KF2: Use Any Weapon Skin Without Buying It (SDK Texture Swap)

This method lets you play with any weapon skin you like without buying it. It is client side, works in multiplayer and requires no console cheat commands. According to the author you cannot get banned for it, because it simply replaces weapon textures on your own machine; use it at your own risk and remember that skins are a major way to support the developer. The Neon, Neon RGB, Precious and Vault Vosh Precious skins need a different method. For the related config-file approach for HRG weapons see regular skins on HRG weapons, and for other skin topics see custom weapon skin pack.

What you need

• Killing Floor 2.
• The Killing Floor 2 SDK (Steam Library, Tools, Killing Floor 2 - SDK).
• UE Viewer (UModel).
• A TGA viewer (optional but useful).

Step by step

1. Extract UModel and run umodel.exe. Point it at the skins packages, usually C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\killingfloor2\KFGame\BrewedPC\Packages\Weapons\Skins. Select only Textures and click OK.

Choose Textures only.

2. Select everything and export. The files appear in the UmodelExport folder inside the UModel folder.

Export all textures.

3. Open the SDK. In the Content Browser, right-click Weapons and choose Fully Load.

Fully load the Weapons package.

4. The example uses the KRISS Vector with the Horzine Elite Blue skin. The KRISS folder has two packages you need: WEP_1P_KRISS._TEX (first-person skin) and WEP_3P_KRISS._TEX (the skin seen on the ground or in other players' hands). Open 1P, double-click Wep_1stp_KRISS_D, choose Reimport and pick the _1P.tga skin.

Reimport the TGA into the diffuse texture.

5. Files end in _D, _M, _N or _S. Use the same TGA for both _D and _S. Some skins, such as BlackGolden Crovel, also have an _M file; reimport it only if the skin you are copying has one (the Vector does not). Never touch _N.

Which texture slots to replace.

6. Weapons with scopes: the Vector's scope is in the same file as the weapon, so replacing it there is enough. If the scope is not in the weapon file, look in the Optics file.

The scope is part of the weapon texture on the Vector.

What the finished 1P file should look like.

7. Repeat the process for the 3P package.
8. Exit the SDK and click Save Selected. The files are saved to Documents\My Games\KillingFloor2\KFGame\Unpublished. Rename the Unpublished folder to Published and start the game.

The replaced skin in game: a blue Vector.

Optional: replace a skin with a skin

If you want others to see a less flashy skin you do own instead of the default weapon, you can swap in a skin of your own. The author's example replaces AR15 | Vault | Vosh | Precious with AR15 | Containment | Mint:

• Open the SDK and go to the Skins folder inside Weapons; pick the skin you own.
• The golden AR-15 lives in WEP_SkinSet_VaultVosh02_TEX. For golden skins replace ONLY 1P_D and 3P_D and do not touch _M. Other skins follow the same procedure as above.
• The icon is in WEP_SkinSet_VaultVosh02_item_TEX. Replace it with the icon of the other skin and you will see it in your inventory.

Results vary. Putting a regular skin over a golden one can produce a shiny, odd look, while replacing a regular skin with another regular skin looks normal. For example, Centerfire | Headshot Weekly replaced with Bluefire: other players see the Headshot skin while you see Bluefire.

Done, and a shortcut

The author also shared a zip of their favorite skins you can extract into the Weapons folder and delete what you do not want. If you like the game, consider buying keys and skins from the in-game market to support Tripwire.