Warhammer Survivors has more than 40 playable champions split into two rosters, one for Warhammer 40,000 and one for Age of Sigmar, and you start with only a few. You unlock the rest four ways: rescuing them during a stage’s rescue scenario, buying them with coins, finishing a kill or status goal, and collecting the right Warhammer paint pots.
Below is every champion and their unlock condition on each side, what Auroch Digital has said about their kits, the champions whose unlocks are still unclear, and how the rescue scenarios work.
How Champion Unlocks Work
- Two separate rosters. Each universe “has its own character rosters, weapons, enemies, and stages,” per Auroch’s launch-week FAQ post. You pick a 40K champion for 40K stages and an Age of Sigmar champion for Age of Sigmar stages.
- Everyone plays differently. “Each character comes with unique weapons and starting stats,” says the Steam page for Warhammer Survivors.
- Rescues. Most stages have a rescue scenario. Find the captive champion, kill the highlighted enemies around them, and they fight beside you as a follower for the rest of the run, then stay unlocked for future runs. Steam has an achievement for each stage’s rescue scenario.
- Paint pots. On the battlefield, “you’ll also find Warhammer paint pots that will unlock new character forms and secrets,” per the Steam page. Some champions unlock once you hold a specific set of pots.
- Coins and goals. A couple of champions are bought from the menu with coins, and the rest unlock when you hit a goal, such as a kill count.
Warhammer 40,000 Champions
| Champion | How to unlock |
|---|---|
| Malum Caedo | Available from the start |
| Brother Luca Amasius | Buy for 200 coins |
| Sister Superior Amalia Novena | Buy for 400 coins |
| Trooper Bartosz Kozlowski | Rescue on Imperial Bastion |
| The Legend of Catachan | Rescue on Imperial Bastion |
| K9 Mastiff | Rescue on Gallowdark |
| Commissar Sebastian Yarrick | Rescue on the Ork Stronghold |
| Saint Celestine | Rescue on the Imperial Shipyard |
| Canoness Aurora Veritas | Inflict Burning on 100 Death Guard enemies |
| Max Mahon | Defeat 1,000 Nurglings in one run |
| Captain Tor Garadon | Defeat 10,000 enemies across all your runs |
| Sergeant Furan | Level the Gauntlet and the Lightning Bolt to level 5 on the Ork Stronghold |
| Knight-Commander Pask | Defeat 100 Ork vehicles |
| Celestian Sacresant Aveline Aboye | Collect 10 relics |
| Chaplain Fo’Baran | Recover 1,000 Wounds in ‘Eavy Metal mode |
| Black Templars Castellan | Collect the Abaddon Black paint pot |
| Chief Librarian Mephiston | Collect Abaddon Black, Leadbelcher, Mephiston Red and Rakarth Flesh |
| Lieutenant Titus | Collect Abaddon Black, Agrax Earthshade, Celestra Grey, Reikland Fleshshade, Retributor Armour and Macragge Blue |
Steam’s achievements match several of these: Hand of Steel is for defeating 100 Ork vehicles, Vampire Survivor for Mephiston’s four pots, and Redemption Arc for Titus’s six.
What Auroch has said about their kits. Malum Caedo, the hero of Boltgun, swings a Chainsword. Trooper Kozlowski’s Lasgun fires at the nearest enemy and brings in more Cadian Shock Troopers as it levels up. Brother Luca carries the Boltgun, which evolves into the Heavy Bolter. The Legend of Catachan is fast and enters each combat zone “armed exclusively with Frag Grenades,” unlocking weapons such as the Ripper Pistol as he goes. The Black Templars Castellan’s attack power grows with every follower you have.
Age of Sigmar Champions
| Champion | How to unlock |
|---|---|
| Neave Blacktalon | Available from the start |
| Lorai, Child of the Abyss | Available from the start |
| Juntal Bernskyn | Available from the start |
| Armand Callis | Rescue on The Great Parch |
| Hanniver Toll | Rescue on The Great Parch |
| Gotrek Gurnisson | Rescue on Skrappa Spill |
| Rostus Oxenhammer | Rescue on Bloodwind Spoil |
| Ulgromthier | Rescue on the Under-Empire |
| Shakana Goldenblade | Inflict Slowed on 100 enemies |
| Sharynn Azurwrath | Defeat 10 Troggoths |
| Hendrick, the Silver Wolf | Defeat 10,000 Gloomspite Gitz in one run as Neave Blacktalon |
| Maleneth Witchblade | Collect the Leadbelcher paint pot |
| Lyssa Revenya | Collect Abaddon Black, Leadbelcher, Agrax Earthshade and Mechanicus Standard Grey |
| Valius, the Keeper Aqshian | Collect Leadbelcher, Celestra Grey, Reikland Fleshshade, Retributor Armour, Drakenhof Nightshade and Runelord Brass |
The achievements line up here too: Shadowblade is for the Leadbelcher pot, Crypt-Breaker for Lyssa’s four pots, and the rescue achievements Witch Hunter, Realmslayer, Extra Ham and Runemaster are for The Great Parch, Skrappa Spill, Bloodwind Spoil and the Under-Empire.
