KF2 All-Perks Guide: Builds, Skills and Loadouts for Every Perk (2021)

This page is a translation and summary of a Chinese Steam community guide that was the only all-perks guide still being updated at the time. Its last update targeted the Spring 2021 Dystopian Devastation season. The author's opening points: there is no really weak perk, every perk can solo Hell on Earth, and some are just harder to learn. For new players Support and SWAT are the recommended starters. Builds are suggestions, not the only valid choice: do not criticise strangers for their loadout, because a veteran bored with the standard builds will often run odd gear. For other all-perk resources see the community all-perks guide.

About paid weapons

The Spring 2021 season pass included every earlier and later paid weapon until the end of the year. If you are curious about paid weapons, the pass can be better value than buying individually, but the author says nine out of ten paid weapons look better than they play, and none appear in their "optimal" recommendations. Each is still briefly rated below.

Tricks used by veterans

• Melee-cancelled reload (V reload): when the ammo counter at bottom right changes during a reload, press the melee key and fire immediately. It once saved up to half the reload time, but reload animations were later patched so the number changes only when the animation is nearly done, so it matters little now.
• Ammo glitch: most perks have a skill tier that raises ammo capacity. Between rounds, switch to it, buy full ammo, drop the weapon, switch the skill back, pick the weapon up again: the ammo stays at the dropped value. Do not pick up ammo boxes until the extra is spent, and avoid it if teammates might sell your weapon.

Berserker

Recommended Berserker skills.

Role. On normal waves you are a melee perk: stand in front, hold narrow chokepoints, hit incoming zeds and fund teammates with your cash after each round. On a boss wave you are a ranged perk: use the Eviscerator and shoot while running; do not melee the boss.

Skills. The perk has night vision (hold the flashlight key), cannot be grabbed by Clots (not total immunity; Tractor-type robots still hold you) and its grenade is an EMP that interrupts and silences special abilities, which makes it your tool against Husks. The core is healing and damage reduction: with no skills before level 5 you are weak, and at level 10 (heal on kill) you take shape. The recommended tree favours the left-hand constant 25 percent damage reduction at level 15 (raised from 20 percent in this version, with 50 percent against Siren scream and bile) over the perfect-block "red eye" skill, which is stronger but needs a perfect block and leaves you exposed to Tractor grabs. Level 20: strengthen light attacks (usually better) or heavy attacks. Level 25: Spartan, which lets you act during Zed Time, or heal in Zed Time if there is no Medic.

Loadouts. Berserker is the least economy-demanding perk (no ammo to buy), so give money to teammates. Start with the Crovel Survival Tool and move to a Katana around wave 3, using it as a money weapon.

1. Pulverizer + Eviscerator: use the hammer on trash, explosive heavy attacks on Fleshpounds, and the circular saw on Scrake heads. The Pulverizer is the lightest Tier 3 (6), leaving room for the 9-weight Eviscerator, a combo that needs no change until the end.
2. Bone Crusher + HRG Tesla Rifle: the Tesla Rifle is a reskin of the 501 medic rifle whose alt-fire shoots EMP grenades. It weighs 7, leaving room for an 8-weight melee weapon such as the Bone Crusher.

Other weapons are strong too, except the nailgun. Swords (Katana, Zweihander) have a stab on the melee key with long reach, useful on Bloat heads. The Hemoclobber shared with Medic heals teammates on hit but you rarely have time; the gas from heavy attacks occasionally saves you at low health. The paid Frostfang (shared with Support) is a good lever-action shotgun with freezing shots and a block; pair it with the Tesla Rifle.

Notes. Many treat the Berserker as a tank; that is a mistake. On Normal and Hard you can take hits, but past Suicidal Husks gain a close-range flamethrower and a suicide explosion at low health that can one-shot. Three Scrakes or Fleshpounds, or three attackers at once, kill you. Play every lobby as if there is no Medic: retreat below half health, kill a few lone small zeds to heal, or inject yourself.

