The Warhammer Survivors Auspex confuses a lot of players. You grab it, check your map, see nothing new, and assume it’s bugged. It isn’t, though I get why people think so. The Auspex is a one-time pickup in Desert Wasteland that makes hidden items spawn on your other Warhammer 40,000 stages, and a few of your best boss counters depend on it. Here’s where to find it and what it actually unlocks.
What You’ll Read:
What Does the Auspex Do in Warhammer Survivors
The Auspex is a relic that reveals hidden items and marks them on your map. It only works on Warhammer 40,000 stages and does nothing on Age of Sigmar ones.
Some items don’t exist on a stage until you own it. The in-game note says to “revisit locations to find items that were previously hidden.” That’s the whole trick: grab the Auspex, then go back to stages you already cleared.
It’s passive, so there’s nothing to equip or activate. It also won’t change your current run. You’ll only see the difference on your next one.
How to Find the Auspex
The Auspex is on Desert Wasteland, which has to be unlocked first. If you’ve already unlocked it, skip the next part.
How to Unlock Desert Wasteland
To open the Desert Wasteland, unlock ‘Eavy Metal mode on any one 40K stage. Pick whichever objective suits you:
| Stage | ‘Eavy Metal objective |
|---|---|
| Imperial Bastion | Defeat a Carnifex |
| Gallowdark | Defeat Typhus |
| Ork Stronghold | Defeat Grukk Face-Rippa |
| Imperial Shipyard | Take no damage during minute 7 |
| Death World Invasion | Defeat a Hive Tyrant |
The Imperial Bastion Carnifex objective only appears after you survive 10 minutes in a single run with any character.
Taking zero damage for a whole minute on Imperial Shipyard is the one I’d leave for last.
Auspex Location
Head north as soon as you spawn. The Auspex sits far north of your starting point and shows up labeled on the map.
Don’t linger. This stage throws Tyranids at you (Termagants, Hormagaunts, Carnifexes); there are no health drops, and enemies get tougher and faster every minute. I’d run straight there and save any farming for later.
It’s a one-time pickup. Once you grab it, it vanishes from Desert Wasteland and stays unlocked for good. You also get the “Surveyor” achievement.
Auspex Secret Code
The Auspex has a code too: scanner in the 40K Secrets menu. Don’t count on it as a shortcut, though. That menu only opens once you’ve found the Book of Tzeentch, and the book only appears after you own the Auspex. If you already grabbed the relic, the code entry counts as done. The rest of the codes are in our Secrets guide.
All Auspex Items and Where to Find Them
Five items only appear once you own the Auspex, plus one enemy you have to hunt down. Start a fresh run on each stage below.
| Item | Stage | Where to look |
|---|---|---|
| Tactical Rock | Imperial Shipyard | Eastern side of the map |
| Maelstrom Key | Imperial Shipyard | North-west of spawn |
| Codex Astartes | Death World Invasion | East of spawn |
| The Book of Tzeentch | Death World Invasion | Far east |
| Ardcoat | Hobby Table (40K) | Directly west of spawn, by the notebook |
| Da Lucky Stikk | Ork Stronghold | Defeat Makari |
Makari isn’t a pickup. He’s an enemy who spawns at one of four random spots per run, and killing him gets you Da Lucky Stikk.
Hit Imperial Shipyard and Death World Invasion first, since each hides two items. Ardcoat can wait, because Hobby Table only unlocks after you’ve faced all three 40K Extremis bosses.
Why You Need the Auspex
Three Extremis bosses need an evolution built from an Auspex item. No Auspex, no counter. Max out the weapon and the passive, then open an evolution chest from a boss or elite.
| Boss | Evolution | Recipe (max levels) |
|---|---|---|
| Norn Emissary | Gauntlets of Ultramar | Power Fist 8 + Codex Astartes 6 |
| Great Unclean One | Weapon of the Matriarch | Ardent Blade 8 + Tactical Rock 9 |
| Ghazghkull Thraka | Bale Eye | Power Klaw 8 + Da Lucky Stikk 9 |
Norn Emissary is the one most people hit first. He spawns at minute 25 on Imperial Bastion, Death World Invasion and Desert Wasteland, the same stage where you found the Auspex.
Warhammer Survivors Auspex Not Working
It’s probably working fine. The Auspex doesn’t mark ordinary weapons and passives on your map, which is what some players expect. Players on Steam and Reddit (iOS included) ran into this exact thing, and the answer was the same: it only reveals hidden items.
If you want more detail on your map, the Signum Array on Ork Stronghold is the one to grab. It’s on the south-east side. It’s also how you spot the Legend of Catachan on Imperial Bastion.
If nothing changed after grabbing the Auspex, start a new run on Imperial Shipyard, Death World Invasion or Hobby Table. The hidden items appear there.
FAQ
What is the Age of Sigmar version of the Auspex?
The Arcanoscope. You’ll find it on Gnarlwood, and it reveals hidden items on Age of Sigmar stages the same way.
Should I quit to the main menu after grabbing the Auspex?
It’s the safe move. Return to the main menu before closing the game, because some runs haven’t been saving.
Warhammer Survivors
