KF2 Beginner's Guide: Difficulty, All 10 Perks and Their Weapons

This is an English adaptation of a long Italian beginner guide ("basic guide for Horzine agents") covering difficulty, the general rules of the perk system and a perk-by-perk tour of skills and weapons. The author later said that the guide was unfinished when published and is no longer fully accurate, so treat figures as indicative and check them in game. In comments the author also explained that money in the vault earns a cosmetic item from an exclusive set for every 500,000 Vosh collected.

Difficulty

Do not jump to Hell on Earth because you feel ready. Raising the difficulty changes things that can be impossible for a low-level perk:

• ZED counts per wave, plus their speed, health and damage, all go up, so you need more resources and time.
• Fewer ammo and weapon pickups appear, so early waves often force you to rely on grenades and the knife.
• Heavier ZEDs spawn in lower waves, so you must not waste money.
• Some AI parameters change: the Scrake starts to charge at half health on Normal but at 90% on Hell on Earth.
• The chance a ZED is replaced by its tougher variant rises: a Gorefiend is 5% likely on Normal but nearly half of Gorefasts (45%) are replaced on Hell on Earth.
• From Hard to Suicidal some ZEDs gain new moves: fighting a Husk in melee changes from a good way to beat it into a good way to die immediately.

Recommended minimum perk levels: Hard at 5, Suicidal at 14, Hell on Earth at 23.

How perks work

Unlike horde modes in other shooters, you choose one of 10 perks at the start and can switch between waves. The perk determines your starting weapon, grenade type, knife model, and the bonuses and skills tied to its level. Passive bonuses improve each level (with some exceptions), and every 5 levels you pick one of two interchangeable skills. The ones unlocked at the top level interact with ZED Time, letting you fire at impossible rates, have infinite ammo and so on.

To gain levels you kill ZEDs with perk weapons. Most weapons belong to one perk and only get bonuses when equipped by that perk. Some belong to several perks, one primary and others secondary; if a different perk uses it, the XP goes to the weapon's primary perk. Each perk also has special actions that give extra XP.

Common equipment

• Knife. Mainly a speed boost, and you will use it in early waves on high difficulty. Technically every knife belongs to a perk, so with your starting perk active it gets that perk's applicable bonuses.
• 9mm (and dual 9mm). The only tier 0 weapon, with low damage and about four magazines of total ammo. It can one-shot the lightest ZEDs with a headshot at any difficulty, and the Bloat is specifically weak to it. It is marked All Perks and gives XP to the active perk, but only takes bonuses from Sharpshooter and Gunslinger or specific Commando and SWAT skills. It weighs 0.
• Medical syringe. Heals 20 HP (50 in solo) and does not need to be equipped to use on yourself. Without a Medic, use it on other players during trader time: it recharges twice as fast and gives you up to 12 dosh depending on healing done.
• Welder. Welds doors. Only Support improves it. Support can repair broken doors, and Demolitionist can turn welded doors into explosive traps.

Berserker

A melee tank that can survive even the maximum difficulty alone as long as it is not surrounded. Nearly all weapons have a parry as alt-fire. Not worrying about ammo (apart from a few exceptions) lets you reach the best weapons before others. Bonus XP: killing ZEDs within 2 m with perk weapons (6 on Normal, 8 Hard, 10 Suicidal, 14 Hell on Earth).

Passives. +1% damage per level; +3% damage resistance every 5 levels; -0.8% poison damage per level; night vision; Alpha Clot, Rioter, Cyst and Slasher cannot grab you.

Skills. 5: Dreadnaught (+75% health) or Skirmisher (+20% move, +25% sprint, regenerate 2 HP/s). 10: Vampire (+4 HP per kill, +20% melee speed) or Butcher (+20% speed, +25% damage). 15: Resistance (+20% to all damage, +20% more to poison and sonic) or Parry (-40% damage, +35% damage and +5% speed for 10 s). 20: Smash (+50% heavy, +25% headshot, triple stumble) or Massacre (+5% speed, +30% light). 25: Berserker Rage (heal 25%, ZEDs flee) or Spartan (real-time movement and attacks).

