Usually the questions about the Survivalist starts to pop in:

• What can the perk do?
  
• Is the perk able to support the team and keep pressure off them? [How? Why?]
  
• What load-out should the survivalist have?
  
• The perk is just a jack of all trades, why not just use a perk that specialize in a role?
  
• Today, those questions will be answered!

Hopefully it'll broaden your views on the perks strength/weaknesses, and how it can fit into the roles in a team where other perks can't.

This isn't a guide on what are the best skills to use for survivalist, rather what skills are good for certain situation. That's the true magic of the survivalist, Using the flexible Survivalist skills and pushing your limit, ensuring that the team wins along with you at the end of the day.

These are the base-kit stats, You can see why it is referred as the Jack of all Trades.

• The 15% damage can be under-level, being the second lowest out of all perks.
  
• 25% global damage resistance can be neat, especially with the Berserker update (Nerfed). The Survivalist role as an off-tank starts to shine brighter.
  
• 25% Heavy body armor like the Swat, which you only take damage that will chip off your armor except for sirens.
  
• 75% Zed-time reload, possibly one of the broken skills to have on the survivalist when you time the reloads right. It'll be able to stun multiple big zeds (Level 25 - Lock-down) if the commando is able to extend it.
  
• Faster Weapon switch can be crucial if you're taking down small and large zeds at the same time or healing and killing. All in all it's a good stat to have.

A glance and comparison to different perks shows that he might be able to take hits for the team, stun zeds during zed time and assist in take-downs that other perks can't perform and multitask.


Now the Survivalist has the ability to select his Tier 1 weapons and grenades he can spawn with.
As usual grenades are your choice, Molly has higher damage compared to the Healing grenades, while the healing grenades offer less damage but healing capabilities for the team. The best option would be the Stun Grenades as it offers crowd control for your team to take down zeds.


As for weapons: Depending on which Skills you are using, Crovel is the best when you have Melee Expert as your skill, efficient and reliable. Medic pistol can be equally effective too and has bonus recharge and healing potential thanks to medic training. The last I would pick is the Ar-15, with trigger discipline and good aim, you can dispose zeds with ease from small to medium zeds.

Survivalist skills can be straight-forward , and depending on how you want to help your team in certain scenarios. There are perks that can achieve that.

[Level 5 skills]
You have the Heavy Weapons Training that speeds up reload on demolitions/Sharpshooter and Support weapons. Tactical Reload will affect the speed of the reload on Gunslinger/Commando and Swat weapons.

This will depend on the load-out you are using. I do find myself using the Heavy Weapons Training more because my load-out consist of Pulverizer,Rpg,Magnum and Medic Pistol. There is the basic medic load-out like the Hemogoblin and the HM-401, which tactical reload will help to reduce the reload time and focus more on killing trash/De-buffing huge zeds and healing without having to worry about reload. Your choice really.

[Level 10 Skills]
You have the Medic Training and Melee Expert. This skill tree is going to lead you into different path. Any medic load-out is fine though, the possibility is "endless".

Depending on what your team needs, maybe there isn't enough healing going around. So Medic Training will boost your recharge syringe/darts and potency in healing by a significant amount. The common load-out is the HM-401 and the Hemogoblin. Just beware there's no buff though, but enough to keep the team alive if your teammates isn't suicidal.

Melee Expert allows you to handle from small to large zeds if you're holding a melee weapon, so think yourself as a 0.5 Berserker. You have the speed, half the power and a small fraction of the Berserker durability, which is more than sufficient to handle what's coming. Perfect for holding, protecting and kiting.

However you can always go melee expert, while having a medic weapon to assist in the team. That's how flexible the Survivalist is.

[Level 15 Skills]
You have the Ammo Vest and Weapon Harness. This can be subjective, personally for me i prefer going Weapon Harness over Ammo Vest any day.

The Weapon Harness gives me five extra weight load,allowing me to carry more weapons for each situation. I could even go HM-501 to replace the grenades. Molotov grenades has more damage over the healing grenades which allows me to hold down a spot for a short while.

This doesn't mean the Ammo Vest is useless though, the 15% ammo is a rather useful ammo boost when you're carrying high capacity ammo weapons or even weapons like the RPG. However this could be redundant as you can overcap the weapons, like the demo buying you an RPG with 30 rounds as compared to you buying your own with the ammo boost. The Star of this skill is the healing grenade, and it is very useful in the early waves if your team suffer too many damage from zeds. Do not forgot Medic Training affects this as well, so it is still a viable choice to have.

