Rock And Stone Are No Obstacle: A Driller Guide
(Updated for the 2020 official release!)

> Guide created by: u/Kruncheez
> Guide created on: December 19, 2018
> Most recent edit: August 30, 2021
> Latest Update accounted for: UPDATE 34 - Modest Expectations

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>>> SKIP TO SECTION 3 IF YOU JUST WANT PERK & WEAPON BUILDS!!! <<<
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What’s the point of this guide? - At the time that I originally created this guide, the second-to-top result when you searched “Deep Rock Galactic Driller” on Google was a Steam community thread titled “Driller seems a bit useless” from 2018. This is far from true. So I’m here to help those who do and do not play the Driller better understand the role!

This guide will be broken down into 4 sections -
1) Understanding your role.
2) Understanding your weapons.
3) Understanding your build.
4) Understanding the biomes & missions that best suit this class.

Even if you do not play Driller, knowing what a Driller does as a part of your group can change how you approach a mission.


So who am I? - I am a Driller main, with over 200 hours on the class (11 promotions, 2 platinum stars). My overall rank is Lord of the Deep, Level 138. My standard missions are Hazard 4, whether solo or with a party, with a small handful of Hazard 5 thrown in. I am not proclaiming that I am the best Driller out there, but I’ve got experience, and the patience to type this all out.


Due to the sheer variety of weapon loadouts, perks, and overclocks, we as players and as a community can develop our own playstyles. This is my take on how to get the most functionality and fun out of the Driller class with all of these tools at our disposal. While I will make arguments for certain selections over others, please remember: The main goal is to have fun. Your playstyle may not match mine.

In order to better understand your own role, you must know the roles of your teammates. Our goal will be to fulfill a purpose that all of the other classes do not. Each Dwarf has a combat speciality and a utility specialty, which we will review here:

The Gunner excels at killing all forms of Glyphids through the use of his big guns and shield generators. His ziplines provide him and his teammates a safe and simple way to cross gaps.
The Engineer excels at preventing problems through the use of platforms and turrets. He can build bridges over gaps or up/down cliffs, and his turrets protect your back while you are mining.
The Scout excels at two unique things through the use of his grappling gun and flare gun: mobility and illumination. He is great for getting to those tricky places that are very high or far away, to collect that last bit of material you need to complete an objective without wasting the group’s time.

But what does The Driller excel at? The Gunner has the primary combat role on lock. An Engineer + Scout combo can get to almost any mineral deposit faster than a Driller can. Everyone has a pickaxe to break dirt and stone. The Driller can kill things on his own, sure. He can even traverse difficult terrain without a zipline or grappling gun by just drilling a staircase.

But what unique purpose does the Driller serve? In my experience:
The Driller’s unique combat function is to provide area-of-effect damage and horde control. He is the most efficient class at killing Spawns and Swarmers.
The Driller’s unique utility function is to deal with closed spaces - meaning walls. Every other utility tool only allows traversal of open spaces.

Additionally, the Driller serves as a sort of “resource buffer” that can drastically cut down your group’s time and resource expenditures, thanks to the drilling speed and fuel capacity of his drills. His use as a “resource buffer” is explained in more depth later in this section.

After you obtain an ammo modification for your drills, you have a whopping 44 fuel. This is A LOT. I haven’t done the actual math on exactly how many meters of stone you can drill through, but provided you aren’t spinning them up in open air, it’s over 120m at max fuel. And what will you mostly be using them for? Well, three things -

First: Stairs. A bit of gold just above your jumping height? Just drill a staircase in the wall next to it. Uses 1-2 fuel, tops. Need to get the whole group up to a high ledge that’s too steep for a zipline? Just drill stairs. Seriously. For a Driller, the solution to 90% of non-Glyphid problems is stairs.

Second: Making your escape. We all know the fear associated with watching Molly climb the walls of the deepest chasm known to dwarf kind while you’re stuck at the bottom with aliens at your heels. Sometimes, back-tracking to the drop pod isn’t the easiest thing. This is when you, as the Driller, should turn towards the nearest wall and say “Follow me!” Just drill straight towards the drop pod, at an upward or downward angle if needed. As long as your team covers your back, it works almost 100% of the time, and typically gets you to the drop pod with minutes to spare. Just be sure not to overheat, and watch for chasms as you drill - use that Terrain Scanner while your drills are cooling down! It’s also best to drop a re-supply and fill your fuel before calling the drop pod, in case you need to dig far.

Third: Making a bunker. This is a specific strategy for “stay in the highlighted area” tasks during salvage missions. Carefully drill a large hollow space in the ground beneath the uplink or fuel pod without penetrating to the surface, and be sure it’s close enough that the defense zone extends into your chamber. If done correctly, the only way in or out is through the tunnel you made. Congrats, you now have a Glyphid funnel! (Beware Bulk Detonators, hoh boy)

The Driller’s drills can accomplish many tasks with minimal expenditures, and most importantly, they allow your allies to hold onto the ammo of their own Utility tools. He can move your whole team without needing an ammo drop after every 3rd or 4th cliff you come across (looking at you, ziplines!). Of course, this means the Driller is entirely self-sufficient in Solo missions as well, especially with Bosco. Since every mineral deposit is against a wall, the only thing that will typically be out of your reach is awkwardly placed Apoca Blooms, Boolo Caps, or Fossils. And, while compact dirt isn’t exactly the hardest obstacle to overcome, the faster you get through the “running through empty tunnels towards your goal” part of a mission, the fewer horde spawns you have to deal with. The Driller helps with that. He is a major time saver during Point Extractions, too.

NOTE: In this section, I talk about how effective each weapon is against all enemy types. This factors in things like the range of the weapon, and the ammo needed to kill the enemy. For example: The Flamethrower and Cryo Cannon kill Mactera quite well... but only if you can reach them! Spitters, too.

