*NOTE* As with my other guides, this is aimed at intermidiate level players preparing themselves for the higher difficulties. Make sure you have at least a basic understand of the game and the game mechanics. All videos in the guide are done on 6 player Hell on Earth difficulty unless otherwise noted.

The Sharpshooter (often shortened to just Sharp) is the marksman of the team and one of the heavy hitter perks. Your role as a Sharpshooter is elminating high priority targets such as Scrakes and Husks before they can deal any serious damage to your team mates. To help you with this, the Sharpshooter gets huge bonuses to headshot damage and greatly improved reload speed on all the perks weapons allowing you to make very short work of even the toughest enemies.

*NOTE #1* The Lever Action Rifle and Compound Crossbow have fixed prices of £200 and £800 respectively which are not affected by the Sharpshooter price discounts.

*NOTE #2* On Hell on Earth difficulty, the 9mm Tactical's headshot damage bonus from the Sharpshooter perk is reduced from 140% to 40%.

Level 0

10% more headshot damage with all Sharpshooter weapons
5% more headshot damage with all weapons
10% discount on Sharpshooter weapons

Level 1

20% more headshot damage with all Sharpshooter weapons
25% less recoil with all Sharpshooter weapons
10% faster reload with all Sharpshooter weapons
10% more headshot damage with all weapons
20% discount on Sharpshooter weapons

Level 2

38% more headshot damage with all Sharpshooter weapons
50% less recoil with all Sharpshooter weapons
20% faster reload with all Sharpshooter weapons
20% more headshot damage with all weapons
30% discount on Sharpshooter weapons

Level 3

56% more headshot damage with all Sharpshooter weapons
75% less recoil with all Sharpshooter weapons
30% faster reload with all Sharpshooter weapons
30% more headshot damage with all weapons
40% discount on Sharpshooter weapons

Level 4

82% more headshot damage with all Sharpshooter weapons
75% less recoil with all Sharpshooter weapons
40% faster reload with all Sharpshooter weapons
40% more headshot damage with all weapons
50% discount on Sharpshooter weapons

Level 5

125% more headshot damage with all Sharpshooter weapons
75% less recoil with all Sharpshooter weapons
50% faster reload with all Sharpshooter weapons
50% more headshot damage with all weapons
60% discount on Sharpshooter weapons
Spawn with a Lever Action Rifle

Level 6

140% more headshot damage with all Sharpshooter weapons
75% less recoil with all Sharpshooter weapons
60% faster reload with all Sharpshooter weapons
50% more headshot damage with all weapons
70% discount on Sharpshooter weapons
Spawn with a Compound Crossbow

*NOTE* All pistols can be dual wielded








Single 9mm Base Cost: N/A. All players spawn with the 9mm Tactical and it cannot be sold.

Dual 9mm Base Cost: £150

Base Damage: 35

Single 9mm Weight: 0kg

Dual 9mm Weight: 4kg

Total Ammo Capacity: 240

The basic pistol that everyone starts with regardless of perk choice. The 9mm may not seem all that deadly when you compare it to the other pistols, but a level 6 Sharpshooter with good aim can actually tear through weak ZEDs very quickly with it. It also has a very large ammo reserve and almost no noticeable recoil so staying on target on follow up shots is very easy.

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.44 Magnum





Single .44 Magnum Base Cost: £450

Dual .44 Magnm Base Cost: £900

Base Damage: 105

Single .44 Magnum Weight: 2kg

Dual .44 Magnum Weight: 4kg

Total Ammo Capacity: 128

I know what you're thinking. Am I gonna make a really stupid Dirty Harry joke here? Oh wait, I just did >_>

Added in the 2011 Christmas update, the .44 Magum has been in a kind of odd place since the addition of the MK23. Originally, the biggest advantages it offered over the Handcannon were it only weighed half as much and had a larger ammo reserve but now those advantages are shared with the MK23 which also beats the .44 Magnum is several other areas. The biggest advantage it offers now is that it can empty its magazine out a lot faster than any other pistol. Hopefully Tripwire does some rebalancing to the pistols and gives the .44 Magnum some more distinct advantages again because I do think it is a lot of fun to use.

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MK23





Single MK23 Base Cost: £500

Dual MK23 Base Cost: £1000

Base Damage: 82

Single MK23 Weight: 2kg

Dual MK23 Weight: 4kg

Total Ammo Capacity: 144

Originally part of the IJC weapon pack, the MK23 was offically added to Killing Floor and it quickly became a favorite weapon for many Sharpshooter players. Able to kill any lower tier ZEDs with a single headshot and offering a large magazine size and very large ammo reserve. The MK23 is so good it practiacally outshines all the other pistols in every area. In fact, some might consider it a little too good.