Weapons. EMP grenade (slows ZEDs, reveals Stalkers, temporarily stops rage; great vs Fleshpounds and Scrakes). Tier 1 Crovel. Tier 2: VLAD-1000 Nailgun (shared with Support; single-nail alt-fire mode gives 42 nails per magazine; helps vs Husks), Katana (crowd control, fast, has an attack during draw), Fire Axe (slow but huge damage per blow, kills Gorefasts and Gorefiends in one hit), Road Redeemer (only when a player owns Road Redemption). Tier 3: Zweihander (needs Chivalry or the Deluxe edition, high damage and reach), Pulverizer (explosive hammer, heavy attack deals over 5 times a light attack when charged, slow). Tier 4: Eviscerator (saw-blade launcher that can be picked up again; two headshots kill a Scrake on top difficulty; needs fuel for melee), Static Shockers (EMP effect on heavy attacks, two headshot hits to kill a Scrake at max level), Bone Crusher (shield that blocks over two thirds of damage and deflects boss projectiles and Husk shots). Tier 5: War Axe (slowest and heavy, devastating damage, staggers every ZED type, heavy attacks make small ZEDs burst).

Commando

Mainly a support perk. It deals good damage fast but can hardly handle Scrakes or Fleshpounds alone, so aim at small and medium ZEDs, Stalkers and the Patriarch. It extends ZED Time more than other perks, which re-triggers every perk's level 25 skills, going from 3 up to 21 seconds with 6 reactivations at best. Bonus XP for Stalker kills (3 on Normal to 9 on Hell on Earth).

Passives. +1% damage per level; ZED health bars 10 m +2 m per level; reveals cloaked ZEDs for everybody, same range; +1 ZED Time extension every 5 levels; +2% reload speed every 5 levels; night vision.

Skills. 5: Tactical Reload or High Capacity Mags (+50% magazine). 10: Fallback (+50% damage to 9mm and knife, +50% swap speed) or Impact Rounds (+150% stumble). 15: Tenacious (+25% health and armor) or Prepared (+20% ammo). 20: Hollow Point (+25% damage, half recoil) or Eat Lead (double magazine). 25: Tactician (real-time reloads, double swap speed) or Machine Gunner (+3% damage, fire three times faster).

Weapons. HE grenade. Tier 1 Varmint AR-15 (burst or single). Tier 2 SA80 L85A2 (full auto). Tier 3 AK-12 (a burst mode that can fire faster than full auto with correct timing; a burst can decapitate a Bloat) and Mkb.42(H) carbine (highest damage, slower reload; Hans uses two). Tier 4 SCAR-H (higher damage and rate than the AK-12, high recoil) and Stoner 63A (a heavy machine gun with huge magazines, low damage, high rate, pushes ZEDs back but recoils hard).

Support

Probably the easiest perk to use effectively: shotguns clear piles of Clots and deal generous damage to big targets, and Support can weld doors to reduce incoming pressure. Bonus XP: 8 per set of door welds.

Passives. +3% weld speed per level; +1% damage and +20% penetration per level; +1% ammo; +1 carry weight every 5 levels (15 base); can repair broken doors; teammates can resupply ammo from you.

Skills. 5: High Capacity Magazines or Tactical Reload. 10: Fortitude (+50% health) or Salvo (+30% damage). 15: Armor Piercing Shot (+400% penetration) or Tight Choke (-50% spread). 20: Resupply Pack (teammates get +30% ammo and 20% armor; +20% carried ammo) or Concussion Rounds (+150% stumble). 25: Penetrator (shots pass through any ZED without losing damage) or Barrage (92% of real-time fire rate).

Weapons. Frag grenade (10 bouncing shards, best in chokepoints). SG 500 pump (starter, good early). Tier 2 Double-barrel Boomstick (huge damage, alt-fire fires both barrels, recoil boosts you when airborne) and HZ12 Multi-Action (fires two shells and loads two, higher rate and tighter spread). Tier 3 M4 combat shotgun (semi-auto, reloads shell by shell, better for weakpoints on Scrakes and Fleshpounds). Tier 4 AA-12 (full auto, 20 round magazines, burns ammo fast, use semi-auto on common ZEDs) and Doomstick (four barrels, tighter spread, pierces twice as many targets).

Field Medic

Its job is to keep teammates alive by healing from range, but it is the only perk with no bonus to weapon damage, so even medium ZEDs take lots of ammo and Fleshpounds and Scrakes are out of the question in most cases. Bonus XP: 4 for every 10 HP healed.

Passives. -8% syringe recharge time per level; +2% healing per level; -2% Bloat bile damage per level; +0.4% speed per level; +3% armor per level; milder toxic screen effects.

