Tactics

Basic Tactics and Perk Tips for Killing Floor (a 2011 Classic)

A collection of tips by F4TAL1ST from the "Basic tactics and tips" thread on the killingfloor.ru forum (2011). It was written for the balance of that time, before the DLC weapons and later patches, but most of the team play advice still holds. Current builds are in Meta loadouts, and team roles in Team composition.

Sharpshooter

Weapons of the time: LAR (lever action rifle), Deagle, 9mm, M14, crossbow.

  • Shoot heads, preferably from far away. Aiming slows you down: stand still and move only the mouse.
  • Fire the M14 one shot at a time with pauses: shot, pause, shot, not bursts.
  • Do not get used to the M14's laser sight: the crossbow, LAR, 9mm and Deagle have none, and without practice you will not land headshots with them.
  • A good sharpshooter can headshot with two Deagles but knows one Deagle is better than two. Do not buy dual 9mm at all: weak damage and wide spread.
  • Value the LAR: it stuns Scrakes and Husks, hits as hard as the Deagle and M14, and costs only 200.
  • The Deagle is useful for every perk: it weighs 4 kg and easily finishes Clots, Gorefasts and Crawlers.
  • Your job is Scrakes, Fleshpounds and the Patriarch. Do not hide when a Fleshpound heads for the team: they are counting on you.

Support Specialist

Weapons: shotgun, hunting shotgun, AA12.

  • Ammo is your main problem. Reload whenever you can, do not empty the magazine, and try to hit several zeds with one shot.
  • Weld doors, even mid-wave: you do it far faster than anyone else. Make sure you do not lock a teammate in a room.
  • Hunting shotgun ammo is very expensive. When it runs out, it is cheaper to sell the gun and buy it again than to buy ammo. The "Hunting Shotgun" thread on the same forum notes that this trick stopped working after patch 1016.
  • The big backpack lets you carry a spare Deagle or LAR for a teammate.
  • On dark maps everyone else needs a 9mm for its flashlight, while Support has one on the shotgun.
  • For the Patriarch take the AA12, but fire it in semi-auto: full auto burns through ammo too fast.

Commando

Weapons: Bullpup, AK-47, SCAR.

  • Fire bursts of 3-4 rounds with pauses.
  • Use the health bars above zeds: learn which bar belongs to which zed and warn the team.
  • At level 6 the Bullpup is very strong: low recoil and a big magazine. The SCAR works well as a semi-sniper rifle with single headshots.
  • Kill Stalkers even when they do not threaten you: it levels the perk and helps the team.
  • The reload bonus lets you use other perks' weapons too.
  • In the Patriarch fight the Commando can see him while cloaked: tell the team where he is and how much health he has, lead them, and call for the final push.

Firebug

Weapons: flamethrower, MAC-10, fire grenades.

  • The hardest perk of that time: expect to die a lot in the first days.
  • The gear is cheap, so give spare money to the team.
  • MAC-10 damage did not level the perk back then: use the flamethrower for that. Besides the MAC-10 you need an alternative weapon for Husks, Scrakes and Fleshpounds.
  • Throw fire grenades into a crowd breaking a welded door, and when the door falls, flood the doorway with fire.
  • Do not set Scrakes and Fleshpounds on fire: it only enrages them. Husks do not care about fire.
  • Save fuel and do not spray everywhere: teammates have no fire protection.
  • The best pairs are Firebug with Sharpshooter or with Support.
  • Set the Patriarch on fire as early as possible: it damages him and shows him to the whole team.

Demolitions

Weapons: M32, M79, pipe bombs, LAW.

  • The perk for wiping out crowds with one shot, preferably at long range. Do not waste grenades on groups of 2-3 zeds.
  • Explosion smoke blinds the team, and a close blast can kill a teammate.
  • Scrakes resist explosives, so let others take them. Fleshpounds have no such protection.
  • Place pipes in narrow corridors and by a welded door on the side the zeds will come out of. Spread them out to avoid a chain reaction, and do not shoot them.
  • In close combat Demolitions needs a Berserker or Support for cover.
  • The author considered the LAW useless and the M79 better than the M32 in many ways. Hand grenades are not needed either when you carry a launcher.
  • Stacking all pipes in one pile under the Patriarch stopped working after a patch of that time. Before the Patriarch, buy a shotgun and mine the area instead: launchers make smoke that blinds the team.

Medic

Weapon: MP7M.

  • The Medic's armour is tougher, but the Medic is not a fighter: the job is healing. The MP7M is for emergencies, for example when Crawlers pin the team.
  • The syringe heals faster and better than the MP7M; at level 6 it restores 100 HP almost instantly.
  • Heal right away, even at 80 HP: better for the team and faster leveling. Heal Berserkers first, they take the most damage.
  • Stay in the middle of the team, not on the side.
  • For self-defence at low levels players took the Bullpup, LAR or AK-47.

Berserker

Weapons: knife, machete, axe, chainsaw, katana.

  • Keep the Medic close and buy armour as soon as you can.
  • Skip the machete: the axe is stronger and costs about the same.
  • The katana suits players who move around the map a lot: light and fast. The chainsaw suits those who hold one sector or cover the team.
  • Every weapon has an alternate attack: slower but stronger and over a wider area.
  • Your worst enemies are Crawlers, Husks and Sirens. Many kill them from range with a Deagle or LAR; Crawlers are easier to hit with the katana than with the chainsaw.
  • Clots cannot grab a Berserker, so use that.
  • The main tactic: run in, hit, back off, repeat.

General tips

  • It is a team game: do not play hero alone. Aim for the head; it is faster and saves ammo.
  • Heal your teammates, not only yourself.
  • The syringes on the Patriarch's leg show how many heals he has left.
  • The 9mm is weak but its ammo is cheap: in early waves use it to save your main weapon's ammo.
  • Do not weld every door: decide by the size of the map.
  • If death is certain, gather zeds around you and drop grenades at your feet.
  • Do not let Clots surround you: you cannot break free until they die (unless you are a Berserker).
  • Reload before the fight: most deaths come from running out of ammo or reloading mid-fight.
  • Learn the map: where weapons and ammo lie and where zeds spawn.
  • Plan your purchases on the way to the trader, and never shop standing in the doorway: nobody else can get in.
  • Bullets go to the centre of the screen: you do not have to aim down sights all the time for headshots.
  • Sometimes it pays to leave 2-3 slow Clots alive to reach the trader, weld doors, gather ammo and lay pipes.
  • Several grenades close together explode at once and deal huge damage.
  • Share money, especially with Demolitions players: their gear is the most expensive. When leaving the server, give away your money and weapons.
  • Do not throw away an empty weapon, and do not pick up an ammo box you do not need: a teammate may need it.
  • Do not leave mid-wave. Return a dead teammate's weapon after they respawn, and hand off-perk weapons to someone they suit.
  • Respect your teammates, avoid arguments, and remember it is just a game.