KF2 Sharpshooter: Skills, Weapons and Tactics (Russian Guide)

The author stresses that Sharpshooter is a very specialized class that nobody else can fully replace. Fast crossbow snipers exist, but a Survivalist can easily stand in for them. The main job is to destroy Scrakes and Fleshpounds in a very short time and as far from your teammates as possible. Secondary targets (Bloats, Husks, E.D.A.R. and Sirens) should die before they get close, but other classes usually shoot them with enthusiasm. Husks and E.D.A.R. are especially dangerous to the sniper because they stop you holding a position and force you to dodge projectiles.

The skills window: the build depends on difficulty and stage of the game.

When to pick the class

Choose based on your teammates. A good sign is a Medic, a Firebug or a Survivalist with a Hemoclobber, or a front-line Berserker who keeps ZEDs off the team, plus Commando, SWAT or Support classes handling small and medium ZEDs. The guide is not for beginners, for gamepad players, or for anyone who cannot hit heads quickly and reliably, which can be hard on HoE because of the ZEDs' varied movement animations.

About ZED health

Fleshpounds, Scrakes and small ZEDs have separate health pools for the head and the rest of the body, and the hitboxes match the models (except the autumn hunchback clown Scrake). Example on HoE with six players (ZED health rises with player count):

• Scrake: 5,967 health on the body and only 1,875 on the head (before 50% resistance to explosive and fire damage; microwave damage goes through in full).
• Fleshpound: 8,137 on the body and 2,031 on the head (before 50% resistance to ballistic damage). Damage to metal parts such as the Scrake's saw and the Fleshpound's stumps is negligible.

The fastest way to kill a ZED is a headshot. As an example, the author says a Demolitionist firing an RPG at a Scrake's head from under 3.9 m deals 400% ballistic and 0 explosive damage, a one-shot kill.

Normal to Hard

• Leveling requires headshots with Sharpshooter weapons (on-perk or cross-perk).
• Beginners play these difficulties and spray at everything, so for fast leveling to 15 it is best to play solo and away from the "team". Fire, explosions and poison effects get in the way of headshots.
• ZEDs are slow and have no complex run or dodge animations, so headshots are easy.
• Pick a position where you will not be surrounded and can shoot far. Take whatever weapon suits you (an SPSX or the stock rifle), but it must fire fast enough to defend yourself alone before level 15.
• Skills: level 5 right (shoot faster and run if needed), level 10 left (aim stability and damage; crouching is enough to one-shot Rioters in the head even with a Winchester), level 15 left (stack damage up to 50%, and even the boss will not stand on this difficulty).

Suicidal

You most likely need a team, especially on late waves, though you meet fewer people who spoil your aim. If you have a mic, politely ask a Demolitionist with a nuke or a fanatic Firebug torching Scrakes and Fleshpounds with a flamethrower to change position. If they refuse, move yourself rather than start a team conflict.

• On early waves use a fast-firing weapon with the level 15 skill (damage stack up to 50%); on late waves buy the M99 to one-shot Scrakes and small Fleshpounds, and the Magnum for small and medium ZEDs.
• After buying a heavy rifle, swap the level 15 skill to reload speed and the level 5 skill to damage (left). You cannot stack damage with this setup, but the damage is enough for one-shots, and reload speed will be much needed.
• Freeze large Fleshpounds before shooting. If one is already running at you enraged with no time for two headshots, take out the knife, parry and then freeze it. If teammates are spraying at it like mad, step back and finish the job after.
• On this difficulty level up to 20.

Hell on Earth

On HoE other classes burn through most of the small ZEDs, leaving the sniper to the large targets.

• On the first 2 or 3 waves make do with the stock weapons (including the Beretta): ammo for other guns is expensive and the damage is enough. From wave 3 to 7, buy an M14 or SPSX, and add the Magnum when you have spare dosh.
• Early skills: 5 right (fire rate to stack the level 15 skill and kill big ZEDs fast on early waves), 10 left (you can change it for the boss), 15 left, 20 right. The author says not to play Sharpshooter on HoE below level 20: you will run short of ammo (unless a Support with the ammo skill is on the team, which is random), and the extra grenade gives you a chance to survive until you can afford the M99 and Magnum, around wave 7 or at worst 8. Use grenades on Scrakes and big Fleshpounds and shoot everything else from range.
• After buying the M99 and Magnum, change the level 5 skill to left and level 15 to right. The level 25 skill matters little; the author likes the left damage one, which lets you kill a frozen large Fleshpound in one shot.
• For the boss, swap the level 5 skill to right, since extra survivability never hurts and there is little left to one-shot. Weapon-wise you can use the Medical Sniper Rifle or Railgun instead of the M99 (just disable auto-aim, which cuts damage a lot). The crossbow is also recommended: its headshot stun rating is very high and works on all bosses, and combined with the right level 15 skill it can trouble any boss.

Fan art of a squad facing a Stalker.

Conclusion

The author asks for reasonable criticism in the comments and promises to fix any spelling mistakes. They also link a video on killing large ZEDs with each Sharpshooter weapon. For a broader overview of the perk see Sharpshooter 101.