Mastering the fundamentals is the key to reaching each elevator on time and winning the run. Note that Deep Rock Galactic: Rogue Core is currently in Early Access, so game balance may change at full release.
1. How Rogue Core Differs From Deep Rock Galactic
Rogue Core gives players a choice between several randomized weapons in every run.
The main difference in Rogue Core is the roguelite game structure. All equipment and upgrades are randomized, but permanent character progression carries over between runs. Aside from the roguelite gameplay, there are three main differences:
- Faster pace: Each level in a facility is on a timer that forces players to micro-manage every second. Failure to do even once often results in losing the whole run.
- Combat-oriented: Cave generation is more linear, so there’s less emphasis on exploration. Enemies are far more common and attack more often.
- Harder gameplay: The game’s base difficulty is compared to the original DRG’s third Hazard Level, and it grows harder from there.
2. How to Choose Mining Facilities Efficiently
The Mission Terminal shows all available mining facilities.
Hoxxes IV has countless mining facilities, each with different caves to explore and harvest. When selecting a new Facility, prioritize completing Intel Tasks to increase your Clearance Level and gain access to harder missions and new resources. Each facility is affected by four factors that determine its difficulty:
- Depth: Your main difficulty check, ranging from 1 (easiest) to 4 (hardest).
- Length: How many levels you need to clear before the run ends, ranging from 4 to 6.
- Complexity: How difficult it is to navigate the terrain, ranging from 1 (easiest) to 3 (hardest).
- Alterations: Special modifiers or challenges that always apply to a facility.
2.1. How to Interact With The Ramrod
- Operations Command: Claim each directive you’ve completed to earn Reclaimer Points. Unlike Intel Tasks, directives are much broader and don’t specifically need to be ‘targeted’.
- Enhancements: Permanent upgrades that are bought using Reclaimer Points. There are 4 tiers of Enhancements, and each tier above 1 requires enough Enhancements to be purchased to unlock. The higher the tier, the stronger the Enhancements.
- Loadout: Select your class and equip your Enhancements here. You can unlock more Enhancements by spending Reclaimer Points until you have 8 slots total.
3. Which Class Should You Choose?
There are five playable classes in Rogue Core, each with its own distinctive Ability. Duplicate class selection is prohibited, so every player on a team must choose a different class. You’ll have to get accustomed to every class to succeed.
3.1. Spotter
- Crit Dart: Hit enemies to mark them, ensuring all damage against them is a critical hit for 5 seconds. Hit the terrain to create a marked zone that lasts for 10 seconds, increasing Crit Chance against enemies within. Has 3 charges with an 18-second cooldown each.
- Sonar Radar: Automatically scans enemies and teammates within 35m every four seconds on his Sonar Radar. Activating it highlights enemies and supplies to all players for 10 seconds, and has a 24-second cooldown.
- Ranger’s Pocket: Resupply yourself or an ally with ammo. This skill recharges after using a resupply pod.
3.2. Slicer
- Slice: Slash at all enemies in front of you for exactly 560 damage (enough to kill all but the largest enemies in one hit). Has a 20-second cooldown.
- Blitz: Quickly dash in any direction (even straight up). Has a 4-second cooldown.
- Shield Belt: Protects himself and his teammates from ranged attacks for 15 seconds. Has a 90-second cooldown.
3.3. Retcon
- Rewind Time: Designate a point and state in time. After 20 seconds, she reverts to the moment Rewind Time was activated, returning your health, armor, and ammo to their original values. This occurs even if you die, and has a 75-second cooldown.
- Rage: Accumulates as you sustain damage. Once Rage is full, use it to inflict double damage for 20 seconds.
- Contingency Plan: If the mission would fail, automatically revive with full armor and health for a chance to turn things around. Only occurs once per mission.
3.4. Guardian
- Concussive Barrage: Shoots 12 concussive munitions to stun all enemies in front of the player for 6 seconds, consuming a charge.
- Repulsion Field: Repels all enemies around the player for 4 seconds per charge.
- Armor Beacon: Place a 15-second defensive zone to quickly replenish armor up to 50% of its maximum for all teammates within a 6m radius. Has a 120-second cooldown.
