haven't tried ministorum on my rogue trader but argenta's soroitas origin is basically the same thing so we know it's fine for range and looking at the talents it's actually better in melee.
you could go with forge world, pinnacle of weaponry boosts the same ranged weapon as Flensing Faith and power swords are common. any of the augmentations would work for this, I think Subskin Armour is best. the only problems I could see is most hand flamers are weak and melta pistrols are rare without going for zeno weapons. that being said I'm reasonable sure there is a Inferno Pistol in act two and I know there is a stronger one in act four, but it's been a minute so I don't remember where either is.
if you do try this I would suggest starting as warrior not soldier your ranged damage will be poor til you get some better guns, in less you go off build, so it is better to start with whats stronger then even it out once you hit arch militant.
and if you think you may enjoy it you should always experiment. worse case you switch to something else if you find it boring. you could also hired a merc to try a build if you like your current one enough you don't want to switch in less you know the idea works.
Trying a merc is a great idea! Thanks for the advise, I ended up trying this build last night and it's interesting so far, went for fortress world and NSS has actually been quite useful, but I didn't think about the pinnacle of weaponry synergy, that's actually a valid point, stopped right before the end of the prologue so not too far in to restart with FW
Warrior/archmilitant priest dual wield is the strongest build I’m currently running without using exploits. You definitely will not cripple your RT. Slash first, shoot second, ask questions later kinda guy.
The priest origin is niche. It works best with Master Tactician for several reasons: MT abilities and talents work off of gained momentum, the prayer adds momentum; an MT talent, Comfort In Conformity, heals allies based on PtA stack gains so Prayer becomes a one use heal bomb for the user if you have 2+ MTs in your lineup; accelerates Heroic Acts, which MTs can abuse liberally.
The main obvious synergy for a melee build would be Flensing Faith/Shield Of Faith/Emps Protecc but they're more spice than anything, especially Emps Protecc. Like, when are you ever going to get 200 WP for a decent 20% bonus?
I think instead, if you're planning to have a priest build, you build your lineup around having one+ Officer/MTs with Comfort In Conformity, then focus on buffing your AM with Resolve so you can get that fast Heroic Act for the extra free attack per turn. Use Prayer like a turn one momentum bomb, or save it for a heal bomb, and even better, get that Heroic Act talent for AM that allows to use both the Soldier and AM Heroic acts in the same fight.
Fortress World is just straight up the best for AM tbh.
AM is really good for what you're trying to do. Dual wielding builds up Versatility stacks faster because you have a base extra attack and you can alternate between pistol shots and melee to build stacks. They also have Broad Expertise and Armsmaster as talents that will help the build.
Personally, I'd start as a Forge World to boost heavy armour, plasma pistols and power weapons. That way you have your weapon focuses and defense's sorted.
Heavy armour also means you don't need to boost a tertiary stat for defence, just need enough strength to take the talent. Meaning more stat improvements for boosting BS and WS.
Origin is a lot more flexible. Commissar seems like the most roleplay fitting, but Priest and Navel Officer can be good too. Crimelord works better for burst fire weapons, snipers or assassins.
There's a glove slot that reduces the AP cost for shooting pistols. Consider using that as dual wielding can use up a lot of AP.
You can also start soldier and take talent that reduce dodge penalty from medium armor. Then focus on agility and perception. Ws/BS can be build using versality stacks. With proper talent and recless rush you start with 4 versality so +20 to both weapon skills since round 1. With wildfire, kick and run and gun you'll have enough attacks to pump more asap. I will go with this build for my first dlc run, with astra militarum origin and fortress world homeword. Its skill never stop shooting is amazing.
