To evolve a weapon in Warhammer Survivors, level the weapon to its maximum, carry the passive item it pairs with, then open a chest dropped by a boss or elite enemy: the evolved weapon comes out of that chest. Every evolution needs one specific passive, such as the Tape Measure for the Chainsword or the Dice Cube for the Boltgun.
Below we cover how evolution works, every recipe in the full game for both the Warhammer 40,000 and Age of Sigmar sides, the passives that feed more than one evolution, the two evolutions that summon a champion, and what to do when a recipe will not show up.
How Weapon Evolution Works
Warhammer Survivors is built on the foundation of poncle’s Vampire Survivors, and evolution works the way fans of that game will expect. The Steam page puts it simply: “Mix and match weapons with power-ups and evolve them into devastating new forms.”
Three things have to line up in a single run:
- The base weapon at max level. Each level-up offers new weapons, weapon upgrades and passive items. Keep choosing the same weapon until it is maxed.
- The matching passive item. Each evolution has one partner passive, and it has to be in your build when the chest opens.
- A chest from a tough enemy. With both in hand, kill a boss or elite and open the chest it drops.
Since Auroch’s November 11 hotfix on Steam, you can skip a chest’s opening sequence with any button, and chests no longer drop out of reach on Gallowdark and Imperial Bastion. Auroch says GOG, PS5, Xbox, Switch, Switch 2 and mobile get that hotfix from next week.
Every Warhammer 40,000 Evolution
| Weapon | Passive | Evolution |
|---|---|---|
| Chainsword | Tape Measure | Eviscerator Chainsword |
| Lasgun | Gauntlet | Meltagun |
| Boltgun | Dice Cube | Heavy Bolter |
| Shield of Faith | Bugman’s Tankard | Emperor’s Wrath |
| Flamer | Glue | Heavy Flamer |
| Combat Shotgun | Magnet | Executioner Shotgun |
| Whirlwind Battery | Liquid Green Stuff | Orbital Bombardment |
| Frag Grenade | Bandolier | Ripper Pistol |
| Mechanical Bite | Sabaton | Remote Detonation |
| Power Klaw | Da Lucky Stikk | Bale Eye |
| Ardent Blade | Tactical Rock | Weapon of the Matriarch |
| Power Fist | Codex Astartes | Gauntlets of Ultramar |
| Storm Bolter | Lightning Bolt | Assault Cannon |
| Battle Cannon | Figure Case | Side Sponsons |
| Spear of the Faithful | Chaos Sigil | Thorn of the White Rose |
| Crozius Arcanum | Lightning Bolt | Benediction of Fury |
| Smite | Ardcoat | Fury of the Ancients |
| Fidelis | Golden Demon | Purgator Mirabilis |
| Storm Eagle Rocket | White Dwarf | Deathstrike Missile |
| Nuln Oil | Hourglass | Mordant Earth |
| D6 Dice | Scatter Dice | Sustained Fire Dice |
Auroch has described a few of these itself. The Heavy Bolter “unleashes a stream of unrelenting firepower, taking on the toughest of Tyranid swarms and larger bioforms,” per its first champions post, and Orbital Bombardment “brings down barrages of voidship fire from above.”
Every Age of Sigmar Evolution
| Weapon | Passive | Evolution |
|---|---|---|
| Tempest Axes | Sabaton | Whirlwind Axes |
| Brace of Pistols | Bandolier | Duelling Pistols |
| Nebulous Sea-Fog | Bugman’s Tankard | Aquatic Illusions |
| Boltstorm Pistol | Dice Cube | Typhoon Crossbow |
| Grandblade | Tape Measure | Celestial Greatsword |
| Cyclone Sword | Magnet | Voice of the God-King |
| Flintlock Pistols | Ardcoat | Anti-Wizard Flintlock |
| Fyrestorm Greataxe | Kragg Blackhammer’s Master Rune | Zangrom-Thaz |
| Stormcharged Warhammer | Tactical Rock | Uskavar the Sunderer |
| Brazier Staff | Liquid Green Stuff | Master of Runes |
| Twin-Tailed Cat | Golden Demon | Enchanted Glove |
| Blade of the High Heavens | Figure Case | Thengavar |
| Poisoned Throwing Knives | Gauntlet | Bladed Vortex |
| Rope and Grapnel | White Dwarf | Ghost of Rhea |
| Mystical Ward | Glue | Warding Lantern |
| Nuln Oil | Hourglass | Mordant Earth |
| D6 Dice | Scatter Dice | Sustained Fire Dice |
Nuln Oil and the D6 Dice appear in both tables because they are cross-universe weapons, usable by champions from either setting. Auroch’s Status Effects post adds that Nuln Oil’s Oiled status slows enemies and makes them vulnerable to fire, so it pairs well with anything that sets them Burning.
