Pyromancer Build Guide – Rogue Trader

Few things cause more mayhem on a battlefield than fire, which spreads death and destruction to both single and AOE targets alike. Read on for my Pyromancer build guide for Rogue Trader.

Updated: January 15, 2023

This build is current to the 1.0.93 patch!

Best Pyromancer Build in Warhammer 40k Rogue Trader

Below you’ll find a list of the best abilities, skills, talents, and characteristics to choose at each level if you want to build a Pyromancer as your main character in Rogue Trader. Choose the following during early character setup: 

• Homeworld: Voidborn (+5 Intelligence and Willpower, -5 Strength, plus a chance to reroll many failed tests)
• Origin: Sanctioned Psyker
• Sanctioned Psyker: Pyromancer
• Archetype: Operative
• Characteristics: Raise Willpower to 50, Perception and Intelligence to 40, and Agility to 35.

This build will take you through the first 15 levels of the game, where you’ll get to make a second choice of direction. If you decide you want to go a different path at any point, due to the composition of your party being unbalanced, don’t worry. It is simple to respec at any time. 

Related: Rogue Trader – All Psyker Schools, explained

Best Pyromancer Characteristics in Warhammer 40k Rogue Trader

You have two key stats that will govern your Pyromancer’s damage output (Willpower and Perception), so concentrate the majority of your attention there. However, there are a few more stats that you shouldn’t ignore.

• Willpower: Boosts Psychic abilities as well as saving against them and other terrors of warp space. 
• Perception: Buffs many of your damage skills, while reducing enemy Dodge and raising your Awareness skill.
• Agility: Improves both Initiative and Dodge, so always nice to improve when you can. 
• Intelligence: Used to enhance many Operative abilities. This build doesn’t use many of these early, but you may want to move more into them at later levels. 

Best Pyromancer Skills in Warhammer 40k Rogue Trader

Skills should be spread around your team, and it isn’t important who has what as long as you cover everything as well as possible. However, certain skills do suit the Pyromancer more due to the stats you’ll be raising.

• Awareness: Based on the Perception characteristic, having one or more teammates with good Awareness is crucial to spot traps, hidden passages, and other hidden objects.
• Tech-Use: Another crucial (Perception-based) skill, as it allows you to understand and operate machinery. This can be anything from doors and containers to computers. 
• Logic: Governed by Intelligence, Logic can give you new dialogue options while allowing you to see through conversational inconsistencies. Als helps when using Cogitators.

Best Pyromancer Talents in Warhammer 40k Rogue Trader

This is where you flesh out your Pyromancer to make them unique, doubling down on what makes them special, while adding a few extra fiery strings to the bow. 

• Backdraft: When you deal damage with a psychic attack, a random enemy within 2 squares of the target suffers half the damage. 
• Bloody Mess: Any Crit you land has a 10 percent chance to do double damage. 
• Fresh Target: Attacking a target on full Wounds deals bonus damage (based on Perception bonus). 
• Instant Exposure: Expose Weakness now costs 0AP.
• Melting Armor: Reduces the Armor of enemies you hit by 3 percent (so if they had 30 percent armor it would be reduced to 27 percent). If already 0, Deflection is instead reduced by 1. 
• Psy Rating: A crucial talent for any Psyker as it increases the power of practically all of your psychic abilities, as well as opening up pathways to new psychic powers.
• Psychic Barrage: Psychic attacks made from at least six squares do +3 Damage. 
• Sparks of the Greater Flame: DoT effects you apply have a higher Crit chance.

Related: Idira Build Guide – Rogue Trader

Best Pyromancer Abilities in Warhammer 40k Rogue Trader

This is a full-on Pyromancer damage build, making enemies easier to hit and then spreading burn damage far and wide. Do your best to protect your allies from burn damage, as once things get messy, fire doesn’t pick sides! 

• Analyse Enemies: Add 1x Exploit to all enemies in LOS. Do extra damage (based on your Perception Bonus) if you hit any target with an Exploit.
• Dismantling Attack: Inflict 1x Exploit on all enemies in the battle. Make 1 free attack on any target with a 100 percent hit chance. The target also gets a permanent dodge and Armoe debuff.  
• Expose Weakness: Remove all Exploits from a target to decrease its Dodge, Parry, and Armor (also based on Perception bonus) for one turn. 
• Ignite: A single target psychic ranged attack (damage based on your Psy rating) that also adds a Warp Burn DoT (damage combines your Willpower and Psy ratings). 
• Molten Beam: Double Ignite (above) psychic damage to everything in a 12-square line. Also reduces the Armor of targets (based on your Psy rating), adding the Warp Burn DoT if their Armor hits 0.  
• Firestorm: Every unit in a 12-square target area with a Burn or Warp Burn effect gives any adjacent units the psychic damage effect of a hit from your Ignite ability.  

Best Pyromancer Items in Warhammer 40k Rogue Trader

Equip the best two Staff weapons you can find, making sure each has a different unique ability. I like the Diviner’s Staff (the next hit on the target is a guaranteed Crit) paired with the Charged Staff (lightning attack), switching as required. 

In terms of armor, stick with the light stuff. Sysnskin or Psychic Bodyglove is awesome early on, giving you a 65+ percent Dodge chance. Beyond that, look for any accessories that improve your core skills and abilities. 

How to play Pyromancer in Warhammer 40k Rogue Trader

This Pyromancer is very much a glass cannon that needs to be kept clear of melee and left with a clear remit to survey the battlefield and pick targets at will. Damage is hard, fast, and escalating, so try to target pockets of closely knit enemies largely away from allies. 

Try to spread your damage by DOTs as much as possible, letting damage build and spread while giving even more chances to land crits on multiple targets. This Pyromancer pairs well with a tough tank and another support unit capable of strong crowd control. 

Looking for more Rogue Trader build ideas? We've got you covered at Pro Game Guides! Check out Soldier Build Guide – Rogue Trader and Operative Build Guide – Rogue Trader.