New Player Help in Rogue Trader features an index of quick guides for New Players to help them start their adventure. On this page, players will find a deeper understanding of the mechanics of Rogue Trader, various tips and tricks, impressions, expectations, and everything that we know about Rogue Trader. Players may also find that Rogue Trader will have many similarities with Dungeons and Dragons tabletop dice mechanics which can ease up the learning curve. This page will especially help those players who are new to the game genre but may also be useful to those with advanced knowledge of Rogue Trader.
Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader Helpful Links
- Combat: Find out about how the turn-based system works and other combat mechanics for Rogue Trader.
- Controls: Learn how to control the characters in Rogue Trader including basic movements, advanced tactics, and environmental interactions.
- FAQ: See all the Frequently Asked Questions about Rogue Trader on various aspects of the game raised by fellow community members.
- Game Progress Route: Read about the breakdown of the game map of Rogue Player that will direct players to find significant NPCs, Locations, Quests, and Boss encounters.
- NPCs: Check out the full list of available NPCs in Rogue Trader who are designed to help with character progression, game progression, and more.
- Companions: Get to know the future members of your crew in Rogue Trader. This page allows you to plan and gather the Companions that you can take with you to the Koronus Expanse.
Rogue Trader New Player Help
Starting Out in Rogue Trader
As you begin the Character Creation in Rogue Trader, the first thing you will notice is the long series of tabs in the middle of your screen. This could get a little overwhelming and this guide here will help you trim out the details and get players to start exploring in a short amount of time. The first thing to consider is if you would be choosing a pre-made character or to customize a new one from scratch.
Players can still customize the pre-made Character to their liking, or if they will be doing a custom character, players can decide on the type of Rogue Trader they want to be. These are the steps in Character Creation for Rogue Trader:
- Custom or Pre-generated Character: There are 3 available characters to choose from (Hecata, Darrius, and Bahardor) or create a custom character.
- Appearance: Choose how your character will look including Hair, Torso, Augmentations, Voice, and even Portrait.
- Homeworld: Your character's birthplace. This provides additional features, modifiers, stats, and learnable talents.
- Origin: This defines your character's past before they became a Rogue Trader.
- Triumphs & Darkest Hour: Provides additional info about the Character's Origin, and is also tied up to the chosen Origin.
- Archetypes: Choose one of the 4 developmental paths for your character which encompasses the set of skills, expertise, as well as combat style.
- Characteristics: Ability scores that determine the effectiveness of your character in different aspects of the game.
- Voidship: Rename and choose the ship that you will be using for your travels.
Rogue Trader: Character Creation and Factors to Consider
Choices that you make during the Character Creation & Customization in Rogue Trader will matter greatly later as you travel through the planets in the Koronus Expanse. Rogue Trader puts an emphasis on creating the finest Rogue Trader and has added various mechanics that will affect the character's Skills, Modifiers, Stats, Talents, and Features.
Players are presented with an opportunity to create a character from scratch or pick from 1 one of the 3 available pre-generated characters. This will include Hecata, Darrius, and Bahardor-- each of these characters has a different combination of Backgrounds and Abilities, but they are created just in case players get overwhelmed by the massive choices available during Character Creation.
Warhammer 40k Rogue Trader features 6 Different Homeworlds that players can come from. Each of these worlds has its own environment and way of life, which can ultimately modify your character in various ways such as Features, Stats, and Talents. This can influence your character's build significantly if you decide to play around it.
Character Origins in Warhammer 40k: Rogue Trader
One of the big choices that you will have to make during Character Creation is your Character's Origin. Origins in Rogue Trader provides your character with additional features, skills, modifiers, talents, and stats and will also impact your roleplay if you choose to engage in that aspect. Additionally, Triumphs and Darkest Hour are determined by your Origin and will have 3 options to choose from. Origins can be described as your character's identity or previous role before they became a Rogue Trader. See the list below that you can choose from:
- Astra Militarum Commander - You have served as one of the commanders of an Astra Militarium Regiment commanding thousands and winning battles in the name of God-Emperor.
