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Is it too early to say that a game first released in late 2023 is absolutely my GOTY for 2025? Traditional reviewers may have limitations like that, but as a hardcore “backlist is frontlist” advocate for all media, it’s not too early for me!

One hundred-plus hours into my second playthrough, Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader is without question my GOTY and is officially in my top 5 for all-time favorite games ever.

Warning: this one’s for my true gaming nerds and contains random spoilers.

Second verse, Different from the first!

A few months ago, I wrote about my first playthrough when I was ~120 hours in and had only completed the first three acts. At that point, it was already a GOTY frontrunner, and I was already contemplating a second playthrough, but it still had to stick the landing. A few weeks later, I declared mission accomplished:

“The overall story was deceptively sprawling, and its full scale didn’t fully hit me until the ending revealed all of the consequences of the various decisions I made throughout the game, big and small. Overall, my Iconoclast approach played out in satisfyingly interesting ways — some more surprising than others. I’m ready for another playthrough with a different approach, but I’m going to take a break until the new DLC comes out later this year.”

That DLC, Lex Imperialis, came out in late June, and after a couple of inevitable patches to tighten things up were released, I jumped back in for another full run, upping the difficulty to Daring this time for more challenging combat to offset my familiarity with (most of) the story.

I actually restarted my second playthrough three times (completing the first act twice), because I was torn over which direction to take my main character. I knew I wanted to be a Crime Lord this time but wasn’t sure about the best homeworld (Hive World vs. Fortress World) and primary archetype (Operative vs. Soldier) combos for the gunslinger approach I had in mind.

My main goal with the second playthrough isn’t to min/max everything, but to experience the story from a different perspective and engage more with some of the companions I mostly ignored the first time around. While Hive World felt like a better narrative fit, Fortress World aligned better with the playstyle I wanted this time, so I compromised there. Solider over Operative was primarily because I didn’t want to be on the backline as a sniper again, especially since I wouldn’t have the advantages of playing as an Officer this time.

I finally settled on Fortress World Solider, which ensured a shakeup in my primary retinue, sidelining one of my favorite characters from the first time around. Playing through the first two acts again, I was impressed by the amount of clever foreshadowing that happens for various plot points, as well as the subtle differences in some interactions from my previous Voidborn Noble background.

While the underlying story and key encounters are all fundamentally the same, between my main character and squad choices, there’s plenty of differences that avoids the feeling that I’m just replaying the exact same game again with slightly different stats and gear.

Squad Goals

In my first playthrough as a Voidborn Noble Officer, I didn’t use any build guides, and after a couple of respecs throughout Act 2 to fix awkward choices, this was my primary retinue for the majority of the game.

• RT (Grand Strategist)
• Argenta (Bounty Hunter)
• Pasqal (Bounty Hunter)
• Kibellah (Executioner)
• Heinrix (Vanguard)
• Abelard (Arch-Militant)

I romanced Kibbelah and completed everyone’s side quests, including Idira, who I’d occasionally swap in (usually replacing Heinrix) because I love her banter and her ambush warnings. Her warp shenanigans severely offset her usefulness in combat, though, partly because it somehow never occurred to me to give her a rifle! Meanwhile, Cassia and Jae seemed useless to me, partly because I was also an Officer, and I didn’t even explore Jae’s side quests.

The second time around, I wanted to focus on ensuring my non-Officer RT could carry his weight, so I followed Revan619’s builds for everyone else while winging my way into a two-pistol gunslinging Crime Lord. I knew I wanted Jae in the mix (both as an Officer and for the romance), but the biggest gamechanger was realizing I could make Idira a sniper, which completely changed how often I use her. I also finally understood why everyone thinks Cassia is the most powerful companion in the game!

