Surviving the unforgivable and harsh biomes in Deep Rock Galactic don’t just require having the best equipment possible but also skills and buffs that can help improve your performance, combat prowess, and survivability. Perks are optional buffs that you can equip to your dwarf that provide various beneficial effects to combat and exploration. In this page, we’ll discuss the game’s Perks system and how to take advantage of it.
Perks are buffs and unlock new abilities that you can equip to your dwarves to further increase their effectiveness during missions. There are two types of perks that you can equip: Active and Passive. Active Perks will require manual activation while Passive perks will remain active without any need for intervention from the player. However, take note that there are some Active Perks that trigger Passive effects during a mission.
You’ll start off with a set number of Active and Passive Perk Slots. After promoting each dwarf, an Active (Perk) Slot will be unlocked while two more Passive (perk) slots will be unlocked for all dwarves after reaching Perk Tier 4 and Perk Tier 9. We’ll list down all perks with their corresponding effects and tiers below.
Before going out on a mission, you have to manually equip the perks you’ll want to bring along. You can do this by accessing the Equipment Terminal outside the space rig. From there, you can modify the perk loadout along with your equipment and accessory loadout.
Perks have different tiers. To unlock the next tier, you’ll need to purchase a required amount of perks from the current tier. For example, to unlock Tier 3 perks, you must have 3 Tier 1 or Tier 2 perks purchased. You’ll also need to unlock a perk’s tier in order. For example, even if you have access to Field Medic IV, you’ll still need to get Field Medic II and/or III.
Tier 1 Perks
Perk | PP Cost | Passive Effect | Active Effect | Activation |
---|---|---|---|---|
Field Medic | 3 | Leave no dwarf behind! You revive teammates 15% faster! | Once per mission, you can get a downed teammate instantly back on their feet! | Press [LMB] while reviving to activate. |
Friendly | 2 | Through the power of friendship you both take and deal 50% less damage from friendly fire! | N/A | N/A |
Heightened Senses | 3 | You get an early warning when a creature is about to grab you. | 1 time per mission, you can escape after being grabbed, killing your captor in the process! | Press [Space] while captive to break free |
Second Wind | 2 | Get a 8% sprint speed boost. Effect activates after running for 5 seconds. | N/A | N/A |
See You In Hell | 3 | Right after an enemy hits you with a melee attack you get a temporary melee damage bonus. | 3 times each mission, you can trigger a large neuro-pulse explosion after you go down. A residual neuro-electric field will electrocute and scare off enemies. (2 minute cooldown) | Hold [G] after going down to activate. |
Thorns | 2 | Any time an enemy hits you with a melee attack it will itself take 6 damage. | N/A | N/A |
Tier 2 Perks
Perk | PP Cost | Passive Effect | Active Effect | Activation |
---|---|---|---|---|
Veteran Depositor | 2 | Expert bucket handling! You now deposit valuables into the MULE and Drop Pod 20% faster! 20% Damage Reduction while within 7m of the MULE or other deposit points! | N/A | N/A |
Field Medic | 5 | Leave no dwarf behind! You revive teammates 20% faster! | Once per mission, you can get a downed teammate instantly back on their feet! | Press [LMB] while reviving to activate. |
Heightened Senses | 7 | You get an early warning when a creature is about to grab you. | 2 times per mission, you can escape after being grabbed, killing your captor in the process! | Press [Space] while captive to break free |
Second Wind | 3 | Get a 8% sprint speed boost. Effect activates after running for 4.5 seconds. | N/A | N/A |
See You In Hell | 7 | Right after an enemy hits you with a melee attack you get a temporary melee damage bonus. | 3 times each mission, you can trigger a large neuro-pulse explosion after you go down. A residual neuro-electric field will electrocute and scare off enemies. 2 minute cooldown and Neuro-pulse radius increased. | Hold [G] after going down to activate. |
Thorns | 5 | Any time an enemy hits you with a melee attack it will itself take 12 damage. | N/A | N/A |
Tier 3 Perks
Perk | PP Cost | Passive Effect | Active Effect | Activation |
