Beginner’s Guide

Deep Rock Galactic is an amazing dungeon crawler-shooter where you can play as one of the four dwarven types (class), digging through procedurally-generated caverns and tunnels in mineral-rich locations in space. While the game takes players to a tutorial mission, there’s still a lot of things that beginners need to know before they can get comfortable with the game. In this page, we will be listing down some of the tips that can be immediately used by beginners to help them get started.

Online vs Offline

The game can be played online or offline. To play with other players, online mode is required of course. For offline mode, you can tackle missions alone. When playing solo, make sure that you’re familiar with your class’ weapons, skills, strengths, and weaknesses. You’ll be accompanied by a reliable drone named Bosco to assist you with mining, attacking, and other tasks but you’ll have to rely on yourself most of the time.

Each dwarf is different

There are 4 different dwarf types in the game, each with their own set of weapons, traversal tools, and overall specialties. This also applies to their equipment, with each dwarf’s equipment upgrade being exclusive to their class only. That said, each dwarf has his own “profile” or loadout; they rank up individually so you’ll have to take each of them to missions in order to gain EXP and rank up.

Proper preparation

Always check your equipment before taking on a mission. You can apply permanent upgrades or perks to your dwarf’s weapon, suit, and pickaxe, and you can even select different upgrade loadouts per dwarf. The upgrades you’ve unlocked / purchased will be tied to the dwarf you’re using. So if you’re switching over to a new dwarf (class), you’ll have to purchase or set their upgrades separately.

Plan an escape route

While exploring and digging for new tunnels, always consider the path for extraction. After meeting the required quota, you’ll have to call in the drop pod for extraction, which you have to reach within a specific time limit to complete your mission. For most missions, your MULE will head towards the drop pod and will leave illuminated rods to guide your way. Make sure to keep an eye for these pods and follow them.During the extraction process, several enemies will also appear as well to hamper your escape so the last thing you’ll want is getting hogged by enemies while trying to find your way back to the extraction point.

Use your scanner always!

Don’t blindingly dig through random directions. Always check your scanner as it will reveal nearby chambers, which will dictate the direction where you’ll have to dig. Since the caves are procedurally generated, you could possibly dig for a long time without finding anything. Furthermore, the scanner will help you locate the cavities that you can dig to, and the location of certain objects.

You have Limited Ammo

You have a limited amount of ammo when exploring. You can call in a supply drop which will restore 50% of your HP and ammo but that will require collecting a red mineral called Nitra. That said, always make your shots count or use your pickaxe to take out the squisher bugs.

Regularly Deposit to your MULE

You can only carry a certain amount of minerals on your person. Make sure to call in the Mule by pressing C and deposit the items you’ve gathered so far. This is also applicable for certain objects that you have to carry with both hands (like eggs or huge mineral ores), as well as objective items like artifacts.

Learn how to use your traversal tools

Each dwarf has his own traversal tool that allows him to navigate his environment. Knowing where to place your tools and how to use them can mean life or death, especially when you’re dealing with an enemy swarm or more importantly, while you’re attempting to escape.

Different upgrades require special resources

As your dwarf ranks up, he’ll gain access to different upgrade options. Some of these upgrades will require special resources. If you’re prioritizing any particular upgrades, choose the missions where you have the potential to obtain them. Take note that these special resources are typically rare so you’ll have to scour the caverns and explore thoroughly to collect them.

Playing with Friends

The game can be daunting if you’re playing solo, and can be incredibly frustrating if you attempt to solo the more challenging missions alone. Playing with friends is encouraged, since you can bring along different dwarves with different specialties that saves a lot of time for completing mundane tasks like repairing and mining. This makes combat a lot more bearable as well since the enemies can easily overwhelm you even if you have Bosco assisting you on solo missions.