Vampire Survivors popularized a kind of roguelite where your attacks fire on their own, you only steer, and each level-up lets you pick an upgrade. Warcraft versions of that idea now exist in three different forms: a browser game, a private server mode, and minigame addons for the WoW Forever beta. They share a formula but run in very different places, so here is how each one works.
What a survivors-like is
In a survivors-like, you control movement and nothing else. Your weapons or spells trigger automatically at nearby enemies, enemies arrive in growing waves, and the experience they drop pays for upgrades you choose when you level up. A run ends when you die or when you beat its final boss, and many games in the genre carry some progress from one run to the next.
Azeroth Survivors
Azeroth Survivors is a free, fan-made browser game by Aethus. You pick one of nine classes, and each one starts with its own attack and gets a mobility spell at level 5. Every zone runs a boss clock, so bosses arrive at set times during a run. Between runs, you spend talent points and collect permanent gear that drops from bosses. It also has online co-op, with parties of up to five players.
The game runs in a browser that supports WebGPU, which means a current version of Chrome, Edge, or Safari, and a Windows download also exists. It does not need a Blizzard account. It is not affiliated with Blizzard Entertainment.
Azeroth Survivors also supports addons. The game has its own damage meter, and community authors have released a spell meter, a replacement HUD, and a loot book on top of it. Warperia lists them on its Azeroth Survivors addons page, which also explains how to install an addon in the browser or on the Windows build.
Project Ebonhold
Project Ebonhold takes the same idea into the WoW client itself. It is a custom Wrath of the Lich King server listed on Warperia, and its mode is built around runs. Each run starts at level 1, and you choose powerful abilities called Echoes as you level up. During a run you earn Soul Ashes, which you spend in an account-wide skill tree to raise your damage, survivability, and mobility. Dying ends the run, but your skill tree progress carries over, and the goal is to defeat the Lich King.
Unlike Azeroth Survivors, this is a real server, so you create an account on its site and play through the game client. You can read more on its Project Ebonhold page, or browse the full list of WoW private servers to compare it with others.
Which one to try
The difference between them is mostly what you need to start playing:
- Azeroth Survivors needs only a supported browser, costs nothing, and does not need a WoW client or a Blizzard account.
- Project Ebonhold needs the WoW client and an account on the server, and it plays like a roguelite mode inside WoW.
If you only want to try the genre with a Warcraft theme, Azeroth Survivors is the quickest to start. If you want the loop inside the real game, Project Ebonhold is the one to look at.