Commando

Recommended Commando skills.

Many beginners start here: automatic rifles are fun, and veterans love a Commando teammate, since on high difficulty a team can lack a Medic but not a Commando. Commandos clear small zeds well and fight big ones less well at first, but they are fragile, so staying alive matters. Avoid very narrow places.

Skills. Night vision, cloaked zeds become visible, health bars above zeds and a detection range up to 60 m at level 25. The key trait is Zed Time extension: a kill during Zed Time resets it, up to six times at max level. The grenade is a high-explosive grenade with a short fuse. Skills are flexible. Level 5 is a matter of taste (reload or magazine; the author picks magazine size to pair with the level 25 burst). Level 10 right adds knockback to the pistol or knife, or left to save money by using the pistol early. Level 15 improves survival. Level 20 hollow points raise damage (recoil reduction was nerfed). Level 25: the author prefers the right-hand skill (3x fire rate = real-time shooting in Zed Time) because it makes resetting Zed Time more forgiving.

Loadouts. Starting weapon: Commando 9 (a weak Tier 1; switch to semi-auto to save ammo). L85 is a decent first upgrade, then the AK-12 if you accept the iron sights. Typical goal: SCAR + M16, a trash-clearing set. M16 has an M203 for big zeds (Fleshpounds resist rifle bullets by 0.5x). For both small and big zeds, SCAR + FN FAL works: the FN FAL is a shared Sharpshooter weapon with sniper damage (0.75x on Fleshpounds) and 70 damage, but low ammo. Other notes: STG44 is strong but has awful iron sights; the Thompson is not recommended; Stoner is meh; the paid minigun is called junk (weight 10, a slow spin-up, slow movement while firing).

Notes. The Commando is the team's tool for extending Zed Time, so stability and experience matter. Every perk can reset Zed Time once (the first kill), but a max Commando can do six. Reset means the 3-second timer restarts when you score a kill, so aim for a headshot every two seconds or so. Avoid stealing small zeds from Commando in Zed Time; it is a common frustration, so stand apart and take a single lane. Commandos can hold a lane solo even on Hell.

Support

Recommended Support skills.

Support looks like pure support but is the most visually violent perk: the strongest close-range burst, shotguns that explode small zeds and shred big ones, and an economy helper. Good for new players. Stay mid to close range, do not waste ammo at distance, and wait for zeds to be in range. Health is high (with the level 10 skill) and escape is among the best, so you are rarely cornered. Watch out for Husks above Suicidal, and Fleshpounds resist bullets heavily.

Skills. A fast welder that can repair destroyed doors (a joke, rarely used), shotgun pellet penetration that grows with level, and supply ability for teammates (level 20 lets teammates grab ammo twice and 20 armor). Level 5: reload speed. Level 10: health. Level 15: the author takes the left penetration skill, since the right-hand spread tightening turns AA-12 pellets almost into slugs. Level 20: supplier. Level 25: real-time shooting.

Loadouts. Support has 20 weight capacity, so weight is not a problem. Start with the Mossberg-style SG 500; save ammo by shooting zeds lined up. Then a double-barrel. The classic build is AA-12 + double-barrel: the AA-12's big magazine matters for sustained clearing, the double-barrel can solo big zeds flawlessly. A wealthy player can swap to the Quad. Other picks: HZ12 and Dragonsbreath as early transitions; the nailgun is poor but cheap; the 301 medic shotgun when no Medic is present; the M4, strong burst but slow reload; the revolver shotgun as a sidearm. The fun six-barrel set is double + quad + revolver shotgun (take the right-hand level 15 skill). Paid Thunder gun is disliked; the Frostfang is great and can block, but do not swing the axe without Berserker's resistance.

Notes. Do not buy full ammo each round if a Support is on your team; keep a mag or a mag and a half to grab from him. A Support cannot refill himself but can throw the gun to a teammate. Double-barrel jump: hold the double-barrel, jump and fire both barrels; recoil pushes you back, letting you kite big zeds. It works with the quad too.

