Deep Rock Galactic, a game by Ghost Ship Games, combines the familiar with the novel. For those who have played Minecraft, traversing vast mines in quest of ores is a familiar sensation; fighting off waves of charging monsters as best you can is reminiscent of numerous horde games. Deep Rock Galactic, on the other hand, achieves gameplay that, despite its familiarity, seems refreshing. Dwarves who mine the stars aren't exactly common, either.
The game throws you in straight away, teaching you the basics over the radio from someone who has abysmally little faith in you, and then the mining begins. Even if you know the basics, you might benefit from a few more tips when it comes to exploring Hoxxes IV's mines.
1. Dig Away
While the infinite mines in the game are dynamically produced, there's no assurance that the wall you're digging at will have another cave behind it. Rather, check around to see whether there's any dirt in the flare's brilliance. If there is one, there's a good possibility there's a cave behind it that's riddled with some of the Morkite needed to satisfy the mission's quota. Plus, much like Left 4 Dead, there's no need to stay in the same area for too long because enemy waves will appear if you wait too long. So go pick a spot of soil and start chopping away at it.
2. Complete All Missions
There's a secondary objective for every primary objective, and it's well worth the effort. Before the mission is finished and it's time to book it back to the drop pod, players can seek for Alien Fossils (10 required each time) or Apoca Blooms in addition to hunting down Morkite and looking for alien eggs. Grabbing a beer back at the station can wait – extra credits and XP are waiting. Whether the additional credits go to the bartender or not, the XP is always appreciated and required. Take your time and make the potentially life-threatening quest worthwhile.
3. Be Cautious Using Flares
Caves are dark and difficult to navigate. That will become brutally evident after a few hours of Minecraft. Aside from the aliens who follow you down with a zombie-like intensity on Hoxxes, the caverns are no less clever in the hazards they provide. As a result, keep an eye out for flares. They're not limitless; in fact, they're pretty restricted, so players may be tempted to just shuffle around in low light rather than fire another flare.
Don't succumb to the pressure. There are holes waiting to be dropped into in the darkness, and the worst thing for a four-man mining machine is being separated from one of its own. To avoid a direct shot into the darkness, make sure the path is illuminated.
4. Know Where You Are
This may appear straightforward, given that players must return to the drop pod to complete the assignment, but there's more to it than that. The game includes a high-resolution 3-D map that allows the miner to see a miniature reproduction of the region around them. This allows you to easily examine the size of a particularly dark and vast region and ensure that no wall is left unchecked for gleaming ores.
The map can also be useful in more stressful situations. When being pursued by a swarm of aliens into a room with a strange structure, consult the map to see if there's a way to lead them around a rock formation and back to the drop pod. There isn't always enough time to stand and fight.
5. Make Waypoints For Easy Travel
It's critical for players to not only know where they are at any given time, but also where they've been. Because each region in Deep Rock Galactic is randomly created, it's critical for players to be able to recognise when they encounter specific ores or mark specific areas that they may need to return to later in a mission.
Fortunately, there is a helpful Waypoint system that many newcomers may ignore. To get to it, gamers must first take out their Laser Pointer (which can be done by pressing and holding CTRL on the keyboard). This useful equipment can ping other players and assist in the identification of ores and adversaries, but it may also leave a Waypoint wherever it is pointing if players press the E key while the Laser Pointer is out.
6. Carve Out Paths
Destructible surroundings, which haven't been as much fun since Battlefield Bad Company 2, are one of the best things about DRG. Blow a hole in the rock wall or construct a stairway leading up to a hard-to-reach vein of Gold are just two examples of how to take use of the environment. If the opening into the next cave is too tiny for the entire crew to pass through, it's time to summon the Engineer and have him blast it open in preparation for the return journey.
Though there may be a specific ore to locate for the mission, or an objective unrelated to sparkling objects, there are other ores worth chopping the walls out for and dumping into the M.U.L.E. as one progresses deeper into the mines.
7. Avoid Falling
DRG's procedurally created levels may be loaded with a variety of hazards. Players will be need to explore narrow passageways and dig through enormous walls of dirt in several of the tasks they will undertake. There will be occasions, though, when players must jump chasms or reach regions that are "high above the earth below." Players may negotiate these scenarios in a variety of ways, but one of the most crucial aspects that newcomers sometimes ignore is the fact that DRG has fall damage.
Not only is there fall damage, but it may also be rather harsh in some situations. When on a quest, players need constantly be cautious to prevent plummeting to their deaths.
8. Be Mindful When Firing
Friendly Fire is another unknown damage kind that many players may ignore, similar to Fall Damage. It's very feasible to take out a teammate by hitting or shooting them repeatedly, so staying aware of where teammates are at all times is critical.
When battling small groups of adversaries, it's quite easy to avoid downing a friendly, but it's far more difficult to "keep everyone accounted for" when facing a monster. Things can get so frenetic that players unintentionally kill a teammate while firing blindly at the boss. The key to keeping your companions safe from your shooting is to know where they are.
9. It's All About Team Work
When a four-man group is assembled and everyone has a microphone, DRG is at its finest. Although it is possible to play alone, and the dwarves themselves do fill the quiet with wisecracks and side remarks, the AI companion that goes along does not provide the game with the same interesting unpredictability that other players provide. Furthermore, AI has nothing to offer in terms of learning new things, which is critical.
Playing with a solid squad is the greatest way to improve at DRG. Finding spelunking veterans on Hoxxes is a beneficial experience for new players, as they'll learn not just the game's mechanics, but also how to operate more efficiently as a team and maximise the value of each mission. When everyone is in the caverns, nothing is left undone.
10. Make Sure To Upgrade
Hoxxes has no lack of threats to offer, and it isn't afraid to turn the heat up whenever necessary. The game becomes increasingly difficult as the caverns become longer, the aliens become more powerful and numerous, and there is never enough ammo. What should I do? Upgrade. While merely playing the game can help players improve their ability to deal with alien waves, at some point that is no longer enough.
Instead, each class has upgrades for weapons and equipment. Do the secondary goals, grab as much as you can from the caverns, then return to the station to improve your dwarf mining skills over the previous time you went down.
11. Hunt With A Full Squad
Some of the finest methods to fight back alien hordes while playing in a full squad with all four classes is to use the individual talents of each class in combination; notably, the combined skills of the Engineer and the Scout. The Scout possesses a grappling pistol to reach those unattainable spots, while the Engineer has a platform-making cannon that can be shot almost anyplace.
When the alien hordes get particularly raucous and numerous, have the Engineer build a platform higher up on the wall to which the Scout may zipline. The Scout can then assist in lowering them from above. Alternatively, if an alien army is approaching, fire a platform at a tiny cave entrance to stop them in their tracks.
In each Dwarven mining crew, everyone has a certain job to fulfil. Players can choose from the Engineer, Scout, Gunner, and Driller to form a well-rounded team capable of taking on any assignment. Unlike other games with four-man squads, however, each side does not needed to include one of each class.
Everyone has a role to play in Deep Rock Galactic, but no one can decide what that part will be. Players can have a squad of two Engineers and two Gunners, or an all Scout-based squad. There are several combinations, each with its own set of problems, so it's critical to figure out which class each of the four players excels in before diving in.