Skills. 5: Symbiotic Health (+25% health, heal 10 HP when healing allies) or Resilience (+1% resistance per HP lost, up to 50%). 10: Adrenaline Shot (+10% speed for 5 s, stacks 3 times) or Combatant Doctor (+50% magazine, +10% speed). 15: Focus Injection (+5% damage for 5 s, stacks 4 times) or Acidic Rounds (poison). 20: Coagulant Booster (+10% resistance for 5 s, stacks 3 times) or Battle Surgeon (+30% damage). 25: Airborne Agent (healing gas in ZED Time) or Zedative (ZEDs slowed 30%, poison 10 times stronger).

Weapons. Medical grenade (an 8 second gas cloud that heals allies and poisons ZEDs, in 1 second ticks). Tier 1 HM-101 pistol (secondary perk Gunslinger). Tier 2 HM-201 SMG (secondary SWAT). Tier 3 HM-301 shotgun (secondary Support; each dart heals 20) and Hemogoblin (slows and weakens ZEDs and softens them for incaps; only Medic has it). Tier 4 HM-401 assault rifle (secondary Commando). Tier 5 HMTech 501 grenade rifle (medical grenade underbarrel; grenades are not infinite and heal groups with a wider radius).

Demolitionist

Perhaps the hardest perk to use: the starting weapon is the weakest of tier 1, you can take your own blast damage, and the main targets are Fleshpounds since Scrakes are not vulnerable to explosions. Bonus XP for Fleshpound kills.

Passives. +1% damage per level; explosion resistance 10% +2% per level; +1 explosive ammo every 5 levels; teammates can take a grenade; welded doors become traps; once per wave at 4 HP you create an explosion around you.

Skills. 5: Bombardier (+25% explosive damage) or Shock Trooper (+25% knockdown). 10: High Impact Rounds (+25% direct damage) or Extra Rounds (+5 rounds). 15: Sonic Resistant Rounds or Fragmentation Rounds (+50% radius). 20: Armor Piercing Rounds (+50% on weakspot) or Concussive Rounds (+50% knockdown and stun). 25: Destroyer of Worlds (detonate at any range plus poison within 3 m) or Mad Bomber (92% real-time fire, +25% radius).

Weapons. Half stick of dynamite (long fuse but explodes on contact). Tier 1 HX25 grenade pistol (shared with Gunslinger). Tier 2 M79 (single shot, widest base radius) and C4 (a utility; limited charges). Tier 3 M16 M203 (underbarrel grenade; the only way to handle Sirens from range without the right skill). Tier 4 RPG-7 (highest damage per shot, effectively a sniper) and Seeker Six (lock on up to 6 targets and fire six rockets). Top tier M32 (six M79 shots in a revolver cylinder, reloading shell by shell).

Firebug

Almost the opposite of the Demolitionist: it holds off hordes of small ZEDs with weapons that deal area damage. Bonus XP for Bloat and Crawler kills.

Passives. +0.8% damage and +1% reload per level; enemy fire resistance 30% +2% per level; own fire resistance 25% +3% per level; +10% starting ammo every 5 levels.

Skills. 5: Bring the Heat (+35% fire damage) or High Capacity Fuel Tank (double magazine). 10: Barbecue (burn lasts 150% longer) or Ground Fire (double damage and slows). 15: Napalm (burn spreads) or ZED Shrapnel (30% chance burned ZEDs explode and stun). 20: Heat Wave (point-blank pushes back) or Firestorm (longer spray). 25: Pyromaniac (92% real-time fire, no ammo loss) or Inferno (-30% speed, +50% burn damage).

Weapons. Molotov. Tier 1 Incinerator (a homemade flamethrower). Tier 2 Spitfire dual revolvers (shared with Gunslinger, damage-over-time) and Dragon's Breath shotgun (secondary Support, penetrates). Tier 3 Flamethrower and Mac 10 (incendiary SMG shared with SWAT, great vs Husks). Tier 4 Husk Cannon (secondary Demolitionist; charge up to 1 second), Microwave Gun and Helios rifle (automatic version with burst mode, no ground fires).

Gunslinger

All of its weapons can be used in pairs, boosting fire rate, and its passives let it swap small magazines quickly. Bonus XP: 1 per headshot with perk weapons.

Passives. +1% damage per level; bullet resistance 5% +1% per level; +0.8% speed per level; -1% recoil per level; +3% reload speed in ZED Time per level.

