Best Upgrades To Prioritize In Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor

Just like most other Vampire Survivors-like games, Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor is a very difficult survival game. And again, just like most other games in this niche sub-genre, Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor has a way for players to permanently buff their Dwarfs outside of a run.

On the main menu of this game is an ‘Upgrade’ option where players can spend their hard-earned cash and the minerals they’ve farmed throughout multiple runs (such as Jadiz, Enor Pearls, Bismor, Croppa, Magnite, and Umanite) to permanently increase their base stats. However, among the 12 stats they can increase, there are ones that are absolutely worth upgrading first over other options.

Damage

Probably The Most Obvious Inclusion

Damage output is by far the most important stat to pay attention to in most games, and this is especially true for games similar to Vampire Survivors. The more damage a player outputs, the faster their enemies die, and the safer they’ll feel exploring the map, mining, and completing objectives. Additionally, DRG: S is a notably difficult game, but one that becomes a whole lot easier to handle once players purchase even just 3 or 4 of the Damage upgrades.

Players don’t need to go ‘all-in’ on the Damage Upgrades right away, but getting at least a couple of notches invested in is worth doing as early as possible. Once this stat is maxed out, players will notice that they’re able to clear the screen of enemies almost completely more often, which will allow them to farm Nitra, Gold, or other resources to their heart’s content in relative safety.

Pickup Radius

Easier Levels & Less Risky Movement

This next choice is a tad controversial, as some fans of these types of games swear by Pickup Radius improvements while others recommend ignoring them. Essentially, the larger one’s Pickup Radius is, the further they can be from items or EXP on the ground before it’s siphoned into their player character.

And, every inch of space matters in DRG: S as a player who makes one miscalculation in their movement will have to pray that they can survive wading through a horde of Glyphids and come out the other side alive. So, if a few Upgrades into Pickup Radius are all it takes for players to level with relative safety during a run, that’s a small price to pay. Plus, there are a lot of times in DRG: S where players are near death and can see some Red Sugar on the ground right in front of them, but there are some deadly Glyphids between them and said Sugar. With a buff to their Pickup Radius, they’ll often just be able to pick up this Sugar ‘through’ the Glyphid without having to fully risk their run.

Move Speed

For More Efficient Farming & Objective Clearing

Movement Speed is an important stat in just about any roguelike game, especially so in Vampire Survivor-likes. The faster a player can get around the map, the easier it’ll be able to run circles around enemies, reach vital healing items, and complete objectives. And, DRG: S is a game that’s designed to be just as claustrophobic-feeling as the original Deep Rock Galactic, which means there’s not a ton of free space to run around.

So, invest in Move Speed early, as much as possible, as it’ll make just about every action in this game noticeably faster. To give an example, for the sub-missions in DRG: S such as finding Apoca Blooms or Boolo Caps, having an innate buff to Move Speed can make these tasks a whole lot easier to complete consistently in the first minute or so of a new level.

Mining Speed

Better Escape Options and Faster Material Farming

While players can get by in Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor without mining very much at all, they’ll find that actively mining while fighting off the Glyphids is the most beneficial for getting as strong of a build as possible as well as getting materials for permanent upgrades. And, on mining-focused classes like the Driller, a few Mining Speed buffs can make them tear through cave walls like butter.

Not only that but having a higher Mining Speed also means that players can rely on mining through walls to escape getting trapped by enemies more reliably. So, of course, it makes sense to invest in permanent buffs to the Mining Speed stat, though getting it to around 6 percent should be enough until players have sufficiently invested enough in the other important upgrades.

XP Gain

Literally Just Means More Levels in a Run Overall

This next inclusion is probably a no-brainer for most people experienced with these types of games, but permanent buffs to XP Gain are a huge bonus to invest in. The faster a Dwarf levels up, the more levels they can accumulate in a run, and the stronger their build becomes. A player who has 8 upgrades at the start of stage 2 is a whole lot stronger than one that has just 5 upgrades at the start of stage 2, as every single level upgrade in this game has a pretty immediate noticeable effect.

Additionally, if players level faster, they’ll be able to get more weapon upgrades faster, access overclocks, and potentially even clear out enemies faster. This also makes the initial grind of ‘unlocking’ the overclock mechanic for each weapon individually a lot less tedious, though it doesn’t get rid of this tedium entirely.

Luck

More Luck = More Epic & Legendary Upgrades

Luck is another stat the players should be constantly saving up the money and resources to invest in. While it may not be entirely clear at a glance, Luck essentially makes it so that the more ‘rare’ mid-run weapon and player upgrades such as Legendary Upgrades to a weapon’s Reload Speed or a Legendary Upgrade to the player’s Crit Chance appear more often. Essentially, the higher their luck is, the more often players will be seeing blue, purple, and even red upgrades offered to them.

Thankfully, players can also upgrade their Luck mid-run with certain level upgrade options, but a baseline upgrade to this stat is much more beneficial overall. By doing it this way, players will have the opportunity to get rarer upgrade options very early on in a run without having to be lucky enough to stumble upon a Luck-based level upgrade.

Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor was released on February 14th, 2024, and is available on PC.