- Commissar - You used to be one of those faithful servants of the God-Emperor, a living symbol of Imperium Authority, regarded with a mix of fear and awe by their subordinates.
- Crime Lord - The Imperium survives and prospers in no small part due to the narrowness of its vision, but a rebellious mind and will such as yours could not be so easily constrained. The dark paths of smugglers and renegades that wind behind the facade of Imperial Society offer a dangerous refuge for those unwilling to bow to the law. You used to be one of those dangerous yet resourceful individuals.
- Ministorum Priest - You used to be one of those fiery and charismatic individuals concerned with keeping a close watch on your congregation.
- Navy Officer - You used to be a Navy Officer and a commander of a Voidship, hardened in numerous battles and famous for resounding victories.
- Noble - You grew into adulthood upon a pedestal of affluence and grandeur that towered high above the common Imperial masses. You expected obedience and lived upon the fruits of their toil surrendered to your family in solemn fealty.
- Sanctioned Psyker - Psykers are feared and distrusted but are nonetheless valuable assets to the Imperium. You were one of those found worthy to serve humanity and have miraculously survived the perils of the warp.
Rogue Trader: Triumphs and Darkest Hour
Players also get to choose their Triumphs and Darkest Hour, which are all tied up to the Origin. Players can choose any of the 3 options presented on the tab, and while there isn't information out yet on how this can affect the gameplay, we have reasons to believe that Triumphs and Darkest Hour is directed towards enriching your character's background, or what they have done in their previous life. In the description of each choice, players will find details of their distant past.
Darkest Hour and Triumphs may also be attributed to roleplaying, or how your character reacts in certain situations that may arise in the future.
Characteristics and Skill Points in Warhammer 40K: Rogue Trader
Skills in Rogue Trader reflect a character's basic parameters which measure their ability to solve problems such as managing equipment, detecting fine details, ability to handle explosives with finesse, knowledgeability, handling social situations, and even their toughness in battle. A skill score determines how proficient a character is in different aspects. The higher the skill score, the easier it will be to pass corresponding skill tests, or how well the character can handle different situations.
These Skills will range from Athletics to Logic, and even Medicae. This is also affected by a Characteristic stat which determines the physicality of your character, how they will react to certain attacks and situations, their knowledge level, etc.
Rogue Trader: Choosing a Homeworld
A Homeworld in Rogue Trader defines the birthplace of the Main Character and the kind of world that they have lived and thrived in. Each of these worlds has its own environment and way of life, which can ultimately modify your character in various ways such as Features, Stats, and Talents. This can influence your character's build significantly if you decide to play around it. Players can choose from the 6 different Homeworlds and each of them presents a unique environment and even a system of their own.
Death World - On Death Worlds, the plants, beasts, and sometimes even the environment itself take aggressive and destructive forms inimical to human life. Whilst exceptionally difficult to colonize, many death worlds possess valuable resources that require an Outpost or other human presence upon the planet's surface to harvest. These harsh environments result in some of the hardiest and most resilient populations in the galaxy. Those tested and found wanting die young.
Voidborn - Voidborns are humans birthed in the belly of a void vessel or aboard an ancient orbital satellite. Those who have lived their lives on Voidships become inured to some extent due to the reality-altering process of warp travel and to living in low or zero-gravity environments. In many cases, their features are drawn and their skin pallid. They may even have minor deformities, or a strangeness to their speech, gait, or general appearance that sets them apart from others.
Hive World - A Hive World's population is so dense that great swathes of the world's surface are frequently covered in gargantuan cities bejeweled with towering spires that pierce the atmosphere. Hive Worlds are vital to the welfare of the Imperium and are the beating heart of its economy and war machine. They produce munitions for the Emperor's armies in vast manufactories, mine valuable minerals, and refine fuel for the Imperial Fleet. Innumerable regiments of the Astra Militarum are raised from their massive populations as well.
