Deep Rock Galactic is getting a roguelite spin-off called Rogue Core, planned for early-access release in 2025. Watch the pre-alpha gameplay teaser below.
Rogue Core is based on the same structure as Deep Rock Galactic. It still takes place on the hostile but resource-rich planet of Hoxxes IV. You can still play with up to four players in co-op. You still play as gun-toting dwarves delving into the deep places of the earth. However, instead of working miners, you’ll play as the more militaristic Reclaimers, sent to investigate the abandoned deep mines close to the planet’s core.
These deep mines were excavating Expenite, a rare mineral found only close to Hoxxes IV’s heart. Unlike Deep Rock Galactic, you won’t start a run fully equipped. Instead you’ll use Expenite to upgrade your Reclaimer’s weapons and equipment. If you are playing with friends, this becomes a “draft” where all players pick from the same set of options. What one player takes will be blocked off from another, so you’ll have to strategize with your crew to maximize each upgrade’s impact. You can also loot improvements from special rooms or by completing difficult challenges. In the final game there will be five (or more classes), but only two have been announced: the sword-toting Slicer and the drone-handling Falconeer. Rogue Core will also feature permanent progress between runs and spaceship hub called the RV-09 Ramrod.
As for the game’s environment, the trailer shows off deep-sea floors with shifting stone walls, abandoned caverns flush with mining equipment, and the hostile, barren rock of the core itself. The closer you get to the center of the planet, and finishing your run, the more the game’s biomes will resemble the hostility of the core. Rogue Core has new and returning enemies, including boss battles.
According to a blog post and developer Q&A on Steam, Rogue Core started as an expansion to the base game, but it developed its own identity. Developer Ghost Ship Games also wished to put Rogue Core in early access, which it couldn’t do if it were DLC. The game is currently in pre-alpha and Ghost Ship plans to release it in early access sometime in 2025.
