Field notes / field tools
Pick-ups, grenades and Endless Spells
Warhammer Survivors pick-ups are the panic button, the setup tool and the combo enabler all at once. They vary by universe, they are not all safe, and the best one is usually the one you use before the escape lane closes.
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A pick-up is not a permanent upgrade. It is a moment of borrowed power, a hazard or a combo piece. The mistake is treating it as a collectible to save for a perfect future that never arrives.
How pick-ups work
Auroch describes pick-ups as powerful items found around faction-themed light sources. They vary by universe, and most are unique to their side of the game. Some are different expressions of the same idea; others are genuinely new tools.
They can clear a screen, apply a status, heal, buff your attacks or create a hazard that hurts you too. The common thread is timing. A grenade thrown after the surround has closed is a damage number; the same grenade thrown before the next line arrives is an escape route.
Pick-up table
| Pick-up | Universe | Effect | Practical use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frag Grenade | Warhammer 40,000 | A grenade pick-up from the 40K pool. The same weapon is also the Legend of Catachan’s starting attack. | Throw it into a forming pack before the surround closes. It clears space; it does not solve a boss. Do not confuse the pickup with the champion’s ammo-free grenade weapon. |
| Melta-Bomb | Warhammer 40,000 | A powerful grenade that detonates after a short delay, releasing a blast of thermal energy. | Kite a mob toward the landing point, then leave the radius. The delay is the weapon: use it to turn a chase into a kill zone. |
| Blast Template | Warhammer 40,000 | Triggers a massive explosion that destroys enemies across the screen. Some enemies resist instant-kill effects. | Save it for a screen that is already lost rather than a routine wave. Check whether the threat is likely to resist before relying on it. |
| Hellfire Ammo | Warhammer 40,000 | Temporarily increases the damage of all ranged attacks and inflicts Poisoned. | Pick it up just before an elite window, not when the field is nearly empty. The buff is temporary, so spend it on something that matters. |
| Purple Sun of Shyish | Age of Sigmar | An Endless Spell that creates damaging zones of light. It hits anything caught in the light, including the player. | Treat the Sun as a moving hazard and a damage source at once. Do not chase kills through its active zones. Auroch has hinted that there may be a method to keep it on your side for longer. |
| Ravenak’s Gnashing Jaws | Age of Sigmar | Tethers to the player, chomps nearby enemies as you move, deals damage and applies Burning. | Keep moving through the thickest part of the horde. Standing still with the Jaws wastes the pick-up’s main advantage. |
| Suffocating Gravetide | Age of Sigmar | Stuns enemies caught in the tide, then sends them fleeing temporarily. | This is an escape tool first and a damage tool second. Use it to break a surround or cross a dangerous patch, not to finish a boss. |
| Frenzon | Unconfirmed universe | Grants the player the Berserk status, increasing the frequency of weapon attacks. | A burst window in a vial. Take it when you have a safe place to stand and a target worth the extra attacks. The universe has not been confirmed. |
Warhammer 40,000 tools
The 40K pool leans into explosives and ammunition. Melta-Bombs reward kiting a mob into a delayed blast.Blast Templates are emergency screen clears, but some enemies resist instant-kill effects.Hellfire Ammo is a temporary ranged damage buff with Poisoned attached, best spent on an elite window.
The Frag Grenade appears both as a pick-up and as the Legend of Catachan’s base weapon. Do not confuse the two: the champion’s weapon is part of his kit, while the field pick-up is a one-off tool. Frenzon grants Berserk and increases attack frequency, but its universe is unconfirmed.
Age of Sigmar tools
The AoS pool is more positional and more dangerous. The Purple Sun of Shyish creates damaging light zones that hit the player too. It is a tool to move around, not a safe area to fight inside. Ravenak’s Gnashing Jawstethers to you and chomps as you move, rewarding a continuous kiting route and applying Burning.
Suffocating Gravetide stuns enemies and sends them fleeing. That is crowd control first: use it to break a surround or cross a dangerous patch, not to finish a boss. The damaging part is a bonus, not the reason to hold it.
Timing and positioning
- Pick up a tool when it creates a lane, not after the lane has closed.
- Melta-Bombs want a kited pack; throw them where the chase is going.
- Blast Templates are for a screen that is already lost, not a routine wave.
- Purple Sun is a hazard as well as a damage source; keep your exit out of its light.
- Hellfire Ammo and Frenzon are burst windows. Spend them on a target worth the temporary power.
- Gravetide is an escape tool. Use the fear window to reposition.
Positioning rule: if collecting the pick-up requires crossing the centre of the horde, skip it. There will be another. A dead run has no pick-up value.
What is still unknown
The full pick-up list, spawn rules, durations and universe availability are unpublished. Auroch has confirmed that most pick-ups differ by universe; it has not published a complete table. The status effect guidecovers the effects these tools apply, and the beginner guide explains when a first-run player should spend rather than save.
Sources and evidence
Editorial methodOfficial claims, press observations and community reports are kept separate. Where Auroch has not published a value, this guide says so instead of filling the gap.
- OfficialFeature Focus: Pick-ups
- OfficialFeature Focus: Status Effects
- OfficialLearn more about the Status Effects system