KF2 Tips and Tricks: Reload Cancelling, Solo Challenges, Fall Damage

This is a translation and paraphrase of a Russian-language list of tips and tricks from an experienced player. The author warns that not all of them are practical; some just add variety to your style. Related pages: 21 tips for new players and 14 tips to be a better player.

The guide's closing illustration.

1. Fast restart of fire. Hold the fire button while reloading an automatic weapon and it starts shooting immediately, skipping part of the full reload animation. Useful when every second counts. It also works with the M203 launcher, making its shots as fast as possible.
2. Taunt while reloading or healing. You can use the taunt while reloading or injecting a syringe. Purely for style.
3. Stop a reload in zed time. While reloading in zed time, press the bash button to interrupt the reload and immediately send the remaining rounds into enemies. After killing a few mutants at the end of zed time you can reload calmly.
4. Berserker vs Fleshpounds. Against Fleshpounds and the King Fleshpound, hit with alt attack then block immediately. Close-range Fleshpounds try to strike at once, so you parry and gain the Parry skill buff.
5. Cutting legs. If you have trouble killing Rioters or Gorefasts and Gorefiends, hit their legs when you cannot reach the head or you are surrounded. Even a knife does much more damage this way. Works with any class, especially in early waves or when out of ammo.
6. Medic pistol. It is light, has ammo and heals teammates. Take it on high difficulty.
7. Balanced loadout. Whatever the difficulty, carry a light weapon for trash and a bigger one for a Scrake or Fleshpound. The author would not sell the starting weapon for Demolitionist, Firebug, Commando or Support; for Survivalist it depends on what you get.
8. Solo offline mode. If daily and weekly challenges are too hard because of weak teammates or six players spawning too many mutants, play solo offline: choose the mode, map and difficulty and complete the challenge with the weapons you need. You are alone, zed health and damage are minimal, and you can play maps you downloaded from servers. You can also start this mode and exit it just to use a freshly dropped Vault crate.
9. Make money from the inventory. You can improve your inventory without donating: do simple trading and watch prices. Always check the price of purple drops or anything you see for the first time. The author once dropped a golden teddy and sold it on the market for 25 USD.
10. Fit the team. On a server or with friends, adapt your build. If everybody is out of ammo, be the Support; if people die in packs, be a Medic; if you need a tank to hold crowds, take the Katana or the flamethrower.
11. Fall damage on a teammate's head. Falling onto another player's head cancels damage no matter how far you fell.
12. Head stomp. Jumping on any mutant's head, a Clot or a Fleshpound, stuns it with certainty and deals a little damage. If Fleshpounds or mini-Fleshpounds have you pinned, hit them while jumping on the spot; with luck their strike throws you up to head level and you stomp their head. As a Commando you can climb higher on a random map and finish a mutant with 10% health by landing on it.
13. Animation cancelling. The reload tricks work on almost any item in your hand. A syringe that has already made its sound and tinted the screen blue can be put away with the bash button or by switching weapons. Do not wait for the full animation when mutants are on your tail (credit to Grey Fox).
14. Stun with alt attack. Almost any monster is stunned for a second if you hit it with the butt before it attacks (credit to Grey Fox).
15. D.A.R. robots. Fire works best against D.A.R. robots: for some reason their armor heats up quickly and they explode.

The author promised to add more and to publish a list of weapon and gameplay change ideas that they once sent to Tripwire.