KF2 Perk and Weapon Mechanics Primer (Japanese Beginner Guide)

This page is a translation and paraphrase of a Japanese beginner's guide by a self-described beginner, aimed at beginners. It explains the systems behind the 10 perks, weapons and utility tools in Killing Floor 2, then summarizes each perk's role. The original continues with detailed skill and weapon descriptions per perk; this page keeps the general mechanics, the perk role summaries and the Berserker details. For related guides see KF2 beginner basics and perk roles in a team.

What a perk is

• There are 10 perks (classes). Each has permanent perk bonuses, favored "perk weapons", a starting weapon, grenade type and bonus-XP condition.
• Perk bonuses and skills apply only for the selected perk. Skills that need a perk weapon in hand (for example a speed boost while holding a perk weapon) do not work while you hold the syringe. This is why you should normally use your own perk's weapons.
• Perks level 0 to 25, strengthening the bonuses and unlocking skills at levels 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25.
• At level 25 you can raise your Prestige rank from the perk selection screen. This resets the perk to level 0 but adds a frame on the perk icon (none, white, bronze, silver, light blue, gold), slightly more XP for the perk, four crates' worth of Vault money and exclusive weapon skins. Prestige gives no direct combat strength, and teammates tend to expect more from higher ranks, so think first.
• Skills come in pairs per level. You can re-pick them any number of times before deployment and during trader time. The perk can also be changed before deployment and during trader time (the grenade changes with it, the weapons stay), apparently once per trader time.
• The 9mm and HRG 93R side arms carried by every perk count as Gunslinger and Sharpshooter perk weapons, so all of those perks' bonuses and skills apply (some bonuses from other perks too). Knives count as perk weapons for all perks but get almost no bonuses.

Syringe, welder, bash

• Syringe: every perk has it. It heals you or a teammate for 20 HP in multiplayer or 50 in solo. Use quick-heal on yourself, or equip it near an ally and fire. Its energy recharges and it can be used only when full. Healing a teammate earns money in proportion to the healing and halves your syringe reload time, so heal each other in trader time. Field Medic's perk bonus increases heal amount and charge speed; Survivalist's Medic Training skill gives +30% to all healing and halves charge time. You can bash while it is equipped.
• Welder: every perk has it. Equip it in front of a door or repair point and hold fire to weld or repair; hold aim to unweld. You must be close and the target centered, with no enemy or ally between the tip and the target. A welded door shows blue gel (up to 100%) and the door breaks fully once it runs out. Welding works during combat, but Large ZEDs strip large chunks in one hit and bosses blow the whole weld away. The door itself also has hidden durability. Enemies cannot attack through a closed door, with exceptions such as healing grenade gas. The welder runs on energy that regenerates, usable even when not full. Support welds and repairs faster and can restore a destroyed door; Demolitionist can turn a door into a bomb door after welding for a while (the weld turns from blue to red). It blasts small ZEDs and its noise tells you the door has been breached.
• Bash: possible with any weapon via the melee-strike button. Normally impact damage hitting only one enemy; low damage, but a hit briefly staggers the target and may cancel its action. It is mostly used when enemies close in. Exceptions: the Frost Fang (DLC) and the Riot Shield (DLC) propagate shock to nearby enemies. Bashing during a reload cancels it, and firing during a bash cancels the bash: the combination is "reload-cancel shooting", useful on high difficulties.

Perk weapons

• Some weapons are "multi-perk weapons", counted as perk weapons for two or more perks.
• You can buy and use any weapon, but perk bonuses and skills do not apply to other perks' weapons.
• Penetration: a high value lets shots pass through more enemies with less damage loss. Each enemy hit reduces penetration by its penetration resistance; if it reaches 0 the shot disappears. For example penetration 2 against resistance 1 passes but halves damage; 1.5 against 1 passes at one third damage; 1 against 1 does not pass. There is no friendly fire, but allies have hitboxes and reduce penetration by 1, so passing in front of shooters is a nuisance. Explosive weapons have 0 penetration (but pass allies); melee has none and hits all enemies in range without falloff.
• Weight: every perk weapon except knives and the 9mm/HRG 93R has weight; a second pistol adds 2. The character can carry 15. Weapon upgrades usually add weight, which can never be reduced. Ammo has no weight.
• Upgrades: at the trader (not knives) you can upgrade for money and extra weight to gain damage (and dart charge speed on healing weapons). Lower-rank weapons have more upgrades, often bigger multipliers, and the first one or two upgrades may add no weight. Upgrading is permanent unless you sell and rebuy. Each upgrade counts as +1 weapon rank, so top-rank weapons cannot be upgraded. Dual guns gain 2 weight per upgrade. Buy better weapons before upgrading; if you finish early, giving money to teammates is better.
• Weapon rank: higher ranks hit harder but cost more and allow fewer upgrades.
• Damage types: each weapon has a damage type matched against enemy resistances.
• Dying: you drop only the weapon in hand (server settings may differ); the rest vanish. A dropped weapon can be picked up by anyone and disappears around the end of the trader time after your death wave. Pick up teammates' weapons and tell them, but never sell them; it is a team-harming act. Weapons sell for 75% of cost. Weapons of players who left are fair game.

