General Gaming Warhammer 40K: Rogue Trader (CRPG from Owlcat Games) - massive Patch 1.1.28 released (1,800+ changes)

[jaethos]

I bought it, but I was going to let it sit and cook for a few more months before playing it anway, because that's just what you should do with a modern CRPG. Even Baldur's Gate 3 has had significant changes and improvements since release, and it was considered fairly polished.

[Massdriver]

As with the Pathfinder games, Owlcat tends to need a little extra time to polish their crpgs after release. 

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

Game Information

Game Title: Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader

 

Platforms:

• PC (Dec 7, 2023)

 

Developer: Owlcat Games

 

Review Aggregator:

OpenCritic - 78 average - 84% recommended

 

Critic Reviews

Spoiler

GGRecon - Tarran Stockton - 4.5 / 5

While lacking the polish and production value that saw the genre float into the mainstream this year, Rogue Trader is a refreshing CRPG experience that values everything that makes games like these so special. It's impossibly expansive, full of rich characters and stories, complex without being over-encumbered, and so much more that doesn't fit into a snappy conclusion. Owlcat has really gone out of its way to bring the Warhammer 40K universe to life here, and in doing so, it's created one of the most memorable RPGs of the decade.

GameSkinny - Gordan Perisic - 9 / 10

A long awaited Warhammer 40K CRPG executed superbly not only in terms of combat but also story, atmosphere, and character building.

NoobFeed - Jay Claassen - 90 / 100

Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader is a little rough around the edges but it’s also the best rendition of the Warhammer universe brought to gamers. It’s perfect for those who are new to Warhammer and DND veterans who want a rich story to experience. Sadly, the ship battles are a drag, but everything else, from the brilliant voice acting to the overall gameplay, more than makes up for that little blemish on the experience of a game.

WhatIfGaming - Hristijan Pavlovski - 9 / 10

Warhammer 40K: Rogue Trader is an astoundingly complex game that perfectly conveys the feeling of living in the 41st millennium. Its story is entrancing from the get-go, the characters are diverse and memorable and the gameplay will keep you hooked to your screen for hours on end. It's a must-play for diehard Warhammer fans and a great entry point for prospecting Warhammer fans. As far as Warhammer games are concerned, it's a definite 10, and a new benchmark for storytelling in the franchise.

GameSpace - Catherine Daro - 8.5 / 10

Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader is a phenomenal roleplaying experience offering an immersive story and an impressive, highly-connected web of features and systems. The soundtrack, writing and voice over are all deliciously over the top, and gameplay provides a new step forward in a tactical cRPG genre, rewarding positioning, teamwork and attention to details. If you are new to the Warhammer franchise, the game can serve as a perfect stepping stone into the universe.

PlayStation Universe - John-Paul Jones - 8.5 / 10

Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader is the sort of game that the Warhammer 40K setting has long needed. A disgustingly massive, social calendar swallowing CRPG offering, Rogue Trader's numerous presentation issues aren't enough to distract from its galaxy-spanning odyssey into Games Workshop's most famous and beloved setting.

GAMES.CH - Joel Kogler - German - 82%

Few fictional universes are as dense and impenetrable as that of Warhammer 40k. Owlcat Games (previously known for Pathfinder: Kingmaker and Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous have managed to create a gripping story of the darkness that lurks in man, accentuated by stellar writing and a combat system that masterfully increases in depth as the game goes on. Despite some bugs and technical issues, this easily counts among the very best delves into the grim darkness of the 41st Millennium.

The Games Machine - Daniele Dolce - Italian - 8.2 / 10

Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader treats the Games Workshop board game license with respect, granting the opportunity of fully immersing into a universe that fully meets the expectations of franchise's fans. Owlcat Games has crafted a role-playing video game that guarantees a fair amount of freedom of choice with concrete consequences both in the development of the plot and in the balance of power within the Koronus Expanse. It's a shame for the technical state it is in, otherwise we'd have a masterpiece in our hands.

