There are 10 Emperor’s Tarot Cards in Warhammer Survivors, all exclusive to the Warhammer 40,000 setting. You can unlock them through gameplay objectives or enter their incantations in the Secrets menu.
Unlocking a card and receiving it during a run are separate steps. Use the checklist to track your collection, then check the chest requirements before planning a build around a particular card.
All Emperor’s Tarot Cards and their effects
The table covers all 10 cards, including their normal gameplay unlocks. For that route, collect The Emperor’s Tarot relic before pursuing the individual card objectives.
| Card | Gameplay unlock | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| 0, The Fool | Collect 1,000 Coins on any map. | Increases Collectathon pickup chance and triggers a Collectathon when redeploying on critical HP. Collected currency has a chance to heal you or increase Corruption. |
| I, Galaxy | Defeat the final enemy in Perils of the Warp. | Emits Warp Rifts within Aura range and grants +1% Range per level. |
| III, The Hulk | Reach level 50 with Knight-Commander Pask. | Attacks against Tyranids can deal double damage. Each level adds +2% Range and Skill, but reduces Move by 2%. |
| IV, The Silver Key | Reach level 50 with Canoness Aurora Veritas. | Increases status-effect application chance, duration, and damage by 20%. |
| VIII, The God-Emperor | Reach level 50 with Trooper Bartosz Kozlowski. | Grants +1 Redeployment at levels 2, 20, and 40. Consuming a Redeployment makes you Frenzied for 10 seconds and boosts several stats. |
| IX, Daemon | Reach level 50 with Celestian Sacresant Aveline. | Grants +2 Skip, Banish, and Reroll. Adds Corruption every level, slightly reduces Reload, and improves Skill and Move. |
| X, Astartes | Reach level 50 with Malum Caedo. | Attacks against Orks can deal double damage. Melee weapons gain +15% Range, +20% Knockback and Strength, and +25% base damage. |
| XIV, The Young Warrior | Defeat any Majoris boss at level 20 or lower. | Grants +5 Rerolls, plus +10% Veterancy and -5% Reload per follower. Laud Hailers become easier to find. |
| XV, The Tides of the Warp | Defeat 9,876 enemies in a single run. | Pulls Stage Items, Pickups, and Light Sources toward you after an enemy-kill threshold is reached. |
| XVI, The Tree of Life | Find The Emperor’s Tarot relic on Imperial Shipyard. | Doubles healing and grants immunity to Bleeding, Burning, Cursed, Poisoned, Slowed, Stunned, and Vulnerable. Blessed duration is tied to Overheal. |
How to unlock the Emperor’s Tarot system
Reach Imperial Shipyard and collect the relic
The normal unlock route starts with map progression in Warhammer 40,000. These objectives can be completed with any character.
| Play this stage | Required character level | Unlocks |
|---|---|---|
| Imperial Bastion | Level 20 | Gallowdark |
| Gallowdark | Level 40 | Ork Stronghold |
| Ork Stronghold | Level 50 | Imperial Shipyard |
On Imperial Shipyard, use the elevators to reach Floor 3. Look for the shimmering, rainbow-colored Emperor’s Tarot relic and collect it. The relic enables you to obtain and equip the setting’s cards, and it stops appearing on the map after collection.
Rescue Trooper Bartosz Kozlowski on Imperial Shipyard while progressing through this stage. For the other champion-specific objectives, plan your Warhammer Survivors character unlocks before committing to a level-50 run.
The Emperor’s Tarot relic
Plan the objective-based unlocks
The Young Warrior requires a low-level boss kill. Pursue that objective separately from runs where you are deliberately gaining levels for a champion’s card. The Tides of the Warp also needs a dedicated check: its kill requirement must be completed within one run.
Galaxy sits further along the stage progression route. Unlock Perils of the Warp by defeating the three Extremis bosses. These end-stage enemies appear at 25:00 and require their map-specific counter weapons. Collect the Auspex relic on Desert Wasteland to access those counter weapons.
How to get Tarot Cards during a run
Meet the card-reward requirements
Cards come from card-type prize slots in treasure chests. A card slot awards a card only when all of these conditions are met:
- The stage’s Emperor’s Tarot option is enabled.
