Warhammer 40K: Rogue Trader — Should You Kill Malice or the Commissar? Answered

By the time you reach the campaign’s third act, you’re given a choice between helping two characters. Here’s our guide on whether you’d kill Malice or the Commissar in Warhammer 40K: Rogue Trader.

Should You Kill Malice or the Commissar in Warhammer 40K: Rogue Trader?

The decision to kill Malice or the Commissar in Warhammer 40K: Rogue Trader happens early in Act 3. Your character will get kidnapped and taken to the Drukhari city of Commorragh.

• All your items will be removed, though you’ll reacquire them much later. As such, you’re likely to fail most skill checks.
• For now, explore Commorragh until you reach The Pit, which is Malice’s base of operations. Make sure you save beforehand since the hostile dialogue responses here can lead to your character’s death.
• Initially, he’ll want you to activate a nearby cogitator. I actually failed this task since I didn’t meet the skill requirements.
• Hear out Malice’s proposal where he wants you to kill the Commissar and bring him his head. Agree with his plan.

Where to Find the Commissar and Your Companions

At this stage, you’ll only find two companions: Abelard and Sister Argenta. Leave The Pit and head to the northwest part of the Commorragh Chasm Streets. There, you’ll find a lift that takes you to the Mangled Sector. There might be a visual bug here that tells you that the area is called the Anatomical Opera, even though it isn’t.

Abelard is across a gap that requires an easy Athletics check to pass. Sister Argenta, meanwhile, is on the opposite side of the crags, which is also where the Commissar is located.

Here’s what I did during my playthrough:

• Once Abelard and Sister Argenta were with me, I made a backup save. This was because I had only three characters in my party, which meant that the next battle would be tough.
• I spoke with the Commissar, initially choosing friendly responses.
• When you ask the Commissar about his plans, you’ll see additional options. This is when you make the crucial decision of Malice vs the Commissar.

What Happens if You Kill the Commissar?

If you want to kill the Commissar in Warhammer 40K: Rogue Trader, choose the following responses:

• [Attack] “I believe my original plan is more sound…”
• Talk to Argenta and say: “You know as well as I do that he is doomed.”

Once the battle started, I made sure to have Abelard use Taunting Scream to aggro most enemy mobs. The area is fairly open, which means that the ability affects a lot of enemies. I had my main character, an Officer, grant extra turns to Argenta, who used her burst-fire capabilities.

After beating the Commissar, make sure to claim his head, a quest item you need to bring to Malice. You’ll also find the Commissar Cap, which grants +10 Fellowship, as well as extra crit chance to your party based on the wearer’s Fellowship bonus.

As for the Commissar’s head, return it to Malice. After a bout in the arena, talk to him about the favor he owes you. You should be able to purchase some items based on your Profit Factor.

What Happens if You Kill Malice?

If you want to kill Malice in Warhammer 40K: Rogue Trader, you have to do the following:

• Talk to the Commissar and say: “I shall join you.”
• Return to Malice in the Pit and attack him.

I feel that this battle is significantly tougher since Malice has more HP. His minions are also scattered all over the place, making it hard to inflict Abelard’s AoE taunt on them. Thankfully, the Commissar’s soldiers show up during the third round to help you out. In any case, I still followed the usual steps where Abelard soaked the hits, my main character buffed and granted extra turns, and Argenta shot everyone with an auto rifle.

Taking out Malice nets you the Trophy Lasgun, which has 10-14 damage and 20% armor penetration. The Commissar tells everyone to go through the portal, but it’s soon revealed that it’s all a ploy. He’ll run away, though you should be able to track him down once you’re finished with your first arena battle.

These are the outcomes when you kill Malice or the Commissar in Warhammer 40K: Rogue Trader. After this part of the campaign, you’ll make your way to the Anatomical Opera, where you can gather Monster Parts for Tervantias. For other tips and tactics, you can check out our WH40K: RT guides hub.