KF2 Map Defense Positions: Best Spots on Every Map

A varied map pool makes the game bigger, but it also means memorising defensive positions on every map. This Russian community guide (written for high difficulties such as Hell on Earth) shows the most successful positions with screenshots and says which classes suit them. Alternative positions numbered 2, 3 and so on are harder to execute. The map list runs up to Ashwood Asylum. For a broader look at roles see team composition and roles.

Notes from the authors

• A position does not guarantee that all six players gather there and survive without losses.
• The goal is to give players on Suicidal and Hell on Earth an alternative way to reach the boss.
• Positions numbered 2, 3 and higher are alternatives and are harder to pull off.
• The guide does not discuss public matches or random players.
• If you cannot hold a position, do not die on it with the whole team: retreat and regroup if you can.
• Holdout positions are complex and need coordinated teamwork.
• Endless positions are only for standard or light waves (Clots, Crawlers, Stalkers). Standing on a position during Scrake, Fleshpound or Husk waves is suicide.
• Class picks are the authors' vision; skill and preference matter most. If there is no good Berserker, a Firebug or Support can substitute in many cases, but without a decent Medic you are in trouble.

Map types

• Standard: a normal map, fully available at once.
• Holdout: after each wave players move to another location; Endless cannot be enabled on these maps.
• Endless: a map only for Endless mode.
• Objectives: seasonal event maps, plus some maps added after the Back and Kicking Brass event, with extra tasks.

Burning Paris

Burning Paris

Modes: Standard, Endless. Seine embankment with a cinema, several cafes, a riverside street and even a metro station.

Position 1: The standard and most universal spot. All traders are roughly equidistant except the subway one, so navigation and buying trips are quick. Zeds come from two sides and occasionally drop through a vent; in an emergency you can bail out through the broken windows.

Burning Paris, position 1

Position 2: The bar counter works only for skilled players who can quickly kill Husks, Sirens and Bloats. A variant for those who want something new.

Burning Paris, position 2

Biotics Lab

Biotics Lab

Modes: Standard, Endless. A secret underground Horzine lab: several high-tech halls connected by narrow corridors.

Position 1: The only reasonably good place. A Demolitionist on the operating-room dome and a Medic on the railing can cover both flanks, so they should stand so they do not block each other.

Biotics Lab, position 1

Outpost

Outpost

Modes: Standard, Endless, Objectives. A Horzine base beyond the Arctic Circle. Players can use the yard, the side path and some interior rooms.

Position 1: The classic spot where players stood back in the beta. The one nuisance is that zeds sometimes climb in from the mountains (up to Husks and E.D.A.R.), so the team has to stay attentive.

Outpost, position 1

Position 2: For those who do not want to stand outside and keep watching the mountains. With competent, coordinated play nobody can smoke you out.

Outpost, position 2

Position 3: An alternative to position 2.

Outpost, position 3

Volter Manor

Volter Manor

Modes: Standard, Endless. Hans Volter's family estate and one of his labs: the manor, garden, wine cellar and the upper floor of his secret room.

Position 1: The classic spot. Zeds come from two sides and occasionally through a floor hatch. The open layout lets you see them all, but if Zed Time coincides with a lightning flash you will briefly see nothing. An emergency exit exists.

Volter Manor, position 1

Position 2: Nearly identical to position 1, but in a poorly lit part of the manor, so zeds that dropped from the ceiling may go unnoticed in the dark.

Volter Manor, position 2

Catacombs

Catacombs

Modes: Standard, Endless. Catacombs under Rome: a sinister setting with no room to manoeuvre and crowds of zeds.

Position 1: The only comfortable defensive spot; two narrow passages are paradise for Berserkers and Firebugs. Be careful: a badly thrown grenade can break a lamp and plunge the area into darkness. There is nowhere to retreat if the line breaks, but that is true of the whole map.

Catacombs, position 1

Evacuation Point

Evacuation Point

Modes: Standard, Endless. A port in Helsingor, Denmark: the terminal, a ferry and a nearby building.

Position 1: The standard and probably best spot, equally good for all classes. It is equidistant from all traders, so buying trips are short.

Evacuation Point, position 1

Position 2: An alternative that is also comfortable for the final fight against bosses (except Abomination and King Fleshpound).

Evacuation Point, position 2

Position 3: A spot that levels a Berserker well but needs a good Medic and coordinated play. There are two similar spots on the map; pick the one you prefer.

Evacuation Point, position 3

Farmhouse

Farmhouse

Modes: Standard, Endless. A lost farm with a huge house and a decent barn; the map has the fewest traders, just two.