PRIMARY WEAPONS

CRSPR Flamethrower
This weapon has 3 factors you must make use of.
1) Direct Flame Damage. I’m not sure which patch did it - I think it was early 2019 - but somewhere along the line, the CRSPR received a wonderful direct damage buff. Something like double its original damage. Many of the standard Glyphids now die very quickly to direct damage, even before considering inflamed damage.
2) Ignition/Inflamed Damage. After a few moments of exposure to your flame, the Glyphid will be set ablaze and begin taking damage over time. Helps to take down the big boys, like Praetorians, though they take a while to burn.
3) Sticky Flames Damage. Your flames cling to the ground as an area-of-effect field that deals continuous damage to all enemies that walk over it. Does not affect allies! The damage is decent, and can be augmented to do a bit more.

Your flames cannot hit weak points, so that reduces its effectiveness against enemies that die slowly unless you're hitting those weak points. To stay safe, just jump around like an idiot. I’m not kidding. In hordes, you can just jump around and spray your flames down towards the floor, avoiding damage while laying down a flame field.

Effective against: Grunts, Swarmers, Warriors, Slashers, Dreadnoughts (Armor), Q’Ronar, Naedocyte Spawns, Mactera (2x fire damage), Spitballers (2x fire damage)
Okay against: Exploders, Web Spitter, Acid Spitter, Praetorians, Dreadnoughts (Health)
Ineffective against: Oppressors, Cave Leech, Brood Nexus, Menaces, Wardens, Breeders, Bulk Detonators

Cryo Cannon
Put hordes on ice. This thing eliminates threats by rendering them motionless and unable to attack, and once they're frozen, you can smash them apart. Frozen enemies no longer have weakpoints, but take triple damage from any direct-damage sources, like bullets or drills (but not AoE sources, like grenades or fire). Great for Vampire builds! If the frozen group is very large, it can also be worth it to drop a C4. The freezing effect even works on Dreadnoughts, and can prevent both Exploders and Bulk Detonators from exploding if they die while frozen - but be aware of how much ammo that might take! While it doesn't do as much damage as the Flamethrower, you can be incredibly ammo efficient by freezing the enemies and then killing them with melee, axes, or your secondary. Remember - flying enemies instantly die when frozen!

Effective against: Grunts, Swarmers, Warriors, Slashers, Brood Nexus, Q’Ronar, Breeders, Naedocyte Spawns, Mactera… [Exploders, Bulk Detonators, Praetorians, Oppressors, Wardens] ← For utility!
Okay against: Web Spitter, Acid Spitter, Spitballers, Dreadnoughts
Ineffective against: Cave Leech, Menaces... [Exploders, Bulk Detonators, Praetorians, Oppressors, Wardens] ← For damage!


SECONDARY WEAPONS

Subata 120 Pistol
Trusty. Simple. It is entirely meant to supplement your primary's weaknesses. The pistol does only 12 damage per shot (up to 15 with one weapon mod), which is balanced by its high ammo capacity and longer range. This means that misses aren’t so impactful, but you’ll still want to be hitting those Glyphid weak points or they’ll take a while to kill. Use this to finish off burning enemies (especially with the final tier Volatile Bullets upgrade!) or to kill enemies that your primary cannot handle. The Subata is mostly just “Okay” against everything - which is not an insult to its usefulness! It won’t kill anything particularly fast when compared to the damage output of other dwarves, but it becomes a better killing option than your primary in many situations, mostly due to range. So, this is gauging its effectiveness versus your primary, not versus other dwarves.

Effective against: Warriors, Slashers, Exploders, Web Spitters, Acid Spitters, Mactera, Cave Leech, Spitballers & Brood Nexus & Bulk Detonators (Weak points)
Okay against: Praetorians & Oppressors & Dreadnoughts (Weak points), Naedocyte Spawns, Menaces, Wardens, Breeders
Ineffective against: Grunts, Swarmers, Q’Ronar (Primary weapon works better)


Experimental Plasma Charger
Compared to the Subata, the EPC has higher damage and a unique alt-fire. But, it is harder to aim and holds less ammo. This thing’s efficiency is all about how you mod it, which we will touch on later. There are two very important things to note about this weapon: it is NOT hitscan - it actually fires projectiles - and those projectiles are not impressively fast. This makes the EPC the hardest weapon to aim in your arsenal, and with its base ammo value of only 120, you’re going to want to choose your shots carefully! It can be modded to soup up either the single-fire or charged shots, so it has unmatched versatility. You can turn it into the best single-shot damage dealer the Driller has to offer, or an ammo efficient AoE machine with longer range than your primaries. It's less straightforward than the Subata, but it gives you the opportunity to be far more creative.

Effective against: Warriors, Slashers, Exploders, Web Spitters, Acid Spitters, Mactera, Spitballers, Cave Leech, Naedocyte Spawns
Okay against: Praetorians & Oppressors & Dreadnoughts (Weak points), Brood Nexus & Bulk Detonators (Weak points), Menaces, Wardens, Breeders
Ineffective against: Grunts, Swarmers, Q’Ronar (Primary weapon works better)

UTILITY TOOL

Reinforced Power Drills
I love these things. You get plenty of fuel, and you usually need a resupply of weapon ammo before running out of drill fuel, so feel free to get creative. Vampire Drillers and Cryo Cannon carriers get the most use out of these things as a weapon. Their utility functions were covered in a section above!

SPECIAL GEAR

Satchel Charge / C4
KABOOM. This thing does massive damage, and after Update 19, the Driller is the only one who carries it. On Hazard 3 and below, it kills a full-health Praetorian (and everything weaker) in one shot. With a base damage of 375, this is one of the quickest killing machines in the game, limited only by its carrying capacity, which starts at 2 and can be increased to 4. It also blows up walls and clears out minerals, of course.

