No party of Rogue Trader is complete without a space marine, and Ulfar fits the bill perfectly. He is a powerful warrior archetype, and in this guide, I will show you the best build for him.
Ulfar Build Guide – Warhammer 40k Rogue Trader
Here is a list of Warhammer 40k: Rogue Trader features you will want to take for Ulfar while leveling him from 16 to 30. Remember, using the respec ability in Rogue Trader allows you to change skills and talents in the Archmilitant branch, but his Soldier skill tree remains locked in.
| 16 | Versatility (Ability) |
| 17 | Kick (Ability) |
| 18 | Martial Art (Talent) |
| 19 | Steady Superiority (Ability) |
| 20 | AP Increase (Ability), Ballistic Skill (Characteristic) |
| 21 | Close Quarters Training (Talent), Ballistic Skill (Characteristic) |
| 22 | Cautious Approach (Ability), Nimble (Talent) |
| 23 | Athletics (Skill), Always Ready (Talent) |
| 24 | Agility (Characteristic), Exploit Weakness (Talent) |
| 25 | Agility (Characteristic), Grenadier (Talent) |
| 26 | Contempt for the Weak (Talent) |
| 27 | Steady Superiority 4 (Ability) |
| 28 | Always Ready (Talent) |
| 29 | Toughness (Characteristic), Brutal Hunter (Talent) |
| 30 | Wildfire (Ability) |
Best Ulfar Characteristics in Rogue Trader
To properly play Ulfar in Rogue Trader, here are the most important characteristics to pick when leveling him:
- Ballistic Skill: Ulfar comes with Heavy Weapons and Bolt weapons proficiency, which naturally makes him more of a ranged fighter. He has some versatility in that regard, but nonetheless, increasing his Ballistic Skill makes him capitalize on his skillset.
- Agility: Take this Characteristic the moment you cap out your Ballistic Skill. Additional points in Agility will go a long way toward making Ulfar becoming more nimble and maneuverable.
- Toughness: Plays a crucial role in fortifying a character’s resilience, and for Ulfar, it’s a key attribute that significantly enhances his build. This increased survivability is vital for Ulfar, who, as a frontline damage dealer, frequently finds himself exposed to enemy attacks.
Best Ulfar Abilities in Rogue Trader
Here are the best Abilities to take on Ulfar while leveling him in Rogue Trader:
- Kick: Additional attack that doesn’t count toward your attack limit per turn. Ideal for dishing out some more punishment and getting some additional wounds through. Your targets will not be able to parry this attack, and it will push them in the direction of your choosing over a two-cell distance, which is also very useful for knocking bosses out of cover.
- Steady Superiority: Allows for one additional attack each turn when you activate it. Every little bit of damage output counts, and having this on allows you to mop up any trash mobs quicker.
- Cautious Approach: It goes a long way towards buffing Ulfar to be the frontline tank and suffer the brunt of the damage, with the ability stacks providing him with effects removal.
- Steady Superiority 4: Allows you to use both the Soldier and Arch-militant heroic acts in a single turn, which is a rather overpowered combo in my experience.
Best Ulfar Talents in Rogue Trader
This is the list of best talents for Ulfar in Rogue Trader:
- Martial Art: Works great when paired with Kick, as it allows you to knock your enemies prone if they fail a Toughness test when you kick them away.
- Close Quarters Training: Adds greatly to Ulfar’s versatility by allowing him to use two-handed ranged weapons in close combat proximity. You will get a penalty to Ballistic Skill, but I found that it’s worth it because I’ve been in more than one situation where I really wanted to melt someone’s face off up close with my Melta, but I was unable to do it.
- Nimble: I used to pick this talent to at least try to make up for his low Agility score, allowing Ulfar a nice additional Dodge bonus.
- Always Ready: Further boosts Ulfar with two stacks of versatility, making him even more capable of adapting to any situation that might pop up.
- Exploit Weakness: Allows Ulfar to deal 10% additional overall damage to enemies whose armor has been reduced by some other effect, which stacks up nicely. This works nicely with Pasqal, who should be debuffing enemies like crazy if you built him properly. If you play your cards right with these two fellows, this Talent will be proccing all the time.
- Grenadier: Gives Ulfar a free Grenade shot.
- Contempt for the Weak: Enhances Ulfar’s ability to deal critical damage to enemies with lower health, aligning perfectly with his role as a damage dealer. By enabling Ulfar to deliver more potent attacks against weakened foes, this Talent ensures he can effectively finish off enemies, making him an invaluable asset in battles.
- Always Ready: Reduces cooldowns or improves reaction times, allowing Ulfar to use his abilities more frequently. For a character built around dealing damage and quick engagement, such as Ulfar, this Talent ensures he can consistently unleash his full arsenal of skills, maintaining high offensive pressure on enemies.
- Brutal Hunter: Increases his damage output, making him more lethal against tougher opponents or allowing him to quickly eliminate weaker foes. This talent synergizes with Ulfar’s existing abilities, optimizing his build for maximum efficiency and increasing critical hit chance.
Best Ulfar Skills in Rogue Trader
Here are some of the best skills for Ulfar in Rogue Trader:
- Athletics: Boosts Ulfar’s ability to traverse difficult terrain, as he’s not the most nimble character in your company. Remember, Ulfar takes up four cells as a base. This is a direct translation of the large 40mm bases all space marine characters had in the tabletop version, which made them much less agile and prone to getting stuck. Every little bit of athletics counts when trying to get Ulfar from point A to B.
Best Ulfar Items in Rogue Trader
Ulfar will be severely limited with his equipment choice in Rogue Trader due to his Adeptus Astertes Equipment talent.
- High-Damage Weapons: Ulfar is not only a tank but also a damage dealer; as such, he would benefit greatly from weapons that offer high damage output. Look for items that maximize his attack potential, possibly with added effects like armor penetration or critical hit bonuses.
- Armor with Damage Resistance: Ulfar comes equipped with power armor, which is the best armor in the game. You can further decrease incoming damage if you equip him with Items that offer damage resistance or reduce the impact of specific types of attacks.
- Melee Weapon: A Greatsword offers decent enough melee damage without any drawbacks. I chose to forgo Laspistol because you can’t charge while firing simultaneously like in the tabletop version.
How to play Ulfar in Rogue Trader
Ulfar is a very durable character, and as a result, I have replaced Abelard with him as the party’s main tank. He comes with power armor proficiency, which allows him to receive far more punishment than anyone else. His Eternal Warrior talent allows him to fight for two more rounds even if he suffers fatal damage.
Positioning Ulfar during the battle should be fairly clear-cut; he is a tank, and as such, he needs to form the vanguard of your party, always leading the charge. You can play him with more variety in mind than Abelard, who is a pure melee fighter; however, taking cover with a Bolter is a perfectly viable strategy as well. But you will want to maximize his power armor usage by always keeping him at the front.
Looking for more interesting Rogue Trader articles to survive the perils of the Warp? Look no further; is your Rosarius! Have a look at How to heal injuries in Rogue Trader.