Abelard Build Guide – Rogue Trader

Abelard is the very first companion I got in Rogue Trader and my most faithful servant. In this guide, I will share my build of this powerful warrior. I have spent the most time playing around with his stats and have compiled a simple guide for you.

Updated: December 29, 2023
This build is current to the 1.0.88 patch!

Best Abelard Build in Warhammer 40k Rogue Trader

Here is a list of Rogue Trader features you will want to take for Abelard while leveling him from level one to 16. In game terms, this particular build will serve you until the end of the first act in the game. And remember, you can always respec if you feel like something's not right with your character or if you prefer a particular playing style.

Related: Rogue Trader romance guide - Which characters are dateable?

Best Abelard Stats in Warhammer 40k Rogue Trader

To properly play Abelard in Rogue Trader, here are the most important characteristics to pick when leveling him:

• Weapon Skill: Directly increases his combat proficiency and ability to parry.
• Strength: It makes him have a larger damage potential when Abelard lands a hit.
• Toughness: Abelard is primarily a melee character, which usually makes him the first to be hit, especially when using Taunt. Toughness will allow him to withstand more damage and stay alive.

Best Abelard Skills in Warhammer 40k Rogue Trader

1. Athletics: Makes Abelard more nimble in combat, allowing him to fight more effectively.
2. Carouse: Represents the ability to resist negative effects. It will provide Abelard with additional dialogue options when available.
3. Medicae: Allows Abelard to heal himself and his allies, which is a very useful skill in combat, especially if things start to go awry.
4. Thick Skin: Abelard gains +1 damage deflection, and their parry chance is increased by +25% of the Warrior's total Armor. It provides additional parry to Abelard so he doesn't receive damage. It also gives him deflection so he can mitigate some damage output from enemies.

Best Abelard Talents in Warhammer 40k Rogue Trader

1. Athletics: Raising this stat will give Abelard more agility, making him more proficient in melee combat. You should always take this Talent when it is available for upgrade on Abelard.
2. Hardened Scars: Whenever Abelard gets hit while under the Endure effect, his deflection is increased by +1 until the end of his turn.
3. Combat Master: Removes melee superiority bonuses against Abelard, so the enemies won't get melee superiority against him when he is surrounded. This ability makes it a must-pick in the talent tree as soon as you get it.
4. Invigorating Hatred: Acts as an upgrade to the Sworn enemy ability. When Abelard ends his turn near an enemy affected by the Sworn Enemy ability, he gains more temporary Wounds.
5. Grenadier: Allows Abelard to use a single grenade in combat without spending Action Points.
6. Heavy Armor Proficiency: Taking this talent allows Abelard to wear heavy armor, making him the ultimate tanking machine.
7. It Will Not Die: Increases the number of wounds on Abelard by 50%, rounding up. Great for making Alebard more tanky, which is a prerequisite for this build.

Best Abelard Abilities in Warhammer 40k Rogue Trader

Here are the best Abilities to take on Abelard while leveling him in Rogue Trader:

1. Charge: The Warrior moves in a straight line and launches a melee attack against any target in his way. This does not count toward the attacks per turn limit the warrior has, making it a must-have in any build.
2. Endure: Until Abelard's next turn, all incoming damage is reduced by minus in Toughness, and Abelard gains a temporary wounds bonus depending on his Toughness level. This allows him to soak up a little bit more damage.
3. Sworn Enemy: You will deal more damage to those enemies that you mark with Sworn Enemy ability in combat. Abelard will also gain additional armor against the target, making it easier to take down harder enemies in close combat, like the Warp Creature.
4. Epicentre of Slaughter: Every time Abelard gets hit, he gains additional wounds for the next turn.
5. Taunting Scream: Taking this ability allows Abelard to taunt his enemies, making a priority target out of himself. This ability is something you always want to take on a tank in any RPG, and so this choice makes sense here as well.
6. Brace for Impact: Given to him by his origin. You want to use this when you have a lot of allies around you and need a deflection increase.
7. Daring Breach: This is Abelard's main talent, one of the best in the game, in my opinion. Abelard will immediately restore all AP and MP, gaining +Agility MP until the end of the turn. He won't lose MP after performing attacks. He also won't have a limit on melee weapon attacks this turn.
8. Daring Breach III: Abelard gains the priority target status for every enemy he connects with in melee combat for one round. He also gets +20% parry and +2 deflection until the combat ends.

Related: Heinrix Build Guide – Rogue Trader

Best Abelard Items in Warhammer 40k Rogue Trader

Here is the list of the best items you can obtain in the early game of Rogue Trader that will be perfect for this Abelard build:

• Armor: Radiant chestplate is the way to go since it offers decent protection early on. It will get you by until you unlock Heavy Armor Proficiency and find Heavy Armor, which will happen right around the end of Act I.
• Weapon: A Greatsword offers decent enough melee damage without any drawbacks. I chose to forgo Laspistol because you can't charge while firing simultaneously, like in the tabletop version.
• Ranged weapon: If, by chance, you want to occasionally play Abelard as a ranged hero, use a Shotgun for great AOE damage.

How to play Abelard in Warhammer 40k Rogue Trader

Positioning Abelard during the battle should be fairly clear cut; he is a tank, and as such, he needs to form the vanguard of your company, always leading the assault. Besides taking the brunt of the enemy fire, using his Taunting scream, and drawing the enemy's attention away as the most immediate target, he should also have an easier time using his Charge ability.

Beyond that, to play Abelard properly in Rogue Trader, there are several key points to keep in mind:

• Brace for impact: When you have multiple enemies close by, and you want to bestow more deflection on Abelard and the rest of the party, fire up this ability. This can only be used once per combat, so choose the moment wisely!
• Charge: Be sure to always use charge before attacking anyone with your regular melee attacks. Otherwise, the enemies may use the attack of opportunity and hit Abelard, or he might even get tangled up in a fight he cannot finish in a single turn, wasting his chance to use the Charge.
• Endure: You can spam this ability on every turn because it's only 1 AP and grants him temporary wounds, which is always nice to have.
• Daring Breach: Abelart's bread-and-butter ability, so you must always keep it up for maximum effect.
• Sworn enemy: Always combine with Endure for maximum effect. That will cost 2 AP, and it will also take away 1 AP cost from Charge, bringing all three abilities down to 3 AP, leaving you with one more AP for a regular melee attack, which is insane. I know our boy is a devoted imperial servant, but Father Knorne would still be proud.
• Taunting scream: You can use this utility when you want to divert the enemy's attention away from shooters in your squad, as they can't fire their weapons in close combat.

Looking for more interesting Rogue Trader articles to survive the perils of the Warp? Look no further; Pro Game Guides is your Rosarius! Have a look at All Rogue Trader difficulty levels, explained.