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Handcannon





Single Handcannon Base Cost: £500

Dual Handcannon Base Cost: £1000

Base Damage: 115

Single Handcannon Weight: 2kg

Dual Handcannon Weight: 4kg

Total Ammo Capacity: 96

Based off of the .50AE model of the Desert Eagle, the Handcannon has the highest base damage of all the pistols but that's really its only claim to fame anymore. I'd say probably the only reason older players will take it over the MK23 anymore is for nostalgia or personal preference.

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Lever Action Rifle






Base Cost: £200

Base Damage: 140

Weight: 6kg

Total Ammo Capacity: 80

Better know as the LAR. When it comes to value for money, many would point to this weapon as probably the best and most well rounded in the game. Cheap to buy, cheap to maintain and packing a suprisingly large amount of firepower, the LAR is a truly devastating weapon in the right hands, especially when paired with the M14.

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Single Piston Longmusket (DLC only weapon)







Base Cost: £1500

Base Damage: 180

Weight: 6kg

Total Ammo Capacity: 80

The latest addition to the Sharpshooter's arsenal, the S.P. Musket can be seen as an updraged LAR as it boasts slightly higher damage but is almost identical in nearly every other aspect. As such it serves a similar purpose in your loadout. Mainly for stunning Scrakes and picking off Sirens and Husks. Note that you cannot use the S.P. Musket unless you purchase the Community Weapons Pack 2 or ask a player who owns the pack to purchase the weapon for you.

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M14 EBR






Base Cost: £2500

Base Damage: 80

Weight: 8kg

Total Ammo Capacity: 160

Many would probably consider this the Sharpshooter's most versatile weapon. With consistent headshotting, the M14 can can handle Clots, Fleshpounds and anything else in between. The M14 will take some practice to get good with since it relies heavily on headshots to deal maximum damage. But if you can master it, there won't be much than can stand in your way. The M14 also features a laser sight than you can toggle on and off by pressing your alt-fire button (default is middle mouse).

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Compound Crossbow








Base Cost: £800

Base Damage: 300

Weight: 9kg

Total Ammo Capacity: 36

A long time favorite for many Sharpshooters, the Crossbow puts a lot of power in your hands as well as infinite penetration of targets and retrievable ammo if you can get to it in time. The long range scope also makes dealing with Scrakes and Husks very easy but the small ammo reserve means you can't waste too many shots with it so dont waste your bolts on trash ZEDs (you can carry a pistol to take care of them).

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M99 AMR






Base Cost: £3500

Base Damage: 675

Weight: 13kg

Total Ammo Capacity: 25

If raw firepower is what you're after, then look no further than the M99. Per shot, the M99 is the most powerful weapon in the Sharpshooter arsenal. But a lot of firepower also comes with a lot of drawbacks. The M99's weight of 13kg means you can only carry a Machete or Pipe Bombs with it, reducing your ability to fight off trash ZEDs and making you more dependent on your team mates. Ammo for the M99 is very expensive as well at £250 per bullet so you can't afford to waste shots. Basically if you decide to go with the M99, you make yourself an almost completely dedicated Scrake killer.

The strategies you use as a Sharpshooter will depend on whether you choose to take the Crossbow, M99 or M14 in your loadout. You can only take one of the three along with 1 or 2 other weapons of your choice. So...

If you choose the M99

This is the least versatile option. The M99 restricts you to only one other perked weapon; your 9mm pistol. Not to say the 9mm is useless. Far from it really. With level 6 Sharpshooter bonuses, you can actually kill trash ZEDs quite effectively with the 9mm but Sirens and Husks will prove problematic. Since the M99 has a very low ammo reserve and the bullets are so expensive, you really can't afford to shoot any Sirens or Husks with it unless your team is willing to feed you a lot of spare money. Even then though, it would still be too wasteful. So you pretty much have to rely on your team mates to handle the Sirens and Husks. The only thing you'll really use the M99 for is to kill any Scrakes that appear and help out with a Fleshpound if need be. Otherwise, there's really not much more to M99 Sharpshooter.

If you choose the Crossbow

Since it has more ammo for a much lower price and it allows you to carry more powerful pistols along side it, the Crossbow is a much more versatile weapon. As a Crossbow Sharpshooter, there are 4 main targets you should focus on:

Husks: If all targets are far away from you, the Husk is the first one you should focus on killing. Just one headshot from your Crossbow, 2 headshots from the Handcannon/44 Magnun or 3 Headshots from the MK23 will kill them. Even if you miss the headshot with the Crossbow, a bodyshot will stun him.

