- Retcon build flexibility: Retcon is a true jack-of-all-trades — damage, tanking, and melee all work.
- Core loop: Dump ammo and grenades during Rewind, recall to full HP, then trigger Rage.
- Best weapons: High rate-of-fire guns (SMGs, assault rifles, autocannon) maximize Rewind value.
- Signature strategy: Stack Ticking Bombs plus health/armor and self-destruct into crowds repeatedly.
- Team role: Retcon's Contingency Plan is the only ability that can rescue a fully downed team.
Retcon Overview: The Time-Rewinding Hybrid
Retcon is the most flexible class in Deep Rock Galactic Rogue Core. She can deal damage, tank hits, swing a mean pickaxe, or blend all three — the build you choose defines her role. Her power comes from a unique resource-reset mechanic that rewards aggressive, risky play.
Video Highlights:
- Full breakdown of Rewind, Rage, and Contingency Plan mechanics
- Recommended enhancements, perk decks, and upgrades
- The Ticking Bombs explosion stacking strategy
- Weapon and artifact recommendations for high rate-of-fire builds
Damage Dealer
- High rate-of-fire weapons
- grenade dumping during Rewind
- explosive bomb stacking
Bruiser / Tank
- Health and armor stacking
- Stone Skin from No Time to Bleed
- resets on Rewind
Melee Hybrid
- Strong pickaxe swings
- Rage gives 100% damage
- second-best melee class after Slicer
Retcon rewards maximum aggression. Every bullet, grenade, and point of damage taken during Rewind is essentially free — the recall restores your starting ammo, grenades, health, and armor.
Ability Breakdown & Synergy
Retcon's kit revolves around three abilities that chain together into a powerful combat loop.
| Ability | Type | Effect | Cooldown |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rewind | Active | Set a marker, then recall to starting HP, ammo, grenades, and armor | 75 seconds |
| Rage | Active | +100% damage, +30% pickaxe swing speed for 12 seconds | Charged by taking damage |
| Contingency Plan | Passive | Self-revive at full HP/armor when the whole team goes down | Once per mission |
Key mechanics:
- Place your Rewind marker where you want to return. It auto-triggers when the timer ends, or manually recall early by holding Q and right-clicking.
- Do not grab health or armor pickups during Rewind — they're wasted, since recall restores your snapshot values. Collect them before or after.
- Rage can be banked and activated whenever you like, and it can trigger back-to-back if you keep taking hits.
- Contingency Plan is an upgraded Iron Will: it does not trigger if you're grabbed and imprisoned (e.g., by tentacles) — being grabbed isn't going down.
If a tentacle drags you off, Contingency Plan will not save you. teammates of Retcon players: never quit out when the whole squad drops — Retcon can still self-revive and reset the fight.
The Core Combat Loop
Set the Rewind Marker
Position in a safe, defensible spot before engaging. This is your reset point.
Go All-In
Dump every grenade, unload full magazines, and soak damage deliberately. High fire-rate weapons shine here.
Recall
Trigger the rewind (manual or automatic) and return to full snapshot HP, ammo, and armor.
Convert Damage Into Rage
All the hits you took charge Rage — pop it for +100% damage and faster pickaxe swings to clean up survivors.
Perk Decks: Recklessness vs All In vs Carnage
Retcon has strong options across perk decks. Recklessness suits brawling, while Slicer's Carnage deck is arguably her best fit because it accelerates Rewind itself.
| Perk Deck | Key Perks | Best For | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recklessness | Headbutt, No Time to Bleed, Come Get Some, Axes Out | Brawling, tanky melee | ★★★★ |
| All In | Sleight of Hand, Double Down, Cascade, Bingo | Fast-firing weapon swapping | ★★★☆ |
| Carnage (Slicer) | Seeing Red, Death Resonance, Bloodlust, Momentum | Rewind spam, snowballing | ★★★★★ |
Why Carnage stands out: Death Resonance refunds 10% of Rewind's cooldown per kill, letting you rewind far more often. Seeing Red (+30% damage for 2s on kill), Bloodlust (+3 Stone Skin per medium kill), and Momentum (kills reload a round) all feed the aggressive loop.
