This Deep Rock Galactic Survivor 1.0 Classes guide covers the four classes and their twelve sub-classes, how to play to their strengths, and which weapons to prioritize for each sub-class. Keep in mind that class stat bonuses are factored into the meta bucket during stat calculations, which often makes class bonuses feel stronger than they read on paper. All classes begin with a base 5% crit chance and 150% crit damage unless otherwise stated.
Scout
Base stats: 120 HP, 5% dodge chance, 200% crit damage.
The Scout’s defining trait is the boosted crit damage. This means crit chance upgrades and crit-synergy builds punch far above their weight on Scout, and weapons that benefit from crit (typically high-single-hit kinetic or electric weapons) are especially strong. Scouts naturally skew toward precision and hit-and-run play, but they also need at least one reliable answer for “personal space” — a weapon or grenade that clears close enemies so you aren’t forced into melee.
Below is the Scout weapon tier image (rankings are for the Classic Scout pool only — they’re a context-specific preference ranking, not an absolute weapon power list):
Classic Scout
Class features: +10% move speed, +15% max HP.
Class mastery bonuses: +30 max HP, +10% crit chance.
Classic Scout is a robust, easy-to-learn sub-class. The extra movement speed makes every engagement cleaner — kiting, jump-pad play, and repositioning to land headshots all feel smoother. Classic Scout’s small weapon pool encourages synergy: if you can force four [medium] + [projectile] weapons, the shared upgrade types (projectile = damage/fire rate, medium = reload) become extremely powerful because they buff everything at once. It’s common to end runs with very high effective output without taking unstable overclocks, purely from overlapping tag benefits.
Playstyle & build notes
- Favor one weapon as the damage carry (M1000 Classic or Drak-25), and keep one strong crowd-control option (Jury-Rigged Boomstick or Cryo Grenade).
- If you’re leaning into crit, stack crit chance items and try to concentrate crit-focused upgrades onto one weapon so you maximize the crit damage bonus.
- Medium/projectile combos scale incredibly well together; you’ll often delay unstable overclocks and still feel powerful thanks to overlapping stat growth.
Weapons to highlight (Classic Scout pool)
- Deepcore GK2: Good personal-space tool; decent all-rounder but not as powerful versus high-HP enemies without piercing.
- M1000 Classic: One of the best carry weapons in the game. Excels at bosses and high-HP targets. Plan its unstable overclock (Sawn Off vs Thick Boy) before you commit upgrades.
- Jury-Rigged Boomstick: Fantastic at keeping enemies off your face — one of the best short-range safety options.
- Drak-25 Plasma Carbine: A solid, versatile damage option. Sawn-off builds make it a lethal close-range carry.
- Nishanka Boltshark X-80: Good elemental/stagger support; be careful with target prioritization if paired with M1000.
- Cryo Grenade / Ark-Tek Cryo Guard / TH-0R Bug Taser / Voltaic Stun Sweeper: Useful support choices, but the Scout’s weapon pool tends to offer more self-sufficient primary weapons; these slots are situational.
Recon Scout
Class features: Access to all [light] weapons, +25% dodge chance, +35% move speed, and +35% reload speed for 3 seconds after dodging.
Class mastery bonuses: +5% dodge chance, +10% damage.
Recon is the dodge- and mobility-focused Scout sub-class. The dodge-triggered reload and move speed burst fundamentally changes how you approach fights: instead of trading hits, you want to dance around, trigger the passive often, and capitalize on big windows of damage uptime. Because dodge scales multiplicatively in value, Recon becomes dramatically tankier the more dodge you stack — each percent of dodge is more valuable than the last.
Playstyle & build notes
- Play extremely mobile: dodge regularly (aggressively) to keep the passive up. Small constant pokes work better than committing to long reloads you can’t interrupt.
- Prioritize items and artifacts that increase dodge and movement speed; they magnify Recon’s survivability and uptime.
- Light weapons and fast-firing tools shine here because you can trigger the reload spike frequently and keep sustained DPS while repositioning.
Weapon choices
- Pick weapons with low reload time and good on-the-move accuracy. Spray weapons that benefit from short, intense bursts when your reload buff is active work well.
- Avoid heavy, slow single-shot weapons unless they pair with burst windows you can time around your dodge.
Gunner
Base role: Heavy weapons, sustained fire, and turret/defensive play. Gunners are the team’s backbone for continuous suppression and area-denial. They trade mobility for raw output and often function as front-line anchors on Hazard 4–5 runs.
Gunner subclasses emphasize different aspects of heavy play: armor & tanking, turret maintenance and uptime, or pure explosive heavy output. Their meta-bucket stat contributions (like turret uptime) can swing entire runs.
Weapons note for Gunners
- Favor weapons that scale with fire rate and sustained firing. Overclocks that buff clip size or rate-of-fire are especially valuable.
- Many gunner weapons have poor personal-space defense; ensure you slot a knockback or short-range option if you need breathing room.
Engineer
Base role: Utility, turret support, and overclock/weapon maintenance. Engineers are the team’s technical backbone: they can turn a field into a deathtrap with properly placed turrets and can keep weapons alive (or maximize uptime) with their class features.
Engineer subclasses split into turret specialists, maintenance/overclock masters, and heavy tech (explosive/drone play). If your guide or run plan involves setting up persistent defenses (turrets, fences, drones), Engineer is the class to farm for those achievements and mastery dives.
Playstyle & build notes
- Prioritize durability and utility artifacts that increase turret life/repair or weapon uptime.
- Many Engineer achievements are about time-on-field for deployed items (e.g., “Unreasonable uptime”); plan dives with long stages and turret synergy upgrades.
Driller
Base role: Mining speed, area denial via terrain manipulation, and high elemental damage options (flame/corrosive builds). Drillers are the fastest miners and excel when objectives require heavy mining or map cleanup. Their playstyle is more position- and map-dependent than other classes.
Driller subclasses usually focus on mining throughput (Foreman), elemental status stacking (Interrogator), or melee/utility (Strong Armed). If you’re chasing mining achievements or need to clear an entire stage of rocks, Driller is the optimal class.
Playstyle & build notes
- For mining achievements, stack mining speed artifacts and use Foreman perks.
- For damage/condition achievements, choose lasting/status weapons and concentrate on condition saturation (e.g., corrosive stacks).
Putting the classes together
Pick your role for the run. Are you carry (boss killer), anchor (sustained DPS), utility (turret/overclocks), or miner? Choose the class that naturally covers that role.
Force tag synergy. Each sub-class’s weapon pool often shares tags (projectile/light/medium/etc.). Force a four-weapon synergy to get massive shared upgrade value. You’ll often out-scale isolated unstable overclocks purely from tag synergy.
Plan your unstable overclocks early. For weapons like the M1000, decide which unstable OC you want (Sawn Off vs Thick Boy) before you level it — your choice determines which balanced upgrades are valuable.
Personal space is non-negotiable. Even high-damage builds fail if they cannot keep glyphids off their face. Always include at least one close-range knockback or a reliable cryo/electric control option unless you are absolutely certain your build covers that role via other teammates or turrets.
Use mastery runs to accelerate goals. Mastery stages give more time and enemies, which accelerates weapon XP, kill/step counters, and sustained uptime achievements.