[Level 20 Skills]
You have Spontaneous Zed-plosion and Make things go Boom.
Your load-out,Map Selection will affect your choices in this skill tree.

If you are not running any demolition weapons, then Spontaneous Zed-plosion is always the way to go. This allows you to have some form of crowd control by chance[Sadly]. Your chances are greatly increase if the zeds are gathered in a group at a tight corridor or hallway. The stun usually last for around one to two second. One of the most useful skills in Survivalist skill tree.

However if you are running demolition weapons, then Make Things go Boom will greatly increase your demo weapons area of effect by 50%. That is a whooping amount and personally i find it slightly overpowered because of the amount of coverage it has, but of course you risk raging the big zeds. The 50% explosive resistance is a great bonus to have, so you don't accidentally blow yourself up. It has happen to me before. [Yes don't judge ;3]

If you ask me what i'll go, usually Spontaneous Zed-plosion unless the map is huge like Elysium. Your choice, BUT I'll always go Make Things go Boom at the boss wave. You can be an ABSOLUTE CHAD AND TAKE ROCKETS AND GRENADES TO THE FACE from Hans/Patriarch.
(I'm not responsible if you died to it. UwU)

[Level 25 Skills]
You have the Zed time-Madman and Zed time-Lockdown.

This will be the only skill i will suggest you using the Zed-Time Lockdown apart from the Madman. The fact you have the ability to stun any zeds in zed time is one of the strongest skills to have. There were many situations where during zed time you need to disable or stun the zeds, maybe to help a teammate or to take down large zeds. This will greatly amplify your crowd control on the zeds.

Comparing that to Zed time-Madman, the difference is night and day. You could spam tons of RPG during zed time, but If you remembered the Base-Kit/Skills of the Survivalist, he doesn't have the damage boost as compared to other perks. So your killing speed/power is going to be longer, and that means the big zeds has a higher chance of reaching to your teammates.

It is your choice however, i have seen people make it work using the Zed time-Madman.

My explanation of why i choose the skill tree.
My Skill-tree is: R,R,R,L,R.

• I like pushing my limits as a player to fill the holes of the team, the weapons i used usually belongs to the Heavy Weapons Training.
  
• Having the extra movement speed while using Melee allows me to rotate and get out of sticky situations, therefore also allowing me to parry and take aggro for the team. Thanks to Melee Expert
  
• Weapon Harness gives me more option to choose on my arsenal to adapt to the team's gap. Molotov is a plus since i'll be able to hold a lane.
  
• Spontaneous Zed-plosion gives me more Crowd control to stun any zeds in a crowd. Although it's by chance and depending on whether the zeds are together. I find myself stunning large zeds more often than i expect to. On the last wave i'll be running Make things go Boom during boss wave for the explosive resistance.
  
• Zed time-Lockdown is a must for me, the ability to stun them in zed time gives the team a brief period to react and take down any large zeds in the way, or even to save them from being wiped.

Alternatively, i have used another skill tree.
It is :R,L,L,L,R

• The same as always, i find myself using more hard hitting weapons to handle the trash and large zeds more effectively, hence why i use Heavy Weapons Training.
  
• Medic Training might be overlooked by players due to the lack of buff perhaps, but the ability to heal a lot more than other perks and combining with your flexibility to use any medic weapons gives the perk the edge to heal and defend better unlike other perks.
  
• Ammo Vest may be slightly under-whelming due to the 15% more ammo, but as stated the medic grenades can be very useful to hold and heal players.
  
• Zed-Plosion always,due to the amount of crowd control it provides. Unless you manage to fit in a demo weapon on a 15-weight inventory. Your choice!
  
• I'll pick Zed time-lockdown over madman, but this is also your preferences. Being able to stun a zed in zedtime without aiming for the head is one of the most broken skills to have.

The Survivalist load-out can be like a LEGO set, mixing and matching however you think it can help the team in anyway possible. This is my personal load-out and go to whenever i play as the survivalist:
Usually i'm left with one more weight, and i'll go for the medic pistol upgrades. Just for that small boost on the damage and healing darts recharge. Ultimately i can go for HemoClobber to survivability, but i always have full trust in my medic to assist me.


Another Example to form your own "LEGO" set:
Just like a medic load-out with those weapons, all this is possible due to Weapon Harness. HM-501 to heal a group of players or to hold a lane, the Frost Fang is very useful in freezing large zeds. The medic pistol is to heal any players that are quite far even the grenades can't reach.




