Welcome to a quick guide of how the game works and how some basic "rules" are in this game.

Here some words before, im not perfectly speaking english - im from germany so sorry if something "might" be written wrong, please correct me there.

This is also not a "meta guide" or similar, this guide is only there for compliedly new people which do some of "those" mistakes.

I created this guide because i saw lately a lot (and i mean a L O T) new miners which doesnt understand the game, do basic mistakes and similar.

So to give it a overview, i try to explain the following things:


So with that said, let us begin~

Deep Rock Galactic Is a 1st/3rd person Squad shooter with different Classes you can choose to play.

With that said, the word SQUAD here is the core of the game. You "can" play the game alone somewhat but its ment to play multiplayer and with other peoples together - as team.

So all i will say here is not just important as for "you" as one player but also for the whole team.

Teamplay is key here and it will be quickly noticable because the different classes you can play can AND have different jobs they "should" do and are "able" to do, based just on their equipment alone.

With that said, we go now over the said different classes from "easier to understand to play" to the actually more complex ones.

Here said: im not saying that the most "complex" ones are also the hardest ones to play but some classes feel more like they are needed to actually "win" the mission and get all the extra loot a mission can offer. Again: its not a meta guide.

The gunner is right from the get go the selected class from the very beginning.
Right even so because his gameplay is straight forward: Shoot things which are not friendly.

This is also important a sidenote: Friendly fire DOES exist in this game so controlled fire is important.

The gunners core gameplay is being basically the bodyguard for the other dwarfs. He should always have a keen eye to look around and shot everything which appiers not to be friendly.

Hes not someone whos main job is to actually mine, hes there for the bugs, not materials. Hes the ground personal which helps out and looks out for danger and points stuff out if he sees some. His equipment is not really even made to reach out for some of the materials.

He doesnt have the platforms to reach higher places nor drills to dig faster nor hookshot. He only has some ropes to help across bigger gasps or deep areas. This is still helpfull if your team needs to get up or down fast or in missions where you have to carry a lot around, it helps to get stuff quickly from point A to B.

Though, even if it appiers that he "has" the biggest guns of all classes, his weapons overall do only "ok" damage. His power lays mostly in compact and steady damage and not burst damage which (nearly) all his weapons will provide because most already do have a high ammo pool.



When ever you see this section now, i will talk shortly about a quick and usefull build for beginners and the "start" weapons of each class - again, its not a meta build but it works great on difficult settings like Haz 2-4 for sure.
With that said lets begin:

The start weapon from the Gunner is the "Lead Storm" Powered Minigun - Or just a Minigun in short.
Its damage is not pretty high on impact but again, its firerate and pretty high ammo count will still provide a strong force to deal with.

The Minigun is more of a smaller crowd control weapon but more and better used for focused fire on bigger enemies.

When ever you see smaller groups of enemies, its better to fall back to your secondary tbh since the spin up time might not even worth the trouble - Next to this the weapon tend to overheat if you dont control your fire or kill only smaller numbers.

This build here will give your gun a smaller punch of damage but also some good ammo viva later-to-get overcloak.
(SAID HERE: the builds i will show work also good without overcloaks, i will also not go over said overcloaks because at this point when youre "able" to get those, im sure you know how such weapon work already...i hope at least)

The build let you control your fire better, adds more damage, destroies enemy armor and provides heat reduction on kill.



As for the "Bulldog" Heavy revolver, its an ok secondary weapon to fall back on. It makes huge damage and should be used on single targets or smaller groups of enemies.

This build will give you a bit more ammo and a bit more damage wile you should learn to control your fire and target weakspots of the enemy - because than the bulldog can do some huge damage even on bigger enemies!

The driller seems mostly for new people "the worst pick from all classes" but infact, hes one of the most powerful and mobile classes from all 4.

Sure, mostly his weapon are only for closer range and only damage over time because they miss the impact damage but they all have a great crowdcontrol and add a lot slow effects or similar to a lot enemies at ones.

NEVER underestimate a man whichs beginner weapon is a flamethrower.

The driller is the most "relaxed" class though. His job is to use his drillers to escape danger, create pathways to main objects or make ways overall easier to reach things not even others could get to.

Hes specialized mostly in closer-range combat with most of his weapons - so a melee build on him makes also a lot sense!

