Summary
- Focus on unlocking Officer Talents to boost team performance & cater to specific roles.
- Utilize Abilities like "Lasting Impression" & "Armour of Contempt" to enhance survivability.
- Enhance combat effectiveness with Talents like "Be Vigilant!" And "No Respite" to empower allies.
Among the Archetypes in Warhammer 40K: Rogue Trader, the Officer is one of the most versatile due to its nature as a leader. Thanks to its skill set that capitalizes on buffs and support abilities, the Officer can dictate a unit's overall strategy in the CRPG and ensure the team's survival. In turn, the Officer can grow into a defensive juggernaut like the Vanguard, the more versatile Master Tactician, or the highly adaptable Grand Strategist.
However, players who want to maximize the Officer's capabilities should first unlock the necessary Talents to tap into their potential. With the right Talents, an Officer can be a force to reckon with in combat with the way they can transform the rest of their team into masters of their craft.
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Updated on January 14th, 2025, by Rhenn Taguiam: With the Death Corps of Krieg about to arrive for the Astra Militarum in 2025, fans of Warhammer 40K might be excited to finally bring this faction into their Imperial Guard games. However, for players who want the Warhammer 40K TTRPG experience, they should probably play Rogue Trader - specifically an Officer, whose powerset is not too different from generals and officials in the Astra Militarum. Players who want to excel in this command position should also look into some of the Class’s most effective Talents, among some of which include a means of boosting the strength of allies, add buffs when generating Actions, give more Armour aside from Temporary Wounds, and bolster an ally’s skillset while empowered by the Officer.
14 Lasting Impression
Strengthen Overall Buffs To Allies
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Effect |
50% of “Voice of Command” bonuses last until the end of the combat. This doesn’t stack with itself or with other bonuses of “Voice of Command,” but it is counted as an Officer Ability in the context of other Talent effects. |
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Strategy |
“Voice of Command” becomes a more potent buffing force for allies, especially when its target can now enjoy half its stat bonuses until combat ends - a worthwhile boost for DPS units. |
Leadership means supporting the team from the frontlines, and an Officer who leaves an impression on their unit can expect loyal allies ready to go above and beyond for the sake of duty. In the case of Lasting Impression, this Officer Talent greatly enhances their Voice of Command. As players of the Warhammer 40K game may remember, Voice of Command adds + (5 + 2 x Officer’s FEL Bonus) to a target’s characteristics, with that same ally being affected by the Officer’s buffs from any distance.
While this effect originally lasted for only a single round, Lasting Impression now extends half of the Voice’s characteristics bonus throughout the rest of the duration of combat. Although the buffs will no longer be applied and this half-bonus isn’t stackable, these additional stats solidify the Officer’s position as a support unit.
13 Armour Of Contempt
Give Armour On Top Of Temporary Wounds
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Effect |
Give +10% Armor for 1 Round to an ally that receives an Officer buff that grants Temporary Wounds |
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Strategy |
When combined with “Get Back In The Fight!” And “Voice of Command”, this ability now adds +10% Armour on top of the +(2 x Officer’s WP Bonus) Temporary Wounds and recovery from Burn, Bleed, Stun, and Toxin. |
As a support unit, an Officer is capable of ensuring their unit performs effectively by giving them additional firepower and even survivability by enabling them to take more damage. Armour of Contempt rewards an Officer’s supportive capabilities by giving allies an additional layer of protection whenever the Officer boosts their chances of survival on the battlefield.
When activated, Armour of Contempt gives any ally an additional +10% Armour for one round whenever an Officer uses an Ability or a Talent that grants Temporary Wounds. The additional defense is unstackable and only lasts for a single round, but this should be enough to support units in the direct line of sight of more powerful enemy units - especially allied players deliberately positioned to take in enemy fire so the rest of the team can perform a counter-offensive.
