KF2 Survivalist Expert Guide: Skills, Loadouts, Techniques

This page follows a blunt, expert-level English Steam guide on playing the Survivalist on Hell on Earth. Its main claim is that you cannot be a good Survivalist without first mastering every other perk, because weapons, techniques and team roles all depend on that knowledge. Treat it as one strong opinion, and compare with the Survivalist guide by BurgerCrusader and the real Survivalist guide.

Why master other perks first

Survivalists get little respect, mostly because many players are simply bad at the game. The author argues that:

• Some weapons only work well with a particular perk, and a Survivalist has no business using them.
• Some techniques can only be learned on other perks before you can adapt them to the Survivalist style.
• You cannot fit into a team without knowing the strengths and weaknesses of every perk on it.

The author's own credentials: thousands of hours mostly on HoE (a big part on extra-hard Tamari servers), all perks at prestige 5 level 25 with at least 500 hours each, always plays in a team, and avoids trainer or trivial maps like Containment Station. An example of an easier loadout is shown in a video.

Video cover: a quick example using one of the easier loadouts (https://youtu.be/QuydgH3yAaI).

Skills

• Tactical Reload vs Heavy Weapons Training: depends on the weapons used; switch as needed. The Winchester and Centerfire get a reload boost from both, as they are perk weapons for Sharpshooter and Gunslinger.
• Medic Training vs Melee Expert: never take Medic Training; take Melee Expert.
• Ammo Vest vs Weapon Harness: usually start with Weapon Harness, or switch to it in the late game. Ammo Vest has uses but often fades late.
• Spontaneous Zed-plosion vs Make Things Go Boom: Zed-plosion. The stun on nearby ZEDs clears trash and slows things down, and precision strikes matter more than a larger blast radius.
• Madman vs Lockdown: Madman. The higher fire rate lets you unload a heavy weapon clip into a Scrake's face. A dead Scrake beats a stunned one.

Early game

Wave 1: use the knife as your main weapon. Melee Expert gives extra run and attack speed and damage. Ammo Vest first lets you throw a healing grenade into a big pack before diving in. Beware of Bloats; master side-to-side head slices to interrupt their attacks, and hit Rioters in the legs. If your server gives Husks in wave 1, do not try the jump-slice-backpack explosion trick with a knife; the damage is too low (a Crovel can manage it with a well placed hard strike, but it is difficult).

Avoid buying anything after wave 1 except maybe a Crovel to save ammo (buy for 200, sell for 100). Sirens appear in wave 2 and are annoying with a knife.

Wave 2: ammo will be tight, which is where the Crovel helps. Adjust your reload skill to your weapon. After wave 2 you can afford a tier 2 weapon. The author typically takes the Combat Shotgun, Hemoclobber, Kaboomstick, Centerfire or EBR depending on map and team.

Wave 3 onwards: gear up and contribute where the team needs it. At some point switch to Weapon Harness for the weight and Molotovs. Do not waste dosh on armor until your loadout is done, and learn when to throw grenades; they are the last skill most players master. Grenades plus Zed-plosion is a strong combination.

Late game

The Survivalist has up to 20 weight capacity (per the guide), fast run speed even with a knife, a damage bonus with all weapons, 25% damage resistance, fast weapon switching and fast Zed-time reloads. Example loadouts:

Loadout	Notes
RPG + Combat Shotgun	Fast reload makes the shotgun epic. The RPG's ballistic hit has a 400% damage bonus against Scrakes, which is why Demolitionists one-shot them.
Kaboomstick + Teslauncher	All-rounder with a melee weapon. Teslauncher shreds EDARs, Husks, Sirens and Bloats on headshots.
Big gun + Freezethrower	Safe style: freeze big ZEDs, then boom. Gives up DPS and utility on a fast team.
Kaboomstick + Arc Generator	Utility, crowd control and Fleshpounds in one package. Good for stand-and-fight. Add a Hemoclobber to right-click poison Scrakes when other control is missing.
Kaboomstick + Combat Shotgun	The big game hunter.
Husk Cannon + Combat Shotgun + Medic SMG	Big ZED killer with backup healing. Fast swap helps the Husk Cannon.

Weapons that are poor for a Survivalist

• Flamethrowers and most flame weapons: not enough damage or ground-fire bonus.
• SWAT weapons: not enough magazine size.
• Handguns: recoil is too nasty.
• Most medic weapons: they deal bad damage. The exception is the Medic SMG: decent darts and only 3 weight. The Medic Grenade Rifle suits the timid but costs too much DPS.
• Commando weapons: they do decent damage, but not the author's style; take Ammo Vest if you use them.

Techniques

Zed-time reload. You have 75% faster reload in Zed time, so reload then. It does not speed a reload already in progress when Zed time starts. Depending on the loadout, bash-cancelling or swapping the weapon out and in, then starting a fresh reload, can be faster than letting a slow reload finish.

Reload cancel. Start the reload, hold the fire button, and as soon as the ammo counter refills press melee to shoot immediately. For reload alt-fire, press alt-fire together with melee. The author says you must master this: it is how to drop several full Fleshpounds solo at point blank within one Zed time, before they begin their charge.

Boomstick and Kaboomstick launch. Alt-fire the Boomstick or Kaboomstick while jumping to launch yourself backwards (or upwards for a head stomp). This keeps you out of reach of anything. A backlaunch with the Kaboomstick can take down a squad of charging Fleshpounds unharmed, but you need reload cancelling and good knowledge of their timing.

Heavy body armor explained. Normally armor takes half of the damage and health takes the other half. With heavy body armor you take no health damage, and total damage is mitigated by 35%. Sirens are the exception: their damage always goes to health and is not reduced by armor. Combined with the natural 25% resistance at level 25, this lets you tank better than a Berserker while the armor lasts, and about half as well after that.

Teamwork

High-level play is a team game. Do not try to outdo others at their own perk: you are not a Berserker or a Medic. Fill in quietly where the team is weak and keep teammates alive, rather than showing off. Your versatility lets you adapt as people join and leave, and since you know every perk you can tell instantly what is needed.