KF2 Perk Tactics: Firebug, Demolitionist, Commando and Sharpshooter

This guide (originally in Russian, with a humorous and rough tone that has been toned down here) explains how a Killing Floor 2 match flows and how to play four perks well. It is unfinished: the author stopped after the Sharpshooter, promising more later, so Medic and Support are not covered. Compare with the perk overview.

KF2 is a deep economy game: your advantage is the dosh you earn.

Three stages of a match

Whichever perk you play, a game has three stages depending on the wave and the money you have.

The three stages.

• Waves 1 to 3, the early stage: you have the least dosh and ZEDs are mostly low rank. You can afford to die without crippling later waves (although respect drops), and your starting weapon remains. Save dosh for good gear.
• Waves 4 to 7, the middle stage: you can buy better equipment and ZEDs are tougher, of medium and high rank. Do not die here. Most games end in this stage because of silly deaths, since earning dosh is harder and nobody gives you money for free.
• Waves 8 to 10, the late stage: every ZED category appears, mostly very fat and angry, a full loadout is needed and a boss awaits on the last wave. A death here can be fatal for the whole team.

The ten perks in three groups

The perks split into groups by which ZEDs they should kill first.

The first group, "trash killers", is Firebug, Demolitionist and Commando. The second, "rear line", is Sharpshooter, Medic and Support.

Firebug

Firebug.

Works at short range, since nearly every weapon has limited reach. Its job is to burn off annoying small ZEDs, especially Crawlers, which throw off the aim of Sharpshooters and Demolitionists. Do not underestimate the small stuff: they surround and swarm you.

What to do:

• Burn small ZEDs (Cysts, Clots, Crawlers, Stalkers); this is your main priority.
• Ignite Bloats, which burst on fire as readily as from a rocket.
• Use the Microwave Gun on Husks, Sirens and Scythe-type ZEDs with metal in their bodies; the metal heats and they swell and burst. It can also work on Fleshpounds and Scrakes, but only if no Demolitionist, Sharpshooter or Support is near.
• The trench shotgun and flare launchers help against Husks: hitting the tank on their back makes them explode. Otherwise they are mostly fun weapons. The left level 25 skill with flares can weaken every ZED.
• At level 10, pick the right skill: much more damage from ground fire, turning it blue. Treat yourself as a cook who warms ZEDs on the stove.

What not to do:

• Do not burn Scrakes and Fleshpounds. They resist fire and you will only aggro them.
• Do not run alone. Your strength is a fire curtain in front of the support team.
• Do not neglect the Microwave Gun's power against metal on ZEDs, including bosses.

In short: "Do not run alone", "Do not touch Fleshpounds and Scrakes first", "Burn the small ones".

Demolitionist

Demolitionist.

The main fighting force of the team. Not purely a trash killer: with the RPG and Fleshpounds' weakness to explosions, it is your most reliable shield against them.

Sirens are the nightmare below level 15: their scream defuses your shells. Take the left skill unlocked at level 15 to be safe from this.

Scrakes resist explosions. But a shot from the "dead zone" (the rocket or grenade has not reached the speed to detonate) hits as a physical impact to the head. If you get right next to the Scrake and fire at its face, with the right level 20 perk you can kill any Scrake in one shot. If your aim is poor, leave Scrakes to Sharpshooters or Supports.

What to do:

• Early on, shoot whatever you can, except Bloats, which your starter weapon barely tickles. You are not much help yet, so do not die.
• With a little money, buy the grenade launcher and armor.
• Ask teammates to kill Sirens until level 15, then take the left skill.
• Once saved up, buy the RPG-7, your main argument against every ZED; its ammo is small even with the right skill at level 10, so save it for fat targets.
• With a Fleshpound, fire from a decent distance with a SWAT or Berserker to aggro it for you; you are slower, especially when reloading after every shot.
• At level 25 the left skill turns your shells fired during Zed Time into mini nuclear blasts that leave radiation ZEDs hate; small and medium ZEDs die in seconds.

What not to do:

• Do not lead distant targets running away from you; ZEDs move unpredictably.
• Do not buy an expensive M4 with underbarrel launcher: it burns ammo and suits Commando more.
• Do not waste RPG ammo on small clusters; use the grenade launcher.

Commando

Commando.

The default tool of every newcomer. Its main advice: shoot heads. The starter AR rifle must be fired in single shots at heads.

• Buy the L85A2 as soon as you can: great against small and medium ZEDs, with AR as backup.
• When you have spare dosh, buy the AK-12 rifle (the "Kalashnikov"): cheap, fast and accurate, but with no single-fire mode, so tap the trigger like in a shooter. Holding it down sends bullets everywhere.
• The SCAR-H is the main argument: accurate on heads, expensive and demanding, to be fired in single shots. Full-auto bursts can shave the heads of Scrakes and even Fleshpounds if you learn their head movement, but leave them to others.

What not to do: do not aggro big ZEDs without need, do not waste ammo on small ZEDs in full auto except Stalkers and Crawlers, and do not throw all your grenades at crowds of Crawlers; save them for Fleshpounds.

In short: mow down small ZEDs but do not forget the big ones.

Sharpshooter

Sharpshooter.

A Sharpshooter loves heads: the point of the perk is dropping even fat ZEDs with one head shot. The right skills at levels 5 and 10 help: if you stay still and crouch, shot power rises by 55%, so the most powerful rifle can kill a Scrake with one shot even on Hell on Earth.

What to do:

• Use the Winchester early; it is fussy to reload but one headshot can kill ordinary ZEDs with the right perks. Save it for Scythes, Sirens and Bloats. Sit, stop and shoot, then move: do not stay still for long, because ZEDs like logs.
• At higher waves upgrade: the M14 EBR is a strong marksman rifle against rank and file ZEDs, and the Winchester stays as a backup when out of ammo.
• The Crossbow is awkward but stuns big ZEDs; it reloads after every shot.
• The Magnum is a fine supplementary gun, with fast reload, low weight and heavy head damage.
• By wave 6 or 7, buy the Gauss Rifle ("Gauss gun"). Use it only with the left skills of levels 5 and 10 and without auto-aim: stationary and crouched, a head shot is a guaranteed kill.
• Stay behind your teammates and shoot the fat ZEDs in the head.

What not to do:

• Do not run from teammates; your fire rate and mobility are poor in close combat.
• The author advises against the Crossbow.
• Do not enable auto-aim on the Gauss Rifle: damage drops sharply.

The guide ends with a note that the rest will come later.

The unfinished guide ends here.