Drill to Earth's Core: All Classes Explained

Classes in Drill to Earth’s Core shape your role during each run. Some focus on earning Coins and finding valuable resources, others speed up drill progression, while combat and support classes help your team survive dungeons and tougher layers. Understanding how the different Drill to Earth's Core classes work makes it much easier to spend Cores efficiently and build around the needs of each run.

Classes are permanent account unlocks purchased from the Academy with Cores. You can own multiple classes, but only one can be equipped per run. Each class also has its own progression system, granting personal bonuses at Levels 1–3 and a team-wide bonus at Level 4.

How to Unlock the Academy and Pick Your First Class

The Class Academy is located in the lobby and serves as the main hub for class progression. Unlike drill upgrades, which use Coins earned during a single descent, Academy classes are bought with Cores and stay unlocked permanently.

➥ You can earn Cores from achievements, daily objectives, chests, and progression through layer walls.

You don’t need to buy a class again to level it up. Instead, additional bonuses are unlocked by completing class-specific objectives. Because of that, some classes become much more valuable after you invest time into their progression rather than judging them only by their Level 1 perk.

All Economy Classes in Drill to Earth's Core

Lucky Looter

Lucky Looter is the most straightforward economy class. Its main perk gives chests and ore a chance to drop extra loot, while later upgrades add even more chest rewards and Money Fog. The class costs 10,000 Cores and is especially useful in dungeon-heavy runs, where extra chest drops can quickly boost your Coin economy. Its loot bonuses were nerfed in the Gunsmith update, but the multi-drop mechanic is still strong.

Pirate

Pirate handles income differently. Instead of boosting general loot, it focuses on gold: enemies can drop gold bars, while gold-related items sell for much more. Pirate also gets combat tools like a flintlock and, later, a cannon, so it isn't just an economy support class. At 30,000 Cores, though, it's much more expensive than Lucky Looter and is better treated as a later upgrade.

Miner

Miner is another economy-focused class, but it's mainly designed for beginners. Its +50% pickaxe damage lets you mine ore faster, giving you more resources to sell or use for keeping the drill running. At just 100 Cores, Miner isn't about maximizing late-game profits. It's a cheap way to build a stronger mining economy during your first few runs.

Miner can support drill progression indirectly. Faster ore gathering means more fuel and more materials to sell, but it doesn't offer the same dedicated vehicle bonuses. For serious depth runs, Driller remains the best class for raw progression, while Mechanic helps keep the drill supplied and moving.

Salvager

Salvager is built for deep-run resource farming. Its perks focus on junk scavenging and Heartgem-related progression, making it far more specialized than Miner or Lucky Looter. Salvager becomes more useful when you're pushing well beyond the usual early-game route and working toward Heart of Earth content around 1,000,000 meters. Its current Academy price isn't fully confirmed, so check the in-game listing before spending time grinding Cores for it.

Crafter

Crafter improves your economy by reducing how much you spend rather than increasing your loot. Its perks boost crafting speed and material efficiency at Crazy Zack's crafting station, helping your squad get more value from scrap when making consumables, turrets, boosts, and other gear. That makes Crafter especially useful in long coordinated runs where resource efficiency matters more than raw personal damage.

Prospector

Prospector is one of the newer resource-focused classes. Added in Season 1, it specializes in finding rare ore and getting more value from high-tier mining nodes. Some of its higher-level bonuses aren't fully documented yet, so it's worth checking the current Academy description for its latest perks and price.

A few other classes can generate extra value indirectly. Bounty Hunter, for example, rewards you for marked enemies. Still, Lucky Looter, Pirate, Miner, Salvager, Crafter, and Prospector are the main classes built specifically around farming resources, saving materials, or improving your overall economy. This economy group is an important part of the broader Drill to Earth's Core all classes roster because resource generation affects nearly every stage of a descent.

All Drill Progression Classes in Drill to Earth's Core

Driller

Driller is the most direct pick if your main goal is pushing the drill forward faster. The class costs 5,000 Cores and gives +50% Drill Power while also reducing the cost of important upgrades like Drill Power, Mega Drill, and Power Slam. This lets the team scale the vehicle faster without burning through as many Coins.

That becomes much more important at greater depths, where walls take longer to break. Early areas are forgiving, but deeper runs can fall apart if everyone spends too much on personal gear and ignores the drill. Driller helps prevent that by putting more of the team's economy directly into progression.

Mechanic

Mechanic covers the other major vehicle-focused role. Instead of boosting raw Drill Power, it improves fuel efficiency and helps keep the drill running consistently. It's especially useful when fuel becomes the main bottleneck rather than wall durability. Mechanic also costs 5,000 Cores, making it a natural alternative or partner to Driller.

All Late-Game Classes to Unlock in Drill to Earth's Core

Once you've built a solid collection of cheaper classes, the Academy opens up several more specialized options aimed at experienced players and deeper runs.

Goblin King

Goblin King costs 30,000 Cores. Its main gimmick is using goblins as extra combat support, giving your team more bodies in a fight instead of directly boosting the drill, fuel, or economy. It's a more specialized pick for players who want extra pressure during combat-heavy sections.