3.5. Falconer
- Shock Drone: Attacks and electrocutes enemies en route to the targeted location with 4 salvos inflicting 25 to 35 damage, and can be redirected at will. It has 5 charges with a 10-second cooldown each.
- Thunder Rod: Place a 15-second defensive zone to grant electrical damage to all teammates equal to their original damage within an 8m radius. Has a 120-second cooldown.
- Remote Drone Revive: Revives a downed ally from a distance with your Shock Drone. Has a 120-second cooldown.
4. How to Survive Threat Aggression
A wave of enemies will spawn when the Aggression Meter reaches a white blip.
Every run in Rogue Core has the same mission loop. To survive, you must acquire as many upgrades as possible and use the elevator before the Aggression Meter fills. The transparent diamond in the top left corner of the screen fills with a green outline over time, determining the current Aggression:
- Enemy Waves: Little white blips that dot the Aggression Meter represent exactly when a wave of enemies will swarm your team.
- Critical Threat: The maximum possible Aggression. Teams that don’t clear the level in time will be swarmed by endless hordes of enemies.
- Cosmic Nightmare Tentacles: Massive, invincible tentacles appear during Critical Threat to pull players from the ground. This takes them out of the game until one of their teammates frees them in the next level.
Enemies start coming from the ceiling if you take too long.
5. Best First-Run Survival Tips
Use the Terrain Scanner to quickly identify areas of interest. Don’t stay on it too long because the game isn’t paused.
The levels in each facility must be navigated quickly, but also carefully. It’s easy to get lost if you wander, and you could waste additional time if you drop into a place you can’t easily climb back up from. Above all else, get your bearings as much as you can:
- Illuminate your surroundings: Use your flares in earnest. They constantly regenerate and don’t interrupt other actions.
- Follow the power cable: It always leads to the elevator.
- Collect just enough Expenite: Mine as much Expenite as the time before Critical Threat permits, also counting the time it takes to call and deposit it into your drone. Even if you don’t reach an upgrade breakpoint, what you deposit carries over to the next level.
- Use your support gun: You always start with a Traversal Tool to help you navigate difficult terrain, so use it. One creates platforms, another creates ziplines, and so on.
- Scan the terrain: Your Terrain Scanner identifies all discovered areas of interest. Rotate the map so that your desired destination is directly ahead, then ‘Align to view’ to ensure you’re going in the right direction.
- Follow your team: If you’re still lost, follow your teammates. Chances are, they know where they’re going.
5.1. How to Descend Levels
Defend the generator long enough to use the elevator.
When you’re ready to leave the level, get to the elevator and hit the switch to trigger the Transit System Override. Your team must defend the nearby generator from a wave of enemies long enough for the elevator to arrive. Cooperation is crucial during the Transit System Override:
- Rush inside: Once the elevator opens, get inside as quickly as possible to save health, armor, and ammo.
- Don’t lag behind: The elevator door only closes when the last living teammate is inside, so sticking around to fight only hurts your team.
- Repair the generator: If the generator is damaged, the Override’s progress will halt. Clear out any nearby enemies, so you or an ally can repair it. Whoever works on the generator can’t move or attack, so they need protection.
6. How to Mine Expenite
Mine Expenite with your Pickaxe to receive useful upgrades.
You’ll see many deposits of green ore in each level called ‘Expenite’. Mine it with your Pickaxe until you reach your capacity, then call your drone to deposit it. Fill the bar at the top right corner of the screen to reach a ‘breakpoint’ and earn an upgrade. Be as efficient as possible when collecting Expenite:
- Higher breakpoints: The first breakpoint requires 120 Expenite, then each additional breakpoint requires 10 more.
- Kick buckets: Expenite buckets yield roughly 30+ Expenite when kicked, and spawn in open locations.
- Kill lootbugs: Expenite Lootbugs have a 5% chance to spawn as non-hostile enemies. Killing them yields a lot of Expenite.
- Expenite events: Random events can spawn on any level. If completed, they yield a lot of Expenite.
7. How to Prioritize Assets
Munition crates replenish ammo and armor for the whole team.
Keep an eye out for interactable assets such as crates, workbenches, and terminals. These give you new equipment, improve existing gear, or upgrade your class Ability. Most assets are chosen from a list, which you and your teammates all pick from:
- Munition Crates: Restore your armor and ammo by 50% of their maximum values, and have charges up to the number of players (up to 4). Prioritize if you need ammo and/or armor.
