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Killing Floor 2 > Guides > John Showdown's Guides
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Advanced Tips for both Starters and Veterans
By John Showdown
This guide will expand over the course of time as I gather more information or come up with more tips.

This guide will teach your various random tips that can help you survive longer in Killing Floor 2

I'll be crediting community tips anytime I'll add them. If you don't want to be listed in this guide, please notify by commenting on my profile or here.

   
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Created by
John Showdown
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Category: Characters, Classes, Co-op, Crafting, Game Modes, Gameplay Basics, Loot, Maps or Levels, Modding or Configuration, Multiplayer, Secrets, Walkthroughs, Weapons
Languages: English
Posted
Updated
15 Sep, 2018 @ 10:54am
25 Sep, 2018 @ 11:52pm
3,722 Unique Visitors
52 Current Favorites
Guide Index
Overview
#1 Boomstick cancels attacks 
#2 Boomstick "boosted jump" 
#3 Bashing cancels actions and pushes Zeds away 
#4 Heal your teammates with syringes 
#5 Stay away from Armor in early game on easier difficulties 
#6 Shop and Perk skills priority 
#7 Switch to Single Fire to conserve ammo 
#8 Killing Large Zeds with SWAT is EASY 
#9 Ammo/Grenade Carriers, don't hug the trader 
#10 Learn the maps and run backwards 
#11 Sharing Dosh on boss waves 
#12 Switch on your flashlight if affected by the Bloat bile 
#13 Team trash? Buy the Medic Pistol 
#14 Prioritize Sirens 
#15 Searching for loot 
#16 Grenade pistol 
#17 Start with free Full Armor 
#18 Don't weld doors 
#19 Juke out Large Zeds 
#20 Remembering Ammo/Zed spawn points 
#21 Abuse Melee/Bashing mechanic early game 
Comments
#1 Boomstick cancels attacks
Boomstick is a very cheap and relatively light-weight weapon. So carrying it with any perk is not a huge deal. Boomstick is a great utility weapon, which can do more things than just dealing some big amounts of damage.

If you hit middle mouse button (your special fire mode button) you can fire both barrels at the same time, which staggers Zeds and their attacks.

Not sure if it can cancel EVERYTHING, but what's good to know, that it can, for example, cancel Hans' melee attacks. Those can prove fatal if Hans is at his final phase by then. Just fire both barrels when he's close to you and just about to attack and you'll stagger him and give yourself some breathing room.

#2 Boomstick "boosted jump"
Apart from cancelling attacks, you can also "boost jump" using the Boomstick.

If you aim directly below yourself at the ground and fire both barrels and jump at the same time you can jump higher than normal.
This can save you from various sticky situations, such as being stuck in a group of crawlers.

#3 Bashing cancels actions and pushes Zeds away
A weapon bash (V by default) is way more useful than some may think. Yes, it does pitiful damage, but it pushes Zeds away, which is very useful in tight corridors, since you're giving yourself some breathing room and also preventing Zed's grabs.

Apart from everything above, it also cancels Zed's special attacks. Such as Siren's screams, Bloat's puking or Fleshpound's pounding.

#4 Heal your teammates with syringes
What I mean by this, is if you and your teammate both have low health, it's more efficient to heal each other than yourselves. The syringe's cooldown recharges faster if you heal a teammate.

#5 Stay away from Armor in early game on easier difficulties
If you're playing on Normal, Hard or even Suicidal (for seasoned players) and kinda know your way by now, it's way better to just stay away from armor 'til like the middle of the game.
You'll realize just how much you can save by not buying any armor. Unless you're a player who dies repeatedly every wave it's just not worth buying.

#6 Shop and Perk skills priority
For beginning players: Do whatever suits you, buy armor every round, go for health skills or whatever.

For advanced players: If you're someone who knows how to play, you should know this, always prioritize AMMO over anything else.

The priority goes like this: Ammo -> Weapons -> Grenades -> Armor -> Health

For seasoned players I always recommend going for ammo and magazine based skills rather than health and defense. Since those are nearly useless on Hell on Earth.

