"So what if I like really big guns?"

There's a reason that most video games limit miniguns to brief moments and levels contained to story modes and campaigns. That reason is that they’re just too OP.  Miniguns turn otherwise difficult enemies into nothing more than flies that you swat with hundreds and hundreds of bullets. Some people will say “being too OP ruins the game” but that's B.S. and we all know it. Being OP is fun as hell, and in a cooperative game like Deep Rock Galactic, there's literally no reason not to be OP.  So, here are the top three builds for the minigun-wielding maniac of Deep Rock himself: The Gunner.

3. The Begunner

 (Video Credit: ReapeeRon)

It can be majorly annoying to jump into a new video game and not be able to keep up with your fellow players because you haven't unlocked everything yet. Sure, you'll unlock these upgrades eventually, but what about right now? This build is designed to use the starting equipment for the Gunner. This way, you can jump right into the game and start kicking butt with no delay. 

The first primary weapon for the Gunner is the "Lead Storm" Powered Minigun. This is, potentially, the most powerful first weapon in the entire game. So you're going to want a build that brings out its full potential. Some quirks of the “Lead Storm” include: the longer you fire the minigun the more accurate your aim becomes and you can keep firing until your gun overheats. This will trigger a cool-down time, rendering your weapon useless until the time is up. These mechanics work as a trade-off to the fact that you’ll never have to reload the “Lead Storm”. 

The first modification you want to choose is “Improved Platform Stability”, which will decrease your spread by 75%. Next, “Oversized Drum” will give you 600 more bullets. You may think 2400 is already more than enough, but you'll be thankful to have this extra 600. Trust us. “Blow Through Rounds” will allow your bullets to penetrate enemies and hit targets behind them,  making this mini cannon a hoard melting machine. The final modifications you should choose are “Lighter Barrel Assembly” and “Cold As The Grave”. These two mods minimize the minigun’s inherent downsides by reducing the spin-up time needed before you actually start firing and providing you with the ability to slightly cool down your minigun with every bug you kill. With the number of Glyphids you’ll be decimating, you can bet the “Lead Storm” will stay just as cool as you’ll feel using it.

If you thought the minigun was a super-powered starter weapon, wait till you get a load of the "Bulldog" Heavy Revolver, the Gunner’s starting secondary weapon. It's essentially a pocket-sized sniper rifle. This hand cannon only holds four bullets at a time, so your first modification should be “Quick Fire Ejector” to reduce reload times. At the second and fourth tiers, take the “Expanded Ammo Bags”, you're going to want to be able to one-shot as many bugs as you can, and for that, you'll need extra ammo. Having careful aim is key to using the "Bulldog", so you’ll want to pick up “Hollow Point Bullets”  to increase your damage when hitting an enemy's weak spot. And for the few times when you miss that weak spot, “Neurotoxin Coating” will poison your enemy. It might take a little while longer for them to die, but you’ll still only need one shot.

The Shield Generator is perhaps the most important support tool in Deep Rock. Throwing down your shield can buy you precious seconds of safety. Seconds you can use to revive downed teammates, resupply, or hold your ground to fend-off groups of enemies. There are many different approaches to choosing a loadout for the Shield Generator. The method used in this build aims to give you as much time as possible inside of your shield. Choose the modifications “Improved Projector”, “Larger Capacitors”, and “Improved Efficiency”.  These will give your shield an extra three seconds of run time and increase your shield radius by half a meter. 

The Gunner’s traversal tool, the Zipline Launcher, can be a bit limiting. But if used correctly, it can provide you an aerial view of the whole battlefield and a safe space to rain down pain upon your foes. As far as modifications go, “Reinforced Cables” and “Reinforced Anchors” increase your zipline’s length to 50 meters. This is very helpful when exploring large, complex caves in search of precious minerals. When traveling down a zipline, you can slide down at breakneck speeds to escape danger. Increase that speed with the “Increased Motor Traction” modification.

The first grenade available to the Gunner is the Sticky Grenade. It's exactly what it sounds like, a typical frag grenade that sticks to anything you throw it at. The “BARRACUDA” Armor uses a build that you'll see more than once on this list and others. That build will from here on out be referred to as the 3,2,1,3. More on that later.  

To finish it all off, the three passive perks for “The Begunner” are “Thorns”, “Resupplier”, and “Strong Arm”. “Thorns” to protect you from swarmers,  “Resupplier” to give yourself some extra time when resupplying inside of your shield, and “Strong Arm” to be able to throw heavy minerals farther while you’re sliding down your ziplines. The active perks here are two of the best perks for beginners,  “Dash” and “Heightened Senses”. These two can get you out of a lot of sticky situations when used correctly.  

