Scout is the most mobility class in Deep Rock Galactic. This flexible dwarf can fly across caverns to pick up the flowers and fossils for your team.
Although more than 30% of players pick Scout as their favorite class, not everyone knows how to optimize the builds.
Recommended Read: What Are the Best Weapon Overclocks in Deep Rock Galactic?
So, let’s look at some of the best Scout builds in Deep Rock Galactic!
We’ll guide you through some strong and fun Scout builds, including a flexible build for solo-ing and boss fighting, an elemental build with fire and electric damage, a cold build to quickly freeze the bugs, and finally, a Special Powder build so you can toss yourself anywhere you like.
Table of Contents
- Scout Playstyle
- What Overclocks to Use for Scout
- What Perks to Use for Scout
- 4 Best Scout Builds & Weapon Loadouts
Scout Playstyle
Scout is the only class to collect the remaining 14 boolo caps within 1 minute in the dark cave.
Because of his grappling hook and the fall damage reduction from the suit, Scout can fly across dangerous caves without any problems.
That alone makes him the best class to complete secondary objects. But there is more!
Like other classes, Scout has 3 primary and 3 secondary weapons. From rifles, and shotguns, to a plasma gun and a crossbow, you can always count on this pioneer dwarf!
Scout’s primary weapon:
- Deepcore GK2
- M1000 Classic
- DRAK-25 Plasma Carbine
Scout’s secondary weapon:
- Jury-Rigged Boomstick
- Zhukov NUK17
- Nishanka Boltshark X-80
Scout and Engineer are the best duos in Deep Rock Galactic. Whenever you need to collect objects on the high ceiling, ping the Engineer, and you’ll have a steady platform immediately. That said, Scout should be the first one to rescue other dwarves since he can travel super fast.
With Scout, you can quickly return to the drop pod after completing the mission. But remember to light up the cave and cover your team for maximum rewards, and for Rock and Stone!
What Overclocks to Use for Scout
Picking for Scout is quite challenging since he doesn’t has many game-changing overclocks, compared to the Fat Boy of the Engineer. However, you can focus on clean overclocks instead to maximize the damage.
Without further ado, let’s see what overclocks to use for the Scout!
1. Jury-Rigged Boomstick – Special Powder
Special Powder is an upgraded version of the Engineer’s RJ250 Compound overclock. It allows you to travel around much faster by taking advantage of the thrust created by the shotgun.
The powder only works if your feet are above the ground. So, you can still shoot the bugs with the shotgun, as long as you don’t jump.
2. M1000 Classic – Hipster
The M1000 Classis is overpowered already with its 55 damage, 96 max ammo, 4 rate of fire, and 100% damage bonus on focused shots. With the help of the Hipster, your ammo and rate of fire are nearly doubled, and the recoil is reduced by 50%.
That said, many dwarves love this overclock because of the massive bonus. The only downside is the 17 damage reduction. However, you can surpass this nerf with focused shots.
3. Deepcore GK2 – Bullets of Mercy
Deepcore GK2 has many useful clean overclocks you could use without too much thinking. But if you want something new involving elemental damage, Bullets of Mercy is an excellent overclock!
It reduces your magazine size from 30 to 18 (without modifications) but increases damage to afflicted enemies by 50%.
4. Zhukov NUK17 – Embedded Detonators/Cryo Minelets
Regarding the Zhukov NUK17, Cryo Minelets and Embedded Detonators are two worth-mentioning overclocks.
Cryo Minelets allows you to turn the bullets into small cryo grenades that will explode when close to the enemy or after 4 seconds. The damage of those icy grenades isn’t much, but the ability to freeze the bugs is decent, especially when combined with the Bullets of Mercy overclock above.
On the other hand, Embedded Detonators will explode the target each time you reload. You’ll deal 38 damage for each bullet hit on the enemy, bringing the estimated total damage up to thousands.
What Perks to Use for Scout
Here are some excellent perks for the Scout class in Deep Rock Galactic.
1. Heightened Senses
As a Scout main, leading the way and lighting up the cave is the main goal. But sometimes, several special bugs like cave leeches or mactera grabbers can easily take you down in a single hit.