Forge World - Forge World Characters choose one augmentation system from the following list, which serves as their Feature. This is unique to the Forge World Characters, unlike other Homeworlds where their feature is automatically set. Additionally, Forge World Characters also gain bonus points to Intelligence and Toughness, while decreasing their Fellowship.
- Subskin Armour: Grants +(5 + 2 TGH Bonus)% Armour.
- Locomotion System: Grants +(AG bonus /2) MP and +(2 x AGI bonus)% dodge.
- Analytics System: Grants +(10 + INT bonus)% critical hit chance.
Imperial World - Imperial World Characters do not get any bonuses instead, they gain the Feature: Humanity's Finest which gives them the option to choose which characteristic/skill (except for Weapon or Ballistic Skill) and add a +10 bonus, without any negatives to another stat.
Fortress World - Fortress Worlds are planets where the entire populace is immersed in Warfare. They constantly train for the day that they may be called upon to defend the Imperium. A charge they solemnly uphold. Fortress Worlds are established as bulwarks against the enemy and every citizen is a soldier, trained to fight from the moment they can handle a weapon.
Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader Archetypes
Archetypes are essentially the classes or developmental paths that your characters follow. Each Archetype encapsulates a unique set of skills and expertise and represents a specific combat specialization-- from the frontline warrior to the indispensable leader preferring to command from the rear. Archetypes in Warhammer 40K allow you to choose who you want to be in the grim dark future of Rogue Trader.
The chosen Archetype of your character will work together with the right Homeworld and Origin while making sure that it matches your preferred playstyle for your crew. Archetypes are divided into 3 categories: Basic, Advanced, and Exemplar.
At Level 1, players can choose from the 4 Basic Archetypes:
- Warrior
- Officer
- Operative
- Marksman
As players gain experience and explore the expanses, they will be able to progress and level up their Archetypes once they reach Level 16. They can now choose from the Advanced Archetypes before moving on to become an Exemplar. Selecting a Basic Archetype will limit your choices to some of these Advanced Archetypes:
- Assassin
- Vanguard
- Bounty Hunter
- Master Tactician
- Grand Strategist
- Arch-Militant
Once players reach level 36, they can unlock the Exemplar Archetype which will allow them to learn Abilities and Talents based on their previous Archetypes and level them further.
Rogue Trader Basic Combat and Mechanics
Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader features a core system and mechanics that is based on a tabletop game of the same name, although there have been some modifications implemented by Owlcat Games, players will still find many similarities. If you're familiar with the tabletop game, this will make understanding the game a lot easier. Below, you will find the Mechanics, Survival Guide, and Basic Combat Tips for Rogue Trader.
How Turn-Based Combat Works in Rogue Trader
Rogue Trader is a CRPG that will have a turn-based combat style as you plan and make your next steps. The ruleset for combat mechanics won't be a complete adaptation but still, some elements will be taken from it. Combat is dependent on the outcome of d10 dice rolls, depending on the resulting value plus modifiers that will decrease or increase the chance of success or failure in an event, such as hitting an enemy from a distance with a weapon. These modifiers can be changed by gaining a status effect or granted as a passive effect from the character's Equipment.
A combat sequence starts by determining the initiative order of every character involved in the fight unless the battle is triggered by certain conditions such as a surprise or sneak attack. Each character has a limited amount actions available to perform during their turn.
The classic rule is to limit the amount of distance movement and a main action that may be able to split into 2 half actions according to different sets of variables, and usually, there are also opportunity actions triggered by special conditions that won't consume the available action, or it may also be possible to perform this action out of the character's turn.
Entering Combat in Rogue Trader
As you enter a combat encounter with enemies, there will be 2 ways you begin combat: If you are aware that you'll get into combat, your party enters a Preparation Phase where you can set up your crew in strategic spots. This phase greatly helps in planning your attack and how well your crew will do in combat. However, if you are surprised by an enemy attack, you are not allowed to enter the Preparation Phase instead, the combat will begin immediately and your crew will be stuck to whichever position they were last standing before the encounter.
