Perks (Killing Floor)

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Perks are a feature of Killing Floor that give the player certain bonuses either for their weapons (damage, reload speed, etc.) or their character (high damage resistance, etc.). There are 7 perks in total:

Field Medic

link=File:Perk_Medic.png|right|128x128px The field medic specialises in healing others with a variety of tools such as the syringe, the MP7M, and so on. It takes on a support role.

Tactical advantage: The medic is a fast running strong armor tank with ranged healing (alt fire on medical weapons) as well as close healing syringe. It will spawn with armor from level 5 and above.

Detailed Medic Information

The Field Medic, commonly known as the Medic, excels in healing injured players and absorbing damage. This perk receives bonuses for the MP7M, MP5M, M7A3 and the Schneidzekk medic guns, as well as bonuses for the combat armor, the syringe, and against Bloat bile damage. The medic is generally positioned behind the front line of the team.

The general role of medics is to provide support to their teammates, especially to the front line (i.e. Berserkers and Support Specialists). By quickly healing them as soon as they take damage, they can relentlessly attack the specimens without having to pull back often to heal. The medic should try to keep all of his teammates in his field of vision and be constantly on the look out for threats closing down onto the team. This will help him to anticipate the damage his allies will sustain, and ensure he is ready to use his healing darts and medical syringe at a moment's notice, or to protect his teammates directly by absorbing some of the damage himself with his tougher armor.

Generally, the medic serves as a supporting player when not healing the team. As long as the medic adapts this strategy, the other weapons of the game are equally of use for different purposes. The medic must be mindful however that regardless of which weapon is chosen, the main benefit of the medic is the armor. Although it lasts longer than normal and can absorb a great amount of damage, the medic is extremely vulnerable against even the most basic of enemies once the armor has depleted. The lack of any damage bonuses makes it important to learn which weapons work against the various specimens, and a medic should strive to take as little unnecessary damage to armor as possible.

The medic's medical syringe, MP7M, MP5M, M7A3 and the Schneidzekk healing darts recharge up to three times as quickly, and are up to 75% more potent. At higher levels, they can heal a teammate from critical to near-full health in two applications, and the syringe will even be fully recharged before the reload animation completes. Combat armor absorbs about 75-77% of the damage dealt to the player as default, but Medics at level 1 and higher get global damage reduction that applies as long as they have at least 1 armor point, not only reducing damage to health but also lasting longer before breaking. As it stands, armor worn by Medic doesn't individually increase its own absorb rate but grants resistance to the Medic player as long as armor is present. Furthermore, the Field Medic receives a discount of up to 70% on armor, which entails a total cost of £90 for a new vest.

Although their roles are very different, the Medic perk shares a number of similarities with the Berserker perk allowing them to synergize in junction for mobility. Level 6 medics can run 25% faster than the default speed with any weapon, making it easier for them to chase and heal their teammates. However, there's the exception of Suicidal and above difficulties where they get 5% movement speed penalty from their perk bonus. Level 2 and lower perk level Medics will move at default speed at these difficulties. Higher perk levels lose 5% flat movement speed for meeting a maximum of 20% faster movement speed instead of 25% at level 6 in Suicidal and Hell on Earth difficulties. The high move speed also allows them to kite, and makes it easier to escape when overwhelmed, and possibly finish the round solo. Another similarity is their resistance to damage from Bloat bile, which stacks with the armor's damage reduction and is applied before the armor does. The combined effect means damage to their armor will be little more than 5% when hit by Bloat acid, whereas other classes can lose 25% or more.

Weapon Analysis

Combat Armour

The medic's armour is able to absorb more damage than any other perk's armour enabling the medic to block incoming damage for lessened cost thanks to the medic's discount on armour.

MP7M Medic Gun

The MP7M Medic Gun is the weakest, but fastest-firing weapon available to medics. This weapon features a 20-round magazine by default, but increases by 2 on 0 and 1 ranks, followed by 4 per magazine for each additional perk rank up to a maximum of 40. This weapon fires the fastest of all the Medic's weapons, but also has significant recoil and spread, and low damage. Its med-dart gun is the same as the M7A3's, which recharges slower than the MP5 or Schneidzekk's med-gun. The MP7M features a red-dot sight, making both headshots and dart-shooting easier. This med-gun is the cheapest med-gun, and is usually the first one a Medic will acquire.

Blower Thrower Bile Launcher

The Blower Thrower can be seen as akin to the Flamethrower. It is capable of covering swarms of enemies in bile, damaging them over time and provoking them into attacking their own Bloats. However, the Blower Thrower's short range and heavy ammo consumption means it cannot completely supplant the Flamethrower. It is also the only Medic weapon to lack a healing dart launcher, meaning it cannot level up your Medic perk.

MP5M medic gun

The MP5 is the middle-of-the-road gun; having a fast rate of fire, large magazine capacity (32 by default, but increasing 3 for the 0 and 1 ranks, followed by 6 for each additional rank to the max of 64), as well a faster recharging med-gun than the MP7M's. It lacks the larger damage of the M7A3 and the damage and rate of fire of the Schneidzekk.

