As an avid Remnant fan who has sunk endless hours into perfecting builds and strategies across both games, I was eagerly anticipating the release of Remnant 2. And let me tell you – it absolutely delivers with its stellar gameplay improvements and introduction of exciting new archetypes like the damage-dealing powerhouse that is the Engineer.
The Engineer archetype immediately spoke to the trigger-happy gamer in me who gets a thrill from unleashing blistering barrages of high-caliber ordnance to decimate packs of enemies. If that sounds like your preferred playstyle as well, then the unlockable Engineer class is one you‘ll want to prioritize.
This comprehensive guide will provide everything you need to know about acquiring the Engineer archetype along with fully optimizing its heavy weapons toolkit to effortlessly chew through the ominous hordes in Remnant 2‘s intense co-op and solo missions.
What Exactly is the Engineer Archetype?
The recently introduced Engineer archetype focuses on utilizing explosive heavy weaponry and protective suit upgrades to specialize as a frontline damage-dealer and squad buffer. According to Remnant 2‘s Lead Game Designer James Ford, the inspiration for the class stemmed from player feedback requesting more archetypes concentrated on offense and technology.
"We saw a lot of demand from Remnant fans for a class that really doubled down on advanced firearms and gadgets with a combat engineer/spec ops feel. The Engineer archetype was our response – overlaying the core gunplay fans expect from our games with new augmented weapons and an aggressive, high-tech playstyle."
As a result, the hallmarks of the Engineer archetype include:
- Signature deployment of devastating heavy weapons like miniguns, grenade launchers, and flamethrowers
- Unique ability to mount automated turrets to dish out supplementary pain
- Defensive suite upgrades providing personal and team protection
- Specialization as dps-focused solo carry potential
- Customization for adaptable fire support playstyles
The Engineer encourages an overwhelmingly aggressive push to the frontlines to unleash blistering destruction from all barrels blazing. It handsomely rewardstrigger discipline and clever turret placement with stacks of corpses and smoldering terrain.
Those looking to aggressively lead the charge will find themselves right at home with the Engineer‘s almost patriotic zeal for superior firepower. Now let‘s get into the details on leaving enemies crying for their mothers with Remnant 2‘s most trigger happy archetype!
Unlocking the Engineer Archetype
While flexible in adapting to your personal flavor of firepower fantasies, the Engineer does take some effort to unlock before you can begin reveling in the majesty of ordnance. Here is the process:
Step 1 – Locate the Alien Device
The first step to sternly telling enemies to get off your lawn is acquiring the critical Alien Device item. Flavor text hints at the mysterious device being tied to the long lost alien Xul race which fused technology and weaponry.
The gadget can spawn in one of two rare locations:
- The second map of the N‘Erud area
- Within the Timeless Horizon region
I strongly recommend playing as the Explorer archetype first to take advantage of their Treasure Hunter skill before attempting this hunt. Having this ability active vastly increases the odds of locating the Alien Device by highlighting nearby lootables.
Once acquired, carefully protect this crucial gadget!
Step 2 – Gather Engineer Forging Resources
With the essential Alien Device finally in hand, it‘s time to collect components needed by Wallace to forge the specialized class engram.
Gather the following:
- 10 Lumenite Crystals
- 1000 Scraps
| Item | Best Farming Method |
|---|---|
| Lumenite Crystal | Defeat elite enemies & bosses or purchase from Cass at Ward 13 (300 scraps per crystal) |
| Scraps | Selling unused gear, completing quests, looting environment etc. They quickly accumulate. |
Stock up on these before heading to Ward 13 so you aren‘t wasting any time. Nothing worse than an empty forge when you‘re all pumped to start tinkering!
Step 3 – Forge the Drzyr Caliper
With resources secured, return to home base and bring the components to Wallace located near the crafting journal. For 1500 scraps and 10 Lumenite crystals, he will then begin crafting the Drzyr Caliper – the specialized Engineer class Engram.
After a brief forging animation sequence, the calibration device will be complete and the archetype unlocked! You can now load up crazy bullets of joy across all three weapon slots and get to work.
With the tedious barrier to entry cleared, it‘s time to revel in all the wonderful toys and abilities granted by Remnant 2‘s premiere purveyor of firepower fantasies!