Field Medic

Recommended Medic skills.

Stand in the middle of the team, watch health bars, shoot darts at hurt teammates, buff them even at full health, and throw grenades when darts cannot keep up. Do not abandon healing for damage. Hidden passive: acid vision impairment is smaller than for other perks. The recommended skill picks are all left: you can give teammates three buffs and receive them too. An all-right poison build is mentioned as an entertainment option for solo play, and criticised for co-op.

Loadouts. Starting weapon: the medic pistol (weaker than a 9mm; it will be with you two waves). Medics earn money for healing. Then the 301 medic shotgun, or the 201 SMG if you cannot afford it. A solid combo: 301 shotgun + 401 rifle (nerfed to 15 heal but still the fastest recharge). Rich players use 401 + 501 (alt-fire heals with grenades, 11 carried). The HRG Incision (the healing railgun) deals high damage, stuns small and medium zeds with healing darts and applies EMP to control Scrakes, at the cost of self-defence and a slow dart cooldown. Other weapons: the medic sprayer (reskinned Freezethrower) heals too little; HRG Vampire (a blood vacuum ball weapon) is complex and fun; the paid medic mine launcher heals and damages but cannot heal yourself.

Notes. Darts have slight aim assist. You cannot fire darts while reloading. Early on Medics are cash-starved, so give them money. Healing buffs apply even to full-health teammates, so shoot them occasionally, also while running. In other perks, stay visible to the Medic and walk to him when low.

Demolitionist

Recommended Demolitionist skills.

A specialist perk: not for beginners, depends on map and team. Priority targets: 1) Fleshpounds, 2) clustered small zeds. Do not blow up unenraged Scrakes. Put your own survival first.

Skills. Teammates can take one grenade each per round from you, door welds explode when broken (rarely useful), and a hidden "last gasp" explosion when health falls below 5 locks you to 5 HP once per round. Level 5: reload speed (important, especially with the M32). Level 10: ammo. Level 15: the defining skill. Level 20: knockdown. Level 25: nukes. Left skills at levels 10 and 20 only boost direct impact damage and are not recommended.

Loadouts. The starting grenade pistol is weak, the first wave often runs dry; melee small zeds in wave 1 and move up to the M79. Three main sets:

1. M16 + RPG (classic): the M16 clears with its launcher and bullets, the RPG takes big zeds. Use explosive hits on Fleshpounds and duds on Scrakes.
2. M16 + M32 (rich): expensive but with huge ammo; for a single-magazine Fleshpound kill take the left-hand skills at levels 10 and 20.
3. M79 + M32: no self-defence, only for coordinated friends.

Other weapons: C4 is a suicide special; the explosive crossbow is a trap; the Seeker Six is weak; the Husk cannon is a nerfed relic; the paid Thunder gun is awkward; a new gravity implosion gun is exotic.

Notes. Most explosives have a safety fuse (no detonation within 3.87 m) but explosions from beyond can still hurt you; the M79 radius is 8.5 m. Grenades that hit a zed inside 3.87 m are "duds" and deal bullet damage, not explosive damage. Fleshpounds resist bullets heavily and Scrakes resist explosions, so use the RPG's live round on Fleshpounds and a dud on Scrakes (4x impact damage). The level 25 nuke skill makes every explosion a mini nuke in Zed Time, with no safety fuse and no self-damage, and leaves a poison cloud that kills weak zeds. Keep at least two M16 magazines for self-defence, and do not shoot grenades near raging Scrakes.

Treating the two big zeds differently, part one.

Part two.

Firebug

Recommended Firebug skills.

The strongest area control, often blamed for chaos, but with new weapons Firebug handles large, medium and small zeds. A good Firebug can lower team pressure by 30 percent. Hold a chokepoint and cover the zeds' path with ground fire; burst-fire at their feet and avoid lighting big zeds.

