Warhammer Survivors is a standalone game, built on the Vampire Survivors foundation in partnership with poncle. It is not a Vampire Survivors expansion, and you do not need to own Vampire Survivors to play it.
The main reasons to consider it are the Warhammer setting, its character-and-weapon squad interactions and its Extremis boss encounters. Familiarity with the genre helps explain the structure, but it does not make the two games' equipment or progression interchangeable.
Warhammer worlds and equipment
Warhammer Survivors draws from both Warhammer 40,000 and Warhammer Age of Sigmar. Its full release advertises more than 40 playable characters and over 75 weapons, with its own stages, enemies, power-ups and secrets.
Characters have distinct starting weapons and stats. You are selecting among Warhammer champions and their interactions rather than importing a Vampire Survivors build or save.
The keyword and squad system
Character and weapon keywords determine what your chosen champion can use. When you acquire a weapon that the champion cannot wield, an ally can join the squad to use it on your behalf.
Those followers cannot take damage or collect items. Think of their attacks as extensions of your single-player loadout, rather than additional players in a co-op session.
This makes weapon selection about more than choosing an attack: it can also change the allies accompanying your champion and how their attacks work together.
Aiming and boss expectations
Some weapons aim automatically and others do not. Do not assume every attack follows one universal aiming rule.
Extremis encounters include major Warhammer foes such as Ghazghkull and the Great Unclean One. Choosing a champion and loadout for these encounters is part of the game's own progression; recipes and boss tactics from Vampire Survivors do not establish what works here.
Decide with the demo
Try the free Steam demo if you want to judge the movement, attack patterns and Warhammer presentation before buying. It is a sample rather than the entire launch game, and its progression does not transfer to the full release.