KF2 SWAT Perk Guide: Skills, SMGs and Combos
A short Spanish-language Steam guide to the SWAT perk in Killing Floor 2, translated. The author describes SWAT as an easy-to-learn role that, together with Commando, kills light trash with sheer bullet volume and can push and settle quick fights with high-rate-of-fire submachine guns that have an LMG-sized magazine. Skill names and numbers match the game at the time of writing (around 2018) and some have changed. See also the SWAT entry in the Russian newbie guide and the perk and weapon reference.
Skills by level
| Level | Skill A | Skill B |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | Heavy Armor Training: while you have armor, Clots cannot reach you and ZED attacks such as Siren screams do not drain health; you start with armor | Tactical Movement: no penalty for aiming or crouching with SWAT weapons |
| 10 | Close Combat Training: knife and 9mm pistol damage +85 percent, and you start with dual 9mm pistols | Tactical Reload: faster reload for SWAT weapons |
| 15 | Suppression Rounds: push power of all SWAT weapons +100 percent | Ammo Vest: carry up to 30 percent more ammo for each SWAT weapon |
| 20 | Assault Armor: max armor +50 percent and you start with another 50 percent; stacks with Heavy Armor Training | Cripple: repeated hits slow ZEDs by 30 percent, more on legs and now more on weak points and heads |
| 25 | Battering Ram: in Zed Time you move in real time with more knockdown power and speed (+25 percent), and deal 450 blunt damage to ZEDs you ram | Rapid Assault: in Zed Time unlimited ammo, near real-time fire and push power +100 percent |
The author's notes: at level 5 you start to feel tanky, or fast if you pick Tactical Movement (useful for avoiding Husks and outrunning bosses). The level 10 and 15 picks help from wave 2. Use Suppression Rounds only when you are not yet level 20, because it burns lots of ammo to push a single ZED and mainly helps keep medium ZEDs at a distance; use Ammo Vest to kill more and keep ammo topped up. At level 20, Cripple makes giants and mediums unable to do much against you and Assault Armor makes you a damage sponge. At level 25, take Battering Ram if there is a Commando on the team, since without one Zed Time will not last long when you run into ZEDs; Rapid Assault is for when you have no Commando and want to fire quickly to kill.
Gameplay
SWAT is very effective at taking down trash or annoying ZEDs. Its SMGs have the highest fire rate and clear whole groups without much effort. The stun grenades (they look like flashbangs but work a little differently) are the most useful tool for escaping or killing giants effectively. Depending on skills you either keep ZEDs in line at the cost of lots of ammo or become a machine that wrecks anything in your path and leaves them immobile.
Weapons: submachine guns
- MP7: the basic, simple, nearly recoilless SMG, easy for killing small ZEDs.
- MP5 RAS: the only SMG without an attached sight, but good for its magazine and slightly more damage than the MP7.
- HMTech-201: the multi-class SMG for SWAT and Medic. Use it if your team has no medic; it is like the MP7 with a healing dart.
- P90: the SMG with the biggest magazine, almost equal to the Stoner's, a bit more damage, less recoil and faster reload.
- Mac-10: returns from the first game for the SWAT and Firebug perks; decent damage with extra fire damage and a magnificent fire rate.
- Heckler & Koch UMP: the highest damage per shot among SMGs here; its recoil and fire rate are unusual, and it rewards control.
- Kriss Vector: the most expensive SMG; not very effective against the boss but very good against enemies before the boss fight.
- Tommy Gun: back from Killing Floor 1 (there it was a Commando weapon); shares a rate of fire with the UMP, has iron sights, decent damage and a P90-sized magazine, but poor recoil and hip accuracy. Recommended only if you are bored.
Combos
SWAT and Gunslinger use the least weight per weapon, so they can carry extras.
- P90 + Heckler + C4: viable against all enemies: the P90 for trash because of its magazine, the Heckler's damage for Scrakes and C4 for Fleshpounds quickly on populated servers.
- MP7 + dual 9mm: an unconventional but useful way to save money if you play it well.
- Heckler + MP5 RAS: use the MP5 for light trash since it lacks the Heckler's recoil, and the Heckler for big damage on giants.
The author invites players to suggest more additions, as long as they are on topic.
