- Deep Rock Galactic Rogue Core tier list: Carnage (Slicer) sits in S-Tier as the best all-round perk deck.
- Recklessness and Mixed Tactics rank close behind thanks to No Time to Bleed and Synergy.
- Storm and Mobility decks land in low tiers only because they depend on class-specific setups or stacking luck.
- Stack duplicate perks whenever possible — most perk effects scale multiplicatively when doubled or tripled.
- No deck is truly bad: low-tier decks are situational, not useless.
Full Perk Deck Tier List Overview
This Deep Rock Galactic Rogue Core tier list ranks all ten perk decks by raw impact, flexibility across classes, and how well their perks stack during a run. Rankings reflect the current meta as of November 2026 and assume access to duplicate perk picks during roguelite progression.
Video Highlights:
- All ten perk decks ranked from worst to best with per-perk breakdowns
- Carnage crowned best deck for nearly every class
- No Time to Bleed highlighted as one of the strongest individual perks in the game
- Lucky Shot ammo recovery and Explosive Shot combos explained in detail
| Rank | Perk Deck | Owner Class | Tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carnage | Slicer | S |
| 2 | Recklessness | Recon | S |
| 3 | Mixed Tactics | Falconer | A |
| 4 | Devastation | Guardian | A |
| 5 | Big Crits | Spotter | A |
| 6 | All In | Recon | B |
| 7 | Footwork | Slicer | B |
| 8 | Protection | Guardian | C |
| 9 | Mobility | Spotter | C |
| 10 | Storm | Falconer | C |
S-Tier decks are strong on almost every class with no setup required. A-Tier decks are excellent but slightly more build-dependent. B-Tier decks work well with the right weapons. C-Tier decks are not bad — they simply require specific conditions (like guaranteed electricity) or heavy stacking to shine.
S-Tier Decks: Carnage and Recklessness
Carnage (Slicer) - S Tier
- Seeing Red: +30% damage for 2s after a kill
- Death Resonance: kills refund 10% ability cooldown — best cooldown perk in the game
- Bloodlust: kills on medium+ enemies grant 3 Stone Skin
- Momentum: each kill reloads one bullet into the magazine
Recklessness (Recon) - S Tier
- Headbutt: melee attackers get stunned for 1.5s
- No Time to Bleed: 50% of damage taken refunds as Stone Skin
- Come Get Some: +10% damage vs enemies within 6m
- Axes Out: 2x melee damage for 8s after emptying a magazine
Carnage is the strongest overall pick because every perk feeds the kill loop: kills grant damage, cooldown, armor, and ammo all at once. Stack Death Resonance two or three times and abilities like Recon's come back after one or two kills. Bloodlust effectively gives you an extra regenerating health bar on medium and larger enemies.
Recklessness earns S-Tier almost entirely on the strength of No Time to Bleed. With three stacks, enemies must chew through refunded Stone Skin repeatedly, making you extremely hard to kill. Combine it with Headbutt and melee swarmers barely dent you.
| Key Perk | Effect | Stack Value |
|---|---|---|
| Death Resonance | Kills refund 10% ability cooldown | ★★★★★ |
| No Time to Bleed | 50% damage taken refunded as Stone Skin | ★★★★★ |
| Bloodlust | 3 Stone Skin per medium+ kill | ★★★★ |
| Seeing Red | +30% damage for 2s on kill | ★★★★ |
Pair Carnage's Death Resonance with fast-clearing weapons like the minigun or Slicer's sword. Constant ability uptime turns already strong classes into unkillable damage machines.
A-Tier Decks: Mixed Tactics, Devastation, Big Crits
Mixed Tactics (Falconer) revolves around ability uptime and burst windows. Synergy grants 1% ability charge per weapon hit — exceptional on fast-firing guns like the minigun, autocannon, and SMGs. Flush Out adds 20% damage for 6 seconds after using your suit ability, and Power Efficiency cuts cooldowns by 20%, which is superb on Reclaimer-style spam builds.
Devastation (Guardian) is the AoE deck. Explosive Shot converts 25% of direct weapon damage into a 1.5m splash, effectively giving any full-auto weapon explosive rounds — it's outstanding on the minigun and GK2. Stack Aftermath on top and area damage leaves a lingering 6-second field dealing 100% of the initial hit.