COGconnected - Mark Steighner - 80 / 100

CRPG fans heavily invested in Warhammer 40K will thoroughly enjoy Rogue Trader, but there’s enough backstory and written lore to bring newcomers up to speed and into the fold. Rogue Trader is generous to a fault with combat and sometimes the momentum stalls in the naval combat or over-lengthy tactical battles. Overall, Warhammer 40,000 Rogue Trader is an engaging turn-based RPG and another reminder of how rich the Warhammer universe can be.

GameLuster - Axel Cushing - 8 / 10

Warhammer 40K: Rogue Trader delivers the sort of space opera CRPG we didn't know we needed.  From excellent visuals to combat and character systems so detailed it almost hurts, Rogue Trader will keep CRPG players busy for a very long time.

GamesHub - Jam Walker - 4 / 5

This is the Warhammer 40,000 experience that I’ve wanted from a video game for two decades. A game that gleefully wallows in the medieval futurism of its setting. A game that isn’t about winning wars on the battlefield, but focuses on all of the grim-dark insanity that goes on behind it all.

GamingBolt - Ravi Sinha - 8 / 10

Paying extensive homage to the source material while weaving a compelling tale of its own, Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader is an involving experience with fun combat and memorable characters.

IGN - Leana Hafer - 8 / 10

Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader is an ultra crunchy, 130-hour space epic with excellent writing and combat, but unfortunately, also a lot of bugs.

Impulsegamer - Branden Zavaleta - 4 / 5

So if you're a Baldur's Gate 3 fan hankering for another expansive CRPG adventure, your first glance may put you off Rogue Trader. But if you temper your expectations, and give it some time to grow on you, you'll find a lot to love. And if you're a Warhammer 40k fan hoping for some grim dark adventuring among the stars, you'll love it all the more.

Rectify Gaming - Henry - 8 / 10

Warhammer 40K: Rogue Trader stands as a testament to the rich and expansive universe of Warhammer 40,000. With its captivating storyline, immersive visuals, and strategic depth, it caters to both Warhammer enthusiasts and strategy game aficionados. I have no doubt that Owlcat Games will iron out the few technical hiccups that exist in an otherwise authentic Warhammer gaming experience.

SECTOR.sk - Branislav Kohút - Slovak - 8 / 10

The massive isometric RPG from the popular universe is primarily very controversial. It offers rich content, but some elements in the game are impractical and unnecessarily complicated. Even so, Rogue Trader deserves the attention of fans of the genre.

Screen Rant - Rob Gordon - 4 / 5

Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader is an excellent adaptation of the Warhammer universe into a genre that some may expect not to work. A compelling RPG with a strong understanding of its original property, it’s a great example of the classic C-RPGs of the 1990s and early 2000s. Although it perhaps does nothing revolutionary, it provides an intriguing and exciting adventure, especially for fans of the tabletop game.

Spaziogames - Daniele Spelta - Italian - 8 / 10

One of the best video games ever created about the Games Workshop universe.

TheGamer - Matt Arnold - 4 / 5

If you’re a 40K fan or just looking for a combat-heavy RPG outside of the normal fantasy fare, Rogue Trader will make a welcome addition to your library. It dives deeper into the setting and lore than any other video game to date, showing that it’s clearly a game by fans, for fans. Owlcat gave us multiple Pathfinder RPGs - hopefully, we’ll see more adventures in the Koronus Expanse in the future as well.

Wccftech - Francesco De Meo - 8 / 10

With the great amount of love for the setting that was poured into the game evident from every line of dialogue and every little detail, Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader is one of the best games based on the universe created by Games Workshop, and a solid tactical turn-based role-playing game that can provide hundreds of hours of fun.

Windows Central - Samuel Tolbert - 4 / 5

Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader is a fun RPG with stellar writing that truly captures the dark future of eternal war. Choices and options aplenty never detract from or feel ill-suited to the setting, and a clever layout makes this a solid entry point for any Warhammer newcomers. There are a number of bugs to be wary of, with progression issues popping up from time to time.

But Why Tho? - Charles Hartford - 7.5 / 10

Warhammer 40K: Rogue Trader delivers a solid option for players who are looking to lose themselves in the darkness of the franchise’s universe.

