All Warhammer 40k Rogue Trader Archetypes Explained

During the creation of your character in Warhammer 40k Rogue Trader, you will have the opportunity to choose the archetype that best suits you, as well as the origin of your character. The Warhammer 40k Rogue Trader archetypes are used to choose peculiarities regarding the fighting style you want to use. Each character you create can have a maximum of different Warhammer 40k Rogue Trader archetypes, making you focus more on damage, tanking, or support.

Warhammer 40k Rogue Trader Archetypes Listed
We can say, therefore, that the Warhammer 40k Rogue Trader archetypes are a sort of specialization for our character. At the beginning, we will have one of the basic archetypes available. Once we have reached level 16 with one of the archetypes, we can move on to the more advanced ones. Finally, once you reach level 36, the archetype evolves into its final form.

In any case, below, we provide you with an overview of all the Warhammer 40k Rogue Trader archetypes present in the game, divided by categories. This will be very useful to better understand the abilities and gameplay of each individual companion that you will recruit during your adventure.

Basic
The Warhammer 40k Rogue Trader archetypes that are present in this category serve to indicate the main skills of your character and are divided into Officer, Operative, Soldier, and Warrior.

Officer
Officers are leaders who can inspire their friends to do their best. Voice Of Command boosts a friend’s stats for one round, and the Officer’s other abilities get extra benefits when used on a friend affected by Voice Of Command. By using Voice Of Command and other buffs on a teammate, and then granting them an extra turn with Bring It Down, you can give your strongest characters more opportunities to attack.

Upgrades

Vanguard
Master Tactician
Grand Strategist

Operative
Operatives prepare foes for defeat by causing Exploits and then using them to weaken or deal more damage to their chosen targets. Typically, Operatives begin their turn with Analyze Enemies, followed by removing the inflicted Exploits using Expose Weakness, almost guaranteeing a successful hit. Alternatively, an Operative could finish off a weakened enemy and then use Expose Weakness on another target to set up an attack for a teammate.

Upgrades

Assassin
Bounty Hunter
Grand Strategist

Soldier
Soldiers are adept at moving swiftly and using ranged weapons, and they can specialize in various types of firearms. They perform exceptionally well with burst-fire weapons and area-of-effect attacks, which facilitate the activation of their Revel In Slaughter ability. Whether you opt to stay in cover, strategically eliminate enemies, or charge into the midst of the action with intense gunfire, the Soldier typically emerges with the highest number of defeated opponents by the end of most battles.

Upgrades

Bounty Hunter
Master Tactician
Arch-Militant

Warrior
The Warrior excels as a melee combatant. With Charge, they swiftly approach enemies, delivering a free strike in the process. Whether focused on dealing with damage or serving as a tank, the Warrior performs exceptionally well in both roles.

Upgrades

Assassin
Vanguard
Arch-Militant

Advanced
As you can imagine from their name, these types of Warhammer 40k Rogue Trader archetypes are an evolution of the basic ones. This means that they are capable of making your character stronger, so you should definitely keep in mind evolving your archetype to advance it. In this category, there are six different archetypes, namely Arch-Militant, Assassin, Bounty Hunter, Grand Strategist, Master Tactician, and Vanguard.

Arch-Militant
The Arch-Militant is skilled in both close-up and faraway fighting, and they shine when they switch between the two. They get a bonus for both their ability with close combat and shooting whenever they attack using a different type than their last move.

Assassin
Assassins share similarities with Operatives because they can prepare an enemy for an attack using Seek The Opening. They unleash the highest damage when they can strike an opponent from different directions in one turn, so being able to move swiftly is a crucial part of their plan. To succeed, Assassins need to carefully position themselves to exploit their enemies’ vulnerabilities and maximize their impact in battle.

Bounty Hunter
The Bounty Hunter is a careful and strategic archetype in Warhammer 40k Rogue Trader, focusing on taking out one enemy at a time with accurate shots, especially suited for sniper setups. In their role, a Bounty Hunter can designate a specific target as their Prey. When they successfully eliminate this marked target, the Bounty Hunter gains extra health, heightened critical damage, or even both, depending on the importance of the target in question.

Grand Strategist
The Grand Strategist stands out as one of the most distinctive archetypes in the game when it comes to how they work. They have the ability to mark specific zones on the battlefield, giving boosts to friends who are within those areas. Planning your tactics in advance and making the enemy confront you in the zones you’ve selected can significantly simplify battles. This makes the Grand Strategist a valuable asset, using strategic foresight to create advantageous situations for their team.

Master Tactician
The Master Tactician depends on working together with the team to gain Momentum. You get Momentum by hurting and defeating enemies, and some abilities, especially those from the Ministorum Priest, give you even more Momentum. Because you’re already trying to build up Momentum to do cool Heroic Acts, having a Master Tactician is like getting a bonus. With their Press The Advantage move, they can cause a lot of damage, especially if you can regularly boost how often they land critical hits.

Vanguard
The Vanguard is the top-tier tank in Warhammer 40k Rogue Trader. They can easily withstand the most powerful attacks, and every time an enemy attacks them, it helps the team gain Momentum faster. Even if you find yourself facing more enemies, a Vanguard is tough enough to handle an entire side by themselves. This makes the Vanguard a reliable and strong force on the battlefield, capable of standing firm against numerous opponents.

Exemplar
In this category, there is only one type of archetype, the Exemplar. This is the final archetype players can achieve in Warhammer 40k Rogue Trader, so it’s the most powerful. It allows you to choose various skills from previous archetypes so that you can master them at the final level.

Diana has been a huge fan of video games since she was a child. She started her “career” with Nintendo and then moved on to other platforms as well. Although she is a big fan of horror games, she plays almost all genres fearlessly. She writes news, reviews, guides, and features about both AAA and indie games.