The latest Warhammer game shows what 40k does really well – forgoes bred superhumans

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MeinMMO editor Benedict Grothaus loves the world of Warhammer. There’s only one thing that bothers him, especially about 40,000: the constant focus on the Space Marines. Because Warhammer actually offers so much more. Now he’s playing Rogue Trader on Steam and is completely thrilled by the world, which consists of more than just the perfect breeding soldier.

I’ve said it before: in a perfect world we would be playing World of Warhammer today. And I still stand by it. With its completely crazy ideas, the Warhammer universe offers something that no other franchise has.

However, Warhammer has two major problems:

  • On the one hand, Games Workshop squanders the license for video games, so that tons of junk is constantly produced that simply says Warhammer on the label
  • On the other hand, the few good games that exist are simply full of space marines and I’ve seen enough of them

    • Seriously, there’s so much more to Warhammer than literally bred men who are 6 feet tall, have multiple hearts and organs, and can pound you into the ground. Literally. That’s why I was happy that Pariah Nexus did without it.

    Now Rogue Trader has been released on PC, Xbox and PS5, a new CRPG in the Warhammer universe – and it was immediately well received. I pre-ordered the Collector’s Edition a year ago and: from the Imperator! The game is awesome.

    Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader – The release trailer for the role-playing game

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    Against heresy, witchcraft and mutation!

    What makes Rogue Trader better than almost any other game in Warhammer 40k is its focus and possibilities. Sure, we’re still “just” playing an Imperial, but there are always different approaches:

  • Do you follow the Emperor faithfully? Then, as dogmatists, you can directly condemn every xenos and every hint of heresy – if in doubt, with execution.
  • Are you trying to make the world a better place? Iconoclasts advocate freedom for all people and coexistence for all righteous people, even (friendly) xenos.
  • Would you rather be evil? Become a heretic and fall completely into chaos – that’s also possible.

    • Spoilers about the possible companions

    If you want, you can even recruit xenos. An Aeldari and a Drukhari are available as possible companions and even romance options.

    There is no set path. As in Baldur’s Gate 3, you have the freedom to take all possible paths. The creative diversity just isn’t that great. As a free trader, you are in a special position in which you can even change the galaxy.

    Basically, you are the law. Whatever you say will be done and anyone who doesn’t stick to it will end up in the dungeon or on the scaffold if you don’t execute them yourself. An excellent look into the truly dark world of Warhammer 40k, where there is no such thing as “good”, just different shades of dark.

    In my opinion, that’s exactly what Warhammer is all about: not Space Marines or Karl Franz, but a world in which war reigns with all its dirty trappings. Whether an act is justified always depends on how you evaluate it.

    My current character (left) used to be a commissar in the Imperial Army. Their principle: first shoot an ally, then the enemy. Increases “morale.”

    A role-playing game without “classes”, but with a lot of looting and leveling

    In addition, Rogue Trader does something completely different than I know from traditional role-playing games. There are no classes. Or… not so directly, at least. Character creation is much more extensive than you might know from Baldur’s Gate 3, even if you can’t adjust your genitals:

  • The world you come from determines the advantages and disadvantages of your character.
  • The profession in the past grants distinctive abilities and NPCs even respond to them.
  • “Doctrines” replace classes: you initially choose one of four, which can then develop into 3 different ones. This provides more variance, even if the same “class” is in the party multiple times.

    • To do this, you don’t just level up to level 20 or even just up to level 12, but up to 56 – at least as far as I can see and if there’s nothing else hidden there. Is called: You’re constantly leveling up and can choose new skills and further develop your character.

    There’s also plenty of loot, along with a trading system in which you don’t need any money at all. You just take whatever you want as long as the dealers trust you enough.

    Nice bonus: I can use the spaceship to fly through different planetary systems, build and manage colonies and shoot pirates. Great change when the XCOM-like combat system gets tough.

    Warhammer 40k can do so much more than just Space Marines

    I invested over 60 hours in the game in the first week since its release. Admittedly, because I was lying flat with Corona and couldn’t do much else but gamble. Otherwise it would probably be significantly fewer hours.

    Nevertheless, Rogue Trader finally shows me again why I love Warhammer so much and that even Warhammer 40,000 can keep up with my favorite Warhammer Fantasy. Because what always annoys me are Space Marines.

    In case you don’t know them: Space Marines are genetically modified humans who were bred from the “gene seeds” of demigod Primarchs. This is great for shooters without much sense, but seeing it in every game is tiring.

    In addition, almost all 40k games always use Nurgle as an opponent. Why? Because he is particularly disgusting as the lord of decay and disease, but is the most boring of the 4 chaos gods. Rogue Trader also explores a bit of what happens when you get in trouble with Slaanesh and Tzeentch. Refreshingly different.

    In case I’m spouting weird nerd babble for you, many players think Rogue Trader is the perfect introduction to Warhammer for them. I can only recommend it. I will also have to talk to colleague Marie Friske. The fact that Rogue Trader isn’t directly on our list of the 10 best role-playing games on Steam is bordering on heresy! Now if you’ll excuse me, there’s a heretic world within Exterminatus range.

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