Passives That Unlock More Than One Evolution
Most passives appear in a recipe on each side, so learning one universe’s pairings teaches you much of the other’s. A few are worth knowing by heart:
| Passive | 40K evolution | Age of Sigmar evolution |
|---|---|---|
| Tape Measure | Eviscerator Chainsword | Celestial Greatsword |
| Dice Cube | Heavy Bolter | Typhoon Crossbow |
| Bugman’s Tankard | Emperor’s Wrath | Aquatic Illusions |
| Liquid Green Stuff | Orbital Bombardment | Master of Runes |
| Bandolier | Ripper Pistol | Duelling Pistols |
| Sabaton | Remote Detonation | Whirlwind Axes |
| Gauntlet | Meltagun | Bladed Vortex |
| White Dwarf | Deathstrike Missile | Ghost of Rhea |
On the 40K side, the Lightning Bolt is the one passive that serves two weapons in the same universe: it evolves both the Storm Bolter and the Crozius Arcanum. If you run both, one passive slot pays for two evolutions.
Evolutions That Summon a Champion
Two evolutions add a fighter rather than simply upgrading a weapon:
- Power Fist into the Gauntlets of Ultramar. Per Auroch’s Ork reveal post, evolving the Power Fists brings Marneus Calgar to your side with the Gauntlets of Ultramar, unless you are playing as Calgar. The partner passive is the Codex Astartes.
- Fyrestorm Greataxe into Zangrom-Thaz. Evolving the Fyreslayer axe calls Gotrek Gurnisson to your side swinging his legendary axe, according to Auroch’s Zangrom-Thaz post. Playing as Gotrek, you do not get a clone. Auroch adds that the greataxe speeds up as you move and loses damage when you stand still.
In the demo, the Ripper Pistol and Ghost of Rhea also arrived as new weapons alongside the base weapon rather than replacing it.
When an Evolution Will Not Show Up
- Check the weapon is maxed. The chest only evolves a weapon at its maximum level.
- Check the passive is in your build. It has to be one of your passives when the chest opens.
- Unlock the passive first. Not every weapon and passive is available from your first run. An Auroch developer explained on the Steam forum that you “obtain a relic from another stage to enable the ‘Detailed Map’ view and start uncovering Passives and Weapons that are hidden across the stage.”
- Open a boss or elite chest. That is where evolutions come from, so keep both pieces until the next tough enemy falls.
Steam has achievements for this too: Barbecue Hell Yeah! for evolving any weapon, Glorious Pixel Vomit for holding any six evolved weapons at the same time, Ordnance Extremis for evolving the Storm Eagle Rocket and Great Shatterer for Uskavar the Sunderer, Bastian Carthalos’s signature weapon.
For what to build around, our best build guide has a full loadout for each universe, our guide to the best Enhancements to buy first covers the upgrades between runs, and our list of every champion and how to unlock them covers who starts with what. The Warhammer 40,000 guides hub has the rest.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you evolve weapons in Warhammer Survivors? Max out the base weapon, carry its paired passive item, then open a chest from a boss or elite enemy. The evolved weapon comes out of the chest.
What level does a weapon need to be to evolve? Its maximum level, so keep choosing that weapon on level-ups until it is maxed.
Does the passive item need to be maxed? In the demo, owning the passive at any level was enough. If an evolution still will not trigger, check that the weapon itself is maxed and that the chest came from a boss or elite.
How do you evolve the Lasgun? Pair a max-level Lasgun with the Gauntlet passive, then open a boss or elite chest. It evolves into the Meltagun.
Can the Power Fist evolve? Yes. With the Codex Astartes passive it evolves into the Gauntlets of Ultramar, which summons Marneus Calgar to fight beside you unless you are playing as him.
How do you get the Bandolier? In the demo, it unlocked once you levelled up the Boltgun far enough in a run. In the full game, some weapons and passives are hidden across each stage, and Auroch says a relic from another stage turns on the Detailed Map view that helps you uncover them.
Do demo evolutions carry over to the full game? No demo progress carries over, per Auroch’s official FAQ, so every evolution has to be earned again in the full game.