Bounty Hunter 

Bounty Hunter costs 30,000 Cores and revolves around marked targets. Taking down the right enemies can generate extra Coins, giving the class a mix of combat and economy value. Unlike Lucky Looter, though, its income isn't passive — you need to actively hunt specific targets to get the most out of it.

Executioner 

Executioner is built for boss fights. The class costs 30,000 Cores, starts with an Executioner Sword, and grants +100% boss damage. This makes it especially valuable when bosses are the main thing blocking your run rather than weak drill power or poor resource management.

Gunsmith 

Gunsmith is another advanced combat class, focused on crafting firearms and ammo. It can produce weapons through the Crafting Shack, making it much more self-sufficient than Gunslinger when shop inventory isn't giving you what you need. Gunsmith costs 30,000 Cores.

Newer classes like Salvager and Prospector also fit naturally into late-game progression thanks to their focus on deep runs and rare resources. Their exact unlock requirements may change or be less consistently documented, so it's best to check the Academy before committing to a long Core grind.

All Other Classes Worth Knowing in Drill to Earth's Core

The rest of the roster mostly covers combat, survivability, mobility, and support. These classes can still be useful, but they tend to fill more specific roles than the main economy or drill-focused picks. Because each role solves a different problem, there is no universal Drill to Earth's Core best class for every run: the strongest option changes depending on whether the team needs damage, sustain, resources, fuel efficiency, or faster drilling.

Scout 

Scout costs 3,000 Cores and is built around mobility. Its movement speed helps you travel faster between the drill, dungeons, and resource nodes, although it adds less direct power to a run than more specialized classes.

Healer

Healer, also priced at 3,000 Cores, is the straightforward support option. It improves healing and works best in groups that take frequent damage during dungeons or boss fights.

Tank 

Tank costs 5,000 Cores and gives you extra health. It's a simple survivability pick for players who want more room for mistakes when fighting tougher enemies at greater depths.

Gunslinger 

Gunslinger is the entry-level firearm class at 5,000 Cores. Its +50% gun damage makes it a solid choice if you prefer rifles, shotguns, and other ranged weapons over melee builds.

Bruiser 

Bruiser fills the same role for melee players. It costs 5,000 Cores and grants +50% melee damage, making it especially effective when combined with healing or life-steal effects.

Demolitionist 

Demolitionist costs 10,000 Cores and focuses on explosives. It can hit hard with the right setup, but its bonuses are more situational than straightforward boosts to gun, melee, or drill damage.

Reaper 

Reaper is one of the better self-sustain classes. Enemies can drop Soul Orbs that restore health, while later upgrades add the Soul Lantern and more survivability. Since its healing comes from combat, Reaper works particularly well for players who spend most of their time clearing dungeon rooms.

Princess 

Princess costs 10,000 Cores and mixes support with economy-related utility. It can be useful in coordinated teams, although its role is more niche than Healer or Lucky Looter.

Witch 

Witch brings spellcasting and hex effects into the mix. Its curses can slow enemies and provide crowd control instead of relying purely on raw damage. Some of its later perks and current unlock requirements may vary, so it's worth checking the Academy before buying it.

Nightcrawler 

Nightcrawler focuses on stealth, mobility, and exploration. Darkness makes you harder for enemies to detect, while night vision, movement bonuses, and melee perks help with scouting dangerous areas. It's more of an exploration pick than a solution for bosses or drill progression.

Priest 

Priest is a newer support class built around a staff, healing projectiles, and reviving downed teammates. Compared with Healer, it offers a more active support playstyle with some offensive utility mixed in.

Recruit & Racer

Recruit and Racer also appear in the Academy roster, but they're less important for standard progression and fill more niche roles than the core classes above.

Best Classes for Solo and Party Play

For solo runs or smaller groups, self-sufficient classes are usually better than highly specialized team picks. Reaper is one of the safest options because Soul Orbs heal you during combat, cutting down your reliance on teammates and medical supplies. Lucky Looter is also a strong all-round choice, since extra loot means more Coins, gear, and resources no matter how you play. Once unlocked, Gunsmith is another solid solo class because crafting your own weapons and ammo makes you less dependent on shops.

Driller is especially useful if tougher walls are slowing down your progression. The extra Drill Power and cheaper upgrades help you push into deeper layers faster, which is one of the biggest progression bottlenecks. Nightcrawler fits a different playstyle, focusing more on avoiding unnecessary fights, scouting dangerous areas, and moving through zones without clearing every enemy.

Party play works differently because Level 4 class bonuses can benefit the whole team, making class variety much more valuable. A coordinated squad will usually get more from covering several roles than stacking the same class. Drillers can focus on vehicle progression, Lucky Looters and Pirates bring in extra resources, Mechanics handle fuel, while Reapers, Bruisers, Gunslingers, and Executioners take care of combat. Support picks like Priest and Healer also become much stronger as party size increases.

The main lesson from this Drill to Earth's Core classes guide is that class value depends on what is currently limiting your run. Miner is a safe starting point because it gives you time to learn how mining, fuel, dungeons, and drill upgrades work before spending Cores on something more specialized. From there, Driller solves slow depth progression, Lucky Looter improves income, and Reaper provides stronger combat sustain. Building your class collection around those weaknesses is usually more effective than immediately saving for an expensive class that may not fit your playstyle.