Dwarves

"At DEEP ROCK GALACTIC, we have long relied on the tenacity, strength, and sheer underground survivability of the stout Dwarves when it comes to our very most dangerous digs."

- DRG Corporate spokesman

Dwarves are the main playable characters in the game Deep Rock Galactic. They are the main employees of the company DRG for their rugged survival tactics and stubborn personalities, particularly for operations on Hoxxes IV - the planet the game is set on. The Dwarves are decked out with the heaviest weapons and the most advanced gadgets available, to brave dangerous caves and bring back valuable minerals for which they are paid in credits and a share in any minerals which can be used to upgrade their gear.

There are four playable Dwarves in the game who all specialize in a certain duty. Strong emphasis is placed on effective teamwork between the four Dwarves to maximize and minimize their unique strengths and weaknesses respectively, for a lone Dwarf is easy prey for the many varieties of hostile Hoxxes IV wildlife.

Currently, the four Dwarf classes share the same voice actor, Javier O'Neill, with changes in pitch and speed.

Dwarf Classes
Currently, there are four playable Dwarves:


 * Driller portrait.png Driller, a digging specialist who can carve through rock with ease with his Titanium Powerdrills while fending off swarms with his red-hot Flamethrower.
 * Engineer portrait.png Engineer, a tactical Dwarf who excels in area control with his Sentry Turrets and Platform Gun.
 * Gunner portrait.png Gunner, a front-line combatant armed with a terrifyingly powerful Minigun which can mow down targets with ease.
 * Scout portrait.png Scout, the most mobile of the four Dwarves with his Grappling Hook carrying him to any height and his Flare Gun illuminating even the grimmest of caves.

Dwarf abilities
All four Dwarves are capable of the same basic actions. They can walk, sprint, jump, use Pickaxes, throw Flares, and use a Terrain Scanner to identify points of interest. The differences come from each Dwarf's unique loadout and the way their abilities can interact with one another.

All Dwarves have the same base HP amount, are roughly the same size, deal the same amount of damage with the Pickaxe and take the same amount of damage under standard conditions. It is possible to increase the player's personal stats through upgrading one's equipment.

Promotions
Separate from the player's overall title rank is a unique rank for each of the four Dwarves. This rank increases with XP acquired from completing objectives, mining resources and killing hostiles. As this rank increases, more and more XP is required to climb levels until the cap of 25 is reached. Once this happens the Dwarf is eligible for a promotion. After completing the corresponding promotion Assignment and paying a fee, the Dwarf's rank will be reset to one (though all upgrades and cosmetics will be retained).

Trivia

 * In Unreal Engine, the Dwarves are set to be 1.5 m tall.
 * Although the Dwarves act and behave similarly, there is some minor characterization which appears while riding the Drop Pod into a mission or when selecting the class in the Space Rig.
 * The Scout appears to be cowardly, wishing to return back to the Space Rig and lamenting on the forthcoming danger.
 * The Driller is agitated, often growing annoyed at the Scout's cowardice and yelling at him to be bolder.
 * The Gunner complains about the poor conditions or asks if anyone has seen his missing equipment.
 * The Engineer is the most optimistic, reminding his compatriots not to leave anybody behind in accordance to the common DRG motto.