How to Promote in Deep Rock Galactic

Rastko Stojcevic
Cover image for deep rock galactic promoting

In this article, we’ll briefly cover how to promote a dwarf in Deep Rock Galactic as well as the perks that come with the promotion. No doubt a common question among beginners. Especially since the game allows for some limited interaction with its endgame systems even before a promotion can grant a player full access to it. This article is up to date as of Season 5.

How to promote in Deep Rock Galactic?

In order to promote a dwarf, you first need to get him to max level, which in the case of Deep Rock Galactic is level 25. Completing primary and secondary objectives in a mission, mining minerals, killing enemies and even some events awards the team with experience points upon mission completion. It takes 315.000 Experience points to get a dwarf from level 1 to level 25. This is not to be confused with player rank, which can be seen in the upper right corner of the screen in the form of a blue gem. Player rank is used to track player progress and doesn’t affect promotion mechanics.

Upon reaching the max level a promotion assignment will be made available at the assignment console. It’s a string of four missions, nothing special about it, and it can be completed by any class. Simply complete this assignment and your dwarf will be eligible for a promotion.

The promotions console in the Memorial Hall
The promotions console in the Memorial Hall.

Finally, to promote a dwarf head to the Memorial Hall and interact with the promotion console at its furthest end. Keep in mind that promotions don’t come cheap in Deep Rock Galactic so be prepared to pay a fee. A promotion will reset your dwarf’s level back 1, allowing him to earn XP again, and more importantly, grant access to many benefits which We’ll mention in the upcoming part of the guide.

Important note: While your dwarf level will be reset back to 1, it’s just so you can keep earning XP. Your gear, mods, perks, weapons, and everything else you’ve earned thus far will be unaffected by the process. You won’t have to re-grind them: everything stays the same.

Promotion Benefits

In addition to giving benefits to the promoted dwarf, the first promotion also grants access to the game’s endgame systems as well as new assignments. Below you will see some of the benefits that these promotions give. 

Dwarf benefits

  • The first promotion will give an extra active perk slot. This is a nice increase in power and a worthwhile reward.
  • Promoted dwarves can access the Deep Dives: Deep Rock Galactic’s endgame content.
  • Can earn XP again.

Player benefits

  • Every single promotion will give the player a free blank matrix core, a cosmetic matrix core, and a weapon overclock.
  • The first promotion will give Access to the “Breach the Core” assignment. Completing this assignment will reward the player with more cores, as well as unlock the weekly core assignments.
  • The first promotion will also grant access to the Deep Dives console (Only promoted dwarves can go on Deep Dives), as well as the Forge where you can craft overclocks and cosmetics.
  • Additionally, the first promotion grants the player the Tritilyte Key. This key will allow you to activate machine events you find down in the caves of Hoxxes with any dwarf, regardless of whether they’re promoted or not. Successfully completing a machine event allows you to infuse a blank matrix core with a random weapon overclock or cosmetic.

Honor Badges and Player Rank

Honor badges are how players show one another how much time they have spent playing a certain class. The first promotion will put a bronze badge around the promoted class’s portrait as well as a single star. One star will be added to the badge for every promotion, up to a maximum of three stars.

After the third star, you will get a new honor badge and the number of starts will reset back to one. This process will repeat itself until the legendary badge is reached. The game will still track promotions after reaching the legendary badge, and it will display how many you have above the honor badge, but you won’t get any more badges.

How to Promote in Deep Rock Galactic honor badges
Honor Badges. From left to right: Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, and Legendary Badges.

Player rank is how the game tracks the player’s progress through the game. The blue gem that tracks this rank has 3 empty sections. Promoting a dwarf or increasing a dwarf’s level fills up one of these sections. Once all three sections are full, your player rank will increase and the sections will be emptied.

Increasing player rank does come with some benefits such as unlocking more cosmetics in the shop, or gaining access to special assignments that reward the player with cosmetics upon completion. This is why resetting the dwarf level back to one is important because maxed dwarves don’t level up anymore and as such player rank will stop increasing. Above level 100 player rank will grant no more assignments and is there purely for bragging rights.

Final Thoughts on Promoting in Deep Rock Galactic

If you stumble upon an unknown machine down in the caves of Hoxxes that you can’t get working, now you know that a promotion is necessary to unlock its secrets. We hope that this brief guide on how to promote in Deep Rock Galactic served its purpose. Rock and Stone, miner. Interested in more Deep Rock Galactic content from us? Check out our Perk Tier List.

Image Credit: Ghost Ship Games.

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