Alexis Ongsansoy
The Gunner is the very first Dwarf you’ll be introduced to on your first day of mining with Deep Rock Galactic. Equipped with a Minigun and a Six Shooter, your job is to make sure that no other Dwarf gets left behind during a mission. Easy enough right?
That’s just the beauty of having nothing else to do than to point forward and watch your gun spin around while you rack up a body count, but it could be better. You can always put down more Glyphids and have your friends get caught in the crossfire less by taking a look at this Gunner Building Guide we happen to have to lie around.
Deep Rock Galactic | Gunner Building Guide | Pro Tips
If you feel like you’re not getting enough resources from the missions you’re doing then that just means it’s high time that you up the difficulty. You’ll have to make a few finer adjustments to your build if you want an easy chance towards success, and here’s what we have in mind for you.
Overview and Perks
What makes the Gunner stand out from the other Dwarves of DRG is his unmatched ability to deal heavy damage and make short work of even the most dangerous enemies. A Dreadnought can easily be a walk in the park and The Caretaker’s defenses can be easily taken care of in a matter of seconds.
The Gunner’s role is simple yet vital, the team (sometimes, depending on the lobby you’re in) looks up to you for protection while you look down on your enemies as you become the sole reason for their extinction. Let’s talk about what perks you want to use first in order to guarantee survivability.
Starting with the Passives we have Resupply which helps you get your weapons and equipment loaded faster. You’re not doing your job if your gun stops spinning. You also have Veteran Depositor, Strong Arm, or Unstoppable could all be good second choices depending on the mission.
For Active perks, you have Shield Link which helps you turn into a strong protector for your teammates in times of dire need. You can only use this on your friends if they’re within 4 meters of you, so don’t spend too much time splitting up while gathering resources. Dash is an excellent second choice as your Gunner has a little spot of difficulty when it comes to general mobility. Some other good options would be Field Medic or Iron Will if you ever expect to be a part of the wreckage.
Weapon Setup
The Lead Storm Minigun is quite simple to use for absolute beginners, all you have to do is hold on to the trigger and watch your targets turn into green mist, it should’ve been red but aliens bleed differently. Here are the upgrades that are worth investing in:
| Tier Level | Effects |
|---|---|
| Tier 1 | Improved Platform Stability |
| Tier 2 | High-Velocity Rounds |
| Tier 3 | Hardened Rounds |
| Tier 4 | Variable Chamber Pressure |
| Tier 5 | Cold as the Grave |
What can work best for you for Overclocks would be Exhaust Vectoring as it gives you more damage at the cost of a higher spread. Taking the accuracy upgrade from Tier 1 will negate this effect and make the spread a nonissue.
The Thunderhead is a huge double barreled heavy machine gun that fires explosive rounds, no Glyphid will be left standing upright as long as you’re using this mobile flak cannon out in the field. Definitely worth getting if you’re idea of a good time is turning aliens into paste. Here are some upgrades that’ll make it even deadlier:
| Tier Level | Effects |
|---|---|
| Tier 1 | Increased Caliber Rounds |
| Tier 2 | Lighter Barrel Assembly |
| Tier 3 | High-Velocity Rounds |
| Tier 4 | Hardened Rounds |
| Tier 5 | Feedback Loop |
You can get Combat Mobility for your Overclock to help with moving around or even Splintering Shells for another increase to your AOE.
If the autocannon didn’t have enough boom for you then the Hurricane Rocket Launcher definitely will. If not then you’re far too dangerous to be working in a mine. This deathbringer fires more slowly compared to the Thunderhead but the guided rockets makes up for its shortcomings almost entirely. Here are the upgrades that you should consider having:
| Tier Level | Effects |
|---|---|
| Tier 1 | Increased Blast Rounds |
| Tier 2 | Bigger Jet Engine |
| Tier 3 | Nano Missiles |
| Tier 4 | Zip Fuel |
| Tier 5 | Uncontrolled Decompression |
You can’t have a fun overclock if it isn’t the Salvo Module, it lets you charge up the rocket pod to load up to nine rounds that can be launched all at once, kind of like a shotgun blast but with missiles that really hurt upon impact.
If you ever have deep dark fantasies of being a Dwarven cowboy then the Bulldog Heavy Revolver will let you do just that, with a high stun chance per shot you’d be using this alongside the autocannon in a heartbeat. Here’s what you can slap onto it to achieve yeehaw levels of destruction:
| Tier Level | Effects |
|---|---|
| Tier 1 | Perfect Weight Balance |
| Tier 2 | Increased Caliber Rounds |
| Tier 3 | Explosive Rounds |
| Tier 4 | Expended Ammo Bags |
| Tier 5 | Dead-Eye |
For overclocks you can bring Six Shooter and Elephant rounds. Six shooter gives you more ammo and magazine size at the cost of slightly worse spread and reload speed. Elephant Rounds reduce the ammo you have but lets you do an insane amount of damage in return.
The BRT7 is an interesting firearm to have in your arsenal, it fires three rounds in burst as the name suggests and makes great work of any stragglers your friends are too far from to even care about. It’s still pretty effective to be brought in to your next shift so here’s some upgrades to help you further with that:
| Tier Level | Effects |
|---|---|
| Tier 1 | Floating Barrel |
| Tier 2 | Disabled Safety |
| Tier 3 | Increased Caliber Rounds |
| Tier 4 | Hollow-Point Bullets |
| Tier 5 | Longer Burst |
The Coil Gun is definitely the most interesting secondary as it’s essentially a handheld railgun. It sacrifices a high rate of fire for an insane amount of penetration, being able to get extremely high collateral kills and taking chunks out of enemy weak points and armor. Its upgrades increases its killing power even further:
| Tier Level | Effects |
|---|---|
| Tier 1 | Larger Battery |
| Tier 2 | Controlled Magnetic Flow |
| Tier 3 | Concussive Shockwave |
| Tier 4 | Shockwave |
| Tier 5 | Electric Trail |
Equipment Setup
Big targets need to be taken down first, and if you want them dead quickly then chucking a Sticky grenade their way would be the best course of action. Incendiary grenades are also a good second choice if you’re in smaller areas and wish to prevent too many Glyphids from closing in on you.
Zipline Launcher is the Gunner’s trademark traversal tool and allows him to make quick and direct paths from one way to another. Perfect for On-site Refinery and Point Extraction missions, you can use the launcher to set up a network of cables in order to travel around the map quickly.
For upgrades you’re better off with an Upgraded Connection Joint and Disconnection Protection to reduce the injuries you take in in case unforeseen accidents happen.
When the Gunner uses the Shield generator it creates a place of respite that your allies can go to whenever things get too spicy. Perfect for wanting to catch your breath as most bugs absolutely refuse to step inside of it.
The upgrades are easy to deal with as you only need to prioritize Duration since the shield’s don’t really last that long. After that you can just get the upgrade that increases its area for maximum coverage.
So now you know the ins and outs of the Gunner and his kit, it’s time to turn some aliens into thin green paste. Figuring out how to take out enemy swarms is definitely easier with all the information you just took in!
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