Ascension
Quick Reference
- Triggered when either (or both) crews have completed their Tier 3 Quests
- If only one crew has completed Tier 3: that crew is the Attacker
- If both crews have completed Tier 3: the Underdog is the Attacker
- Always played in the Wasteland
- Rounds: Six (add two Round Tracker Tokens)
- Deployment Pool: Six Objective Tokens + six Search Tokens (eight total)
- Victory (one crew eligible): Attacker needs models within Proximity of at least four Uncontested Objectives to Ascend; otherwise Attacker is Annihilated and Defender gains 10 XP + 2 Reach
- Victory (both crews eligible): Crew with most Uncontested Objectives Ascends into Legend; crew with least is Annihilated
You've poured blood, sweat, and tears into reaching the height of your power. If you succeed, you'll rise above the petty squabbles of the Wasteland and leave your boot print on its ashen surface. [Rulebook pg. 44]
After completing their Tier 3 Quests (pg. 56), a crew can attempt to Ascend to Legend with this Objective. When Preparing to Play, during the Determine Objectives stage, if either (or both) player crews have completed their Tier 3 Goals, then the game becomes an Ascension game. [Rulebook pg. 44]
In an Ascension game, if only one crew has completed its Tier 3 Goals, that player is the Attacker. If both crews have completed their Tier 3 Goals, then the Underdog is the Attacker. Ascension games are always played in the Wasteland. Once this Objective is chosen, continue to 5. Determine Hazards (pg. 39). [Rulebook pg. 44]
Rounds
Add two Round Tracker Tokens next to the Battlefield. An Ascension game lasts six Rounds. [Rulebook pg. 44]
Errata
An Ascension game lasts six Rounds, unless one of the two Story Outcomes has not been reached by the end of Round 6. If so, additional Rounds are played until a Round ends where one of the Story Outcomes has been reached. [Errata Q2 2026]
Deployment Pool
Add six Objective Tokens and six Search Tokens (for a total of eight) into the Deployment Pool. [Rulebook pg. 44]
Story Outcome
Depending on if both crews have completed their Tier 3 Goals, the Story Outcome of an Ascension Game will differ. [Rulebook pg. 44]
If only the Attacker has completed their Tier 3 Goals
At the end of the game, if the Attacker has models within proximity of at least four Uncontested Objectives, their crew Ascends into Legend. An Objective is Uncontested for a player if only Friendly models are within Proximity of it. Otherwise, the Attacker is Annihilated (pg. 45) and the Defender gains 10 XP and 2 Reach. [Rulebook pg. 44]
If both crews have completed their Tier 3 Goals
At the end of the game, the crew with models within proximity of the most Uncontested Objectives Ascends into Legend. An Objective is Uncontested for a player if only Friendly models are within Proximity of it. The crew with models within proximity of the least Uncontested Objectives is Annihilated (pg. 45). [Rulebook pg. 44]
During the Treat the Wounded step of the Story Phase, ignore the Captured result on the Aftermath Table. [Rulebook pg. 44]
Ascension Table
When a crew Ascends into Legend, roll a die for each Champion (including the current Leader) and consult the table below. [Rulebook pg. 44]
| # | Epilogue | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Noble End | Shortly after the battle that founded the crew's legend, this champion died as a hero in a dramatic fashion. If you create a new crew of this Faction in this Campaign, you may add a Monument Facility to your new Home Turf in addition to your starting Facility—a monument to the hero. |
| 2 | Started Their Own Crew | If you create a new crew of this Faction in this Campaign, you may choose to make this model its Leader. The model gains the Natural Leader Perk and Leader Class if it did not already, and does not count towards your Rating Limit when creating the crew. Any Upgrades the model has remains, but are not counted against their new Upgrade Limit, so mark 0 under this model's Upgrades on your Game Sheet. |
| 3 | Vault Hunter | This champion becomes a Vault Hunter, pointing out a yet unsealed Vault to future crews. If you create a new crew of this Faction in this Campaign, you may add an Unopened Vault Facility to your new Home Turf in addition to your starting Facility. |
| 4–5 | Captured | An Enemy crew takes this Champion Captive (pg. 55). A randomly determined enemy player's crew in your campaign takes this model Captive. If you create a new crew of this Faction in this Campaign, you may treat that model as one from your crew, and may select the Rescue Objective (pg. 47) in games against that player's crew. |
| 6–9 | Legend | After rolling this result, you may Upgrade this model once, as if you were performing the Crew Training Story Action. This upgrade has no XP cost. Once the Upgrade is completed, this model becomes a Legend of the Wasteland available for hire in the current campaign. |
| 10 | True Legend | The model gains +1 to all of its S.P.E.C.I.A.L. stats (up to the maximum for each). This model becomes a Legend of the Wasteland available for hire in the current campaign. |
Ascension Abilities
When a crew Ascends to Legend, it unlocks an Ascension Ability for all crews of the same Faction within an ongoing campaign. Ascension Abilities are static bonuses applied to a campaign usable only by the Faction linked to that Ability, and each one affects the game differently; for the full descriptions of each Ability, see the Factions Quest Lines (pgs. 82–89). Once an Ascension Ability has been unlocked, it is added to the Campaign Sheet (or in a location that all players involved in the campaign can see the information), and can be used by any crew of the same Faction. For example, if Jamie's Super Mutant crew Ascends to Legend and unlocks the Genetic Splicing ability, it can now be used by any Super Mutant crew in that campaign. [Rulebook pg. 45]
In a campaign, no Faction can have more than one active Ascension Ability. If a second crew from that Faction Ascends, their unlocked Ascension Ability overrides the currently existing one. [Rulebook pg. 45]
Ascend into Legend
When a crew Ascends into Legend, they unlock their Ascension Ability of the Quest they selected at Crew Creation for the campaign, and then Disbands, their Leader having achieved their goals and concluding their story. When a crew Disbands, the player rolls a die for each Champion, including the current Leader, in the crew and consults the Ascension Table (pg. 44) to see how that Champion's story will continue. Afterwards, the Crew Roster is removed from the Campaign, and its player should make a new crew; perhaps even led by a Champion from the old crew! [Rulebook pg. 45]