KF2 Gunslinger Perk Guide (The Dodo): Pistols, Skills, Loadouts

The Dodo's Gunslinger guide (early Killing Floor 2 patches, about 2017) covers every pistol, the skill tree, loadouts for multiplayer, solo and the boss wave. Gunslinger is one of the hardest perks to master, with a very high skill ceiling. Stats are from that era, so confirm them in game. See also Gunslinger guide by Bo1ks and the same author's Commando and SWAT guides.

Role

Decap every ZED you meet, especially big ones; count your headshots. The Gunslinger usually holds its own lane at the back, out of the way, and can cover that side alone against every ZED type. Its main weakness is a small ammo capacity, so pick the right gun for each ZED.

Weapons (single/dual values where two are given)

Beretta 9mm

• Beretta 9mm (weight 0/2, price 0/150, damage 15, magazine 15/30, reserve 225/210): Not strictly a Gunslinger weapon but it benefits from the perk. It decaps trash in one hit, saves ammo and builds Rack 'em Up stacks cheaply, so use it on trash even on late waves. Dual 9mm only speeds fire and slows reload without adding ammo, so the author skips it.

1858 Remington Revolver

• 1858 Remington Revolver (weight 2/4, price 100/200, damage 30, magazine 6/12, reserve 186/180): The starting pair does twice the 9mm damage and handles Bloats and Gorefasts early. Replace it with better pistols as soon as you can.

M1911 Colt

• M1911 Colt (weight 2/4, price 325/650, damage 50, magazine 8/16, reserve 136/128): Bigger magazine, less recoil and more damage than the revolver; decaps trash and Gorefasts in one shot and needs a couple for medium ZEDs. Keep them as your trash clearers all game.

Desert Eagle

• Desert Eagle (weight 2/4, price 550/1100, damage 91, magazine 7/14, reserve 105/98): More damage and recoil than the M1911; one body shot kills any trash, but its ammo is best spent on medium ZED heads (1-2 bullets) and Husk backpacks. Dual Deagles can decap a Scrake.

500 Magnum Revolver

• 500 Magnum Revolver (weight 3/6, price 750/1500, damage 150, magazine 5/10, reserve 100/95): The strongest pistol and the main tool against Scrakes and Fleshpounds. Slow reload, high recoil and only 5 rounds, so every shot must count; with dual Magnums it is possible to solo a 6-player HoE Fleshpound.

Nail Bomb

• Nail Bomb (explosion damage 100, shards 35 each, radius 10 m, fuse 2 s): Less damage than the Support's frag grenade but a bigger radius and strong stun that stacks additively per grenade and grows near the blast. Throw into groups in confined areas, never at a calm Fleshpound. Carry up to 5.

Multiperk weapons

101 HMTech Medic Pistol

• 101 HMTech Medic Pistol (weight 1, price 200, damage 20, magazine 15, reserve 240; darts 7.5 s, 2 capacity): One of the best tier 1 weapons: decaps most trash in one shot and heals teammates with darts, for a tiny price and weight.

HX-25 Demolitionist Pistol

• HX-25 Demolitionist Pistol (weight 4, price 300, impact 70, explosive 210, radius 1.5 m, reserve 29): Hard to headshot with, slow reload and pricey ammo, but it is the only explosive that does not hurt you, so it is a self-defense tool against surrounding trash. At close range it also gives full Rack 'em Up stacks in one shot, though the 9mm does that safely.

Spitfire Firebug Revolver

• Spitfire Firebug Revolver (weight 2/4, price 325/650, damage 40, magazine 6/12, reserve 186/180): Lower damage and more recoil than the M1911, and its bullets are projectiles affected by gravity, a bad fit for a headshot perk. Fire damage does not make up for it.

Winchester Rifle

• Winchester Rifle (weight 5, price 200, damage 80, magazine 12, reserve 84): Does what the M1911 does with fewer bullets and longer reloads, and costs you pistol slots. Useful only when found for free or when joining late.

SPX 464 Centerfire

• SPX 464 Centerfire (weight 5, price 650, damage 180, magazine 10, reserve 70): Upgrade of the Winchester for medium and big ZEDs: more damage than the Magnum and 1-2 fewer shots for big ZEDs, but loaded shell by shell, with little ammo and less gun hit power than the Magnums. A reasonable stop-gap for late joiners.

Bonuses and skills

Passive bonuses at level 25: +25% damage, 30% bullet resistance, +20% movement speed, -25% recoil and +75% Zed Time reload speed. XP comes from kills, with extra XP for headshots.

• Level 5: Steady (no ironsight movement penalty, less bob - mostly cosmetic) or Quick Draw (no hip-fire recoil penalty, +5% movement speed, 50% faster weapon switching). The author prefers Quick Draw.
• Level 10: Rack 'em Up (consecutive headshots add 10% damage up to 50%) or Bone Breaker (+20% damage, +30% to limbs). Always Rack 'em Up; your first headshot already gets the bonus, and the counter now drops by one only after 2 seconds without a headshot. Build the counter with the 9mm before switching to Deagles or Magnums. Bone Breaker is good for the boss wave, since Hans moves erratically and the Patriarch's weak point is his arm.
• Level 15: Line 'em Up (no damage reduction through ZEDs, only +1 penetration, so nearly useless) or Speedloader (faster reload). Take Speedloader.
• Level 20: Skullcraker (headshots slow ZEDs by 30%) or Knock 'em Down (leg shots on sprinting ZEDs give massive knockdown, chest shots give massive stumble). Skullcraker is better because knocking down a big ZED takes almost a full magazine.
• Level 25 (Zed Time): Whirlwind of Lead (perk weapons cannot run out of ammo) or Fan Fire (3x fire rate and real-time reload). Whirlwind of Lead saves ammo and keeps recoil manageable; Fan Fire makes recoil crazy, and real-time reload is a penalty for this perk. On solo both are workable.

Loadouts

• Multiplayer: Quick Draw, Rack 'em Up, Speedloader, Skullcraker, Whirlwind of Lead; dual Magnum, dual Deagle, dual M1911 and the 101 Medic pistol, or dual Magnum, dual Deagle, single M1911 and a Katana. Use the 9mm on easy trash, M1911 on low and medium ZEDs, Deagles on medium and big ZEDs and Magnums on big ZEDs. Toss a Nail Bomb at incoming trash while you handle a big ZED.
• Solo: same skills (Whirlwind of Lead or Fan Fire); dual Deagle, dual M1911, HX-25, Katana. M1911 on trash, Deagles on medium and big ZEDs, HX-25 for groups.
• Boss wave: Quick Draw, Rack 'em Up or Bone Breaker, Speedloader, Skullcraker, Whirlwind of Lead; dual Magnum, dual Deagle, M1911, Katana. The Nail Bomb does not stun bosses; use it on their trash.

Tips

• In Zed Time target medium and big ZEDs, but only rage a big ZED if you can finish it or your team is ready.
• With dual pistols, press alt-fire (middle mouse by default) to toggle between one-gun and side-by-side aiming.
• Switch weapons deliberately: ammo, not skill, is usually what runs out first.