Trade, Reputation and Cargo Explained

Learn how to manage cargo, increase reputation with factions, and understand Profit Factor in Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader. Master the game's economy.

In Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader, the economy operates on a macro scale, abstracting away concerns like currency, meals, or ammo. Your Warrant of Trade covers basic necessities, but you'll still acquire loot like weapons, armor, medikits, and grenades from fallen enemies. Excess equipment isn't just clutter; it's a valuable commodity used to gain Reputation with various factions.

Factions in the Koronus Expanse offer wares and services, but you don't buy them with currency. Instead, you requisition items based on your Reputation with a faction and your Profit Factor. Higher Reputation unlocks better tiers of loot, and your Profit Factor reflects your authority and resources. Essentially, the goods available depend on your relationship with factions and the perceived value of your dealings.

To increase Reputation, you can offload excess gear and cargo. When trading with a faction representative or High Factotum Janris Danrok, you'll find a trade screen with 'Trading' and 'Reputation' tabs. The Reputation tab lists your cargo and the Reputation gained from trading different categories. Most items, excluding quest items, multikeys, and notes, belong to a cargo category and contribute to a stack. Once a stack reaches 100%, it can be traded.

Items like Machine Spirit Vaultlets, AutoQuills, Power Cells, and Motive Force Conductors are automatically sorted into cargo stacks, such as 'Mechanicus Creations.' There's no encumbrance or limit to how much cargo you can carry; it's managed via the Cargo Manager (hotkey: B).

Usable equipment like arms, armor, and consumables go directly into your inventory, separate from cargo. However, most equipment also contributes to cargo stacks: Laspistols to 'Ranged Weaponry,' swords to 'Melee Weaponry,' armor to 'Armor Kit,' and other items to categories like 'Mechanicus Creations,' 'Uniform Kits,' 'Jewellry,' 'Xeno-Artefacts,' 'Heretic Trophies,' or 'Miscellaneous.' You can manually add unwanted equipment to cargo stacks or trade them directly to factions.

Reputation is the primary currency. Once you've raised your Reputation with a faction to access a tier and have sufficient Profit Factor, you can requisition eligible items without further cost. Different factions may prefer specific cargo types, but they value all cargo similarly. The specific cargo accepted by each faction and the Reputation gained can be viewed in-game.