Best Gunner Builds In Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor

Just about every single gun made the transition from Deep Rock Galactic to the Vampire Survivors-esque spin-off game, Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor. In fact, some brand-new weapons were even invented for this game, giving players a huge amount of control over their builds.



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Now, every Dwarf in DRG has a pretty clearly defined role with the Driller being about digging, the Engineer being about placing turrets, the Scout being about movement and reconnaissance, and the Gunner being about raw firepower. However, in Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor, every class uses four guns at once and puts a priority on raw firepower. So, what are some unique builds for the Gunner in particular to show that this class still has some of the highest potential output in the game by design?


Gunner Build 1

An Engineer x Gunner Combo

Gunner Build 1 Deep Rock Galactic Survivor

Subclass

Weapon Recommendations

Level Upgrade Recommendations

Artifact Recommendations

Weapon’s Specialist

‘Lead Storm’ Powered Minigun, LOK-1 Smart Rifle, M1000 Classic, & LMG Gun Platform

Damage, Reload Speed, & Fire Rate

Gold-Tipepd Bullets, Pay2Win Console, Popup Tripod, & Ammo Rig


First off, players need to know something about the Gunner. Because the Gunner’s Ziplines didn’t really make sense to bring into a top-down bullet hell, instead the developers at Ghost Ship games gave his first subclass, the Weapon’s Specialist, the ability to draw any Projectile gun, not just the ones associated with his class. For his first build, he’ll be taking a lot from the Engineer, as the one Gunner-class weapon players will be using is the one they started with, that being his Lead Storm Minigun.

For the other three weapon’s, players will want to, at the very least, get the LMG Gun Platform and the M1000 Classic. The LMG Guns are great for clearing out basic mobs while the Gunner is aiming his Minigun and the M1000 Classic with the right Overclocks is amazing for taking out the healthiest targets first while the Minigun shreds everything else. Add the Lok1 Smart Rifle on top of that, another weapon that prioritizes high-health targets, and the player can focus purely on aiming their Lead Storm while their other weapons (mostly) take care of everything else.


Gunner Build 2

A Build That Covers All Sides

DRG Survivor Gunner Build 3 Again

Subclass

Weapon Recommendations

Level Upgrade Recommendations

Artifact Recommendations

Weapon’s Specialist

‘Lead Storm’ Powered Minigun, Zhukov NUK17, Subata 120, & BRT7 Burst Fire Gun

Damage, Fire Rate, & Reload Speed

Popup Tripod, Ammo Rig, & Gold-Tipped Bullets

For the second build, let’s look at a build that combines some of the Gunner’s weapons with some of the Scout’s. This build is centered around the idea of always having bullets flying and, as a result, having the Gunner’s Weapon’s Specialist passive (the 8 high-powered projectiles fired every 100 shots) go off as often as possible.


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For this build, players are going to want to look for level upgrades centered around Fire Rate and Reload Speed. For Artifacts, it’ll be similar, as they’ll want certain Artifacts such as the Popup Tripod or Ammo Rig. When built correctly, players will notice that they’ll have their front covered with the Lead Storm Minigun, their back covered with the Subata 120, and every other direction covered with the pairing of the BRT7 Burst Fire Gun and Zhukov Nuk17s.

Gunner Build 3

A High-Damage Stationary Build

Deep Rock Galactic Survivor Gunner Build 3

Subclass

Weapon Recommendations

Level Upgrade Recommendations

Artifact Recommendations

Juggernaut

‘Bulldog’ Heavy Revolver, ‘Thunderhead’ Heavy Autocannon, BRT7 Burst Fire Gun, & Seismic Repulsor

Max HP, Reload Speed, & Fire Rate

Red Sugar Cube, BLT Ration Pack, Gold-Tipped Bullets, FRZ Shield Belt, BRN Shield Belt, Popup Tripod, Pickled Nitra, Ammo Rig, & Barley Bulb Juice


The third build is one that, to do properly, players will need to get their Gunner to level 24 and unlock the Seismic Repulsor. At first, it may look like the Seismic Repulsor isn’t worth it, considering it’s mostly meant for CC more than damage. However, if players have 3 other high-damage weapons, which is what this build recommends, than this is one of the few builds that can get to the level in Hazard 3+ where players can actually fully stand still and wipe out all incoming enemies (especially in a biome like the Hollow Boughs).

With this build, players are going to want to grab Epic or Legendary Health upgrades whenever they appear, they’ll want to at least get the BLT Ration Pack if not the Red Sugar Cube so that they can start building up a whole ton of health. Then, even when standing still, any damage they take is relatively safe and will buff their damage output at the same time. This build can work without the Seismic Repulsor, but players will be on the move a lot more without it.


Gunner Build 4

Directional Damage At Its Best

Deep Rock Galactic Survivor Gunner Build 5

Subclass

Weapon Recommendations

Level Upgrade Recommendations

Artifact Recommendations

Weapon’s Specialist

‘Lead Storm’ Powered Minigun, Jury-Rigged Boomstick, ‘Warthog’ Auto210, & Deepcore GK2

Crit Chance, Crit Damage, Reload Speed, & Damage

Pickled Nitra, Nitragenic Powder, Squint-EE5, Nitra Scanner, & Gold-Tipped Bullets

This next build is one that, at a glance, makes it clear that it was designed in spite of all those DRG: S players who think the aimed weapons are the worst. Weapons like the Lead Storm Minigun and Warthog Shotgun may need to be aimed in order to hit enemies, but the DPS is more than worth the investment. With this build, players will have their Lead Storm and Warthog absolutely melt waves of Glyphids in any direction they walk.


And, if enemies start to get a bit too close, their Jury Rigged Boomstick with the knockback overclock pushes them away. And finally, for the enemies that just barely survive the damage output, the Deepcore GK2 will take care of them. This is a build that is awful in the hands of a lazy player, but for those who actually make the effort, this build is shockingly fun for beginners to try out.

Gunner Build 5

An Actual ‘Tank’ Build That Works

Deep Rock Galactic Survivor Gunner Build 4

Build ‘Name’

Weapon Recommendations

Level Upgrade Recommendations

Artifact Recommendations

Juggernaut

‘Bulldog’ Heavy Revolver, ‘Leadstorm’ Powered Minigun, ‘Thunderhead’ Heavy Autocannon, & ‘Warthog’ Auto 210

Reload Speed, Fire Rate, Damage, Armor, & Max HP

Barley Bulb Juice, Popup Tripod, Red Sugar Cube, Gold-Tipped Bullets, Pickled Nitra, & Ammo Rig

The final build on here is another Juggernaut one that focuses on taking advantage of the Juggernaut’s base Armor and Max HP bonus passives as well as the damage buff the Gunner gets when hit. To make this build shine, outside of permanently buffing the Gunner’s Max HP and HP Regen, players will need to rush their Lead Storm until they find the Overclock that doubles their armor while they’re reloading.


Grab this and make sure not to get any Reload Speed upgrades for the Lead Storm if possible. Then, focus entirely on building up the other 3 weapons (the Thunderhead is a must, the Revolver is mandatory, and the Warthog Shotgun can be switched out at the player’s discretion) and players should actually be able to walk through Glyphids without immediately losing half their health.

Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor was released on February 14th, 2024, and is available on PC.

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