M7A3 Medic Gun

The M7A3's damage is comparable to the damage of a mid-perked Commando's weapons, and has similar recoil to an off-perked AK-47, but a slower rate of fire. This gun features the same slower-recharging med-gun as the MP7M, taking longer to recharge than the med-gun on the MP5, or the Schneidzekk. This med-gun weighs twice as much as any other med-gun at 6 weight, it is also fairly expensive at all ranks, and features a comparatively small mag of 15-30 ( the mag size increasing by 1 on rank 0, 2 on rank 1, and 3 on each additional perk up to 30. This gun features a holographic sight, compared to to the MP5 and MP7M's red-dot sight. The sight and ammo count display change colors from green to red as the mag gets low, giving the Medic a visual cue to reload. The med-gun recharge is also displayed on-screen, and will turn red when it is unable to be fired.

Schneidzekk Medic Gun

This med-gun features the same advanced med-gun as the MP5, but lacks a red-dot or holographic sight of the other guns, instead relying on iron-sights. This weapon has a slightly slower rate of fire compared to the MP7M, but 60% more damage by comparison. Compared to the MP5, it does 25% more damage but has a smaller magazine, and compared to the MP7A3, it has a larger magazine and higher rate of fire, but does 42.8% less damage per hit. it is also the most expensive med-gun at upwards of £1,300. It features a moderately sized magazine, starting out at 25, increasing by 2 for rank 0, 3 for rank 1, and 5 for each additional perk rank, up to 50.

Leveling Tactics

Players can level the field medic alone but must rely on the medical grenades, as self-injections with the syringe do not count to the total heal requirements. Having a partner (or partners) who are willing to help will allow for the fastest way of leveling. The other option is to join a large server on a medium to high difficulty where players tend to incur large amounts of damage.

With the Summer 2013 update, a new method of leveling the Medic perk in solo games has become available. Healing the Ringmaster in Objective Mode KFO-Steamland will count towards the perk progress, however as this option is only available during 2 of the 6 'waves' that take part in the map, it is a slow method.

• For the fastest way of leveling with a partner, carry any one, or all, of the Medic rifles and kill the majority of the specimens in the wave, but leave just enough so that the combined healing potential of your healing darts and medical syringe outweigh the rate of damage at which the remainder of the specimens can inflict upon your partner. This method allows your partner to go away from keyboard, unmoved as you level slowly. The optimal difficulty level and specimens to keep alive depend on your Medic level.
• Most effective tactic here is your heal target of choice picking Berserker for passive damage and bile effect resistance. By letting last left alive lesser specimen (just a Bloat or a few Clots are perfect) attacking them without retaliating and running away when they get overwhelmed, you can heal them safely for long to stack up some healing points before Trader time starts. Alternatively, if your partner wishes to level up their Berserker perk, then progress through the waves and allow them to attack the majority of the specimens as you constantly heal them. Holding a small funnel with a narrow gate where Berserker can slash everything running at the door usually works for a while, but doesn't guarantee a victory.
• A mid-low level Firebug with a Flamethrower can be a good candidate for healing as they can push out self splash damage by shooting at their own feet position. This can be interrupted by specimen unless someone else kiting them at the distance but this could help stacking up healing points as you wait for last specimen to finally die off infront of Trader. This technique won't work with a high level Firebug with near fire damage immunity; Firebug has to be level 2-3 or lower for self splash to have any effect. If a high level Firebug is present at low difficulties, a mid-high level Berserker can easily ask Firebug to buy a Flamethrower for them. Else, at any difficulty if Medic has the DLC, Berserker borrows a Blowerthrower from Medic to cause small amount of self damage as they fight the specimen along the wave.
• Any perk can find a high enough place to jump down and inflict some self damage at the end of the wave for medic to heal them. The maps Foundry, Crash and Offices have such great heights for shortcuts where players can drop down to hurt themselves badly but not get killed along the process for sure. A Field Medic can drop down first (without jumping) and heal anyone following them along with themselves at each wave without kiting last few specimen around. Other official maps have smaller heights such as flight of stairs, obstacles to climb on top of, piers and platforms to repeat the process more hastily.

Helping the Field Medic

Because the medic specializes in healing, allow him to heal all nearby players when they are injured, including yourself, unless the team is so critically injured that a large amount of healing is immediately necessary for survival. Stay in a single group so that the medic can keep every team member in his field of view, and can tell when healing is needed. When you are wounded and you hear the sound of health darts landing or being fired, stand still if it is safe to do so, so that the medic can easily heal you from afar.

The medic's damage output over time is generally lower than other perks, so he requires assistance against the Husks, Scrakes or Fleshpound more frequently, especially on higher difficulty levels.

Near the end of a wave or during trader time, players can jump off a ledge to wound themselves so that the medic can earn more healing points. A Firebug who is below level 3 (or 4, without armor) can aim at the floor and deliberately burn himself with the Flamethrower, whose ammunition is inexpensive, and allow the Medic to heal him.

The entire team getting wounded then letting a medic heal the entire team with a healing grenade will give the medic the achievement "Explosions of Love", so do this if possible.