Effective against: Grunts, Swarmers, Warriors, Slashers, Q’Ronar, Exploders, Praetorians, Oppressors, Dreadnoughts, Wardens, Dwarves
Okay against: Web Spitters, Acid Spitters, Spitballers, Menaces, Brood Nexus
Ineffective against: Cave Leech, Mactera, Breeders, Naedocyte Spawns, Bulk Detonators

PICKAXE

Every dwarf has one! Yours will mostly come out for mineral digging and the occasional power attack. You’ve got those sweet power drills for every other rock and stone related problem.

GRENADES

You’ve got 3 choices - well, in my opinion, really only 2.

Impact Axe - Great single-target damage (especially if you hit a weak spot!), slight area damage, and recoverable if you miss. Throwing these at Praetorian butts is fun. It also causes a stun effect, which can halt Praetorians and Goo Bombers!

HE Grenade - A standard grenade, like we had before there were choices. The radius is small, the damage is weak… Your primary weapon or C4 can do anything this can.

Neurotoxin Grenade - Creates a big cloud that damages (and seemingly slows?) the bugs. Can be exploded with fire to great effect, like a mini C4. Gas won’t hurt allies, but the explosion will! Use this if you find yourself running low on Flamethrower ammo often, as it only requires a short tick of flame to light the cloud and create a boom.

Perks

Perks were entirely reworked in Update 28, so this section is the most altered one since my previous version of this guide!

There are a total of 22 unique perks in the game right now, between Active and Passive.
That’s a lot to review, so I’ll go over my favorites in more depth, and caution you against the ones that look promising, but are mostly ineffective.

Active Perks - My Favorites

1) Iron Will - It’s not the “infinitely defy death” perk that it used to be, but being able to recover from one major mistake per mission can sometimes be the difference between success and failure. And, if you get HP during the resurrection period, you’re just back up as if you were revived! Spot out some red sugar before activating it.
2) Field Medic - This is great for its passive effect alone; the active is just gravy. If you’ve got teammates, there’s no reason to skip this perk! (Unless your group doesn’t go down too frequently). If your teammate goes down during a horde and you don't have a Gunner shield to protect you, this perk may be the only way to get them up without getting yourself killed, especially on higher Hazards. Replace if playing Solo.
3) Heightened Senses - Back before Update 28, this perk was passive. It only provided the little warning tingle, and I still used it. Now it lets you instantly kill the grabber, up to twice per mission! Cave leeches are a big problem for Drillers, with their mediocre ranged options. Less useful if your team is attentive, but being able to free yourself means your teammates don’t need to stop and save you. If you are confident in your allies, replace this with one of the choices below.

Active Perks - Other Choices (listed from most recommended to least recommended)

Berzerker can give you a great option against the big bugs that your primary weapons don't typically work against. It also pairs incredibly well with Vampire builds (see below).
Hover Boots can save your life if you’re drilling a shortcut into a lower chamber, and accidentally puncture through the ceiling. This is an avoidable mistake though, so this is mostly just insurance.
Dash and Shield Link can be helpful, since you’re in the frontlines of the combat. Dash can help you kite or get out of a bad situation (like Bomber goo), and Shield Link enhances your survivability if you have an ally willing to brave the fray with you.
Beast Master isn’t terrible, but it's not a great choice for a Driller. Steeve isn’t affected by Sticky Flames and you can’t weakspot him with your primary, but he does take friendly fire, and you’re likely to kill him with your fire or C4 at some point.
See You In Hell is my least favorite, because its active effect requires you to go down. Iron Will does too, but Iron Will lets you undo that problem. I don’t see the point of the Active here. Typically, it’s a good thing that the bugs are attacking your corpse instead of your teammates, so doing anything more than that is generally unnecessary. The only thing I can imagine this perk being good for is its passive melee buff when used in conjunction with Berzerker.

Passive Perks - My Favorites

1) Resupplier - Grabbing ammo and health in the midst of a hoard can be intense, especially without a Gunner shield. Typically, you don’t want to resupply while threatened, but sometimes you have no choice! Resupplying faster is also a literal life saver when used in conjunction with Iron Will.
2) Sweet Tooth - You’re going to get hurt, it happens! (Especially by Mactera and Acid Spitters, ugh). And your dwarven allies are going to get hurt too. This perk makes every red crystal more efficient, especially in cases where you have to share. Plus, if you’re cheeky, you can stay hurt on purpose just to collect red crystal later on and gain the bonus speed boost when it’s needed, like during a Dreadnought fight.
3) Unstoppable - Remember how I said Dash is good to get out of Bomber goo? This perk is good for the same reason, and it doesn’t take up an oh-so-precious Active slot. Plus, the extra carry speed is excellent during Point Extractions, since you’re the main Aquarq retriever. This perk was made for Driller! (Note: This was bugged at one point and did not actually grant increased carry speed; unsure if this has been addressed)

Passive Perks - Other Options (listed from most recommended to least recommended)

Deep Pockets is good on any class, especially on missions without Molly. In fact, the only reason this perk is not an instant-pick for me is because Molly exists, really. As a Driller, you can make a reliable path toward most mineral deposits, even through walls, so going back to the same deposit is not too troublesome.
Vampire is good, especially if used with the Berzerker/See You In Hell combo mentioned earlier, though it is quite effective on its own. It can be risky, especially on high Hazards, but your drills do count as melee attacks, and you can actually lifesteal your way to victory when you’re near death. This type of build has a bunch of stuff that pairs well with it, including certain weapon mods on your drills. It also works amazingly when drilling frozen enemies!
Elemental Insulation protects you from Praetorian poison and Acid Spitter spit. Also reduces damage from radiation in the Radioactive Exclusion Zone. If you’re going to use this, I’d recommend it in that biome. Everywhere else, it’s just a nice little buff.
Veteran Depositor is good for its secondary effect more so than its main bonus. Damage reduction is nice, just don’t get yourself killed by trying to hug the MULE rather than actually kiting around.
Born Ready, It’s A Bug Thing, and Strong Arm are all average perks that don’t impact playstyle enough to warrant commentary.
Second Wind isn’t my cup of tea. It doesn’t help for kiting during combat as you’re usually repositioned before it kicks in. It’s mostly useful for fleeing, and getting yelled at by your fellow dwarves for running ahead when they don’t also have this perk. The main function I can find would be to run ahead of your allies after calling extraction to start drilling an exit tunnel.
Friendly does exactly what it says it does, but you should generally just avoid shooting your team. It's better on the Driller than other classes due to the nature of your primary weapons and the deadliness of an accidental Satchel Charge on your ally, and can be especially helpful during Salvage missions when you’re all crammed in the small green bubble. It's nice if you’re a fan of the gas grenades, too. But, there are many superior choices.
Thorns is totally unnecessary on Driller. Its main purpose is to kill Swarmers and Naedocyte Spawns that bite you - both of which your primary weapon is great at killing.

