Deep Rock Galactic: This is not a drill.

The driller, despite the name, is anything but boring (get it?😂). Here is my experience using this class.

Playing as the driller you quickly realize that walls are there to be utilized. Need to get Enor pearls in the roof? Drill a spiral walkway to the top. Dreadnoughts boxing you in? Drill a foxhole so you can outflank it. Mule scaling up a vertical wall on its way back to the drop pod? Drill a straight line to the ship and have a beer while you wait for the Molly to arrive!

Of course, it’s not all rock and roses with this class. You need to be wary of fuel use, overheating and where you drill. Nothing is as embarrassing as falling to death because you didn’t use the scanner every few seconds to see where you are going. When it comes to combat the driller uses less conventional weapons when compared to the other classes.

Weapons

CRSPR Flamethrower

You start with this cruel dispenser of napalm as your default weapon. It is very effective against hordes of bugs and can set them on fire making them take damage over time. The flames also attach to surfaces damaging creatures that stray over it. It combines well with the neuro toxin grenade which dispenses flammable poison gas for the impatient dwarf.

Cryo Canon

Next up is a weapon that would bring a tear to the eye of Sub-Zero himself. The freeze ray freezes enemies (obviously) but the beauty being that when they’re frozen, they take massive damage. The Impact Axe shatters large frozen Glyphids in seconds.

Damage	6 Frost
Max Ammo	500
Rate of Fire	8 per second
Cold Reach	10 metres
Re-Pressurization Time	1 second
Maximum Pressure	4.5
Pressure Drop	0.7 per second
Pressure Gain	0.9 per second

Corrosive Sludge Pump

My nickname in high school but that’s another story. This weapon has two fire modes. Tapping the fire button will fire a single ball of sludge or when holding the fire button and releasing the weapon will fire a sludge bomb that causes several fragments to fly out upon impact. It sticks to the target doing damage over time and is very effective against armour. It also creates puddles that damages any enemies that walk over it.

Damage	25
Charged Area Damage	50
Magazine Size	25
Max Ammo	100
Reload Time	3 seconds
Charged Shot Ammo Use	5
Charged Fragment Damage	5
Charged Fragment Count	8
Effects Duration	4
Puddle Lifespan	12

Secondary weapons include a semi-automatic handgun and a plasma charger that fires single shots of plasma or one large ball when the trigger is held down.

The equipment the driller uses includes the drills and satchel charges (useful for making craters or egging people on that don’t seem to be in a hurry to get into the drop pod).

Lasty, we have throwables. First up is the Impact Axe. It travels slowly in an arch, so you’ll need to lead the target. It does excellent damage against weak points and frozen enemies. A must have when using the Cryo Canon.

Secondly is the Neurotoxin Grenade which creates a gas cloud reducing enemies movement speed and dealing gradual damage to them over time. Use it alongside the flamethrower because the gas is flammable.

And thirdly we have a run-of-the-mill HE Grenade. Boring.

Conclusion

You have two choices in this game. Whittle away at a wall with a puny pickaxe or watch it melt with your drills. Also I’m very biased and won’t mention that the weapons are less effective against robots.

For a proper review of the game, read Wayne’s review.