Best Warhammer 40K: Rogue Trader Origins, Ranked

Like Archetypes, your character’s Origins in Warhammer 40K: Rogue Trader will make all the difference to succeed in battle and character interactions. It can be a daunting choice on the character creation screen, so here’s a rundown of the best Origins ranked to help you decide.

How Do Origins Work in Warhammer 40K: Rogue Trader?

Your Rogue Trader and companions all have Origins, which essentially fill in a character’s life leading up to the events of Warhammer 40K: Rogue Trader. As usual for CRPGs with selectable backgrounds, a character’s Origins will provide different boons. 

For instance, a Crime Lord Origin grants boosts to Awareness, Weapon Skill, Perception, and Logic, plus you gain access to a unique ability called “Sure-Fire Plan,” allowing you to buff your character based on their actions in combat directly. Each Origins offers a distinctive skillset, one leaning more toward a melee tank role and another suited for wreaking havoc with sorcery.

Choosing an Origins is arguably the most significant choice you’ll make and need to be sure about because you won’t be able to change it later.

Related: Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader Is the Series’s First Classic CRPG  

Best Warhammer 40K: Rogue Trader Origins, Ranked

In total, there are seven Origins available on the character creation screen in Warhammer 40K: Rogue Trader. These Origins aren’t particularly exclusive to just your character, either. Companions that travel with you might have a background in the same area. However, among the seven options, I’ve found the following three to be the best Origins in Rogue Trader.

1. Crime Lord: As mentioned, Crime Lord has a Sure-Fire Plan ability to buff themselves, either ramping up their damage by a percentage, inflicting a debuff on a target, or increasing their Dodge and Parry chances. The Origin suits damage dealers exceptionally well, especially if you make your character an Operative focused on long-range gunplay. 
2. Sanctioned Psyker: Any player interested in making a spellcasting character should go for Sanctioned Psyker for various reasons. Beyond its boosts to essential stats, the Origin provides access to plenty of psychic powers alongside many passive skills that allow you to make a caster however you’d like. 
3. Commissar: The Commissar Origin ironically fits your role of Rogue Trader the most and has great synergy with the Officer Archetype. It can provide an ally an extra turn after killing an enemy with its unique skill, At All Costs, and grant additional Action points, movement, and other boons to your team. The Commissar is a natural leader who can really turn the tide of battle under the right conditions.

Ministorum Priest is a close runner-up due to its ability to increase a party’s Momentum to unlock powerful, once-per-battle abilities. The following would be Astra Militarum Commander, Navy Officer, and Noble.

All Origins are solid options at the end of the day, but by far, Commissar, Sanctioned Psyker, and Crime Lord add substantially to how your character plays in a battle for the better.

Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader is available now on PC and other platforms.