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STARTER GUIDE · 9 STEPS

How to Play.

The full dive loop in 9 steps. Pick a Reclaimer, lock the mission, drop pod inserts you into Hoxxes IV. Mine Expenite, pull Bio-Booster cards, upgrade at the Workbench, find Artifacts, fight the boss, extract. New players should read these in order; veterans can skim.

09Entries
TARGET · NEW PLAYERS
STEP01

Pick a Reclaimer

Choose one of five operatives -- each has a unique kit, ability, class skills, and starter loadout. Guardian and Falconer are the most beginner-friendly; Slicer, Retcon, and Spotter reward experience.

  • Guardian -- tank with regenerating shields and zone control
  • Falconer -- drone-tether sustain and squad uplift
  • Spotter -- recon, weakpoint marking, ranged damage
  • Slicer -- melee and movement specialist
  • Retcon -- timeline-rewind utility and burst damage
LEARN MOREBrowse all 5 Reclaimers
STEP02

Lock the Mission

At the Mission Terminal pick depth (1-4), complexity (1-3), and length (4-6). Higher depth multiplies enemy damage and pays out more Expenite; complexity stacks hazard warnings; length adds rooms.

  • Depth 1 -- introductory; +10% bonus, 1.50-1.80 damage scaling
  • Depth 2 -- standard; +25% bonus, 1.80-2.16 damage
  • Depth 3 -- veteran; 2.65-3.20 damage scaling
  • Depth 4 -- expert; +55% bonus, 3.55-4.25 damage scaling
  • Complexity 1/2/3 layers warnings and risk vectors
LEARN MOREView all mission parameters
STEP03

Drop Pod Insertion

Once the mission is locked the squad boards the Drop Pod. The pod fires from the RV-09 Ramrod into Hoxxes IV's cave network and deposits you at the first level. There's no return mid-run.

  • 4-player squad cap (you + 3 teammates or Bosco fillers)
  • Bosco AI drone covers solo and short-handed runs
  • First level is always a soft-start staging room
  • Mission complete = elevator back to the Drop Pod
LEARN MORETour the Ramrod hub
STEP04

Mine Expenite

Expenite is the dive currency. Every chunk you mine increments your Expenite count, which gates Bio-Booster card pulls and Workbench upgrades between rooms.

  • Loot Bugs (Expenite variant) drop 8-12 chunks worth 2.5-3.5 each
  • Expenite Transmutator event pays 8 per kill for 70s
  • Bank > spend -- the negotiation pool gets richer as you bank deeper
  • Carved Quantrite and embedded gems support brewing/crafting
LEARN MOREResource catalogue
STEP05

Bio-Booster Cards

Mid-run pulls from your selected Bio-Booster deck. 49 cards across 13 decks; each card stacks an effect that resets when the dive ends. The deck-pick at the Mission Terminal is half the build.

  • Pull cards at the negotiator console between rooms
  • Cards stack -- rarity escalates as you go deeper
  • Reset every dive -- they don't carry between runs
  • 13 decks total: Carnage, ElectroDynamicism, All-In, and 10 more
LEARN MOREBrowse all 49 cards
STEP06

Workbench & Enhancements

Persistent meta-progression. The Workbench at the RV-09 spends Chips on Enhancement tiers. Unlike Bio-Boosters these carry between runs. 23 families with 4 tiers each = 92 nodes.

  • Chips earned per-run feed the Enhancement Terminal
  • Battering Ram, Steady Aim, Marksman, Cushion and 19 more families
  • 4 tiers per family -- early tiers are cheap, capstones gate behind chip stockpiles
  • Mods buff the Reclaimer permanently
LEARN MOREEnhancement tree
STEP07

Artifacts

Powerful run-altering modifiers found in the caves. Glass Cannon multiplies damage but melts your shield; Symbiotic protects the squad when you huddle. Pick carefully -- they bend the entire run.

  • 25 in-use Artifacts plus 7 prototypes and 8 datamined cuts
  • Rarity bands gate the strongest effects
  • Active Artifacts apply effects passively; some have on-pickup triggers
  • Stack effects can break builds -- both ways
LEARN MOREAll 25 Artifacts
STEP08

Boss Fight

Depth 3 and 4 dives terminate in a boss room. Three confirmed bosses so far -- Gotoorak, Malaktula, Ramok. Each is a unique pattern fight; killing one grants a Steam achievement (GOTOORAK_SLAYER, MALAKTULA_VANQUISHER, RAMOK_CONQUEROR).

  • Bring focused DPS -- no boss survives concentrated fire
  • Move constantly -- bosses telegraph wide AOEs
  • Bosco/squadmates can revive in boss arenas
  • Final clear = full Expenite payout + boss Artifact roll
LEARN MOREBoss compendium
STEP09

Extraction

Hit the call-in beacon in the final room. The Drop Pod returns to your position; survive the 30s extraction wave, board, and lift. Bank Expenite, claim mission rewards, and prep the next dive.

  • Beacon usually mounts on a cave column or platform
  • Spawn pressure spikes the moment the beacon is armed
  • Stand inside the pod radius when timer expires = success
  • Death during extraction = run-fail and zero payout
LEARN MOREMission system

Last updated May 21, 2026 · DRG: Rogue Core wiki