Return of Reckoning

Hi I just started playing my engine again after a break from game, and I got tbh they don't seem to really do very well in any situation apart from keep.
my dps is meh and if I get attack by a melee I'm toasted. any help welcome.

Depends what spec you're going. I'd rec going grenadier as it's the easiest DPS build to play. Acid bomb, fragmentation grenade and firebomb. Drop your turret down and keep it near for extra dmg. Use phosphorous shells and napalm for AOE. All you need for that build is softcapped BS and high crit.

Rifle is harder to play because it needs specific gear and good positioning.

Magnet doesn't have much to it, it's mostly a utility spec. But you want good defensive gear so you don't die when pulling.

Not much to tell you without level, renownrank and gear situation, as well as build or renownpoint distributement.
Engi can shine in a lot of situations.

Use spanner swipe to snare your oponent and Concusion grenade to knock them back. Also use Barbed wire for AOE root or mine for stagger in situation when you are overrun. It can help you to get out of dangerous situation. I also advice to spent 10 renown points in to Quick escape which can help you with mobility.
As was suggested play grenadier spec which can AOE debuff your oponent corp rezistance since all of your grenadier abbilities deal corp damage.
When you get descent gear and weapon skill, You can switch to rifleman and try sniping ppl from distance.

thank you for the reply's, I am going to try a few ideas a friend has suggested in game to try find a build that works for me.

I would start here https://www.youtube.com/@daewuur