Full Perk Guide

Explains everything you need to know about Perks in DRG

OVERVIEW

This is a guide to all the Perks in Deep Rock Galactic.

Each Perk will be personally rated out of 5.
All Perks referenced are treated as fully upgraded.

--- PASSIVE PERKS ---

BORN READY

Very useful perk in any mission, unheld weapons reload after 5 secs

Recommended Classes: Any
Perk Rating: 5/5

DEEP POCKETS

Hold 15 more of each mineral, useful, but not completely necessary.

Recommended Classes: Any, Scout
Perk Rating: 4/5

ELEMENTAL INSULATION

30% less damage from magma, radiation, ice, fire, poison, ETC

Recommended Classes: Any
Perk Rating: 3.5/5

FRIENDLY

50% less friendly fire damage, seeing you don't die to other dwarves very often, this isn't particularly useful.

Recommended Classes: Any
Perk Rating: 1/5

IT'S A BUG THING

Just......No

Recommended Classes: NO ONE
Perk Rating: 1/5

RESUPPLIER

Only take for haz 4+ missions

Recommended Classes: Any
Perk Rating: 3/5

SECOND WIND

Useful for mining missions with long tunnels

Recommended Classes: Gunner, Driller, Engineer
Perk Rating: 3/5

STRONG ARM

The flare buff is useful in solo missions, the 20% carrying buff is only good in aquarq missions

Recommended Classes: Any
Perk Rating: 2/5

SWEET TOOTH

Useful in haz 4+ team missions

Recommended Classes: Any
Perk Rating: 3.5/5

THORNS

Extremely useful against swarmers as they die in one attack

Recommended Classes: Any
Perk Rating: 5/5

UNSTOPPABLE

Useful in Glacial Strata and Fungus Bogs biomes, especially in aquarq missions.

Recommended Classes: Any
Perk Rating: 2.5/5

VETERAN DEPOSITOR

Useful to stay near the mule or drop pod during swarm, and useful for scout when collecting many minerals.

Recommended Classes: Any, Scout
Perk Rating: 4/5

VAMPIRE

Medium size creatures count from glyphid grunts upwards. Extremely useful with the Berzerker Active Perk.

Recommended Classes: Any
Perk Rating: 5/5

--- ACTIVE PERKS ---

BEAST MASTER

Always save it for glyphid slashers or guards. Steve (the pet) takes very little damage from friendly fire and pet guards can last for a long time.

Recommended Classes: Any
Perk Rating: 4/5

BERZERKER

Extremely useful against grunt swarms ESPECIALLY if combined with Vampire Passive Perk.

Recommended Classes: Any
Perk Rating: 5/5

DASH

Very useful if you remember to use it

Recommended Classes: Any
Perk Rating: 5/5

FIELD MEDIC

Extremely useful in tense situations, haz 4+

Recommended Classes: Any
Perk Rating: 5/5

HOVER BOOTS

Particularly useful for Scout, can grapple to resources and hover while you dig a little ledge to grab onto. Also good for saving yourself from long falls.

Recommended Classes: Scout
Perk Rating: 3.5/5

HEIGHTENED SENSES

MUST TAKE for cave leech cluster missions

Recommended Classes: Any
Perk Rating: 4/5

IRON WILL

Useful in very intense missions. You get 12 seconds to go resupply, get red sugar or revive someone.

Recommended Classes: Any, Scout
Perk Rating: 4.5/5

SEE YOU IN HELL

Useless in solo, unless you have Iron will. Useful when combined with Vampire passive perk

Recommended Classes: Any
Perk Rating: 3/5

SHIELD LINK

Very useful in the close quarter times of missions like black box or uplinking/refueling.

Recommended Classes: Any
Perk Rating: 4/5






















~ A guide by KillerByte ~

[🥃 Marceline]

Also...

I disagree with Unstoppable being rated so terribly low.
Slowdown reduction applies to majority if not all slow effects in the game.
Poo bomber's poo and Slasher's hits also count.
People often consider this perk just a quality of life (thinking: it makes you waste less time travelling), but this game favours mobility more than defence (which is hard to improve with perks), so to survive you need to be able to escape/relocate.
I would not say Unstoppable is a must, but it's a valuable pick, esspecially on Haz 5 and Elite Deep Dives.

Otherwise, nice guide, expanding it will be great for many.

[🥃 Marceline]

You should highlight that Iron Will actually revives you if you get any healing during it's activation. It's not known by everyone (because not hinted in the in-game's perk description).
Pairing it with Vampire means you are much more likely to self revive yourself, esspecially as Driller.

Add to Vampire that it triggers on melee damage kill.
Melee sources are pickaxe, power attacks, drills and thrown axes. Maybe something more I am not aware of.

Add to Dash that in case of being hit by Slasher it only partially works (you will be slowed, but still move faster thanks to Dash), while other slowdowns are indeed ignored.

Thorns has a 0.75 second cooldown, you should add it because it means that entire swarm of swarmers will not immediately die, it may take a few seconds.

[car invades dominos]

shit guide, its a bug thing is S tier perk

[Advythe]

Just the guide I was looking for, thanks!

[Drillboy Jenkins]

Vampire is better comboed not with berzerker, but with drills, especially with cryo canon. Insta full heal if you find a big pack of grunts.

[✪ kb]

@JeyJeyKing thanks for the opinion, guide edited

[JeyJeyKing]

I disagree with sweet tooth and vampire being rated so highly. They are crutch perks and I wouldn't rely on them. It is feasible to avoid enough damage in haz 5 so that regular red sugar and resupply healing should be more than sufficient to stay healthy.

[JeyJeyKing]

Really no point in using second wind on scout as you will never be sprinting long enough to activate it. And there are much better options for scout. Deep pockets, Elemental insulation, thorns or veteran depositor.

[JeyJeyKing]

Elemental Insulation works against any elemental damage, not only the environment. That includes poison and as such is very useful against the acid spitter damage over time. I use it on each class, every build.

[Candyman]

Sadly thorns istn as good as it was since it has a small cooldown. Still nice to have since you dont have to bother about the occasional small jelly/swarmer pack annoying you