Gunner

Lore & Background

It only states that players choose one of four playable classes—Scout, Engineer, Gunner, and Driller—each with a unique loadout of weapons and tools. The game is set on the alien planet of Hoxxes IV, where dwarves work for the intergalactic mining corporation Deep Rock Galactic.

Reader's Guide

The Gunner is one of four playable classes in Deep Rock Galactic, each with a unique loadout of weapons and tools. The class system is designed so that working together to take advantage of how different capabilities interact allows teams to more efficiently navigate caves, complete objectives, and fight enemies. For example, an Engineer can shoot platforms onto cave walls while a Scout uses a grappling hook; the Gunner contributes their own specialized arsenal. Solo players can be accompanied by a flying robot called Bosco, which assists with objectives and combat.

Did You Know?

• The game entered early access on February 28, 2018, and was fully released on May 13, 2020.
• The game has sold over eight million units as of January 2024.
• Deep Rock Galactic was available to PlayStation Plus subscribers during the month of its release on PlayStation platforms.
• The game uses Unreal Engine and was made with the engine's Blueprint scripting for quick iteration.

Operational Environment

The Gunner operates within the game Deep Rock Galactic, developed by Danish studio Ghost Ship Games and published by Coffee Stain Publishing. The game is set on the alien planet of Hoxxes IV, whose caves are rich in precious minerals but filled with hostile wildlife and environmental hazards. The player controls a dwarf miner employed by Deep Rock Galactic, an intergalactic mining corporation, to extract valuable resources and operate heavy machinery. The game was fully released on May 13, 2020 for Microsoft Windows and Xbox One, later for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 in January 2022, and for Xbox Series X/S in September 2022.

Mission Protocols

Gameplay centers around missions in fully destructible, procedurally generated cave systems. Upon landing via an orbital drop pod, players must complete a mission objective such as mining resources or repairing abandoned equipment. They must fight hostile aliens, manage limited ammunition, and navigate the maze-like environment. Once the objective is completed, players start an extraction sequence, backtracking to an escape pod to safely exit with collected resources. Optional secondary objectives offer additional credits and experience. Mission types include Mining Expedition, Egg Hunt, On-site Refining, Salvage Operation, Point Extraction, Deep Scan, Escort Duty, Elimination, Industrial Sabotage, and Heavy Extraction. Each can be played on six hazard levels, with varying mission lengths and cave complexity modifiers, plus randomly assigned Anomalies and Warnings.

Character Progression

The game features various progression systems, such as new weapons, equipment upgrades, and cosmetics, that can be purchased using credits and crafting minerals obtained from missions. By completing challenges, players can acquire perks that give dwarves additional abilities, such as increased running speed. Since 2021, there have been seasonal events in which players can unlock items via a free battle pass-like system. Players can switch active seasons at any moment outside of a mission, including having no active season. All unique rewards each season contains can be obtained by playing through its corresponding season.