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Warhammer 40k Rogue Trader was finally released this December 7, 2023, and it is really good. If you’ve been reading from our outlet for the past few months, you can tell we’re obsessed with Baldur’s Gate 3 (BG3). Naturally, that means some serious BG3 hangover. If you’re struggling to scratch that tabletop itch, you’re in luck because Warhammer 40k Rogue Trader is exactly the game you’re looking for.
What’s Warhammer 40k Rogue Trader?
Warhammer 40k Rogue Trader is a tactical RPG developed by Owlcat Games, the same studio that made the Pathfinder games. Owlcat has a lot of experience making games like this so they didn’t reinvent the wheel, instead sticking to tried and true turn-based combat to really make you feel like you’re playing as your party of characters. The UI looks clean but is still decidedly Warhammer.
Rogue Trader is based on a table-top Warhammer game of the same name.
Nope, you don’t need to know anything about Warhammer 40k
While the game is a great video game adaptation of the Warhammer 40k universe, you don’t need to know anything about the tabletop game version. You play as the unexpected heir of a Rogue Trader, a hereditary office that basically means you’re government-sanctioned space capitalist nobles, and that’s your in-game explanation for why you’re traveling the universe.
Warhammer 40k Rogue Trader Archetype Guide
Rogue Trader may have fantasy elements mixed into it’s sci-fi brew, but don’t expect any playable races as you would have in Baldur’s Gate 3. Not to mention, there’s no place for xenos in the Emperor’s Imperium. Sure, you get to romance them, but you can’t be one.
Players can start their game as one of the four Archetypes: Warrior, Officer, Operatie, and Soldier. As you gain experience, you can build your stat tree and later, at level 16, choose an advanced class inside of your archetype.
Some Archetypes serve certain functions better than others, here’s what we recommend based on the role you want a character to take:
- Officer: A support Archetype that centers on buffing other companions.
- Warrior: Best used as your main attacker. The Warrior archetype is very powerful on its own and takes hits in stride.
- Soldier: You got your DPS in the Warrior, but the Soldier gives you constant Sub DPS to go with that. This fighter specializes in long-range damage.
- Operative: The Operative does more than attack from a distance, they’re the tacticians of your game and are adept at calculating the outcome of a battle. Inverse to the Officer, the Operative gives your team more damage dealt by debuffing enemies.
Warhammer 40k Rogue Trader Companion Romances
Roleplaying games these days are still split on whether the companions should have sexual preferences or if they’re just player-sexual. Warhammer 40k Rogue Trader is the former. You get five romance options, but you need to decide ahead of time what gender you want to play as since that will limit who you get to romance.
- Marzhai Aezyrraesh: Marazhai is a Drukhari warrior and a bit of a bad boy. Well, more than a bit. He has no sex preference.
- Yrliet Lanaevyss: Another xeno romance option, Yrliet is an Aeldari that you can romance whether you’re playing a guy or a gal. Her romance is a slow burn though, so be patient!
- Heinrix Van Calox: Just by the look of him, you know he’s only into women. Heinrix is an interrogator with psychic powers and an inability to take a joke. We leave the rest to your imagination.
- Jae Heydari: A charismatic flirt, Jae is easy to strike up a romance with and even better, she doesn’t care who you are.
- Cassia Orsellio: Cassia is the only navigator in your game, well, that you can play with. Your character doesn’t get to choose her class. She’s a bit of a most-interesting-girl-in-the-world type. She’s the heiress of a Navis Nobilite House who only likes you if you keep calling her pretty.
Where can I play Warhammer 40k Rogue Trader?
You can play Warhammer 40k Rogue Trader by downloading the game on Humble Bundle.
