To survive in Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor and kill the Dreadnought, you need to choose the appropriate weapon for one of the four available classes. Currently, the game offers 40 types of weapons. In this guide, we will talk about the strengths of each class and the best builds for them.
How to Upgrade Weapons
To unlock the special skills of each weapon, you need to level it up to 12 in a single run. On average, you will reach level 40, so you will be able to upgrade no more than two types of equipment. To enhance all the weapons, you will have to grind a lot, but this is an important part of the game and an opportunity to explore different combinations.
The Best Weapon for the Scout
The Scout is a starting class that has high mobility and a chance to avoid damage. Specializes in kinetic weapons with additional electric damage. Among its weapons, the DRAK-25 plasma carbine, which unlocks at level 21, can be highlighted. High and consistent plasma damage allows quickly dealing with bosses at a safe distance.
Here is the rest of the weapons with a brief description:
- ⭐ Electroshock Swiper (boomerang) — unlocks at level 6 of the character. Deals damage twice, allowing for stable DPS even with small damage increases. Recommended weapon for runs;
- ⭐ Cryogenic Grenade — not the highest killing power, but this grenade can freeze a large area and even the Dreadnought. This will help survive in many situations, and there is enough damage from other weapons.
- Homemade Boom Stick — a starter shotgun, which is not outstanding. Helps deal with groups of enemies at close range, but scouts mainly rely on long-range damage, so it will be useless;
- M1000 Classic — a starter rifle, which unlocks at level 3 of the scout. Has high killing power and penetration, but performs poorly against crowds of enemies;
- Zhukov NUK17 — an electric pistol, with nice enhancements. Fits well into an electric weapon build, but is useless on its own;
- ⭐ TH-0R Electroshocker — can be unlocked at level 12. It is the main weapon in this character's build;
- ⭐ Bolt Thrower Nishanka X-80 — a powerful crossbow, unlocking at level 24. Replaces other rifles, as it has increased damage and a high rate of attack;
- Arc-Tek Cryo-Guard Drone — a slowing drone, which unlocks at level 15 of the character. Useless, as it deals little damage and does not slow down enemies effectively.
Among the artifacts, it's best to take Nitroglycerin Powder, Gilded Bullets, and Gold Scanner. This will allow you to increase the overall damage by 2-3 times, but nitra and gold must not be spent unnecessarily.
The Best Weapon for the Gunner
A complex class, whose primary weapon only fires in front of the character. Despite this, with the right build, the starting machine gun can destroy any number of enemies and kill the Dreadnought in a couple of magazines. In any build, the Thunderhead Heavy Autocannon is recommended, which unlocks at level 12.
Other weapons you can take for this character:
- BRT7 Burst Fire Pistol — a good base weapon that helps level up and safely upgrade more powerful options;
- Tactical Leadstorm — a grenade that shoots kinetic projectiles in a small radius. Deals solid damage but often misses its target;
- Firefly Drone-Hunter — a drone capable of supporting you with fire. However, its attack range is higher, so you'll need to go back for experience or look for a magnet;
- ⭐ Hurricane Guided Rocket System — slow but deadly weapon capable of quickly destroying a pack of bugs. With additional enhancements, it becomes the most important gun in your arsenal;
- ⭐ ArmsKore Gauss Cannon — unlocks at level 27 for the gunner and is made for victory. Even on the highest difficulty, you will feel every shot and move forward without much trouble;
- Seismo-Repulsor — deals solid damage in a small radius. If you're playing through killing bugs, this is a good option. Otherwise, it will just occupy a slot without dealing sufficient damage;
- ⭐ Bulldog Heavy Revolver — slow but deadly weapon, a must-have in any build. With enhancements, it complements the base machine gun well, eliminating remaining bugs;
- Cryo Cannon — a good weapon, but not enough upgrades to consistently take on every run. This weapon is more suited for the Driller;
- ⭐ Incendiary Grenade — constant fire damage in a huge radius. Even if the grenade goes off course, you can direct bugs into the fire pool, which doesn't damage you. Helps quickly dispose of smaller monsters and deal constant damage to bosses.
