Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Realms of Ruin

52%
Game Brain Score Based on 1,545 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • graphics
Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Realms of Ruin Game Cover
Warhammer: Age of Sigmar - Realms of Ruin is a genuinely likeable RTS game that would benefit from a slightly faster pace.
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"Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Realms of Ruin - Ultimate Edition is a real-time strategy game set in the iconic Warhammer universe. Lead four unique factions in a cinematic campaign to conquer the savage Realm of Ghur, and engage in comprehensive multiplayer matches. This edition includes additional customization options, alternate hero skins, and a hero pack."

  • PC
  • Play​station 5
  • Windows
  • Xbox Series X|S
  • Cloud
  • Play​Station
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

52%
Audience ScoreBased on 1,545 reviews
story193 positive mentions
grinding17 negative mentions
  • The game features stunning graphics and impressive animations, bringing the Age of Sigmar universe to life.
  • The campaign offers an engaging story with well-done voice acting and cinematic cutscenes.
  • The game includes a unique army painter and map editor, allowing for customization and creativity.
  • Gameplay is slow and clunky, with units often getting stuck in melee combat and lacking responsiveness.
  • The game lacks depth and variety, with only four factions and a limited number of units, making it feel repetitive.
  • The AI is poorly designed, often failing to engage effectively and overwhelming players with infinite reinforcements.
  • story608 mentions

    The game's story is generally well-received, featuring a decent narrative that follows the Stormcast Eternals as they battle the Kruleboyz and other factions in the Age of Sigmar universe. While the cinematics and voice acting are praised for their quality, many players find the gameplay repetitive and frustrating, which detracts from the overall experience. Despite its flaws, the story has potential and leaves players wanting more, particularly with its engaging characters and intriguing plot twists.

    • “The game’s story mode follows the forces of order, specifically the Stormcast Eternals, as they engage in a brutal campaign to secure the lands of Ghur from the encroaching Orruk Kruleboyz.”
    • “The characters are engaging, the missions offer a good variety, and the switch of factions between missions keeps the experience fresh.”
    • “The campaign is very well done, with interesting missions and story.”
    • “The storyline has potential, but it fails to elevate the experience when paired with such lackluster gameplay.”
    • “Instead of a gripping narrative that drives players through the game’s campaign, the plot feels secondary to repetitive missions and uninspired encounters.”
    • “The campaign is a poorly coded mess; I had to restart the second mission twice because a broken script causes an invulnerable orc shaman to fight you because the game forgot to play a certain cutscene.”
  • gameplay530 mentions

    The gameplay of "Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Realms of Ruin" has received mixed reviews, with many players noting its simplistic mechanics and slow pace, often comparing it unfavorably to other RTS titles like "Dawn of War" and "Company of Heroes." While some appreciate the unique unit interactions and strategic elements, others criticize the repetitive nature of missions and the lack of depth in gameplay, leading to a frustrating experience. Overall, the game is visually appealing and has potential, but its gameplay mechanics are seen as a significant drawback that detracts from the overall enjoyment.

    • “It strikes a balance between deep, strategic mechanics and accessibility, making it appealing to both Warhammer enthusiasts and RTS newcomers.”
    • “Combat in 'Realms of Ruin' emphasizes tactical positioning and unit synergy, blending elements of traditional RTS with mechanics inspired by tabletop wargaming.”
    • “The gameplay focuses on tighter-knit groups/heroes that move slowly and hit hard, creating a unique strategic experience.”
    • “The gameplay is horrendously boring.”
    • “The core gameplay loop is so slow and simple it loops around to being boring.”
    • “The gameplay feels simplistic, akin to a game of rock-paper-scissors where each move is predictable with only one counter available.”
  • graphics267 mentions

    The graphics in "Realms of Ruin" have received widespread praise for their impressive quality and faithful representation of the Warhammer Age of Sigmar aesthetic. Many reviewers highlight the stunning visuals, detailed character models, and high production values, particularly in cutscenes and animations. However, some players note that while the graphics are excellent, they feel the gameplay does not match the same level of quality, leading to a mixed overall experience.

