Warhammer 40K: Rogue Trader - Best Origin To Choose For Your Character

The Warhammer 40K: Rogue Trader origins aren't archetypes or classes, per se. Rather, think of them as the very foundation of a character. You'll gain additional attributes and talents, as well as a core skill that can be used in combat. Our guide discusses the best origins in Warhammer 40K: Rogue Trader so you can maximize your character's capabilities in any role.

The best origins in Warhammer 40K: Rogue Trader

We feel that the best origins in Warhammer 40K: Rogue Trader are the Commissar, Ministorum Priest, and Sanctioned Psyker. These all grant bonuses depending on a particular role. You'll also gain increased attributes at the start. Likewise, be reminded that you're able to respec your character during the campaign, but you won't be able to change your origin (this also applies to companions).

Best support role origin: Commissar

What makes the Commissar one of the best origins in Warhammer 40K: Rogue Trader is that it synergizes well with the Officer origin and the concept of granting more action points (AP) or movement points (MP) to allies:

• Characteristic modifiers: +5 Weapon Skill, Fellowship, Coercion, and Athletics; +5 Fellowship and +10 Coercion after origin advancement.
• Core ability: At All Costs - The next single-target attack grants the following effects:
  • Enemy - Marks the target; an ally that kills the marked target gains an extra turn with +2 AP and +3 MP.
  • Ally - All allies gain +1 AP and +3 MP next round.
• Talent: Duty and Honor - Allies under the effect of At All Costs take +50% more damage, but they gain +2 AP and +4 MP instead of the default bonus.
• Talent: Summary Execution - If the Commissar kills the marked enemy, they can use At All Costs again for 0 AP.
• Talent: For the Emperor - If momentum is less than 100 points, killing a marked enemy or targeting an ally grants additional momentum based on your Fellowship bonus.

As you can see, Commissars can either mark a hostile with At All Costs, or they could shoot on of their teammates. That might sound funny at first glance, but that's just how things are in the Warhammer 40K universe. Other perks that further give boosts based on granting extra turns may also affect this particular mechanic.

Best frontline and momentum-based origin: Ministorum Priest

Another great pick for the best origin in Warhammer 40K: Rogue Trader is the Ministorum Priest. This is viable for those who like to strike enemies at close range and those who stack Willpower because of these traits:

• Characteristic modifiers: +5 Toughness, Willpower, Lore (Imperium), and Medicae; +5 Willpower and +10 Lore (Imperium) upon origin advancement.
• Core ability: War Hymn - Gain momentum equal to twice your Willpower bonus; also gain momentum for each enemy within a five-cell radius and those that you hit during your turn.
• Talent: Litany of Hatred - The Ministorum Priest and allies within the area-of-effect of War Hymn gain boosted damage based on the Ministorum Priest's Willpower bonus; only works on single shots and attacks-of-opportunity.
• Talent: Flensing Faith - Melee, flame, and melta attacks against daemons, psykers, and xenos enemies gain armor penetration based on your Willpower bonus.
• Talent: The Emperor Protects - You have a chance to ignore enemy attacks based on your Willpower bonus.

The Ministorum Priest works best for frontline fighters who use burst weapons, like Sister Argenta, a recruitable companion. The use of War Hymn is also viable due to most battles having dozens of enemies, perfect for amassing a lot of momentum and casting a heroic ability early on.

Best spellcaster origin: Sanctioned Psyker

We recommend the Sanctioned Psyker origin for those who want more flavor and uniqueness when creating a character, but be forewarned that this is a more advanced pick due to how it works:

• Characteristic modifiers: +5 Toughness, Willpower, Lore (Warp), and Carouse; +5 Willpower and +10 Lore (Warp) upon origin advancement.
• Core feature: Sanctioned Psyker - -20% chance to trigger a psychic phenomena.
• Core feature: Psy Rating - Leveling up allows you to increase your Psy Rating at certain intervals, offering more boons to the spells that you cast.

One of the reasons why the Psyker is a lot more complex than other origins is that your main abilities come from the Psyker Staff weapons that you equip. Likewise, you have to be mindful of Veil Degradation. The more you use your psychic powers, the more you tear apart the veil between reality and the Warp. At certain thresholds, this can lead to a devastating backlash or even instances when you'd summon deadly daemons. We should also note that companions like Idira, Cassia, and Heinrix have psychic powers that further amplify the Warp's perils, so you really need to look at how your team's composition will affect your spellcasting capabilities.

That does it for our guide on the best origins in Warhammer 40K: Rogue Trader. Don't forget that there are several options that we didn't discuss here, such as the tanky Navy Officer and the Noble, a character that gains buffs by designating one teammate as a servant.

Moreover, we also have a best homeworlds guide so you can build upon the foundations of your character. Lastly, we've got a companion recruitment guide and a companion tier list if you want to take a look at party/squad synergies.