Field Medic
Rank	Requirements	Medic Guns		Medic						Spawn equipment
	Heal*	Larger Clips	Discount	Better Armor	discount Armor	Syringe Recharge	Potent Healing	Bloat Bile Damage	Movement Speed
—	—	—	75%	—	10%	+10%	+10%	-10%	—	—
★	200	+20%	77%	+10%	20%	+25%	+25%	-25%
★★	750	+40%	79%	+20%	30%	+50%		-50%	+5%
★★★	4 000	+60%	81%	+30%	40%	+75%	+50%		+10%
★★★★	12 000	+80%	83%	+40%	50%	+100%			+15%
★★★★★	25 000	+100%	85%	+50%	60%	+150%		-75%	+20%	Body Armor
☆	100 000		87%	+75%	70%	+200%	+75%		+25%	Body Armor Medic Gun
*With the MP7M, MP5M, M7A3M or Schneidzekk Medic Gun.

Support Specialist

link=File:Perk_Support.png|right|128x128px The support specialist specialises in shotguns, and takes a support role. It is capable of clearing out trash as well as dealing heavy damage to large targets. Grenades do more damage and you can carry additional ones. Increased welding rate.

Detailed Support Specialist Information

The Support specialist, often referred to as just Support, is usually a key member of a good squad. He typically either holds the front line, attacking the majority of specimens, or assumes the more passive role of maintaining the weld on doors. The Support specialist can output a large amount of damage at close range, generally carries the heavier weapons of the squad's arsenal, primarily the shotgun, hunting shotgun, combat shotgun, HSG-1 shotgun and AA12. His shotgun damage and penetration is significantly improved, and his Grenades inflict more damage as well (but not grenade launchers). As such, the Support specialist can easily rip through large groups of clustered enemies, and deal substantial damage to bigger specimens. The Support specialist has a greater weight capacity than other classes, giving him the option to carry a large variety of weapons. A fully-ranked Support specialist, for example, can carry 24kg of equipment, which may encompass two shotguns and a Katana.

Weapon Analysis

Shotgun

The basic pump-action Shotgun is a good starting weapon to have. It has a normal spread, allowing for both close and medium range use. It also, like most Support weapons, has a flashlight attached. This weapon is best used for groups of lower specimens, as its slow rate of fire limits its usefulness against stronger specimens.

Hunting Shotgun

This gem of a double-barreled shotgun is able to either fire a very powerful shotgun shell one at a time, or both at the same time, causing a massive spike of damage against the target. This is countered by it having a huge spread and its low ammo capacity. This weapon is most effective when used against large groups of specimens or mid-grade specimens. The Hunting Shotgun can also do a huge chunk of damage against stronger specimens as well, such as Scrakes or Fleshpounds, but this can easily rage them (see Tactics below for more details). The Hunting Shotgun cannot be reloaded unless both barrels have been fired.

Horzine HSG-1 Shotgun

This is a good all-rounder shotgun. Capable of either a tight or wide pellet spread and a faster pump-action, holding more rounds than the standard Shotgun with 12 rounds in the magazine, this is a very good "sidearm" to have for picking off those pesky smaller specimens. It also has a very low spread on tight mode, making it a good medium-range weapon. Its main drawbacks are a relatively low rate of fire and the inability to reload individual shells.

Vlad 9000

This high-powered nailgun is more suited to enclosed, dark areas. This shotgun has an extremely wide spread, giving it a very short range and limiting the damage it can do to a single target. However, its decent fire rate, fast reload speed, and ricocheting projectiles mean that it is very good at clearing corridors of weaker specimens such as Clots and Crawlers or hitting big targets multiple times. It also comes with a flashlight, like the pump-action and the combat shotgun.

Combat Shotgun

This semi-automatic beauty can fire as fast as you can pull the trigger, capable of turning groups of lesser specimens into chunky meat, and even giving the big boys a run for their money. This, however, is strongly countered by it taking a VERY long time to reload (35% slower than the pump-action shotgun), and its high price tag. This shotgun also has the second lowest magazine capacity of all the shotguns.

AA-12 Shotgun

Coming with both fully-automatic and semi-automatic fire modes along with a 20-round magazine, this weapon is capable of very high burst damage against single targets or rapid clearing of groups. Its spread, while not as small as that of the HSG-1, is still tight enough that it remains viable at medium range. Its main drawbacks are its relatively low damage per shell combined with the AA-12's high fire rate, meaning it burns through its ammunition supply quickly. It is best used against tougher enemies or for emergencies, with a backup weapon on standby for easier targets.

Trenchgun

A pump-action shotgun that fires incendiary Dragon's Breath shells. While not technically a Support Specialist weapon, the Trench Gun still benefits from the bullet penetration. This makes it a viable choice for most maps, especially ones full of cramped corridors where the Support piercing bonus combined with its ignition effect can deal an incredible amount of damage per shell. Its primary drawbacks are its slow reload speed, lower ammuniton and the fact that its damage counts toward the Firebug perk, not Support.

Multichamber Zed Thrower

The MZT is a fully automatic combat shotgun with rate of fire comparable to the AA12, but with lower total ammo count and mag size. It also has smaller spread than other shotguns and thus has a longer effective range. The MZT has the third largest ammo reserve of the shotguns at 50 shells by default. The MZT's alt-fire option can knock back enemies which is useful for evading damage, especially when the magazine is empty.

Leveling Tactics

Earning weld points is a fairly easy task. On solo, trap the last few specimens of a wave behind a door, and make sure you can maintain the weld at 100%. Change your primary fire function to a key such as numpad 0, and weigh it down (opening the steam overlay will have your character continue to weld, while you can simply leave). Over the course of a few hours, you will earn enough welding points for level 6. Alternatively, you can choose the map KF-Aperture and continually unweld the door to GLaDOS' room, which is by far the fastest legit way of farming your weld points.