- Armor Crates: Same as a Munition Crate, minus the ammo. Prioritize if you only need armor.
- Workbenches: Use a workbench to pin the toolbox’s location, then retrieve it and bring it back to the workbench. The toolbox will slow its holder and render them unable to attack, so their teammates must protect them. Upon success, each player can upgrade their weapon or ability, or gain a new weapon. High priority.
Bio Booster upgrades are stronger than Expenite upgrades.
- Bio Boosters: Hack into them to begin a mini-game involving cutting a red and blue wire. Properly time your inputs to complete the mini-game and get a choice between one of two class-related upgrades. High priority.
- Data Terminals: Read the terminal screen and press the corresponding buttons on each side of the terminal to unlock it. Each option looks similar, so you’ll need to focus. Upon success, all points of interest are revealed to your Terrain Scanner, and you earn some Reclaimer Points. High priority.
- Security Cameras: Cameras are found in isolated locations. Collect them to earn Reclaimer Points. Low priority.
- Cosmetic Boxes: Cosmetics are typically earned on the final level of a facility, just before the Gatekeeper. Low priority, but acquiring it only takes a couple of seconds.
7.1. How to Negotiate Assets
You earn a temporary upgrade after collecting enough Expenite, which lasts for the duration of the mission.
The only time that gameplay is paused is during a negotiation, which occurs when a new piece of equipment or upgrade is earned. All players on a team must decide among themselves which asset they want. The order in which players pick an asset is randomized:
- Prioritize personal synergy: Players don’t share assets, so don’t immediately pick the ‘best’ one for yourself. Choose which effects synergize with your current build instead.
- Use the heart icon: Click the heart icon to signal your preferred asset to your team.
- Sharing is caring: If you already have a powerful asset, let one of your teammates claim the next one.
7.2. How to Choose the Right Risk Vector
Players choose between two or three Risk Vectors while transitioning between each level.
Risk Vectors are unique modifiers that are chosen after reaching the elevator in a level. Each Risk Vector contains a Risk and Reward that affects the rest of the run. As with assets, negotiate with your team to determine which Vector has the better Reward (or less harmful Risk).
- Prioritize synergy: Pick the Vector that synergizes with your team’s current loadouts. For example, Invisible Enemies pose little threat against a team that can mark enemies quickly.
- Luck is best picked early: Luck grants higher item rarities, so it’s best to pick it as soon as possible to maximize its usefulness.
8. Solo Mode Tips for Surviving
- Mark unreachable minerals: Use your Laser Pointer to direct Cooper to harvest Expenite or Red Sugar.
- Mark priority enemies: Use your Laser Pointer to direct Cooper to attack powerful enemies.
- Remain cautious: Cooper revives you up to three times per mission as a safety net. Don’t be reckless (unless you’re playing Retcon and have Rewind Time at the ready).
- Pick the ‘best’ assets: Unlike co-op, there’s nobody to share assets with, so you’re free to take all the rarest ones for yourself. Additionally, Cooper can be upgraded with certain assets.
- Watch the Aggression Meter: This also applies in co-op mode, but it’s especially important here. If it reaches Critical Threat, the enemies will swarm only you, not the robots.
9. Common Beginner Mistakes to Avoid
You don’t need Red Sugar at full Health.
In a four-player co-op game, your team is only as strong as your weakest player. Avoid these beginner mistakes because each one wastes time, drains team resources, or makes elevator fights harder than they need to be:
- Playing like DRG: You don’t get to relax in Rogue Core like you can in Deep Rock Galactic.
- Fully clearing levels: This eats up too much time.
- Mining useless minerals: Any ore vein aside from Expenite (green) and Red Sugar (red) yields nothing.
- Collecting redundant resources: Don’t open a Munitions Box with full armor and ammunition.
- Ignoring class role: Spotters that don’t reveal, Guardians that don’t protect, and so on are useless to their team.
- Forgetting about loadouts: Enhancements don’t apply unless they’re equipped.
- Ignoring teammates: You can’t win alone. Even when playing Solo Mode, you still have robots.
- ‘Stealing’ all the best assets: Doing so deprives your teammates of much-needed weapons and upgrades for their build.
