KF2 Good Etiquette Guide: Perk Roles and Team Manners

This is a rewritten summary of a very long 2018 community guide on good manners in Killing Floor 2 co-op. Its author argues that it is easy to forget you are playing with real people, and that your playstyle says a lot about you. Everything here is the author's opinion, aimed mostly at Suicidal and Hell on Earth but meant to apply everywhere. A shorter take is on community etiquette and perks, and the same topic from another angle is on what not to do in multiplayer.

Hotkeys worth knowing

• Tab: shows the health, perk, level and top kills of the team.
• F: flashlight (hold for night vision with Berserker and Commando).
• V: melee or gun bash, a panic button that interrupts basic attacks. The author suggests rebinding it.
• C: crouch, good against the King Fleshpound laser and required for the Sharpshooter's Stability skill.
• Z: player commands such as Thank You and Request Dosh.
• Q: heal syringe, aimed at another player to heal them.
• Backspace: throw your current weapon, used to return weapons.

What each perk owes the team

The author rates each perk with a playstyle label and lists what it is good and bad at.

• Berserker (chaotic): pulls aggro and keeps Zeds off the team, collects the most dosh, can survive on little healing. The risk is wandering off, hoarding dosh and messing up lines of sight for shooters. Stay with the team and parry for teammates chased by a Scrake or Fleshpound, unless they have a shot lined up.

A level 8 Sharpshooter on Suicidal next to level 22-25 teammates: low levels often lack the skills their perk needs.

• Commando (precision): reveals Stalkers and the cloaked Patriarch, extends Zed Time and is great at trash. Several Commandos can cancel each other's Zed Time extensions, so a team usually needs only one. Ammo is costly early, so use the 9mm.
• Support (heavy): can hold a lane alone, gives teammates 30% ammo and 20% armor with Resupply Pack, has the highest carry weight and is the only perk that repairs doors. Reloads are slow, the Doomstick especially, and penetration can enrage large Zeds. Stay with the team and do not weld.
• Medic (healer): the only real healer. Its job is healing, not kills, and the guide insists "combat medic" is not a thing. Medic should shoot teammates with darts for the speed buff from level 10, and carry a Boomstick for self-defense.
• Demolitionist (heavy, chaotic): huge damage, great against Fleshpounds, can one-shot Scrakes with the RPG but is vulnerable and slow to reload. Pricey, so switch to Demo mid to late game, carry a sidearm and do not spam explosives, since smoke blocks vision.
• Firebug (chaotic): good crowd control with Heat Wave, good against Hans. Flames block teammates' views and panic dancing ruins Sharpshooter and Gunslinger shots, so focus on small Zeds, tap rather than hold, and leave Scrakes and Fleshpounds alone.
• Gunslinger (precision): top DPS and speed, Rack 'Em Up gives 10% damage per consecutive headshot up to 50%, and Fan Fire at level 25 lets you shoot at real speed in Zed Time. Small ammo pool, so conserve it with the 9mm and do not run off.
• Sharpshooter (accuracy): underrated, needs sight lines and protection from trash.
• SWAT (precision): highest fire rate but not highest DPS, Rapid Assault in Zed Time, Battering Ram, free armor and Flashbangs. It is a money sink, since it is the only perk that uses exclusively SMGs.
• Survivalist: the author's opinion is that it is the weakest perk and that off-perk loadouts are its whole identity.

The guide also includes quick overviews of Zeds and bosses, such as the Hans fight where grabbed players need constant healing until the shield breaks.

Basic etiquette

Joining as a low level. On Normal and Hard any level is fine. The author recommends level 15 or higher for Suicidal and 20 or higher for Hell on Earth. A level 5 Berserker lacks Butcher and Parry and drains dosh. Prestige does not equal skill. Politely suggest a lower difficulty and kickvote only if they refuse.

Sharing dosh. The hypothetical in the guide: a Berserker hoards 3K by wave 8 on Suicidal while the Demolitionist has no RPG and the Medic no HM-401, and the team falls apart to three Fleshpounds. Dosh per wave shrinks on higher difficulties. Priority one is the Medic, who needs the HM-401 before Scrakes and Fleshpounds appear. After that give to whoever matters most, such as the Demolitionist for the RPG or C4 around wave 7.

Dosh can be dropped to teammates. Spare dosh should go to the perks the team depends on, starting with the Medic.

Off-perk weapons. Only buy one if it heals, deals big damage without slowing the reload, or helps the team directly. A Medic pistol on a Gunslinger or a Boomstick on a Medic are good. A Katana on a Demo is not.

Stealing or selling teammates' weapons. Do not take or sell dropped weapons without permission. Things like the Rail Gun are not map spawns. In a team wipe, ask first.

Returning weapons. A dropped weapon despawns after about 5 minutes. A Tripwire developer explained that despawn is part of the balance, and that picking up and putting down a weapon resets its timer. Hand the weapon back at the trader with Backspace. If you lack carry weight, drop one of your own, pick up theirs, drop it again, only when the coast is clear.

Dead teammates' weapons can be brought back to the trader after the wave.

Welding doors. Mostly pointless in KF2, because it blocks your own escape routes and Zeds teleport anyway. Not worth the small Support XP. The one exception is a quick weld behind you while chased and hurt.

Blaming Medics. The Medic heals, but is not responsible for keeping you alive. If you take on two Scrakes and a raging Fleshpound or leave the team, that is on you. Medics should check whether they were healing enough, and critics should ask nicely.

Names and callouts, blocking players, kickvotes, commands, voice chat. Ask politely rather than insult. Crouch or step aside if you block a teammate's line of sight, especially a Sharpshooter's, and do not stand in doorways. Kickvotes are for trolls and abusers, not for playing a perk you dislike, having top kills, or a friend needing a slot. Use the Z radial commands to ask for help or dosh and answer others' requests. Voice chat is fine for callouts, but not for chatter. Caps Lock is the default key, so be careful with Tab and Left Shift.

Intermediate etiquette

Topics covered include playing with friends in pub games, stealing ammo crates, playing Firebug, Survivalist, Zerker and Demo, attempting to kill Scrakes and Fleshpounds, leading raged Scrakes and Fleshpounds to the team, raging Fleshpounds and the King FP, team separation, combat Medics, the Med pistol and kiting. The common thread is to stay with the team, tell people before engaging a Large Zed, and leave Large Zeds to the perks suited to them.

Advanced etiquette

• High level or prestige players should challenge themselves on higher difficulties and not rely on perk levelling maps.
• Commando Zed Time: use the extensions, and avoid cancelling another Commando's.
• Stand Your Ground objectives: hold an indoor, cramped area with one exit rather than an open one.
• Do not solo the boss on purpose, heal players grabbed by Hans, heal for the Abomination, shoot teammates with darts for buffs, and Medic or Berserker should block hits for others.
• Do not block backpedaling teammates, especially on boss waves, and look behind periodically while kiting.
• Demolitionists and Supports should stand a little away from the trader so teammates can interact with the backpack for free grenades, ammo and armor, since the trader prompt takes priority.

Closing opinions

The author thinks Survivalist is useless, that Medics get too much blame, and that the tips apply on every difficulty. They offer to update the guide with feedback.