Heightened Senses perk prevents this from happening by giving a warning whenever these creatures get near you. In addition, you can break free and kill those creatures instantly 1-2 times per mission.
2. Deep Pockets
Besides secondary objectives, Scout also plays an essential role in gathering minerals and nitras. And going back and forth multiple times can be time-consuming and frustrating.
That’s why Deep Pockets is a must-have perk for Scout since it provides 5-15 more space in your inventory.
3. Thorns
Large waves of bugs are Scout’s biggest weaknesses. And to prevent that, Thorns is a great perk to choose!
A maximum Thorn level will cause 24 damage to any enemy attacking the dwarf, instantly killing enemies like Glyphid Swarmers, Naedocyte Hatchlings, and Naedocyte Shockers.
4. Field Medic
Fall damage causes most of the death in DRG, and Scout can travel quickly on the Y-axis.
Field Medic helps you revive teammate faster and provide a one-time instant revive per mission. This perk is pretty crucial in high-hazard missions.
5. Elemental Insulation
Elemental Insulation is the should-have perk for every class in DRG. It provides 20-30% element damage resistance, including fire, electricity, radiation, frost, poison, heat, and cold.
Above are the 5 best perks for Scout, but note that it entirely depends on your playstyle and preference. If you want to try out different loadouts, try the following perks: Dash, Hover Boots, Iron Will, and Born Ready.
4 Best Scout Builds & Weapon Loadouts
Here are the four best builds for the Scout in Deep Rock Galactic.
Scout Best Build #1: Hell Bullets
So, the first build on the list is quite simple. What you need to do is just hold the fire button, and that’s it!
The M1000 Classic already has decent damage with both normal and focused shots. With the Hipster overclock, you nearly double the max ammo, reduce recoil by half, and increase the rate of fire. This helps you deal massive damage in a short amount of time.
Primary Weapon: M1000 Classic
- Overclock: Hipster
- x1.913 Max Ammo
- +3 Rate of Fire
- x0.5 Recoil
- -17 Damage
- Modifications:
- 1 – Expanded Ammo Bags
- 3 – Hardened Rounds
- 2 – Extended Clip
- 1 – Super Blowthrough Rounds
- 3 – Killing Machine
Secondary Weapon: Zhukov NUK17
- Overclock: Embedded Detonators
- Embedded Detonators
- -6 Damage
- -20 Combined Clip Size
- -400 Max Ammo
- Modifications:
- 1 – Expanded Ammo Bags
- 3 – Quickfire Ejector
- 2 – Better Weight Balance
- 3 – Expanded Ammo Bags
- 1 – Conductive Bullets
If the high fire rate from the M1000 Classic doesn’t satisfy you, the Zhukov NUK17 with Embedded Detonators overclock can do an excellent job of clearing medium waves of bugs and bosses.
Although this unstable overclock has massive penalties (reduction in damage and -400 max ammo, which is a huge loss), the damage is still great because of the explosion. Each impacted bullet deals 38 damage when you reload, and they can stack!
However, note that Embedded Detonators only damage the exposed part of bosses, not armor parts. So break that armor with your primary gun first before spamming those explosive bullets to the bosses.
Scout Best Build #2: Shocking Storm
Here’s a versatile build for both long and close range that can deal huge fire and electric damage. You must practice using a weapon without magazines and shooting the crossbow properly to get the most out of this build.
The DRAK-25 Plasma Carbine shoots plasma bullets to burn the bugs. Every bullet is stored in the same pool, so you don’t need to reload. Instead, you must shoot carefully so the gun won’t be overheated.
