11 Worst Talents to use in Rogue Trader

One of the great things about Rogue Trader is the ability to create a whole team of unique characters to fit your play style. But with so many options available, it is important to avoid the worst Talents as you create your team.

What are the worst Talents in Rogue Trader?

You’ll find what I think are the worst talents on Rogue Trader listed below. Note that even the worst-looking Talents may work in very specific builds but generally, I always avoid these. If you’ve already taken some of them, don’t worry. Luckily the game makes it very easy to respec your characters at any time while you’re on your Void Ship. 

Heroism (Officer) 

This Talent states that whenever a Heroic Act is used in combat, the Officer’s next attack will cost 0AP. I’ve rarely found this has any impact at all, as Heroic Acts are few and far between while saving an AP in a turn is unlikely to have much of an impact on it. Not completely terrible, but when you look at the other Officer options it’s way below par. 

Inspiring Speech (Officer)

This grants you Momentum equal to your Resolve when you use Air of Authority. While it’s an OK Talent, it relies on too many other factors to be of anything but a minor bonus. I wouldn’t even choose Air of Authority as an Ability, so there’s no way I’m taking Inspiring speech. Only useful for a heavy Resolve build. 

Informed Hit (Operative)

Your Operative will need to use Precise Attack on a target with 10 (-Int bonus) Exploits on it, and hit them, and on a Thursday at lunchtime on a sunny day (OK I may have made that last bit up). If they do, you’ve got a guaranteed Crit. This is the poster child for situational and doesn’t even give you much for it. 

Reactive Study (Operative)

Many Operative Talents dish out extra Exploits to your enemies and for me, this is the least of them. It has to already be affected by an Exploit, be within five spaces of you, and attack you, to get one extra Exploit. As I don’t want that to happen, I don’t want to rely on this for an extra Exploit!

Fired Up (Soldier)

This talent increases your Critical Damage by 1 percent each time this soldier deals damage for the rest of this battle. Not only are you going to need to damage a lot of enemies for this to be of any use, but it also only increases Crit Damage, not your chance to land a Critical Hit. So, unless you’ve gone all-on on Critical Hit Chance elsewhere, and you’re fighting high Wound enemies, this is unlikely to have any kind of regular impact.

Related: Best Soldier Talents in Rogue Trader

Integrity (Soldier)

While at full Wounds… Let me stop you right there. Any Talent that relies on you having taken no damage is, for me, immediately too situational. Also, it only gives you +10 Ballistic Skill and 2MP while at full health. While these are of course welcome bonuses, they aren’t exactly game-changing. 

Open Engagement (Warrior)

You’ll likely want to be getting your warriors face-to-face in melee at every opportunity, which largely negates the point of Open Engagement if things are going to plan. If you’re not adjacent to an enemy at the start of a turn, you get a damage boost for your next attack. While not bad, this feels like it rewards bad play. 

Impetus (Warrior)

Impetus increases the damage dealt by the Charge ability. Charge is a skill you’ll try to use a lot, and this damage bonus is based on toughness and Strength, which scans well. Right up until yuo see this talent only kicks in if you charge from a distance of at least five cells. Next!

Ready to Serve (Imperial Homeworld)

I find myself nodding off just reading the description for Ready to Serve. If you’re affected by an ally’s non-damaging ability (or vice versa) you get a small Resolve bonus for that round. Sorry, what? Of course, I’m paying attention. Now, what were we talking about again? Oh yes, Ready to Serve. Not for me. 

Strength in Numbers (Hive World)

The upside of Strength in Numbers sees you getting a strong Resolve bonus if you’re surrounded by three or more creatures, whether they’re allies or enemies. This would be a solid, if not upper-tier Talent if it were not for the fact you get a -2 penalty if you have no creatures near you. This feels likely to balance out over a battle so it guarantees you nothing. 

Fires of the Forge (Forge World)

While this Talent makes nice thematic sense, I find it to be the least appealing of the Forge World Talents. You get a toughness-linked deflection bonus against Burning effects and flame weapons. You can go a long time without this being useful at all. And, if you know you’re going to be in a fury hell, you can always switch it in for a few battles. Generally though, not the best. 

Looking for more Talent information in Rogue Trader? Check out Best Warrior Talents in Rogue Trader, Best Officer Talents in Rogue Trader, and much more right here at Pro Game Guides!