The sections below contain a handful of builds that involve 5 specific weapon mods and an Overclock. Feel free to make your own substitutions; customization and personal playstyle are some of the best parts of this game!

The first build will always be my recommended build, what I call "Author's Choice." I will go in-depth about each mod tier on those builds, hopefully providing some objectivity to my choices. The remaining builds will contain only a brief description of their functionality.

[Author's Choice]
BUILD 1 - Sticky Slowdown
1, 1, 2, 3, 2 + Sticky Fuel Overclock
This build doesn't sacrifice damage or ammo capacity and still manages to be an amazingly effective Sticky Flames build thanks to a single Overclock!

>>Tier 1: High Capacity Tanks vs. High Pressure Injector
The Flamethrower’s base range is actually pretty good. It can reach overhead Mactera without even needing you to jump. The main reason I opt for the tank size increase is that your secondary weapon is meant to be the thing that deals with far-off enemies. Plus - bigger tank equals fewer reloads! This mod is especially useful for this build, because it directly counteracts the tank size penalty from the Overclock.

>>Tier 2: Unfiltered Fuel vs. Triple-Filtered Fuel vs. Sticky Flame Duration
Unfiltered Fuel increases your direct damage from 11 to 15 - a 36% DPS increase. Causing enemies to ignite faster is less handy when the most common enemy - Spawns - die so quickly to direct damage. Sticky Flame Duration isn't a bad option for this build, but losing our only direct damage upgrade option is a tough sacrifice.

>>Tier 3: Oversized Valves vs. Sticky Flame Slowdown vs. More Fuel
This slowdown can be a lifesaver on higher Hazard levels. Like the Cryo Cannon, this upgrade will improve your chances of survival by controlling the horde. It’s like a Scout IFG in the form of fire. It’s one of those upgrades where I asked, “How much is this really slowing them down?” and then I equipped a different upgrade and immediately noticed the change. This also causes the enemies to linger in your sticky flames for longer, thus improving damage output. This mod is key for the functionality of this build.

>>Tier 4: It Burns! Vs. Sticky Flame Duration vs. More Fuel
Ammo upgrades are great. The longer you can go without needing a resupply, the smoother your mission will go. And, just like the tank size mod on Tier 1, this upgrade directly negates a downside from our Overclock, and the Sticky Flame Duration mod we skip is also handled by our Overclock.
Now, about Fear: The Fear effect of It Burns! can be useful, but its effectiveness is vague, since the finer details are not explained in-game. The wiki reveals more: Enemies have natural Fear resistance, and with a 20% base chance, you really only have a 10% chance to inflict Fear on most enemies in the game, with some being 100% resistant. That being said, the Flamethrower does trigger this check 6 times per second (at standard fire rate), and Fear-afflicted enemies will often wander right back into your Sticky Flames and burn some more. It's not bad, but it's not consistent, which is my issue with it.

>>Tier 5: Heat Radiance vs. Targets Explode
The range of Heat Radiance is 5m. For reference, your Flamethrower reaches 10m by default, so 5m feels a bit... close. If enemies are getting that close to you, I recommend kiting more than trying to keep them in range, but I won't deny that Heat Radiance can help if you're getting swarmed. It can be redundant though, as the most common enemies are set ablaze quite fast, and it's not like they can be more on fire after that. Targets Explode, in my opinion, is more effective and fun. All enemies killed by direct flame damage have a 50% chance to explode and damage all enemies within 3m. This even triggers against small targets like Naedocyte Spawns or Swarmers, so the potential damage output is significant, and makes your horde-killing powers even better. It's a less risky (and more satisfying!) option.

BUILD 2 - Pure Damage
1, 1, 1, 3, 2 + Face Melter Overclock OR
2, 1, 1, 3, 2 + Face Melter Overclock
Direct damage upgrade and increased rate of fire mods, plus more damage and rate of fire from the Overclock. This is pretty much the maximum DPS you can do with the Flamethrower. The only choice you have to make is on Tier 1, to decide if you want to offset the tank size or the flame range penalty of the Overclock.

BUILD 3 - Pure Sticky
1, 3, 2, 2, 2 + Sticky Fuel Overclock
Just accept the penalties of your Overclock and go all-in on 14 seconds of slowing, damaging Sticky Flames! You've got an ammo shortage to deal with here, but you can be very fuel-efficient if you keep bugs in your flame field for its entire duration. Don't waste a single drop!

BUILD 4 - Fire Forever
1, 1, 3, 3, 2 + Lighter Tanks Overclock
A middle-of-the-road option. You don't want to think about Sticky Flame placement, or compensating for the downsides of an Unstable Overclock. This just gives you tons of ammo and a big tank, and lets you worry about nothing more than shooting fire directly at the bugs.

[Author's Choice]
BUILD 1 - Flash Freeze
2, 1, 2, 3, 1 + Tuned Cooler Overclock
Good Freezing Power and high ammo. The Tuned Cooler Overclock used to be the Perfectly Tuned Cooler Overlock, which was Clean and had no downsides. Well, apparently it was so good, they had to move it to Balanced and slap on some negatives. This build prioritizes ammo efficiency and rapid freeze output. The sooner an enemy is frozen, the safer you are, and the sooner you can exploit its damage vulnerability. It doesn't actually involve taking any Freezing Power mods, and instead gains that through the Overclock to grab more important weapon mods.