Sirens: The Siren should be prioritized based on her proximity to you. With some experience, you can tell when she's almost in range to use her scream attack and you want to try and make sure she's dead before then. Although the Crossbow can kill her with one headshot, I wouldn't advise always using it to kill her. Since Sirens are usually very plentiful in the later waves, you can quickly run out of Crossbow bolts if you use it to kill them every time, leaving your team very vulnerable to Scrakes. So instead, try to kill her with your pistols. Just two Handcannon/44 Magnum headshots or 3 MK23 headshots is enough.

Bloats: Bloats should be prioritized by the Sharpshooter since they often act as meatshields for other ZEDs. Most of the other perks can only decap a Bloat with a headshot but this will still leave the Bloat alive and in fact, acting as an even better meatshield since you either have to wait for his body to bleed out or put a lot of bullets into it to pop it. But as a Sharpshooter, one headshot from your MK23, 44 Magnum or Handcannon will instantly pop the Bloat, removing it as a meatshield and giving your team mates a clear shot at the ZEDs hiding behind it.

Scrakes: Scrakes are actually kind of low on the priority list since they have to get right up close to you in order to attack and as a Crossbow Sharpshooter, you can stun them with a headshot. So as long as there is still an appreciable amount of distance between the Scrake and your team, try and eliminate any Husks or Sirens that are getting close first, then focus on killing the Scrake.

When none of these targets are present, just use your pistols to pitch in with trash killing.

If you choose the M14

The most versatile option but also the hardest to master. The M14 can be paired with LAR if you prefer the safer method of stunning Scrakes to kill them. It also works wonders against Husks and Sirens but it means you give up the penetration abilitiy of pistols. But if you prefer penetration to make dealing with groups of trash ZEDs easier, then you can take a pair of pistols instead. However you are now restricted to the much riskier method of flinch locking Scrakes to kill them. So it's all down to risk vs reward when choosing what your secondary weapons will be with the M14 and it will really depend on which play style you prefer.

An M14 Sharpshooter will usually be closer to the front line with Commandos and Supports. This is because the M14 and LAR both lack penetration abilities and any sort of long range sights so hitting targets from a distance will be more difficult. You'll also be pitching in a lot more with trash killing since the M14 has a much larger ammo reserve. Remember though that the M14 is most effective with headshots thanks to its huge headshot damage muliplier.

As with Crossbow Sharpshooter, the 4 main targets you should focus on are Husks, Sirens, Bloats and Scrakes and you should prioritize them in a similar manner.

What about Fleshpounds?

You're definitely capable of killing a Fleshpound as a Sharpshooter but if there is a Demolitions player on the team, then they should be the one handling the Fleshpounds. The Demo will have a much easier time killing the Fleshpound since it is weak against their explosive weapons so it's less risky to let them handle it. Though this shouldn't stop you from helping out. A common tactic is for the Demo player to first rage the Fleshpound and then have the Sharpshooter put a Crossbow bolt or LAR shot into its head. This will help ensure that the ensuing grenade barrage from the Demo will finish the Fleshpound off.

The only times you should try to kill a Fleshpound are if you have no other choice but to fight it off yourself or you're the only player on the team who can safely kill the Fleshpound. This will be covered later in the guide.

The next two sections will discuss strategies for Scrakes and Fleshpounds but before we get into that, you should thoroughly understand the rage mechanics and resistances for both. This is covered in detail in this guide:

http://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=115098371

As a Sharpshooter, Scrake killing is your specialty and so they will be your main responsibility. There are a few different ways the Sharpshooter can kill Scrakes, some more risky than others. But it's important that you try to learn all of them since you never know what situations you might find yourself facing and you want to be as versatile as possible.

With high level Sharpshooter bonuses, almost all of the weapons in your aresenal will be able to take down a Scrake. But there will be different methods involved.

Stunning

This is the safest method for killing Scrakes and the one I would recommend you use in public games. When stunned, the Scrake will be imobilized for several seconds, unable to move or attack giving you a great opportunity to get in the damage needed to bring him down. There is also no limit to how many times a Scrake can be stunned. But be careful because if a Scrake is hit by a grenade or other type of explosive weapon while stunned, it can sometimes bring him out of the stun and if he has taken sufficient damage, send him raging right into your team.