Skills. 5: Steady (no move penalty when aiming, less sway) or Quick Draw (half hip-fire recoil, +5% speed, 50% faster swap). 10: Rack 'em Up (+10% per headshot up to 50%) or Bone Breaker (+20% damage, +30% on limbs). 15: Line 'em Up or Speedloader. 20: Skullcracker (headshots slow by 30%) or Knock 'em Down (big knockdown on legs, stumble on chest). 25: Whirlwind of Lead (no ammo loss) or Fan Fire (real-time fire and reload).

Weapons. Nail grenades. Tier 1 1858 revolvers (one-shot Gorefasts to the head). Tier 2 M1911 pistols (better rate, bigger magazine, pierce). Tier 3 Desert Eagle .50 (nearly double damage, pierce, stronger stun). Tier 4 AF2011-A1 (two M1911 per hand) and .500 Magnum (kills a full-health Rioter with a headshot, pierces).

Sharpshooter

The most different play style: very slow fire rates and skills that reward standing still in a game where movement is normally key. Bonus XP: 1 per headshot with perk weapons.

Passives. +1% headshot damage per level; -1% recoil per level; +2% swap speed.

Skills. 5: Sniper (+25% damage when still) or Marksman (+10% move, -25% delay between shots). 10: Stability (crouched: +30% damage, +50% speed, +20% reload) or Ballistic Shock (+100% stun). 15: Rack 'em Up or Tactical Reload. 20: Dead Eye (-10% recoil, +10% headshot damage when aiming) or Always Prepared (+25% ammo and grenades). 25: Assassin (5% chance headshots trigger ZED Time, +35% headshot damage) or Ranger (same chance, headshots stun).

Weapons. Freeze grenades (freeze ZEDs in the blast, perfect for Scrakes and Fleshpounds). Tier 1 Winchester 1894. Tier 2 Centerfire SPX 464 and Crossbow (slow but high damage and penetration). Tier 3 M14 EBR. Tier 4 Rail Gun (lock-on at half damage) and FN FAL ACOG (shared with Commando; lowest accuracy of the primary Sharpshooter weapons). Top M99 AMR (highest damage in the game, anti-materiel rifle).

SWAT

At the other end of the fire rate and damage spectrum: light SMGs firing hundreds of rounds per minute, making small ZEDs easy without being defenceless. Bonus XP for Clot kills.

Passives. +1% damage per level; bullet resistance 5% +1% per level; +4% magazine per level; +1% swap speed per level.

Skills. 5: Heavy Armor Training (with armor, only sonic damage hits health; Clots cannot grab; start with 50% armor) or Tactical Movement. 10: Close Combat Training (+110% 9mm and knife damage, start with dual 9mm) or Tactical Reload. 15: Suppression Power (+100% stumble) or Ammo Vest (+30% ammo). 20: Assault Armor (+50% max armor, start with 50%) or Cripple (hits slow ZEDs up to 30%). 25: Battering Ram (real-time movement, ramming ZEDs knocks them down) or Rapid Assault (no ammo loss, 60.8% of real-time fire, +100% stumble).

Weapons. Flashbang (freezes ZEDs in the blast and damages them with a short fuse). Tier 1 MP7. Tier 2 Tommy Gun (shared with Commando) and MP5RAS. Tier 3 P90 and HK UMP (highest damage, burst mode). Tier 4 Kriss (over 1000 rounds per minute).

Survivalist

Built around versatility: it has almost no in-perk weapons, but all weapons in the game get its bonuses. Bonus XP for Clot kills.

Passives. +0.6% damage per level; +1% damage resistance per level; +1% max armor per level; while armored only sonic damage lowers health; +3% reload speed in ZED Time per level.

Skills. 5: Tactical Reload (Commando, Gunslinger and SWAT weapons) or Heavy Weapon Training (Demolitionist, Sharpshooter and Support weapons). 10: Medic Training (+30% potency, -50% recharge) or Melee Expert (+20% speed, +50% damage, +25% movement). 15: Ammo Vest (+15% ammo, healing grenades) or Weapon Harness (+5 weight, Molotovs). 20: Spontaneous Zed-plosion (30% chance burned ZEDs explode) or Makes Things go Boom (+30% radius). 25: Madman (fire 200% faster) or Lockdown (+200% knockdown, stun, stumble and slow).