Why does every loadout include a medic weapon?

So everyone can heal teammates and themselves in an emergency. The author says games where all players carry one go well, while every-man-for-himself games usually fail.

Which weapon does the guide give Firebug?

The Flamethrower and the HRG Dragonsblaze plus a medic pistol, aiming at feet so Zeds walk through the ground fire.

Which perk does the guide consider weakest?

Sharpshooter, which it calls bad, though it suggests burst pistols for frequent Zed Time.

Perks & Classes

KF2 All Perks Loadouts: Always Carry a Medic Weapon

This is a personal, opinionated build list for Killing Floor 2, written by a player who has been around since the beta and complains about how often the game's monetization and balance have changed. It aims to show how to play well with the base game, and the recurring theme is that nearly every loadout carries a medic weapon. Builds are for high-level perks, and mileage may vary.

Guide closing image Image from the end of the guide.

Berserker

The author feels the perk has been nerfed hard. Picks: Skirmisher, Vampire and Parry.

Skilled build: Bone Crusher, Katana, Fire Axe, Static Strikers or Crovel (fully upgraded), optionally a Vlad-1000 nailgun as a panic weapon and a medic pistol.
Unskilled build (if you need to reload): Vlad-1000 nailgun (fully upgraded, for big Zeds), Hemoclobber (fully upgraded), medic pistol.

Tips:

Parry triggers when you block at the very moment a Zed hits you, whichever Zed it is, so you can chain parries to stay powered up.
Any extra movement speed is strong because the AI usually cannot attack while you run.
Scrakes have no pierce resistance, so the nailgun kills them quickly.
For melee play with weapons, switch to Survivalist.

Commando

The DPS perk that extends Zed Time, so pick weapons that kill small Zeds per shot. Loadout: M16 M203 (fully upgraded) and the HMTech-401 assault rifle (medic rifle). The M16's grenades are boosted by the perk and kill Fleshpounds fast.

Support

Excellent DPS at level 25, with picks Salvo, Armor Piercing Shot and Resupply Pack. Do not use tight choke, so shells spread. Loadout: HRG Buckshot (sell later or keep), AA12 for trash Zeds and the HMTech-301 shotgun (fully upgraded, buy from level 5) for big Zeds, kept loaded as a panic weapon thanks to its tight spread and penetration.

Field Medic

The medic is robust enough to ignore teammates if you want. Take Battle Surgeon.

Selfish: HMTech-301 shotgun (fully upgraded) and HRG Medic Missile.
Team player: HRG Healthrower and HRG Medic Missile (fully upgraded).

Demolitionist

Picks: Bombardier and Fragmentation rounds. Loadout: Seal Squeal (fully upgraded) and Boomstick. In Zed Time swap to the Boomstick and fire as fast as possible. The Seal Squeal has higher DPS than any other weapon and reloads fastest; two of its shots equal one RPG-7 shot. This is the only perk where the author skips a medic weapon, as Demolitionists already cover and save players.

Firebug

Strong and the cheapest perk to get good with. The idea is to coat choke points in fire instead of igniting each Zed. Picks: Bring the Heat, Ground Fire, Zed Shrapnel, Heat Wave and Pyromaniac. Loadout: Flamethrower, HRG Dragonsblaze (four-barrel shotgun) and a medic pistol.

Aim at feet so Zeds walk through the blue ground fire.
For big Zeds, jump and fire the Dragonsblaze downward to get hit damage and keep them in the flames.
At level 25 Pyromaniac makes you a strong damage dealer, so cover the area in ground fire.

Gunslinger

Like the pre-nerf Killing Floor 1 Sharpshooter, and much better than KF2 Sharpshooter. Pick Quickdraw. Loadout: dual Winterbites (two upgrades), SPX 464 Centerfire rifle (fully upgraded) and a medic pistol (+1 upgrade). No Zed, bosses included, resists frost damage, so the Winterbites clear crowds quickly. Keep the Centerfire loaded as a panic weapon for far targets or big Zeds that get close. Quickdraw's added run speed is the draw.

Sharpshooter

The author calls it weak. Pick Marksman. Loadout: dual HRG 93R pistols (fully upgraded), M99 AMR sniper rifle and a medic pistol. The perk gives a 5% chance of Zed Time from headshots, and the burst pistols provide frequent slow motion. Use the M99 for big Zeds, especially with Rack 'em Up.

SWAT

Pure DPS. Picks: Heavy Armor Training and Assault Armor. Loadout: HRG Nailgun SMG and HK UMP (both fully upgraded) and a medic pistol. Use the UMP on trash Zeds (one-shot kills, cheap crowd control) and the nailgun on bigger Zeds or in trouble; its alt-fire acts as an auto shotgun. Armor means you do not lose health, and armor-only damage makes you take about two thirds damage while it lasts.

Survivalist

A jack of all trades with one quirk: its melee damage stacks with universal damage on melee-based explosions. Used on Hell on Earth by the author, fully powered at level 20. Picks: Heavy Weapons Training, Melee Expert, Ammo Vest, Make Things Go Boom and Lockdown. Loadout: Pulveriser and Hemoclobber (both fully upgraded) and a medic pistol.

Left click with the Pulveriser to knock almost everything over; its right-click hits a cone in front of you.
Right click the Hemoclobber on big Zeds to poison them, then knock them over with the Pulveriser. Its right click is a round area where Zeds die and allies heal.
When low, throw a medic grenade at your feet and stand in the cloud; wider explosions also affect it.
Reload in Zed Time rather than fighting.

Bonus: how to spot a good player

Almost every loadout here has a medic weapon. Even with a Medic on the team, you want to heal teammates and yourself in an emergency. The author reports that games where everyone carries a medic weapon go well, while games where nobody does usually fail. A player who refuses to carry one is probably a liability, and the author says to avoid helping him.

FAQ

Why does every loadout include a medic weapon?: So everyone can heal teammates and themselves in an emergency. The author says games where all players carry one go well, while every-man-for-himself games usually fail.
Which weapon does the guide give Firebug?: The Flamethrower and the HRG Dragonsblaze plus a medic pistol, aiming at feet so Zeds walk through the ground fire.
Which perk does the guide consider weakest?: Sharpshooter, which it calls bad, though it suggests burst pistols for frequent Zed Time.