Helping the Support Specialist

Understand that the Support specialist's weapons aren’t very good at long-range shooting, and compensate for this weakness by taking out Husks and Sirens if you can.

Supports generally like enclosed areas where long-range attacks are neutralized, and where specimens are forced to bunch up in corridors. Help the support specialist by choosing maps that offer this kind of terrain. If you can spare some money, contributions towards the cost of the AA-12 are always appreciated, as it is one of the most expensive weapons in the game, even at Level 6.

The Support's shotguns have long reloads, help the Support by ensuring he is not overrun while he is trying to reload his weapons.

Support Specialist
Rank	Requirements		Shotguns				Carry Weight	Spawn equipment	Grenades		Welding speed/ Unwelding speed
	Damage*	Welding/ Unwelding*	Damage	Penetration	Extra ammo	Discount			Capacity	Damage
—	—	—	+10%	+10%	—	10%	—	—	—	—	10%
★	25 000	2 000		+18%	+10%	20%	+15%		+20% (6)	+5%	+25%
★★	100 000	7 000	+20%	36%	+20%	+30%	+20%		+40% (7)	+10%	+50%
★★★	500 000	35 000	+30%	+54%	+25%	40%	+25%		+60% (8)	+20%	+75%
★★★★	1 500 000	120 000	+40%	+72%		50%	+30%		+80% (9)	+30%	+100%
★★★★★	3 500 000	250 000	+50%	+90%		60%	+50%	Shotgun	+100% (10)	+40%	+150%
☆	5 500 000	370 000	+60%		+30%	70%	+60%	Hunting Shotgun	+120%	+50%
*With the Shotgun, HSG-1 Shotgun, Hunting Shotgun, Combat Shotgun(Golden), AA12 Shotgun(Golden) or Vlad The Impaler, Multichamber ZED Thrower.

Sharpshooter

link=File:Perk_SharpShooter.png|right|128x128px The sharpshooter specialises in rifles. Its role is using precision shots to take down medium to large enemies.

Spawns with LAR (Lever Action Rifle) at level 5 and crossbow at level 6.

Detailed Sharpshooter Information

The Sharpshooter specialises in long-range weaponry and headshots. This role focuses on the more dangerous threats to the front lines and picks them off with superior accuracy and damage. A sharpshooter can generally be found at the back of a team.

The Sharpshooter is one of the hardest hitters in the game and is capable of delivering a very large 'spike' of damage to big and powerful specimens such as the Scrake, Fleshpound, and even the Patriarch, but requires arguably the most skill to use effectively. Weapons of choice include 9mm tactical pistol, .44 Magnum, handcannon, MK23, lever-action rifle, crossbow, M14 EBR and the M99 AMR. The Sharpshooter is granted up to 140% more damage with each successful headshot from these weapons – with the exception of the 9mm pistol on Hell on Earth difficulty – and will also enjoy up to an extra 50% damage for successful headshots with any other weapon. This, coupled with the fast reload and low recoil of this perk's weapons, makes the Sharpshooter a very deadly perk in both open and enclosed areas.

Weapon Analysis

Pistols

• ALL pistols have a 1.1x headshot multiplier.
• ALL pistols can be dual-wielded for double the Trader's price. Dual pistols weigh 4 blocks and take longer to reload than single pistols, but they double the pistol's fire rate and magazine capacity. While your damage output will be increased if you dual-wield, you may also miss a larger number of your shots, as it is impossible to aim down the sights while dual-wielding; instead, the guns simply move closer together, forcing the player to 'eyeball' their targets. This also makes it more difficult to ensure headshots, making them more useful for close-range firepower than medium-range precision.

9mm Tactical Pistol

Basic sidearm. This gun will reliably decapitate lesser specimens in one headshot, but may not kill them, depending on the difficulty. This has the largest magazine capacity for a pistol and ammo reserve and weighs nothing, but does the least damage and has no target penetration. The 9mm Tactical also comes with a flashlight, making it useful in dark places.

• Dual 9mms

Dual 9mms are easily affordable and provide a cheap and readily-available backup weapon for all perks at early waves. Extra 9mms can be found on the ground, either spawned randomly or collected from dead players, or purchased from the Trader. While dual-wielding provides a boost to the 9mm's damage and magazine capacity, the ability to use iron sights is lost. It also weighs 4 blocks rather than the 0 for the single 9mm. Dual 9mms keep the flashlight of the single weapon.

Mk.23

Basically a more powerful version of the 9mm, the Mk.23 does more damage and is capable of penetrating 3 enemies, but fires slower, has a longer reload, lacks a flashlight, and has a smaller magazine capacity and ammo reserve. Compared with the two magnums, this weapon lacks their damage and penetration, but has a larger magazine capacity, ammo reserve, and fire rate. The Mk.23 strikes an even balance between firepower and ammunition capacity.

• Dual Mk.23s

Dual Mk.23's combine a generous magazine size with a fast fire rate, but the reload speed is slowest of all the pistols.

.44 Magnum

The .44 Magnum is capable of penetrating 5 enemies, fires fastest of all pistols, and does more damage than the Mk.23 or 9mm. This is countered by the small 6-round cylinder. It has almost equal ammo reserves compared to the Mk.23, and the slowest reload of all the pistols. The .44 does less damage and has smaller magazine size compared to the Handcannon, but has a larger ammo reserve and fire rate.