Looking to be a part-time medic. and you only have 15 weight inventory? This is the best load-out to have. The Static Striker is one of the best melee weapons because of the attack speed and the amount of damage it can give and the damage resistance is quite high too. The bonus heavy attack allows you to disable zeds from rage to calm for a short period of time, giving you some form of crowd control.

The Hemogoblin is one of the best weapons for the survivalist, allowing you to de-buff, one shot rioters and heal! All in one weapon, and the weight is a mere 7-weight. Usually i'll upgrade it so the damage and recharge rate increases. Now you can heal,de-buff and protect your teammates.


I can show you one more, to nudge that brain of yours to be creative. (:3
This is the medic build you can have as a Survivalist, with the skill tree that is cater to healing.
You can even replace the hemoglobin with the Incision.









The possibility is out there, you can go hemoglobin and hemoclobber so you can de-buff,tank and heal at the same time. There is no right and wrong in your picks, literally any weapon can be in your load-out. If you combine with your Survivalist skills, Medic Training and Ammo vest. You will take a lot of burden off the medic shoulders and he'll thank you for it. I'm also surprised at times on the amount of heals the survivalist can contribute, which many people tend to overlook.

There are a few examples:
Incision, Hemoclobber, M14-Ebr
RPG, HM-401 (Ammo Vest Skill)
Dragon Breath, Pulverizer. RPG
FrostFang, Magnum, RPG, HM-101

The list can go on and on, I could even include the Nailgun,Scar,Fal.Etc.


Thanks to Google Drive Killing floor 2 Bible : https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1GDpg2mN1l_86U_RaDug0glFx8cZCuErwxZLiBKl9SyY/htmlview#















On the left side, that is the stats of the Frost Fang. The right side is the Crovel. To be honest i would not have known this if i didn't make this guide. The reason i am highlighting this is because this can affect your team economy, and a crovel is enough to absorb damage for your team until you get a better melee weapon with utilities like the Hemoclobber or the Static strikers.


The difference between the damage resistance is mild, like 10%-20% more depending on which melee weapons you are using. The dosh can be used to help your teammates buy better weapons, which has a lot more benefits. Like the demo being able to buy an RPG if you don't purchase the Hemoclobber for $1200++ (Combining with the ammo which is $250++)

I figured this is important to know if you'll going to use Melee Expert!

I hate talking down to my favorite perk. So as much as i love to praise it, there are flaws that lingers on the Survivalist. Have you notice the Base-Kit that the survivalist has? It is all around the place. So basically an All-rounder. Personally i believe this is one of the biggest flaws. Yes i know it sounds confusing, Why you ask? It can only commit to roles HALFWAY.


Few examples:

• The perk doesn't have an actual role to contribute in.
  
• It doesn't have the takedown damage like the Demo,Sharp,Gunslinger
  
• It doesn't have the damage boost, Recoil Reduction, nor the healing potency that is sufficient enough to support the team when you compare with other perks.
  
• It doesn't have the parry damage resistance like the berserker, therefore the durability isn't as high.
  
• Certain weapons are affected by the base-kit of other perks, so that means the weapons will suffer some form of benefits. Like higher ammo count, higher damage, Recoil reduction.
  
• The firebug weapons suffer the most on the Survivalist, like the chalk & burn and the flamethrower.
  
• The perk doesn't have healing buffs at all to ensure your teammate doesn't die.

The examples shows that the Survivalist cannot be as efficient as other perks in terms of trash killing, healing and large zed takedown. The perk will always fall short in terms of damage,recoil reduction and ammo capacity,etc. Example: $650 is always going to be better on a commando than a Survivalist, the commando skills increases the weapon potential in many ways unlike the Survivalist.


That will mean priority for dosh goes to the perks like Medic,Commando and Sharp. The heals, Zed-time extension and the Freeze is a must for crowd control and durability of the team.


Not to mention, the Survivalist early game is absolutely horrendous. Your first tier weapon is a randomize pick. [God has forsaken you if you have the chalk and burn]


This means you are stuck with tier one weapons until wave 3-4 then you will have your own weapons to be effective, which you are kind of a liability to the team because you can't hold your lane well and you contribute lesser during those waves. You will only be able to purchase a full set until wave 5 if there's no margin for error at all.