Checkpoint Gaming - Victor Tan - 7.5 / 10

Warhammer 40000: Rogue Trader does a great job of putting you in the shoes of space royalty. You travel around galaxies and explore new areas while addressing issues that plague your rule. Combat is strategic and encourages you to use the strengths of your companions. Exploring new galaxies and harvesting resources immerses you in the role of Rogue Trader, encouraging you to be the ruler you want to be. Unfortunately, there's a lot of information to learn for players new to Warhammer 40K and the maps aren't very helpful. But if you are willing to spend the time to learn and experiment, there's a fun strategy RPG waiting to be explored.

Gamer Guides - Nathan Garvin - 75 / 100

Rogue Trader is very much a release in the Owlcat Games mould, combining a great degree of customization with a solid story, meaningful choices, and interesting characters. While all that, combined with excellent use of the Warhammer 40,000 setting, comes perilously close to pushing Rogue Trader into the greatest realm of CRPGs, unfortunate balance issues, obtuse design elements, and myriad bugs prevent the title from achieving its full potential.

Gamers Heroes - Johnny Hurricane - 75 / 100

Even with the bugs, Warhammer 40K fans will enjoy Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader immensely. If you are a tactics RPG fan looking for your next fix, this is your game.

God is a Geek - Mick Fraser - 7.5 / 10

Warhammer 40K: Rogue Trader is a huge, deep, vast, sprawling CRPG that's sometimes a little too ambitious for its own good.

Digital Trends - Jason Rodriguez - 3.5 / 5

Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader delivers a dream CRPG for Warhammer fans if you can get past its bugs.

Infinite Start - Josh Garibay - 7 / 10

Owlcat Games took special care of their endeavor in creating a beautifully grim setting within the Warhammer 40,000 universe. Nearly everywhere you look, Rogue Trader nails its digital realization of the source material. The grittiness of the surroundings is reflected in the brutality of battle, but ground combat far exceeds the tedium of the space-bound dogfights. There's truly a great Warhammer 40,000 game here, both for newcomers and longtime fans, but its edges remain rougher than desired due to a litany of bugs and inconsistent difficulty problems. A great game exists on the other side of focused patches, but right now it's only "mostly" good.

Push Square - Khayl Adam - 7 / 10

Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader is a CRPG worthy of its grimdark sci-fi setting, offering players engaging tactical turn-based combat and an immersive adventure. It lacks polish, and we encountered some frustrating bugs, but deep class customisation and an exploration of the setting like nothing before means there's plenty to recommend for fans who are willing to take the plunge.

Entertainment Geekly - Luis Alvaro - 3 / 5

Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader is a game with immense potential, steeped in the rich lore of its source material and offering a depth of gameplay that will delight fans of the franchise. While its current version is marred by technical issues and a steep learning curve, the game’s commitment to its universe and narrative complexity make it a noteworthy addition to the RPG genre.

PCGamesN - Lowell Bell - 6 / 10

Warhammer 40k: Rogue Trader's adventure across the dangerous Koronus Expanse is full of fun sci-fi lore and companions, but it's buried beneath wonky balancing, tedious spaceship battles, and quest-breaking bugs. Perhaps after numerous patches, Rogue Trader will one day become a strong addition to the CRPG genre.

PC Gamer - Jody Macgregor - 59 / 100

Rogue Trader gets 40K's atmosphere right, but it's buggy and the rules are a mess.

DualShockers - Matthew O’Dwyer - Unscored

In the end, the moments of jank and the less-than-gripping combat didn’t diminish my experience or my desire to play. I still enjoyed leveling my character. I still enjoyed building my party, especially where skills were concerned. I was also impressed by the intuitive nature of skill checks. When making a check, the game will automatically select the character with the highest rank in that skill to carry out the check. It’s a small touch, but a nice one. Ultimately, this is an easy game to recommend if you like RPGs that put their narrative forward and build their characters in meaningful ways. It may not find a home in everyone’s collections, but it will be a shining star for fans of the setting who appreciate a narrative focus.