12 Be Vigilant!
Become Stronger Fighters When Influenced By The Officer
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Effect |
Allies affected by Officer Abilities get +(3 + Officer’s FEL Bonus) Weapon Skill bonus and will deal +FEL Bonus Damage to Attacks of Opportunity until the Officer starts their next turn. |
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Strategy |
Any buff from the Officer can empower allies to deal stronger attacks, allowing the Officer to synergize with heavy-hitting units or even setup combos. |
Units under any Officer of the Astra Militarum know that discipline is important in the face of the forces of Chaos, making the Be Vigilant! Talent a predictable way of ensuring the entire squad is prepared to face whatever threat they may encounter at any given moment. When activated, this Talent affects any ally that is targeted by the Officer’s Abilities.
Until the Officer starts their next turn, the affected ally gets + (3+Officer’s FEL Bonus) to their Weapon Skill and deal +FEL Damage to Attacks of Opportunity. This transforms the Officer’s buffs into attack setups that ensure allies can perform more efficiently in combat after well-times offensive or defensive boosts.
11 No Respite
Make Action Point Generation More Meaningful
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Effect |
Allies who get extra Action Points from an Officer Ability now get +1 to All Characteristics per AP gained until combat ends. |
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Strategy |
Abilities like “Bring It Down!” And “Finest Hour!” Allow recipients to make immediate advances against enemies as soon as they receive the extra AP as they also get meaningful buffs. |
An Officer will let their squad remember that there’s no resting in the face of the xenos threat, and No Respite represents the Militarum’s ever-vigilant nature to fight threats to the Imperium. Should an Officer use any Ability that provides extra Action Points to an ally, that ally gains +1 to All Characteristics per Action Point they gain.
This incentivizes Officers who push towards giving allies room for more activity in a turn, transforming the squad into a hyper-optimized fighting unit. This Talent works well with Bring It Down! And Finest Hour! (Ultimate Ability), both of which grant some (full, incase of the latter) Action Points for the ally to spend.
10 Watch Yourself!
Boost Team Survivability With More Movement Options
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Effect |
Targets of Move, Move, Move! Get +10% Dodge Bonus and +10% Cover Efficiency Bonus until the start of the Officer's next turn |
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Strategy |
Boosts the survivability of Move! Move! Move! Targets, especially if they were granted the extra MP so they can move out of enemy spaces |
When the Officer uses Move, Move, Move! In the CRPG, the target of this Rogue Trader ability gets + FEL Bonus MP. Not only that, if they are under the effect of Voice of Command, this Ability will help that target ignore Attacks of Opportunity until the end of the Officer's turn. At its core, this incentivizes targeted allies of the Imperium to get out of contested spaces and into better vantage points.
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However, Watch Yourself! Helps Move, Move, Move! Shine when unlocked. With this Talent, targets of the latter Ability also get +10% Dodge Bonus and +10% Cover Efficiency Bonus. This allows them to have higher chances of dodging ranged attacks if they stop their turn at a sensitive position, while the extra Cover Efficiency encourages them to seek for cover right away.
9 Heroism
Enhances Officer's Combat Performance With Heroic Acts
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Effect |
Whenever any character uses a Heroic Act in combat, the Officer's next attack will cost 0 AP |
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Strategy |
Encourages more decisive uses of Heroic Acts while boosting the Officer's overall combat performance |
Being high-cost Abilities in Rogue Trader, using Heroic Acts in the CRPG's gameplay are usually reserved for high-power combos or dangerous situations where allies of the Imperium need a reliable ace in the hole. While all Archetypes feature different Heroic Acts, using them with the Officer as a team member effectively boosts their leader's performance with Heroism.
With this Talent unlocked, Heroism gives the Officer a free attack whenever an ally uses a Heroic Act. While the Officer doesn't have high enough firepower to one-shot foes, their extra DPS can be worthwhile when taking care of mobs or squeezing in much-needed extra damage against bosses.
8 Personal Oversight
Incentivizes Officers Always Using Their Abilities For Buffs
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Effect |
When the Officer targets an ally with an action (an Ability, an Attack), that ally gets +1 Resolve until the end of the Officer's next turn. The effect stacks and is prolonged until the end of the Officer's next turn whenever it stacks |
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Strategy |
The additional Resolve gives allies more opportunities to do Heroic Acts |
Since Resolve is the defensive stat responsible for determining how much Momentum characters gain at the start of turns and after enemy kills, raising it is an ideal strategy in terms of growth against enemies like daemons in the CRPG. However, Officers can make this process much easier for allies with Resolve-granting Abilities such as Air of Authority, or a Talent like Personal Oversight that practically guarantees extra Resolve whenever the Officer takes their turn.