He also carries C4 which can be used as weapon OR tool to get things easier (and faster) done - but here important to say is that the C4 makes HUGE damage, even to friendly dwarfs! So be careful when ever you really wanna USE it. Many dwarfs blew themselves already up because of not knowing that!

WIth that in mind, the driller lags greater long range damage and has to be on the low-ground to actually be able to help the team. Hes not able to do a lot in bigger "hall"-like caves and has to work up walls and similar - though with his drillers, he sure can be where ever he wants when ever there is dirt to dig around.



While his flamethrower weapon seems to make not a whole lot damage at first, it is still a greater tool to use against bigger crowds later on.

The build given here gives you longer range, faster burn time, ammo and faster (and more) damage over time. You literally kill enemies in seconds with this build on haz 2-3.



The Subata 120, or just pistol, is more of a fall-back weapon or when ever you need a bit of range. Its not the strongest weapon but "Better than nothing". It might be not a fancy one, but it does the job well.

This build makes it that every shot hits where it should, a smaller damage buff and sure some weakspot damage which makes it easier to kill enemies faster if your aiming hits the target. Here said - for the LAST one, maybe the fire one makes a bit more sense "for now" because if gives you more damage to burning targets though :3

If you like to be save, might need a "punch" of weapons, feel like youre needed, play the Engi.

The Engi provides a lot of everything but lacks of mobility. He can build 1 or 2 Sentries which gives you great crowd control of smaller enemies, mines which can be thrown for the same effect, can place platforms to reach higher places and build literally stairs with - or help the scout of course - and the stronger "burst" damage weapons in the game.

His job is mostly to work with the scout together to reach materials he cant "grab on" with his platform gun. A good Engi + Scout combo will always win the mission.

His guns are all pretty strong from the get go - though they do lack of ammo somewhat so that every shot should somewhat count.

He also lacks the mobility somewhat. Sure he can place platforms but even the ammo for that is not that huge. He should use said platforms for supporting help more than "creating bridges". But what he lacks in mobility, he makes in offensive weapons.

I mean a man with a shotgun, a sentry, mines AND a natelauncher is always danger.


Engis "Warthog" Shotgun is a close range self-defence weapon - but that doesnt mean its not useful to kill enemies first and ask questions later. RIGHT build, you can literally ONESHOT 2 enemies at ONES. Of course, it lacks a bit of range but still works great AND deadly on mid-closer range. It also has a lot impact on bigger enemies if rightly used.

This build gives you an all-around higher damage wile being able to defend yourself from smaller crowds of enemies.


Wile a lot people "MIGHT" think the Deepcore 40MM PGL Natelauncher is actually best used for single targets, they might be wrong.

The natelauncher is acutally better used for bigger crowds or medium enemies because of its big blast damage. it "CAN" be modefied into more "single" damage output but thats for later when youre no greenbeard anymore ;) (aka, you need an overcloak for that!).

This build will give you a bit more ammo (which is needed tbh), a way bigger blast radius, firedamage overtime and some additional direct damage when ever you DO feel like to use it against bigger targets.

A small sidenote again is that friendly fire is still part of the game. SO using the natelauncher should only be the case when ever enemies are not "hugging" you. ^^

Im saying it right and straight away: Dont play scout right away.

Yes, every class "can" be played right from the beginning, thats true, but as scout you already should have some knowledge of the game.

Fall damage is a thing.
How does mobility work.
"Wait, i have a secondary weapon?"
"Why cant i call a resup???"

All this and way more are things a scout has to deal with. A scout is there mostly to, well, "be" the scout. He is armed with light weapons which are all more made for single to smaller group damage - some of them do even a huge chunk of burst damage later on if right build.

His job is to provide light to bigger areas with his "Flare Gun" and hookshot around areas noone else can quickly get to, mostly to get materials with the help of an friendly engi or similar.

He does have a great mobility but lacks again the fighting part. Dont get me wrong, a scout DOES have weapons and they DO damage but are mostly good against bigger single targets or smaller crowds.

He is a teamplayer though and playing scout can be hard from time to time. WIth that said, you might should try to play scout if you already know how the game works "somewhat" so you know what you should do: Collecting Nitra and other Materials quickly. Thats your most important job as scout.