Always only buy new guns if you know that you can refill enough ammo for it. Even if the gun is stronger, it is useless if you can't fire it the whole round. Rather keep the weaker but refilled weapon.

#7 Switch to Single Fire to conserve ammo
Some guns have multiple fire modes, some have auto, bursts or single fire modes.

If you want to conserve ammo and be accurate, always switch to single fire. Yes tapping the mouse like a madman might need some getting used to but it will be worthwhile.

Switch to auto or burst for larger zeds, you need to eliminate those ASAP.

#8 Killing Large Zeds with SWAT is EASY
Seriously, just get close to them, throw a flashbang in their face and spray their head. On Solo or easier difficulties, just one full clip is usually enough.

#9 Ammo/Grenade Carriers, don't hug the trader
If you're playing one of those perks who carry around a backpack full of ammo or grenades or whatever. DON'T stay near the trader, players then can't use your backpack in the trading time, since the game prioritizes trader interaction over your backpack. They will get prompted to access the trader and not your backpack if you will stay too close to the trader.

#10 Learn the maps and run backwards
One of the best skills to acquire in Killing Floor 2, is learning the maps. If you know the map you're playing, you also know how the routes look like and where are the objects that can block you. You can use this to your advantage greatly.

Always try to run backwards and let Zeds chase you while you're shooting them. Doing this you can easily keep your distance while getting rid of melee based enemies. Of course you can't just do this the whole round every round. Adapt to the situation and always think of this strategy when you think you can apply it.

#11 Sharing Dosh on boss waves
If you're at the end of the match, during the final boss trading phase, give away all your spare dosh to your teammates. You never know when they might need just those 100 to get full ammo and armor.

#12 Switch on your flashlight if affected by the Bloat bile
You will be surprised just how much better you can see if you do that.

#13 Team trash? Buy the Medic Pistol
Need to carry a bad team? Use some dosh and room to buy a Medic pistol. Unless you're not already a carrying medic that is.

It's extremely cheap and light but can greatly help stay your teammates alive.

Also don't forget, you can use the healing darts for damage as well.

#14 Prioritize Sirens
Seriously, Sirens are the most dangerous small Zed out there. They render unmaxed Demos useless, they render your grenades and rockets useless, they ignore armor (thus rendering SWAT's armor skill useless).

For the trouble they make, they're very easy to eliminate. KILL THEM!

#15 Searching for loot
If you're struggling with money or ammo. Always try to make the best out of your time.
Search for loot during the last remaining zeds. Let them chase you around the map while you're scavenging. This way you'll not waste any precious time during the trader phase.

#16 Grenade pistol
Another great, cheap and light utility weapon. Just as Boomstick or Medic pistol, this is a weapon that is useful for any perk really.

You can easily clear small Zed crowds with a single blow.

#17 Start with free Full Armor
This is a neat trick. If you have the needed SWAT perk skills, you can always start a match with SWAT selected. Let the skills give you full free armor, survive without taking any damage and then just switch to whatever perk you want to use.

This way you'll always start with free full armor while playing just the way you want.

#18 Don't weld doors
Seriously, I'm mad whenever a non-support player welds doors. To newcomers it may feel useful, but if you think about it, all you're really doing is blocking an escape route for you and potentially breaking the door forever if Zeds break through.

Credit to Steam user: Tamari

#19 Juke out Large Zeds
If a Large Zed is chasing you (Fleshpound/Scrake/Bosses), there's a way movement can save your life. You can juke them out by doing a sharp 90 degree turns around certain objects on the map.

For example, if an enraged FP is chasing you and is right behind you, you can make a sharp 90 degree turn around a corner and force him to attack the corner, which can save your life. The key is to hug the corner/object as tightly as you can when you do it, so he tries to take the "shortest path" to you, which ends up being right into a wall, causing him to get stuck momentarily.

Can also do this with short objects like banisters and fences/rails as well.