Weapon classes

1. Primary weapons (fire with the main button), including 1-b "thrower" weapons such as flamethrowers: big magazines, short range and low burst damage; drains fuel quickly when held, but there is a short moment at the end of a spray without fuel cost, so tapping saves fuel. Hard to trigger Zed-Time with, except freeze throwers.
2. Secondary weapons: a single handgun; dual wielding moves it to the primary slot.
3. Melee weapons: main fire is a light attack, aim is a heavy attack; alt-fire guards, and a block at the very start becomes a parry (green effect). Block and parry strength differ by weapon, with more expensive weapons generally better.
4. Utility weapons: share the syringe slot: two kinds of drones and C4. Throw with fire, detonate with aim.

Crosshair: enable "Show crosshair" in Options, Gameplay. It disappears when aiming down sights and never appears for melee or flamethrowers without alt-fire.

Perk roles (summary)

• Berserker: melee; guard and parry to hold enemies while allies shoot. Needs almost no ammo, and with a Medic no armor until mid-game, so it often has spare money to share. Drawbacks: must be close, takes damage, and DPS is modest. Perk damage resistance is at most 10% (the Resistance skill brings it to the Survivalist's 25%). XP bonus: kill enemies within 2 m of teammates.
• Commando: assault rifles, strong against small to medium ZEDs. Extends Zed-Time and reveals invisible enemies; struggles with large ZEDs and bosses. Bonus XP for killing Stalkers (red near the Commando).
• Support: shotguns with high penetration; weak at long range in open ground, very strong in corridors. Needs a hit-and-run style; gives free ammo, restores destroyed doors.
• Field Medic: heals and buffs; weak firepower, should prioritize healing and be left free by teammates.
• Demolitionist: explosives with large area damage. Downsides: hogs kills and money, low ammo, self-damage, high ammo cost, small magazines, screen shake from nearby explosions, and only the RPG against Scrakes.
• Firebug: burning with ground fire; strong sustained area damage, lower burst, blocks allies' view; seal enemy entrances rather than running around burning everything.
• Gunslinger: handguns and lever-action rifles, mostly dual-wielded. Mobility and close burst damage are the strengths; the downsides are semi-auto strain, no good sights, small magazines and the aim needed to keep hitting weak points. Hard but can face every enemy when mastered.
• Sharpshooter: sniper hunting medium and large ZED heads; many damage skills; play style varies a lot by skills. XP for headshots.
• SWAT: SMGs with large magazines and high fire rate. Like the Commando against small ZEDs but with better defense and mobility; flashbangs always stun. Ammo cost is high; armor can get extra effects with skills.
• Survivalist: treats all weapons as perk weapons; sturdy but with low damage bonus and no special skills. An advanced perk requiring knowledge of every weapon.

Berserker details

Perk bonuses: Berserker weapon damage up; damage reduction; night vision (hold the flashlight button, sharing battery); grab immunity (Cyst, Alpha Clot, Slasher); shorter burn and poison duration.

Level	Skill A	Skill B
5	Dreadnought: max HP 200	Skirmisher: with perk weapon +20% move speed, +25% sprint, +1 HP per second
10	Vampire: +20% melee speed, 3 HP per kill	Butcher: +20% melee speed, +20% damage
15	Resistance: -15% damage, another -15% from poison and sonic	Parry: after parrying, 8 s of +35% damage, +5% melee speed, -30% damage taken
20	Smash: +50% heavy attack, +25% head damage, +200% stun	Massacre: +30% light attack, +5% melee speed
25	Berserker Rage: heals 50% HP on Zed-Time start or refresh; nearby ZEDs freeze	Spartan: no slow motion in Zed-Time

• EMP Grenade: tiny damage, but EMPs enemies for seconds, sealing special actions and causing panic (large ZEDs resist panic, which is fine since panic can hamper allies' aim). Throw before approaching a Husk; also good against a Siren, but her scream destroys it before it detonates.
• Crovel survival tool (starter): shovel plus crowbar, low damage but fast, good against small ZEDs; reach is only a bit better than a knife.
• VLAD-1000 Nailgun: semi-auto box magazine; fires one nail through up to 3 enemies or 7 spread nails, switched with alt-fire. Ricochets in corridors, counted as a shotgun for damage type and good against Gorefasts that block melee with arm blades. Very useful ranged option for a Berserker; spread is wide and the effective magazine is 6.
• Katana: nearly a strict upgrade over the starter; the bash becomes a thrust (the same damage as a light attack with longer reach but hitting only a small area ahead). Parry window slightly shorter than the Fire Axe. Trick: hold aim while switching to the Katana to perform a fast iai draw slash.
• Fire Axe: slower than the Katana but more damage, with stun on the heavy attack; slow to switch to.
• Hemoclobber: a medical hammer. Attacks and bash apply poison; a light hit on a teammate heals using healing energy; a heavy hit on an ally or enemy uses ammo to create a healing explosion that poisons enemies and heals you and allies briefly. A valuable emergency self-heal, too weak for late waves with large ZEDs but good for switching to when low on HP or surrounded by small ZEDs.

Utility notes

The 9mm pistol is standard for all perks and cannot be sold: weight 0, with a second one making a dual (weight 2). It is a multi-perk weapon for Gunslinger and Sharpshooter, which keeps its perk status even when dual.