Depending on your play style, you can choose several artifacts:
- Barley Bulb Juice — speeds you up when the character is not moving, which perfectly matches with machine guns that require you to face the direction of enemies;
- IRL-U Ration — increases health stock and regeneration. Since the gunner is slow, extra health is a priority;
- Red Sugar — the more health recovery you pick up, the more you get. In the final stages, you can easily get up to 700 health, which helps you stand in the middle of enemies for a few seconds.
The Best Weapon for the Driller
Arguably, the strongest class to date. Its immense environmental destruction speed allows you to ignore enemies, clearing the area of resources in a couple of minutes. At the same time, it deals huge periodic damage, utilizing acid and fire damage. Although the Colette Microwave Emitter can be unlocked as early as level 6, this weapon will stay with you until the end of the game. It deals damage in a cone with auto-targeting on enemies, shooting through any obstacles. A downside is its very low turning speed, but with some practice, you can carve up both single targets and a whole swarm of bugs in a few seconds.
Besides the Emitter, the Driller has a wide choice of other, no less powerful weapons:
- Acid Spitter — sprays acid around the character. With bonuses to elemental damage, you'll deal immense periodic damage;
- ⭐ Impact Axe — despite its name, it's one of the strongest weapons in the game. The Driller throws several axes that deal area damage, then pulls them back, dealing increased damage;
- ⭐ CRSPR Flamethrower — high combat power that will help you survive against an endless stream of bugs. In the upgrades, you can take a greater number of beams, meaning significantly increased damage and area of effect;
- Neurotoxin Grenade — not the most useful thing in the Driller's arsenal, but if you're going through acid damage, it might be worth a try;
- Cryo Cannon — not enough damage to destroy bugs with this weapon alone, so there's a chance of dying while reloading at higher levels;
- K1-R Viper Drone — a drone with acid damage. Like other robots, it becomes useless in the mid and late stages of the game, distracting you from survival;
- ⭐ Experimental Plasma Charger — unlocks at level 27 for the Driller, but is worth all the effort. Huge area damage allows you to clear the path quickly, regardless of the number of enemies.
In artifacts, you can assemble various belts that deal elemental damage and artifacts to increase health.
The Best Weapon for the Engineer
The worst digger among the four, but in the later stages, it's quite easy to survive, something the engineer excels at thanks to additional devices. His arsenal is full of turrets and drones, and passive abilities and the right artifacts significantly enhance them. But besides that, it's always worth having a handheld weapon, like the Boar Auto 210. This shotgun fires in front of the engineer, dealing massive damage.
- Voltaic Electric Fence — a device that deals constant damage within a small radius. It proves itself when the character is cornered and enemies come from one direction;
- Smart Rifle LOK-1 — weak, slow, and ineffective, hindering gameplay. Auto-targeting works poorly, so it takes much longer to take down boss-level enemies;
- ⭐ Deepcore RPG — a grenade launcher capable of quickly clearing the location of unnecessary bugs. Upgrades pleasantly complement the weapon, allowing you to tailor it to the situation;
- ⭐ Plasma Cutter — massive plasma damage at a good distance. If you're not playing through turrets, it's a must-have in the build;
- Diffraction Splitter — a strange weapon, analogues of which have already appeared in the game but with better parameters. We couldn't realize its potential;
- Plasma Charge — a decent choice for a plasma damage build. But there are more useful weapons;
- Shredder Swarm Grenade — like other grenades, this one has issues with accuracy and capabilities. They will likely be reworked, but for now, it's better not to occupy a slot with this;
- ⭐ Krakatau Turret — the best turret with massive flame damage. By level 18, the area of effect will literally cover the entire visible area;
- ⭐ Various Drones — the game features drones with special damage. For the engineer, they are best revealed and start to bring benefits if you choose the right one for your build.
The first option is to collect nitra and gold, unlocking artifacts Gilded Bullet, Nitra-Glycerin Powder, and Pickled Nitra. The second option, through defense and constant stops. Here you will find Tactical Bipods and Barley Bulb Juice useful.
That's all we managed to find out about the weapons and classes in Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor. If new weapons, classes, or artifacts are introduced in the game, we will definitely update the guide to the current version.
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