Companions are the characters who travel with you in Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader, a sci-fi RPG. You play as the Rogue Trader, the captain of a voidship exploring the Koronus Expanse, and your companions are the crew who fight beside you, offer advice, and carry their own storylines. Companions come from both the base game and its expansions, so the team you build can look very different from one playthrough to the next.
Source
Base game
Abelard
A durable melee front-liner built to protect allies.
- Archetype
- Warrior
- Joins In
- Prologue
- Recruit Type
- Main-path recruit
- Role
- Melee tank
- How to Recruit
- Abelard joins automatically during the prologue.
Argenta
A ranged damage dealer built around bolters and area attacks.
- Archetype
- Soldier
- Joins In
- Prologue
- Recruit Type
- Main-path recruit
- Role
- Ranged damage
- How to Recruit
- Argenta joins during the prologue.
Idira
A psyker who weakens enemies and supports the team with risky warp powers.
- Archetype
- Operative
- Joins In
- Prologue
- Recruit Type
- Main-path recruit
- Role
- Psyker damage and control
- How to Recruit
- Idira joins automatically during the prologue.
Cassia
A Navigator who controls groups of enemies and boosts ally turns.
- Archetype
- Officer
- Joins In
- Chapter 1
- Recruit Type
- Main-path recruit
- Role
- Navigator area damage and ally buffs
- How to Recruit
- Complete Secrets of the Navis Nobilite on Eurac V and make a deal for Cassia to join.
Heinrix
A close-range fighter who combines weapons with psychic abilities.
- Archetype
- Warrior
- Joins In
- Chapter 1
- Recruit Type
- Main-path recruit
- Role
- Melee and psyker hybrid
- How to Recruit
- Find Heinrix at the Hallowed Electrodynamic Cenobium on Rykad Minoris during Looking for Trouble.
Pasqal
A technical Operative who handles ranged damage and specialist skills.
- Archetype
- Operative
- Joins In
- Chapter 1
- Recruit Type
- Main-path recruit
- Role
- Ranged utility and tech skills
- How to Recruit
- Meet Pasqal at the Starport on Rykad Minoris and complete Machine Spirit Keeper.
Jae
An Officer who can boost allies or deal damage herself.
- Archetype
- Officer
- Joins In
- Chapter 2
- Recruit Type
- Main-path recruit
- Role
- Ally buffs or personal damage
- How to Recruit
- Finish Wanted on Footfall by helping Jae recover her stolen cargo at the Martyr's Endurance.
Yrliet
A sniper who specializes in high-precision ranged attacks.
- Archetype
- Operative
- Joins In
- Chapter 2
- Recruit Type
- Main-path recruit
- Role
- Sniper
- How to Recruit
- After the governor's mansion attack on Janus, speak with Yrliet and ask her to join the investigation in World Shapers.
Ulfar
A heavily armored Soldier who brings close-range pressure and firepower.
- Archetype
- Soldier
- Joins In
- Chapter 3
- Recruit Type
- Main-path recruit
- Role
- Heavy front-line fighter
- How to Recruit
- During Fury in Chains in Commorragh, persuade Tervantias to release Ulfar from the arena.
Marazhai
A fast melee fighter who uses close-range attacks and debuffs.
- Archetype
- Warrior
- Joins In
- Chapter 3
- Recruit Type
- Main-path recruit
- Role
- Melee assassin
- How to Recruit
- In The Chasm, offer Marazhai an alliance at the Anatomical Opera and reaffirm it during the arena fight.
Secret melee recruit
A close-range fighter focused on forceful melee attacks.
- Archetype
- Warrior
- Joins In
- Chapter 5
- Recruit Type
- Secret recruit
- Role
- Aggressive melee fighter
- How to Recruit
- Spoiler: Identity: Calligos Winterscale. Ally with him on Quetza Temer during a Heretical run and do not accept his redemption; this late-game recruit can join alongside the other Heretical route recruit.
Secret ranged recruit
A gun-focused Soldier with strong ranged and area attacks.
- Archetype
- Soldier
- Joins In
- Chapter 5
- Recruit Type
- Secret recruit, route-exclusive
- Role
- Ranged attacker
- How to Recruit
- Spoiler: Identity: Incendia Chorda. She may join at the start of Chapter 5 if supported on a Dogmatic route or redeemed with Iconoclast choices; this route is mutually exclusive with the two Heretical late-game recruits.
Secret support recruit
An Officer who improves ally turns and tactical output.
- Archetype
- Officer
- Joins In
- Chapter 5
- Recruit Type
- Secret recruit
- Role
- Team support
- How to Recruit
- Spoiler: Identity: Uralon the Cruel. Support him on Eufrates II during a Heretical run and complete The Call of the Edge; he can join at the start of Chapter 5 alongside the other Heretical route recruit.
