KF2 Gunslinger Guide (Early Access): Skills and Pistols

This is a translation of a short Russian-language Gunslinger guide written in the early days of Killing Floor 2. The author opens with a warning that, because of game updates, the guide is no longer accurate. It is still a useful snapshot of how the class was played at that time. For a modern take see KF2 Gunslinger guide.

Header image of the original guide.

The class in short

The Gunslinger is the sharpshooting pistol specialist, nicknamed by some "one bullet, one head". Its weapons use ordinary bullets and the class is among the strongest of those if you aim for the head and spend ammo wisely. It is quite independent of the team.

Drawbacks:

• needs high accuracy
• poor in close combat
• optimized for headshots only
• weak at long range
• tiny magazines mean frequent reloads

Advantages:

• high rate of fire
• economical ammo use
• most ZEDs die in one or two shots
• the weapons are light, so you can carry almost all of them
• in Zed Time it can shoot without reloading and with infinite ammo

Skill choices

Level	Options	Recommendation
5	Shoot'n'Scoot (faster movement while aiming) or Quick Draw (faster weapon swap, auto-swap on empty)	Shoot'n'Scoot, since you aim constantly.
10	Rack 'em Up (extra damage for each headshot, up to about 70%, resets on a miss) or Bone Breaker (permanent +20% damage)	Bone Breaker, unless you are an exceptional shot.
15	Speed-loader (about 20% faster reload) or Penetration (bullets pierce)	Speed-loader, though Penetration can kill up to three ZEDs in a line with one shot.
20	Center Mass (more damage to the chest) or Leg Shots (30% chance to stun by shooting legs)	Center Mass, because it is reliable.
25	Fanfire (triple fire rate in Zed Time) or Uber Ammo (no reload, no ammo use)	Uber Ammo, which lets you headshot Fleshpounds and Scrakes without spending ammo. Fanfire makes sense only with Quick Draw.

Weapons

The pistols are light, so you can carry two of each and even the Medic's HMTech-101 pistol. Using one or two of the same pistol affects fire rate, reload frequency and slightly accuracy, but not the amount of ammo. Shooting from a crouch gives the best accuracy at mid range, and there are two aiming modes: symmetric and classic.

• 1858 Revolver (level 1, 6 rounds): weak and best replaced after the first wave.
• M1911 Pistol (level 2, 8 rounds): a last resort when stronger guns run dry; low recoil and the largest magazine.
• .50 Desert Eagle (level 3, 7 rounds): the optimal all-rounder and the main weapon against small and medium ZEDs.
• .500 Magnum Revolver (level 4, 5 rounds): the strongest single bullets in the game at that time, with the smallest magazine and a limited ammo pool that should be saved for big ZEDs.

Playing the class

The Gunslinger can handle most threats alone. For big ZEDs, carry a Crossbow or Winchester to stun with a headshot and then remove the head, ideally with the Magnums. Do not wade into melee; shoot from medium distance.