In this build for Cassia, we're going to be building a backline buffer and debuffer, a role she already partly fits into, out of the box. Here's a guide on how to build Cassia in Rogue Trader.
Best Cassia Build in Warhammer 40k Rogue Trader
Cassia has the unique Origin Navigator, which functions similarly to how a support Psyker might function. Her Archetype is Officer, which also perfectly fits into that support role. The best build for Cassia is, therefore, a backline support if you take the right Talents and Abilities for her.
As she will not be in melee range and will not be focused on dealing large amounts of damage, her weapon will be Navigator Staves.
Best Stats for Cassia
Her Primary Characteristic priority should be Willpower, Fellowship, and Perception. Since Cassia will be a backline support, her goal will be to buff up the rest of the group and debuff the enemy at every turn. Navigator buffs and debuffs have a wide spectrum of capabilities through talents, but we'll be focusing on empowering DPS and softening up enemies.
- Willpower - A majority of Cassia's core buffs and debuffs will use Willpower to get stronger, so this is the stat that should be focused on beyond all others.
- Fellowship - As Cassia is also an Officer, there are some buffs we'll be taking that will scale and improve off Fellowship, so it is the second most important stat for the build.
- Perception - We'll be making use of a few unique Talents to make investing in this stat have value by dramatically improving her survivability, as well as severely debuffing her enemies.
Now that there is a clear understanding of Cassia's core stats, it's time to talk about leveling her up to make use of them.
Related: Idira Build Guide – Rogue Trader
Cassia Leveling Guide
The leveling process for Cassia is focused on getting her buffs established first, then debuffs.
| Level | Unlock |
|---|---|
| 1 | Voice of Command (Feature) |
| 2 | Persuasion (Skill) |
| 3 | Bring it Down! (Feature) |
| 4 | Finest Hour! (Ability), Inspire Courage (Talent) |
| 5 | Willpower (Characteristic), Pass Unscathed (Talent) |
| 6 | Guide of Souls (Talent), Willpower (Characteristic) |
| 7 | Reveal the Light (Talent), Threads and Faults (Talent) |
| 8 | Ebb and Flow (Talent), Commerce (Skill) |
| 9 | Finest Hour! - Temporary Wounds (Ability) |
| 10 | Commerce (Skill), Willpower (Characteristic) |
| 11 | Focus! (Talent), Fellowship (Characteristic) |
| 12 | Undamn the Sea of Souls (Talent), Waking Nightmare (Ability) |
| 13 | Persuasion (Skill), Eye of Oblivion (Talent) |
| 14 | Mastery of Time (Talent), Fellowship (Characteristic) |
| 15 | Finest Hour! - Death Immunity (Ability) |
Best Cassia Skills
Cassia's natural stat spread heavily favors both Persuasion and Commerce Skills, so investment in these two is recommended. While they do not have any significant effect on her combat performance, they are nice additional bonuses. That said, if you already have a character with these two skills, feel free to invest elsewhere.
Best Cassia Talents
This Cassia build has a few core talents that are worthy of additional note.
- Pass Unscathed - Allows Cassia to use her Perception stat instead of Agility for calculating Dodge Chance. This is a significant survivability boost for her and should not be ignored.
- Threads and Faults - When an enemy fails a resistance test against a Navigator, that enemy suffers an increased chance of being critically hit (based on Perception) by all sources. This is Cassia's main debuff, as it means the rest of her party does not need to focus as heavily on improving their critical chance.
- Undamn the Sea of Souls - Cassia's other core debuff. This reduces the Armor of enemies (based on Willpower) affected by her Navigator powers. Combining this with Threads and Faults makes enemies very 'soft' with just one cast of Navigator power.
Best Cassia Abilities
This Cassia build only has one core Ability worthy of mention.
- Waking Nightmare - Cassia's primary means of applying her Talent-based debuffs. Waking Nightmare alone massively increases the damage enemies take, which makes it a staple part of the build. Best of all, it has a sizeable AOE, allowing her to invoke her Talent-based debuffs in a large area.
Best Cassia Gear and Equipment
The best gear and items for Cassia will focus on buffing her Willpower and Fellowship stats to improve the effectiveness of her buffs and debuffs. While I don't yet have a set selection of items to give you just yet (coming soon), here are a few general components that are must-haves for this build:
- Navigator Staff Main Weapon - Cassia must be wielding a Navigator Staff for the Devastating Parameter, which improves the potency of some of her debuffs outside of stats. I recommend using her signature Staff of Orsellio, which provides a universal stat buff to allied targets affected by her powers.
- Gear that boosts Willpower - Anything that you find that increases the Willpower stat is of major value to Cassia. As mentioned, the more Willpower she has, the better off her buffs and debuffs will be.
How to play Cassia in Warhammer 40k Rogue Trader
Cassia is both a Navigator and an Officer, which means her game plan is all about applying useful buffs and debuffs with each one of her turns. Generally speaking, she will be able to apply buffs and debuffs without ending her turn early, so this works out in the build's favor.
Cassia is at her best while staying in the backline and throwing out several buffs at a time, while also being close enough to the frontline to throw out her short-range Officier buffs every turn. As her role is purely to provide buffs, she should be in some kind of cover at all times. Positioning-wise, ensure that she is not the first to be shot at in any encounter.
On the buff side of things, Cassia should be applying Voice of Command to an allied target so that they always remain in range for her other Officier benefits. With that in mind, always cast Bring it Down and Finest Hour! on DPS characters. Both these Officer abilities grant additional turns to allies, making them some of the best buffs in the game.
For debuffs, cast Waking Nightmare when there are numerous enemies in a combat scenario. The AoE size of Waking Nightmare is massive, so you should have no trouble debuffing almost every enemy in a single turn. Waking Nightmare triggers the additional Talent effects of Threads and Faults and Undamn the Sea of Souls. All of her core debuffs are inflicted all at once when Waking Nightmare is cast, which can be done in a single turn.
I'll be updating this Cassia build with her Advanced Archetype in the near future, so if you're a fan of the build or you just like the guide, feel free to keep an eye out.
For more useful guides and information relating to all things Warhammer 40k Rogue Trader, check out our Rogue Trader romance guide – Which characters are dateable? guide right here on Pro Game Guides.
Published: Dec 7, 2023 01:00 pm