All Rogue Trader classes and archetypes, explained

In Rogue Trader, players put together a team of warriors to take into turn-based battles while following an epic RPG storyline. Each will have its own specialty in combat, which is defined by Archetypes, which act as classes. Read on to find all these Archetypes explained.

Putting together a team with Archetypes that complement each other is one of the keys to success in Rogue Trader. Some of these classes specialize in melee, others ranged-damage DPS, and more still support skills such as buffs and debuffs. 

Warhammer 40K Rogue Trader Classes and Archetypes Guide

Each new character in Rogue Trader will have one of four base classes called Archetypes. When you reach level 16, you’ll get to specialize in one of three advanced Archetypes (depending on your initial Archetype choice), and then you’ll become an Exemplar at level 36. You’ll find explanations of all these Archetypes below.

Officer

Level 16 options: Grand Strategist, Master Tactician, Vanguard

If you want to command your fellow troops, giving them buffs while you battle, it’s the Officer’s life for you. You can specialize in both ballistic and melee weapons, but your Keysone features will see you giving your fellow troops bonus actions (Bring it Down) and stat buffs. You’ll get bonuses to Willpower and Toughness to help you stay alive, as well as Fellowship (which helps you Charm, Befriend, and Deceive outside of combat). 

Operative

Level 16 options: Assassin, Bounty Hunter, Grand Strategist

While operatives are solid single-target melee or long-ranged units, their main role is as support, Idira being a perfect example with her debuffing build. The key Ability of an operative is to Analyse Enemies, adding Exploits to them that make them easier to hit and damage (great for tough enemies and bosses). They specialize in both melee and ballistic skills as well as Perception and Intelligence, helping with Healing abilities as well as Lore and Tech Use. 

Related: Abelard Build Guide – Rogue Trader

Soldier

Level 16 options: Arch-Militant, Bounty Hunter, Master Tactician

Soldiers are the best gun wielders in Rogue Trader, bringing both single-target sniping and AOE damage to the party at both short and long range. Keystone feature Run and Gun gives them an extra attack in a run, but they’ll be Winded next turn (giving some small penalties). They gain bonuses to Ballistics, Agility, Perception, and Strentgh, helping them dodge attacks as well as maximize hit chance and damage.

Warrior

Level 16 options: Assassin, Arch-Militant, Vanguard

If you’re looking for a character to excel in melee combat, the Warrior is the class you’re looking for. Their keystone feature, Charge, allows them to close on an enemy and get a bonus attack while they get bonuses to Strength, Toughness, and Agility. This makes them great tanks but also damage dealers, with options to tackle single or multiple targets.

Rogue Trader Advanced Classes and Archetypes guide

At level 16, each character can choose one of three classes to move on to. There are two routes into each of these advanced Archetypes, which you’ll find listed in the base Archetype descriptions above. No matter which you choose, each character will go on to become an Exemplar at level 36.  

Arch-Militant (melee and ranged combined)

The key to the Arch-Militant is exploiting their versatility. Their Keystone Feature sees them gain a bonus each time they use a different attack, encouraging you to switch weapons and single and multi-target attacks. This can be tricky to make work consistently and takes some planning and thought to execute.

Assassin (ranged)

As you might expect, the Assassin looks for weaknesses to exploit and do extra damage. Keystone feature Seek an Opening marks one side of the enemy, allowing the Assassin to hit it for extra damage. This makes maneuverability around the battlefield a key to playing the class well. 

Bounty Hunter (ranged)

Bounty Hunters take battles one opponent at a time. They excel at single-target ranged combat with Keystone Feature, Hunt Down the Prey. This allows them to mark a target as prey, and then gain a stackable bonus for later targets. Alternatively, Wild Hunt allows for the Bounty Hunter to hit multiple targets at once if it has marked them as prey.  

Related: Heinrix Build Guide – Rogue Trader

Grand Strategist (ranged or melee)

This support Archetype can create areas for their comrades to move to and fight from, gaining bonuses while they do so with the Keystone Feature titles Combat Tactics. These areas can be moved as the battle ebbs and flows. Later abilities allow the Grand Strategist to allow even more bonuses to be gained in these areas. You can come into the Archetype from either a ballistic or melee background.

Master Tactician (ranged or melee)

The Master Tactician comes into their own the longer a battle goes on, using the momentum gained by the party to increase their damage output with the Press the Advantage Keystone Feature. They also have abilities to give all allies a free attack into a zone they mark, which can devastate an area when used cleverly (all units need a line of sight to it). I prefer my Master Tactician to be ranged to take easier advantage of this, but melee can work just as well.  

Vanguard (melee)

This is the advanced Archetype for your main melee tanks. Their Unyielding Beacon Keystone Feature means they gain Resolve (and so Momentum) as they get hit, while they can also limit the number of temporary wounds taken each turn. They can also counterattack when nearby allies are targeted with their ultimate ability, as well as counterattacking anyone who targets themselves. 

For more Warhammer 40K Rogue Trader information here at Pro Game Guides, check out Rogue Trader lab research puzzle on Eurac V, solved!