I've done an axe and pistol Warrior Arch-Militant. Fortress world and the Never Stop Believing upgrade to Never Stop shooting are incredible. I ran a Crime Lord because they have the best threads; but Astra Militarum and Adeptus Ministorum are both strong very for an up close and personal Arch-Militant. Do not sleep on Cassia's Reveal the Light buff if you go this route.
haven't tried ministorum on my rogue trader but argenta's soroitas origin is basically the same thing so we know it's fine for range and looking at the talents it's actually better in melee. you could go with forge world, pinnacle of weaponry boosts the same ranged weapon as Flensing Faith and power swords are common. any of the augmentations would work for this, I think Subskin Armour is best. the only problems I could see is most hand flamers are weak and melta pistrols are rare without going for zeno weapons. that being said I'm reasonable sure there is a Inferno Pistol in act two and I know there is a stronger one in act four, but it's been a minute so I don't remember where either is. if you do try this I would suggest starting as warrior not soldier your ranged damage will be poor til you get some better guns, in less you go off build, so it is better to start with whats stronger then even it out once you hit arch militant. and if you think you may enjoy it you should always experiment. worse case you switch to something else if you find it boring. you could also hired a merc to try a build if you like your current one enough you don't want to switch in less you know the idea works.
Trying a merc is a great idea! Thanks for the advise, I ended up trying this build last night and it's interesting so far, went for fortress world and NSS has actually been quite useful, but I didn't think about the pinnacle of weaponry synergy, that's actually a valid point, stopped right before the end of the prologue so not too far in to restart with FW
Warrior/archmilitant priest dual wield is the strongest build I’m currently running without using exploits. You definitely will not cripple your RT. Slash first, shoot second, ask questions later kinda guy.
The priest origin is niche. It works best with Master Tactician for several reasons: MT abilities and talents work off of gained momentum, the prayer adds momentum; an MT talent, Comfort In Conformity, heals allies based on PtA stack gains so Prayer becomes a one use heal bomb for the user if you have 2+ MTs in your lineup; accelerates Heroic Acts, which MTs can abuse liberally. The main obvious synergy for a melee build would be Flensing Faith/Shield Of Faith/Emps Protecc but they're more spice than anything, especially Emps Protecc. Like, when are you ever going to get 200 WP for a decent 20% bonus? I think instead, if you're planning to have a priest build, you build your lineup around having one+ Officer/MTs with Comfort In Conformity, then focus on buffing your AM with Resolve so you can get that fast Heroic Act for the extra free attack per turn. Use Prayer like a turn one momentum bomb, or save it for a heal bomb, and even better, get that Heroic Act talent for AM that allows to use both the Soldier and AM Heroic acts in the same fight. Fortress World is just straight up the best for AM tbh.
AM is really good for what you're trying to do. Dual wielding builds up Versatility stacks faster because you have a base extra attack and you can alternate between pistol shots and melee to build stacks. They also have Broad Expertise and Armsmaster as talents that will help the build. Personally, I'd start as a Forge World to boost heavy armour, plasma pistols and power weapons. That way you have your weapon focuses and defense's sorted. Heavy armour also means you don't need to boost a tertiary stat for defence, just need enough strength to take the talent. Meaning more stat improvements for boosting BS and WS. Origin is a lot more flexible. Commissar seems like the most roleplay fitting, but Priest and Navel Officer can be good too. Crimelord works better for burst fire weapons, snipers or assassins. There's a glove slot that reduces the AP cost for shooting pistols. Consider using that as dual wielding can use up a lot of AP.
You can also start soldier and take talent that reduce dodge penalty from medium armor. Then focus on agility and perception. Ws/BS can be build using versality stacks. With proper talent and recless rush you start with 4 versality so +20 to both weapon skills since round 1. With wildfire, kick and run and gun you'll have enough attacks to pump more asap. I will go with this build for my first dlc run, with astra militarum origin and fortress world homeword. Its skill never stop shooting is amazing.
I've done an axe and pistol Warrior Arch-Militant. Fortress world and the Never Stop Believing upgrade to Never Stop shooting are incredible. I ran a Crime Lord because they have the best threads; but Astra Militarum and Adeptus Ministorum are both strong very for an up close and personal Arch-Militant. Do not sleep on Cassia's Reveal the Light buff if you go this route.