Primary Weapon: DRAK-25 Plasma Carbine
- Overclock: Overtuned Particle Accelerator
- +8 Direct Damage
- x0.8 Battery Capacity
- x1.5 Heat per Shot
- +400% Horizontal
- +133% Vertical Base Spread
- Modifications:
- 2 – Improved Thermals
- 1 – Larger Battery
- 2 – Gen 2 Cooling System
- 3 – Destructive Resonance AMP
- 2 – Thermal Feedback Loop
Secondary Weapon: Nishanka Boltshark X-80
- Overclock: Quick Fire
- -0.2s Reload Time
- x2 Projectile Velocity
- Modifications:
- 3 – Special Bolt: Taser
- 2 – Increased Quiver Capacity
- 1 – Stabilizing Arm Brace
- 1 – Battle Frenzy
- 2 – Magnetic Shafts
The Overtuned Particle Accelerator gives 8 more direct damage, nearly double the gun’s damage. But in return, you have less ammo, generate more heat per shot, and, most importantly, the base spread is massively increased, making it extremely difficult to shoot enemies at a far distance.
To save the situation, the Nishanka Boltshark X-80 is perfect for dealing with long-range enemies such as menaces and spitballs. Remember to press “R” to switch to special bolts.
If you need more ammo, replace the Battle Frenzy modification in tier 4 with Radio Transmitter Module. This new modification allows you to retrieve bolts.
Scout Best Build #3: Agony Bullets
If you love elemental damage, this will surely be your next favorite Scout build!
With the correct modifications for Deepcore GK2 and the Bullets of Mercy overclock, you fire faster, hit harder, and cause more damage to enemies with status effects, such as burning, frozen, stunned, electrocuted, radiation, and much more.
If an enemy suffers from multiple effects, it only receives 50% more damage since the effect doesn’t stack. But that’s good enough for a balanced overclock.
Primary Weapon: Deepcore GK2
- Overclock: Bullets of Mercy
- +50% Damage to Afflicted Targets
- x0.6 Magazine Size
- Modifications:
- 2 – Supercharged Feed Mechanism
- 2 – Expanded Ammo Bags
- 2 – High Capacity Magazine
- 1 – Hollow-Point Bullets
- 3 – Stun
Secondary Weapon: Zhukov NUK17
- Overclock: Cryo Minelets
- Cryo Minelets
- -1 Damage
- -10 Combined Clip Size
- Modifications:
- 1 – Expanded Ammo Bags
- 3 – Quickfire Ejector
- 2 – Better Weight Balance
- 1 – Blowthrough Rounds
- 1 – Conductive Bullets
With Cryo Minelets for the secondary weapon, we have a good source of elemental effect and damage to freeze the bugs, directly increasing the damage from the primary weapon.
This build works really well if you have the Driller on your team. However, solo is still a solid option since Scout also has the Cryo Grenade and Voltaic Stun Sweeper.
When using the Zhukov NUK17 to inflict frost damage, you must shoot on the ground near the bugs, not the bugs.
Scout Best Build #4: Levitating Dwarf
Finally, we have a solid basic build with a clean overclock, suitable for anyone new and who wants to experience the Scout class.
The Minimal Clips overclock increases the clip size and decreases the reload time, making eliminating the bugs enjoyable. On the other hand, you could pick Hipster overclock for more ammo and rate of fire in exchange for 17 damage.
Primary Weapon: M1000 Classic
- Overclock: Minimal Clips
- x1.25 Clip Size
- -0.2s Reload Time
- Modifications:
- 1 – Expanded Ammo Bags
- 3 – Hardened Rounds
- 2 – Extended Clip
- 1 – Super Blowthrough Rounds
- 3 – Killing Machine
Secondary Weapon: Jury-Rigged Boomstick
- Overclock: Special Powder
- Shotgun Jump
- Modifications:
- 1 – Expanded Ammo Bags
- 1 – Double Trigger
- 2 – Expanded Ammo Bags
- 1 – Super Blowthrough Rounds
- 3 – White Phosphorous Shells
For the secondary weapon, Special Powder allows you to launch high up to escape the bug waves more easily. In addition, the shotgun can save you from fatal falls, especially when trying to collect secondary objectives on the ceiling.
Instead of focusing on damage, we prefer picking ammo and Double Trigger modifications so you can have more ammo and shoot faster, making flying in the caves not a big trouble anymore.
Those are the best 4 Deep Rock Galactic Scout builds!
What’s your favorite build? Let us know in the comment below.