Skills. Fire self-damage immunity at max level and 80 percent resistance to fire damage from zeds, so Firebug can trade fire with Husks. Core talents: level 10 ground fire (blue, triple damage and slows zeds), level 15 infection plus explosions (a living bomb), level 20 heat wave (knockback within 3 m), level 25 real-time shooting plus infinite ammo (only Firebug and SWAT have both). Level 5: take extra magazine capacity.

Loadouts. The starting Caulk n' Burn is among the best Tier 1 weapons. Then a Flamethrower + Helios Rifle: the flamethrower burns small zeds, the Helios (penetrating energy rounds) kills big ones. Some players run live-ammo builds (incendiary M16 + Dragonsbreath, Mac-10 and an incendiary revolver) but the Helios outclasses them. Other weapons: the Husk cannon is a relic; the HRG Flare Gun has a parabolic burst round for big zeds and a ground flame line, weighs only 4.

Notes. Firebug and Demolitionist are old scapegoats because they provoke big zeds. Burning zeds panic and move erratically, making headshots harder for Sharpshooters and Gunslingers. Stand where there are fewer players, in front of doors and stairs. Fires also give light in dark places like the Catacombs.

Gunslinger

Recommended Gunslinger skills.

The perk the author plays least, mostly because aiming dual pistols feels bad. A fragile, fast assassin with very high close-range burst, fast big zed kills, but slow reloads and weak sustain. Use movement speed (20 percent at max) to kite.

Skills. Level 5: ADS or hip fire based on taste (the right side adds movement and swap speed). Level 10: stacking headshots are the point. Level 15: reload speed. Level 20: headshots slow zeds. Level 25: right (real-time shooting) rather than infinite ammo, which does little at one-fifth fire rate.

Loadouts. Starting dual Colt 1858s. Final set: dual M1911 + dual Desert Eagles + dual .500 S&W Magnums. M1911 is the transition and money weapon for small zeds; the Deagle and .500 kill big zeds within a magazine of stacked headshots; switch if you miss. Some weapons are borrowed from other perks (flare, grenade and medic pistols cannot be dual-wielded), but the SPX 464 is a good .500 replacement. The AF2011 fires two bullets. The paid Rhino is unimpressive (20 less damage than a Deagle, scatter can anger Scrakes). The Glock 18c does not double fire rate when dual-wielded.

Notes. Aiming dual pistols is unreliable: the crosshair disappears and you do not know what you are aiming with. Alt-fire switches to single-side aiming. The author's fix: hip fire. Buy dual pistols one at a time: drop the first on the ground, buy the second, pick up the first to get double starting ammo.

Why aiming with dual pistols misleads you: the barrels point at the centre of the screen but bullets cross at a point.

Sharpshooter

Recommended Sharpshooter skills.

The most stable instant-kill perk against big zeds: your priority is to kill Scrakes and Fleshpounds the moment they show up. You are fragile; stand in the middle of the team and keep calm, because sniper rifles have little tolerance for misses. The grenade is a freeze grenade, the strongest control skill (raging Fleshpounds and red-glowing Scrakes cannot be frozen).

Skills. Level 15 reload speed is transformative for lever-actions. Levels 5 and 10 raise damage; level 20 headshot damage; level 25 gives a 5 percent chance on headshot to trigger Zed Time (left: 35 percent headshot damage during Zed Time). The listed picks suit the heavy build; for light builds change level 15 to stacking headshots.

Loadouts. Starting Winchester 1894 is your money weapon until level 15. Two schools:

1. Railgun + SPX 464: a heavy plus a light weapon. Crouch and be still: the Railgun one-shots Scrakes and most Fleshpounds on non-6-player Hell on Earth. It has a lock-on mode (50 percent damage) and manual aim. On six-player Hell, shoot a Scrake before it rages, then lock on its head for a second shot; Fleshpounds need two manual headshots plus a lock-on, so use the SPX to finish.
2. M99 + .500 Magnum: the M99 one-shots Scrakes on six-player Hell, but weighs a lot.
3. Light school, M14 + FN FAL: two DMRs for sustain (take stacking headshots at level 15). A classic is M14 + crossbow (the stun build).

