Romance in CRPGs is a big deal, with their romance and storylines offering players new ways to get invested in a character’s storyline. With Owlcat having a decent history of romances and the recent success of Baldur’s Gate 3’s romance options, many are hyped for potential romance in Rogue Trader. Yet, the grim, dark universe is not something that ideally fits romance narratives all too well, and it certainly passes through into the game’s immersion and setting. Here’s everything you need to know about Rogue Trader’s romance system and potential romanceable companions.

Rogue Trader Romanceable Companions List¶

Below is a table of all Companions in Rogue Trader. Each one will have a column next to them indicating if they are romanceable or not, alongside their preferences if they do have romantic storylines. We’ll provide more context where applicable further down the guide.

In total, you have five characters that are able to be romanced. However, each one has some rules and can only be romanced in certain ways. These are:

• Cassia
• Heinrix
• Jae
• Marazhai
• Yrliet

You’ll find explanations on how to engage each romance option in Rogue Trader below or by following the ToC links above to their respected heading in the content below.

You may be surprised that of the ten companions announced in Rogue Trader, there are only five companions you can actually romance. The reason for this is partially related to the lore and mood of 40K. The 40K Imperium is filled with devout militant humans, and so, relationships are not so best advised for them. Sadly, it means that Argenta, the battle sister will reject you (she is a space nun, after all), and the Sterile Space Wolf will say no, even though the Space Wolf chapter is the only known chapter to engage in such deplorable behavior.

You can follow it on with Pascal rejecting all romance. The man is a cyborg, after all, and forsaken the vast majority of his flesh at this point. Idira is also unavailable since she is hard-tapped by the Warp. Meanwhile, Abelard is a widowed character, and so, has no more interest in the pursuit of love or bodily pleasure.

How to Romance Cassia in Rogue Trader¶

Cassia is a romanceable character but will only date a male character. It’s not known too much why she will only date a man, but, her character is all about wanting to find love despite having her warp deformities

1. To begin romancing Cassia, you will need to rescue her from the Navis Nobilite level. It doesn’t seem to really mater if you side with Felek or not, so go about that as you will.

2. Once she is aboard your ship, she will then have an event with you. Go through the dialogue and say she can have her crayons and get used to her new life on the ship as she needs.

3. You’ll get another event on the ship at some point, which will have Cassia request a meeting on the Upper Deck lounge. Do that, and then you can learn more about her. Here you can say you hope she is getting accustomed onto the ship. You can also speak to her about herself, ask to get to know her more personally, mention her third eye, say she is beautiful. If you’re a male character, then you get a fifth option to date her, and proceed a long and romantic relationship with her.

4. While not being in a position to fully explore her romance, we are aware that she has a few important side quests in Chapter 2 and 4 regarding her family. Without exploring the spoilers around those quests, Cassia is genuinely a nice person and wants to avoid all conflict whenever possible, and do the right thing to bring peace between factions. She’s an Iconoclast/Dogmatic type character in that regard. So, ensure she goes that route for those quests. In addition, in Chapter 3, Cassia can be easily missed if you brought her with you for the main quest at the start of the Chapter. If you did, be aware she is in a pod at the top level of the the Anatomical Opera that you can only access after the second arena fights. Failing to rescue her during the Reunion quest means she will get left behind.

How to Romance Heinrix in Rogue Trader¶

Heinrix is a nobleman Psyker, working on behalf of the Inquisition to root out heresy. Because of the traditions of medieval nobility shining through in the Imperium of man, it means the Noble strategically benefits from relationships with women. Marrying a female Rogue Trader is certainly in the best interests of this noble character, so you’ll only get these options if you’re playing as a female character. Moreso, due to Heinrix’s extremely dogmatic ways, you cannot play a Heretic save and romance Heinrix to the fullest extent. You’ll be able to romance him early on, but that is as far as it will go. Since we did a female heretic, we only got as far as we got below. In Chapter 4, there is a make or break moment for heretical players, and Heinrix is one of the four spear heads in that incident.

1. When you reach the Gleam of the Final Dawn quest, you’ll head over to the Adeptus Mechanicus Temple, and in one of the side rooms where you find a crucified Ad-Mech, you’ll encounter Heinrix. He’ll temporarily join your retinue until you reach Footfall, temporarily disappear and then reappear later.

2. Once you defeat Aurora in the Electro Cynobium, you will then get the opportunity to speak to Heinrix. Go towards the console and let Heinrix interact with it to get you on his good side via the dogmatic option. After the fight, go back to the ship, and you’ll get to speak to Heinrix once again. This time, speak to him about the affairs, thank the inquisition for the help, select the conversing option is no less disconcerning, and then you misunderstand me, and then he’ll get the hint you’re wanting to get to know him more.

