Warhammer 40,000: Inquisitor - Martyr: Complete Guide

A player's guide to NeocoreGames' grimdark action-RPG: every class and subclass, the mission types, the endgame systems (Priority Assignments, Warzones, Void Crusade, Tarot), gear and crafting, and which DLC is worth buying.

Researched September 2026 — current as of the latest PC build with the Hierophant class (November 2024 DLC); the developer's 2025-2026 Steam posts are sale announcements rather than content patches. Live games change; check the linked sources if something differs.

Quick Start

• Pick a class for how you like to fight. Crusader is the durable frontline, Assassin is fast and fragile, Psyker is area damage with an overheat mechanic, and the DLC classes (Tech-Adept, Sororitas, Hierophant) add summoner and faith-based playstyles.
• Subclass is chosen at creation. Each base class has three backgrounds that change starting skills and passive bonuses; read them carefully because they shape the whole character.
• Follow the campaign first. It walks you through the Martyr, the fortress-monastery at the heart of the story, and unlocks systems (crafting, the Inoculator, Tarot) in a sensible order.
• Use cover. Enemies behind cover take less ranged damage, and you do too. The cover system is not decoration.
• Clear the room before looting. Stopping to open chests or pick up drops mid-fight is how most early deaths happen; finish the pack first.
• Grab tech-shrines. They give a temporary buff to damage, resistance or movement speed; plan fights around them.
• Watch your class resource. Crusaders spend Focus, Assassins spend Adrenaline, Psykers build Warp Heat, Tech-Adepts spend Data-Flux. Managing it is most of the skill in combat.
• Salvage and craft rather than hoarding. Inventory fills fast; break down junk for crafting materials.
• Group up for tough content. Missions support co-op with up to four players, and Cabals give long-term group progression.

Classes and Subclasses

Base game classes

Class | Subclasses (backgrounds) | Resource | Playstyle

Crusader | Assault, Tactical, Heavy Gunner | Focus (powers Power Armour and heavy weapon skills) | Tanky; holds ground, heavy weapons or melee with shield

Death Cult Assassin | Sniper, Infiltrator, Eradicator | Adrenaline (dodges and exotic gear) | Mobile burst damage, stealth, long-range precision

Primaris Psyker | Empyreanist, Aetherwalker, Scryer | Warp Heat (penalty that builds as you cast) | Area damage and debuffs; overheating risks warp anomalies

DLC classes

Class | How to get it | Highlights

Tech-Adept | Prophecy standalone expansion (PC, July 30, 2019) | Summons constructs (including Kastelan Robots); subclasses Adept Secutor, Adept Dominus, Adept Skitarius

Sororitas (Battle Sister) | Class DLC, November 2022 | Flamers, Blessed Blades, Power Mauls, Power Halberds; Acts of Faith, Sacred Rites, Embodied Saint Form, Banners

Hierophant | Class DLC, November 2024 | Commands a Retinue of up to four AI acolytes (Crusader, Assassin, Psyker, Battle Sister); Orders bar; Devotion Points; backgrounds Confessor, Cardinal, Drill Abbot

Which class for a first character?

• Crusader, Heavy Gunner or Tactical is the most forgiving: high armour, simple rotation, tolerates mistakes.
• Psyker feels great once you understand Warp Heat, but overheating mid-fight is punishing.
• Assassin has the highest skill ceiling; dodging correctly is survival.
• Hierophant is strong for players who like a squad doing the work, but gearing both yourself and the Retinue is more bookkeeping.

Character progression

• Skill trees: each class has multiple trees you unlock as you level; "Bibliophiliac" is the achievement for unlocking all of them, "Lexico Arcanus" for learning every skill in one tree.
• Attributes: three attribute trees per class, each with several upgrade levels (damage, health, resistances, critical chance and similar).
• Perks and Inquisitorial Rank: your account-wide rank rises with play ("No Turning Back" is reaching rank 20).
• Heroic Deeds: long-term counters such as killing Champions, Commanders, bosses, or opening supply chests; each completed deed is an achievement and a progression milestone.
• Level: the Hierophant DLC page states the class can reach level 100; past that point, your power grows through gear, item power and endgame systems rather than new skill tiers.

Combat Fundamentals

• Weapon sets: you carry two weapon loadouts. Weapon choice determines your active skills, so a sword-and-shield Crusader and a Heavy Bolter Crusader play very differently.
• Cover: ranged enemies in cover take reduced damage; flank or use area attacks. Killing enemies while they are in cover is its own Heroic Deed.
• Destructible environment: explosive containers and traps can wipe whole packs ("Demolisher" and "Cheating Death" track these).
• Executions and bonuses: chaining kills triggers Killstreak and Massacre bonuses; taking no damage for a stretch gives Unbreakable. These feed achievements and reward aggressive but careful play.
• Enemy tiers: Horde (trash), Elite, Champion, Commander and Boss. Prioritise Commanders; they buff the enemies around them.
• Enemy factions include Chaos (with Khorne followers and Chaos Engines) and the Drukhari (Dark Eldar), among others.

Mission Types and Game Modes

The Star Map of the Caligari Sector is your mission hub. Common mission types include Assassination, Bunker Busting, Defense, Demonic Incursion, Hot Pursuit, Panic Room, Purge, Rescue and Sabotage, plus special vehicle missions where you command a Shadowsword tank or an Imperial Knight.