What Auroch has said about their kits. Lorai brings the Nebulous Sea-Fog, conjured fog that draws foes in. Ulgromthier starts each battle with a higher health pool and a Brazier Staff that fires arcing magma, per Auroch’s Steam Next Fest post. Lyssa Revenya’s Rope and Grapnel restrains enemies and often instantly kills weaker foes. Sharynn Azurwrath starts with a Grandblade that unleashes a huge circular swing once levelled up. Gotrek fights with Zangrom-Thaz, and evolving the Fyrestorm Greataxe calls him into battle for other champions, though “he won’t spawn a clone of himself” if you are already playing as him.
Champions Whose Unlocks Are Still Unclear
A few champions are confirmed but their unlock conditions are not settled:
- Marneus Calgar. The Chapter Master of the Ultramarines is a champion, and evolving the Power Fists summons him for everyone else. The Death World’s rescue achievement is called Lord Macragge, Calgar’s title, which points to him as the champion rescued there.
- Bastian Carthalos. The Lord-Commander, defender of Hammerhal, fights with Uskavar the Sunderer. Auroch has shown his kit but not his unlock.
- Balphamus Vaulk. The Theta-7 Acquisitus achievement asks you to “Buy Balphamus Vaulk as a playable character from Balphamus Vaulk,” so he is bought from his own shop rather than rescued.
- The Twin-Tailed City rescue. It has an achievement, Weaver of Secrets, but we could not confirm who you rescue there.
Paint pots also unlock character forms, and Steam’s Warhulk achievement is for morphing a character, so the roster has more looks than the tables above show. The High Abbess achievement is for unlocking every standard character.
How Rescue Scenarios Work
The rescue is the unlock most champions use, and it plays out during a normal run:
- Find the captive on the stage. They are out on the map rather than beside you at the start, so explore once your build can handle the swarm.
- Kill the highlighted enemies guarding them.
- The champion joins you as a follower for the rest of that run, then shows up on the selection screen for every run after.
Auroch’s November 11 hotfix fixed one rescue bug on Steam: the Legend of Catachan, “upon being rescued,” no longer attacks with a Chainsword instead of Frag Grenades. Auroch says GOG, PS5, Xbox, Switch, Switch 2 and mobile get the hotfix from next week.
Which Champion to Start With
On the 40K side, start with Malum Caedo, then switch to Trooper Kozlowski once you rescue him on Imperial Bastion: his Lasgun brings in squadmates as it levels up. On the Age of Sigmar side, Lorai is the easiest of the three starters, because her Sea-Fog pulls enemies together for everything else you pick up.
Our best build guide has a loadout for each universe, our guide on how to evolve weapons covers both summoning evolutions, and our guide to the best Enhancements to buy first covers what to do with your coins. If Malum Caedo is your favorite, his own sequel is out too: our Boltgun 2 launch story has the details. The Warhammer 40,000 guides hub has the rest.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many characters are in Warhammer Survivors? More than 40, according to Auroch Digital, split between Warhammer 40,000 and Age of Sigmar rosters, plus extra character forms unlocked with paint pots.
How do you unlock characters in Warhammer Survivors? Four ways: rescue them in a stage’s rescue scenario, buy them with coins, finish a goal such as a kill count, or collect a set of Warhammer paint pots. The tables above list each champion’s condition.
Who do you start with in Warhammer Survivors? Malum Caedo on the Warhammer 40,000 side, and Neave Blacktalon, Lorai, Child of the Abyss and Juntal Bernskyn on the Age of Sigmar side.
Can you play Warhammer 40,000 characters in Age of Sigmar stages? No. Each universe has its own roster, weapons and stages. Some weapons, such as Nuln Oil and the D6 Dice, are shared across both.
Is Gotrek in Warhammer Survivors? Yes. Gotrek Gurnisson is a playable Age of Sigmar champion you rescue on Skrappa Spill, and evolving the Fyrestorm Greataxe also summons him to fight beside other champions.
Is Titus playable in Warhammer Survivors? Yes. Lieutenant Titus unlocks once you collect six paint pots: Abaddon Black, Agrax Earthshade, Celestra Grey, Reikland Fleshshade, Retributor Armour and Macragge Blue.
Do demo unlocks carry over to the full game? No. Auroch’s official FAQ says demo progress does not transfer to the full release.