By far the easiest way to kill a Scrake is with the M99. One shot will blow his head clean off (and even if you miss, a bodyshot will still stun him). But if the cost of the M99 is too much of a burden for you and your team, the Crossbow will also take them down fairly easily since a headshot will stun them and it only takes 2 headshots to kill:


The Crossbow and M99 can both penetrate through multiple targets as well (targets that are hit after the penetration will take reduced damage). This will allow to you engage multiple Scrakes if you line the shots up correctly:


At level 6, you can also stun Scrakes with LAR headshots and it will take 5 headshots to kill. Alternatively, you can switch over to the M14 after a couple of LAR shots for a slightly faster kill:


And at level 5, you will be able to stun Scrakes with S.P. Musket headshots and it will take 4 headshots to kill. As with the LAR, you can also switch over to the M14 after a couple of shots to speed things up a bit:


Mini Flinching

*NOTE* Because of how risky the following methods are and how easily they can be screwed up, I wouldn't really recommend using them as your primary methods of Scrake killing in a public game with players you don't know. Only use them as your primary methods if you're holding your own side or you're playing with people you've played with before and trust.

This is the more dangerous method for Scrake killing since you will have to go toe to toe with the Scrake. But it's a method you should learn in case you don't have a weapon capable of stunning the Scrake. First, let's define what a flinch is. A flinch is very different from a stun. While a stun leaves the Scrake immobilized for several seconds, a flinch is simply a momentary interruption of the Scrake's attack and he usually recovers from it in about a second. It's important to note that on Suicidal and Hell on Earth, Scrakes can only be flinched once. Afterwards they will no longer be succeptible to flinches.

On the other hand, some of the Sharpshooter weapons are capable of causing a mini flinch. This is the exact same thing as a flinch except it lasts only about half as long as a regular flinch. But the most important difference between flinches and mini flinches is that on Suicidal and Hell on Earth, there is no limit to how many times a Scrake can be mini flinched. So as long as you keep mini flinching a Scrake fast enough, he'll be unable to fight back against you. This is known as a flinch lock.

The only Sharpshooter weapons that can get a Scrake stuck in a flinch lock are the M14, .44 Magnum, MK23 and Handcannon. Timing is everything with this and it will take some practice to perfect:


Be warned though that there are a few ways the mini flinch on a Scrake can be "broken". If a Bloat pukes on a Scrake or it is hit by grenades or other explosive attacks, then the Scrake might not mini flinch even if you time your step in correctly and land the headshots. Other players hitting the Scrake with powerful attacks can also break the mini flinch sometimes.

Though if you don't like the idea of getting up close and personal with the Scrake, then with enough distance and good aim, you can land all 7 headshots needed to kill a Scrake with the M14 before he ever reaches you:


This method comes with its own problem though. Sometimes you might get players who see the raging Scrake running at you, panic and start shooting at it. This can cause the Scrake to change targets and attack them instead before you can kill it.

As discussed previously, Fleshpounds are absolutely within your ability to kill as a Sharphooter but as a rule of thumb, you should leave them for the Demolitions player to take care of. It is usually more risky for the Sharpshooter to try and kill the Fleshpound just because of how easily you can screw up. All it takes is for one of the ZEDs to attack you and mess up your aim while you're fighting the Fleshpound and you can quickly find yourself being ground into hamburger meat by the Fleshpound's blender hands.

But when the situations arise where you have to fight a Fleshpound, there are several different options for killing it.

Once again the M99 provides the easiest option. Just two shots to the head will be enough to kill a Fleshpound:


Of course, £500 to kill one Fleshpound can be a tough trade to swallow, especially considering the Fleshpound's bounty on Hell on Earth is only £130. So if money is too much of a problem, then the Crossbow is the next easiest option, requiring 4 headshots to kill a Fleshpound:


Now onto the more risky methods. Using the M14 to kill a Fleshpound can be very dangerous since it takes 10 headshots and if you want to do it quickly, requires you to get very close to the Fleshpound leaving little room for error. But it is probably the most efficient and cost effective way to kill them as a Sharpshooter, which is why many players prefer this method:


The LAR is also capable of killing a Fleshpound with 7 headshots but this is far more difficult and dangerous than using the M14 because of the slower rate of fire. I would only recommend doing this is if A) it's the only option available to you or B) you're really confident in your aim:


And finally, you can use the S.P. Musket to kill a Fleshpound with 5 headshots. This is definitely easier than the LAR kill, but it will still take some practice to perfect:

M14 Sharpshooter:


Crossbow Sharpshooter:


M99 Sharpshooter: