Enter the Gungeon is a bullet hell dungeon crawler by Dodge Roll, published by Devolver Digital and released on 5 April 2016. Four misfits descend through a gun shaped fortress looking for a weapon that can kill their own past, and the run gives them over 200 guns and hundreds of items to find on the way down. Every room is a bullet pattern puzzle solved with a dodge roll that grants brief invulnerability and a blank that wipes projectiles off the screen. Runs last roughly 30 to 60 minutes, nothing carries over except permanent unlocks bought with Hegemony Credits, and the difficulty curve is famously steep.
Picking the right build determines how your experience plays out. These builds are ranked by overall effectiveness, factoring in damage, survivability, gear requirements, and how well they scale into endgame. New to the game? Start with our beginner's guide first.
Quick Rankings
| Build | Tier | Playstyle | Core Gear |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Marine | A | Balanced | Best available |
| The Pilot | A | Balanced | Best available |
| The Convict | A | Balanced | Best available |
| The Hunter | A | Balanced | Best available |
| The Robot | A | Balanced | Best available |
For detailed meta rankings, see our Enter the Gungeon tier list.
A-Tier: The Marine
The Marine is a top-performing option in Enter the Gungeon.
Core Setup
| Slot | Choice | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Equipment | Marine Sidearm | The Marine's starting pistol and the strongest of the four default sidearms, with infinite ammo and enough damage to carry a full floor if nothing better drops. |
| Core Gear | Best available for your level | Maximizes build potential |
| Stat Priority | Balanced offensive and defensive stats | Optimal scaling |
| Key Mechanic | Dodge roll invulnerability and blanks | The dodge roll gives a short window where bullets pass straight through you, and it also flips tables into cover and carries you over pits in some cases. |
How to Play The Marine
The Marine focuses on a balanced approach to content.
Why this build works: Marine Sidearm does the damage and Dodge roll invulnerability and blanks keeps it running, which is why this sits at the top of the list. See our weapons guide for detailed equipment breakdowns.
Pros:
- Highest overall performance
- Straightforward gearing path
- Works in all content types
Cons:
- Popular pick, resources may be contested
- Needs specific gear to reach full potential
A-Tier: The Pilot
The Pilot is a strong option in Enter the Gungeon.
Core Setup
| Slot | Choice | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Equipment | A.W.P. | A bolt action sniper rifle with a tiny magazine and heavy single shot damage, awkward on trash and excellent on bosses. |
| Core Gear | Best available for your level | Maximizes build potential |
| Stat Priority | Balanced offensive and defensive stats | Optimal scaling |
| Key Mechanic | Item combinations the game highlights in blue | Certain guns and items become far stronger when held together, and the game tells you it has happened with a light blue arrow above your head and a name in the pickup popup. |
How to Play The Pilot
The Pilot focuses on a balanced approach to content.
Why this build works: Pair A.W.P. with Item combinations the game highlights in blue and the build stops depending on a good start, so it holds up across most content. See our weapons guide for detailed equipment breakdowns.
Pros:
- Most versatile option
- Straightforward gearing path
- Works in all content types
Cons:
- Lower peak damage than S-tier
- Needs specific gear to reach full potential
A-Tier: The Convict
The Convict is a strong option in Enter the Gungeon.
Core Setup
| Slot | Choice | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Equipment | Patriot | A heavy rotary gun with high sustained output, one of the strongest raw damage guns in the game and a reliable boss killer. |
| Core Gear | Best available for your level | Maximizes build potential |
| Stat Priority | Balanced offensive and defensive stats | Optimal scaling |
| Key Mechanic | Curse and Coolness hidden stats | Curse rises when you take cursed items or open certain chests, and it makes enemies faster, adds jammed variants and raises the stakes across the whole run. |
How to Play The Convict
The Convict focuses on a balanced approach to content.
Why this build works: Curse and Coolness hidden stats covers the gap Patriot leaves open, so the build stays usable even when a fight goes badly. See our weapons guide for detailed equipment breakdowns.
Pros:
- Best survivability
- Straightforward gearing path
- Works in all content types
Cons:
- Slower clear speeds
- Needs specific gear to reach full potential
A-Tier: The Hunter
The Hunter is a specialized option in Enter the Gungeon.
Core Setup
| Slot | Choice | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Equipment | Vulcan Cannon | A spin up minigun with an enormous ammo pool and a wide spray, built to delete crowded rooms rather than snipe. |
| Core Gear | Best available for your level | Maximizes build potential |
| Stat Priority | Balanced offensive and defensive stats | Optimal scaling |
| Key Mechanic | Keys, chests and chest quality | Keys are the tightest resource in the game because almost every chest needs one, and chests come in brown, blue, green, red and black tiers with steadily better contents. |
How to Play The Hunter
The Hunter focuses on a balanced approach to content.
Why this build works: This one leans on Keys, chests and chest quality rather than raw numbers, and Vulcan Cannon is what makes that trade pay off. See our weapons guide for detailed equipment breakdowns.
Pros:
- Strong in group/team content
- Straightforward gearing path
- Excels in its niche
Cons:
- Weaker solo performance
- Requires deep game knowledge
A-Tier: The Robot
The Robot is a specialized option in Enter the Gungeon.
Core Setup
| Slot | Choice | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Equipment | Black Hole Gun | Fires a singularity that pulls in enemy bullets and enemies alike, briefly turning a bullet hell pattern into an empty room. |
| Core Gear | Best available for your level | Maximizes build potential |
| Stat Priority | Balanced offensive and defensive stats | Optimal scaling |
| Key Mechanic | Master Rounds for flawless boss kills | Killing a boss on Chambers 1 through 5 without taking a single point of damage awards a Master Round, which is a permanent extra heart container for that run. |
How to Play The Robot
The Robot focuses on a balanced approach to content.
Why this build works: Black Hole Gun and Master Rounds for flawless boss kills pull in the same direction here, which separates this from the safer picks above. See our weapons guide for detailed equipment breakdowns.
Pros:
- Unique, rewarding playstyle
- Straightforward gearing path
- Excels in its niche
Cons:
- High skill floor, punishing when misplayed
- Requires deep game knowledge
Build Progression Path
- Start with The Pilot: the most forgiving option for learning the game
- Transition to The Marine once you understand core mechanics and have access to Marine Sidearm
- Keep a The Convict setup for content that keeps killing you
- Try The Robot for a fresh experience once you've mastered the basics
Follow our walkthrough for the optimal progression path through each area.
Gearing Tips
- Invest in your primary equipment first, since it gives the biggest power spike. See our weapons guide for rankings.
- Dodge roll through a bullet rather than away from it, because the invulnerability window is short and rolling backwards usually lands you in the next wave.
- You start each floor with two blanks, so spending one on a room you cannot read is correct rather than wasteful.
- Don't spread upgrade resources across multiple builds until endgame
More Enter the Gungeon Guides
- Enter the Gungeon Enter the Gungeon Overview
- Enter the Gungeon Tier List
- Enter the Gungeon Walkthrough
- Enter the Gungeon Beginner's Guide
- Enter the Gungeon Tips & Tricks
- Enter the Gungeon Weapons Guide
- Enter the Gungeon Combat Guide
- Enter the Gungeon Boss Guide
- Enter the Gungeon Maps & Locations
- Enter the Gungeon Crafting Guide
- Enter the Gungeon Classes & Characters
Similar Games
If you enjoy Enter the Gungeon, check out these related guides:
- Risk of Rain 2 Builds: roguelike game with similar mechanics
- Hades Builds: roguelike game with similar mechanics
- Darkest Dungeon Builds: roguelike game with similar mechanics