How to Romance Jae in Rogue Trader¶

Jae is a bisexual character, whose ethics are questionable as she explores the fringes of galaxies interacting with Man and Xeno alike. She meets many on her travels, and she enjoys the company of many, too. You, being the Rogue Trader can also be part of her life through various means. To romance Jae in Rogue Trader players can do the following

1. After going to Footfall at the start of Chapter 2, you will visit the Liege’s palace. While there, Jae will leave. You can find her again on board the ship at the very top of the map in the Shadow District when you explore that region. Head inside the ship, and visit the bar at the top right corner of the map. You’ll find Jae drinking and fighting off some thugs. Speak to her after it, and you can get a quest to help her out.

2. Head back to the Shadow District and go the the Warehouse. Inside, you’ll find some thugs stealing some cargo from it, and you’ll get some assistance from Jae and her crew with dealing with them. After the fight is over, one of Liege’s men will make a play and try to take the cargo. Say this is the Rogue Trader’s business and that Jae is with you. Other options betray Jae or outright make sure she is not recruitable.

3. Go back to your ship, and you will meet Jae with you. You can then officially recruit her as part of your Retinue if you so wish.

4. After recruiting Jae, she will give you presents and gifts as thanks for working with her. She will then give you a side quest called Mercantum Tabula to help her get a trading seal for her cold trader needs. You should then be free to speak to her on the Upper Deck. Go through the following voice lines to then start dating her.

   • “You don’t look like a typical smuggler.”
   • “Why did you choose to come to the Koronus Expanse?”
   • “How did you escape from Efreet?”
   • “Judging by your implants, you’ve had quite a few close shaves over the years.”
   • “Thank you for sharing this.”
   • “You must forgive my prying, but has the esteemed princess’s heart been claimed by some lucky fellow?”
   • “I enjoy being with you. I would like us to spend more time together.”
   • “I do not see you as a toy. I just like you…”
   • [Drop to one knee] “My dazzling one, can I trust that you hold in your heart at least the smallest drop of regard for me?”
   • “I am inviting you to dinner. Over some decent wine. I’m sure we shall find a fertile topic of conversation.”

5. She will then give you a quest called a gift for Jae Haydari. Speak to your companions about Gift ideas and when you want to select an option, go to Janris Danrock and then order Jae a gift. This should then start an event on this ship where you find Jae in your room. Search her, and then select the comb her hair option. You’ll find she is easily pleased. We are aware that both the ship and the dress options work.

6. After completing her quest to get the seal, you can celebrate with Jae and her clientele in Footfall. You’ll get drunk and wake up with Jae in your bed again if you smooth talk her after the card game.

7. In Chapter 4, You get one more quest from her to help her with some more dodgy dealing on Footfall. Things will go south and you must deal with the threat appropriately. After that, Jae will then call a Cold Trader meeting and then make a power play to take over the group and the now recently deceased threat to take their stuff through rightful conquest. Jae has a few surprises up her sleeve, so support her properly, and you’ll see the surprises, which can end romantically.

8. After a few void jumps and potential other romances, Jae can threaten to leave you because she’s concerned that her status of being a lowborn and you a Rogue Trader is not good enough. You can convince her to stay and say you’re not bothered about Status to her, which will keep her things on your ship and not leave you. Select the “…lets pretend together“ option to continue to have the romance flowing.

How to Romance Marazhai in Rogue Trader¶

Marazhai is a bisexual male Drukhari. When you meet this character, you can eventually work through the hedonistic and chaotic evil character that fill the Drukhari population. These depraved Slanesh worshippers have no moral limitations, and so, they obey no rules or normalities to sex and romance. To start romancing Marazhai, you need to do the following:

1. In Chapter 3, offer Marazhai to join your party in the Anatomial Opera. When you encounter him in the second arena fight, you will then ask him to join you again. After the battle, ask him to be part of your retinue.

2. When you return to the Pit, speak to Marazhai, and he will take off his armor. You’ll find his armor is hooked into his flesh, and he shall mention the feeling of pain is a great feeling and connects you physically to battle and pain. Go with the flow and he shall mention he will show you some other time you little pet.

3. While ascending the Reaving Tempest Tower, you’ll find on one of the levels that Marazhai has some possessions. His possessions will be on the left side of the map towards the edge. He will run over and mention his electric device is there, but his other items are missing. Allow him to take the item and then either allow him to either taze himself or taze you, as that shows you’re interested in the pain fetish Drukhari have. There’s also a pain lab area on the level you need to raise the bridge when you find the Farseer. If you go to the bottom-left point after crossing the stairs you can investigate that lab and learn more about the Drukhari. You’ll get awarded for your interest with a few grenades.