What The Begunner Excels In: 

• Early game accessibility
• General use
• Minimizing the downsides of your otherwise powerful weapons

Build details: 

• "Lead Storm" Powered Minigun, Modifications: 3,1,3,2,2 Overclock: None
• "Bulldog" Heavy Revolver, Modifications: 1,3,3,1,2 Overclock: None
• Shield Generator, Modifications: 2,2,3 
• Zipline Launcher, Modifications: 3,1,2
• Grenade: Sticky Grenade
• “BARRACUDA” Armor Rig, Modifications: 3,2,1,3
• Perks: Thorns, Resupplier, Strong Arm, Dash, Heightened Senses

2. The Carpet Bomber

(Video Credit:Siirvend)

One thing is certain in Deep Rock Galactic,  you will be fighting hundreds of bugs, wave after wave after wave. A swarm is a sure thing in the caves of Hoxxes IV. As the Gunner, it's your job to tear through those waves. This builds specializes in just that, taking out as many weaker enemies as you possibly can. Trading direct damage for splash damage, “The Carpet Bomber” is a build to be reckoned with.

 The primary weapon for this build is the "Thunderhead" Heavy Autocannon. Unlike the minigun, the “Thunderhead” does require you to reload, but with no overheating mechanic, you're free to blast away to your murderous little heart's content. The idea behind this “Thunderhead” build is to pump the area of effect and area damage of the autocannon to its absolute limit. To achieve this, the modifications “Loaded Rounds” and “Shrapnel Rounds” are paired with the “Carpet Bomber” overclock. With this combo, aim at the center of the swarm and take out as many bugs as possible, with no accuracy necessary. Pick up the “Improved Gas System” mod in the second tier to boost your rate of fire and don't forget the “Expanded Ammo Bags” in Tier one.  This build is great for taking out huge numbers of weaker enemies but is absolutely terrible when focusing fire on larger enemies.  Do not bring this build on Dreadnaught missions.

To make up for the autocannon's lack of direct damage, the BRT7 Burst Fire Gun is built to deal as much damage to stronger targets as possible. This way, if you come face-to-face with a Praetorian or an Oppressor, you're not S.O.L for going with A.O.E. on your primary. “High Velocity Rounds” and “Increase Caliber Rounds” will raise the BRT’s direct damage per bullet by six. “Longer Burst” adds three more bullets per burst to multiply that damage even more.  The “Lead Spray” overclock multiplies your damage by 1.5, bringing the total damage per shot up from 21 to 40! In the fourth tier, “Hardened Rounds” will add armor breaking to your weapon. While “Recoil Dampening” increases your accuracy a bit, don't try to hit far-off targets, this build has turned the BRT7 into a close-range weapon.

This Shield Generator has been outfitted for an all-purpose, well-rounded experience.  By taking one of each of the main shield properties (faster recharge, longer shield duration, and larger shield radius), you get a shield that’s a “jack of all trades”, so to speak..  Instead of doubling down on the zipline length like in “The Begunner”, this build takes a well-rounded approach here as well. One mod for increasing the distance, one for increasing the operational angle, and, finally, the “Disconnection Protection” modification. “Disconnection Protection” lets you take less damage when you fall off a zipline, which can happen a lot as a Gunner. While firing from a zipline protects you from ground enemies, being hit with a projectile will cause you to disconnect from your zipline and fall, no matter how high up you are. Making this mod a literal lifesaver.

The grenade chosen for this build is the Cluster Grenade, just to lean even harder into the whole “swarm-busting” theme. For the “BARRACUDA”  Armor, it’s yet again time to go with the trusty “3,2,1,3” build. 3,2,1,3 refers to the slots that the modifications for this loadout are in on each tier. This is often considered the optimal build for any of the dwarves' armor. “Bigger Mineral Bags” increases your carrying capacity, “Healthy” increases your max health, “Reactive Armor” doubles your resistance to explosive damage, and “Breathing Room” gives you six seconds of invulnerability after being revived. 

The two most important perks for this build are “Born Ready”, to keep you from having to sit through the Thunderhead’s lengthy reload animation, and “Friendly”, which reduces friendly fire damage. With the amount of splash damage you’ll be causing, you’re bound to hit your teammates eventually. Other perks for this build are Resupplier, Dash, and Shield Link. 

What The Carpet Bomber Excels In:

• Splash damage
• Defending in tight spaces
• Spray and pray

Build details: 

• "Thunderhead" Heavy Autocannon, Modifications: 3,2,2,2,3 Overclock: Carpet Bomber
• BRT7 Burst Fire Gun, Modifications: 1,1,2,1,2 Overclock: Lead Spray
• Shield Generator, Modifications: 1,2,1 
• Zipline Launcher, Modifications: 2,1,1
• Grenade: Cluster Grenade
• “BARRACUDA” Armor Rig, Modifications: 3,2,1,3
• Perks: Friendly, Born Ready, Resupplier, Dash, Shield Link

1.  The Spicy Combo

(Video Credit: Scuzz MB)

In real life, when you come face-to-face with a nasty, disgusting, demonic-looking insect that’s the size of your hand, there's only one solution. Kill it with fire. That’s the rationale behind “The Spicy Combo”. Using the "Hurricane" Guided Rocket System (a *ahem* “portable” rocket launcher that allows you to guide your missiles through the air) to ignite your enemies and then finishing them off with the"Bulldog" Heavy Revolver overclock “Volatile Bullets”, which does four times it’s damage to enemies that are on fire. This combo is just too powerful.

