Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader is getting its first DLC titled “Void Shadow”. MeinMMO editor and Warhammer nerd Benedict Grothaus got to play the DLC in advance on Steam and is totally thrilled – primarily because the game offers much more in many details than the current co-op hit Space Marine 2.
As a Warhammer fan, I feel great right now. In terms of gaming, 2024 might be the best year in ages:
- Total War: Warhammer 3 has just peaked and has become a really good game.
- Vermintide and Darktide receive continuous updates, and you can always find players to game with. One of the devs chatted with me on the side and excitedly showed me the new content.
- With Space Marine 2, a new blockbuster has arrived, which could even change the lore of Warhammer 40k.
And then there’s Rogue Trader, the role-playing game in the style of Baldur’s Gate 3, set in the dark world of Warhammer 40k. I fell in love with the game already at release, and today, on September 24, the DLC Void Shadow is being released.
Despite the many strong games Rogue Trader was already my highlight at gamescom 2024. However, I could only see the battle against the new DLC final boss and even play it myself.
Now, the developer Owlcat has already given me early access to the entire DLC. Even though I have invested almost 20 hours during this time, I have not progressed beyond Act 1. The new content is just too good.
Act 1 has become so much bigger
Void Shadow is the first story DLC, containing new content for the game itself. The DLC offers:
- a new companion, Kibellah, who is also an option for a new romance
- two new classes: Blade Dancer and Executioner
- new missions that seamlessly integrate into the story and belong to Kibellah’s narrative
Kibellah herself, as well as the entire new story arc she brings, begins right in Act 1. Shortly after the prologue, I already have so much to do that I hardly have time to deal with the supposedly important things.
Just the fact that I can now take a bath and converse with my companions while at it is a top-notch detail. Backgrounds now lead to special comments and even buffs and debuffs, making them significantly more relevant. But the story is the highlight.
I’m trying not to spoil too much, but: Kibellah is part of a secret cult that operates through various currents throughout the Imperium. On my ship, I have an entire unit of this cult.
They are fighting alongside new NPCs against a threat from within. Something is brewing on my cruiser and trying to kill me. Even though I’m still in Act 1, I’ve already seen all the new missions through the dev’s save games and can say: the story has turned out really well.
What excites me personally even more, right from the first minutes of the DLC, are the details that have come with the new areas.
So this is what an astropathic choir looks like!
The very first thing that caught my attention after the first meeting with Kibellah is: I can now see my entire ship! Well, almost the entire ship, but with Void Shadows, there is at least the possibility to explore some areas of the Free Trader ship:
- the astropathic chapel
- the lower decks or the cargo hold
- and the shrine of the spaceship
For the first time, I see what an imperial ship actually looks like from the inside and how important things like the choir function. Although this is occasionally mentioned and described in other games and books, seeing it is a novelty for me.
For all the uninitiated: The astropathic choir consists of hundreds or even thousands of people connected to the warp, through which communication over long distances is made possible. Essentially, it’s long-range radio communication. The choir is extremely susceptible to the corruption of chaos and thus needs strong leadership.
As a Warhammer nerd, I would have wished exactly for this in Space Marine 2, as you not only have a cruiser but also a battleship at your disposal – but only see a few meters of metal corridors and a hangar. Rogue Trader fulfills a great desire for me here.
250 hours in the game and it will easily be 100 more
After my first playthroughs, I have already spent 250 hours in Rogue Trader. According to the developers, the new DLC is supposed to deliver around 15-20 hours of additional content, but I already know that the playtime will be significantly more.
Instead of just checking out the new content, I’m starting a fresh run. After all, Owlcat has made substantial improvements, fixed bugs, and closed smaller content gaps in recent months.
So far, I only know the “good” ending of Rogue Trader and it was really bad – exactly what one would expect from Warhammer. I still need to complete a heretic and an imperial run, and I am currently working on that.
Rogue Trader offers plenty of opportunities to customize and shape your character. For all the nerds: Right now, I’m playing a former commissar of the Astra Militarum and am accordingly rigorous when it comes to heresy, mutations, and such. By the way, this is one of the reasons why I love the game so much: If you love Baldur’s Gate 3, I have a role-playing game here that does 4 things even better.