---|---|---|---|---|
Veteran Depositor | 3 | Expert bucket handling! You now deposit valuables into the MULE and Drop Pod 30% faster! 20% Damage Reduction while within 7m of the MULE or other deposit points! | N/A | N/A |
Field Medic | 7 | Leave no dwarf behind! You revive teammates 25% faster! | Once per mission, you can get a downed teammate instantly back on their feet! | Press [LMB] while reviving to activate. |
Resupplier | 2 | You’re a busy dwarf, got aliens to shoot! Stock up on Ammo and Health 20% faster at the Resupply Pod. Regain an extra 10% health when you resupply! After resupplying, all weapons instantly reload! | N/A | N/A |
Iron Will | 3 | NA | Never give up! Once per mission, get back into the fight with all your weapons reloaded and a rage-fueled strength for a 6 second last stand before going down for good! While in this state you move faster, hit harder, and are resistant to slowdowns. Make it count! | Hold [Space] after going down to activate. |
Heightened Senses | 11 | You get an early warning when a creature is about to grab you. | 2 times per mission, you can escape after being grabbed, killing your captor in the process! (5s cooldown) | Press [Space] while captive to break free |
Second Wind | 5 | Get a 12% sprint speed boost. Effect activates after running for 4.5 seconds. | N/A | N/A |
See You In Hell | 11 | Right after an enemy hits you with a melee attack you get a temporary melee damage bonus. | 3 times each mission, you can trigger a large neuro-pulse explosion after you go down. A residual neuro-electric field will electrocute and scare off enemies. 1 minute cooldown and Neuro-pulse radius increased. | Hold [G] after going down to activate. |
Thorns | 8 | Any time an enemy hits you with a melee attack it will itself take 18 damage. | N/A | N/A |
Hover Boots | 3 | NA | Fancy boots that let you hover in midair for 2 seconds. (120 seconds cooldown) | Lonc press [C] while airborne to activate. Press [C] or [space] while hovering to deactivate. |
Tier 4 Perks
Perk | PP Cost | Passive Effect | Active Effect | Activation |
---|---|---|---|---|
Berzerker | 3 | NA | Active: Go berzerk for 10 seconds during which you get boosted melee damage and a lightning-fast pickaxe Power Attack recharge. (10 minutes cooldown) | Activate by pressing [LMB] and [RMB] while your power attack is recharging. |
Veteran Depositor | 5 | Expert bucket handling! You now deposit valuables into the MULE and Drop Pod 40% faster! 20% Damage Reduction while within 7m of the MULE or other deposit points! | N/A | N/A |
Field Medic | 9 | Leave no dwarf behind! You revive teammates 30% faster! Upon reviving someone, nearby enemies flee! | Once per mission, you can get a downed teammate instantly back on their feet! | Press [LMB] while reviving to activate. |
Sweet Tooth | 2 | Getting a taste for that stuff! Get 10% more healing from consuming Red Sugar! | N/A | N/A |
Resupplier | 2 | You’re a busy dwarf, got aliens to shoot! Stock up on Ammo and Health 30% faster at the Resupply Pod. Regain an extra 15% health when you resupply! After resupplying, all weapons instantly reload! | N/A | N/A |
Iron Will | 5 | NA | Never give up! Once per mission, get back into the fight with all your weapons reloaded and a rage-fueled strength for a 8 second last stand before going down for good! While in this state you move faster, hit harder, and are resistant to slowdowns. Make it count! | Hold [Space] after going down to activate. |
Elemental Insulation | 2 | Get 20% resistance to all elemental damage. | N/A | N/A |
Second Wind | 7 | Get a 12% sprint speed boost. Effect activates after running for 4 seconds. | N/A | N/A |
Thorns | 11 | Any time an enemy hits you with a melee attack it will itself take 24 damage. | N/A | N/A |
New Passive Perk Slot | 15 | Moving on up! Equip up to 2 passive perks at a time! | N/A | N/A |
Hover Boots | 5 | NA | Fancy boots that let you hover in midair for 2.5 seconds. (105 seconds cooldown) | Lonc press [C] while airborne to activate. Press [C] or [space] while hovering to deactivate. |
Tier 5 Perks
Perk | PP Cost | Passive Effect | Active Effect | Activation |
---|---|---|---|---|
Berzerker | 5 | NA | Active: Go berzerk for 10 seconds during which you get boosted melee damage and a lightning-fast pickaxe Power Attack recharge. (8 minutes cooldown) | Activate by pressing [LMB] and [RMB] while your power attack is recharging. |
