An Introduction to Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor ⛏️💎
Welcome, Greenbeard! 👋 Management has approved your solo assignment to the most hostile planet in the galaxy, Hoxxes IV 🪐. Your mission: mine valuable minerals 💎, survive against impossible odds 🐛, and get out alive 🚀. This is Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor, a single-player, top-down auto-shooter that translates the beloved universe of the co-op FPS into the frantic, horde-survival genre! 🔫
Developed by Funday Games and published by Ghost Ship Publishing, this title puts you in the boots of a lone dwarf 🧔 tasked with facing down endless swarms of alien creatures 👽. While your weapons fire automatically, your survival depends entirely on your movement 🏃♂️, strategic positioning, and the critical upgrade choices you make. The game launched to a “Very Positive” 👍 reception on Steam, praised for its addictive gameplay loop and faithful adaptation of the iconic dwarven mining experience.
The Core Gameplay Loop: Mining vs. Mayhem 🔄
Every mission, or “dive,” in DRG: Survivor drops you into a procedurally generated cave system, ensuring no two expeditions are the same! 🗺️ The gameplay revolves around a constant tension between two primary objectives: killing bugs 💥 and mining resources ⛏️.
Success hinges on a delicate balance. Annihilating swarms of bugs causes them to drop experience gems (XP) ✨, which are essential for leveling up. However, every bug you kill also accelerates the yellow progress bar at the top of your screen 📈. Filling it too quickly will summon the stage boss early, cutting short your time to gather resources! ⏰
Conversely, focusing on mining provides Gold 💰 and Nitra 💎 for immediate upgrades, along with rare minerals for your permanent meta-progression. Neglecting combat can leave you dangerously under-leveled 😨, but ignoring the walls means sacrificing long-term power. A master miner learns to pace themselves, viewing the progress bar not as a timer, but as a resource to be managed. ✅
Understanding Your Mission: Dives, Objectives, and Extraction 🚀
A standard dive consists of five distinct stages. Each of the first four stages ends with a battle against powerful Elite enemies 💪, while the fifth and final stage pits you against the formidable Dreadnought 🕷️.
The on-screen progress bar is your mission clock ⏳. As it fills, it will trigger milestones, including massive enemy swarms, the arrival of a supply pod 🎁, and finally, the stage boss. Once you complete the final objective, a 30-second countdown begins. You MUST reach the flashing green extraction zone of the drop pod before this timer expires. Failure means the end of your run! 😵
The Right Dwarf for the Job: Class & Sub-Class Breakdown 🧔♂️
Management provides four distinct classes of dwarf, each with unique skills and weapons. You begin as a Scout but will quickly unlock the others by increasing your Player Rank. Each class further specializes into three “Class Mods,” offering a total of twelve distinct playstyles! 🤯
How to Unlock Every Class in Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor 🔓
Your journey begins with the Scout. To access the full roster, you simply need to play the game! Every run, successful or not, gives XP to your Player Rank.
| Class | Player Rank to Unlock |
| Scout 🏃♂️ | Default |
| Gunner 💪 | Rank 3 |
| Engineer 🛠️ | Rank 5 |
| Driller 🔥 | Rank 7 |
- The Scout: Master of Mobility and Precision 🏃♂️💨 The most nimble dwarf! He has low base health ❤️ but high dodge chance and a massive 200% critical damage bonus, making him perfect for high-risk, high-reward crit builds. 🎯
- The Gunner: Unstoppable Firepower and Resilience 💪🛡️ A walking fortress. Boasting the highest base health and armor, he’s designed to stand his ground and unleash overwhelming firepower. 🔥🔫
- The Engineer: Gadgets, Turrets, and Area Control 🛠️🤖 The thinking dwarf’s choice! He relies on deploying turrets and drones to deal passive damage while he mines and maneuvers. He also gets a natural bonus to all XP gains! 🧠
- The Driller: Environmental Destruction and Elemental Chaos 🔥🌍 The Driller excels at melting rock and melting bugs. With the highest base mining speed, he can reshape the battlefield and specializes in potent damage-over-time (DoT) status effects. ☠️
Sub-Class (Class Mod) Master Overview 📜
Each class unlocks three sub-classes by reaching specific class rank milestones. These mods fundamentally alter your playstyle!