All members of your crew will also immediately start rolling for initiative, this determines the turn order in combat. This is calculated by your Agility and Perception bonuses, then divided by 2, and combined with a d10 roll. This formula serves as the base guide and it is important to note that it is a common encounter wherein enemies will outnumber your party. If a player is not careful, they can get overwhelmed by the sheer count of enemies, despite being more powerful than them. It is important to plan out your moves so that you can take out weaker enemies in as few moves as possible. Players can pull this off by taking advantage of AoE attacks and eliminating enemies that are grouped together.
Consumables in Rogue Trader
In Rogue Trader, consumables are Items that can be used in and out of combat. While in combat, Consumables can provide you with a tactical edge in how you tackle a combat situation. Each members of your crew including the Rogue Trader protagonist will have access to 4 consumables slots that can be used to hold a variety of things: Healing items, Throwables, and even Grenades. Utilizing consumables effectively can make a significant difference in the outcome of battles, and before heading into combat, it is important to familiarize yourself with the consumables at your disposal. Planning ahead is also crucial to yield favorable results.
Not all fight is the same in Rogue Trader and different situations call for different uses of consumables. It is important that you prioritize what you have in your Inventory based on the urgency of the situation. Consumables are limited resources and after the uses are depleted, the item is automatically removed from Inventory.
What is the Momentum Bar in Rogue Trader
Rogue Trader features the concept of a Momentum that gives characters a chance to pull off a special attack. The Momentum Bar is displayed on the right side of the portrait and collects a type of energy depending on how the character is performing in combat. Once the bar is filled up, the character will be able to perform a "Heroic Act" or a "Desperate Measure". These abilities that a character can pull off are based on the Archetype and vary from one to another.
The Momentum Bar increases if you're doing well and decreases if you're performing poorly. Both of these events can either lead to performing a "Heroic Act" or a "Desperate Measure". This means that, even when your character is performing poorly, they have a chance for redemption once they pull off a Desperate Measure which can turn the tides of battle in their favor.
The main thing that affects the Momentum Bar is the Resolve, which can be found in the Equipment stats within the Character tab. This determines how much Momentum your character gains each time they begin their turn and when they kill an enemy. You may notice that enemies tend to overwhelm your party in terms of number and you can use this to your advantage by eliminating the weaker enemies by building up your Momentum bar and using the Heroic Act to wipe out the remaining enemies.
Movement and Action Points in Rogue Trader
During Combat in Rogue Trader, each of the character's turn is split into Movement Points and Action Points. The Movement points refer to the number of tiles your character can move per turn, while the Action Points are a combination of Abilities and Attacks.
A typical combat sequence in Rogue Trader only allows a character to attack once, and then that character's turn is immediately over. All the other Action and Movement points will be taken which limits any other movements, however, there are certain Abilities and scenarios that will allow characters to override this. Winning a battle in Rogue Trader depends heavily on planning ahead and allowing yourself to maximize your moves each turn and take out as many enemies as you can until you run out of Action & Movement Points. Additionally, there are character-based special abilities that will allow you to perform attacks that will not count against a character's attack limit for that turn.
Equipment Stats in Rogue Trader
There are Equipment Stats that will affect how your character will do well in combat. This refers to Deflection, Armor, Dodge, Dodge Reduction, and Resolve. Players will find these numbers under the Portrait of their Character Tab. These equipment stats are affected by a number of things. For Deflection, this refers to the amount of damage received that will be reduced based on the current points. Players can usually earn Deflection points by wearing a Heavy Armor or Armor Properties. For example, if a Character has +1 point in Deflection, any attack that will be made against that character will be reduced by 1 point.
