Warhammer 40K: Rogue Trader Difficulty Settings Explained

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Warhammer 40K: Rogue Trader Cassia Orsellio in Chair
Image via Owlcat Games.

Given that you’ll be spending a lot of time in Rogue Trader’s world, you should choose a difficulty that’s suited for your playstyle. Here are all the difficulty settings for Warhammer 40K: Rogue Trader explained.

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Which Difficulty Should You Choose in Warhammer 40K: Rogue Trader?

In total, there are five difficulty settings you can choose from in Rogue Trader. These are Story, Normal, Daring, Hard, and Unfair. There is technically a sixth difficulty called Custom, but this difficulty only appears if you change any of the sliders from their base values. If you’re wondering which difficulty is right for you, then it’s probably for the best you don’t mess with these sliders. Those would be for a second or third playthrough, once you fully know what you’re dealing with.

As for the five base difficulties, here’s what each difficulty means and when you should choose them:

  • Story – Designed for those who aren’t too well accustomed to RPGs, let alone ones this complex. If you care more about stories than you do about challenging, tactical gameplay, this is the difficulty for you.
  • Normal – Designed as the base experience of Rogue Trader. If you’re familiar with RPGs but aren’t comfortable with CRPGs, then this should serve as a great baseline. It’s also the difficulty I’m choosing since this is my first CRPG ever.
  • Daring – Built from the ground up as a challenging difficulty that’ll put your skills to the test. If you’re a fan of CRPGs and know what you’re in for, then Daring should feel right at home.
  • Hard – Designed as a brutal difficulty of sorts. If you like a ton of challenge that feels rewarding when you finally manage to pull it off but punishes mistakes heavily, you should choose this. I wouldn’t suggest this for a first-time playthrough, however.
  • Unfair – The toughest of the tough. The game is actively working toward your downfall, and will only reward pitch-perfect play. If you choose this difficulty on your first playthrough, let alone your second or third, you’re likely to quickly get demolished.

There you have it. Simply choose the difficulty that seems to fit your skill level and experience, and you should be good to go. While you’re just getting started, check out our guide explaining the classes of Warhammer 40K: Rogue Trader.

About the Author

Shawn Robinson

Shawn is a freelance gaming journalist who's been with Prima Games for a year and a half, writing mainly about FPS games and RPGs. He even brings several years of experience at other sites like The Nerd Stash to the table. While he doesn't bring a fancy degree to the table, he brings immense attention to detail with his guides, reviews, and news, leveraging his decade and a half of gaming knowledge. If he isn't writing about games, he's likely getting zero kills in his favorite FPS or yelling at the game when it was 100% his fault that he died.