    • “The presentation of the game is amazing, really next-gen looking graphics, great sound design, I loved the voice acting, the lip-sync is spot on and the music during the battles is the cherry on top.”
    • “The graphics are gorgeous, with detailed units and different materials.”
    • “The graphics are fantastic, the controls feel good, it's not under-challenging and the story is actually really rewarding.”
    • “Lowering graphical settings to the minimum and applying DLSS does not help either.”
    • “Graphics are from the 1990s.”
    • “The budget for this title went into the graphics and you can tell.”
  • music49 mentions

    The music in the game is generally praised for its orchestral quality, enhancing the emotional depth and tension of battles, with many reviewers highlighting the epic soundtrack and fitting voice acting. However, some players noted that the in-game music can be muted or sparse, with ambient sounds often overshadowing the score. Overall, while the soundtrack is celebrated for its grandeur and thematic relevance, there are mixed feelings about its presence during gameplay.

    • “The orchestral soundtrack complements the high stakes of each battle, enhancing tension during combat and underscoring the somber tone of the story.”
    • “The music, cutscenes, and the voice acting in them are all top notch, which elevates the campaign into genuinely enjoyable territory.”
    • “The soundtrack evokes a grand battlescape and everything from the grunts of orruks to the clatter of sigmarite as folks walk around pulls you in.”
    • “Bland music.”
    • “Just filling noises/no music.”
    • “The soundtrack is pretty muted from combat effects to the musical score.”
  • optimization40 mentions

    The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players praising its performance on high-end rigs and noting a lack of bugs, while others report significant frame drops and poor optimization, particularly during combat. Overall, many users appreciate the graphics and smooth gameplay, but there are consistent complaints about performance issues on lower-end systems and during intense gameplay scenarios.

    • “I have encountered no bugs at all, the game seems to be really well optimized, which nowadays is kind of rare.”
    • “It’s incredibly well-optimized; I’m running it on a GTX 1070 graphics card paired with an i7 processor, and it performs flawlessly.”
    • “Great graphics, great optimization, loving it so far.”
    • “The game is poorly optimized for how little occurs and how slow it happens.”
    • “This game is lame, poorly optimized, and very boring.”
    • “The game is very poorly optimized, even on a 3070.”
  • replayability27 mentions

    The game's replayability is a mixed bag, with some players praising the diverse factions and engaging conquest mode that offer significant replay value, while others criticize the campaign's lack of depth and repetitive AI challenges. Although the conquest mode and map editor provide opportunities for varied gameplay, the overall experience may feel limited due to shallow mechanics and a lack of modding support. Ultimately, while there are elements that can enhance replayability, many players feel it falls short of being truly infinite or deeply engaging.

    • “The faction diversity not only stays faithful to the tabletop experience but also allows players to experiment with different strategies, lending the game a high level of replayability.”
    • “The conquest mode stands out as particularly enjoyable and highly replayable.”
    • “I really like that you have both the story-driven campaign and the replayable conquest campaign that feels fresh every time.”
    • “Replayability doesn't exist.”
    • “The campaign is meh at best, it is visually pleasing but the storyline is shallow and there is zero replay value to it.”
    • “This game has zero replay value as of now.”
  • grinding19 mentions

    The grinding aspect of the game is widely criticized for being slow, tedious, and repetitive, with many players finding the mission design boring and lacking variety. The gameplay often devolves into a monotonous cycle of capturing points and dealing with overwhelming enemy waves, leading to frustration rather than enjoyment. Overall, the experience is described as a slog, making it difficult for players to stay engaged.

    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “But the gameplay takes a nosedive around chapter 4 of the campaign when you soon realize that every mission is the same tedious capture point chasing gameplay, similar to what made Dawn of War 3 so boring... the AI just endlessly spams units at you while you're forced to obey production mechanics that barely keep up no matter how much you micro-manage.”
    • “About six hours into the campaign and it somehow manages to only feel tedious and annoying instead of fun.”
    • “Having to chaperone every single unit because they'll just stand there and be shot at is tedious at best, and is one of the biggest gripes I have with the game.”
  • stability19 mentions

    The stability of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting significant bugs, crashes, and performance issues, particularly related to combat pacing and mission objectives. However, some users have noted a smoother experience with minimal glitches, suggesting that performance may vary based on individual hardware. Overall, while there are common complaints about bugs, a few players have found the game to be relatively stable, especially for a recent release.