>>Tier 1: Larger Pressure Chamber vs. Faster Turbine Spinup vs. Stronger Cooling
The first of two Freezing Power upgrades is here, but we're going to pass on it. Unfortunately, the Overclock adds 0.2 seconds to the spinup time of the weapon, bringing it to 0.7 seconds... which feels quite bad. It almost feels like lag whenever you pull the trigger. Luckily, this mod not only counteracts the Overclock's downside, but goes beyond it, reducing the spinup time to 0.3 seconds, which is 0.2 seconds below base. Very, very worth it.

>>Tier 2: Larger Reserve Tank vs. Overclocked Ejection vs. Bypassed Integrity
More ammo. The default range of the Cryo Cannon is the same as the Flamethrower's, and I don’t favor the range increase for similar reasons. Anyway, this gun doesn’t “overheat,” but it does have a re-arming time if you use it too much without a break. The third upgrade of this tier makes it so you are locked out of firing for a shorter span of time if that happens. It doesn't make a huge difference, and you should generally just be mindful about your chamber pressure, to avoid the repressurization delay.

>>Tier 3: Improved Pump vs. Increased Flow
Recover pressure faster when not shooting, or increased rate of fire. Realistically, both upgrades are good. Faster flow = faster freezing, which is the whole point of this build. I will say that the pressure recovery mod is helpful when you're faced with several large enemies at once, and you need to let up on the trigger briefly to avoid repressurizing in the midst of combat.

>>Tier 4: Hard Mixture vs. Supercooling Mixture vs. Larger Reserve Tank
+150 AMMO. A 30% base ammo increase. This is nuts, especially if you also take the ammo mod on Tier 2. I don’t focus much on the damage boost option here, since this weapon lacks all of the damage sources that the Flamethrower has. You don’t have the inflamed effect or sticky flames damage to supplement your direct damage, so direct damage isn’t what we’re here for. The freeze faster upgrade is tough to ignore, but so is the value of this ammo upgrade. It's double the size of the Tier 2 choice! The extra ammo you'll need to use due to the lower freezing power is more than made up for.

>>Tier 5: Fragile vs. Cold Radiance
The math behind the "instant kill" feature of Fragile is complex, and isn't shown in game; you have to go to the wiki. But here's the short version: it's great. Each time you hit a frozen enemy, there's a chance that it will instantly shatter and die. The chance of this happening is higher based on how low the enemy's HP already is. There are some extra rules about "resistance," which is tied to the Hazard level and number of players, which grants some enemies complete resistance to the insta-kill. It will generally trigger against the smaller enemies like Grunts and Slashers, and you usually don't even need to do anything special. Just keep up the freezing spray, and a tick or two of damage will generally trigger the effect and nuke the bug. It clears hordes fast and saves ammo, totally compensating for the weak direct damage of the gun. Cold Radiance has use against big enemies that take a long time to freeze, like Praetorians and Oppressors, but it doesn't match the usefulness of Fragile in my opinion.

BUILD 2 - Clean & Cool
2, 1, 2, 3, 1 + Improved Thermal Efficiency Overclock
This has the same mod layout as the first Build, but sports the weapon's only Clean Overclock. In my opinion, this is the most "feels good" way to build the weapon. Basically no firing delay (0.1s), you can hold the stream for longer before repressurizing, and plenty of ammo to boot. It will take a bit longer to freeze big targets, but you'll still be crystallizing the common enemies with ease.

BUILD 3 - Ice Sniper
2, 2, 2, 3, 1 + Ice Spear Overclock
This actually turns your primary into a legitimate ranged weapon, which is otherwise impossible for the Driller. The Overclock's special projectile is an ammo hog, so you'll usually only want to use it against tanky targets that are already frozen, or distant annoyances with weak points, like Menaces, Wardens, and Spitballers.

[Author's Choice]
BUILD 1 - Ol' Reliable
3, 1, 2, 1, 1 + Oversized Magazine Overclock (Flamethrower) OR
3, 1, 2, 2, 2 + Oversized Magazine Overclock (Cryo Cannon)
To be truthful, there is nothing "specialized" about this build. It's got good ammo capacity, good magazine size, and good accuracy. And you know what, that's all I ask for from the Subata. When I first introduced the weapon, I said it was just "Okay" against everything, and that's even more true here. This build is all about using the Subata in its most standard role: a reliable long range weapon that compliments your primary. More customized builds come later!

>>Tier 1: Improved Alignment vs. High Capacity Magazine vs. Quickfire Ejector
With the Overclock we've chosen, we could double down and go for an even bigger magazine, but I choose to offset the reload speed penalty. In essence, they both address the same issue: wanting to spend less time reloading. Each time you reload without fully emptying the clip, the reload speed upgrade is better. I found myself doing that often enough to make this upgrade the one I prefer.

>>Tier 2: Expanded Ammo Bags vs. Increased Caliber Rounds
40 extra bullets. 3-⅓ additional clips. That's a 25% increase in your base ammo capacity! Better than a <9% damage increase, I’d say.

>>Tier 3: Improved Propellant vs. Recoil Compensator vs. Expanded Ammo Bags
The ammo upgrade is great, but not needed after the Tier 2 mod. Recoil Compensator gives you what you need in a long-range weapon: accuracy.

>>Tier 4: Hollow-Point Bullets vs. High Velocity Rounds
Finally, a worthwhile base damage increase; more than the previous two combined. However, if you can consistently land shots on the enemy fleshy bits, you’re better off taking the Hollow-Point upgrade. Accounting for the base 20% weak point damage of the gun:
12 + (12 * 0.8) = 21.6 damage per weak point shot. (Hollow-Point)
15 + (15 * 0.2) = 18 damage per weak point shot. (High Velocity)
BUT THAT'S NOT ALL! It's worth noting that enemies technically lose their weakpoints when frozen. So, if you're using the Cryo Cannon, I highly suggest High Velocity Rounds instead, as that base damage will be tripled from the frozen effect.