Deflection also works hand-in-hand with Armour, which is another stat affecting the damage received by the character. This refers to the percentage of damage that is reduced by the character's armor and is deducted after damage Deflection every time the character takes a hit. If your character is to take a 3-point damage with a +1 Deflection and 20% Armour, that hit will first be reduced by 1 due to Deflection, and then reduced by 20%, resulting in a 1.8 damage.
There are also other ways for a Character to avoid getting hit in Rogue Trader, which is the Dodge stat that comes with a Base Chance of 30% + Agility and is further calculated based on the (30+target Agility - attacker Perception)%. However, this percentage is also affected by other Abilities and Stats that influence Dodge Chance and the attacker's Perception values. Next, we have the Dodge Reduction which determines how much a character reduces enemies' chances to dodge their attacks. The Dodge Reduction is further affected by the weapon the character is currently using, which also adds to the deciding factor on how well they will do in combat.
Finally, Resolve is the last stat that can be found under the Character tab. Resolve is the stat that influences how efficient and how long characters can remain in combat. It also determines the amount of Momentum gained at the beginning of each turn or after killing an enemy.
Taking Cover in Rogue Trader
Cover in Rogue Trader depends largely on the difficulty settings of the game. However, the baseline of cover indicates that a half cover will reduce an incoming enemy attack's hit chance by 35%, whereas a full cover reduces hit chance by over 60%. While in combat, it is important to consider the positioning of your characters by making sure that you are not leaving them out in the open and taking advantage of the Cover Mechanics in Rogue Trader.
Veil Thickness in Rogue Trader
Players will find the Veil Thickness on the left side of the portrait, opposite the Momentum Bar. This bar determines the chance of a Psyker to draw in the Warp when they use certain abilities. The Warp serves as the channel wherein the Chaos can travel into the world. When Psykers use their abilities (both friendly and enemies), this bar will fill up. When the veil reaches a specific threshold, the continued use of psychic powers will lead to chaotic effects during combat, like summoning more enemies.
A powerful Psyker with destructive abilities has a bigger chance of drawing attention which results in getting more enemies. It is important to manage using the abilities of a Psyker during combat to not risk having a disadvantage for your party during combat.
Healing and Rest Mechanics in Rogue Trader
Each time your party leaves a Combat sequence, all members will become fully healed. However, certain combat situations can result in Injury and Trauma which will persist outside of combat. This can happen when characters take enough damage, or when a character goes down in combat, they will have Trauma. This can also happen during exploration if characters step on enough traps that can cause damage.
Players can usually get rid of injuries using a Medicae skill, but a Trauma will have a persistent effect on Characteristic stats, which impedes the combat effectiveness of that character. Traumas can only be healed when returning to the Voidship, or any other situation indicating that your crew has been well-rested. If a crew member continues exploring while having a Trauma, this may result in them performing poorly in combat despite being fully healed.
Voidship Combat for Rogue Trader
Combat in Rogue Trader not only takes place on the ground but can also happen in Space while riding the Voidship. A Rogue Trader's responsibility includes managing their own Trade Empire while exploring the Koronus Expanse for the Lord Emperor of The Imperium. The only mode of transportation for the Rogue Trader and their crew is the Voidship.
Players will acquire their Voidship immediately during Character Creation, where they can choose 1 from the 3 available ships. This is mostly a cosmetic choice for the players to decide on how their Voidship will appear because the stats are all the same across ships, and players can upgrade and customize their Voidships later on.
Sword Class Frigate
The Sword-Class Frigate is a classic combat ship design, proven in thousands of battles. Combining decent firepower, high speed, and respectable survivability.
- Dimensions: 1.6km in length, 0.3km abeam at the fins.
- Mass: 6 megatonnes, approx.
- Crew: 26,000, approx.
Falchion Class Frigate
The Falchion-Class Frigate is a more advanced and modern design that was developed only five centuries ago but has already proven to be as good as veteran frigates like the Sword-class.
- Dimensions: 2.2km in length, 0.3km abeam at the fins.
- Mass: 6.5 megatonnes, approx.
- Crew: 27,000, approx.
