KF2 Perks Ranked Best to Worst: A Solo Player's Opinion

This is a personal ranking of the ten Killing Floor 2 perks, written by a Spanish-speaking player. The author says the order is based mostly on how easy a perk is to play solo and how fun its weapons are, not on how much it adds to a team, so it is an opinion rather than objective truth. For a team-oriented view see perk tier lists.

1. Berserker

Berserker.

You cannot be grabbed, you are fast, you deal a lot of damage and you rarely reload. In Killing Floor 1 this was undisputedly the best class; KF2 patches balanced it, so it is less of a king, but it still comes out on top. Solo on Hell on Earth at level 20, almost any of its weapons feels easy, and the Eviscerator saw launcher is one of the best weapons in the game.

2. Support Specialist

Support Specialist.

Shotguns shred Fleshpounds and Scrakes and handle nearly any threat. Every perk has an enemy that resists it (Demolitionist versus Bloats, Firebug versus Husks), but Support has no obvious weakness. It also supplies ammo: any nearby teammate who presses E gets bullets.

3. Gunslinger

Gunslinger.

Pistols were part of the Sharpshooter's set in KF1. KF2 has plenty, with the Glock, Magnum and Desert Eagle being fun and strong. The author ranks it above Sharpshooter because its weapons are more fun, and like Support it can fight everything. The nail grenade is probably the worst grenade in the game, but you will rarely need it.

4. Firebug

Firebug.

Tired of aiming at heads? Set enemies on fire and let them burn. KF2 improved the perk. The trick is to ignite enemies rather than empty the magazine, and avoid igniting Fleshpounds before the team is ready. The flamethrower does no direct damage, only burning; some incendiary weapons change that. The microwave gun boils enemies from the inside, and the flare revolver is useful if less good than in KF1.

5. Sharpshooter

Sharpshooter.

The author used to think it was one of the best. Bow, crossbow and Winchester can stun Scrakes, and freeze grenades help in any situation, especially for landing headshots, but you need good aim to get the most from it.

6. Field Medic

Field Medic.

Unlike KF1 where all weapons were SMGs, the KF2 Medic has a pistol, shotgun, grenade-launching rifle and healing RPG, each acting like a healer. Healing grenades can save a team on high difficulties. Hybrid weapons across perks mean groups can all carry the cheap Medic pistol or hybrid Medic weapons such as the SWAT medical SMG, which reduces the Medic's relevance. The author thinks this, along with some late maps, weapon upgrades and robot enemies, shows the developers losing the plot.

7. Demolitionist

Demolitionist.

Possibly the hardest class to use solo along with Sharpshooter: launcher projectiles do not explode at point blank range and your own explosions still hurt you. Bloats and armored ZEDs resist explosives, but Scrakes, Fleshpounds and bosses such as Hans Volter fall to a few RPG shots. Half the weapons disappoint (the drum grenade launcher is worse than in KF1) and C4 is not as good as KF1 pipe bombs. It gives grenades to nearby teammates, like Support gives ammo.

8. SWAT

SWAT.

Less useful than Commando, but the author prefers it. SMGs have higher fire rate and less recoil and so a bit more damage, though they burn ammo.

9. Commando

Commando.

Being near the bottom does not make it bad. It sees invisible ZEDs, and unlike KF1 this is shared with the team. It also influences ZED Time, which works with the level 25 Berserker skill that lets you act in real time during ZED Time, and the Sharpshooter's level 25 skills trigger ZED Time on headshots too. The author finds almost any other perk more fun unless you own the DLC weapons such as the minigun and the aerial drone turret.

10. Survivalist

Survivalist.

Ranked worst: a generalist that uses every weapon but does less damage than the rest. You pick a grenade and a starting weapon. Freezing and laser weapons were added to make it appealing, but Sharpshooter grenades freeze better and laser weapons are redundant next to Firebug. Fans like it for combos, such as flare revolver, double barrel shotgun and katana on one Scrake, but any specialist perk kills a Scrake more easily. It spends the most dosh of any perk on upgrades, so lending money to a Survivalist is never enough. The author calls it objectively overshadowed and against the perk philosophy of KF2.