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Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader tracks Dogmatic, Iconoclast, and Heretical choices as three separate conviction paths. Choices award points; reaching ranks unlocks path-specific benefits and can determine which later dialogue is available. You can mix convictions, but the first path to reach Votary (rank III) becomes your main path, limiting the other two to Adherent (rank II). That makes conviction a role-playing choice with mechanical and narrative consequences—not simply a label for good, bad, or practical decisions.
The thresholds and detailed ability effects below are reported by a version 1.2.2 walkthrough updated August 15, 2026, rather than a newly tested save or developer-published rank table. Owlcat has also changed conviction awards in patches, so older advice about how difficult it is to advance may no longer apply.
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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsWhat is the conviction system in Rogue Trader?
Conviction is a progression system that records the kinds of decisions your Rogue Trader makes. Each qualifying choice contributes points to one of three independent paths: Dogmatic, Iconoclast, or Heretical. Accumulated points can raise a path’s rank, and ranks can grant combat abilities or qualify you for particular dialogue choices.
The system combines role-playing and progression. A choice may express a character’s worldview, award points, affect which options are available later, or do more than one of those things. A point award is not the same as a rank requirement: an option can grant points without requiring a particular rank, while another option may be gated behind a rank such as Votary or Fanatic. The walkthrough’s conviction-choice appendix identifies some rank-gated and DLC-dependent decisions.
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There is no evidence here that one conviction is universally strongest or guarantees a particular ending. The useful question is what combination of role-playing philosophy, rank-gated choices, combat benefits, and story consequences fits the character you want to play.
What is the difference between Dogmatic, Iconoclast, and Heretical?
The paths represent different responses to the Imperium and the dangers around it. Their names suggest broad philosophies, but the label alone does not tell you every practical consequence of a particular decision.
| Path | Role-playing emphasis | Examples of reported combat benefits | What to consider |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dogmatic | Imperial Creed, obedience, and opposition to perceived heresy. | Burning effects, reduced Momentum expenditure, and attacks that ignore armour. | Look at what the specific choice demands; not every useful or severe action can be inferred from the path’s name. |
| Iconoclast | Compassion and faith in people, despite the setting’s brutality. | More first-round movement and support for allied Heroic Acts. | Consider the people affected by the decision as well as its tactical outcome. |
| Heretical | Corruption, warp power, and self-serving or Chaos-aligned choices. | Potentially preserving consumables, changing psychic-phenomena outcomes, and temporary characteristic bonuses. | Individual choices have their own narrative commitments; one Heretical option does not establish the outcome of every other one. |
The combat examples are guide-reported effects, not a current-build balance comparison. A path’s thematic description is not a reliable shortcut for deciding whether an individual action is merciful, efficient, or strategically sound. Read the choice in context and, if you are planning a particular build or story route, check its stated requirements rather than assuming that every dialogue option associated with a path works alike.
How many points do the conviction ranks require?
The version 1.2.2 walkthrough lists these thresholds. Treat them as guide-reported figures, not as a developer-published table or a new measurement of a save.
| Rank | Guide-reported conviction points |
|---|---|
| Follower | 15 |
| Adherent | 45 |
| Votary | 200 |
| Fanatic | 300 |
| Zealot | 500 |
The figures come from chris-williams’s GameFAQs character-creation walkthrough, identified as version 1.2.2 and last updated August 15, 2026. They describe conviction thresholds, not a guaranteed number of choices or a fixed number of acts needed to reach each rank. Points vary with the choices and projects available in a playthrough, and later patches have altered some awards.
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When does choosing a path lock in your main conviction?
According to the walkthrough, reaching Votary—rank III, listed at 200 points—is the commitment point. The first path to reach that rank becomes the main conviction; the other two cannot advance beyond Adherent.
This does not mean you must make every decision consistently from the opening hours. You can take choices from more than one path before reaching Votary. But if you want a specific path’s later ranks, allowing another path to cross that threshold first can prevent you from fully advancing the intended one. The lock is about rank progression; it is not evidence that every off-path dialogue choice disappears or that all later story outcomes become fixed.
For a run aimed at a particular conviction, the practical approach is to track the points and rank requirements of choices that matter to you, especially before major decisions. Distinguish an option that awards points from one whose availability requires a rank. The appendix records both kinds of information in places, but it also marks some choices as dependent on DLC or specific conditions; do not assume that every listed choice appears in every run.
How do you earn conviction points?
Points can come from decisions in the prologue, conversations, later quests, and colony projects. The walkthrough’s prologue examples show that the system can reward sharply different responses to the same situation.
| Prologue choice listed by the walkthrough | Reported award |
|---|---|
| Go through the flames | 15 Dogmatic points |
| Help surviving crew members | 15 Iconoclast points |
| Accept Theodora’s help | 15 Heretical points |
These are examples from the guide, not a complete list of opening choices. A displayed dialogue option does not necessarily award conviction points, and the available choices can depend on circumstances. When a decision matters to your planned route, check the specific option and any stated condition rather than inferring an award from its tone.
