Last Updated on by Samuel Franklin
These DRG Engineer builds optimise your turrets, area control, platforms and damage support for the highest hazard levels. Including different primary, secondary and equipment options for playstyle preferences these tips are based on my hundreds of deep dives as the Engineer.
For generalist play I recommend players start with a Warthog (1/2/3/2/2) and Deepcore (3/1/2/2/2) combo with other alternatives detailed below.
Table of Contents:
– Builds Overview
– Primary Weapon Builds
– Secondary Weapon Builds
– Equipment
– Throwables
– Team Role & Tips
Best Engineer Builds Overview
I recommend these Engineer weapon builds for primary and secondary weapon combinations:
- Warthog & Deepcore: Best beginner loadout and ideal for Mining Expedition, Salvage Operation and Escort Duty.
- Lok-1 & Breach Cutter: Longer caves and higher enemy counts for Mining Expedition, Egg Hunt, On-Site Refining and Point Extraction.
- Stubby & Shard: High single target focused damage output for Elimination or Industrial Sabotage.
These are my recommended default weapon configurations:
Primary Weapon Options:
- Primary (Warthog): 1/2/3/2/2 – Easy and effective close ranged weapon
- Primary (Stubby): 1/1/1/1/1 – Fast firing electrocute (slowing) weapon for damage and control
- Primary (Lok-1): 2/2/2/1/2 – Area of effect damage by focusing on aim lock mechanic
Secondary Weapon Options:
- Secondary (Deepcore):Â 3/1/2/2/2 – Balanced explosive area of effect and extra ammo
- Secondary (Breach Cutter):Â 1/3/1/2/3 – Improved projectile beam adds forgiveness to usage
- Secondary (Shard Diffractor):Â 2/1/1/2/3 – Focus on hard armour piercing single target damage
Other Equipment:
- Equipment (Platform Gun): 1/1/1 – Optimise ammo and fall damage reduction
- Equipment (LMG Gun Platform): 2/2/2/1 – Fast to deploy single turret with improved targeting
- Armour (Owl Rig): 1/2/1/1
- Throwable: Proximity Mine or Shredder Swarm
Primary Weapon Builds
Your primary weapon options have diverse use cases and offer reasonable damage output once particular modifications are unlocked. Playstyle options include the shotgun focused on enemy weak point stuns, the SMG specialising in electric shock chance and your smart rifle that provides enhanced automatic targeting.
“Warthog” Auto 210: Your base Engineer weapon is easy to use and effective at close range although reliant on modifications before it is a reliable default weapon. There are many ways to build this weapon with direct DPS through damage, rate of fire and reduced reload time ideal. While you can design this weapon with reduced spread for longer range fights this is not the intended use for the shotgun archetype.
- Tier 1 – Supercharged Feed Mechanism
- Tier 2 – Loaded Shells
- Tier 3 – High Capacity Magazine or Quickfire Ejector
- Tier 4 – Bigger Pellets
- Tier 5 – Miner Adjustments
- Overclock – Mini Shells or Magnetic Pellet Alignment or Light-Weight Magazines
“Stubby” Voltaic SMG: A fast firing primary that adds electrocute status for damage over time and slows enemies for light crowd control. This SMG allows the Engineer to play a run and gun style with the correct Stubby build although this weapon suffers from low magazine capacity, damage per shot and general handling that make it restricted to close ranged combat. I recommend you either invest heavily in damage and magazine size or play into the electrocution theme of this weapon entirely and don’t mix and match these two options.
- Tier 1 – Increased Calibre Rounds or Upgraded Capacitors
- Tier 2 – High Capacity Magazine
- Tier 3 – High Velocity Rounds
- Tier 4 – Hollow-Point Bullets or Conductive Bullets
- Tier 5 – Magazine Capacity Tweak or Electric Arc
- Overclock – Well Oiled Machine or Super-Slim Rounds or Light-Weight Rounds
Lok-1 Smart Rifle: Despite the rifle name this is another submachine gun with limited range, some area of effect damage and a unique lock on mechanic. The strength of the Lok-1 is a smart rifle build that utilises this lock mechanic to attack small groups of enemies and capitalise on the associated damage boosts for achieving this full lock status by keeping the max locks low.
- Tier 1 – Expanded Ammo Bags
- Tier 2 – CCD Array Add-On
- Tier 3 – Smrt Targeting Software
- Tier 4 – Shutter Speed Sensor
- Tier 5 – Unstable Lock Mechanism
- Overclock – Executioner or Seeker Rounds
Secondary Weapon Builds
The Engineer secondary weapons specialise in damaging groups of enemies and match perfectly with the single target focused primary weapons.
Deepcore 40mm PGL: Perfect for obliterating the swarm at range the PGL grenade launcher is deadly although has limited ammo capacity and the single shot design takes practice. Players also need to be careful when using this at close range or narrow corridors as it can cause friendly fire accidents. I recommend a balanced approach with extra ammo, damage and explosion radius in the below 40mm build for effective killing power.
- Tier 1 – HE Compound
- Tier 2 – Expanded Ammo Bags
- Tier 3 – Pressure Wave
- Tier 4 – Nails + Tape or Concussive Blast
- Tier 5 – Spiky Grenade
- Overclock – Clean Sweep or Pack Rat
Breach Cutter: A unique weapon that is generally seleceted for the powerful single target damage against dreadnoughts. While it can deal damage to a group it requires a clear and flat pathway which with high cave complexity rarely happens. The ideal Breach Cutter builds either maximise projectile beam improvements to add forgiveness or focuses towards burst damage options for tough monsters.
