40 articlesWarhammer 40K: Rogue Trader build up characters with a number of baseline archetypes and origins. These will influence your play style and approach to combat.
Done effectively, the navigator build represents one of the most powerful builds in the whole game. It’ll let you burn your enemies alive with extreme precision. It also works well in the support role due to be able to buff other companions.
This guide will show you how to create a character in the style of the companion Cassia. You might be interested in our other Warhammer 40k Rogue Trader build guides!
Navigator Build Guide
The game give you access to a number of companions, letting you level them up in line with your specific tastes. For the navigator build, the best companion to choose is Cassia.
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Characteristics & Stats
For the strongest Navigator build, you’ll want to focus on these characteristics specifically:
- Willpower
- Perception
- Fellowship
The abilities specific to the navigator build will allow you to make up for having lower characteristics such as Strength and Toughness. Your chance at dodging incoming attacks for instance will be through the roof with by focusing on these three.
The additional areas you’ll want to level up include:
- Awareness – For improving dodge chance
- Commerce – For trading
- Lore (Imperium) – Your overall knowledge
Origin & Homeworld
Cassia’s default selections here are Voidborn and Navigator. Both work to dramatically increase your Willpower from the offset.
It is also worth highlighting – they will grant you the Lidless Stare talent for free from the beginning. This is a powerful attack that erupts in a cone like shape from Cassia. This has an infinite range so can be one of the most powerful attacks in the game.
Officer Archetype – Level Up
Cassia’s default archetype is the Officer. This means you’ll start out with the Voice of Command ability, which will buff the characteristics of your allies – making it a perfect support role.
As you play through the game, you’ll be able to level up your stats and get access to new abilities. For this build, this is the path you’ll want to take as you build up this archetype:
- Perception
- Bring it down
- Finest Hour
- + Willpower characteristic
- Ebb and Flow ability
- Stable Routes
- + Willpower Characteristic
- Held in my Gaze
- Strange Vitality
- Mind Over Matter
- + Persuasion characteristic
- Finest Hour (Upgrade II)
- + Commerce Characteristic
- + Willpower Characteristic
- Threads and Faults
- + Perception characteristic
- Immolate the Soul
- Mastery Of Time
- Pass Unscathed
- + Commerce Characteristic
- + Perception Characteristic
- Tonicity
- Finest Hour! (Upgrade IV)
Master Tactician Archetype – Level Up
After successfully levelling up your character through the first archetype, you’ll then want to select the Master Tactician as your second one.
This will automatically give you the Tactical Advantage ability, which will let you stack up your tactical advantage against enemies in combat.
Following that, this is one of the strongest routes you can take as you continue to level up Cassia or your character:
- Glimpse of Fate
- Joint Offensive
- Orchestrated Firestorm
- AP Increase
- + Willpower Characteristic
- + Willpower Characteristic
- In the Hero’s Footstep
- Mend Reality
Master Tactician – Talents Guide
You’ll also want to make sure you’re adding the correct talents to Cassia, or your character, that benefit the Navigator play style here.
For the most effective build, we recommend picking up these additional talents:
- Personal Involvement
- Ally Coordination
- Heroic Inspiration
- Comfort in Conformity
- Dawn of Victory
- Strongpoint (Ability)
Following this, you’ll gain the Exemplar archetype. This is for players who have progressed high in the game. It will allow you to level up your previously acquired abilities.
Recommended Gear
All of these abilities and skills will mean nothing if you aren’t also complimenting them with the correct gear in the game. These pieces will do just that!
Of course, not all of these gears are available immediately upon starting the game, but generally speaking these are the pieces that will really elevate the Navigator playstyle. Most can be found early on in the game:
- Ancient Terra Monocle
- Light Armour – Doesn’t impact dodge chance.
- Bloodhound Staff
- Staff of House Cassini (secondary)
- Theodora’s Rosary – Will add to your lore.
- Imperial Scroll – Will add to your lore.
- Aquilla Pendant – Grants more Willpower
- Thrice-Pioneers Braces – Buffs Weapon Skill
- Noble Born Mantle.
- Expeditory Footwear – Stocks your dodge chance.
That’s it for the Navigator guide. This is a build that will really help you in buffing up your other players, as well as granting you the Lidless Stare to really deal some damage on your enemies. It can be applied to your own character, or for levelling up the Cassia companion.
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