KF2 Ranged Survivalist Arsenal: Skills, Weapons, Weight

This is a suggested ranged arsenal for the Survivalist in Killing Floor 2, written for a 10-wave game and 6-player Hell on Earth. The idea is to start with melee or light weapons to save money, then go 100% ranged from wave 3 with a heavy-hitting weapon set. For a different take on the same perk see the OP Survivalist build.

Weapon table

Weight, upgrade gains and penetration for each weapon, plus boss wave ideas.

Key rows from the table (weight, per-upgrade weight and damage gain, penetration):

Weapon	Weight	Upgrade	Penetration	Note
9mm	0	+0 / +100% (5 up)		cheapest, upgradeable to kill trash
HMTech-101	1	+0 / +70%
HRG buckshot	2	+2 / +30%	2
HMTech-201	3	+3 / +60%
Magnum	3	+1 / +15%	3
Sentinel	3	+2 / +30%
SPX	5	+3 / +45%	1.5
Dragonsbreath	5	+3 / +30%	2
HRG Kaboomstick	6	+2 / +30%	0	same total carried damage as Seeker Six
SCAR	6	+1 / +22%
Crossbow	6	+3 / +60%	4	stuns Scrakes
Freezethrower	7	+2 / +80%	4 (alt)	ground ice damage, freezes targets
HRG Incision	8	+1 / +20%	10

Less efficient picks: Rhino (2), Reducto Ray (5, enemies take up to 2x damage, shreds EDARs), HRG Stunner (7, stuns everything), HRG Bastion (7, absorbs 70 percent damage in front of the player), HRG Head Hunter (7), Gravity Imploder (8, massive crowd control).

Boss wave ideas from the table: Reducto Ray without upgrades gives 2x more damage on bosses; the Matriarch takes 2x damage from the HRG Arc Generator; C4 is good for healing bosses (to stop them from escaping) with a 3 second interval for maximum damage.

Example loadout (10-wave game)

Wave 1

• Skills: RLLLR
• Weapons: Crovel, Caulk n' Burn or LAR
• Grenades: Medic

Wave 2

Buy a Dragonbreath or a medic SMG (HMTech-201). You can stay economical, killing trash with the Crovel and dealing with Gorefiends and problem Zeds using the Dragonbreath or SMG.

Wave 3

• Skills: RRLLR
• Buy: HRG Incision (medic railgun). If you lack the dosh, buy it next wave.
• Grenades: SWAT

From here you play 100% ranged.

Wave 4

• Skills: RLLRR
• Buy: Demolitionist's Kaboomstick

How the build plays

• The SWAT grenade saves you and your teammates and stuns Scrakes, unraged Fleshpounds and Quarter Pounds, and trash that must be disabled quickly.
• The 9mm can be upgraded to kill EDARs, Bloats and other trash. The Incision kills Husks and Bloats fast but needs an upgrade at some point.
• You end up with a 20/20 weight loadout. With a medic SMG you still have two slots for the Support's HRG buckshot revolver to kill Gorefiends and other trash at close range.
• The Incision stuns even raged Scrakes, and three headshots kill them in 6-player HoE. It also stuns unraged Fleshpounds.
• The Kaboomstick kills Quarter Pounds and Fleshpounds. Its alt-fire jump trick is important for staying alive.
• The loadout lets you heal yourself twice as often, with 24 HP per heal instead of 20.

Crossbow and boss wave

The crossbow is an amazing Survivalist weapon: headshots stun Scrakes, arrows have large penetration and can kill trash, and arrows that land on reachable surfaces can be picked up again.

On the boss wave (15/15 weight) the Kaboomstick is a good survival tool if you know the jump trick: you run faster away from bosses while still damaging them and healing yourself twice as often. The level 25 skill is the strongest, because it stuns anything, even bosses, during Zed time.

Sentinel note

The Sentinel is not great for the Survivalist and cuts both ways, since it can enrage large Zeds. It suits Support better (HZ12 plus Nailgun, both maxed, plus medic pistol). You can buy one, deploy it and drop it.

See also the Survivalist-related Killing Floor 2 perk guides.