- At least one card for the setting is unlocked and has not already been taken during that run.
- The run has room for another card.
On Imperial Bastion, Gallowdark, Ork Stronghold, Imperial Shipyard, Death World Invasion, and Desert Wasteland, special enemies at minutes 9 and 18 carry one-prize chests with a card slot.
Some boss chests provide additional opportunities:
| Stage | Boss time | Card-slot requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Imperial Bastion | 10:00 | A three- or five-prize boss chest |
| Gallowdark | 10:00 | A three- or five-prize boss chest |
| Gallowdark | 20:00 | A boss chest of any size |
| Desert Wasteland | 10:00 | A three- or five-prize boss chest |
If those card conditions are unmet, the slot gives a ready evolution instead. Preparing your Warhammer Survivors weapon evolutions keeps that fallback reward useful. If no evolution is ready, the slot gives a weapon upgrade.
Buy an additional card
Balphamus Vaulk sells an Emperor’s Tarot Card that adds one extra card to the run. This purchase is limited to once per run.
Treat that purchase as another way to develop your current setup. A card that supports your existing weapons or survival needs is a better fit than one whose main benefit depends on a mechanic you are not using.
Which Emperor’s Tarot Card should you choose?
Choose between recovery and protection
The Tree of Life is the defensive choice when harmful status effects are disrupting your run. The God-Emperor instead supports recovery after a Redeployment is consumed. Its accompanying stat boosts affect Wounds, Strength, Skill, Reload, and Aura.
The Fool is less predictable as a recovery tool because its currency interaction can also increase Corruption. Choose it for its Collectathon and currency mechanics, not as a substitute for consistent healing.
Match damage cards to your weapons
For a melee-focused Warhammer Survivors crowd-clearing build, Astartes is a natural fit. Its melee bonuses do not require Ork targets; the enemy restriction applies to its chance-based double-damage effect.
The Hulk has the same separation between its enemy-specific damage chance and its general stat scaling. Weigh its growing movement penalty against your ability to escape crowds. Galaxy offers Range scaling without that listed Move penalty.
The Silver Key belongs with weapons that already inflict status effects. Its application, duration, and damage bonuses support that existing offense, while Astartes directly supports melee attacks.
Check followers and tradeoffs before taking utility cards
The Young Warrior suits a follower-focused setup. Without followers, you are not benefiting from its per-follower stat changes. Daemon offers more ways to manage upgrade choices, but its Corruption gain and Reload reduction remain part of the bargain.
The Tides of the Warp supports collecting objects scattered across a stage. Its attraction effect depends on kills, so treat it as collection support while fighting, not as an unconditional pull whenever you need an item.
All Emperor’s Tarot Secrets codes
Unlock the Secrets menu
The alternative route uses incantations in the Warhammer 40,000 Secrets menu. To unlock that menu:
- Defeat the Carnifex that appears at 15:00 on Imperial Bastion. This unlocks that stage’s ’Eavy Metal mode and also opens Desert Wasteland.
- Start Desert Wasteland and head north from the starting point to collect the Auspex relic.
- Reach level 60 on Imperial Shipyard to unlock Death World Invasion.
- Enter Death World Invasion and travel far east to collect The Book of Tzeentch, shown as a blue-purple book.
- End the run and open Secrets from the menu. Use the letter-entry interface to enter an incantation.
This menu’s codes apply to Warhammer 40,000, not Age of Sigmar. The card incantations are listed below exactly as entered.
Enter each card’s incantation
| Card | Secrets code |
|---|---|
| 0, The Fool | ignorama |
| I, Galaxy | degalaxisprofundi |
| III, The Hulk | gargantuaperditum |
| IV, The Silver Key | clavargentis |
| VIII, The God-Emperor | deimperator |
| IX, Daemon | malevolus |
| X, Astartes | angelusmortis |
| XIV, The Young Warrior | debellicosanovitius |
| XV, The Tides of the Warp | undaeimmaterium |
| XVI, The Tree of Life | vitalitusasperium |
The separate incantation lorelei unlocks The Emperor’s Tarot relic. Obtaining all 10 cards completes the collection requirement for The Emperor’s Tarot achievement.