Paid items: the new sci-fi sonic-wave rifle (slow red wave plus a single high-energy blue shot) clears small zeds but is awkward against big ones; the compound bow is weak; the Mosin Nagant is fun and can block but has low ammo.

Notes. Crouching and standing still gives the bonus, not literally staying put: step between shots. Sharpshooters earn money slowly, so teammates should help, especially Berserkers. Big zeds begin to spawn from wave 3/4, 4/7 and 5/10 (in the middle of each wave set). Freeze grenades can freeze bosses: when the Patriarch flees to heal, freeze him with at least two grenades and burst him down.

SWAT

Recommended SWAT skills.

A free-agent perk with no demanding role, ideal for beginners: it is rarely blamed, has armor bonuses and big-magazine SMGs that clear small zeds and help focus big ones. The flashbang stuns for a short control before big zed fights. Every skill tier is strong.

Skills. Level 5: heavy armor training, free 50 armor, armor absorbs damage instead of health (except Siren), and you cannot be grabbed by Clots. Level 10: take the left (free pistol) before the game, sell it after wave 1 for 75 dosh profit. Level 15: ammo. Level 20: armor cap 150 (starting armor becomes 100). Level 25: right, real-time shooting plus infinite ammo, one of the strongest Zed Time skills.

Loadouts. MP7 is the starting SMG. T2 SMGs are decent money weapons. A good pair is HRG Nailgun + Kriss Vector: the Kriss has the highest SMG DPS, headshots Scrakes in one magazine on six-player Hell, and a max-level P90 with a 100-round magazine is also fine. The paid Riot Shield + Glock 18 reduces frontal damage when aiming and is a strong, though shaky, choice. Paid weapons can be shared in a party.

Notes. SWAT stands between Commando and Gunslinger: stronger solo and tougher than Commando, but cannot replace one at high difficulty. If you die as another perk, swap to SWAT with the left level 10 skill, then swap back next round for free armor and a pistol. With the level 25 right skill, medical SMG darts fire infinitely in Zed Time at no cost.

SWAT skill notes.

Survivalist

Recommended Survivalist skills.

The perk borrows weapons, skills and grenades from the others, hence the nickname. It has no limits but also no specialty, and it is the "graduation" perk for those who know every weapon and perk. The author says it is weak only to the degree it is hard: a good Survivalist can carry a team.

Skills. Damage bonus applies to every weapon but is only 15 percent, base global resistance is 25 percent, armor +25 percent with SWAT-style heavy armor, and Gunslinger-like Zed Time reload speed. Default grenade: HE grenade; level 10 can swap it to Medic or Molotov. Level 5: pick left (light) or right (heavy) reload speed according to what you carry. Level 10: left (a weak Medic passive). Level 15: Medic grenades (more ammo) or Molotov (+5 weight). Level 20: take the right if you carry explosives. Level 25: real-time shooting.

Loadouts. Starting weapon is a random one from other perks. Good ideas: balance a trash weapon and a big zed weapon, and choose weapons that share the level 5 reload speed bonus. Examples: 301 shotgun + RPG, M16 M203 + RPG (M16 is shared by Commando and Demolitionist), HRG Nailgun + M16 M203, Killerwatt + Medic shotgun (Killerwatt applies EMP to chain-control Scrakes), HRG Arc Generator + Medic shotgun (reskinned microwave gun, EMP damage chains between zeds), and an all-exclusive Killerwatt + Freezethrower. With a 20-weight perk skill you can run M99 + M16 M203.

Notes. Do not treat the perk as a joke: its value is flexible play. Switch skills and weapons often, and learn all the perks.

Closing

The author updates the guide within two weeks of each seasonal update. Thanks for the support and happy hunting.