Warhammer 40K Rogue Trader Walkthrough: Chapter 2, Footfall to the Drukhari Raid

Part 2 of our Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader walkthrough covers Chapter 2, Reclaiming What Was Lost. It starts when you arrive at Footfall and ends with the Drukhari raid on your home and the trap that drags you to Commorragh.

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The whole walkthrough

Chapter 2 at a glance

This chapter is the most open part of the game. You have one hub, three worlds to bring back under your rule, and lots of side content. The main quests run like this:

1. Tattered Spirit: arrive at Footfall and meet its ruler.
2. Reclaim What Was Lost: restore order on Janus, Dargonus and Kiava Gamma, in any order.
3. Your coronation, followed by the Drukhari attack that ends the chapter.

Save before the coronation. Once the raid starts, there is no going back to finish errands in this chapter.

Footfall: Tattered Spirit

Footfall is a huge, lawless station and your hub for the next stretch of the game.

1. Heinrix leaves the party as you set off for Footfall. You can recruit him again at the end of Tattered Spirit.
2. The Liege of Footfall, Vladaym Tocara, wants to see you. Head north through the Atrium to reach his palace.
3. At the palace you see Tocara throwing out an upstart named Jae. Jae is a future companion. Find her on Footfall and recruit her.
4. Finish the audience and return to your ship. The talk with your officers on the bridge closes Tattered Spirit and starts Reclaim What Was Lost.

Footfall also has good side quests. Hunger's Hand asks you to deal with a food shortage. Where the Shadows Are Deepest of All starts at a quarantined gate (talk to the Extermination Brigade Sergeant) and ties into the Drukhari story later.

Janus: World Shapers

Janus is the usual first stop after Footfall. Getting there means crossing warp routes, so check route danger on the star map first.

1. Land and start World Shapers. Head to Governor Vyatt's estate and talk to the governor.
2. After the talk, go outside. Near the red gazebo you meet Yrliet, an Aeldari Ranger. You can ask her to join right away.
3. Work through the planet's problems and reach the boss, Muaran.

Boss tips (Muaran): hold the front line with your tank, use cover, and clear the adds first so you build Momentum. Yrliet is a strong sniper here if you just recruited her.

Whether you recruit Yrliet changes what happens at the end of this chapter and which quest opens in Chapter 3. She is a good companion either way.

Dargonus: Spiders in a Jar

Dargonus, in the Mundus Valancius system, is the seat of your dynasty. The quest here is Spiders in a Jar.

• Take your time here. Talk to everyone and read carefully, because your choices on Dargonus feed into how your rule is seen.
• Like World Shapers and Flame in the Dark, you must finish it before your coronation can go ahead.

Kiava Gamma: Flame in the Dark

Kiava Gamma, in the Cranach system, is a manufactorum world in your protectorate. There is reason to think heresy has taken hold.

1. Your first contact gets a hostile answer. You fight a space battle against three Iconoclast-class destroyers and two Infidel-class raiders. Upgrade your ship before you go.
2. Land at the manufactorum. The quest Flame in the Dark is about taking back control of the world.
3. Bring Heinrix. His companion quest runs here, and he is forced into your party on arrival anyway.
4. Head north through the manufactorum to reach the leader of the fallen Tech-Priests.

Boss: Fabricator-Censor Cubis Delphim

Cubis Delphim leads the corrupted Tech-Priests, backed by Skitarii and Forgefiends.

• He strikes back in melee when you hit him, and his power attacks cleave. Spread your party out so one swing doesn't hit several people.
• Let your ranged characters focus the boss. They are safe from his counterattacks.
• Have your tank hold him and your melee fighters deal with the Forgefiends and Skitarii.

If you play a Heretic, guides advise leaving Argenta, Pasqal and Heinrix on the ship for this planet so you can get the most out of the Heretical choices.

The coronation and the Drukhari raid

With all three worlds settled, your coronation can go ahead. Save first and finish any errands you care about.

1. Then the Drukhari strike. Back in Mundus Valancius, beat the Drukhari voidships around Dargonus in space combat.
2. Land and fight through the von Valancius Palace. The rest of the chapter is close combat against Drukhari raiders.
3. In the throne room you find Marazhai, a Drukhari noble, sitting on your throne.
4. You are led into a trap, by Yrliet if you recruited her, or by a spy of your house if you didn't. Marazhai captures you and takes you to Commorragh.

Fighting Drukhari: they are fast, hit hard and have low armour. Stay in cover, keep your squishy characters close to your tank, and focus fire to kill one target per turn.

Tips for this part

• Make a hard save before the coronation. Chapter 3 starts with your party split up and your gear gone.
• Start colony projects on the worlds you reclaim. They raise Profit Factor over time, but they can't be undone, so read them first.
• Spend Navigator's Insight on routes you use a lot, like the ones to Footfall.
• Do companion quests as they come. Several carry on into later chapters.
• Buy gear on Footfall before the raid. Commorragh is a rough place to arrive under-equipped.

My take

Chapter 2 is where Rogue Trader feels like a real sandbox: three worlds, a messy hub and your own little empire. It is also easy to lose whole weekends here. I liked Kiava Gamma best because the forge world looks amazing. Which world did you reclaim first?

FAQ

How long is Chapter 2 in Rogue Trader?

For most players it is the longest chapter, because it is so open. If you do every side quest, expect it to take many sessions. The main path alone is much shorter.

Is there a best order for Janus, Dargonus and Kiava Gamma?

No fixed order is needed. Many players do Janus first for Yrliet, then Dargonus and Kiava Gamma.

Where do I recruit Jae and Yrliet?

Jae is on Footfall, after you see the Liege throw her out. Yrliet is on Janus, outside the governor's estate during World Shapers.

Should I recruit Yrliet?

Yes, if you want her as a companion. It changes who betrays you at the end of the chapter and which quest starts in Commorragh, but both paths work.

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