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The Driller's drills in Deep Rock Galactic.
No match is complete without a Driller. Image via Ghost Ship Games

Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor Update 03 patch notes

The two new modes are here.

The third update to Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor is here and it’s called Masteries, since it adds two new modes for experienced players while making it more accessible to new players by changing progression between dives to be easier.

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Here’s everything included in today’s Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor patch.

Masteries game mode added

The image icon for the Recon Mastery game mode.
Be the best at everything. Image via Ghost Ship Publishing.

Masteries is the new mode in Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor. This dive will have different rules from the main game allowing for more replayability. There are three types of modes in Masteries: Weapon, Class Mod, and Biome.

There is one Weapon Mastery for each level after you reach level 12 with that weapon. You enter a three-sage dive in Weapon Masteries and you can only use that weapon. The reward is a permanent upgrade to that weapon that applies to all game modes.

Class Mod Mastery follows the same principle, with one to each of the 12 Class Mods, but it’s a five-stage dive with extra challenges and you can’t heal at all. You receive a permanent passive bonus to that class mod as the reward and it’s also applied across all game modes.

Finally, the Biome Mastery unlocks after winning on the specific biome on Hazard Three. The only difference is it’s a 10-stage dive instead of five. The reward is a permanent upgrade to the biome carrying to other modes.

Veterans get Anomalies mode

The Anomalies game mode is for long-time Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor players with more experience. There are four modes to add challenges to the gameplay you already know. Here are all the Anomalies dives:

  • Bloody Learner: Take damage whenever you level up, plus 100 percent increased experience gain, start your run with a BLT Ration Pack.
  • Hardcore: Start with 10 percent of normal max HP. All max HP upgrades and healing are reduced to 10 percent of their power.
  • Vanilla: You play with no Meta Upgrade bonuses and mastery bonuses.
  • No Movement: You can only move for the first five and the last 30 seconds of each stage.

6 new Meta Upgrades

A Morkite Reactor Core.
A new currency for the new Meta Upgrades. Image via Ghost Ship Publishing.

Funday Games added six new Meta Upgrades you can apply Morkite Reactor Cores to increase and reset your already-collected Meta Upgrades, now making it impossible to max them out like before. Here are all the new Meta Upgrades:

  • Artifact Rerolls: Reroll artifacts from the Supply Pod.
  • Trigger Training: Increase fire rate.
  • Catalyst Boost: Increase status effect damage.
  • More Juice: Increase potency.
  • Gold Cache: Increase starting Gold.
  • Nitra Cache: Increase starting Nitra.

9 new Artifacts to unlock

There are nine new Artifacts to unlock. These are collectable by completing related Milestones, which were also added as Steam Achievements, plus four additional Steam Achievements for completing a Hazard Five dive in each Biome.

Here are all the new Artifacts added with the Masteries update:

  • Multi Tool: Minus 25 percent reload speed and plus five percent reload speed per unique [tag] equipped.
  • Turbo Encabulator: Three percent increased damage for every equipped Overclock, three percent increased reload speed for every equipped Overclock, and minus five percent mining speed for every equipped Overclock.
  • Weapon Box: Equip an additional random level six weapon with a random overclock.
  • Ancient Knowledge: Instantly gain three levels.
  • Chemist Kit: 15 percent increased potency and 15 percent increased status effect damage.
  • Company Issued Magnet: Spawns a magnet at the end of a stage. It collects 50 percent of the remaining XP when you grab it.
  • Piercing Projectiles: 50 percent increased pierce.
  • DRG Coupons: Gives a 20 percent discount to all future shop purchases in the current run (excluding healing and reroll costs).
  • Energy Bar: One percent increased damage for every player level and minus two percent to max HP for every player level.

Gameplay, performance, and balance

There are several general improvements in gameplay, performance, and balance being shipped with this update, as well as numerous bugfixes. There are now no requirements to unlock Overclocks, Biome Goals can be completed on higher hazard levels than before, and there is a refund option on the meta upgrade screen.

With the new Survivor balancing system, some weapons now deal less damage, including the LOK-1 Smart Rifle, the Tactical Leadbuster, and the Shellback Elite, all hazard levels were rebalanced to match the adjustments, and lass and Class Mod bonuses have been moved from the Artifact group to the Meta group.


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Author
Image of Nádia Linhares
Nádia Linhares
Nádia is a Brazilian freelance writer who works for Dot since 2020. She has covered everything from Pokémon to FIFA. Video games are an essential part of her life, especially indie games and RPGs. You can catch her playing Overwatch in her spare time, but she writes better than she aims.