The loadout for the "Hurricane" Guided Rocket System starts by increasing the blast radius, then adding armor breaking to strip stronger enemies of their shells and expose their weak points. This is crucial for later. Then, improve your rate of fire with the “Improved Feed Mechanism” mod and increase your area damage with the “Zip Fuel” mod. All of these improvements are helpful, but this build hinges on one mod in particular, “Napalm Infused Rounds”. This fiery mod converts 30% of your direct and area damage into heat damage. After a couple of hits with your rockets, enemies will be lit ablaze, dealing fire damage over time. The overclock “Overtuned Feed Mechanism” will increase both your rate of fire and the speed at which your rockets fly. This, however, is all just set up for your secondary weapon.

 Here is where “The Spicy Combo” actually gets spicy.  The “Bulldog” overclock “Volatile Bullets” does 300% more damage to enemies that are on fire!  With the "Hurricane" lighting your enemies on fire and removing their armor, the “Bulldog” is free to hit their weak points and do a  clinically insane amount of damage with just one bullet. For smaller enemies, the "Hurricane" will take care of them just fine, but when it comes to Praetorian, Oppressors, Dreadnoughts, and Detonators, this strategy can make killing the strongest enemies in Deep Rock Galactic feel childishly easy. Mods for the “Bulldog” include “Perfectly Balanced” and “Expanded Ammo Bags” to help improve your aim and increase your ammo capacity. “High Velocity Rounds” adds back the ten direct damage that “Volatile Bullets” takes away. Explosive Rounds add 30 area damage to each shot. The last ingenious little trick built into “The Spicy Combo’s” “Bulldog” is also included in “The Begunner”: “Neurotoxin Coating”.  If, for whatever reason, you don't absolutely decimate an enemy with this combo, just give it a second and the poison will do its job.

The Incendiary grenades are the obvious choice for “The Spicy Combo”, adding a whole new way to light your enemies on fire. Go with the same Shield Generator loadout as “The Begunner” and with the same Zipline Launcher loadout as “The Carpet Bomber”. The perks for this build are general-purpose perks. They don't necessarily synergize with the rest of this build,  but they're all excellent choices in their own right. “Deep Pockets” expands you're carrying capacity, “Beast Master” lets you tame a Glyphid Grunt and turn it into a “Steeve” who will fight for you. “It's A Bug Thing” causes Lootbugs to explode when you walk past them. This is sort of just a quality-of-life improvement, but a nice one to keep your expanded pockets full of Nitra and Gold.  The other two perks are “Born Ready” and “Dash”, two of the most helpful perks in the game.

Instead of our trustee 3,2,1,3 loadout for the “BARRACUDA” Armor, this build focuses on maximizing the power of your personal shield. Your shield (not the shield from the Sheild Generator, but the blue health bar above your main, red health bar) can take several hits before you start to lose any health. So, by making it as strong as possible, you can take quite a few hits before you even start to get hurt. The “Improve Generator” lets your shield regenerate sooner after it's been broken. “Overcharger” gives your shield more durability before it breaks. In tier three, “Reactive Armor” is the only choice you have. And last but not least, “Shockwave” damages all enemies around you when your shield breaks, giving you a chance to escape or kill any enemies that are giving you a hard time.

What The Spicy Combo Excels In:

• Heat Damage
• Slaying powerful enemies
• Killing enemies weak to fire

Build details: 

• "Hurricane" Guided Rocket System, Modifications: 3,2,2,2,1 Overclock: Overtuned Feed Mechanism
• "Bulldog" Heavy Revolver, Modifications: 2,3,2,2,2 Overclock: Volatile Bullets
• Shield Generator, Modifications: 2,2,3 
• Zipline Launcher, Modifications: 2,1,1
• Grenade: Incendiary Grenades
• “BARRACUDA” Armor Rig, Modifications: 1,1,1,1
• Perks: It's a Bug Thing, Deep Pockets, Born Ready, Dash, Beast Master

Wholesome, Murdurous Fun

What makes the Gunner unique compared to all the other classes is simple: There's nothing quite like firing a really big gun. It's just a plain ol’ good time.  Feel free to use these builds on any mission in Deep Rock Galactic or use them as starting points to customize your own unique Gunner load-outs. With Deep Rock’s ever-expanding weapons arsenal, cosmetics closet, and seasonal rewards, there are endless ways to make these builds your own. Just remember, “It ain't a gun if it don't weigh at least one hundred pounds!"

You may also be interested in:

[Top 10] Deep Rock Galactic Best Weapons That Are Powerful

Deep Rock Galactic Best Perks That Are Excellent

Deep Rock Galactic Best Class - What Should You Play?

Deep Rock Galactic Best Engineer Builds That Wreck Hard!

Deep Rock Galactic Best Gunner Builds That Wreck Hard!