Wile the Deepcore GK2 Assault Rifle looks at the beginning like a smaller toy weapon, it can still be a great weapon to handle smaller crowds with - though, i would actually say it "is" better later on when youre not so green anymore ^^ (again, overcloaks).

This build gives your weapon again a better firerate with ammo and weakspot damage. a scout is pretty mobile and can use his hookshot to get in position for weakspots pretty easier, even on boss-like enemies, its a easy thing to do and aim for. :3


The Boomstick is a strong closeR range weapon which can dish out huge damage if used right. Its more of a weapon to use if youre in a pickle or enemies are literally hugging you. YOu can put out 2 quick shots and kill 2-3 enemies at ones with them pretty fast.

This build adds also more damage + damage over time and armor breaking to it so you can use this weapon quickly without aiming to the weakspots first.

Here i explain some things which are kinda "unwritten" but still should be somewhat used. Take it as "gameplay advices" or "hints" which people think should do anyway.


At the beginning, most weapons dont have a lot ammo. This is important to learn and deal with of your own: When is it right to take which weapon, when you can maybe take a hit or some ammo and use a melee swing, etc.

A lot people, a lot new..., tend to forget they have a secondary weapon as for one sample or begin to quickly call a resup because 1 of their tools is empty

It is ok to do that if the Nitra is there for it but than some people forget: Youre playing in a team.

Its ok if you take 1 potion from the resup if you need ammo and health but on said resup are 4 potions and this is a 4 player TEAMbased game - so naturally, everyone should get one, right?

Yes, if youre playing with a team, not only YOU need ammo, everyone does.

a Scout without flare gun ammo cant provide any light so you cant blame him if you run into a cave leech you "didnt see", a Driller will not able to drill an escape way without any fuel so you have to follow molly ALL they way back, even if it tries to climb up areas a gunner could help out to reach with his ropes and ziplines - but even here he has only "some" of said ziplines and needs the ammo for it. Even the Engi can only place so much platforms.

So yea, ALWAYS ask if you can "double dip" and dont steal others ammo. It helps in the longrun! :D

A lot people wanna push buttons or touch something they didnt know what it is. They do it and than, because of that, the team HAS to suffer the outcome of that because noone was "ready" for it.

This is important. A lot THINGS you do will fallback on the team what ever you do because "you wanna push" it. Its important to ask things and know if the team is "ok" with that.

This is what its mean to call out if everyone is "ready".
If you wanna push mollys button to call the droppod - ask if everyone is ready for that.
If you see a big event thingy and you wanna activade it - ask if everyone is ready for that.
If you wanna do something you MIGHT dont know about - ASK if someone knows AND is ready for it.

Even if the mission targets are done, in the cave can still be a lot bonus loot to grab and at the end, everyone would be happy to get free materials they need, more money or a cosmetic or overcloak.

So dont be "that guy" and ready up yourself something the rest of the team isnt for. A scout which is still mining, the engi can be downed in the middle of a crowd or a gunner in the middle of a fight will sure not enjoy it if suddendly they have not just to fight off the things they are doing but also with a tight timer if suddendly YOU thought it would be a great idea to call NOW the droppod...

When ever you join a game, a lot people wanna play with a full team of each class. Its never really good if you have doubles from a class because "one corner" will be lacking. No team needs 2 Gunners or Scouts as for one sample.

A lot people have even the pictures opinion on or did write in their game discription similar things.
Again: YOU join their game.
So you should respect if someone tells you to please change. Most people though respect it if youre about to level up your class the last 2-3 Levels up to level 25 - but it will not hurt to ask first and not just "do" so.

Most people which know better want from you that you also "play your class", which means if you play scout, youre the guy who should collect the materials noone else can easy reach as for one sample.

This is not because they "WANT" you to but more because they expect it from you - again, you have a hookshot so you should do that, right?

Same of course goes for an engi which should always help the scout with platforms, driller which should help out and create an escape way or similar and the gunner with his ziplines.

Its a teamgame after all and everyone has different gear and equipment and with it different things they can provide and do which benefeds the team in their own way. Work together and the game is already 50% more fun for sure.

So far, everything might sounded a bit like "if you break the rules youre bad" but no. Again, its a team game and sure everyone should have fun formost. It makes no fun if people might forces you to do something but keep in mind they do expect you to do it - some might even tell you friendly so.