| Class | Sub-Class Name | Unlock Requirement | Core Bonuses | Starting Weapon | Available Weapon Tags |
| Scout 🏃♂️ | Classic | Player Rank 1 | +10% Move Speed, +20 Max HP | Deepcore GK2 🔫 | [Light], [Bullet], [Kinetic], [Projectile], [Precise] |
| Recon | Scout Rank 9 | +25% Dodge; On dodge: +35% Move/Reload Speed for 5s 💨 | Zhukov NUK17 🔫🔫 | [Light], [Bullet], [Kinetic], [Projectile], [Precise], [Dual Wield] | |
| Sharp Shooter | Scout Rank 18 | +15% Crit Chance, +50% Crit Damage; Overkill damage causes shrapnel explosion 💥 | M1000 Classic 🎯 | [Medium], [Bullet], [Kinetic], [Projectile], [Precise] | |
| Gunner 💪 | Weapons Specialist | Player Rank 3 | Fire 8 high-power projectiles after firing 100 projectiles 💥 | “Lead Storm” Minigun 🔫 | [Heavy], [Bullet], [Kinetic], [Projectile] |
| Juggernaut | Gunner Rank 9 | +10 Armor, +50 Max HP; On taking damage: +10% Damage for 10s (stacks 5x) 😤 | “Bulldog” Revolver revolver | [Medium], [Bullet], [Kinetic], [Projectile], [Explosive] | |
| Heavy Gunner | Gunner Rank 18 | -10% Move Speed; +25% Range/Reload Speed to weapons | “Thunderhead” Autocannon 💣 | [Heavy], [Bullet], [Kinetic], [Projectile], [Explosive] | |
| Engineer 🛠️ | Maintenance Worker | Player Rank 5 | +10% Damage/Reload Speed to [Construct] weapons | LMG Gun Platform 🤖 | [Construct], [Light], [Bullet], [Kinetic], [Projectile] |
| Tinkerer | Engineer Rank 9 | +10% XP Gain; All weapons start at Level 3 ✨ | “Warthog” Auto 210 shotgun | [Medium], [Bullet], [Kinetic], [Projectile], [Shotgun] | |
| Demolitionist | Engineer Rank 18 | +20% Explosion Radius/Reload Speed to [Explosive] weapons 💣 | Deepcore PGL 💥 | [Medium], [Explosive], [Kinetic], [Projectile] | |
| Driller 🔥 | Foreman | Player Rank 7 | On mining: +2% Mining Speed for 2s (stacks 25x) ⛏️💨 | Subata 120 🔫 | [Light], [Bullet], [Kinetic], [Projectile], [Precise] |
| Interrogator | Driller Rank 9 | +100% Status Effect Damage, -30% Damage ☠️ | CRSPR Flamethrower 🔥 | [Medium], [Fire], [Beam] | |
| Strong Armed | Driller Rank 18 | +20% Weapon Range | Impact Axe 🪓 | [Thrown], [Medium], [Kinetic], [Projectile] |
An Arsenal of Destruction: Weapons, Upgrades, and Overclocks 🔫💥
Your survival depends on your weapons! The system is built on layers of synergy.
Understanding Weapon Tags: Building Your Synergy 🤝
Every weapon has descriptive tags (e.g., [Fire], [Heavy], [Projectile]). The key to a strong build is picking upgrades that boost a specific tag. If you have four [Projectile] weapons, an upgrade giving “+15% [Projectile] Damage” benefits your whole arsenal! 🤯
Elemental Damage Effects Explained 🧪
Understanding status effects is crucial for maximizing your effectiveness!
| Damage Type | Effect |
| Fire 🔥 | Applies a potent damage-over-time (DoT) effect. |
| Acid 🤢 | Applies a DoT and increases damage the target takes from all sources (a debuff!). |
| Cold ❄️ | Slows enemies, eventually freezing them solid. 🥶 |
| Electric ⚡ | Applies a DoT and increases the target’s vulnerability to critical hits. |
| Plasma 🌌 | A distinct energy type, often with unique properties like bouncing projectiles. |
| Kinetic 💥 | The baseline physical damage type with no extra effects. |
The Power of Overclocks: Your Key to Victory 🚀
Overclocks are the most significant power spikes for your weapons, transforming them with powerful new abilities.
- How to Unlock Overclocks 🔓: Get a weapon to Level 12 during a single run. This is a one-time milestone that permanently enables Overclocks for that weapon.
- How to Use Overclocks ✨: At Level 6 and 12, you’ll be offered a “Balanced” Overclock. At Level 18, you get a choice of two super-powerful “Unstable” Overclocks.
- The Salvage Option ♻️: If you don’t like the Overclock choices, you can “Salvage” them for a generic Epic-rarity upgrade instead.
Top-Tier Weapons for Every Situation 🏆
A successful loadout typically mixes single-target damage with area-of-effect (AoE) weapons.
- Cryo Grenade ❄️💣: One of the best utility weapons! Freezes massive groups of enemies, giving you precious breathing room.
- M1000 Classic 🎯: The premier weapon for single-target elimination. Perfect for sniping high-priority targets and bosses.
- “Thunderhead” Heavy Autocannon 💪💣: A powerhouse of raw kinetic damage that shreds both swarms and bosses.
- DRAK-25 Plasma Carbine 🌌🔫: An excellent all-around weapon with bouncing plasma projectiles that hit enemies around corners.
- Tactical Leadburster ⚙️💥: A throwable grenade that deploys into a spinning turret, offering exceptional AoE damage.
The Path to Power: A Guide to Progression 🛤️💪
Your dwarf’s strength grows in two ways: temporary power during a dive and permanent power between dives.
In-Run Success: Leveling Up, Spending Gold, and Using Nitra 📈
- Leveling Up ✨: Killing bugs and mining grants XP. Leveling up lets you pick from three random upgrade cards for temporary bonuses.
- The Shop 🛒: Between stages, spend your Gold 💰 and Nitra 💎.
