Soldier Build Guide for Rogue Trader: The Backbone of Your Party
Rogue Traders are known for their adventurous spirit and their willingness to take risks, but behind their charismatic personalities, lies a force that cannot be ignored: their soldiers. These loyal and heavily armed allies are the backbone of every Rogue Trader’s party, capable of dishing out incredible damage from a versatile set of ranges depending on the weapons being used. In this blog post, we will explore a Soldier build guide that takes advantage of the Archetype’s ability to swap weapons and be effective at a moment’s notice.
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Best Soldier Build in Warhammer 40k Rogue Trader
The Soldier class, being an early-game option, will be the emphasis in this build. Our aim is to ensure a smooth journey through the first act, allowing you to reach the end of the act with ease. If you prefer alternative choices after the first act, feel free to utilize the respec option that becomes available just after the prologue. Now let’s start building.
The Soldier build will make heavy utilization of both Sniper Rifles and Flamers, emphasizing a unique short-long range playstyle. The objective is to inflict significant damage over time (DoT) effects on targets up close, while also delivering accurate burst damage from a distance.
The choices made below will specifically cater to this playstyle, with a focus on maximizing damage and effectiveness as a Soldier.
| 1 | Run and Gun (Ability) |
| 2 | Demolition (Skill) |
| 3 | Revel in Slaughter (Ability) |
| 4 | Ultimate: Firearm Mastery (Ability), Flame Thrower Profenciecy (Talent) |
| 5 | Ballistic Skill (Characteristic), Second Skin (Talent) |
| 6 | Agility (Characteristic), Biomancy (Ability) |
| 7 | Strength (Characteristic), Flame Weapon Expert (Talent) |
| 8 | Combat Addict (Talent), Demolition (Skill) |
| 9 | Firearm Mastery – Area Attacks (Ultimate Talent) |
| 10 | Nimble (Talent), Ballistic Skill (Characteristic) |
| 11 | Invigorate (Ability), Awareness (Skill) |
| 12 | Agility (Characteristic), Psy Rating 1 (Talent) |
| 13 | Biophysical Distortion (Talent), Spark of the Greater Flame (Talent) |
| 14 | Body of Flames (Talent) |
| 15 | Firearm Mastery – Turn (Ultimate Talent) |
Best Soldier Homeworld in Rogue Trader
The Fortress World has been chosen as the basis for this build due to its powerful Never Stop Shooting mechanic. This passive ability grants the Soldier stacks of a buff called Never Stop Shooting, which stacks each time an enemy is killed. When firing with the buff active, the Soldier has a percentage chance equal to the number of stacks gained for a free additional turn. However, gaining this turn also causes the stacks to disappear. The mechanic’s name implies that the Soldier should never stop shooting, and this feature plays a vital role in achieving this goal.
Best Soldier Origin in Rogue Trader
The Soldier possesses several valuable Origins that can be utilized in this build, but for the purpose of this iteration, we will opt for the Sanctioned Psyker – Pyromancy combination. This selection enables the Soldier to harness the Psyker ability while also exploiting the Warp power to inflict additional DoT (damage-over-time). Additionally, Pyromancy offers several key Talents that enhance the Soldier’s overall damage and survivability. However, in this initial stage, we will refrain from including the majority of these Talents, reserving them for future consideration.
Best Soldier Characteristics
To play this Soldier build correctly in Rogue Trader, you’ll want to prioritize investment in these core stats:
Ballistic Skill:
This stat determines the frequency of successful hits with ranged weapons. As a result, it holds the highest value out of all stats in the game.
Agility:
Agility governs your Dodge Chance and affects your position in the battlefield’s turn order. Its primary importance lies in its influence over where you appear during the turn sequence. By increasing your Agility, you can secure a higher position, allowing you to deal damage before the enemy takes their turn.
Willpower:
We are investing in Willpower to enhance the potency of the Soldier’s Psyker abilities throughout the game. By focusing on this stat, we aim to ensure the Soldier’s abilities remain a significant threat throughout.
Perception:
Perception primarily serves as a secondary stat for enhancing hit chance. Although it holds investment value, you can allocate your stat points elsewhere if desired. Its primary purpose is to improve your chances of landing hits when you engage in combat.
Best Soldier Skills in Rogue Trader
For this particular Soldier build, Skills do not play a significant role in its overall effectiveness. However, there is one Skill that can be considered for general-purpose usage: Demolition.
While it may not be a top priority for others, Demolition can be worth investing in if your Soldier’s core stats exhibit some degree of synergy outside of combat. This Skill can provide some minor benefits, making it worthwhile to consider if you currently have a party member who specializes in Demolition.
Other than that, there are no other Skills that hold significant importance for this particular build. Feel free to allocate your Skill points elsewhere if you already have a party member who excels in Demolition.
Best Soldier Talents in Rogue Trader
As mentioned, we want the Soldier to be able to dish out damage through DoTs; thus there are a few key talents we can invest in to make the magic happen.
Flame Weapon Expert:
The Soldier’s Flamer weapon skills have their AP costs reduced by one, which is immensely significant as it enables the Soldier to use the line burst attack without any AP cost. This opens up new possibilities in gameplay, particularly in scenarios where the Soldier has the ability to attack multiple times per turn. However, there is a limitation due to the amount of ammo available in the Flamer.
