Gunner

Deep Rock Galactic is an amazing dungeon crawler-shooter where you can play as one of the four dwarven types (class) while digging through procedurally-generated caverns and tunnels in mineral-rich locations in space. Since each dwarf has their own specialties and equipment loadouts, learning more about each of them and what they’re capable of will help you decide which dwarf matches your desired gameplay. In this page, we’ll cover one of the Dwarf classes in the game: the Gunner.

Summary

The Gunner is the dwarf you’ll start with during the tutorial. He has access to powerful heavy weapons, which makes the Gunner the main source of firepower for the team. Out of the four dwarves, the gunner is the most combat-oriented - a perfect bodyguard for the team. The gunner’s minigun spews out lead that can tear through almost any kind of subterranean bugs you’ll encounter while his unlockable autocannon can fire explosive rounds - with each round capable of dishing out massive AoE/splash damage. The gunner can also deploy Shield Generators to protect himself and his allies. Due to the long time needed for the Shield Generator to recharge, the gunner must only use it sparingly.

The gunner’s traversal tool is the Zipline Gun which launches a cable between points, allowing the gunner and his team to zip back and forth across pits, chasms, or steep inclines. Players can even carry heavy objects using the zipline without any loss of mobility. The major downside of this support tool is that it only has a very limited amount of ammo. That said, careful deployment of the zipline should be considered.

Equipment

Each dwarf has 8 pieces of gear. Each of them can be upgraded individually using credits or crafting resources. Currently, there are two unlockable weapons per class. These unlockable weapons are tied to their respective Assignments. Once the weapon assignment (quest) has been completed, you’ll be able to purchase them from the upgrade terminal.

Primary

* "Lead Storm" Powered Minigun

* "Thunderhead" Heavy Autocannon (unlockable)

Secondary

* "Bulldog" Heavy Revolver

* BRT7 Burst Fire Gun (unlockable)

Equipment

* Zipline Launcher

* Shield Generator

* "Barracuda" Armor Rig

Throwables

For the throwables, all dwarves will start off with their default throwables (1st option). After reaching the required rank to unlock the other two throwable options, players have to buy the other throwables using credits and crafting resources.

* Sticky Grenade

* Incendiary Grenade (Unlocks at Rank 5)

* Cluster Grenade (Unlocks at Rank 10)

Strategies / Weapon Tips

For the overall gameplay tips, please check out our dedicated Beginner’s Guide.

"Lead Storm" Powered Minigun

* The weapon has a very high DPS and needs to rev-up (spin) before it fires. It will start firing inaccurately for a few seconds but will eventually have a tighter spread as you fire continuously.

* The weapon can overheat through continuous fire. Once it overheats, the minigun will jam and will be unusable for a few seconds.

* Two of the most useful round upgrade can be unlocked at Rank 8. Blowthrough Rounds are generally useful in crowd control (Rank 8 upgrade) since it allows the minigun’s rounds to pass through targets while Hardened Rounds are recommended for chipping heavy armor from certain enemies.

"Thunderhead" Heavy Autocannon

* This powerful weapon uses explosive rounds - with each round capable of dishing out massive AoE/splash damage without inflicting friendly fire to allies. This weapon doesn’t overheat.

* The weapon has a slower fire rate and slow reloading speed.

* The weapon’s wide angle of attack makes it quite unreliable at range but at close range it will be capable of hitting multiple enemies at once.

"Bulldog" Heavy Revolver

* The Bulldog is a very reliable sidearm that packs a punch per shot and is quite accurate even at range. It’s downside is its low magazine size and rate of fire.

* Capable of one-shotting common enemies by targeting their Weak Points.

* Get the Perfect Weight Balance upgrade early on and Dead-Eye at Rank 18 to increase the weapon’s accuracy and remove the aim penalty when moving respectively.

BRT7 Burst Fire Gun

* This is a burst-fire sidearm. One mouse-click will fire 3 rounds. However, it deals less damage than the bulldog but with higher ammo.

* Firing in quick succession will cause a sharp increase in recoil. As much as possible, try to rapidly fire only at medium or close range to ensure that your bullets land on the targets.

* Similar to the Bulldog, the Burt can deal increased damage on enemy Weak Points.

Zipline Gun

* This support tool has very limited ammo and the cable it deploys is indestructible.

* Players riding the zipline can still fire their weapons and remain vulnerable to enemy attacks. If enough damage has been dealt to the player, he will get detached from the cable.

* Players can carry heavy objects while on the zipline without any penalty. The traversal speed while on a zipline is quite slow and there’s no way to increase that speed at will either.

Shield Generator

* The benefits of this defensive support tool is offset by its low ammo count and long recharge time.

* The personal shields of all players inside the protective bubble will regenerate quickly.

* Enemy projectiles can’t pass through the bubble.

* Enemies can’t enter the protective bubble.

That’s our dedicated guide for the Gunner. As we’ve mentioned, the game is ideally enjoyed when played online via multiplayer, especially with friends. Feel free to try out various dwarves in easier missions to learn more about their individual playstyle, strengths, and weaknesses. Please check out our other helpful topics for this game in this guide.