• Dual .44 Magnums

The .44 Magnum arguably benefits the most from being dual-wielded. While dual-wielding increases the reload time even further, the amazing fire rate allows the dual .44s to fire extremely damaging short bursts, which are devastating at close range.

Handcannon

This beastly handgun does the most damage of all the pistols and is capable of penetrating up to 5 specimens. It has a mid-sized magazine capacity of 8 rounds, and is devastating when dual-wielded. It now weighs 2 blocks when used alone, and 4 blocks dual-wielded, as of the December 2013 update. It also has the smallest ammo reserve of all the pistols.

• Dual Handcannons

Dual Handcannons output more damage than any other pistol, but suffer from heavy recoil and burn through their already-limited ammo capacity even faster. However, dual Handcannons make for an effective secondary weapon for a Crossbow or M14 EBR for close range targets.

Rifles[edit]

Lever-Action Rifle

The Lever-Action Rifle is capable of killing any lesser or middle specimen at any difficulty and any player number with at most two headshots, and has very simple but effective iron-sights. This weapon is very cheap at only £200, has an interrupt-able reload, a moderate magazine size, very cheap ammo, moderate ammo capacity, and is able to rapidly chain-stun a Scrake with a rank-6 perk. This is countered by the fact that this weapon has a long reload time, weighs 6 blocks, lacks a scope, and is generally ineffective against Fleshpounds at low levels with slow reload and fire rates. The Lever-action Rifle has more damage per shot compared to the M14 EBR and possesses less recoil, but the M14's superior reload speed and fire rate outclasses the Lever-action Rifle in terms of damage-per-second.

Crossbow

The Crossbow is a very powerful weapon, capable of doing massive headshot damage due to the 4.0x headshot multiplier and the Sharpshooter's headshot damage bonuses. Only the strongest specimens can survive a headshot from this weapon and despite the Fleshpound's resistance to headshots by this weapon, a highly skilled Sharpshooter remains quite capable of decapitating or killing it, even on high difficulties. In addition, the Crossbow is also fitted with a scope, allowing the Sharpshooter to target very distant enemies and kill them before they can reach the Sharpshooter or their team. This is countered by fairly expensive per-shot ammo, costing £11~20 per shot, having to be reloaded after every shot, and being relatively wasteful when dealing with swarms of lesser specimens. Dual pistols make for effective sidearms at close range to preserve ammo.

Single-Piston Long Musket

The SP Musket is a magazine-fed bolt-action rifle, essentially an upgraded version of the Lever-action Rifle. It has a scope to make landing headshots easier. It deals more damage than LAR and reloads faster, but it is more expensive. In the hands of a level 5 sharpshooter it can stun a Scrake with headshots and with a level 6 Sharpshooter it can kill a Fleshpound on 6-man HoE with 5 headshots, 2 less than the LAR. It has same magazine size, weight and ammo capacity as the Lever-Action Rifle.

M14 EBR

The M14 Enhanced Battle Rifle is very strong in the hands of a seasoned Sharpshooter. This weapon is capable of semi-automatic fire, and features a laser sight to help detect where close-range shots will land. It features a higher rate of fire compared to the Lever-Action Rifle, but unlike the LAR it has a 2.25x headshot multiplier, a 2x larger magazine capacity, and a large ammo reserve. This is countered by its very intrusive iron-sights, lack of scope, very high recoil and it does the least headshot damage of any of the Sharpshooter's main weapons. The M14 EBR needs dedicated hands to be effective, it recoils at a very rapid rate and shots need to be controlled between small bullet groups, but multiple rapid headshots can do serious damage to Scrakes, Fleshpounds, and hordes alike. While tricky to master, the M14 is effective against any opponent.

M99 AMR

The M99 Anti-Materiel Rifle is absolutely devastating against any specimen. With its 2.25x headshot multiplier, this weapon is capable of killing any specimen in a single headshot, except Fleshpounds on the highest difficulty or the Patriarch. It can stun or kill any specimen, except the Fleshpound and Patriarch, with a body shot. It features a long-range scope, but the ammo capacity is fairly low, and extremely inefficient at clearing crowds. This is compounded mainly by it being tied for heaviest weapon of the game at 13 weight, allowing only a Machete or Pipebombs to be wielded with it, and its extremely expensive ammo, at a whopping £250 per shot and £6,250 to fill from empty. It also must be reloaded after every shot, and has a fairly long reload.

Leveling Tactics

• Stay behind the party and watch their back, keep in contact with voice chat. Warn the others via voice chat commands when a big target approaches, then attempt to take it out.

• Sharpshooter can be leveled while playing as another perk most of the time, as each player's standard gear includes the 9mm pistol.

• The flashlight mounted on the 9mm pistol can aid the Sharpshooter in landing headshots without the use of iron sights.

• As a low-level Sharpshooter when weapon discounts are not as high, it is recommended to purchase the Lever-action rifle before the M14, M99 or crossbow. Though slower than the 9mm pistol, the Lever-Action Rifle damage per shot is enough to decapitate any specimen with at most two headshots except for the Scrake, Fleshpound and Patriarch.