Second Skin:
The objective of this Soldier build is for the Soldier to maintain some level of protection while still retaining their full Dodge chance. Second Skin fulfills this purpose effectively. By equipping this Talent, the Soldier benefits from additional defense, while still maintaining their ability to evade incoming attacks.
Biomancy:
Biomancy grants the Soldier access to a range of powerful buffs and heals that provide a significant increase in sustainable ability. With this Talent, the Soldier gains access to various buffs that enhance both their own capabilities and those of their allies. These buffs not only boost the Soldier’s combat effectiveness but also enhance their survivability in challenging situations.
Invigorate:
For this build, Invigorate serves as a reliable healing source without any consumable cost. This Talent allows the Soldier to quickly restore their health, ensuring they remain in the fight. Invigorate is a valuable addition, as the Soldier’s natural healing capabilities may be limited, making external healing options essential.
Sparks of the Greater Flame:
Sparks of the Greater Flame enables the Soldier’s DoT effects to critically hit, based on Critical Chance. DoTs are a crucial component of the build’s damage output, making this Talent a must-have for the Soldier. By granting critical hits to DoTs, the Soldier’s damage potential is significantly enhanced, allowing them to deal even more damage over time.
By utilizing these Talents, the Soldier’s Flamer skills, Dodge chance, Buff and healing capabilities, and Critical Hit potential are greatly enhanced. This well-rounded build allows for efficient damage output, sustainable ability, and survivability in the battlefield.
Biophysical Distortion:
Whenever a Soldier’s attack lands, it also infects the target(s) with a potent toxin that cannot be removed. This ability is not only a staple Talent but also a form of free damage that costs nothing to apply. Furthermore, this toxin, being a DoT (Damage over Time), is significantly enhanced by Sparks of the Greater Flame.
Best Soldier Abilities in Rogue Trader
For this Soldier build, there are only a few important Abilities you’ll be using actively.
Ignite – Applies the Warp Burn DoT and Biophysical Distortion DoT effects with a single cast.
Invigorate – Healing is important in Rogue Trader, and having this one always on hand for yourself and the rest of your party is incredibly helpful in the game’s most difficult encounters.
Run and Gun – Grants the Soldier an extra turn so you can dish out more damage without waiting for the next round.
Revel in Slaughter – Killing enemies allows the Soldier to buff their damage to insane levels. This is primarily a ‘win more’ ability, as it requires you to kill three (two if you take the Talent) enemies before it can be activated.
Firearm Mastery – One of the strongest Ultimates in the game, this ability allows the Soldier to automatically reload their weapon and fire several times equal to their weapon’s Rate of Fire, at no additional AP cost. Doing so allows the Soldier to dish out incredible damage in a single turn, and in future turns, the effects persist until after combat ended.
Best Soldier Items in Rogue Trader
DoTs are the name of the game for this Soldier build, but the items you should use should focus on enhance overall damage and sustainability.
Primary Flamer:
The Primary Flamer is an item that sets enemies ablaze with its own DoT. This DoT is affected by the previously mentioned DoT-related Talents, including Biophysical Distortion. This item is a must-have, whether you’re using a Hand Flamer, a normal Flamer, or a Heavy Flamer.
Secondary Sniper Rifle:
The Secondary Sniper Rifle acts as a secondary weapon when getting close to the enemy for flamethrower action isn’t a viable move. As a Sniper Rifle, it allows you to hang back and pick off targets with your standard Soldier kit. Biophysical Distortion still allows you to apply a poison DoT to any target you hit.
Tactical Goggles:
The Tactical Goggles are simply a great general damage boost, as they increase Hit Chance and Critical Chance just by equipping them.
Grace of the Oblivious:
The Grace of the Oblivious provides a solid increase to Toughness, increasing your Soldier’s maximum health pool.
How to play Soldier in Rogue Trader
For this build, everything revolves around your DoT effects ticking every single turn on as many enemies as possible. You should have three DoTs on as many enemies as possible at all times.
Burning – Applied through Flamer attacks. This Fire Damage DoT is particularly effective when targeting groups of enemies. However, it is important to note that Flamer Shot Spread must be used in order to hit the enemies with this special DoT instantly.
Warp Burn – Applied through Ignite. This Fire Damage DoT is the most powerful of the bunch, scaling exceptionally well with the Psyker Rating. In fact, it becomes even more potent as you progress. However, it is important to note that Warp Burn can only be applied through Psyker Pyromancy, so it is important to keep this aspect in mind when using this ability.
Biophysical Distortion Toxin – This potent DoT is applied by dealing any kind of damage to a target. Therefore, it is applied whenever Burning or Warp Burn is used. This Toxin Damage DoT serves as a freebie, as it scales well in the later game. Its damage is entirely dependent on your Psyker Rating, making it a valuable addition to your combat repertoire.
In conclusion, the ultimate goal of utilizing all three of these Dots is to deal the maximum amount of traditional damage possible. By combining Normal kills and kills with DoTs, players can gain stacks of Never Stop Shooting, granting them additional turns at a consistent pace. Additionally, Run and Gun offers a controllable method to obtain an extra turn, further enhancing the overall damage output. By strategically utilizing these abilities, players can effectively support their teammates and contribute to their overall success in battle.
