KF2 Sharpshooter After Update 1038: Railgun Runner vs Scrake on a Date
This long community guide was written right after update 1038 changed the Sharpshooter, and it was later marked outdated. Its author, who has 300+ hours, describes what the update did, the skill tree, two playstyles ("Railgun Runner" and "Scrake on a Date"), the weapon line and how to handle the bosses. Treat the numbers as a snapshot of late June 2016. Other Sharpshooter guides on the site include Sharpshooter 101: EBR and Crossbow and Sharpshooter in-depth shot counts.
The class in brief
Good points: high DPS, easy solo kills on Scrakes (Fleshpounds are harder), better at trash than a Commando if you keep distance, can stun almost anything, good mid and late game loadouts and a solid starting weapon.
Bad points: not fast without Marksman, struggles with Gorefasts, impractical on boss fights, Stalkers are a big threat, recoil and short range can be a problem on tight maps such as Biotics Lab.
What update 1038 changed
Update 1038 changes as shown in the guide.
- EBR stun power decreased to 8 (was 40).
- Railgun stun power decreased to 50 (was 100).
- Railgun lock-on time for Bloat, Scrake and Fleshpound is now 1.1 seconds (was 0.35).
- Freeze grenade radius increased to 900 (was 600).
- Stun durations reworked so large ZEDs are harder to stun-lock:
| ZED | Stun length |
|---|---|
| Cyst, Slasher, Alpha, Stalker | 3.0 s |
| Crawler, Gorefast | 2.5 s |
| Bloat, Siren, Husk | 1.5 s |
| Scrake, Fleshpound | 1.2 s |
| Patriarch, Hans | 1.0 s |
The author's takeaway: chain stunning is gone (stuns about five times less often with the EBR), so make each shot count to kill rather than to stun; the Railgun is awkward with its long lock-on, and the Sharpshooter is close to useless on boss fights. The author tested the update with solo and six-player games on Suicidal and Hell on Earth and was effectively useless with the Railgun on the boss in the six-player games.
Updates 1039 and 1040 and bosses
These updates raised boss damage. Hans got more damage and less health (Hard damage mod 0.75, health mod 0.95; Suicidal damage mod 0.95, health mod 1.30; Hell on Earth health mod 1.7). Patriarch got more health and damage (Hard health mod 1.37; Suicidal damage mod 1.2; Hell on Earth damage mod 1.4). Update 1040 added more ammo drops during the boss wave.
Skill tree
The Sharpshooter skill tree.
| Level | Options | Author's pick and reason |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | Sniper (+25% damage when stationary) or Marksman (+25% fire rate, +10% speed) | Marksman: the EBR or MK14 shreds with the higher fire rate and speed always helps. |
| 10 | Stability (+30% damage when crouching) or Ballistic Shock (+100% stun) | Ballistic Shock for chain stunning. Use Stability only with Sniper for a Railgun setup; the combo allows one-shot kills on Clots, Alphas, Stalkers, Gorefasts and Crawlers with the EBR or Winchester. |
| 15 | Combat Ready (faster reload) or Rack 'em Up (+5% damage per headshot up to 75%) | Combat Ready: 15 headshots without a body shot is unrealistic; faster reload helps Crossbow and Winchester. |
| 20 | Always Prepared (+25% ammo and 1 grenade) or Dead Eye (-10% recoil and +10% damage in ADS) | Always Prepared; for example EBR total ammo rises from 180 to 225. |
| 25 | Assassin (knockdown) or Ranger (stun) | Ranger: a stunned ZED stays standing, which is easier to hit than a knocked-down one, and a knocked-down Fleshpound might be wrongly considered dead by teammates. |
Always Prepared raises the EBR's total ammo.
Two playstyles
Railgun Runner (more damage, less mobility): stand still and crouched behind your team or watch a corridor, aim for the head and shoot. Target in order: Scrakes, Fleshpounds, Sirens, Bloats, Husks. Weapons: Railgun and Winchester. The author warns the Railgun is slower for lock-ons and stuns less, and is poor against bosses.
Scrake on a Date (EBR and Crossbow): kill everything and when a Scrake appears, hit it with the Crossbow (high stun) and unload the EBR into the head. Be quick because stun time is shorter. Also not viable on bosses.