Mode | What it is | Why run it

Campaign | Story chapters on the Martyr and beyond | Unlocks systems and companions (Metrodora Thelema, Omicron Arkh)

Priority Assignments | Short chains of missions tied together by a plot | Good loot, story snippets; a clean run without dying is an achievement

Warzones | Blocks of missions with rising difficulty | Scaling challenge; completing one after level 50 is an achievement

Void Crusade | Interconnected mission sets ending in a large reward | "Mega-loot" payout at the end

Weekly Glory | Weekly challenge with a points target | Rewards for reaching max points

Seasons | Seasonal characters with special rules | Seasonal characters convert to normal characters when the season ends

Endgame Systems

• Uther's Tarot: lets you customise mission conditions using cards, trading risk for reward. You first use it in the story to find the Martyr ("The Hand One is Dealt").
• Crafting: craft and improve equipment using blueprints and salvaged materials. Later you can fuse sockets into Relic items ("Forge Lord").
• Inoculator: your healing injector, which you customise with inoculator components, including booster-type components (using boosters 250 times is "Magos Biologis").
• Tech tree: research upgrades at Omicron Arkh.
• Morality Chart: story choices push you along a Puritan or Radical axis.
• Cabals: player groups that progress together and unlock special missions.
• Fate: a resource you accumulate over time; acquiring 750 Fate is the "Hero of the Imperium" deed.

Gear rarities

Loot rises through rarity tiers up to Relic items and beyond. Equipping your first Relic is an early milestone ("Chosen Warrior"). Rules of thumb:

• Item power matters more than rarity early on; equip the higher-power item unless the lower one has a build-defining property.
• Save Relic-and-up pieces with the right properties for your skills; socketing and crafting make them worth investing in.
• Salvage everything else.

Suggested Progression

• Campaign Chapter One until you leave the Martyr ("The Plot Thickens").
• Recruit your specialists: finding Metrodora Thelema and Omicron Arkh unlocks core upgrade systems.
• Level through Star Map missions and the campaign together; do a mix of mission types (completing every type is "All Kinds of Trouble").
• Begin Priority Assignments once your gear is keeping up.
• Finish the main campaign ("Into the Great Unknown"), then the Prophecy chapters if owned (Prophecy continues the story with new missions, enemies and environments).
• Endgame: Warzones, Void Crusade, Tarot-modified missions and Weekly Glory. Push difficulty only when you clear the current tier without deaths.

Build Archetypes (Community-Proven)

The Steam community's top-rated build guides point to a few reliable archetypes. Use them as directions, then read the full guides for exact skill picks:

Archetype | Class | Idea

Sword and board | Crusader | Melee with a shield for mitigation; very safe

Heavy Flamer | Crusader | Close-range burn damage that melts hordes

Boss-killer Psyker | Psyker | Single-target spell damage tuned for bosses

Combustor Tech-Adept | Tech-Adept | Fire-focused constructs and turrets

Blessed Blade | Sororitas | Melee Battle Sister built around the Blessed Blade

Retinue-focused | Hierophant | Let the acolytes carry the damage while you buff and Order them

DLC Worth Buying

• Prophecy (expansion, also the source of the Tech-Adept): the most content per unit of money.
• Sororitas Class and Hierophant Class: whole new classes; buy the one whose playstyle appeals.
• Story/mission DLC such as City of Suffering (score-attack style content), Faith Undone, Desperate Crusade and others: optional extras.
• Definitive Edition bundles the base game, Prophecy, the mission DLCs, the Sororitas Class and several cosmetics; the Hierophant is sold separately.
• The publisher runs deep discounts most major Steam sales (the August 2026 Isometric Sale had the base game and DLC at up to 90% off), so avoid paying full price.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Standing in the open. Ranged enemies shred you; use cover and line of sight.
• Ignoring Commanders. They buff the pack; kill them first.
• Overheating as a Psyker. Warp anomalies at the wrong time can end the fight for you.
• Hoarding junk. Salvage it; materials are what you need for crafting.
• Jumping difficulty too fast. If you are dying, drop a tier; loot per hour is often better.
• Treating seasonal characters as throwaway. They become regular characters when the season ends, so build them properly.
• Looting mid-fight. Clear the area first, then collect loot and open chests.

Advanced Tips

• Weapon swapping is a rotation, not a fallback. Build both weapon sets so each covers the other's gaps (single target vs area, ranged vs melee).
• Use Tarot to target loot. Higher-risk cards are worth it once you comfortably clear content.
• Co-op synergy: a tank Crusader or Hierophant retinue draws aggro while Psykers and Assassins burst.
• Tech-shrine timing: activate right before a big pull or boss phase.
• Priority Assignment no-death runs: do them at a difficulty below your comfort level to get the "Perfect Record" achievement.
• Community guides go deeper: the Steam Guides tab has detailed builds (including seasonal ones); check the date against the latest balance changes.

FAQ

Is Warhammer 40,000: Inquisitor - Martyr still supported? It is still sold with regular sales, and class DLC arrived as recently as the Hierophant in November 2024. Recent Steam posts are sale announcements rather than new content.

Can I play it solo? Yes. The campaign is single-player and most missions can be run solo; co-op supports up to four players.

What is the best starting class? Crusader for safety, Psyker for area damage, Assassin for skilled players. The Hierophant plays like a commander with AI followers.

Do I need Prophecy? Not to play, but it adds the story continuation and the Tech-Adept class, and it is included in the Definitive Edition.

What is the level cap? The official Hierophant DLC page lists level 100 as the class maximum; after that, item power and difficulty keep scaling, which is why community build guides quote much higher "levels" for gear and missions.

What is Uther's Tarot? A card system for customising mission conditions and rewards; you first use it during the campaign.

Sources

• Warhammer 40,000: Inquisitor - Martyr on Wikipedia
• Steam store page
• Sororitas Class DLC on Steam
• Hierophant Class DLC on Steam
• Steam global achievements
• Steam guide: Knowledge for new players
• Steam top-rated guides list
• Steam news hub (sale announcements 2025-2026)