Source
Void Shadows
Kibellah
A mobile Assassin who closes gaps and deals burst melee damage.
- Archetype
- Bladedancer
- Joins In
- Chapter 1
- Recruit Type
- DLC recruit
- Role
- Mobile melee burst
- How to Recruit
- After becoming Rogue Trader, follow To Become the Flagship's Blood and Ritual of Binding.
Source
Lex Imperialis
Solomorne Anthar
An Overseer who pairs frontline support with a cyber-mastiff familiar.
- Archetype
- Overseer
- Joins In
- Chapter 2
- Recruit Type
- DLC recruit
- Role
- Support with a cyber-mastiff familiar
- How to Recruit
- After clearing Janus or another main world, follow the Footfall lead into the Heartless operation; Solomorne joins at level 24.
Source
The Infinite Museion
Eogunn Februs
An Officer who strengthens allies with galvanic support abilities.
- Archetype
- Officer
- Joins In
- Chapters 2-4
- Recruit Type
- DLC recruit
- Role
- Battlefield support and galvanic buffs
- How to Recruit
- Follow Broken Relic, which can begin in Chapter 2 and ends by Chapter 4; Eogunn joins after repairing the Sector Bionica implantation throne.
What Companions Do in Rogue Trader
Companions are more than extra fighters, although they do fight beside you. In turn-based battles, each one has a set role, such as a melee tank, a ranged fighter, or a support character, and that role never changes. You still choose their skills, talents, and specializations, so you decide how they grow.
Outside of combat, companions talk with you, offer their own personal quests, and help with skill checks during conversations, even when they are not in your fighting party. That last part matters, because some story content can only be reached through a particular companion.
How Many Companions Can You Bring?
Your fighting party holds six characters. Your own character always takes one of those spots, which leaves five open slots for companions. Only the party you take into a fight does battle, while everyone else waits aboard your ship and keeps gaining levels.
You can swap members in between fights, so the team can change as the story moves on. The cap stays at six, which means each fight is a real choice about who to leave behind.
How to Recruit Companions
Three companions join you automatically during the prologue: Abelard Werserian, Idira Tlass, and Sister Argenta. Most of the others join through a specific step in the story, such as finishing a quest, choosing a certain line of dialogue, or visiting a certain place.
Some companions can leave the crew for a stretch of the story and come back later, so a missing companion is not always gone for good. It also pays to read a companion's quest before you make a big choice, because a single decision can decide whether you keep them.
Secret Companions in Rogue Trader (Spoilers)
Spoiler warning: this part names late-game recruits. Three companions stay hidden until late in the game: Uralon the Cruel, Incendia Bastaal-Chorda, and Calligos Winterscale. They only become available around the move from Chapter 4 into Chapter 5, and which ones you can recruit depends on your alignment, which your choices shape over the course of the game.
Uralon also needs a quest that starts early and runs all the way to the end. Because these three join so late, they have less time with your crew than anyone else.
Best Companions in Rogue Trader
No single companion is best for every team, but a few come up again and again as strong picks. Abelard is the backbone of an early run, a loyal melee fighter who is with you from the start. Cassia is often called the strongest support in the crew, and Sister Argenta brings firepower that works on one target or a whole group.
Among the expansion companions, Kibellah is a fast melee assassin with heavy burst damage. Pick companions who fill the roles your own character is missing, so your team does not have gaps.
Which Companions Can You Romance?
Several companions can be romanced, and two are limited by the gender of your Rogue Trader. Cassia only romances male Rogue Traders, and Heinrix only romances female ones. Jae, Yrliet, Marazhai, Kibellah, and Solomorne are open to any gender.
Abelard, Argenta, Idira, Pasqal, and Ulfar cannot be romanced at all. You can chase several romances at once for a while, but the story eventually asks you to commit to one.
Companions From the Expansions
Each released expansion adds one companion: Kibellah from Void Shadows, Solomorne Anthar from Lex Imperialis, and Eogunn Februs from The Infinite Museion. Each one is tied to the story of its own expansion.
Kibellah is a Death Cult assassin who leaps into groups of enemies. Solomorne is an Arbites officer backed by a cyber-mastiff. Eogunn is a Tech-Priest who works as a support character.
FAQ
Can you fill empty companion slots with your own characters?
Yes. Open slots can be filled with custom mercenaries you create. This is also the fallback if a named companion is lost to a story choice.
Do you need the expansions to get every companion?
No. Most companions, including the three secret ones, come with the base game, so you can build a full party without buying anything extra. The rest need their matching expansion: Kibellah for Void Shadows, Solomorne Anthar for Lex Imperialis, and Eogunn Februs for The Infinite Museion.