Multiple grenades count during Rewind. If you pick up IFGs and cluster bombs from an equipment crate, throw everything, recall, and get it all back.
Enhancements, Upgrades & Artifacts
Enhancement Picks
| Enhancement | Benefit | Priority |
|---|---|---|
| Nimble Light | Interaction and revive speed | High |
| Cooldown Reduction (power attacks) | More frequent power attacks | High |
| Unstoppable | Ignores movement penalties | Medium |
| Healthy + Armor Pack stacking | Bulk that Rewind fully restores | High |
| Sweet Tooth | Better red sugar healing | Medium |
Upgrade Recommendations
- Ticking Bombs — the signature pick. Accumulate damage to trigger a 5m explosion; stack multiple bombs, dive into a horde, detonate repeatedly, then Rewind away unharmed. Players report explosions dealing around 2,800 damage when fully stacked.
- Poison Aura / Ooze — passive damage-over-time clouds persist after you recall, leaving lingering zone denial behind you.
- Vampire, Back Burner, and other passives — solid fillers regardless of build.
Artifacts
| Artifact | Effect | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Super Strapped | +100% gun and grenade ammo, -10% move speed | Best-in-slot for grenade-dump builds |
| Brawler | Melee scaling | Only for dedicated melee builds |
| Reload Speed / Health / Regen | Passive stat boosts | Safe picks for any build |
| Lightweight | Faster movement | Offsets Super Strapped's penalty |
Super Strapped plus Ticking Bombs and stacked health/armor is the strongest general-purpose core: double grenades to dump during Rewind, then free explosions into every horde.
Weapon Selection
Because Rewind refunds everything you shoot, fire rate directly translates to free damage.
| Weapon Type | Rewind Synergy | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| SMGs / Pistols / Assault Rifles | ★★★★★ | Best category — maximum bullets per rewind |
| Autocannon / Minigun | ★★★★★ | Huge ammo pools fully restored |
| Shotguns / Boomstick | ★★★★ | Great burst, works despite slower reload |
| Slow, low-ammo weapons | ★★★ | Still usable, but leaves value on the table |
Retcon is flexible enough that nearly any weapon functions — slow reloaders simply get less total value out of each Rewind window than automatic weapons do.
Retcon Starter Checklist
Build Milestones:
- Unlock all three abilities and learn the manual recall input (Q + right-click)
- Stack health and armor enhancements for bigger Rewind snapshots
- Pick up Ticking Bombs and test explosion stacking in a horde
- Swap to the Carnage perk deck for Death Resonance cooldown refunds
- Run a difficulty 4 mission to pressure-test the full loop
FAQ
Q: What is the best Deep Rock Galactic Rogue Core Retcon build for beginners?
Start with a high rate-of-fire weapon, stack Healthy and Armor Pack enhancements, and grab Ticking Bombs if available. Play aggressively during Rewind, recall to full, then trigger Rage. This simple loop is effective even without everything unlocked — Retcon clears difficulty 4 missions comfortably on a starter kit.
Q: Does Rewind restore grenades and ammo?
Yes. When you recall, you return to the ammo, grenades, health, and armor you had when you set the marker. This includes multiple grenade types, so throwing an entire equipment crate's worth of grenades before recalling is a core strategy.
Q: Can Contingency Plan save me from being grabbed?
No. Contingency Plan only triggers when you go down normally and the rest of the team is also down. If you're grabbed and imprisoned by something like a tentacle, the passive does not activate.
Q: Which perk deck should Retcon use?
Slicer's Carnage deck is the top choice because Death Resonance refunds 10% of Rewind's cooldown per kill. Recklessness is a strong alternative for tanky melee builds thanks to No Time to Bleed and Axes Out, and All In works well with fast-swapping, high fire-rate loadouts.