Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Realms of Ruin
A real-time strategy game set in the Mortal Realms of Age of Sigmar.
Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Realms of Ruin is a real-time strategy game that Frontier Developments made and published alongside Games Workshop. It came out on November 17, 2023, for Windows, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S, and is based on the Warhammer: Age of Sigmar tabletop miniatures game. Critics gave it a mixed reception, and it sold poorly.
In terms of gameplay, the design takes cues from Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II. Players build two main kinds of structures: a command post, which lets them recruit units (who appear at realm gates) and acts as a place to fall back to; and four types of bastions, built on captured arcane conduits, that grant tactical perks like healing or clearing the fog of war. Two resources—Command and Realmstone—come from holding territory through arcane conduit control nodes. These resources pay for recruiting units, using special abilities, and advancing the tech tree. At launch, the game has four factions: the Stormcast Eternals, the Orruk Kruleboyz, the Nighthaunt, and the Disciples of Tzeentch.
Players command squads, each with unique abilities. Unit strengths and weaknesses follow a rock-paper-scissors system: for example, Offensive units beat Defensive ones but lose to Ranged units. Online multiplayer is a key mode, and players on different platforms can face each other through cross-platform play.
The story takes place in the Mortal Realms, eight linked worlds born from the Winds of Magic after the apocalyptic End Times. This is the high-fantasy setting of Warhammer: Age of Sigmar, which follows Warhammer Fantasy. Four factions from the Grand Alliances of Order, Destruction, Death, and Chaos clash in the Realm of Beasts. The Stormcast Eternals are semi-divine warriors forged by the God-King Sigmar. The Kruleboyz are sadistic, swamp-dwelling orruks who worship the orruk god Mork. The Nighthaunt are tormented, vengeful spirits from Shyish, the Realm of Death. The Disciples of Tzeentch include mortal followers and daemons devoted to Tzeentch, the Chaos God of Sorcery, Manipulation, and Mutation.
The main campaign centers on Ghur, the Realm of Beasts. The dawnbringer settlement Harkanibus is under constant attack by Orruk Kruleboyz. Lord-Celestant Sigrun of the Hammers of Sigmar Stormhost leads the city’s defense, but her forces are worn down.
Quick Facts
- Title
- Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Realms of Ruin
- Developer
- Frontier Developments
- Writer
- Gav Thorpe
- Released
- November 17, 2023
- Series
- Age of Sigmar
- Platforms
- Windows · PlayStation 5 · Xbox Series X/S
- Genre
- Real-time strategy
- Engine
- Cobra
- Modes
- Single-player, multiplayer
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Realms of Ruin is set in the high fantasy setting of Warhammer: Age of Sigmar, a sequel setting of Warhammer Fantasy, in the Mortal Realms—a system of eight interconnected realms spawned from the Winds of Magic after an apocalyptic event known as 'The End Times'. Four factions from the Grand Alliances of Order, Destruction, Death, and Chaos battle in the Realm of Beasts. The Stormcast Eternals are semi-divine warriors forged by the God-King Sigmar. The Kruleboyz are swamp-dwelling, sadistic orruks who worship the orruk god Mork. The Nighthaunt are tormented and vengeful spirits from Shyish, the Realm of Death. The Disciples of Tzeentch are composed of mortal followers and daemons devoted to Tzeentch, the Chaos God of Sorcery, Manipulation, and Mutation.
Reader's Guide
The main story campaign is centered in Ghur, the Realm of Beasts. A dawnbringer settlement called Harkanibus has been under relentless assault by Orruk Kruleboyz. Lord-Celestant Sigrun of the Stormhost, the Hammers of Sigmar, leads the city's defense. Following divinations from the Celestial Wizard Demechrios, she leads a Stormhost into the swamps to find an artifact that will turn the tide. The Stormcast discover an ancient city and the artifact, but the spectral Nighthaunt, led by Lord Gloam, guard it. After defeating the Nighthaunt, Demechrios scries into the artifact's past and learns that Lord Gloam fought against the Magister of Tzeentch known as Strylka Twingaze. The Stormcast return to Harkanibus, but the Kruleboyz leader Dankfeer unleashes a terrible spell that creates a being called The Retch. Sigrun dies in battle and her soul returns to Azyr. Iden takes command and eventually defeats Dankfeer. Demechrios later discovers that Strylka tainted the artifact with chaos magic, and the Knights Excelsior begin a purge of Harkanibus, starting by slaying Demechrios.
Did You Know?
- The gameplay takes inspiration from Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II.
- Two resources, 'Command' and 'Realmstone', are generated through captured territory via Arcane Conduits.
- The game features cross-platform play across all platforms.
- Yndrasta, the Celestial Spear, and Gobsprakk, the Mouth of Mork, were announced as downloadable content.
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