Firestorm Class Frigate
The Firestorm-Class Frigate is a modification of the Sword-class designed to deliver fire strikes against larger enemy ships, not shying away from engagements with a superior opponent.
- Dimensions: 1.8km in length, 0.3km abeam at the fins.
- Mass: 6 megatonnes, approx.
- Crew: 25,000, approx.
Voidship Combat Movement Zones in Rogue Trader
Unlike ground combat, a Voidship has 3 movement phases which directly affects the timing of specific Abilities. For the most part of the Voidship Combat, players will be required to use up all of their movement phases in every turn, which also represents the high-speed movement of the Voidships. A turn-based game limits the speed representation inaccurately so instead, Voidships will have different Movement phases.
When you're looking at the tiles of where your Voidship can travel to, the Start phase is represented by the green outlines, then you have the Middle phase and End phase. As you take your turn, you will need to use up all the Movement Phases, players will notice the limited Maneuverability of the ship and this depends on the type of the equipped Engine. The better engine you have, the further your ship can travel, as well as better control of the Voidship.
Weapon Usage and Shields for Voidship Combat in Rogue Trader
When engaging enemies in Voidship Combat, players have a chance to use each of the Weapons once. Voidships are designed to have weapons depending on where you install them, so it's important to factor in the positioning of your Voidships and where they are facing. Additionally, you have to make sure that the enemies are within range for your attacks to hit.
Voidships are also protected by shields, wherein they can absorb a certain amount of damage before the Voidship takes direct damage. A damaged shield does not recover at the start of the next turn, but it can be restored using the Restart Shields (Action) on the panel at the bottom of the screen. Using the Restart Shields will reduce the combat efficiency of the Voidship. During the next turn, it will have reduced movement speed and firing range. The good news is, players can still fire their Weapons once even during the Restart Shields phase, as long as the enemy is within range and direction.
Voidship Skills in Rogue Trader
A Voidship has its own upgrade paths and can learn two types of Abilities: Ultimate Abilities and Post Abilities. As mentioned earlier, the Voidship has a total of 6 posts, and each of those posts has associated Abilities. The Abilities can be used as soon as they go on cooldown, or after a specified amount of turns, whereas the Ultimate Abilities, which are far stronger and have a more powerful effect, can only be used once per combat.
Companions and Posts in Voidship Combat Rogue Trader
A Voidship can get more abilities by assigning Companions to Posts in Rogue Trader. There is a total of 6 posts and each of them is associated with a specific stat granting certain Abilities to your ship as well as reducing turns for cooldown and increasing the effectivity of certain Abilities. To ensure that you can max out the abilities of your ship, make sure to assign your crew members accordingly.
Voidship Parts in Rogue Trader
The ship in Rogue Trader is divided into the following parts:
- Hull
- Ram
- Weapon Slots (Port, Starboard, Prow, Dorsal, and Secondary Prow)
- Engine
- Shields
- Auspex
- Armour
For the Weapon Slots, there are 5 different sub-parts that determine the direction in which the part is facing. Depending on the type of weapon equipped, the range of the attack will also vary. Typically, a lance-type can reach further and fire directly in front of it. This means that the type of attack that your ship is capable of, will be determined by how you choose your ship parts.
2 of the unique Upgrades that you can make for your Voidship are the Ram and Hull. As you complete and emerge victorious in Space combat, you will obtain scraps that can be used for these upgrades. A high-level Ram allows your ship the ability to directly crash and hit targets in front of you. This will give you a little bit of damage but will deal much more to the enemies.
Where to Find Ship Parts in Rogue Trader
Voidship Parts are typically obtained by exploring and completing Quests. There is also a specific Merchant called the Imperial Navy that sells the bulk of the Ship Parts. Before you can start buying, the Imperial Navy will ask you to deliver a specific set of items that will increase your reputation. You can mostly acquire these items by destroying enemy ships. Then, you can trade those parts for better ship parts that you can use for Upgrades.