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The guide also lists destroying the reactor on Rykad Minoris to wipe out all life as a 15-point Dogmatic choice. Its Iconoclast entries include saving people and/or the fusion reactor for 15 Iconoclast points. That example illustrates why a choice should be checked against its actual listing and conditions: saving the reactor should not be called Dogmatic simply because it might sound pragmatic. This is not a full account of the Rykad Minoris quest or all of its possible outcomes.
What do conviction ranks unlock in combat?
The walkthrough names a benefit for each rank on each path. The examples below help show the kind of tactical role a path can support; they are reported effects from that guide, not independent testing or a claim about current balance.
| Path | Guide-reported ability examples | Effect described by the guide |
|---|---|---|
| Dogmatic | Absolution | Allied critical hits inflict burning during the first round. |
| Dogmatic | Path of Redemption | Reduces Momentum expenditure. |
| Dogmatic | Piercing Resolution | Lets a selected ally’s weapon attacks ignore armour for one round. |
| Iconoclast | Master of Command | Adds movement during the first round. |
| Iconoclast | Courage and Steel | Reduces the Momentum cost of allied Heroic Acts. |
| Iconoclast | Transcend the Potential | Enables an ally’s Heroic Act without spending Momentum once per battle. |
| Heretical | Resource Preservation | Can preserve a used stimulant or medikit. |
| Heretical | Gifts of the Warp | Turns psychic phenomena into a Momentum gain. |
| Heretical | Daemonopathy | Grants a temporary characteristic bonus followed by a prone penalty. |
These examples point to different tactical themes: Dogmatic benefits include damage and Momentum effects; Iconoclast benefits support movement and Heroic Acts; Heretical benefits interact with consumables, psychic phenomena, and temporary characteristics. The descriptions do not establish which path is strongest across all characters, encounters, difficulty settings, or builds. Compare the exact effect and its rank requirement with your party’s needs rather than selecting a path on the assumption that one is categorically best.
How do convictions affect story choices and companions?
Convictions can shape available dialogue and the wider narrative, and the appendix labels some decisions as requiring Votary or Fanatic. A path should therefore be understood as a commitment that can open or constrain particular options—not as a promise of one predetermined ending regardless of other decisions.
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The guide says human companions also have conviction scores, but that those scores have no mechanical effect. That narrow point does not establish that companions never react to the player’s conduct. Keep companion scoring separate from the player’s conviction progression when assessing whether a choice affects party mechanics or story dialogue.
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A confirmed way to reset conviction points or reverse the Votary commitment in an unmodded game is not established by the available information. If you are unsure about a choice’s consequences, it is safer to treat the commitment as meaningful than to assume you can undo it later.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Did patches change how quickly convictions advance?
Yes. Owlcat’s December 10, 2024 update 1.3 changed point awards for many Act III–IV choices and doubled the points from affected colony projects. The developer’s patch notes state: “All projects that gave those points also now give double the amount.”
Owlcat also said that players who had already completed the affected choices or projects would receive missing points on their next choice carrying that conviction, rather than immediately. As a result, launch-era advice about how difficult it is to reach higher ranks may be out of date. A June 2024 fix also addressed a Dogmatic Vheabos VI dialogue choice that had failed to award its points. See the official update 1.3 notes for the dated patch details.
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One terminology wrinkle is especially easy to miss: Owlcat’s October 13, 2026 preview of a Zealot combat archetype for the forthcoming Processional of the Damned DLC uses “Zealot” as an archetype name. It is distinct from Zealot, the fifth conviction rank in the walkthrough’s table. The preview does not mean that a new conviction rank or system expansion is already available. See Owlcat’s archetype preview for its announcement.
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How should you choose a conviction path?
Choose based on the combination of character concept, meaningful story decisions, and rank benefits you want—not on a supposed universal best path. A few checks can prevent the most common misunderstandings:
- Separate theme from outcome. A path’s philosophy helps frame a choice, but the specific decision determines its award and story context.
- Watch the Votary threshold. If you want to advance one path beyond Adherent, avoid letting a different one reach rank III first.
- Check requirements, not just points. Some options award points; others are marked as rank-gated or DLC-dependent. Those are different conditions.
- Use current-era guidance carefully. The 2024 update increased some awards, so older route advice may misstate how quickly a character can rank up.
- Do not infer an ending from a label. The sources establish path-shaped options, not a guaranteed ending from choosing one conviction.
In short, the system permits mixed role-playing early on but makes deep progression a choice: the first path to Votary becomes the main one, while rank benefits and gated dialogue give that commitment practical consequences. The exact tactical value and story result still depend on the individual ability, decision, and conditions involved.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Do companions have their own conviction points in Rogue Trader?
The walkthrough says human companions have conviction scores, but those scores do not have mechanical effects. That does not prove that companions never respond to the Rogue Trader’s choices in dialogue or story events.
Can you reset conviction points without mods?
A confirmed unmodded method to reset points or reverse the main-path commitment is not established. Do not choose on the assumption that a later reset will be available.
Why is the Zealot archetype different from the Zealot conviction rank?
They share a name but refer to different things: one is the fifth rank in the walkthrough’s conviction progression, and the other is a combat archetype previewed for the forthcoming DLC. The preview does not make it an additional conviction rank.
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