Hold fast: Warhammer 40K: Rogue Trader is getting its mutinous first expansion

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Warhammer 40K: Rogue Trader's first DLC is releasing on August 8, themed around a heretical conspiracy turned crisis unfolding on the lower decks that demands not only the Captain's attention, but the Inquisition's as well. The under-a-minute trailer above gives us a glimpse of our new allies and foes, an Inquisitorial retinue and nascent Genestealer Cult, respectively.

Void Shadows will take place in the dark underhold of your Rogue Trader's Grand Cruiser, where the sinister claw of the Tyranid Genestealer Cults has sought to undermine your authority, presumably by disseminating pro-worker literature on the benefits of joining a union. Wise to the disastrous effects this will doubtlessly have on quarterly revenue streams, the Inquisition has dispatched an Inquisitor and a Death Cult Assassin to aid you in your quest for regional market supremacy.

The Genestealers look almost 1:1 with their tabletop counterparts, and we can reasonably expect Owlcat to carry over some of the same mechanics 40K players are already familiar with. Expect lots of traps, ambushes, and surprise reinforcements pouring in from where you least expect it.

The presence of an Imperial Death Cult assassin, an insane Inquisitorial devotee fanatically loyal to the Emperor, stands to even the odds, though. These cannibalistic murder fetishists are among the Imperium of Man's most unhinged zealots, and are always eager to offer up more bodies at the skeletal feet of the Corpse Emperor.

The trailer also shows off some Daemons of Slaanesh being slain by our new Death Cultist, though what role the Ruinous Powers will play is unclear.

The focus on so much combat is a bit disappointing, however. As Jody notes in our review, "there's a lot of combat, and most of it's boring." Still, I'm looking forward to seeing what kind of twisted dogmatic/heretical choices we can make as a Captain being given the rounds by their crew, as the warrens of a Rogue Trader's flagship are some of the worst conditions a human could find themselves in the Warhammer universe.

Nova Smith is a freelance writer based out of Alberta, Canada. Nova's grab bag of non-gaming interests and passions includes Japanese mecha anime, miniature painting, as well as history, literature, and classical music. Nova also moonlights as a bureaucrat and amateur historian.