Veteran Depositor | 7 | Expert bucket handling! You now deposit valuables into the MULE and Drop Pod 50% faster! 30% Damage Reduction while within 7m of the MULE or other deposit points! | N/A | N/A |
Sweet Tooth | 5 | Getting a taste for that stuff! Get 20% more healing from consuming Red Sugar! | N/A | N/A |
Resupplier | 5 | You’re a busy dwarf, got aliens to shoot! Stock up on Ammo and Health 40% faster at the Resupply Pod. Regain an extra 20% health when you resupply! After resupplying, all weapons instantly reload! | N/A | N/A |
Unstoppable | 2 | Nothing holds you back! Environmental slow-down effects are reduced by 20%! You move 10% faster while carrying heavy objects! | N/A | N/A |
Iron Will | 7 | NA | Never give up! Once per mission, get back into the fight with all your weapons reloaded and a rage-fueled strength for a 10 second last stand before going down for good! While in this state you move faster, hit harder, and are resistant to slowdowns. Make it count! | Hold [Space] after going down to activate. |
Strong Arm | 2 | You throw flares with 20% more force than the average Dwarf! Woosh! Gems and other heavy objects get a 10% bonus throwing force. | N/A | N/A |
Elemental Insulation | 5 | Get 25% resistance to all elemental damage. | N/A | N/A |
Hover Boots | 7 | NA | Fancy boots that let you hover in midair for 3 seconds. (90 seconds cooldown) | Lonc press [C] while airborne to activate. Press [C] or [space] while hovering to deactivate. |
Tier 6 Perks
Perk | PP Cost | Passive Effect | Active Effect | Activation |
---|---|---|---|---|
Berzerker | 7 | NA | Active: Go berzerk for 10 seconds during which you get boosted melee damage and a lightning-fast pickaxe Power Attack recharge. (6 minutes cooldown) | Activate by pressing [LMB] and [RMB] while your power attack is recharging. |
Sweet Tooth | 8 | Getting a taste for that stuff! Get 30% more healing and 20% movement speed boost from consuming Red Sugar! | N/A | N/A |
Resupplier | 7 | You’re a busy dwarf, got aliens to shoot! Stock up on Ammo and Health 50% faster at the Resupply Pod. Regain an extra 25% health when you resupply! After resupplying, all weapons instantly reload! | N/A | N/A |
Unstoppable | 3 | Nothing holds you back! Environmental slow-down effects are reduced by 30%! You move 15% faster while carrying heavy objects! | N/A | N/A |
Iron Will | 9 | NA | Never give up! Once per mission, get back into the fight with all your weapons reloaded and a rage-fueled strength for a 12 second last stand before going down for good! While in this state you move faster, hit harder, and are resistant to slowdowns. Make it count! | Hold [Space] after going down to activate. |
Vampire | 2 | Good thing you work underground! Regain 2 health when you kill a medium sized or larger creature with a melee attack! | N/A | N/A |
Strong Arm | 3 | You throw flares with 30% more force than the average Dwarf! Woosh! Gems and other heavy objects get a 10% bonus throwing force. | N/A | N/A |
Elemental Insulation | 8 | Get 30% resistance to all elemental damage. | N/A | N/A |
Dash | 3 | Active: Get out of trouble with a short burst of speed. While dashing, you ignore all slowdown effects. (40 seconds cooldown) | Press [L E F T SH I FT] in quick succession while moving forward to activate. | |
Beast Master | 3 | NA | Active: Charm a Glyphid Grunt to become your loyal companion. You can only have one tamed Grunt at a time. (5 minute cooldown) | Hold [E] while looking at a glyphid grunt that is within 2m |
Hover Boots | 9 | NA | Fancy boots that let you hover in midair for 3.5 seconds. (75 seconds cooldown) | Long press [C] while airborne to activate. Press [C] or [space] while hovering to deactivate. |
Tier 7 Perks
Perk | PP Cost | Passive Effect | Active Effect | Activation |
---|---|---|---|---|
Berzerker | 9 | NA | Active: Go berzerk for 10 seconds during which you get boosted melee damage and a lightning-fast pickaxe Power Attack recharge. (4 minutes cooldown) | Activate by pressing [LMB] and [RMB] while your power attack is recharging. |
Deep Pockets | 2 | Leave nothing behind! Each of your mineral pouches hold +5 more valuables! | N/A | N/A |
Unstoppable | 5 | Nothing holds you back! Environmental slow-down effects are reduced by 40%! You move 20% faster while carrying heavy objects! | N/A | N/A |