Position 1: A standard place that is good both for defence and for killing zeds outside. Trouble comes only from E.D.A.R. spawning on the roof and Husks firing from the street towards the broken railing.

Farmhouse, position 1

Position 2: Defending in the barn also works, but zeds often fall from above (including elite Crawlers), which distracts from the main group.

Farmhouse, position 2

Black Forest

Black Forest

Modes: Standard, Endless. A stretch of forest where a Horzine zed transport crashed; hilly terrain that is hard to learn.

Position 1: A narrow pass where their numbers do not matter. Watch the right side: Husks can and will shoot from there.

Black Forest, position 1

Position 2: This hill gives a view over half the map, which suits Sharpshooters and snipers. The pass is wide, so zeds can slip through and ignore the Berserker.

Black Forest, position 2

Prison

Prison

Modes: Standard, Endless. Welcome to Mother Russia; do not drop the soap.

Position 1: The classic spot for levelling perks legitimately: a single passage and a convenient tower for shooter classes. It needs an experienced Berserker and Medic. Beware Husks that shoot across the map and knock down players on the tower, or sneak close to a Berserker among regular zeds to burn or suicide on him, and E.D.A.R. whose rockets or lasers can kill a Berserker in seconds.

Prison, position 1

Position 2: A non-standard option for an inexperienced Berserker: less load on him, more on everyone else.

Prison, position 2

Containment Station

Containment Station

Modes: Standard, Endless. A Horzine research space station that has been infected and must be retaken before it falls to Earth.

Position 1: Easy to defend with a good Medic and comfortable for every shooter class, including Sharpshooter. Also a good place for the final against bosses (except Abomination).

Containment Station, position 1

Position 2: Another position that needs somewhat better teamwork.

Containment Station, position 2

Hostile Grounds

Hostile Grounds

Modes: Standard, Endless. London remains a battlefield between survivors and zeds, above and below ground.

Position 1: The usual place where most games are played.

Hostile Grounds, position 1

Position 2: An alternative for a coordinated team.

Hostile Grounds, position 2

Infernal Realm

Infernal Realm

Modes: Standard, Endless. Go to hell, literally. The trader is a totem of bones, which cannot be a good sign.

Position 1: The main spot, good for any class. Its one drawback is that many traders are far away, so one zed has to be left alive until everyone gets back from shopping.

Infernal Realm, position 1

Position 2: An alternative.

Infernal Realm, position 2

ZED Landing

ZED Landing

Modes: Standard, Endless, Objectives. A crashed Horzine cargo plane has dumped zeds onto a tropical island while a volcano erupts.

Position 1: The main spot where you cannot be caught off guard. The open stretch of beach levels a Sharpshooter on one side and a Berserker on the other.

ZED Landing, position 1

Nuked

Nuked

Modes: Standard, Endless. War never changes.

Position 1: The main spot, with good flexibility in perk usage.

Nuked, position 1

Position 2: After some discussion this position was declared good.

Nuked, position 2

The Descent

The Descent

Modes: Standard, Endless, Holdout. Safer rooms used by Hans for his experiments that must be cleared to stop his work. Ten positions, one per room.

Position 1

The Descent, position 1

Position 2

The Descent, position 2

Position 3

The Descent, position 3

Position 4

The Descent, position 4

Position 5

The Descent, position 5

Position 6

The Descent, position 6

Position 7

The Descent, position 7

Position 8

The Descent, position 8

Position 9

The Descent, position 9

Position 10

The Descent, position 10

The Tragic Kingdom

The Tragic Kingdom

Modes: Standard, Endless. A horror amusement park with the Blade Queen and the racing terror of Pound Mountain.

Position 1: The position on the roller coaster is great for levelling many perks: besides the standard Berserker, Firebug, Support and even Sharpshooter find a use here. Be careful on tanky perks not to fall down from the coaster, or you will die surrounded and expose your team.

The Tragic Kingdom, position 1

Nightmare

Nightmare

Modes: Standard, Endless, Holdout. The nightmares of the psychopathic clown Buzo. Six positions across the map, plus an alternative on the last map before the boss.

Position 1

Nightmare, position 1

Position 2

Nightmare, position 2

Position 3

Nightmare, position 3

Position 4

Nightmare, position 4

Position 5

Nightmare, position 5

Position 6

Nightmare, position 6

Alternative before the boss

Nightmare, alternative before the boss

Krampus' Lair

Krampus' Lair

Modes: Standard, Endless, Holdout. You must fight through Krampus' lair to the portal leading to the throne room where he keeps the naughty list. Positions are given per stage.

