10 tips for beginners in Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader

Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader this is a massive game and new players will have a lot to learn when they take on the role of lord captain. It has all the complexity you'd expect from a CRPG, and it's filled with the famous deep history of the Warhammer 40k galaxy.

From exploring the hidden places of Koronus to fighting the enemies of humanity, these tips will make sure you're ready to face whatever horrors lurk in the void. No spoilers here, so read on before starting a new game; you'll be glad you did.

Updated by Matt Arnold on November 3, 2024: With the release of Void Shadows, it's a great time to return to the Koronus Expanse. Whether you're exploring this sector of the galaxy for the first time, or you've returned to test yourself in the new hardcore Grim Darkness mode, we've added a few tips to help ensure your void ship is sailing smoothly through the currents of the Warp.

10

Gather your group as you explore

“As the emperor protects, so must we.”

Moving outside of combat, only the highlighted characters at the top of the screen will respond to commands. If only one character is highlighted, you run the risk of bumping into a meeting with the rest of the retinue far away.

At the beginning of each expedition, select your entire team before you go anywhere. Moving this way will make the suite stay together.

If you click on an object that can interact when you are grouped, such as an item container or a switch, then nearest character will proceed to the investigation. If the object requires a skill check then character best suited for the task will automatically move to make an attempt.

9

Search the map for loot you missed

“A suspicious mind is a sound mind.”

Almost every place you visit has all kinds of recovery goods; discarded gear, clues for your current mission, and valuable cargo that you can bring back to the ship for profit are just some of the things you'll find. However, you will need to keep holding Tab to highlight them so that it is easy to miss elements that would otherwise be obvious.

Fortunately, the map shows every cargo container that comes into view of your retinueeven if you've never highlighted it or hovered over it. Sdamn map before leaving any place; it's almost always worth going back to collect everything.

8

Use all your AP every turn

“Heresy grows out of inaction.”

Characters gain four AP (Action Points) each turn in combat. In most cases, a character can only attack once, so they often have some AP left.

So there's no reason to leave AP unspent look for reasons to use non-damaging abilitiesspecifically buffs or debuffs. Even a small advantage is better than no advantage at all!

End your turn only when there is nothing else to do.

7

Note the veil

“Fools are those who fear nothing, but claim to know everything.”

Whenever a character—friend or foe—uses a psychic ability, Veil Degradation Meter on the left side, the HUD rises. The higher it gets, the more likely it is to trigger a psychic power Dangers of deformationleading to unintended (usually dangerous) consequences.

Warp Hazards can trigger even when the velometer is at zero – using the powers of the Imaterium is never without risk!

The benefits of using psyker powers usually outweigh the risks, but if you're not careful, you can accidentally summon a demon… or worse. If you start seeing ghosts, it means that the Veil is reaching a critical state – avoid using extra psychic abilities until it cools down.

In some areas, the Veil is naturally weak – it might be better to leave the psyker characters on the ship for missions in such places.

6

Use grenades

“Cowards die of shame.”

Your entourage will be outnumbered in almost every battle throughout the game. Grenades – especially your basic frag grenades – are the perfect way to even the odds.

It's not just grenades that are superior clearing closely grouped enemiesthey are also a great way bypass the limitations of line of sight at close range. If you can't shoot an enemy or get close enough for hand-to-hand combat, throwing a grenade will usually do the job just fine.

5

Ship any non-exclusive loot

“Go soft and carry a big gun.”

You will find a lot of loot in this game. One of the benefits of being a rogue trader is that you can take whatever you findbut the downside is that your inventory will quickly become clogged with rubber gun debris and other assorted junk if you're not careful.

A good way to avoid this is this ship any piece of equipment that is not immediately exceptional straight to the load as soon as you find it. This not only makes your inventory nice and tidy, but also indicates future copies of the element to also automatically pack for shipping.

You still have the choice to manually pick up or pack items when you find them.

Acquiring this habit from the start of the game also means that you will more cargo to trade with merchantseven during the Prologue. As a result, having access to higher reputation gear can make early missions much easier.

4

Specialize your companions

“Knowledge is power; take good care of them.'

Even though your team levels up quite often in Rogue Trader, everyone progresses only comes with one or two updates at a time. This effectively makes it impossible to have a true jack of all trades. Instead focus on what each party member excels at.

Pay attention to which stats are important to a character's combat abilitiesand try to maximize these characteristics. If you have the opportunity to learn a new skill, choose the ones that match the best stats and skills of the character. By the time you leave the Rykad system, you'll have enough specializations to handle any challenges you face with ease.

3

Use both weapon slots

“Great weapons never tire.”

Most characters have slots for two sets of weaponseach of which can hold a single two-handed weapon, such as a bolter or psyker staff, or a smaller weapon in each hand, typically a melee weapon and a pistol. You can switch between these weapon sets at will in combat, effectively doubling each character's abilities. In most cases, it's better to give each character one charge for meleeand another for ranged combat. If you like a risky strategy, you can too equip a multi-purpose psyker with two different caneswhich gives them access to most or all of their monstrous powers.

2

A little friendly fire is fine

“Success is measured by blood: yours or the enemy's.”

You don't have to worry about eternal death in Rogue Trader, so you can afford to take more risks than in other games. Characters are fully healed at the end of each battlebut if they take a lot of damage or faint they will have to suffer some debilitating debuffs until you can get them back to the ship.

This means that if there are not enough chips, you can afford to deal a little damage to your allies if it means dealing a lot of damage to your enemies. Alternate fire and terrain attacks can cut down a friendly character, but if you're smart about it, you can use it to win the battle without long-term consequences.

1

Always carry Argenta and Abelard

“They will be My best warriors, those who give themselves to Me.”

If you're not too picky about your roleplaying goals, you'll quickly gather a large group of companions willing to follow you into battle. Since you can only take six characters with you on a mission, including the Lord Captain, you'll have to leave some behind. Who you bring is up to you, but in almost every case, Martial sister of Argent and Seneschal Abelard should be on your team.

Abelyar is there one of the only dedicated melee characters available from the start, and even if your Lord Captain is a melee fighter, you'll want to have another strong sword on your team. Even once Henrix joins in, it's hard to argue with the sheer tank power that Abelard brings.

Argenta, meanwhile, appears a one-man army capable of taking down a group of enemies on her own with a bolt gun or flamethrower…or both! Not only is she capable of racking up a staggering amount of kills, but her prayers make things much easier build momentum, which benefits the entire team, allowing you to unleash heroics.