Bahardor Build Guide – Rogue Trader

While it is fun to build a character at the start of Warhammer 40k Rogue Trader, taking a preset build is equally viable. If you’ve settled on Bahardor, read on for my full build guide.

By taking a pre-generated character in Bahardor, your archetype (Warrior) and Background (Commissar and Death World) are set for you. This means you begin with bonuses to Strength (+5), Toughness (+5), Agility (+5), and Weapon Skill (+5), but -5 to Intelligence and Awareness. You’ll start with skill bonuses to Coercion (+10) and Athletics (+5), and the At All Costs, Charge, and Survival Instincts features, helping both attack skills and survivability.

Best Bahardor Build in Warhammer 40k Rogue Trader

Rogue Trader offers you a dizzying array of build choices as you level up. This build guide will take you up to level 16, advising your choices for skills, talents, characteristics, and abilities.

The version of Bahador you’ll create here will be a fearless tank, always on the front lines dealing out big melee damage while protecting their companions. It’s important to note here that, at any time, it’s simple to respec him if this build doesn’t quite fit with the way you’ve set up your other companions. 

Related: Darrius Build Guide – Rogue Trader

Best Bahardor Characteristics in Warhammer 40k Rogue Trader

There are three key stats you’ll want to concentrate on when building Bahardor, while two more will prove useful to improve if you get the chance (through items etc).

• Toughness: This is your number one priority as it helps you resist damage and increases your Wounds, as well as giving a bonus to your Carouse skill.
• Weapon Skill: Another important skill for Bahardor, Weapon Skill increases Parry and Crit Chance for you while reducing Dodge for enemies in melee.  
• Agility: This is sneaky important to raise when you can, as its bonus helps some key abilities (such as Break Through and Daring Breach) and improves both Initiative and Dodge.
• Strength: Strength directly affects the Damage you do in melee combat and boosts your Athletics skill. I find it nice to boost, but non-essential.
• Willpower: This helps your saves versus Warp and Psychic effects. Look to improve it but it can wait until later in the game.  

Best Bahardor Abilities in Warhammer 40k Rogue Trader

These abilities are specific to the Soldier class and will help you in your tanking job, improving your ability to move to the best position, stay alive, and dish out damage.

• Daring Breach (Ultimate): Restore all AP and MP, add your Agi bonus to MP, then take another turn. Can perform unlimited melee attacks in this extra turn. 
• At All Costs: Once per combat. Marks an enemy, weakening it and buffing the ally who kills it, or buffs all allies.
• Break Through: Gain Slash ability, allowing you to move through an enemy (causing no AoO) for bonus attacks. Can be used multiple times (on Agi bonus), but once per enemy. 
• Charge: Extra move into a melee attack
• Endure: Reduces incoming damage by your Toughness bonus. Also, get the same bonus in Temp Wounds
• Sworn Enemy: Mark a target enemy, gaining Armor and Damage bonuses against it. If the target attacks you, you get +1AP the following round. 

Best Bahardor Talents in Warhammer 40k Rogue Trader

My Bahardor build leans into survivability and freedom of movement, allowing you to get into combat with the targets you want while staying alive and dishing out solid damage. 

• Clenched Teeth: Your Toughness bonus is added as Deflection against every enemy's first attack against you. 
• It Will Not Die: Increases Wounds by half your level (rounded up).
• Lifetime of Scars: Take your Toughness bonus less damage from Fire, Toxic, and Bleeding sources or effects. 
• Ramming Speed: +3 Charge distance. 
• Rigorous Training: Charge and Slash (from ) do not end movement and give a Dodge bonus next round. 
• Summary Execution: If you kill the target of the At All Costs skill, you can use it a second time this combat and it costs 0AP.
• Tenacity: The First Stun, Blind, or Immobile effect on you is ignored plus you gain Temporary Wounds. 
• Trusty Weapons: You get a +10 percent crit chance when using Axes, Hammers, and Las Weapons.

Related: Hecata build guide – Rogue Trader

Best Bahardor Skills in Warhammer 40k Rogue Trader

These are the best skills for Bahardor, but you may want to spread the points differently if other members of the team you settle on are better suited to those skills. However, it is worth having more than one character who is good at each skill, as sometimes you need to change your team due to character restrictions for a mission. 

• Athletics: Uses your Strength bonus, which will likely be the best in your team, and allows you to traverse rough terrain. 
• Carouse: Uses the Toughness bonus to resist poisons, stims, etc, and can open up new dialogue options.
• Demolition or Tech Use: Both skills are crucial in the game for operating and deactivating tech and traps. You’ll likely have other team members who excel in these areas, so you’ll likely only use Bahardor as a backup here. 

How to play Bahardor in Warhammer 40k Rogue Trader

Position Bahardor as far forward as possible and get into melee quickly, using your skills to attack fast and engage the targets you want to stop getting to your DPS and support teammates. Protection is your main asset, so target bosses or higher health targets while blocking lanes to increase your chances at attacks of opportunity. 

Best Bahardor Weapons & Items in Warhammer 40k Rogue Trader

I prefer the Axe as Bahardor’s main weapon. You can do both single and multi-target attacks, with hits inflicting bleeding. This is great for enemies with high Wounds, which you’ll often be putting yourself up against. Go for the Las Rifle as your switch weapon, because you’ll get a crit bonus from Trusty Weapons and be able to attack on those (hopefully rare) occasions when you can’t engage in melee. 

In the early missions, look out for the Thrice-Pioneer’s Bracers, which reduce your target’s attack skills on successful hits, and the Pneumo Boots (reduce Charge to using 0AP, from Thundefang in Act 1, Fellowship of the Void) while equipping as wide an array of grenades as you can. Beyond that, look for any items that increase survivability, increase movement, or up your melee damage output. 

Looking for more Warhammer 40k Rogue Trader help and information? Check out Best Party Compositions – Rogue Trader, How to defeat Warden Casteglia in Rogue Trader, and more here at Pro Game Guides!