Warhammer consists of three separate universes that are only partially interconnected. However, they all have their own lore, games, series, and peculiarities. MeinMMO wants to know from you which of the three Warhammer worlds you find the most exciting and what you would like to read more about.
Originally, Warhammer started as a fantasy version and has developed over decades, often simply due to fan interest. Over time, various worlds have emerged from this idea:
- Fantasy, the first world, which is now said to have been destroyed according to lore.
- Age of Sigmar, which continues the story of Fantasy and was long regarded with skepticism.
- Warhammer 40,000, the probably most well-known world of the Warhammer universe in the dark, dystopian future.
Additionally, creator Games Workshop has published some spin-offs that now represent something like their own worlds: The Horus Heresy is the prehistory of Warhammer 40,000 and takes place 10,000 years earlier, basically Warhammer 30k, and The Old World is the return to Warhammer Fantasy, but like The Horus Heresy, it serves as a sort of prequel.
In the community, there are fans for each of these worlds, and most are interested in several of them. However, there are also purists who only stick to their version of Warhammer. Therefore, we want to know from you: Which Warhammer world do you actually like the most? Feel free to write in the comments what makes each world special for you.
You don’t have to commit entirely; you can choose multiple answers. After all, it’s perfectly fine to like multiple Warhammer worlds – both the Codex Astartes and the teachings of Sigmar, as well as the gods of Chaos, allow for that. We have asked.
If you want a little refresher on the worlds before voting, you can find a brief overview with peculiarities further down.
As a small additional survey – purely out of editorial interest to us – we would also be happy if you could briefly tell us which content interests you the most. After all, there are countless different areas around Warhammer, from the hobby with miniatures to books and video games to series and animations.
Warhammer – A Tripartite Universe with Different Worlds
Even though both Age of Sigmar and Fantasy and 40,000 all carry the name Warhammer, they are all independent worlds. They are only connected through the Chaos, which is the same in all worlds – and in the case of Age of Sigmar and Fantasy, through the continuation of lore.
The original Warhammer Fantasy – as well as The Old World – is a classic fantasy world with magic and well-known races like elves, dwarfs, orcs (with a “k”!) and humans. There are numerous steampunk influences and a not so medieval touch due to huge land battleships, cannons, and combat zeppelins. Warhammer-style, everything here is turned up to 11 and exaggerated. The Old World basically tells the prehistory. Some of the longer-living characters reappear there, but the lore is more or less independent.
Here are some of the best games if you want to take a closer look at Warhammer Fantasy.
Age of Sigmar is then the continuation, for in the story the world of Warhammer Fantasy was completely destroyed by Chaos. Karl Franz, the Emperor of Men, along with other important figures, rescued some mortals from the Old World and reached a new world, the realms of mortals, with the help of a dragon. There, a war now reigns between the forces of Chaos, Order, Death, and Destruction. There is even a fifth Chaos God here.
Finally, Warhammer 40,000 is the detached sci-fi version and definitely not “Warhammer but 40,000 years later.” There are even more references to our real world, for instance, the Emperor was born in the area of today’s Turkey and it is suspected that important figures from our history were actually played by him. Compared to Fantasy, the world is (still) more dystopian and grimy, and of course, instead of sword and shield the well-known bolters or superweapons that can destroy entire worlds exist.
By now, Warhammer is long gone from being a niche topic, but is even subject to academic research – similar to Star Trek before.
The short summaries here are just little memory aids for the individual worlds or teasers if you want to learn more about them. A deeper insight into the differences and peculiarities of the various Warhammer versions can be found here: What is actually the difference between Warhammer 40,000, Fantasy and Age of Sigmar? The 3 worlds of Warhammer explained simply