>>Tier 5: Volatile Bullets vs. Mactera Toxin-Coating
This upgrade is pretty self-explanatory! If you're using the Flamethrower, take Volatile Bullets and enemies with bigger health pools can be better finished off by pistol shots to the weakpoint to save fuel. If you're not using the Flamethrower, take the Mactera Toxin-Coating so you're not stuck with an unusable mod. Even if you are using the Flamethrower, it's probably worth switching to the Mactera Toxin-Coating if you plan on heading into a Mactera Plague mission.

BUILD 2 - Full Auto
2, 1, 2, 2, 1 + Automatic Fire Overclock (Flamethrower) OR
2, 1, 2, 2, 2 + Automatic Fire Overclock (Cryo Cannon)
Sacrifice accuracy for a substantial increase in DPS. I still recommend taking the ammo increase and stability increase over the small damage buffs on the earlier tiers, since you'll be going through ammo at a faster rate, and you need something to reel in that recoil. I'd suggest the base damage increase over the weak point multiplier since you won't be able to aim as consistently.

BUILD 3 - Stun Gun
3, 1, 2, 1, 2 + Tranquilizer Rounds Overclock
Tranquilizer Rounds make your secondary a total support weapon. I really recommend this in larger groups, especially if you have a Scout with the M1000. The Driller is weak against the biggest of bugs, so why not just stun them let your team take care of it? The Overclock carries a 50% chance to stun the target for 6 seconds (!), and while it's a shame that your fire rate suffers and you can't supplement it with any weapon mod, the stun takes off the pressure of the scarier targets like Tri-Jaws and Praetorians. Just note - it doesn't work against Oppressors, Dreadnoughts, Bulk Detonators, or other huge targets, and it basically means you don't have a secondary weapon for the sake of ranged damage. The good news is - your mods hardly matter! Throw on whatever you want. You don't care about its damage, you fire so slow that you'll barely ever go through all the ammo, and accuracy isn't even vital because you don't need to hit a weak point to trigger the stun.

[Author's Choice]
BUILD 1 - Speed Charge
3, 2, 2, 2, 2 + Energy Rerouting Overclock
There's a big focus on charge speed here, because I like to weave quick charged shots in between waves of my primary fire. If you run out of Flamethrower ammo or need your Cryo Cannon to repressurize, firing off one really quick charged shot to clear some bugs can give you the space and time you need to get refreshed. Landing some good charged shots, especially Thin Containment Field detonations, can make for some very ammo-efficient bug clearing.

>>Tier 1: Increased Particle Density vs. Larger Battery vs. Charged Plasma Energy
This Tier is very similar to Tier 4, and they both have two mods we really like: extra ammo, and more charged damage. The single-shot damage upgrade on this tier and the charged damage both offer 25% increases, and we're focusing on charged shots here, so the choice is straightforward. Between the ammo and the charged damage options, I prefer the charged damage first because I view it as a more "necessary" upgrade, so consider that if you don't have all mods unlocked yet. It could be argued that any charge damage upgrades are unnecessary with Thin Containment Field on Turn 5, but you won't have the chance to trigger it on every shot.

>>Tier 2: Heat Shield vs. Overcharged Plasma Accelerator
You'll typically want to release your charged shots as soon as they're, well... charged. So Heat Shield isn't too helpful. Increasing the standard projectile speed, however, greatly helps with the aiming difficulty that is inherent in this weapon.

>>Tier 3: Improved Charge Efficiency vs. Crystal Capacitors vs. Tweaked Radiator
The bonus charge speed from Crystal Capacitors is so handy for getting a charged shot out during emergencies, or for weaving a charged shot into your standard damage output while your primary needs a reload, as mentioned above. This lets you utilize both ammo reserves at the same time. I would say that this is the most crucial mod for this particular build. Improved Charge efficiency is undeniably useful in many EPC builds, but I don't favor it in this one.

>>Tier 4: Expanded Plasma Splash vs. High Density Battery vs. Reactive Shockwave
After skipping the ammo upgrade on Tier 1, and then also skipping Improved Charge Efficiency, this weapon is going to be hurting for ammo. This is our last chance to pick it up, and while the other two options on this Tier offer enhancements to our charged shots, you have to weigh the benefits of stronger charged shots vs. more charged shots. Ammo increases also grant you more chances to throw our standard shots when needed.

>>Tier 5: Flying Nightmare vs. Thin Containment Field vs. Plasma Burn
Flying Nightmare used to be my go-to selection, but an update changed this mod, and it no longer explodes upon contact with an enemy or the ground, which is the main form of damage for this weapon. For reference, a charged Flying Nightmare shot does not even kill a Grunt on Hazard 3. The area-of-effect is huge, but the damage is weak. On a different note, the Plasma Burn mod only applies to the regular shots, and its effect is largely redundant. Your Flamethrower applies the ignited status way more effectively, and you don't want fire damage when using the Cryo Cannon.

So, that leaves Thin Containment Field! The charged shot explosion is fully effective, and great at killing grouped-up bugs. The charged projectile can also be shot by you or an ally for a large fire-element explosion, which does area-of-effect damage that even affects terrain. This property can actually be used to mine minerals on the ceiling; just fire a charged shot towards the minerals, then fire a normal shot at it with good timing to cause a detonation right beside the mineral vein. It takes practice. And, as a bonus to all of this, it reduces heat generation from firing a charged shot. No more instant overheat!

BUILD 2 - Endless Energy
2, 1, 1, 2, 2 + Heat Pipe Overclock
Every ammo mod and every possible chance to reduce the charged shot ammo cost are taken here. 168 max ammo with charged shots that only take 4 ammo. That's 42 charged shots! They might not be as strong, but sometimes quantity does overcome quality. This works better on lower Hazards, where lower damage values can still kill lightly damaged bugs.

