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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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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

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