Unpacking the Engineer‘s Heavy Weapons Toolkit
The real reward for the effort of unlocking the Engineer is gaining access to its ludicrously lethal arsenal of explosives ordnance and augmented heavy weapons. As expected, this class brings the pain train with plenty of upgrades to share.
Signature Deployable Weaponry
The cornerstone of the Engineer archetype is the ability to deploy stationary heavy weapon turrets then pick them back up without fully expending ammunition.
These deployables act as independent AI-driven damage dealers that allow Engineers to blanket areas with blistering interlocking fields of fire. Founder Hu believes this skill captures the archetype‘s unique flexible combat style:
"The deployable weaponry unlocks some really dynamic gameplay that enhances the Engineer‘s identity as a versatile fire support specialist. Need raw damage output? Drop a roaring minigun turret. Lacking crowd control? Toss out a grenade launcher to deny areas. Out of ammo? Salvage your deployed hardware!"
This ammunition-conserving callback tactic facilitates adapting to battle conditions on the fly – a key ability for solo players looking to avoid being overwhelmed when friendlies aren‘t around to bail them out.
While cool in theory, how does this work in practice? Here‘s a breakdown of the Engineer‘s deployable devastators:
Vulcan Sentry
The Vulcan Sentry functions as the Engineer‘s starter turret by Level 1 automatically unlocked with selection of the archetype. This minigun-equipped tripod auto-acquires targets to unleash a roaring stream of bullets downrange.
To deploy, simply aim where desired and press the skill activation key to drop in place. The autonomous AI will automatically begin tracking hostiles within its cone of fire. Targets closer to the center of the turret‘s frontal firing arc will be prioritized.
Flame Turret
By Level 5, Engineers gain access to the aptly named Flame Turret. As one might expect, this deployable spews forth gouts of fiery napalm death to immolate clusters of foes.
The intense flames will quickly ignite multiple closely grouped enemies. When placed effectively, this turret excels at area denial given the sea of deadly flames it casts across the battlefield.
Impact Cannon
Upon reaching Level 10, the creme de la creme Impact Cannon becomes available for deployment. Lobbing volatile explosive shells, this turret brings overwhelming blast damage to the table.
While sacrificing sustained damage-over-time of its counterparts, each individual shell packs massive burst potential. Useful for swiftly disrupting approaching hordes or demolishing priority threats.
In summary, clever management of deployable firepower is integral to maximizing the Engineer‘s potential across swirling battles. Learning enemy behaviors then responding with the appropriate weapon systems makes you a hot swappable human turret!
Augmented Firearm Lethality
While other archetypes may scoff at swapping weapons mid-battle, the Engineer embraces the flexibility of hot-swapping firearms to match evolving combat demands. Charge into the fray with the starter Rupture Cannon pistol shotgun to stagger foes then switch to the Pulse Rifle‘s tactical three round bursts for cleaner aimed kills.
This adaptability synergizes beautifully with the Engineer‘s deployables to enable responding decisively to shifting threats. Distant sniper? Deploy a mid-range turret for suppression then swap to your long rifle for the cleanup kill shot.
The innate ability to divert power to specialized weapons also unlocks satisfying synergies with armor and skill upgrades. Feel like an old-time gunslinger by dumping points into maximizing pistol whip mayhem with the Rupture Cannon. Or lean hard into explosive ordnance superiority by amping up the potency of the Pulse Rifle and mounted heavy weapons.
While starting gear remains effective, Engineers have the option to further embrace extreme specialization with other firearm options. My personal endgame loadout focuses on enhancing efficiency of the Vulcan Sentry and Impact Cannon to maximize stacked damage-over-time and burst windows.
But find what matching of guns, gear, and skills clicks together to enable your personal vision of delivering sweet fiery munitions justice!
Capitalizing On Defensive Upgrades
While personally tempted to fully indulge offensive weapon talents, investing solely into firepower at the expense of sustainability results in an overly fragile glass cannon. The Engineer‘s defensive suite upgrades healthily reward more balanced builds.
Innate Damage Resistance
The Fortify armor augmentation innate to Engineer provides up to 50% improved defensive effectiveness at maximum rank. This confers a 15% passive damage resistance at the onset.