BUILD 3 - Heavy Blaster
1, 2, 3, 2, 3 + Heavy Hitter Overclock
This build doubles your single-shot damage from 20 to 40. Unfortunately, it also drops your ammo count to 112, which is below base value even with an ammo mod. Your charged shots are essentially useless with this build, as they take too much of your precious ammo and are not buffed in any way. I'm pretty sure this build has the highest damage you can do with a single point of ammo from your main weapons as a Driller! It helps you deal with the stuff that you usually can't kill too well on your own, like Menaces.

BUILD 4 - Charge Explosion
3, 1, 1, 3, 2 + Overcharger Overclock
This build is reckless. All charged damage! No extra ammo! I do recommend Improved Charge Efficiency to offset the extra charged shot ammo cost from the Overclock, but don't count on spamming charged shots with this build. They won't come out often, and they won't come out fast, but those purple orbs are going to do huge damage when they hit. There is some overlap between this build's purpose and the entire purpose of your primary weapon, but this offers a great way to conserve primary ammo when you keep getting hit by swarms of the unarmored bugs.

Grenades, Armor, and Tools

For Grenades, I recommend:
* The Impact Axe for most situations. The Driller isn’t very good at exploiting weak points, and these throwing blades certainly counteract that weakness! These are basically required if you're going to use the Cryo Cannon, because the freeze-and-axe combo is amazing and nearly instantly kills Praetorians, even on Hazard 4.
* The Neurotoxin Grenade if you’re partnered with other dwarves that don’t have good horde control, like sniper Scouts. More dwarves = more bugs that spawn, so the additional swarm-killing power will be quite handy!

For Armor, I recommend: 1, 1, 1, 1
>>Tier 1: Faster shield regeneration means your shield is protecting you more often.
>>Tier 2: More shield vs. more health is actually a tough one, since you get a lot more health than shield from the upgrade. But your shield is meant to be a damage soak. You want to keep your health from being reduced as much as possible. I prefer the shield.
>>Tier 3: Only one option: less flame damage.
>>Tier 4: Damage aura on shield break. I used to use the Stun aura, but it’s only a “chance” to stun. The chance and the duration aren’t noted. The damage aura at least can kill whatever is attacking you, especially Swarmers.

For Satchel Charge, I recommend: 3, 1, 1, 2
>>Tier 1: More damage. Helps with big enemies (like Dreadnoughts) on high Hazards.
>>Tier 2: Only one option: pick up undetonated charges.
>>Tier 3: More ammo. The damage buff here has an “explode on damage” effect. I think it allows allies to blow it up, but it also allows accidental detonations.
>>Tier 4: The stun radius is pretty large. Seems better than a fear aura. I don’t use the satchel charges for mining too often, so it’s easy to pass up on that mod.

For Power Drills, I recommend: 2, 1, 1, 1 (or 1, 1, 1, 3 for Vampire build)
>>Tier 1: Drill faster. The fuel option is nice, but we pick one up on Tier 4.
>>Tier 2: Faster cooling while drills are not in action. The other option is only useful if you let your drills overheat… which you shouldn’t.
>>Tier 3: Only one option: drill faster.
>>Tier 4: Extra fuel. 6 fuel goes a long way! Aside from just being useful in general, the higher your maximum ammo capacity, the further you can drill in a straight line towards the drop pod at the end of a mission.

For Pickaxe, I recommend: 1, 1
>>Tier 1: Only one option: unlock power attack.
>>Tier 2: More damage. Good for hitting big guys like Praetorians or Oppressors in the backside. Offers a very good burst damage option without needing to drop a C4. The area of effect upgrade is better for other classes who don’t have the amazing horde control that the Driller does.

You can play Driller in any biome for any mission, but you're stronger in certain places, and weaker in others!

I’ll be ranking each category with a score between 1 and 5.
1 = Bad for Driller, 5 = Great for Driller, with middling scores in between.

Biomes

Dense Biozone - 1/5
I hate this place. It always has immense, dome-like rooms that have way more hollow space than anything else. And the walls always have a weird rounded lip before connecting to the ceiling, which means that drilling stairs to high ledges is awkward. Combine that with the spiky plants and the frequency of Naedocytes, and it’s a miserable place to be.

Hollow Bough - 1.5/5
Stabber Vines are the enemy here. They can be killed, but with the Driller's effective range being as short as it is, these things basically out-range you. Killing these things is a drain on your ammo, but they're not something you can afford to ignore if you need to spend a lot of time in their area. Aside from that, the biome isn't too bad for Driller... but the Stabbers are just so annoying, there's very little in other Biomes that measures up to the headaches they create.

Sandblasted Corridors - 2/5
The walls of the Sandblasted Corridors can be broken in one swing of a pick, so your drills feel less important. Additionally, the wind tunnels tend to blast you right out of the wall while you’re drilling stairs. Still, there’s usually plenty of space to drill, so it’s not as bad as the Biozone.

Radioactive Exclusion Zone - 2.5/5
I mean, this place basically sucks for everybody, but it sucks a bit more for Driller. The radiation zones left behind by Exploders and Praetorians can temporarily cut you off from allies or safe escape routes depending on where they die, and you’re typically in the closest combat with those two enemy types. Normally, you can use your Flamethrower to clear the Praetorian death clouds - but not here. Radiation crystals are annoying too, but you can break them away pretty quickly. This place isn't the worst, but there’s no real up-side.

Glacial Strata - 3/5
It’s got wind tunnels just like the Sandblasted Corridors, but these just freeze you instead of blowing you all around, which is way less annoying, to be honest. Plus, the Praetorians just try to freeze you instead of actually dealing damage with their poison breath! It’s much easier to deal with, in my opinion. It’s too bad our Flamethrower can’t warm us up. This is one of the two biomes that has sudden cracks which form in the ground (the other being Magma Core), and you can just drill your way out of them.

