Rogue Trader has a morality and reputation system where characters can perform acts throughout the game that lead them down one of three personality tracks. Each one offers unique rewards, incidents, and main story progression with slightly different twists. Throughout the game, these choices will present themselves at various stages, with one of the earliest being the Blade Fragment. With it being one of the earliest choices, it surprisingly has consequences and reactivity events to come. So, here is a look at the Blade Fragment Choices in Rogue Trader, advising you if you should take the Blade Fragment or not from Janris Danrok.

Blade Fragment Choices in Rogue Trader: Iconoclast, Dogmatic or Heretic¶

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Here is a look at the three choices for the Blade Fragment in Rogue Trader, and a look at what you can expect from each one.

So, you have three choices with the Blade Fragment, which are:

• Heretical - You were right to do so. Give the Fragment to me.
• Dogmatic - Get rid of it Immediately.
• Iconoclast - You should keep it for now. As soon as we locate this acolyte of the Inquisition, you will hand over the blade.

You largely want to select the option you want your playthrough to experience. Each option will give you some experience to progress through the ranks of each playthrough type and get you closer to the powers that come with it. However, each one does present options that have consequences later down the line.

Meanwhile, the Dogmatic is a more strong-fisted type and will lead to more direct authority moments. You’ll likely bin it and never hear of it again if you take Dogmatic. On the other hand, the Iconoclastic is very faith-based and has more connections to the Inquisitor stuff later in the chapter(s). Part of your overarching narrative at this point is to see the Inquisitor deal with the cultists and Chaos sects on the ship from the prologue. You will find that the blade will have some more interactions to come for that storyline too, albeit in a different manner from the Heretical point of view.

However, you’ll have a lot more fun with the Blade if you go heretic and take it for yourself.

Blade Shard Choices: Heretic Storyline¶

The Heretical option grants you some optional events you can partake in. In the first chapter, one event happens shortly after, where players can check on some defective Servitors. If you have the blade, you can use it in later moments in the story that are mere trivial yet immersive and events the captain is tasked to partake in. You can see an example in the spoiler box below. The Blade Fragment also gives you more story plot points regarding the heretics and the chaos that was on board the ship in the tutorial, where you can learn more about that storyline. This can continue through the acts with you learning more and more about the blade fragments. No spoiler here, but its a very big part of the heretical storyline, granting some pretty big changes at various points in the game.

One Minor Incident with the Blade Fragment.Show Spoiler

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If you took the Blade Fragment, you could use the strange item in an incident and ship event later. There’s also much more to come.

Later on in the storyline, long after the Servitor event, you will have a vision. Again, here’s another spoiler in case you want to find out what it is for yourself.

For a while after, the blade will not do much. Yet, towards the end of Chapter 2, you’ll get another vision. Again, the text is hidden for spoiler purposes.

When you complete this leg, you will then be able to get a special quest in Chapter 3. The quest is called The Worm Churns if you’re interested.

Ultimately, the Blade Fragment choice you make in Rogue Trader largely depends on which storyline perspective you want to see. Both the storyline points in the Incidents and Rumors are partly affected by this item, and its choice, alongside the points you increase in the select playthrough experience and the powers you want to get as you continue through the game.