Deep Rock Galactic: What You Need To Know About Playing The Gunner Class
Becoming a Gunner in Deep Rock Galactic isn't exactly going to turn it into Call of Duty, but it's easy to see the appeal. As a Gunner in Deep Rock Galactic, your job is to point and shoot.
Gunners protect their team while their team does other, revenue-generating activities (mining precious gold, gem, and oil). But while it seems like a fairly direct role, Deep Rock Galactic is a unique type of co-op game with plenty of interesting strategies. With friendly-fire on (and aggressive), numerous environmental hazards, and waves after waves of enemies, Gunners still need to stay on their toes.
Everyone in Deep Rock Galactic can shoot, and often quite well. So, many might wonder why you should even play the gunner at all, especially when the other classes have such unique talents, including area of effect (AoE) damage.
To be the best Gunner in Deep Rock Galactic, you have to work on your situational awareness. You also need to choose the right loadouts, practice solid communication, and — above all — stick with your team! In other words, the gunner in Deep Rock Galactic is essentially Captain America.
What's so special about the Gunner?
To be the best gunner, you need to pay attention to your weapon upgrades. If the engineer's turret is getting more kills than you, you need to alter your loadout. An upgraded minigun or pistol may completely alter your play, and new weapons are being introduced to the game all the time.
Don't forget to use your grenades. Grenades are the gunner's primary method of causing AoE damage and can be comparable to other classes when upgraded. Also, make sure to manage your ammo. Unlike other shooters, Deep Rock Galactic can be pretty stingy on ammo. Only shoot when you know you're going to hit.
The Gunner is, after all, a combat class. But the combat in Deep Rock Galactic can be a little more "think-y" than in a lot of shooters, especially as the hazard levels rise. By far, the most common mistake people make with the Gunner class is that they don't pay attention to where their party is; your goal is to protect them!
What are the best perks for the Gunner?
Since the Gunner is a combat class, many don't realize that one of its best roles is support. Because the Gunner has a shield that it can use to pick up fallen team members, gunners often need to run in and revive. This is a major reason why the Gunner always needs to know where their party members are.
The best perks for a Gunner, according to many players, are Field Medic, Iron Will, and Weekend Athlete. With this loadout, essentially, the heavy Gunner ends up being more of a tank. When played this way, the goal is for the Gunner to never go down and also to be able to easily pick people up.
As the Gunner continues to advance, the Gunner gets all the more tanky, so that often the Gunner is the only one left alive. At that point, it's on you to not get swarmed!