Weapon line
Tier 1: Winchester 1894.
| Weapon | Buy / sell | Magazine | Total ammo (with Always Prepared) | Weight | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winchester 1894 | 200 / 150 | 10 | 60 (78) | 5 | One body shot on trash, two on Gorefasts and Stalkers; penetrates one ZED; low stun. |
| Crossbow | 650 / 475 | 1 | 38 (43) | 6 | One shot on trash, Gorefasts and Stalkers; one headshot on Sirens, Bloats and Husks; very high stun; penetrates up to 3 Gorefasts; bolts can be picked up. |
| MK14 / EBR | 1100 / 825 | 20 | 160 (205) | 7 | Two body shots on trash, Stalkers and Gorefasts; headshots for bigger ZEDs; stun power 8; high recoil. |
| Railgun | 1500 / 1125 | 1 | 20 (25) | 10 | One shot on most; two on Scrakes, three to four on Fleshpounds, all to the head; stun power 50; alt-fire manual mode with more damage and no lock-on. |
Tier 2: Crossbow.
Tier 3: M14 EBR.
Tier 4: Railgun.
The Liquid Nitrogen Grenade holds 5 (6 with Always Prepared) and freezes or slows ZEDs for about 3 to 4 seconds. It is the weakest grenade but a good utility for halting Fleshpounds and Scrakes or escaping to heal and reload; throw about two at a time.
Liquid Nitrogen Grenade.
Boss fights
The author advises a Demolitionist for bosses, as an RPG direct hit does far more. If you must play Sharpshooter:
Patriarch is hard because of his tiny head (the perk's 25% bonus applies only to headshot damage), his healing, his ability to cloak and his heavy damage. Keep a very large distance, use the Railgun, aim for the stomach, head and the non-rocket arm (metal parts take almost nothing), clear trash first, prioritize Bloats and keep moving.
Hans Volter is easier: the Railgun can pop his shield solo and prevent his heal, his head is easier to hit, and his grenades are avoided by moving forward. Keep moving, fire when he pulls out his dual guns, aim at the power core in shield mode, kill trash first and keep large distance.
The author's own boss setup: two Railguns, a Winchester and an EBR, rotating weapons so they do not despawn.
Railgun verdict
After solo and six-player test runs on Suicidal and Hell on Earth, the author found the Railgun strong solo but worse in a full team, where its output depended on the team's DPS. Between two equally skilled players, an EBR and Crossbow beats a Railgun and Winchester on total damage, because of more shots and ammo. He compares the Railgun to the pre-update Eviscerator: you skip it for the tier 3 weapon, and its 10 weight commits you to a niche style. Manual mode requires headshots and leading targets like the Crossbow, and one commenter noted the Railgun is only viable in manual mode.
Other tips
- Fleshpounds are not easy; be patient and accurate. Soloing is very easy with accurate Crossbow shots.
- Stay in the back of the team, behind the Demolitionist or Medic.
- You can stun everything except a Fleshpound, which gets stunned rarely.
- Use the Husk backpack to produce a backfrag: leave it alone until it bunches with other ZEDs.
- Your job is killing big ZEDs. As Railgun Runner, target big ZEDs and Sirens; as Scrake on a Date, kill everything with priority on Scrakes.
FAQ
- What did update 1038 change for the Sharpshooter?
- Stun power was cut sharply: the EBR from 40 to 8 and the Railgun from 100 to 50, Railgun lock-on time against Bloat, Scrake and Fleshpound rose from 0.35 to 1.1 seconds, and stun durations were shortened (about 1.2 seconds on Scrake and Fleshpound, 1.0 on bosses).
- Which Sharpshooter skills does the author recommend?
- Marksman (5), Ballistic Shock (10), Combat Ready (15), Always Prepared (20) and Ranger (25). Sniper and Stability are only suggested together for the Railgun setup.
- Is the Sharpshooter good against bosses?
- The author calls it impractical: heads are hard to hit and stuns barely work on bosses, so a Demolitionist or Support is better. For solo play he still runs two Railguns, a Winchester and an EBR.
