Best upgrades in Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor, tier list

The Bullet Heaven genre and meta progression go hand in hand, and that’s no different with Deep Rock Galactic: Survivors. Meta progression is a fancy term for permanent upgrades, and these make subsequent runs easier. If you can’t defeat the Dreadnought or can’t even get there yet, upgrades will ensure that you do eventually. The issue is, what should you unlock first? Let me show you what to target with the best upgrades in our Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor, tier list.

Related: Best Supply Drop upgrades in Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor

Best upgrades in Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor, tier list

Upgrades in Deep Rock Galactic cover just about every stat you can imagine, and some are far more impactful than others. I recommend mining materials whenever possible, but it may be worth memorizing a couple before each run. If you can choose, here’s my list of the most impactful upgrades:

Deep Rock Galactic: Survivors Upgrades tier list

S-Tier

• Heavy Bullets
• Pocket Magnets
• Fast Learner

A-Tier

• Getting Fit
• Upgraded Armor
• Mining 101
• Better Boots
• Reload Speed

B-Tier

• Target Practice
• Me Lucky Charms
• First Aid Kit

C-Tier

• Hazard Pay

If you have the choice, the upgrades near the top are the ones I recommend prioritizing first. Before you chase me off the Drop Ship with your pickaxes, though, here’s my reasoning for the list above:

Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor tier list explained

S-Tier

S-Tier perks are the cream of the crop and offer powerful upgrades to benefit every run.

Heavy Bullets
Heavy Bullets reward the player with a significant damage increase. It’s not the flashiest Upgrade, but you’ll stay alive longer if you can keep enemy swarms at bay. Heavy Bullets increase the damage output of all your weapons and make the early game trivial, even with bad level-up rewards.

Pocket Magnets
I may rate Magnetism a little high, but the ability to grab XP while staying out of harm’s way is so valuable. In Deep Rock Galactic: Survivors, you usually die because you fall behind and can’t keep up with your enemies. Pocket Magnets ensure you continue to level up steadily and climb in power while staying safe.

Fast Learner
Tying into the value of XP, Fast Learner increases XP gain, so you level up faster. The high-tier Leveling rewards are game-changing, and Fast Learner makes it more likely you’ll get your hands on these phenomenal perks.

A-Tier

Perks in A-Tier are wonderfully strong and instantly benefit your future runs. While not as impactful as the S-Tier perks, you should grab these whenever you can.

Getting Fit
Health is hard to come by during runs, so having an extended health pool is an excellent ‘Quality of Life’ improvement. More health allows you to take risks, and explosions are less of a threat.

Upgraded Armor
In the same vein as ‘Getting Fit.’ Upgraded Armor reduces damage taken from all sources and will keep you alive for longer.

Mining 101
Mining 101 is a unique upgrade to Deep Rock Galactic: Survivors, but with riches locked inside those stone walls, it’s well worth the investment. Digging can be used to create escape routes and even choke points. Failing that, you can dig a direct way to the Drop Ship.

Better Boots
Movement Speed allows Miners to take more risks and stay ahead of the swarm. Later on, there are plenty of projectiles and explosions to avoid, and increased movement speed makes these tasks much easier. Better Boots would be an S-Tier Upgrade if the % bonuses were more significant.

Reload Speed
I would usually rate an Upgrade like this lower on a Tier List, but Reloading is painfully slow in Deep Rock Galactic: Survivors. Until they let you kill enemies with your beard, improved reload speed is a ’roundabout’ way of increasing damage output.

B-Tier

B-tier upgrades are good but have niche benefits compared to other hard-hitters on the list.

Target Practice
Target Practice improves Critical Hit chance. Crits give miners a chance to land more powerful shots, but the increase is so minimal I don’t think it’s worth prioritizing. Critical Hits are powerful, but Target Practice requires heavy investment to reap the rewards.

Me Lucky Charms
Luck is a peculiar stat in Bullet Heavens, as you can’t quantify it in the short term. Luck increases the chance you’ll encounter higher-rarity upgrades. The problem is, without numbers or extensive testing, it’s hard to say how good Me Lucky Charms is. Epic and Legendary upgrades are incredible, so it may be worth investing in Luck, but I can’t be more definite than that.

First Aid Kit
Regenerative health is usually fantastic, so why isn’t ‘First Aid Kit’ rated higher? The most threatening damage type in Deep Rock Galactic is arguably explosions and getting caught by the swarm. The health-regen granted by First Aid Kit simply isn’t good enough to protect you from damage that matters. Regen is great for fixing trash damage but less helpful outside of that.

C-Tier

Only one Upgrade finds itself in C-Tier. That’s not to say the Upgrade is terrible; it just pales compared to the others.

Hazard Pay
Credits are helpful in Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor but don’t actively benefit you during your runs. High-tier upgrades cost a decent wedge of Credits, but unless your primary focus on each run is resource farming, Credits won’t be an issue for a while. The best Upgrades on this Tier List keep you alive with a high damage output. Hazard Pay doesn’t do the same unless you’re planning on throwing your wallet at your opponents.

How do I unlock upgrades in Deep Rock Galactic: Survivors?

You can check out every available Upgrade and what materials they require from the main menu. The required materials must be mined during runs, and don’t worry, as you won’t lose it if you die. The progression system in Deep Rock Galactic: Survivors is great because you will earn everything eventually through regular gameplay.

Other Deep Rock Galactic: Survivors articles