Fungus Bogs - 3.5/5
The Driller has one unique tactic in this biome that can make your team's life so much easier: your Impact Axes can break the fungus spores that spit out the poisonous gas. Since they don't count as enemies, the Axe doesn't count as "used," so you can pick it up and do it again, offering fast and endless clearing of the poison shrooms. Plus, if you use the Unstoppable perk (which, as mentioned, I love for Driller), then the natural goo that spawns here isn't as troublesome for you. The general terrain and cave shape is usually pretty friendly to the Driller’s strengths, though large caverns can occur.

Salt Pits - 4/5
This was my favorite biome before the Azure Weald came out, mostly because of the aesthetic. It’s not a bad place for the Driller to be, either! Actually, this place is pretty tame and neutral for all classes. The Driller doesn’t have any unique benefits in this zone - unless you count drilling out Enor Pearls - but the terrain generally suits him.

Crystalline Caverns - 4.5/5
This location, more than any other I’ve experienced, has the most random crap that clogs up the corridors that connect the main chambers. Those chambers do tend to be pretty tall, which is annoying for our class, but the sheer amount of useless, path-obstructing purple crystal is an absolute annoyance to deal with when there’s no Driller around. Die, worthless crystal! Your team will thank you!

Azure Weald - 5/5
Does anyone hate this place? It's got Cave Angels and harmless Gniffers, a beautiful aesthetic, and enough natural light to put the Scout's flare gun to shame. I guess the only complaint I have is that the sheer amount of colors and lights here sometimes make minerals and chunks hard to spot, but I can't praise the realm's appearance and then criticize it for the same reasons!

Magma Core - 5/5
We are Drillers, we bathe in the flame! Because we are the only class that has an armor upgrade which reduces fire damage, we can trot through this region without fear. The hot rocks that cover the ground, the mini fire-jets and flame geysers that constantly threaten to ignite you… they’re just small inconveniences. As with the Glacial Strata, this region has random earthquakes that open chasms in the ground, but you’re a Driller and can escape them without too much trouble. It’s understandable if you hate this biome, but it’s undeniable that the Driller has the easiest time going through it.

Much like the Biomes, there are certain mission types that are made easier thanks to the Driller's skill set... and others where you have to give the spotlight to your fellow dwarves.

I’ll be ranking each category with a score between 1 and 5.
1 = Bad for Driller, 5 = Great for Driller, with middling scores in between.

Mission Types

Escort Duty - 1/5
I’m sorry, but Doretta will always be a better Driller than you. She’s just so big and loveable. Still, you can cover the walls of the tunnels that she creates with your Sticky Flames to slow pursuing Glyphids, and your C4 is always a boon. Your drills make quick work of the laser pillars in the final phase of the Ommoran excavation process, but your unique drilling capabilities are completely outclassed by a robot here. Stick near Doretta and make sure she’s repaired, especially during the Flying Rock phase.

Elimination - 2/5
Don’t get me wrong, your C4 is great for blowing off Dreadnought armor, and it’s great that your primary weapon can hit the backside and deal damage even while it’s chasing you. But… the Driller’s inability to exploit weak points as well as the other classes is noticeable. Impact Axes help you bring a lot more to the table in these missions, but expect to need a resupply after every Dreadnought! You actually CAN freeze a Dreadnought with the Cryo Cannon, but it requires very heavy ammo usage.

Mining Expedition - 3/5
Yes, I know, your drills can’t mine minerals. But, they can grant you access to those minerals. These are the simplest and most basic missions, and there’s really not much else to say. As long as you don’t get terrible cave generation, it should be easy enough. Your overall level of usefulness during these missions will largely be dependent on the biome that the mission is happening in.

Salvage Operation - 3.5/5
Remember the bunker strategy I had mentioned in Part 1? This is where it happens! You don’t have to bunker, but the option has to be acknowledged, and the strength of it is reflected here. [Note: Bunkering was way stronger when I initially wrote this guide in 2018. Now, Bulk Detonators and Oppressors can destroy terrain and easily ruin your entire set-up. This strategy is still very strong if neither of these enemy types spawn, but it’s much riskier now!] It also helps that, unlike minerals or eggs, the mini-MULEs are usually just laying on the ground in an area that the Driller has no trouble accessing. Overall, Driller isn’t a must-have on these missions, but you lose an entire defensive option when you don’t bring one along.

Egg Hunt - 4/5
The fleshy walls that surround the eggs are breakable in one hit, but your drills are always faster than a pickaxe. However, eggs may spawn high up along walls and even inside the ceiling, making the other classes better retrievers in those cases. Still, if enough eggs are down low, your presence can speed up the mission by a fair amount. Plus, every egg is highlighted on the terrain scanner from the start. You can ignore the linear cave layout and just drill straight towards them. There are guaranteed swarms during specific egg extractions, and swarm control has always been the Driller’s strong suit.

On-Site Refining - 4.5/5
Engineers and Drillers feel right at home here. The pipelines can’t be built on steep, uneven terrain, so what do you do? Have your Engineer shoot a platform, or have your Driller pound the ground flat! Depending on the spawn location of the liquid Morkite veins, you may even be able to drill a direct shortcut to one or two of them, and completely ignore all the weird terrain you’d have to go through otherwise.

Point Extraction - 5/5
Welcome to Driller’s Paradise. The speed you add to these missions is incredible, especially when the Mission Length is rating 3. Now, certain biomes make these missions a total pain (Fungus Bogs and Dense Biozone specifically tend to give me the worst caves), but partnering with an Engineer or Gunner to move you around will make the mission fly by. It’s important to note that the cave layouts which can be generated are different for these types of missions, and you’ll begin to get familiar with a few common “tiles” that are created. You may get crappy ceiling spawns, but unlike Egg Hunts, there are more Aquarqs in the cave than you need, so ignore those hard-to-get ones if you can.

If you’ve made it this far, I want to say - Thank you for reading! I have been enjoying Deep Rock Galactic immensely, especially as the Driller. I hope that I have helped you to better understand the class, and I welcome constructive feedback.


ROCK AND STONE!