Big Crits (Spotter) is the precision deck. Lucky Shot gives a 50% chance to recover ammo on every crit; with two stacks and a crit-dart weapon, you can run nearly indefinitely without resupplying. Vital Impact stuns on crits, adding crowd control to your damage rotation.
| Deck | Signature Perk | Best Weapons |
|---|---|---|
| Mixed Tactics | Synergy (ability charge on hit) | Minigun, Autocannon, SMGs |
| Devastation | Explosive Shot (splash on direct damage) | Minigun, GK2, Grenade Launcher |
| Big Crits | Lucky Shot (ammo return on crit) | Crit-dart guns, Shotguns |
Explosive Shot underperforms on slow, heavy-hitting weapons like the M1000 or Shock Striker — the splash conversion favors high fire rates. Match the deck to your gun before committing perk picks.
B-Tier Decks: All In and Footwork
All In (Recon) is a hybrid damage deck. Sleight of Hand (+25% reload, interact, and revive speed) is quietly excellent and stacks with perks like Nimble. Bingo makes every 10th hit deal +100% weak spot and +50% crit damage — stack it on Spotter for absurd single-shot numbers. Cascade rewards sustained fire on automatic weapons like the Zhukovs and GK2.
Footwork (Slicer) offers Block (10% chance to negate any hit — near-immunity when stacked in long runs), Backstab (+50% damage from behind), and Close Quarters Combat (+20% damage within 2.5m, great for pickaxe and sword builds). It loses its Slicer slot only because Carnage is simply better.
Block scales with run length. In extended late-game runs where you've stacked four or five Block perks, the effective damage negation makes Footwork far stronger than its B-Tier position suggests.
C-Tier Decks: Protection, Mobility, Storm
These decks are situational rather than weak:
| Deck | Core Strength | Why It Sits Low |
|---|---|---|
| Protection (Guardian) | Damage Reflection, Daunting, Sturdiness | Pure defense, low excitement, less impact |
| Mobility (Spotter) | Vertically Gifted, Overwatch (+20% damage above enemies) | Extra movement rarely necessary in Rogue Core |
| Storm (Falconer) | Chain Lightning, Death Torrent (+20% vs electrified) | Requires guaranteed electricity — only Falconer provides it reliably |
Storm deserves special mention: on Falconer herself it's genuinely strong, with Chain Lightning crowd control and Back Charge restoring 50% recharge rate near electrified enemies. The low ranking reflects that other classes can't guarantee the electricity condition without lucky upgrade rolls.
If you start Guardian with bonus armor and stack Sturdiness plus Defensive Stance, you become extraordinarily tanky. Protection is the right call when your squad needs a dedicated frontline anchor.
How to Choose Your Perk Deck
Identify Your Class Role
Melee brawler? Lean Carnage or Footwork. Ranged precision? Big Crits. Team anchor? Protection or Devastation.
Match the Deck to Your Weapon
Fast-firing weapons love Devastation and Mixed Tactics. Crit-dart guns want Big Crits. Slow heavy hitters pair better with Recklessness.
Prioritize Stackable Key Perks
When offered duplicate picks, stack No Time to Bleed, Death Resonance, Lucky Shot, or Explosive Shot first — these scale hardest.
Adapt to Your Upgrades
If your run grants guaranteed electricity, Storm jumps several tiers. Treat every tier list as a starting point, not a rulebook.
Run Preparation Checklist:
- Pick a perk deck that matches your class role
- Confirm your weapon synergizes with the deck's key perk
- Plan which perks to stack when duplicates appear
- Keep a fallback deck in mind for unusual upgrade pools
- Communicate your role to teammates before deep dives
FAQ
Q: What is the best perk deck in Deep Rock Galactic Rogue Core?
Carnage (Slicer's second perk deck) is widely considered the strongest overall. Every perk rewards killing — damage, ability cooldown refunds, Stone Skin armor, and magazine reloads — making it effective on nearly every class, not just Slicer.
Q: Is the Storm deck bad?
No. Storm is actually excellent on Falconer, who can consistently apply electricity. It ranks low on this tier list because other classes can't reliably electrify enemies without lucky upgrade rolls, making it inconsistent for them.
Q: Which perk is worth stacking the most?
No Time to Bleed (Recklessness) and Death Resonance (Carnage) are top stack candidates. No Time to Bleed refunds 50% of damage taken as Stone Skin per copy, while Death Resonance refunds 10% ability cooldown per kill, enabling near-permanent ability uptime.
Q: Does Explosive Shot work on every weapon?
It works mechanically on any direct-damage weapon, but it performs best on fast-firing guns like the minigun, GK2, and Zhukovs. Slow weapons such as the M1000 or Shock Striker get far less value from the 1.5m splash conversion.