| “ | One of the classic workhorses of DRG, the twin-linked Power Drill makes short work of more or less anything unfortunate enough to be in front of it. That includes your team mates, mind. |
| — Item Description |
About
The Reinforced Power Drills are a Support Tool used by the Driller. They are a pair of massive handheld drills mounted up to the Driller's forearms. The Driller can be seen clenching his fists while the drills spin, implying they have a trigger on the grip found inside the arm mount.
Perhaps the Driller's most iconic tool, the Powerdrills are able to cleave through solid rock like butter. They are far more effective at breaking rock than the Pickaxes carried by the Driller and his teammates; digging not only faster but in a much wider space. The Drills rely on both Fuel and Heat meters. Using the Drills will deplete the former and raise the latter. Similar to the Gunner's Powered Minigun, the Powerdrills are vulnerable to overheating and will jam if their Heat exceeds 100%, and will become fully inoperable if their Fuel reaches 0. The Drills will automatically cool when not spun, even while holstered.
Obviously in a game all about cave exploration, the use of a pair of gigantic drills should be clear. The Driller excels at making pathways and clearing areas for his team. Since every environment in Deep Rock Galactic is fully destructible, the Driller can technically go anywhere he pleases – provided there's some rock to make a tunnel with. It is not uncommon to see Drillers carving a long pathway back to the Drop Pod during the Extraction Phase, forgoing following the M.U.L.E. altogether, as this is often quicker and safer for the team than navigating back through the caves.
There are many other uses for the Drills as well. They are great at creating advantageous environments for the Driller and his team. In gamemodes like Point Extraction and Salvage Operation, the Driller can clear out obstructions and make extra space to move around in. The Powerdrills can allow him to climb upwards through rock and collect resources found high up on the walls, which can somewhat substitute for an Engineer and Scout platform combo.
Asides from the terrain manipulation aspects the Powerdrills can also be used for combat, albeit with limited results. Getting into point-blank range of an enemy is already a bad idea, especially on higher hazard levels. More fuel is consumed while drilling an enemy and the damage is underwhelming, often making it fairly inefficient to use over the Driller's dedicated weapons – especially when his primaries are already meant to be used at close range. That said, the Drills are excellent at breaking armor and have a guaranteed Fear Factor and Stun chance, essentially stun-locking enemies in place while whittling their health down. As a result the Drills can be used in niche combat scenarios – nine times out of ten however, the Driller's actual guns are better to use in every situation.
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Usage & Strategies
- As a melee weapon, the Titanium Powerdrills can trigger the Vampire perk, restoring a small amount of lost HP when killing medium-sized enemies (including Glyphid Grunts and anything bigger).
- It is worth noting that the Driller's Impact Axe – which works at range and deals significantly more damage – can also trigger Vampire, from much safer distances. Even when fighting at point blank range, the Pickaxe Power Attack is a better tool to use since it will instantly take out any enemies in your immediate area.
- Frozen enemies take triple damage, and are especially vulnerable to kinetic (melee) damage. As such, using the Cryo Cannon to freeze enemies solid and finishing them off with the Drills can occasionally be a useful strategy.
- When using the Powerdrills for extended periods, try to let the drills get to 99% Heat and letting them naturally cool off. This is always faster than letting them overheat and waiting for them to un-jam.
Modifications
There are four tiers and each tier has up to three upgrades, only one upgrade can be equipped per tier.
| Driller Upgrades | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mod | Effect | Description | Price | |
| Tier 1 |  Barbed Drills |
+5 Damage | More damage inflicted on enemies. |  420 Credits
|
 Hardened Drill Tips |
+1 Mining rate +10% Movement speed while drilling |
Drill faster. | 420 Credits
| |
 Expanded Fuel Tanks |
+6 Max Fuel | Carries more fuel. | 420 Credits
| |
Tier 2 5
|
 Magnetic Refrigeration |
+1 Cooling Rate | Faster cooling for the drills while not in action | 780 Credits
|
Streamlined Integrity Check |
-3 Overheat Duration | Can use drills sooner after an overheat. | 780 Credits
| |
| Tier 3 10
|
Supercharged Motor |
+1 Mining Rate +10% Movement speed while drilling |
Drill faster. | 960 Credits
|
| Tier 4 15
|
Increased Tank Pressure |
+6 Max Fuel | Carries more fuel. | 1100 Credits
|
Bloody Cold Drills |
+Heat removal on Damage | Your drills cool when drilling enemies! | 1100 Credits
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Gallery
Trivia
- In real life, handheld man-portable drills of this caliber would be extraordinarily unwieldy due to the massive weight (among other reasons); not just from the comically oversized drills but the massive fuel tanks as well. This emphasizes Deep Rock Galactic's (the company) reliance on Dwarves to complete operations, as only they are capable of effectively handling such rugged gear.
Bugs
- Switching to the Titanium Powerdrills changes the FOV slightly.
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