At its core, unlocking Personal Oversight will give allies +1 Resolve until the end of the Officer's next turn whenever they are targeted by an action. While this extra Resolve only lasts until the end of the Officer's next turn, it does stack. In turn, as long as an ally becomes a consistent target of the Officer's Personal Oversight, they can be set up to access their Heroic Acts much faster.
7 More Than Possible
Get More Actions Out Of Bring It Down
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Effect |
The target of Bring It Down! Gets +1 AP, but suffers WP Bonus direct damage if they end their Extra Turn under that Ability with 0 AP |
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Strategy |
Encourages players to be more tactical with the recipients of Bring It Down!, especially since the extra AP allows them to do more actions at the cost of extra damage |
One of the best characteristics of Officers in the Warhammer 40K game is their ability to grant extra turns to allies, mostly courtesy of their Bring It Down! Ability. This turn only gives +2 AP with no MP, effectively making Bring It Down! An incentive to squeeze an extra attack. However, the Officer can make their target's skillset more versatile in the CRPG with More Than Possible.
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If unlocked, More Than Possible gives the target of Bring It Down! Another +1 AP. This should give them enough room to do more attacks and actions against enemies, like a well-placed buff from a Psyker. However, it's advisable to save some of their leftover AP, as they suffer WP Bonus direct damage if they end their Bring It Down! Extra turn with 0 AP left.
6 Focus!
Capitalize On A Single Ally With Powerful Buffs
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Effect |
When an Officer uses an Ability on an ally, that ally gets a + FEL Bonus to Perception and Ballistic Skill. The bonuses stack, but the targeted ally loses half of them at the end of their turn |
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Strategy |
Allows the Officer to focus their buffs on an ally, usually a Soldier or an Operative |
With Archetypes like the Soldier and the Warrior serving as the key damage dealers in Rogue Trader, it's not surprising that CRPG players may want to focus on buffing them to deal as much damage as possible in each of their turns. The Operative can also do a similar process by choosing to use much of their buffs for their primary DPS instead of scattering them to the whole team, much like a faction leader enhancing a favored unit’s performance. However, in Rogue Trader, Focus! Also enhances this strategy.
With Focus!, an ally targeted by an Officer Ability now gets + FEL Bonus to their Perception and Ballistic Skill. Half of this bonus is lost at the end of their turn, but these bonuses stack. With the right application, a long-distance unit like the Soldier can not only get a wide variety of buffs like an extra turn (Bring It Down!), cover-ignoring and double-distance attacks (Take Aim!), and extra resolve (Air of Authority), but also massive Ballistic Skill and Perception buffs to enhance their overall damage.
5 Steady!
Enhance Combat Skills Of Ranged Allies
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Effect |
When Officers use Take Aim!, the Ability also increases the damage of the ally's next ranged attack by +2% for each Cell between them and their target |
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Strategy |
Encourages the usage of Take Aim! Towards Soldiers and Operatives, Archetypes that often rely on long-distance attacks to take out enemies |
Ranged combatants in the Warhammer 40K game can reliably attack at a distance without exposing themselves to their enemies, allowing long-ranged specialists like Soldiers and Operatives to take down foes more easily. However, different ranged weapons work at various ranges, requiring different minimum Cells in order to be able to launch attacks at foes. Thanks to Take Aim!, the Officer can help their allies shoot enemies at a much further distance, boosting their overall combat performance.
However, it's when Officers unlock Steady! That they can maximize the capabilities of their long-ranged allies to eliminate enemies from afar. With this Talent, the Officer boosts the target's next ranged attack by +2% for every Cell between them and their enemy, further incentivizing distance plays. When combined with Take Aim!, target allies can deal as much as +20% more damage if they're 10 Cells away from their foe.