• Headshots are easier to land when wielding only a single pistol as opposed to dual-wielding pistols, as you're able to look down the sights with the single.

Helping the Sharpshooter

• Respect the fact that the Sharpshooter needs to aim with care in order to make headshots. They are likely to be standing still while doing this, so try not to walk in front of them.
• Do not enrage Scrakes or Fleshpounds, as it is much easier to land a headshot on them while they are not sprinting, and it's easier to line up a shot if the Sharpshooter has the enemy running towards them instead of trying to pull off a side shot while it's sprinting towards the one who raged it..
• Smoke, fire, and large specimens do not mix well for the Sharpshooter. Demolitions Experts and Firebugs should be cautious when attacking big enemies, as their actions may simply interfere with the Sharpshooter's vision, and possibly kill the one attacking the larger specimen.
• Try to take out enemies that may attack the Sharpshooter while they are scoped in, especially if you see them focusing on a troublesome Scrake or Fleshpound.

Sharpshooter
Rank	Requirements
	Pistols, Rifle, Crossbow, M14, and M99					Spawn equipment
HeadShot Kills*	Damage	Recoil	Reload Speed	Extra Headshot Damage	Discount
—	—	+5%	—	—	+5%	10%	—
★	30	+10%	-25%	+10%	+10%	20%
★★	100	+15%	-50%	+20%	+20%	30%
★★★	700	+20%	-75%	+30%	+30%	40%
★★★★	2 500	+30%		+40%	+40%	50%
★★★★★	5 500	+50%		+50%	+50%	60%	Lever Action Rifle
☆	8 500	+60%		+60%		70%	Crossbow
*With the 9mm(dual), MK23(dual), 44 Magnum(dual), Deagle(dual)(Golden(dual)), LAR, Crossbow, M14EBR, or M99, S.P. Musket.

Commando

link=File:Perk_Commando.png|right|128x128px The commando specialises in assault rifles. Its role is crowd-control, and can assist in taking down the big guys.

Detailed Commando Information

The commando generally serves as the eyes of the squad. His ability to see the specimens' health bars and detect cloaked enemies at range makes him effective at preventing foes from sneaking up on the team, especially in dark areas. By reading the specimens' health bars, the commando can gauge the best time for the team to coordinate its attacks on more dangerous targets.

The primary role of the commando is providing covering fire for the rest of their squad, and should typically focus on taking out the weaker foes: Stalkers, Crawlers, Clots, and Gorefasts. Although all perks can be effective at combating these specimens, the commando has large ammunition reserves for his assault rifles, and with his rapid fire rate, he can easily beat down large groups of weak specimens in quick succession. The commando specializes in using the bullpup, AK-47, M4, SCAR Mk 17 and FN FAL. The commando receives a damage bonus, larger magazine, and less recoil for these weapons, as well as a faster reloading speed for all weapons.

Weapon Analysis

Submachine Guns

Tommy Gun

The Tommy Gun can be placed between the M4 and AK-47/MKb42 in terms of damage and accuracy. It lacks the magazine and ammo capacity of the Bullpup, having the same magazine size of the AK-47, MKb42, and the M4. The Tommy Gun is highly accurate and fast-firing, similar to the M4, but lacking a red-dot sight, and on the other side of the spectrum, it does less damage than the AK-47/MKb42. However, thanks to its low recoil, it is easy to control in full-auto fire.

Dr. T's Lead Delivery System

The Dr. T's Lead Delivery System does the same damage as the Tommy Gun, but comes with bigger mag capacity, a slighty longer reload and a smoke effect on its ironsight after each shot. Compared to other Thompson variants, it sports a tighter spread per shot and stands as a reliable zed-time extender. Small ammo pool compared to the magazine size don't exactly support a sustained use in the long waves, but tight accuracy makes it reliable for extending zed-time as long as recoil is controlled.

Rising Storm Tommy Gun

A Tommy gun with a 50 round drum magazine and slighty longer reload time. Otherwise it's identical to the Tommy gun while boasting a larger magazine size. It doesn't exhaust an excessive steam like Dr.T's, but its bullet spread is same as classic stick magazine Thompson. Just like Dr.T's Lead Delivery System, it can be used for extending zed-time with haul of bullets. Usually it's preferred for clearing the pillowed specimen behind a big threat after its elimination more than being resourceful at the zed-time.

Assault Rifles

Bullpup

The Bullpup is the cheapest and most easily acquired assault rifle. It is a pretty basic weapon, lacking damage compared to other Commando weapons, but it has a very large magazine capacity and low recoil by comparison, even in full-auto. Even low-ranked Commandos will have little trouble purchasing one, and it is useful for mowing down weak specimens despite its low damage and fast onperk reloads. Against larger specimens like the Scrake, however, the Bullpup's shortcomings become evident. Its damage is low and disciplines one to aim for headshots if they want to survive the odds but its immense supply of ammo, offers a very long sustain along the wave for multiple purposes. Within' soft decapitations to stagger the horde of small specimen, a Bullpup bearer seemingly never can lose ground as long as they have ammunition with lightning fast reloads from onperk bonuses.

