch. She unlocks with four paint pots: Abaddon Black, Leadbelcher, Agrax Earthshade and Mechanicus Standard Grey.
- Gotrek Gurnisson wields Zangrom-Thaz, a greataxe that Auroch says speeds up as you move and loses damage when you stand still, so he rewards players who never stop moving. He is rescued on Skrappa Spill.
Whoever you pick, buy Attacks first between runs: our guide to the best Enhancements to buy first explains why. Our best build guide has a loadout for each universe, our list of every champion and how to unlock them covers the whole roster, and the Warhammer 40,000 guides hub has the rest.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the best character in Warhammer Survivors? Our pick is the Black Templars Castellan for Warhammer 40,000, because his attack power and skill grow with every follower, and Lorai, Child of the Abyss for Age of Sigmar.
Who is the best starting character? Malum Caedo is the only 40K starter. On the Age of Sigmar side we would pick Lorai over Neave Blacktalon and Juntal Bernskyn, because her Sea-Fog pulls enemies together.
How do you unlock the Castellan? Collect the Abaddon Black Warhammer paint pot.
Which character is safest for beginners? Ulgromthier, once you rescue him on the Under-Empire. Auroch says he starts each battle with a higher health pool, which gives you more room for mistakes.
Can you use a 40K character on Age of Sigmar stages? No. Each universe has its own roster, weapons and stages, so you need a best pick for each side.