KF2 Reload Canceling: Bash or Swap to Skip the Animation

Reload canceling means cutting off the rest of a weapon's reload animation so you can shoot again sooner. It is a simple trick that gets you back into the fight quickly. A longer technical breakdown is in reload cancel after the iron sight patch and ADS reload cancel.

How a reload works

Every firearm in Killing Floor 2 follows the same order:

1. A flashy animation takes out or throws away the old magazine.
2. The character slaps the new magazine in. Reload-speed perks and skills shorten this.
3. As soon as the magazine is in, the game refills your ammo immediately. A few weapons have timing issues between placing the magazine and refilling the ammo.

How to cancel

1. Start a reload.
2. Wait until the character slaps the magazine into place (step 2 above).
3. Bash right then. The bash replaces the rest of the reload animation and saves about two seconds, depending on the weapon.
4. Not everyone gets the timing perfectly at first, so practice it.

An alternative is to swap to another weapon and back to the current one as soon as the ammo has refilled.

Cancel the bash too

You can also cancel the bash itself by firing. So bash to cancel the reload, then shoot to cancel the bash, and you are straight back to shooting.

Summary

• Reload, wait for the magazine to seat, bash, then shoot.
• Weapon swapping works as an alternative cancel.
• Timing depends on the weapon, so try each one in a solo match first.