    • “The game runs great for me.”
    • “My experience has been bug-free and challenging enough to enjoy.”
    • “Buggy, constant crashes.”
    • “High hopes dashed, with a boring buggy mess.”
    • “Aside from the graphical glitches, crashes, and unskippable cutscenes, the game doesn't tell you that there is only manual saves.”
  • atmosphere17 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its impressive visuals, immersive audio, and strong alignment with the Age of Sigmar setting, creating a captivating experience. However, some players feel that the overall design can be bleak and lacks variety, with a significant focus on aesthetics over gameplay. Despite these criticisms, the game's sound design and storytelling contribute to a rich and engaging atmosphere.

    • “The visuals are also impressive, capturing the atmosphere of Age of Sigmar beautifully.”
    • “The game manages to strike a balance between its own visual design and the established atmosphere of the mortal realms amazingly, showcasing the setting from the wilds of Ghur through ghostly ruins to the heart of a newly established city of Sigmar.”
    • “Sound design is fantastic, with excellent performances from the voice cast, well-realized atmospheric effects, and evocative music.”
    • “But the overall design and atmosphere feels very bleak, and the color palette isn't varied.”
    • “Right there that shows what the game has waiting for you; 80% of the money was spent on atmosphere graphics and visuals and 20% tops on actual gameplay, despite the vast amount of indie games that show graphics can be trash as long as gameplay is good.”
    • “It's a shame because the game has good visuals and atmosphere, but the gameplay is lacking, with slow fights and a boring overall HUD layout.”
  • monetization8 mentions

    The monetization aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many users criticizing it as a cash grab, particularly regarding DLC that feels exploitative for fans of the Warhammer franchise. However, some players appreciate that the base game is complete for its price, without the burden of excessive microtransactions for competitive play. Overall, the sentiment leans towards disappointment in the monetization practices, despite some positive notes on the initial value.

    • “Very pleasantly surprised that you get a complete game for $60 without having to spend another fortune on microtransactions to compete.”
    • “Warhammer never changes... always a cash grab all the time.”
    • “The roadmap doesn't exist; DLC are mostly cash grabs for Warhammer fans.”
    • “The DLC for this game is just for multiplayer/mini game modes and are cash grabs for an otherwise mediocre game.”
  • humor6 mentions

    The humor in the game is well-received, with players finding it genuinely funny, particularly praising the hilarious orkks and strong voice acting. Despite some minor bugs, many users feel that these glitches often add to the comedic experience rather than detract from it.

    • “It's actually quite funny.”
    • “The orks are hilarious and the voice acting is great.”
    • “While I hit a couple of bugs when it released this week, they were few and far between, usually being strange physics interactions that are really just more funny than game-breaking.”
  • emotional5 mentions

    While the game struggles with gameplay depth and a lackluster story, it does feature emotionally impactful cut scenes that resonate with players, providing moments of genuine connection and warmth. Overall, the emotional experience is mixed, with some players finding joy in specific narrative elements despite broader gameplay frustrations.

    • “No spoilers here... but... I got emotional watching one of the well-done cut scenes with one of the main characters after completing a chapter.”
    • “It's just wholesome.”
    • “It just becomes a joyless, relentless grind, merely a trainer for the multiplayer portion of the game, with a dry, boring story.”
  • character development1 mentions

    Players express a desire for more robust character development within an open world setting, particularly emphasizing the importance of base building as a component of that growth.

    • “I was hoping for an open-world experience with base building and character development.”
    • “I was hoping for an open world experience with base building and character development.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

67% average critic score

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Play time

8hMedian play time
12hAverage play time
4-21hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 10 analyzed playthroughs

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