Employees
Compare all five Mycopunk employees: Glider, Scrapper, Bruiser, Wrangler and the 1.0 Mycologist, with their ability kits, roles and unlock conditions.
Introduction
Mycopunk has five playable employees, and they are not classes in the usual sense. All five are SAXON robots hired onto the New Atlas Hazard Crew, and what separates them is the ability kit and the upgrade pool attached to it rather than a rigid role label. Glider owns the air, Scrapper owns repositioning, Bruiser owns the front line, and Wrangler owns disruption and burst damage against priority targets. The fifth employee, the Mycologist, arrived with the 1.0 release and has to be rescued rather than unlocked through levelling. Picking the right employee for a mission is often worth more than any single upgrade, because the ability kit determines how you survive the first thirty seconds.
Employee Ability Reference
| Employee | Ability Kit | Natural Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Glider | Rocket Salvo, Wingsuit | Aerial support | Sustained airtime plus rocket-based healing upgrades |
| Scrapper | Grapple Pole, Jetpack | Mobility and utility | Repositioning plus upgrades that generate health chunks for the crew |
| Bruiser | Nose Dive, Shield Projector | Front-line anchor | Can block enemy movement and shelter teammates |
| Wrangler | Rocket Lasso, Air Dash | Disruption and burst | Mark-based upgrades raise damage against priority targets |
| Mycologist | Sporelift, Fungal Skewer | 1.0 rescue unlock | Passive Infection effect; rescued in Expedition Alpha |
Employee Roster
Glider
Aerial — Rocket Salvo and the Wingsuit
Scrapper
Utility — Grapple Pole and Jetpack mobility
Bruiser
Front Line — Nose Dive and the Shield Projector
Wrangler
Disruption — Rocket Lasso and burst damage
Mycologist
1.0 Rescue — Sporelift, Fungal Skewer, Infection
Core Mechanics
Each employee levels independently up to level 30 and carries a personal ability kit plus a passive. Glider brings Rocket Salvo and the Wingsuit, Scrapper brings the Grapple Pole and a Jetpack, Bruiser brings Nose Dive and a Shield Projector, and Wrangler brings the Rocket Lasso and Air Dash. The Mycologist adds Sporelift and Fungal Skewer alongside a passive Infection effect. The 1.0 release also shifted the upgrade trees so they begin at Rare rarity, which makes early picks more interesting than flat stat bumps. Because employees share the same upgrade grid as your weapons, a kit that needs a lot of cells will squeeze out weapon modules, so role choice and grid budgeting are the same decision.
Advantages
Every employee has a clear strength that solves a specific problem. Glider's Wingsuit turns vertical space into an escape route, which is invaluable in the open regions where retreating on foot is hopeless. Scrapper's Grapple Pole and Jetpack make repositioning cheap, so you can reach a downed teammate or a distant objective without crossing open ground. Bruiser's Shield Projector can block enemy fire and protect allies, which is the closest thing the game has to a tank. Wrangler's Rocket Lasso plus mark-based upgrades convert single dangerous targets into killable ones. Levelling is also generous: reaching level 30 on one employee unlocks rotation for exotic modules, which benefits your entire account rather than just that character.
Challenges
Employee levels are personal, so switching mains late means starting a fresh level track and losing access to the rotation tiers that come with a high level. The game also uses the word employee rather than class and provides no official role labels, so advice written in terms of tanks and healers is community shorthand rather than something the interface will confirm. The Mycologist compounds this, because she must be rescued in Expedition Alpha rather than earned, and the developers have published no upgrade list for her, leaving players to discover her pool by playing. Finally, because ability modules share space with weapon modules, a kit-heavy build can quietly starve your gun.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which employee is best for playing solo?+
How do I unlock the Mycologist?+
Does the employee level cap matter for my build?+
Quick Tips
Match the employee to the mission, not to a tier list. Glider and Scrapper excel in the open, vertical regions where escape routes and elevation decide fights, while Bruiser and Wrangler are far more comfortable inside the layered Incursion facilities where a shield can seal a corridor. Switching employee costs nothing except a level track you have not invested in, so experiment before you commit a hundred upgrades to one kit.
Remember that ability modules and weapon modules share the same grid. A kit that demands six cells of utility upgrades is six cells of damage your gun will never get, and the trade is only worth it if those abilities are what keeps you extracting. If a run keeps failing on the objective rather than on survival, strip utility modules and push the cells back into your weapon.
Level one employee to 30 before widening your roster. The cap is what unlocks exotic rotation, and exotic rotation is what makes the strongest modules in your collection fit into a real build. Spreading levels across four robots leaves all of them below the rotation thresholds and quietly caps your grid no matter how good your drops have been.
Featured
Mycopunk Bruiser: Abilities, Builds & How to Play the Heavy
Get the most out of Mycopunk Bruiser — ability breakdowns, top weapon pairings, and the aggressive playstyle that makes this heavy employee dominate.
Mycopunk Characters List: Every Playable Employee & Best Class
Browse the full Mycopunk characters list — every playable employee, their class role, and which one ranks as the best pick for solo or team play.
Mycopunk Employee Levels: Max Level, XP Gains & Perks Unlocked
Track Mycopunk employee levels from 1 to max — how XP scales, which perks unlock at each tier, and the fastest way to level every employee.
All Articles
Mycopunk Glider Abilities: Grapple Pole, Nose Dive & More
Break down every Mycopunk Glider ability — Grapple Pole mobility, Nose Dive timing, Rocket Salvo damage, and Shield Projector uses for top team play.
Mycopunk Glider Build: Best Abilities, Weapons & Team Synergies
Build the strongest Mycopunk Glider — top ability picks, ideal weapon pairings, and team compositions that let this aerial employee dominate.
Mycopunk Support Build: Healing, Tanky Picks & Best Loadouts
Build a unkillable Mycopunk Support — the best tanky ability loadout, healing items, and Wrangler setups that keep your team alive through every wave.