 

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

On 12/6/2023 at 2:33 PM, Remarkableriots said:

This supposed to come out tomorrow but on PSN it only has wishlist available?

 

Only the PC version has been released - the console versions will release next year after some of the bugs are ironed-out by the PC testers

[CitizenVectron]

Wow...this actually looks like it's worth a look!

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

 

 

[Remarkableriots]

22 hours ago, Commissar SFLUFAN said:

 

Only the PC version has been released - the console versions will release next year after some of the bugs are ironed-out by the PC testers

It has it up for purchase now and I think it for whatever reason became available for purchase on the 7th but no pre purchase. I'll have to wait on it but it's nice that it's $50.

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

Updated the OpenCritic reviews post.

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

 

I also updated the reviews post.

[Mr.Vic20]

I'm enjoying this one quite a bit! The upgrade/character build UI aside, this game is wonderful! The crew dynamics, and the fact that they throw a ton of WH 40K lore at you and don't care that you don't know what it all means, is great! Fortunately the game has a built in glossery that helps you find your footing in the narrative. This is great, because I'm sure I'm not alone in A.) hating exposition ladened dialog in games and B.) am a newbie to the lore. Beyond that, I love that the dialog options require you to pay attention to each character's personality traits and answer carefully. There is a lot of writing in this game, and I love the light novel pacing of the game. Combat is classic TRPG fair, but its competently executed. Think modern X-Com. The game progresses through a balance of missions/events based on your party/various crew members aboard your void ship and missions out in the expanse. This has the effect of weaving character and plot developments together in a fairly natural way that pushes the story foward to great effect. The game does nothing new in terms of moving CRPG gaming conventions forward, but what you have in Rogue Trader is a very competent example of the genre and what I assume is a love letter to all things WH 40K. Purchase with confidence, there is plenty of fun to be had here! 

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

Rogue Trader’s companions are garbage (and that’s why I love them)

WWW.POLYGON.COM

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Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader’s companions all have their own secrets — and most of them are real stinkers.

 

Quote

 

It’s a common trope in role-playing games for the protagonist to have a party that follows them around, bolsters their skills in combat, and provides different perspectives on the world. Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader is no exception; as the titular Rogue Trader I can take a retinue with me wherever I go. This can include a rare, trusted few, or I could go hog wild and recruit smugglers, criminals, dangerous psykers, and mysterious xenos.

 

What makes this experience so delightful is that all of my party members share two things in common: They suck, and they all hate each other. I feel like a bus driver carting around a bunch of terrible students who are all slap-fighting in the back seat, except instead of being students, all of these people are incredibly deadly and blessed with high-caliber weaponry and brain powers.

 

 

Quote

 

It’s a delightful contrast to Baldur’s Gate 3, which has a cast of well-rounded and fully realized companion characters who slowly become more sympathetic over the course of the game. You start off as a bunch of hostile strangers, but you eventually become a proper adventuring party that stands shoulder-to-shoulder against the apocalypse. Sure, every Baldur’s Gate 3 companion has their own issues, and there are a couple of instances where they’re at each other’s throats, but deep down they all have the potential to have a heart of gold.

 

In Rogue Trader, everyone starts out as an asshole, and then undergoes trauma that makes them even worse. Let’s start with my Senechal and the party’s MVP, Abelard. As a Senechal, Abelard is meant to help me out, run certain parts of my voidship, and herald my arrival. There’s just one problem. Abelard? More like, Enable Hard. This guy never says no, and if I bring him with me everywhere I go, he’ll do my bidding without question. If I think a guy’s looking too proud and I decide the best way to humble him is removing his kneecaps, Abelard will ensure I don’t have to dirty my hands. Very practical, but not very moral.

Then there’s Argenta, a Sister of Battle. This religious warrior wants to murder half of the other people on the ship in the service of the God-Emperor. If Argenta was in charge, jaywalking would be a crime punishable by death via fire. There were multiple times during the campaign when I had to actively prevent her from putting a bolter shell in the middle of another party member’s face.

