KF2 SWAT Perk Guide (The Dodo): Weapons, Skills, Loadouts

The Dodo's SWAT guide (last updated for patch 1.057, December 2017) is one of the most detailed old Killing Floor 2 perk write-ups. It covers every SWAT weapon, the full skill tree with solo and multiplayer picks, loadouts for boss waves and a stumble table. The numbers reflect that early patch, so check current values in game. Compare with KF2 SWAT in-depth guide and the Berserker guide by the same author.

The SWAT role

SWAT is the riot control "bullet hose": submachine guns with lower damage than the Commando's rifles but bigger magazines and faster fire, strong near and mid range against trash, and a flashbang that makes Scrakes easy. It loses efficiency at range and against medium ZEDs, but its stumble and knockdown power buys the team time against every size of ZED.

Perk weapons

All SMGs have single and auto fire modes (MP5 also has a useless burst mode).

MP7SD.

• MP7SD (weight 4, price 200, damage 16, magazine 30, reserve 330): barely stronger than the 9mm but with a bigger magazine and less recoil; a good starter, great sight, single fire pops trash heads.

MP5RAS.

• MP5RAS (weight 4, price 650, damage 25, magazine 40, reserve 320): a direct upgrade with a disliked iron sight and a small ammo pool, so carry another SMG.

FN P90.

• FN P90 (weight 5, price 1100, damage 30, magazine 50, reserve 350): the bread and butter, with a huge magazine and top stumble power; good against every ZED.

KRISS Vector.

• KRISS Vector (weight 6, price 1500, damage 33, magazine 33, reserve 495): highest damage and fire rate, stumble power on par with the P90, the choice for big threats. A Scrake dies to one magazine, but a 6-player high-difficulty Fleshpound takes about two. Ammo drains quickly.

Flashbang grenade.

• Flashbang (explosion damage 125, radius 7 m, fuse 0.25 s after landing): stuns any non-boss ZED for 2-3 seconds, longer than the Sharpshooter's freeze grenade. It cannot stun a raged Fleshpound or a blocking Scrake, so throw it before engaging. Flashbang plus a Kriss magazine kills a Scrake before it revs its saw, but do not be the team's only Scrake killer; often save flashbangs for Fleshpounds. It does no self damage, so it also works as a panic button. You carry 5.

Multiperk weapon

201 HMTech Medic SMG.

The 201 HMTech SMG (weight 3, price 650, damage 15, magazine 40, reserve 480, darts recharge 7.5 s, capacity 2) is called one of the worst weapons: MP7-class damage with more recoil. It is only worth taking when the team lacks a Medic, paired with the 101 pistol for 4 darts per cycle. Multiperk weapons give XP to the perk you use.

Perk bonuses and skills

Passive bonuses at level 25: +25% perk weapon damage, 30% bullet resistance (5% + 1% per level), +100% magazine size and +25% weapon switch speed. XP is earned by killing with SWAT weapons, with extra XP for Clots.

• Level 5: Heavy Armor Training (start with 50% armor, take only health damage from sonic attacks, Clots cannot grab you, bile and Husk afterburn negated) or Tactical Movement (no movement penalty for iron sights or crouching, ignores weight and low-health slowdown). Take Heavy Armor Training solo and Tactical Movement in multiplayer, where the armor melts fast and cannot be restored.
• Level 10: Close Combat Training (+110% 9mm and knife damage, start with dual pistols) or Tactical Reload. Many players start as SWAT with Close Combat Training and switch to Tactical Reload once they have a second SMG.
• Level 15: Suppression Rounds (+100% stumble power) or Ammo Vest (+30% ammo). Take Suppression Rounds solo; in multiplayer Ammo Vest. Trick: during trader time take Ammo Vest, buy ammo, drop your weapons, switch to Suppression Rounds and pick the weapons back up; dropping first keeps the max ammo.
• Level 20: Assault Armor (+50% max armor, start with 50% armor; with Heavy Armor Training you start with 100) or Cripple (repeated hits slow ZEDs up to 30%, best on the legs). Cripple plus Tactical Movement lets you crouch-walk backward and shoot; Assault Armor is better solo.
• Level 25 (Zed Time only): Battering Ram (move in real time with big knockdown on contact) or Rapid Assault (unlimited ammo, near real-time shooting, +100% stumble). Rapid Assault is almost always better. With a Commando on the team, shoot medium ZEDs and leave trash to him to extend Zed Time. With the 201 SMG, Rapid Assault gives infinite darts.

Recommended loadouts

• Multiplayer: Tactical Movement, Tactical Reload, Ammo Vest, Cripple, Rapid Assault; Kriss, P90, MP5 (or 201 SMG plus 101 pistol without a Medic). Crouch and use sights for less recoil, keep Kriss ammo for big ZEDs and P90 ammo for tight spots.
• Solo: Heavy Armor Training, Tactical Reload, Suppression Rounds, Assault Armor, Rapid Assault; Kriss, P90, Katana. Full armor absorbs 203 damage; the Katana blocks, parries and calms Fleshpounds.
• Boss wave (multiplayer): Tactical Movement, Tactical Reload, Ammo Vest, Cripple, Battering Ram; Kriss, P90, Katana or 201 SMG, 101 pistol. SWAT is a weak boss-wave perk; kill trash and let others handle the boss. Do not take Suppression Rounds against Hans and Patriarch because of their stumble resistance.
• Boss wave (solo): Tactical Movement, Tactical Reload, Ammo Vest, Assault Armor, Rapid Assault; Kriss, P90, Katana. Maximize damage; skip Battering Ram.

Tips

• During Zed Time focus trash unless a Commando is extending it.
• Tap fire in 1-3 round bursts and crouch to reduce recoil.
• Cancel reloads: hold fire and press bash when the magazine count refills.
• Call out Sc and Fp, use the quick chat (Z) and engage big ZEDs only when the team is ready.
• Healing halves fire damage-over-time; losing health slows you by up to 15%, weight by up to 8%.
• If teammates are dead, leave a last low ZED alive, throw their dropped weapons to the trader (weapons vanish after 5 minutes unless picked up again) and share spare Dosh.

SMG stumble table (without / with Suppression Rounds)

X means it cannot be stumbled before dying. Sirens must be shot in the body.

ZED	MP7	MP5	P90	Kriss
Siren	X / 7	X / 3	X / 3	X / 3
Gorefiend	X / 5	X / 3	X / 3	X / 3
Husk	X / 10	X / 9	X / 7	X / 7
Scrake	70 / 15	50 / 20	40 / 10	40 / 10
Fleshpound	X / 18	60 / 20	50 / 15	40 / 10

Battering Ram does not work on a Fleshpound's rage animation, ZEDs getting up, stunned, stumbled or decapitated ZEDs, a cloaked or shooting Patriarch, a spinning Gorefiend or blocking ZEDs, and only 5 ZEDs can be knocked down at once.