Stage 1

Krampus' Lair, stage 1

Stage 2

Krampus' Lair, stage 2

Stage 3

Krampus' Lair, stage 3

Stage 3, alternative

Krampus' Lair, stage 3, alternative

Stage 4

Krampus' Lair, stage 4

Stage 4, alternative

Krampus' Lair, stage 4, alternative

Powercore

Powercore

Modes: Standard, Endless, Holdout. An abandoned Horzine production facility. If even Horzine left it, is that a good sign? Ten positions.

Position 1

Powercore, position 1

Position 2

Powercore, position 2

Position 3

Powercore, position 3

Position 4

Powercore, position 4

Position 5

Powercore, position 5

Position 6

Powercore, position 6

Position 7

Powercore, position 7

Position 8

Powercore, position 8

Position 9

Powercore, position 9

Position 10

Powercore, position 10

DieSector

DieSector

Modes: Endless. A Horzine test zone seized by the Patriarch, who added traps from flamethrowers to electric walls. Endless mode only.

Position 1: Available from the start of the game.

DieSector, position 1

Position 2: Available after wave 5 (after the first boss).

DieSector, position 2

Position 3: Available after wave 8.

DieSector, position 3

Lockdown

Lockdown

Modes: Standard, Endless. You wake from cryosleep on a ship orbiting a red giant. Zeds have wrecked every compartment.

Position 1: Narrow doorways and two entrances make this easy to defend and let Demolitionists and Firebugs rack up hundreds of thousands of damage. The danger is small zeds that crawl out of the ceiling and floor vents.

Lockdown, position 1

Airship

Airship

Modes: Standard, Endless, Objectives. Lockhart is back and his problems never end: the sky is the most dangerous place.

Position 1: A good defence: a Berserker above holds the small passage while the deck below gives a great line of fire for Sharpshooter and Commando.

Airship, position 1

Monster Masquerade

Monster Masquerade

Modes: Standard, Endless. The hottest underground party where nobody has survived yet.

Position 1: A narrow passage makes this a good defence with a Berserker.

Monster Masquerade, position 1

Position 2: The standard position not far from the start of the map.

Monster Masquerade, position 2

Position 3: One of the options inside the castle.

Monster Masquerade, position 3

Position 4: Another option for defending on the dance floor.

Monster Masquerade, position 4

Position 5: A decent defensive spot for the final waves.

Monster Masquerade, position 5

Shopping Spree

Shopping Spree

Modes: Standard, Endless. Something bad is hiding in these shopping halls: customers just like you.

Position 1: The standard position in the bar.

Shopping Spree, position 1

Position 2: The standard position in the cafe.

Shopping Spree, position 2

Position 3: A more compact variant in a shop on the second floor.

Shopping Spree, position 3

Position 4: Wild stuff: defending in the elevator shaft.

Shopping Spree, position 4

Santa's Workshop

Santa's Workshop

Modes: Standard, Endless, Objectives. Break into the workshop, fetch the sleigh, and build a special present for Krampus. In Endless there are no objectives and the whole map is open, so positions matter. During the boss wave everyone is teleported to the final location wherever they were.

Position 1

Santa's Workshop, position 1

Position 2

Santa's Workshop, position 2

Position 3

Santa's Workshop, position 3

Position 4

Santa's Workshop, position 4

Position 5

Santa's Workshop, position 5

Position 6

Santa's Workshop, position 6

Spillway

Spillway

Modes: Standard, Endless. Water flows around you, nearly drowning out the groans of failing machinery, in front of a giant concrete structure built to harness a once-mighty river.

Position 1

Spillway, position 1

Position 2

Spillway, position 2

Position 3

Spillway, position 3

Position 4

Spillway, position 4

Steam Fortress

Steam Fortress

Modes: Standard, Endless, Objectives. Lockhart reaches his fortress lair, Eden, on Cape Corvo, but the stowaways are not gone yet.

Position 1

Steam Fortress, position 1

Position 2

Steam Fortress, position 2

Position 3

Steam Fortress, position 3

Position 4

Steam Fortress, position 4

Position 5

Steam Fortress, position 5

Ashwood Asylum

Ashwood Asylum

Modes: Standard, Endless. A paranormal investigation team in an abandoned asylum where terrible experiments once took place.

Position 1

Ashwood Asylum, position 1

Position 2

Ashwood Asylum, position 2

Position 3

Ashwood Asylum, position 3

Position 4

Ashwood Asylum, position 4

Position 5

Ashwood Asylum, position 5

From the authors

Several hundred hours on Suicidal and Hell on Earth went into checking and photographing these positions. Source: a Russian-language Steam community guide.