- Tier 1 – Prolonged Power Generation
- Tier 2 – Loosened Node Cohesion or Condensed Plasma
- Tier 3 – Quick Deploy or Improved Case Ejector
- Tier 4 – Disruptive Frequency Training or Armour Breaking
- Tier 5 – Triple Split Line
- Overclock – Stronger Plasma Current or Return to Sender or Inferno
Shard Diffractor: The Shard Diffractor is your secondary weapon option for single target damage alhough can be awkward to use initially due to the spin up time. Focus on enhancing the single target strengths of this weapon and boosting the utility rather than buffing the area of effect as you’ll be better served by a different secondary if that is your goal.
- Tier 1 – Increased Energy Density or Larger Battery
- Tier 2 – Soft Tissue Disruption
- Tier 3 – Aluminium Foil DIY
- Tier 4 – Nitrogen Vaporizer or High-Intensity Heating
- Tier 5 – Dazzler Module or Bio-Mass Converter
- Overclock – Efficiency Tweaks
Engineer Equipment
The Engineer equipment can create rock platforms and summon a turret partner to help defend locations.
Platform Gun: This is an important permanent terrain forming support tool that is particularly useful on maps where you traverse back and forth. For some missions with large enemy numbers Repellent Additive is worthwhile to create defensive funnels for enemies otherwise expanded ammo in tier 3 is a stronger option.
- Tier 1 – Supercharged Feed Mechanism or Expanded Ammo Bags
- Tier 2 – Plastcrete MKII
- Tier 3 – Expanded Ammo Bags or Repellent Additive
LMG Gun Platform: The defining weapon of the Engineer class that will fire at enemies within range automatically. Building a strong hard hitting single turret that is quick to deploy is ideal in the majority of game situations.
- Tier 1 – LMG MKII
- Tier 2 – Quick Deploy
- Tier 3 – Stun or Hardened Rounds
- Tier 4 – Defender System
“Owl” Armour Rig: The Engineer armour specialises in poison resistance and breathing room in tier 4 is a useful option as it gives you time to place a turret and prevent a potential death snowball in your team.
- Tier 1 – Improved Generator
- Tier 2 – Healthy
- Tier 3 – Hazmat System
- Tier 4 – Shockwave or Breathing Room
Engineer Throwables
The Engineer comes with a mix of utility and damage throwables depending on the mission.
L.U.R.E: The starting option provides utility that pulls enemies towards it with a dancing dwarf distraction. While sometimes useful to take the heat off you and your allies it’s simply not as effective as dealing direct damage and is also hindered by the fact that it has a cap on the amount of damage it can take before it disappears. The L.U.R.E can be a decent choice to protect an ally revive though when it is your only option initially.
Plasma Burster: A lower damage option designed for weaker bug enemies as players can carry 6 instead of the usual 4. The damage is split between bursts which can make it somewhat difficult to use effectively although has a potent fear alongside this damage that means every bug is impacted one way or another.
Proximity Mine: The default choice that I recommend for most players but it does require some planning due to the arming time of 3 seconds. Once armed though it will trigger when an enemy is in range and can actually explode up to four times. Mines that have not had any detonation can also be picked up to be returned to your inventory.
Shredder Swarm: Added in the season 3 update (November 2022) this grenade summons a robotic swarm to attack enemies. While not as strong as the Proximity Mine the number of them and the fact players don’t have to think as far ahead make them one of your better choices for throwables.
Team Role & Tips
The Engineer is a reliable teammate that thrives in co-operative play with sentry guns to defend locations. While defensive in design the Engineer is still capable of moving between locations and supports allies by constructing platforms in the terrain that provide both permanent vertical and horizonal movement options.
Making smart choices of when to engage and when to hold back while thinking minutes ahead is central to their playstyle with these Engineer tips optimising your potential:
- Mineral Platforms: Placing platforms underneath minerals is important for scout grappling hooks and gunner zip lines as it makes retrieving these resources safer. Given the slow placement speed of platforms you should never be the sole method to acquire these resources though.
- Advanced Platform Jumping: An advanced movement tactic known as platform jumping allows players to improve their traversing speed by jumping off a platform and placing another platform in front of you. This technique is dangerous though and should be practiced heavily.
- Active Turret: The Engineer should always have a turret active when not moving to a new location as it can defend a path, watch your back while digging or simply maximise your damage output in a fight. With a short build time it can also be used aggressively on particular mission types.
- Flexible Builds: The Engineer has great flexibility compared to the narrow strengths of other classes, if you are playing with friends be sure to co-ordinate your loadout decisions and know the mission beforehand so that you have the right Engineer build and weapon for the mission challenge.
- Short Range Combat: Avoid fighting enemies at long range when playing as the Engineer as this is one of your greatest weaknesses. Instead players should call in a friend or retreat to a safe location where you can setup an ambush with your turret to conserve ammo reserves and health.
- Fill Holes: Platforms can be used to fill holes in the roof or floor to stop swarm attacks or remove the risk of falling into to the cavern below. Platforms are also a viable way to stop fall damage for yourself and allies in a pinch by placing it underneath them when falling.
- Safe Revives: When reviving allies don’t forget to setup your safety net which depending on your Engineer build will include a turret, L.U.R.E, anti-bug platforms or proximity mine to ensure a successful revive.
