What’s the best Operative build in Rogue Trader? For those that like to exploit, debuff, and debilitate, there’s no better option than Rogue Trader’s Operative archetype. It may take a while to wrap your head around how exploits and weaknesses work as you explore the Koronus Expanse, but once you get a handle on it, having two or more Operatives on your team at any given time greatly increases your ability to take down difficult foes. Tied with the Officer for being the most nuanced archetype, this guide will help you ease the stress of what specific talents and features to choose upon leveling up. You’ll need a few of them to make short work of warp demons and xenos threats.
But maybe the Warhammer 40k Rogue Trader Operative isn’t your style, and you’d like something a little bit more straightforward? Check out our guides for versatile but melee-focused Warrior or for the gun-obsessed Soldier archetypes. And if you’re a sucker for complex mechanics but would rather pass on the Operative, our Officer guide details how to take command of your companions and the battlefield. If you’re still interested in the Operative, read on to find out the best build.
Best Rogue Trader Operative build
The best Rogue Trader Operative build is:
- Homeworld: Forge World (Analytics System)
- Origin: Crime Lord
- Characteristics: +10 Ballistics Skill, +10 Intelligence, +10 Agility
- Best Talents: Instant Exposure, Weak Body, Weak Soul, Inflict Despair, Tide of Excellence, Fresh Target
- Best Abilities: Perfect Spot, Intimidation
- Advanced Archetype: Assassin
Best Operative Homeworld
The best Homeworld for the Rogue Trader Operative is Forge World.
Your homeworld provides a bit of background lore for your character, a feature, access to a handful of talents that you can select later, and, most importantly, some buffs and nerfs to starting characteristics. Outside of allocating your characteristics, it’s the most impactful step toward making an effective Operative; however, you definitely can get away with choosing a homeworld for roleplaying purposes if you’re careful with future level ups.
For the purposes of this build, the Forge World option provides the greatest benefits to an Operative for one simple reason: Forge World offers an augmentation. Of these choices, Analytics System offers a boost to Critical Hit chance based on the Intelligence characteristic. As you’ll likely later take the critical hit heavy Assassin advanced archetype, eventually your Operative will become a debuffing wrecking ball of high damage hits.
Best Operative Origin
The best Origin for the Rogue Trader Operative is Crime Lord.
Origins provide context for your character as you navigate the Koronus Expanse. It is perfectly fine to choose an origin that interests you from a role-playing perspective, or, if you want to wield some unstable magic powers, become a Sanctioned Psyker.
For an Operative, the Crime Lord origin narrowly beats out the Astra Militarum Commander as the best choice. Crime Lord comes with the Sure-Fire Plan feature, which builds a resource that buffs damage, dodge chance, or debuffs an enemy’s defense. Operatives like all three of those things; furthermore, Crime Lord comes with several talents that make Sure-Fire Plan even more powerful, like The Last Plan which allows you to survive lethal damage.
Best Operative Characteristics
You’ll have 30 points to spend in any characteristic of your choosing in chunks of 5. Operatives do well with both melee and ranged weaponry; it’s possible to go with one or the other, but as Ballistic Skill doesn’t require investment in two characteristics (melee weapons require Weapon Skill and Strength), throw +10 into it. After that, +10 in Intelligence will make the most of the Operative’s abilities, including its keystone ability Analyze Enemies, and critical hit damage. Finally, +10 in Agility will help give you the initiative necessary to debuff your enemies so the rest of your companions can fill them full of holes.
Here are the best characteristics for an Operative, including the Forge World homeworld and Crime Lord origin bonuses:
- Weapon Skill: 35
- Ballistic Skill: 40
- Strength: 30
- Toughness: 35
- Agility: 40
- Intelligence: 45
- Perception: 35
- Willpower: 30
- Fellowship: 25
Upon leveling up, focus on raising Intelligence first, followed by Agility and Ballistics Skill. This spread will ensure you can bring enemies down quickly and efficiently before many of them can act.
Best Operative Talents
While leveling up the Operative archetype, you will be able to select 4 common and 5 Operative talents as you progress to level 16, where you’ll move on to an advanced archetype. The common talents available to you will depend on your homeworld; however, for when you can select a Operative talent, prioritize these:
- Level 4: Instant Exposure
- Level 6: Weak Body, Weak Soul
- Level 8: Inflict Despair
- Level 11: Tide of Excellence
- Level 13: Fresh Target
Other than Fresh Target, which allows the Operative to deal more damage to an undamaged enemy, all these talents offer bonuses to the Operator’s two main abilities: Analyze Enemies and Expose Weakness. You will likely use these skills every single turn, so making them as powerful as possible (and turning off their slow animations in the settings) will go a long way toward making your Operative the most effective member of your team. What’s more, you’ll likely have another Operative or two in your 6 person party to stack these effects and deal massive damage.
For common talents, good choices are Swift Movements and Nimble as movement points and dodge are premium resources for survival. From there, the Forge World ability Calculated Relations will make pesky Fellowship-based skill checks run off your high Intelligence stat instead.
Best Operative Abilities
Twice, you’ll be able to select a new ability – a usable skill – for your Operative. The class automatically comes with Analyze Enemies (increase damage against) and Expose Weakness (reduce dodge and armor). If you choose the Sanctioned Psyker origin, you can select a powerful Psyker spell. For a non-Psyker Operative, select the following:
- Level 7: Perfect Spot
- Level 12: Intimidation
This Operative builds benefits from Perfect Spot, which grants a massive buff to Ballistic Skill for staying in one spot with the nice addition of some cover protection. Intimidation works well against powerful boss enemies by nerfing their damage output.
Best Advanced Archetype for an Operative
The best Advanced Archetype for an Operative is Assassin or Grand Strategist.
While Operatives can make great Bounty Hunters, they make for perfect Assassins. Their other choice is Grand Strategist, which is rather hands off. Assassins continue an Operative’s prerogative to expose weaknesses on enemies in order to hit them easier and for far more damage, primarily through the Seek the Opening ability. This places a target on the enemy and, if attacked from that side, they’ll take more damage. Choosing the Death Whisper ability gives the Assassin another chance to deal damage, and its Danse Macabre ability adds some maneuverability for an otherwise squishy archetype.
Now you’re ready to analyze and exploit your way through the Koronus Expanse. Operatives are perhaps the most valuable archetype on higher difficulties, making tough opponents manageable and easier enemies bulldozable. If you’re keen on Warhammer 40000: Rogue Trader and want to play more games like it, check out our list of best games like Baldur’s Gate 3 – another CRPG you may have heard about – and be sure to read our Rogue Trader review to get our full thoughts on Owlcat’s latest.