DRGs community is mostly very friendly but so should be you. If you dont ask questions, noone can help you so dont be shy to ask something you dont know about, say sorry if you might did do something wrong or ask if everyone is sure and "ready" about.

A community is only welcoming if youre so as well.
With that in mind, of course DRG offers silly little things just for pur fun. So if you see your teammates getting drunk or meme around that they found a "mushroom" or a big chunk of gold so that they are "rich" all the time, enjoy the silly fun! You might will see what happens - after all, the devs added a lot of silly little memes and fun things to enjoy.

And last but not least:

A small push on the V button (default) will commant you to shout out the well known community greeting of "Rock and Stone". This is for literally everyhing in the game, always press it.

You wanna say thanks? ROCK and STONE!
You had a tuff fight with your team? ROCK and STONE!
You had a great Match and Game? ROCK and STONE!

It is really funny for me how a tiny push of a button can make someones day. Trust me, when you play this game longer, you will see what a small gesture can effect. :D

So always ROCK & STONE!

In this section i just wanna shorten up some advices which can be pretty handy to know for new and old vets maybe. Those are, unlike the "unwritten rules" not a thing you "should" follow but more of said small hints you might didnt know yet.


When ever you are level 25, you are able to promote your dwarf. This means you will unlock some things if you do it the first time but also are unable to get more experience points for said dwarf right now.

In the promotion assignment is nothing said that you "have to" play your dwarf you WANT to promote though so you can use any other dwarf which is in need of said experience points right now - because again: if you play with a fully leveld dwarf, you dont collect any experience points right now so those will be literally wasted.

So try playing another dwarf for said promotion assignment and dont waste the experience points! :D

When ever you might see something different in a wall, might it be glowing green or looks purple-ish, there might be something there. Mostly something good!

A lot new miners doesnt know that some stuff is hidden in walls like Pearls, Jadiz or big chunks of Gold. Mostly, if you see something "glowing" or "different", try digging around this area, you will be happy for the most time what you will find there!




Sometimes, someone might be low on health and someone is about to call a resup for that.
But wait! - Whats that? Its glowing super neon red-ish and can give back health if mined? Yes, Red Sugar is something you can find all around the caves and can heal a lot if you mine it. A scout can even so friendly and mine it down for its fellow dwarfs from walls they can not reach.


So remember, if someone needs health, maybe a tiny snack of red suger should be there first before you call a resup first! ;D

As i said already a bit earlier in the scout section (and driller one as well), sometimes you might dont need to waste your ammo on smaller enemies. They are way to fast anyway and go super close too so it might be better to swing your pick and save some ammo - after all, you have a small shield which can take a bite and regens after time. :D

DRG offers 5 different difficulties to play on wile 1 is the easiest and 5 is REALLY the hardest.
So finding the way and difficulty you like play on might takes a moment but i mostly go with 3, the golden middle. 1 is really a cake-walk wile if you love to play super difficult on 5, hats down for you! :D

So take your time to find your difficulty.

Even if your main gun is empty, remember you have a second opinion with you. Some can even be better and stronger than your main gun. So before you call for ammo, try if you can use your other opinions first before you might waste ammo you dont need yet to call. :3

Sometimes, maybe a scout cant reach something or people need to fall down areas and would sure suffer fall damage. This CAN be prevented by 2 opinions: 1. if the engi has a skilled platform gun but that costs of course ammo and the second FREE opinion is: Catch someone with your head!

This is actually no joke but if you try to aim for someones head, you bounce of said person and prevent fall damage. This can be useful sometimes so if you might need help or wanna fall down to safety, try to let someone bounce on your head. :D

In case some people dont know but yea, you can use your chat - use textchat by pressing ENTER, VOICE by pressing Z IF the push to talk setting is on - This brings me to another sub-point, if the game should run bad, you might should go and change your setting. it might helps you if you switch some on or some off in case the game doesnt run well for you! :D

I hope i could at least help "a bit" with this guide and the tips and advices it gives. It would also help me if you like or give its a prositive vote or similar for this - or a nice comment. I would really be happy about that.

I really tried my best to make it "as beginner-friendly as possible" so that people see and notice what is going on and how it could help in the long run.

At the end, you all wanna have fun, as team, and that is what should count. Dont be selfish, think togeher and work together as team, not as soloplayer.

And remember to always ROCK and STONE! :D