KF2 Firebug Guide (Early Access Era): Flamethrowers, Skills
A translated and lightly reworked Portuguese guide to the Firebug perk from early Killing Floor 2. The author marks it outdated, so treat figures as historical.
Perk bonuses
- Weapon damage: 0.8% per level
- Reload speed: 0.8% per level
- Zed fire resistance: 30% + 2% per level (as listed by the author)
- Immunity to your own fire: 25% + 3% per level
- Starting ammo: 10% per 5 levels
Role
The Firebug is the best perk for crowd control and mass kills. He can play as a pyromaniac, sweeping the area around the team and killing groups with a few bursts of the flamethrower. The second style is flow control: instead of killing, he uses fire to stop Zeds crossing a line so teammates finish them. This works well against a Fleshpound with the Microwave Gun, but the low DPS limits it, so it suits games with friends or teams without a Berserker.
Priority targets
Cyst/Clot/Slasher, Gorefast, Gorefiend, Crawler, Bloat, Siren, Stalker, Scrake, Fleshpound. Fire panics Zeds and takes them out of combat for a while, which is crucial against Bloats (stops vomit on teammates) and Sirens (stops screaming). High-level Firebugs wipe hordes of Clots, Gorefasts and Crawlers in a few bursts. Ignore Husks.
Arsenal
Caulk n' Burn: the starting flamethrower.
Incendiary Trench Gun: a short-range arsenal gets reach for hitting distant enemies.
Flamethrower: an upgraded Caulk n' Burn with more ammo in storage and magazine and much higher damage.
Spitfires: a pair of incendiary revolvers.
Microwave Gun: a portable microwave beam that cooks Zeds until they burst; the alt fire pushes Zeds back, handy when teammates are about to die.
Molotov Cocktail: the perk grenade with a good blast area.
Loadouts
Pyromaniac Firebug: main weapon the Trench Gun or Spitfires, secondary the Caulk n' Burn or the Flamethrower, and optionally a pistol option below (the Dual 9mm or HMTech-101 for healing teammates). To hurt Scrakes and Fleshpounds, use the Microwave Gun and keep a Caulk n' Burn or Trench Gun to set Zeds alight.
Field control Firebug: a Microwave Gun is mandatory to push enemies back, with the Caulk n' Burn as a second option against weaker Zeds.
Economy
The pyromaniac build is the easiest. Keep the starting weapon until wave 5, though good play may fund the Flamethrower earlier, before Scrakes appear. After that buy auxiliary weapons. The Microwave Gun and its ammo are expensive, so expect sacrifices such as skipping grenades, partial armor or low ammo.
Skills
Pyromaniac: for setting everything on fire. No tier is changed.
Field controller: for controlling the flow of the fight. No tier is changed.
