Homeworld options are mostly all good. Every single option will offer some benefit for a sniper build.
Death World – Agility & Brutal Hunter
Voidborn – Fortune & A Bloody Mess
HiveWorld – Agility & Weapon Personalization
ForgeWorld – Persistence of the Forge
The ImperialWorld – Humanity’s Finest & Know No Heresy
Fortress World – +Perception, Never Stop Shooting & Spare Magazine
Origins
Origins that get the most out of a sniper build are Astra Militarum Commander and Crimelord – Both Origins will be serviceable for this build.
Astra Militarum Commander has Ballistic skill and perception attribute bonuses with talents such as Suppression Fire, Timely Rescuse, and Shoulder to Shoulder.
These will work great with the sniper build.
Crime Lord has perception and Sure Fire plan with a couple of Sure Fire plan upgrades being very good.
Archetype
The best Archetype for this sniper build is Soldier because of Run and Gun & Revel in Slaughter.
The Soldier is a master of all ranged weapons and will have a core focus on movement and ranged attacks.
If you prefer otherwise, the Operative is a good option as well.
Attributes
Attributes to increase for this build are Ballistic Skill, Agility, and Perception.
Characteristics, Talents, and Abilities
Characteristics to Level
BS, AGI, and PER
Talents & Abilities
Camaraderie
Entrench
Nimble
Trace the Trajectory, Fortress
Dash
Swift Slaughter
Character Training (optional)
Level 16 Class Pick
Bounty Hunter or
Assassin
Talent and perks can be chosen at any point in the game. By Level 20, there will be better options and all of them will be great for this build.
Gear
Gear that’s found early in the game that’s good for this build are things like PinpointingVisor, Light Armor with the best dodge bonus, Metronome, and Sniper Gloves.
Most importantly, a very early weapon called the Longlas will be your long-term weapon for this build until you can get higher level ones.
This is acquired on Eurac V planet which is in Chapter 1.
How To Use This Build
Get an officer like Caasia or Jae in the adjacent tile with an operative. Each adjacent party member increases damage.
Buff the sniper with Officer and use Analyze Enemy followed by Exploit Weakness with the operative. This is important if the enemy has a high dodge or armor rating.
Meanwhile, Armor is usually a bigger issue for this build as opposed to dodge.
In a fight, the sequence will go: Shoot, Run and Gun, Shoot again, Entrench, and when available always apply Revel in Slaughter.
Don’t forget about the Bring it Down ability from the Officer that allows for one more shot. Making three shots every other round, due to Run and Gun being on cooldown after being used is incredible with such a high damage single target build.
Also, don’t forget about the Hunt Down the Prey on every enemy that is close to dying or that you plan on killing first.
Hunt Down the Prey buffs that last the duration of the entire combat are a big upgrade.
And that’s it for how to get the best early sniper build in Warhammer 40k Rogue Trader. This build is pretty complex for an early player, but with a bit of tinkering, you can get it down too. Leave a comment below if you have any questions!