Vampire | 3 | Good thing you work underground! Regain 3 health when you kill a medium sized or larger creature with a melee attack! | N/A | N/A |
Strong Arm | 5 | You throw flares with 40% more force than the average Dwarf! Woosh! Gems and other heavy objects get a 20% bonus throwing force. | N/A | N/A |
Born Ready | 2 | Unequipped weapons automatically reload after 15 seconds. | N/A | N/A |
Shield Link | 3 | Passive: Whenever you are within 4m of a teammate, both of your shields recharge 50% faster! | Active: You can overcharge a teammate’s shield to 300% for 20 seconds. (3 mins CD) | Press [E] while looking at a teammate within 4m. |
Dash | 5 | NA | Active: Get out of trouble with a short burst of speed. While dashing, you ignore all slowdown effects. (35 seconds cooldown) | Press [L E F T SH I FT] in quick succession while moving forward to activate. |
Beast Master | 5 | NA | Active: Charm a Glyphid Grunt to become your loyal companion. You can only have one tamed Grunt at a time. (5 minute cooldown) Tamed Grunts deal 100% more damage to their targets! | Hold [E] while looking at a glyphid grunt that is within 2m |
Tier 8 Perks
Perk | PP Cost | Passive Effect | Active Effect | Activation |
---|---|---|---|---|
Deep Pockets | 5 | Leave nothing behind! Each of your mineral pouches hold +10 more valuables! | N/A | N/A |
Unstoppable | 7 | Nothing holds you back! Environmental slow-down effects are reduced by 50%! You move 25% faster while carrying heavy objects! | N/A | N/A |
Vampire | 5 | Good thing you work underground! Regain 4 health when you kill a medium sized or larger creature with a melee attack! | N/A | N/A |
Strong Arm | 7 | You throw flares with 50% more force than the average Dwarf! Woosh! Gems and other heavy objects get a 20% bonus throwing force. | N/A | N/A |
Born Ready | 5 | Unequipped weapons automatically reload after 10 seconds. | N/A | N/A |
Shield Link | 7 | Passive: Whenever you are within 4m of a teammate, both of your shields recharge 50% faster! | Active: You can overcharge a teammate’s shield to 300% for 20 seconds. (3 mins CD) | Press [E] while looking at a teammate within 4m. |
Dash | 7 | NA | Active: Get out of trouble with a short burst of speed. While dashing, you ignore all slowdown effects. (30 seconds cooldown) | Press [L E F T SH I FT] in quick succession while moving forward to activate. |
It's a Bug Thing | 2 | For some reason, Loot Bugs explode whenever you get within 2m of them…! | NA | NA |
Beast Master | 7 | NA | Active: Charm a Glyphid Grunt to become your loyal companion. You can only have one tamed Grunt at a time. (5 minute cooldown) Tamed Grunts deal 200% more damage to their targets! | Hold [E] while looking at a glyphid grunt that is within 2m |
Tier 9 Perks
Perk | PP Cost | Passive Effect | Active Effect | Activation |
---|---|---|---|---|
Deep Pockets | 8 | Leave nothing behind! Each of your mineral pouches hold +15 more valuables! | N/A | N/A |
Vampire | 7 | Good thing you work underground! Regain 5 health when you kill a medium sized or larger creature with a melee attack! | N/A | N/A |
Born Ready | 8 | Unequipped weapons automatically reload after 5 seconds. | N/A | N/A |
Shield Link | 11 | Passive: Whenever you are within 4m of a teammate, both of your shields recharge 50% faster! | Active: You can overcharge a teammate’s shield to 300% for 20 seconds. (2 mins CD) | Press [E] while looking at a teammate within 4m. |
Dash | 9 | NA | Active: Get out of trouble with a short burst of speed. While dashing, you ignore all slowdown effects. (25 seconds cooldown) | Press [L E F T SH I FT] in quick succession while moving forward to activate. |
It's a Bug Thing | 3 | For some reason, Loot Bugs explode whenever you get within 5m of them…! | NA | NA |
Beast Master | 9 | NA | Active: Charm a Glyphid Grunt to become your loyal companion. You can only have one tamed Grunt at a time. (5 minute cooldown) Tamed Grunts deal 300% more damage to their targets! | Hold [E] while looking at a glyphid grunt that is within 2m |
New Passive Perk Slot II | 20 | Moving on up! Equip up to 3 passive perks at a time! | NA | NA |
[box color = green] That’s our dedicated guide for the Perks system of Deep Rock Galactic. The game is ideally enjoyed when played online via multiplayer, especially with friends. This will make your progression in the game much bearable and faster. Please check out our other helpful topics for this game in this guide.