AK-47

A fairly powerful assault rifle, yet suffers from high recoil. This is a pretty good mainstay for most Commandos until they can afford a battle rifle. The AK-47 is a middle-of-the-road gun, doing mediocre damage, slowest fire rate but with a higher magazine capacity and wide spread. This assault rifle lacks the holographic, red-dot or the ACOG sight of the other assault and battle rifles, forcing its user to rely on somewhat intrusive iron-sights but rewards with fairly high accuracy on single shots. It costs the same amount as the M4 carbine; compared to the M4, the AK is less accurate and slower firing, but each round does more damage to offer direct stopping power.

MKb42

The MKb42 is identical in damage compared to the AK-47, but has less full-auto recoil, a higher rate of fire but has higher spread per shot. The MKb42, like the AK-47, is also a middle-ground gun with its traits tweaked a little. This assault rifle lacks the holographic, the red-dot sight, or the ACOG sights, forcing its user to rely on ineffective point iron-sights just like AK-47. Having a smaller spread per shot, when sprayed with very small bursts the iron sights are accurate at medium distance as long as recoil control is ensured. Having a higher kickback overall compared to AK-47, it's not efficient to go down on iron sights at semi-auto mode. Compared to the AK-47, it shoots 10% faster on full auto, making its fire rate on par with Bullpup which comes into play when using small controlled bursts of shots or zed-time kicks in. This weapon is also 10% more expensive compared to AK-47 or M4 while sitting right inbetween them performance wise.

M4 Carbine

The M4 features a very high rate of fire at the cost of higher recoil, and an aimpoint scope, but the second-lowest damage of all Commando weapons. This rifle is generally used by Commandos wanting a faster but lower-damaging weapon setup to extend zed-time that carries a generous reserve of ammunition. It is extremely accurate on single-shot mode, capable of decapitating weak specimens with a single headshot, which when coupled with its large ammo reserve makes it a very efficient weapon for thinning the horde. As a drawback it's slower to reload than most weapons and in a hectic scenery, M4 user has to switch between full-auto and semi-auto to time their reloading and stagger the large crowds by soft decapitations to have space for reloading it safely.

Battle Rifles

SCAR MK17

The SCAR MK17 does more damage than any of the assault rifles and is very accurate, but suffers from a much smaller magazine size and high recoil. It features a larger red-dot scope than the M4, improving its usefulness over distances. It also features a rate of fire slightly slower when compared to the M4, but faster than the AK-47, and weighs the least of any high grade Commando weapons barr DLC Sub Machine Guns, at only 5 blocks.

FN FAL ACOG

The FN FAL does the same damage and has the same mag/ammo capacity as the SCAR MK17, but fires some 12% faster, the same speed as the M4. It also features an ACOG scope, giving a longer zoom than any of the other weapons' sights or scopes. The FAL is heavier than the SCAR by 1 block, is more expensive, reloads more slowly and have less recoil than MK17.

Leveling Tactics

Though these tactics make it easier to level up, the commando remains notoriously difficult to level.

• Killing Stalkers with an assault rifle counts towards leveling the commando perk regardless of the perk currently selected by the player, so carry an assault rifle whenever possible and use it when confronted by Stalkers. This also works toward the general damage requirement. The field medic, berserker and demolitions expert can all make good use of an assault rifle as a sidearm.

• Bloats are juicy damage point targets for all perks, decap them with a strong assault rifle whenever you spot them.

• Decapitation bonus will be count towards your damage requirement. Try to headshot trash specimen and practice hipfire alot.

• Farm's open spaces allow the commando to run if things take a turn for the worse, making it ideal for a solo game. Higher difficulty levels and longer games yield more Stalkers.

• When holding a position, switch between single fire and full auto, depending on bullets left in magazine to manage your already slow reloads.

• Generally keep one of your two rifles at single fire and the other at full auto. When ZED time triggers switch to full auto rifle and mow down any weak specimen in your sight by emptying your whole magazine. Your ZED time expanding capabilities are useful for your team to eliminate more specimen in that given time.

Helping the Commando

• Do not shoot Stalkers unless you are surrounded or at a dire situation; the commando will happily kill them for you.
• Try to spare Bloats for your Commando as a Medic or Sharpshooter. Holding at a long sightline at the open might help you to consider passing up some non-immediate threats to other teammates.
• Support the Commando against stronger targets such as Scrakes and Fleshpounds; assault rifles do not damage them much.
• The Commando perk levels slowly; donate some money to help the Commando buy a SCAR Mk 17 or FNFAL as soon as possible.
• Commando shouldn't be left behind for prolonged times in a kite route, someone have to take over while Commando better push at the front.
• Commando will have better chances to hunt down Stalkers at the open sightline with two or more lanes in a hold point rather than a one gate funnel spot.

Rank	Requirements		Assault rifles					Spawn equipment	Detection		Zed-time Extensions
	Damage*	Stalkers*	Damage	Recoil	Capacity	Discount	Reload Speed		Cloak	Health
—	—	—	+5%	−5%	—	10%	+5%	—	4 m	—	—
★	25 000	30	+10%	−10%	+10%	20%	+10%		8 m	4 m
★★	100 000	100	+20%	−15%	+20%	30%	+15%		10 m	7 m
★★★	500 000	350	+30%	−20%	+25%	40%	+20%		12 m	10 m	1
★★★★	1 500 000	1 200	+40%	−30%		50%	+25%		14 m	13 m	2
★★★★★	3 500 000	2 400	+50%			60%	+30%	Bullpup	16 m	16 m	3
☆	5 500 000	3 600		−40%		70%	+35%	AK47			4
*With the Bullpup, AK47, M4, SCAR Mk 17 and FN FAL.