4. At the start of Chapter 4, Marazhai will go berserk in your first warp jump and cause an encounter. When you do the encounter, and you find a possessed Marazhai, throw one of the guards at him, and then call him out. He shall come back to his senses. Failing to throw the guard at him will cause Marazhai to be hostile for the fight and die for good. If he survives the fight, then don’t overly punish him, and having him locked up during Warp Jumps to progress further.

5. A few warp jumps later, Marazhai will mention more about his depravity and desire for killing and ask you to join him. If you go along with it, then go the the Lower Decks and proceed to kill some of them with him. Go fully along with the depraved murders and you’ll sleep together after. If you sleep together, you have the chance to end it after, or offer him more killings and extremely hedonistic and deplorable experiences for the future.

How to Romance Yrliet in Rogue Trader¶

Finally, Yrliet is a female Aeldari character, who you find on Janus at the early stages of Chapter 2. However, she is certainly a complicated character if you intend on romancing Yrliet in Rogue Trader, and the reasons why is simply because romance with the mon’keigh is borderline unthinkable for the vast majority of the game. You’re going to need to exceed caution per every event and interaction if you want to engage the storyline, as any signs of typical flirtatious does not work, and choosing one at the wrong time will lock you out of the romance. To progress the romance, you need to try to understand Yrliet and her ways along several key moments and interactions with her. In general, think like a meditative deep thinking Aeldari and not like a Mon’keigh.

1. Once you recruit Yrliet and she arrives on the Upper Deck, you can find a void ship interaction where Yrliet is angry about something. You can then go through dialogue asking her about human and Aeldari relations, not all humans are the same, ask her how different she is, and ask if she can teach you. After a while, she will then come back to you a few warp jumps in, and take you on a meditative journey.

2. After a few warp jumps, she’ll come to your quarters and teach you a little about her people. She’ll mainly talk about meditation. Follow her words precisely, and when she asks you how you feel, mention you feel the pain of her people and can have a deeper understanding of things. Other options make you sound like a Mon’Keigh, and therefore you will see yourself as lesser after the experience.

3. Yrliet’s meditation on Upper Deck: Part way through Chapter 2, you’ll find Yrliet in an unresponsive dream-like state. Let her meditate, as if you wake her up it is more reason for her to be mad at you.

4. After you have completed the colony planet main storyline tasks, Yrliet can arrive in your quarters and take you into the meditative dream state with her. Go through the visions and dream prompts for every character when you enter the dream state and go from there. Once you complete them all, you’ll find a vision of Yrliet. You’ll get a few prompts, and avoid taking any of the romantic options like holding her hand, kiss her, and simply take the more calmer and good options instead. Taking the typical romantic options will cause her to scoff at you, and you’ll fail.

5. In Chapter 3, you’ll find Yrliet as part of the Reunion quest. When you meet her, ask her to rejoin you and forgive her. This is important. Other options will pretty much make her feel like she is your property, or you’ll either kill her or abandon her. Straight forward options, really.

6. When you take over the Pit after the Malice and Commissar questline, you can speak to companions like it’s the Upper Deck. Speak to Yrliet, and she will say she is struggling to meditate. Go with her and support her emotionally, and select the option that says embrace and comfort but avoid the human touch. She will thank you for the support and be even more thankful you didn’t do it the human way.

7. At the end of Chapter 3, you will arrive back to your ship. The crew will want to punish Yrliet for the occurrences in Chapter 3. Mention you forgive her to proceed further with Yrliet as a member of the retinue.

8. In Chapter 4, you will visit a planet called Quetza Temer in Calligos’s star systems. Calligos is on the hunt for Aeldari on the planet. While on the hunt for Calligos, you’ll encounter a group of Aeldari right at the end of the planet, who will be performing a ritual to track Tervantias on this world. Your job is to support Yrliet to save the Aeldari from Calligos’ wrath, and get Yrliet to convince the Aeldari their plan is a mistake. You can convince Winterscale not to kill the Aeldari throughout the planet and at the final moment, but you can only convince the Aeldari ritualists on the world at the end of Quetza Temer. Once you have convinced both parties to stand down, you can tell Yrliet you’ll be by her side.

9. Yrliet will talk to you about her broken Soulstone and then later come to you privately near the end of Chapter 4. You will only get this far if you did all of this correctly, and are not a Heretical playthrough, as Yrliet leaves you at the Invitation from Calcazar no matter how far progressed you are in the romance triggers. She’ll eventually invite you to her soul, and you’ll become soul-linked partners. You’ll have completed the Yrliet Romance in Rogue Trader.

For more information on the Rogue Trader’s Romance system, you can take a sneak peek at the Rogue Trader Gamescom trailer.