Warhammer 40K: Rogue Trader Co-Op Guide — How to Play Online and Join Lobbies

Warhammer 40K Rogue Trader has a huge online co-op mode with up to six players in a lobby. This dynamic multiplayer aspect is something you’ll want to take advantage of. Here’s how to play online co-op with friends in Warhammer 40,000 Rogue Trader.

How to Play Online Co-op With Friends in Warhammer 40,000 Rogue Trader

I found that starting up a Rogue Trader CRPG lobby is quite simple as long as you and your friends have the same game version and are on the same server region. Below, I go through the exact steps to start a session and join a session. Further down, I also go over some commonly asked questions regarding crossplay, how many players can be in a session, and more.

How to Create a Co-Op Session

• Open the Cooperative Play mode.
• Select your Server Region at the top by clicking on the dropdown menu.
• Click on “Create a Lobby.”
• Copy your “Lobby ID” and send it to your friends (The ID is at the top of the screen).
• Wait for your friends to join the available slots and start your game.

How to Join a Game

If you’re joining a game, the process is similar:

• Open Cooperative Play.
• Set your Server Region to the host’s.
• Copy the “Lobby ID” the host sent you and paste it on the right.
• Click on “Join Lobby.”
• Wait for the host to start the session.

Once the session starts, everyone gets assigned a character to control by the host. This is done through the Roles button in the Lobby.

Does Rogue Trader Have Crossplay? Answered

Unfortunately, there’s no crossplay between consoles and PCs at launch. That said, Owlcat has confirmed that the game will feature cross-platform play in future updates.

How Many Players Can Play Rogue Trader at Once?

Warhammer 40,000 Rogue Trader can be played with up to six players in a single lobby. Each player gets to move and act independently both in combat and in exploration. The co-op system is drop-in-based. This means that you can join and leave at any time.

Can I Use My Character in Co-Op?

When I joined online multiplayer, I found that you don’t get to bring your own character over. Everyone starts fresh and is assigned a companion besides the main Rogue Trader character. This means that if the host has just started the story, you’ll have to wait for companions to appear slowly.

On the other hand, if the host has progressed at least enough to meet the High Factotum, custom characters can be created. The host can then assign these custom mercenaries to players who created them. Note that leaving behind companions and opting for custom characters skips on the story beats of those specific companions.

Does Co-Op Progress Carry Over?

All progress like loot, XP, or weapons and armor you earn with party member characters is saved on the host’s savefile. This can be shared with other members so that they can progress it on their own in solo-play. You can do this by saving the game as a joining player and loading it up for yourself in singe-player.

Co-Op Assignments and Roles Explained

From my experience, there’s only one Rogue Trader character who controls dialogue options in co-op. That said, the role of who gets to play the Rogue Trader can be assigned to another player besides the host in the co-op menu via the Roles button. In fact, any character can be assigned to any player at any point in the co-op session. You can even assign multiple companions to a single player.

It doesn’t matter who’s the Rogue Trader mechanically but note that they’ll have to ultimately decide on which options your party chooses in dialogues. Make sure to coordinate with whoever is assigned the Rogue Trader character. The voting system with “Alt” can greatly help with this.

As for spaceship combat, each player is assigned a different system to control from engines to weapon systems. Each player can access the ship’s inventory, but you manage your character’s progression independently. All of this creates a fun and dynamic six-player co-op experience where your biggest problem is watching out for friendly fire in combat.

Now you know how to play online co-op in Warhammer 40K Rogue Trader. I must say that Owlcat has done a remarkable job implementing a working and stable multiplayer system. That said, future cooperative features, like bringing in custom characters or more interaction in dialogue sections, would be great to see. Check out our WH40K Rogue Trader tips hub for more guides on the game.