While 15% may not seem like much, it can make the difference in narrowly avoiding being one-shot by deadly enemy attacks. This protective foundation then scales up in value as Fortify ranks increase by 5% every level.
Having around 40% baseline damage resistance by leveling Fortify to rank 8 makes a noticeable difference in the Engineer‘s ability to absorb punishment from relentless enemies across intense battles.
Magnetic Field Protection
The Magnetic Field skill produces a large spherical shield protecting allies within its 2.5-meter radius. Ranking this team support ability up to a hearty 25% damage resistance bonus then combining with Fortify makes Engineers extremely difficult to take down.
Smart use of Magnetic Field is also invaluable for providing endangered teammates a defensive lifeline to recover or reposition.
In co-op matches, knowledgeable Engineers will save this shared protection for critical moments when fellow players are at risk of being overrun. I like popping it right as my teammates attempt reviving each other. Preventing interruptions while resurrecting squadmates swiftly returns depleted firepower back into the fight.
Gear Enhancements
The Engineer‘s starting gear focuses heavily on defensive stats featuring high armor, elemental resistances, and the Diffusion trait upgrade providing damage avoidance. Take time to review gear piece bonuses before dismantling as defensive corruptions can profoundly improve resilience!
As with weapons, don‘t be afraid to shop around for equipment better complementing your playstyle. I lean towards gear enhancing deploayable turret functionality, buffing equipped firearms, or conferring additional protective traits like Damage Absorption and Resistance Breaker.
Given the Engineer‘s sheer damage output potential, investing back into sustainability and support unlocks extremely potent well-rounded builds for competitive solo or squad play.
Advanced Engineer Combat Tactics
Unleashing the full potential of the Engineer‘s extensive toolkit requires learning how to effectively employ both offensive and defensive techniques in response to evolving combat scenarios.
Here are some key tips I‘ve compiled from extensive hands-on Remnant 2 Engineer play for excelling in both single player and co-op modes:
Tag Team Deployables
The Engineer can only deploy a single turret or heavy weapon at once. But with short cooldowns between placement, effectively staggering your deployable fielding enables maintaining layered interlocking fire.
As one turret nears depleted ammo, drop the other to punish enemies attempting to overrun the first‘s location while it resets. This tag team technique continuously provides supplemental damage and distraction.
Funnel Foes Into Fields of Fire
Remnant 2‘s advanced enemy AI will actively adjust behaviors to exploit poor player positioning. Unlike fragile minion-mancers, Engineers lack escape options. Always remain near cover with solid overwatch sightlines to place incoming hostiles directly into devastating fields of fire.
The bonus damage conferred by catching enemies out of cover while suppressed by your own enhanced defensive suite makes short work of all but the hardiest foes.
Ammo Conservation
Despite mighty abilities, heavy weapons still guzzle ammunition rapidly. Exercise smart ammo conservation through controlled bursting instead of holding down triggers endlessly. Also allow turrets to expend their magazines before reclaiming with the area effect ammo reclamation skill.
Finally, default to standard firearms against sparse weak enemies to avoid prematurely expending rare heavy weapon ammo before larger engagements. Save those explosive goodies for target-rich environments!
Mastering these techniques allows Engineers to manipulate the flow of battle towards favorable outcomes. Your gear and abilities support locking down areas long enough to completely clear waves of enemies. Allow the tools to work for you!
Closing Thoughts on the Engineer Juggernaut
The Engineer archetype delivers an immensely gratifying experience for trigger hungry operators wanting to be in the thick of the fight unleashing blistering heavy ordnance. Locking explosive muscle down behind powerful shielding and strategy transforms you into an offensive powerhouse.
This archetype clicks perfectly with my heavy weapons focused preferences and solo carry potential. The almost patriotic zeal towards raining down fiery explosions also nicely scratches that over-the-top power fantasy itch.
If you also enjoy methodical application of munitions enhanced by layers of augmentations then prioritize unlocking the Engineer. Just be careful, as once you get accustomed to its overwhelming firepower it becomes painful reverting to weaker archetypes!
Now get out there and make things explode, specialist!