The Survivalist is a very dosh hungry perk to use, $1500 for the RPG, $1200 Hemoclobber, $750 for the Magnum and $200 Medic Pistol. I haven't include in your ammo consumption and armor. Many perks are able to hold their lane with a mere $1200 until wave 5 onwards.


But like i said, you can make it work. It's just going to be a up-hill battle until you get your weapons.

Do you want to be as confident as Steve Carell? ;3
In order to be reliable and be effective as a team player.


I believe that if you are efficient in other perks, your skill as a Survivalist will grow eventually. You will be much more familiar with weapons and instinctively will understand which weapons does the job better.


You have to understand your perk inside out. This means you also need to know your limits/skills as a player. Are you able to handle large zeds coming all at once? Are you someone that has fast reactions to be able to save a teammate? Do you have observation skills and able to multitask at the same time?


Survivalist is everything in one, it can do almost anything. (Within his limit of course)
This means the perk can contribute in many ways that other perks can't, Many perks can't parry and absorb damage like the Survivalist, nor can they carry an RPG and sacrifice weights for the perk weapons. It is also able to carry tier four healing weapons and use a melee weapon to speed across the map either to assist or to hold the line.(Provided you have Weapon harness and Melee Expert)


At this point, it's really up to how you want to contribute or how you want to push the limit as the survivalist/player.


Notes to take:

• If you are laning with a commando, do not kill the small zeds as the commando needs them to extend the zed time.
  
• Please do not commit into a play where it is suicidal. Yes, you are adaptable but you are not as durable as a berserker.
  
• Do not Lone-wolf on your own just because you are able to play like a berserker, you need your team as much as they need you.
  
• During the laning phase, you will have to keep a lookout on the perks you are with. If it's a precision perk you are with, perhaps it would be wise not to use a "chaos" weapon like the dragon breath which could panic the zeds. This can make the precision perks a lot harder to takedown zeds.
  
• However if you're laning with a chaos perk, feel free to go ham together. You can also push the limit and carry a melee weapon so if the lane is being pressure by large zeds, you are the first line of defense.
  
• Consider buying a medic pistol to heal your teammates.
  
• Share dosh with your Medic first if you can, their perks depends heavily on their weapons for Healing recharge which can make a lot of differences.
  
• If you're running Melee Expert, you can usually last for wave 1 and 2 with just the shovel. Wave three is a bit of a stretch but it is possible, just be cautious.

That is the beauty of the perk, you can adapt to almost any situation.

This is how you should play as a survivalist. You could see how flexible it can be, from healing to holding a lane and protecting teammates to taking away aggro when big zeds that are going for your teammates. Even Stunning big zeds with my 9MM from time to time, you could see how ridiculous it can be.

You should always have the mindset of a team player when playing this perk. Observe at wave 3 how i was able to distribute health to both lanes to prevent a wipe. Also to take a hit where other perks could die from, it's one of the best example on how Survivalist shines!

My load-out was the Hemogoblin, Hemoclobber and the RPG.

I have made a few mistakes, at times i wasn't protecting my teammates well enough. Or i missed my darts and RPG when the moments can be crucial. So hopefully you could learn from my mistakes and perform better than me during these moments. Hell, i even mess up my zed time stuns when i could have reduce a lot of pressure for my lane.

I think they are extremely fun to play, because the possibility is endless.


What can the perk do?
The perk has the flexibility to role-play as any perk it wants within the limits, this can be the strength and the weakness of the perk itself overall. However in the right hands of the player, you can be amazed how efficient the perk can become most of the time.


Is the perk able to support the team and keep pressure off them?
The perk is able to Heal, take punishing aggro for the team and also dish out the damage in return. This will depend on your load-out and your skill tree choices, that once again many perks are not able to achieve it like the Survivalist.


What load-out should the survivalist have?
It's all choices and everything is up to the players creativity. This is what makes it fun and the beauty of it.


The perk is just a jack of all trades, why not just use a perk that specialize in a role?
You can do that, but you are limited to the perk role. You can't shift and adapt like the survivalist does. There will always be counter-argument like this would not have happen if it went like this, or a dream team/goal if you just follow this meta. The thing is , where's the fun in that? The survivalist can contribute in many ways that makes him viable too.

I had a blast writing the guide and i hope you liked it as well.


Do consider liking my guide and giving a award ;3
As always, if you have any questions feel free to ask!


https://discord.gg/tamari
Huge shoutout to tamari server! If you are looking to improve yourself as a player and want to meet new friends along the way, do consider joining the server. We hope to see you there.

Enjoy and take care,
BurgerCrusader