So many useful places to do this, for example on Paris, you can do it around both ambulances as well as the taller trucks.

Sometimes, you can also do this around the FP/scrake/boss himself, and when they lunge to attack you, they will actually miss.

Credit to Steam user: Tamari

#20 Remembering Ammo/Zed spawn points
When you learn a map, don't just thnk about all the corridors and places to camp/hide or kite. Also make a brain-note where are all the Ammo box spawns and if you so desire, also remember where the Zeds are coming from. That can be very efficient for dealing with waves quickly and without taking any damage.

Credit to Steam user: BurgerCrusader™

#21 Abuse Melee/Bashing mechanic early game
If you're playing on easier difficulties (Normal/Hard) you can always try to save even more money by just slashing trash zeds (Clot, Crawler, Cyst...) or bashing them to death.

If you'll be doing this often enough, you may start seeing your pockets fill with money from not buying more ammo!

Credit to Steam user: John Marston

24 Comments
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B Dawg 2 Oct, 2018 @ 1:48pm 
#8 could use some changes
You can kill a Scrake without a Flashbang, but don't bother trying to solo a Fleshpound, those just soak up all your bullets and you're gonna take a hit.
John Showdown  [author] 1 Oct, 2018 @ 4:49am 
well, naturally, everyone who came up with these tips had to play the game to make them, it's more for the purpose of accelerating your learning
Carbon 1 Oct, 2018 @ 12:18am 
you learn these things yourself if you just play it < like a sweaty
Drag 29 Sep, 2018 @ 11:44am 
One thing that wasn't mentioned: I find that people often overlook their knife. Not only as a weapon, but as a means of reducing the damage sustained from an enraged FP or Sc. If you got the time, and it's targeting you, might as well whip out the knife and parry (with good timing) or block (with poor timing) You'll at least cut the damage you take if you can't kill it before it reaches you.

And even better, if you are going to get hit, be airborne when that happens. You'll lose your knockback resistance from beign in the air, and get pushed much farther away from the attacking zed.

Of course, with a raging Sc they don't calm down after hitting you...

And on the topic of ammo... I always like to adapt a two-gun mentality with all ranged classes. One weapon for trash zeds that gets the most, one for the big, dangerous zeds. Most guns (such as the kris mentioned below) actually perform worse overall on trash zeds. But it's excellent with a flashbang on bigger targets.
John Showdown  [author] 22 Sep, 2018 @ 2:10pm 
Yes! Someone somewhere will surely appreciate the help.
Miciso 22 Sep, 2018 @ 11:08am 
early beta player :) and always willing to help loads of newbies out.
even if it means me dying in a game or making me rage.
John Showdown  [author] 22 Sep, 2018 @ 2:36am 
Thanks for the tips! Well, you mostly expanded what was already in the guide so I might just throw it in, but the tip with bashing or meeling enemies on easiers difficulties is definitely not a bad tip!
Miciso 21 Sep, 2018 @ 2:29pm 
on base of single shot:
faster rate of fire isnt always better.
focus on damage/ammo pool reserves.
sure a kris is nice but barely 10% into a round and u end up yelling IM OUT OF AMMO
go for the ump or mp5 it spits out slower and thus better for headshotting enemies. unless u are buying it end of the game for hans.
Miciso 21 Sep, 2018 @ 2:27pm 
to add to number 4:
heal eachother it recharges the syringe twice as fast.
plus both of you get medic exp and dosh.
only do this when u are sure theres no enemies around
maybe add : trow a healing nade when a team mate is surrounded. use the medic guns darts for damage as well. sure its not alot but knowing this can really help out sometimes.
Miciso 21 Sep, 2018 @ 2:23pm 
bash on normal early on is the best way to save dosh.
just bash aim at the head and instakill.
knife on swat/berserk heavy attack can also be a nice way to get cash easilly without spending
start with swat armour perks and 9mm perk. sell those for 175. thats alot more than any other perk and u get a nice set of armour for free.