KF2 Survivalist Guide for Team Players: Skills, Loadouts, Bosses

The Survivalist can use every weapon in the game, but it is not meant to replace a dedicated perk. This guide treats it as a team player: a flexible supporter that fills whatever gap the squad has. See also Survivalist skills, weapons and builds for another view.

Base kit

The Survivalist base kit screen.

• Each level gives +0.6% damage with all weapons, up to 15%.
• Damage resistance and maximum armor grow by 1% per level, up to 25%. The armor works like a SWAT's armor with Heavy Armor Training: it blocks all damage except Siren and Matriarch sonic attacks and cuts the damage by 35% while any armor remains.
• Zed Time reload speed rises 3% per level up to 75% (about four times faster at level 25).
• 35% faster weapon switch at any level.
• You pick a starting weapon (Crovel, Dual 1858 Revolvers, SG 500 Pump Action, HX25 Grenade Pistol, Winchester, HMTech-101, Caulk n' Burn, AR-15, MP7) or leave it random, plus a grenade (High Explosive, Fragmentation, Nail Bomb, Flashbang). A random weapon means the starting weapon of any of the nine other perks. At level 15 the molotov cocktail or medic grenade joins the cycle, depending on the Weapon Harness or Ammo Vest skill.

Skills

The Survivalist skill tree.

Some details the skill descriptions do not show:

• Medic Training: the dart and syringe recharge cooldown is cut in half, unlike the Field Medic's formula.
• Spontaneous Zed-plosion deals 50 explosive damage to nearby zeds and stuns them.
• Lockdown stuns any zed during Zed Time with exceptions: it will not work on a zed in its stagger animation, a Quarterpound or Fleshpound in rage animation, or bosses in armor phases (Abomination armor, King Fleshpound, Hans or Matriarch shield), during their special animations, or while they block a weak spot. Weak-spot blockers (Bloat, Gorefast, Gorefiend, Scrake, Quarterpound, Fleshpound) get the stun applied after the block ends.

Recommended starts:

• Below level 10: MP7 and Flashbangs.
• Level 10 or higher with no Field Medic: HMTech-101, skills L L L L R.
• Level 10 or higher with a Field Medic: Crovel, skills L R L L R.

Tip: just as experienced Commandos swap to the ammo skill and drop weapons, a Survivalist can use Ammo Vest to overcap ammo, drop the weapons and switch back to Weapon Harness. If your loadout weighs more than 15 kg, drop some weapons before the swap. Dropped and picked up weapons reset to their default fire mode (the Railgun goes to auto-lock, which halves base damage).

What each skill is good for

• Tactical Reload / Heavy Weapons Training: faster reloads for Gunslinger, SWAT and Commando weapons, or for Demolitionist, Sharpshooter and Support weapons. Some weapons (FAMAS Masterkey, HX25, M16 M203, Spitfire, 1858, .500 Magnum, Winchester 1894, SPX 464) reload faster regardless.
• Medic Training: one of the best. At level 10 it gives the healing potency of a level 15 Field Medic and the dart recharge of a level 12. You will not give team buffs, but it helps a struggling medic a lot.
• Melee Expert: +25% movement speed and +75% melee damage, but not with the VLAD-1000. Frostfang gets both bonuses, making it the second highest damage option, but raging Fleshpounds become easy to trigger. Best used on the first wave.
• Ammo Vest / Weapon Harness: molotovs (area denial that staggers even large zeds, no healing) or medic grenades (poison panic that does not affect medium and large zeds). Ammo Vest gives +15% ammo and lets you overcap weapons that no other perk can (Eviserator, Hemoclobber, HRG Healthrower, HRG Incision, Hemogoblin, Mine Reconstructor, HRG Vampire, HMTech-101, Single M1911, Desert Eagle, Rhino, HRG Winterbite, Glock 18c, AF2011-A1, HRG Disrupter). Firebugs prefer to overcap the Caulk n' Burn, Flamethrower, Microwave Gun, Husk Cannon, Thermite Bore and Dual Spitfires themselves; the Survivalist can overcap Spitfire, Dragon's Breath, Mac 10, HRG Scorcher, HRG Incendiary Rifle and Helios. Weapon Harness gives +5 kg and multiplies loadout variety.
• Spontaneous Zed-plosion: each killed zed has a 30% chance to explode, stunning neighbors.
• Make Things Go Boom: +50% explosive resistance (total 75%, the tankiest vs explosives) but +50% blast radius on Demolitionist weapons. With only 15% damage, it mostly knocks zeds down, and the M79 and M32 radius grows from 8.5 m to 12.75 m, which hurts you. Use it for boss waves.
• Madman: triple fire rate in Zed Time helps few weapons and is weak since the Lockdown buff.
• Lockdown: arguably the most broken Zed Time skill, a single hit or healing dart stuns any zed.

Playstyle by level

Play precision rather than chaotic: you lack the damage and skills of Demolitionist and Firebug. Until level 10, use SMGs and assault rifles for trash (clots take 50% more damage from SMGs; the MP7 has the most spare ammo) and a burst weapon for bigger zeds. Until level 15 you carry only 15 kg. Level 10 allows a melee build, slightly tankier than a Berserker until both reach level 15. Level 15 unlocks Weapon Harness (20 kg), level 20 Spontaneous Zed-plosion, and level 25 Lockdown makes you a strong supporter.