- Gold 💰: Used for character upgrades (Max HP, Move Speed), healing, or rerolling upgrade choices.
- Nitra 💎: Used exclusively to purchase direct level-ups for your weapons.
Permanent Power: Meta-Upgrades and What to Prioritize 🏡
Between dives, spend your Credits and rare minerals on permanent “meta-upgrades.” A balanced approach is best for new players!
- S-Tier (Top Priority) 🥇: Heavy Bullets (Damage), Fast Learner (XP Gain), Pocket Magnets (Pickup Radius). These give the biggest immediate impact!
- A-Tier (High Priority) 🥈: Getting Fit (Max HP), Better Boots (Move Speed). Speed is life!
- B-Tier (Good Value) 🥉: Upgraded Armor (Armor), Reload Speed, Mining 101 (Mining Speed).
- C-Tier (Lower Priority) 🎖️: Target Practice (Crit Chance), First Aid Kit (Life Regen).
Unlocking Your Potential: A Guide to Milestones and Artifacts 🔓🎁
The Milestones system is how you unlock new weapons, class mods, and run-altering Artifacts. Artifacts are found in supply pods 📦 and provide powerful passive effects. Look out for:
- Gold-Tipped Bullets 💰: Increases your damage by 1% for every 5 Gold you have.
- Pickled Nitra 💎: Increases damage by 2% for every Nitra you have.
- BLT Ration Pack ❤️: Provides a massive +70 Max HP and +2 Life Regen.
Gearing Up: How the New Gear System Works (1.0 Update) 🛡️🔧
The full release introduced a permanent Gear system, adding a new layer of progression! This makes individual runs more rewarding. 🎉
- Gear Types ⚙️: Six categories: Armor, Weapon Mods, Canisters, Gadgets, Tools, and Chips.
- How to Get Gear 🎁: Drops randomly from enemies, but a piece is guaranteed to drop from each stage’s boss.
- Rarity and Scaling ✨: Comes in four rarities (Uncommon to Legendary). The quality improves as you complete progression milestones.
Advanced Tactics for Survival on Hoxxes IV 🧠
- Mastering Movement: Kiting and Positioning 🏃♂️💨 “Kiting” is the art of leading enemies on a chase. Run in large, controlled circles to keep the swarm manageable. Don’t just run in a straight line, as off-screen enemies get a speed boost! 🏎️
- Defensive Mining: Creating Choke Points and Escape Routes ⛏️🛠️ Your pickaxe is a tactical tool! Dig long, narrow tunnels to create killzones where bugs are lined up perfectly for your attacks. You can also pre-dig escape routes for later!
- Enemy Prioritization: Know Your Bugs 🐛🎯 * High Priority – Ranged Threats 💦: Acid Spitters are extremely dangerous. Kill them first!
- Tactical Priority – Exploders 🟠: Bait these large orange bugs into dense packs of other enemies. Their explosion will damage other bugs, creating a chain reaction! 💥
How to Defeat the Dreadnought in Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor 🕷️💥
The final boss requires a specific strategy to defeat.
- Preparation is Key ✅: Before summoning it, clear out a large, open arena to give yourself room to dodge.
- Dodge the Leap 🤸♀️: It telegraphs its leap by stopping and spreading its arms. The moment you see this, run 90 degrees to the side!
- Use the Supply Pod 📦: Lure the Dreadnought into the drop zone before calling the pod. The impact can instantly remove up to 50% of its health! 🤯
Know Your Terrain: Biome-Specific Strategies 🗺️
Each biome is a distinct tactical puzzle!
- Crystalline Caverns 💎: The starting biome. No major hazards, perfect for practice.
- Magma Core 🔥: Riddled with lava vents. Use them as natural barriers to kite swarms around.
- Hollow Boughs 🌿: Mined vines will grow back, potentially trapping you! Use this to block pursuers. Beware of flying Mactera!
- Salt Pits 🧂: Mining the large, red crystal clusters triggers stalactites to fall from the ceiling, dealing massive damage. Lure enemies onto them first! 💥
- Azure Weald 🌌: No Red Sugar for healing; instead, stand near glowing crystals. Use the jump pads to leap over entire swarms!
Final Tips & Tricks: Rock and Stone! 🤘
- The Golden Rule 🙏: Always be mining. Every rock gives you a small amount of XP.
- Lootbugs are Friends 🐛💰: These passive creatures are packed with Gold and Nitra. Mine them on sight!
- Plan Your Build 🧠: Decide on a strategy beforehand. It makes your upgrade choices more focused and impactful.
- Don’t Fear Failure 😅: A failed run isn’t a wasted run. You keep all the rare minerals and credits for your permanent upgrades. Every dive makes you stronger!
- Stay on the Ramp 🚀: After the boss dies, you can stand on the drop pod ramp without leaving. Use these final seconds to farm XP!
Now get in there, miner. Hoxxes isn’t going to mine itself. For Karl! Rock and Stone! ⛏️🍻
Disclaimer: This is an unofficial fan work, all trademarks and copyrights for Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor belong to the developer Funday Games.
Find the game here! Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor — Funday Games
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