I just finished Act 2 and this is my primary retinue heading into the dreaded third Act:

• RT (Bounty Hunter)
• Abelard (Arch-Militant)
• Kibellah (Executioner)
• Idira (Overseer)
• Cassia (Grand Strategist)
• Heinrix (Executioner)

Cassia replaced me as the Grand Strategist and offsets Idira’s veil degradation — and became a much more interesting character off the bridge. Revan619’s builds made Heinrix much more interesting than my first playthrough, while being able to use Idira as a sniper means she’s not a constant risk (or completely sidelined) when veil degradation is high. Making her an Overseer with a Cyber Raven is a great addition via Lex Imperialis, too.

Jae (Overseer) is my backup Officer and — with Pasqal (Bounty Hunter) mostly sidelined — resident Tech expert, while Heinrix usually alternates with Idira when I want two Officers and need more muscle in the mix.

Argenta (Arch-Militant) went from one of my favorite companions to becoming relatively useless as my character effectively replaced her as the burst specialist, especially once I got Nemesite’s pistols and the Pair Holster that potentially gives you a free shot once/turn.

In my first playthrough, my Iconoclast RT tolerated Yrliet until the beginning of Act 4, when my companions demanded retribution for her betrayal. This time, playing a more fluid mix of Dogmatic and Iconoclast (with a splash of Heretic now and then), I immediately turned her over to the Inquisition after completing the Janus mission. I particularly enjoyed the impact her absence has on Act 2, even though it technically puts you at a disadvantage, and I’m really curious to see how it affects Act 3.

About Lex Imperialis

My first playthrough included the Void Shadows DLC, so I never experienced the base game without Kibellah and the excellent genestealers storyline it added. Lex Imperialis is similarly integrated throughout the full game, introducing new gear, mechanics, and side quests, while also embellishing the main story as Solomorne makes a few cameo appearances before officially joining your retinue early in Act 2.

The narrative impact of this DLC has been great so far! Taking the Heartless involved an entertaining series of set pieces culminating in a challenging boss fight, while Thassera leverages 40k’s extremely versatile lore to introduce a very different setting that also foreshadows Act 3’s surprising rug pull.

Solomorne himself is basically Idris Elba as Judge Dredd, and he’d probably be a much more interesting character in combat if I hadn’t immediately given Abelard a shield. I occasionally use him instead of Idira or Heinrix just to get him and Glaito in the mix, though, and unlike Yrliet, I haven’t resented him being a required companion at times.

I’m sure some of my decisions will come back to haunt me, especially since I haven’t fully locked into the Iconoclast or Dogmatic path yet and have dabbled more with the Heretic path than last time when I completely avoided it. I actually considered a full Heretic run, but so many of the early choices don’t make narrative sense when you’re running around with Heinrix and Solomorne, in particular, and I’ve read the ultimate payoff isn’t terribly satisfying, so I’m not planning on going too far in that direction. (I also have zero interest in playing as a Psyker, which is apparently the best way to go Heretic.)

My next big decision involves who will get dragged into Act 3’s nightmare, particularly with Argenta completely sidelined this time, which presumably impacts her big plot twist. I even ignored her side quest this time and don’t have her on any post for the ship, but I can’t bring myself to completely dismiss her outright because I’m still a Sororitas fanboy! Last time around, she kept Ulfar on the sidelines until very late in that playthrough, so I’m curious to see if he’ll fit sooner this time, or if my gunslinger blocks his path into the squad, too.

With the added 15+ hours from Lex Imperialis, this second playthrough could end up crossing 200 hours, which would be totally bonkers for a second playthrough of a story-driven game! Although I considered it at one point, I wouldn’t replay Persona 3 Reload and will probably never finish the last few hours of Metaphor: ReFantazio, even though I very much enjoyed both of them. The only other games I’ve ever played for 200+ hours have been several iterations of Football Manager (which is in danger of losing the title of greatest RPG ever) and a few multiplayer shooters where the “story” isn’t what keeps you coming back.

If that’s not the sign of a true GOTY, I don’t know what is.