Heinrix van Calox, an agent of the Inquisition, isn’t much better. He’s super-mad any time I pal around with xenos — something about heresy in the face of human supremacy, I don’t know, I tune out — and he’s also pretty cool with casual murder. I can actually go to him at any point in the campaign and ask for him to disappear specific party members, and he’ll happily do so overnight.

It says a lot that the most moral and respectable members of my crew are the rogues — Jae and Idira are a smuggler and a psyker respectively, and both of them have shady dealings on the side. Despite their shortcomings, they’re among the best at dealing with interpersonal conflict. Cassia, the ship’s Navigator, is also pretty chill... when she’s not casually suggesting I remove the vocal cords from my crewmates so they don’t bother her so much.

 

Finally, there’s Marazhai, the Drukhari I recruited in Commorragh. It took a little bit of finangling to get him in my party, which makes sense, because it’s extremely contrived that I would want to recruit him in the first place. Marazhai is an antagonistic space elf who feeds off the torment of living beings, and he is a major antagonist in the early acts of the game. Still, I went out of my way to not only recruit him, but also romance him, because I was curious to see how the game threads the needle of having such a dangerous companion on the player’s side.

 

As it turns out, the way Marazhai’s romance plays out is extremely horny. Before long, he’s praising my Rogue Trader for being an obedient pet, and I have the option to give him hunting grounds aboard my voidship. Every once in a while, he goes around murdering innocent crew members. Everyone gives me a big side-eye for enabling it, but look, in the bleak galaxy of Warhammer 40K, I deserve a little treat. These party members are terrible, and the events of the campaign largely just make them worse — and that’s what makes them fascinating.

 

 

[Mr.Vic20]

That's a fun article and funny to read, but its terribly inaccurate to the characters it mentions. The author has skipped over much of their dialog if that is the honest impressions they walked away with. The Warhammer universe is, and I'm brand new to it mind you, a dark and brutal landscape. This review acts like applying the logic of "hey, that Karen is poppin off in my Starbucks" makes any kind of sense. Example: Argenta is a "true believer" in the god emporer's will. She is a zealot solider. that said, 

Spoiler

Very early on its made clear that she has a soft spot for kids and sticks her neck out for the less fortunate. Yes, she will kill anyone she thinks is a heretic, but so will half the imperium! After reading about the lore, apprently even simple items can actually be relics of the void and cause mass damage, so the humans in this universe are VERY paranoid. Yes, often to a fault, but that's the point. This is like living in the time of the inquistion but imagine if devils really could just pop out of a tea pot and slaughter everyone in an instant. You might be on edge as well.

 

[Air_Delivery]

Sounds like this is a good game but its pretty buggy. Ill probably hold off until multiple patches.

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

Warhammer 40k: Rogue Trader gets a 'gargantuan' patch that makes over 1,800 changes to the game, in an overhaul so drastic it gives you a free shot at respeccing your party | PC Gamer

WWW.PCGAMER.COM

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Patch notes are 17,000 words long.

 

Quote

 

I was excited about Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader when I previewed it in 2022, but the final product left a lot to be desired, according to Jody's review. The game's sweeping sci-fi drama was undermined by tedious combat in which "there's never one interesting tactical battle when there could be three samey ones to grind down your resources," he lamented, while the experience was further hobbled by an infestation of bugs.

 

Yet Jody notes in that same review, "if you played Owlcat's previous RPGs at launch, you'll be familiar with the feeling you're playing the worst version of the game" and "it's not impossible that Rogue Trader could get a significant overhaul." Well, that overhaul has just arrived. Yesterday, Owlcat issued the mother of all patches. In fact, it's less of a patch and more a whole new pair of trousers, an overhaul so extensive that the developers have added a special item into the game that lets you respec your characters.

 

Described as "gargantuan" by Owlcat in the studio's Steam announcement, update 1.1.28 makes over 1,800 changes to Rogue Trader. The patch notes, which are 17,000 words long, cover virtually every aspect of the game. It includes bug fixes, narrative changes, tweaks to individual story acts, item modifications, location adjustments, visual tuning, UI improvements, sound additions, and much more.

 

 

 

Rogue Trader 1.1.28 Patch Notes - News - Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader

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