In a team: if the medic needs help, use Medic Training with a Field Medic weapon. Let a Commando extend Zed Time. Thin out heads for Sharpshooters and Gunslingers, or use an RPG-7 to help a Demolitionist with pounds. With no Berserker, go melee to save money.

Precision loadouts

Below level 15, but viable later:

• HMTech-201 / .500 Magnum / upgraded HRG Incision, skills L L. Good trash and medium killing, high healing, EMP. Expensive, cannot parry.
• HMTech-401 / twice upgraded Crossbow, skills R L. Stuns Scrakes, saves ammo; poor early game and cannot stun pounds.

Level 15 and up:

• HMTech-201 / Frostfang / upgraded Railgun, skills L, L R L R (switch the first to R after buying the Railgun). Great crowd control, freeze and parry.
• HMTech-201 / upgraded HRG Incision / upgraded Hemogoblin or HMTech-501, skills L L R L R. Healing strong enough to replace a medic.
• HMTech-401 / upgraded Railgun / .500 Magnum.
• HMTech-201 / twice upgraded Crossbow / RPG-7. Stuns Scrakes, knocks down pounds.
• Upgraded HMTech-201 / twice upgraded Crossbow / upgraded Mosin. Can parry with the bayonet.
• HMTech-201 / upgraded HRG Crossboom / upgraded RPG-7. Excellent pound takedown.
• HMTech-201 / HRG Incision / RPG-7. Excellent healing and EMP.

Melee loadouts

Use melee on trash and medium zeds, or to set up a takedown with Frostfang.

• Katana / upgraded Crossbow / RPG-7, skills R R R L R.
• SPX 464 / Pulverizer / RPG-7, skills R R R L R.
• Upgraded HMTech-101 / upgraded Dual Desert Eagles or Dual .500 Magnums / upgraded Frostfang, skills L R L L R. Frostfang alone can shred Scrakes.
• HMTech-401 / Dual .500 Magnums / Frostfang, skills L R R L R.
• HMTech-401 / upgraded HRG Incision / Hemoclobber, skills L R R L R.
• Upgraded HMTech-101 / upgraded Crossbow / Static Strikers, skills R R L L R.
• Upgraded Incision / Bone Crusher / .500 Magnum.

Bosses

Check the boss with the console command getall kfgamereplicationinfo bossindex (0 Hans Volter, 1 Patriarch, 2 King Fleshpound, 3 Abomination, 4 Matriarch). In general bring something that helps heal (HMTech-201 is the cheapest and lightest), something to parry or incapacitate, and a high damage weapon (Railgun is the most universal). The HRG Arc Generator is as good as the Railgun if not better, because bosses take 50% extra from its primary and 100% from its secondary, plus an EMP effect. Make Things Go Boom finally pays off against Hans, Patriarch and King Fleshpound.

• Hans Volter: HMTech-201 is mandatory. Frostfang parries and can sometimes freeze him; two or three Crossbow headshots stun him and you can recover bolts. Railgun or RPG-7 for damage (Hans takes 20% more from the RPG-7 and 10% less from the Railgun). Skip the Arc Generator because he dodges a lot. Medic build: HMTech-201 / Frostfang / Railgun or HMTech-201 / Crossbow / RPG-7 with Heavy Weapons Training, Medic Training, Weapon Harness, Make Things Go Boom, Lockdown. Berserker build: Bone Crusher / Hemogoblin with Melee Expert, Ammo Vest, Make Things Go Boom, Lockdown.
• Patriarch: easy if he is killed before healing. Railgun, Incision and Arc Generator work; both Incision and Arc Generator stop his sprint, but only the Arc Generator also blocks his special attacks for 2.2 seconds. Bone Crusher can block his minigun and rockets (not the mortar). Medic builds: HMTech-201 / Frostfang / Railgun or Arc Generator. Berserker: HMTech-201 / Bone Crusher / Incision or Hemogoblin.
• King Fleshpound: the Quarterpound waves are the problem. He summons four waves: on spawn, at 25% damage taken, at 60% (he gains a beam attack that you avoid by crouching, unless he is above you), and when he shields at 70%. Clear the minions first. Hard to freeze or knock down, but EMP works. Quarterpounds do not take extra Arc Generator damage, so prefer Railgun or Incision. The RPG-7 is poor since he resists explosives by 20%. Medic skill set as for Hans.
• Abomination: the easiest. Take HMTech-201, Hemogoblin or Crossbow, and a Railgun or RPG (it knocks him down). Skills: Heavy Weapons Training, Medic Training, Weapon Harness, Spontaneous Zed-plosion, Lockdown.
• Matriarch: the toughest. Incapacitation does not work until her armor is gone or her head is exposed; aim for headshots (Railgun staggers, Frostfang freezes, Crossbow stuns, RPG-7 knocks down). Incision EMP does not affect her, so use the Arc Generator. A well timed parry stops her tentacle grab. Berserker is a poor choice. Loadouts: HMTech-201 / Frostfang / Railgun or HMTech-201 / Crossbow / RPG-7.

Conclusion

The Survivalist rewards game knowledge and creative weapon combinations. Experiment to find the setup your team needs.