Berserker

link=File:Perk_Berserker.png|right|128x128px The berserker specialises in melee weapons (such as knife, katana or axe). As it levels up, it gains movement speed, attack speed (melee weapons) and damage resistance. Spawns with a chainsaw at level 6.

Detailed Beserker Information

The Berserker  is the melee specialist of the team, and as such is almost always on the front line beating back the horde. Their focus is entirely on melee and can effectively use the Knife, Machete, Fire axe, Katana, Claymore, Chainsaw, Scythe and Dwarfish Axe in place of firearms. The Berserker generally takes some practice to function effectively, but in the hands of a skilled player it serves a vital role in cutting down the bulk of specimens, and absorbing the brunt of damage off of the rest of the team.

The Berserker has a number of abilities to aid their survival. Their melee damage and swing speed are drastically improved, backstabs inflict significantly more damage, and they move up to 30% faster than normal when wielding any melee weapon other than the Chainsaw, making them the fastest player in the game. Beserkers also enjoy up to 40% resistance to all damage types in the game, especially Bloat acid. They cannot be grabbed by Clots, which makes the Berserker a perfect candidate for deflecting aggro off of other players, and is the only class capable of stunning large specimens  using melee weapons. A Berserker typically aims to carry either the Katana or the Chainsaw, as both weapons can cut down standard foes very quickly and frequently extend ZED-time. The Berserker is one of the cheaper classes to maintain, as they rarely need to purchase ammunition; once they purchase their main weapon and armor, they can support their team by giving them any excess money.

Despite all its bonuses, the Berserker is a reasonably difficult class to play. They are typically the first contact for most specimens, and as such needs to handle incoming threats before they be struck. Although Berserkers have a very strong damage resistance, which applies to both health and armor, they are not able to withstand excessive continuous punishment, and avoiding strikes from specimens is a crucial skill. However, there are a few specimens that can make this quite difficult.

Crawlers pose a big threat as they are very common, small and fast. They prove a difficult target to hit, especially when they leap, and when on the ground they are hard to hit due to their size. They will chip away at the Berserker's Combat armor over the course of the round, making it easier for larger specimens to overwhelm them. Backpedaling or strafing out of the path of the Crawler's jump and striking when they land is one of the few ways to avoid taking damage. Gorefasts are not much of a threat as long as the Berserker can see them coming, but with a successful charge they can instantaneously deal a large amount of damage. Sirens and Husks are both ranged specimens that require the Berserker to close down on them fast to avoid damage from their attacks. This is made much harder when other specimens are blocking the route, especially with the Siren, as it will allow them to deal heavy damage to the player. One of the best ways to approach them is usually from around corners, as screams and fireballs cannot penetrate walls, allowing the Berserker to ambush these specimens before they can attack. Alternatively, the Berserker can take a ranged weapon such as the Lever-action rifle to aid in eliminating these threats, but on harder difficulties the lack of damage may be problematic. For a hefty investment, some Berserkers prefer to be armed with an M79 or Crossbow to gain some alternative methods of removing threats on the higher difficulties.

Since the Berserker is the first contact for most specimens, one of the major threats for a Berserker is the Fleshpound. Unlike most specimens, the Fleshpound is not susceptible to a critical headshot and cannot be easily decapitated. This, coupled with their high speed and damage output, makes them very dangerous to the Berserker. They are however weak against grenades, so stacking a few at their feet can allow the Berserker to take off a large amount of health before attacking with powerful melee attacks to finish them off. An advanced tactic for more experienced Berserkers is to use the Fire axe's primary fire and dodge the Fleshpound's attack while chipping health off the Fleshpound without causing it to rage. This does however require a lot of patience, cover fire and practice.

Weapon Analysis

Knife

Every player spawns with a knife. While it is the weakest weapon in the game, equipping it will allow the player to run faster, as is the case with every melee weapon except the chainsaw. A hard swing to the neck will decapitate Clots and Gorefasts easily, but Berserkers should seek to obtain a better melee weapon the first chance they get. The knife should also be equipped while running towards the Trader for better time-efficiency in case the player(s) killed the last specimen too early or if said specimen died by itself.

Machete

The Machete is essentially a bigger, nastier knife. It has negligible weight and can often be found spawned on the maps, and can make quick work of almost anything short of a Husk or Siren. The Machete will make a decent primary weapon for the Berserker until he can afford a better weapon. The Machete is also a great choice for other classes due to its negligible weight, cheap price ($500) and decent RoF/Damage.

Fire Axe

The Fire Axe is a powerful but slow melee weapon, capable of stunning a Scrake with an alt-fire blow to the head. Like the Machete, it can be found spawned around maps, but unlike the Machete, it is considerably heavier, at 5 blocks.

Katana

The Katana is an excellent choice for Berserkers who practice hit-and-run tactics, since the Katana's light weight and fast attack speed allow for a great deal of mobility. The Katana will make quick work of lesser specimens and can flinch-lock a Scrake with repeated headshots; however, this tactic will not work on Suicidal or Hell on Earth difficulty.

Scythe

The Scythe is the most powerful weapon available to the Berserker class, runner-up to the Buzzsaw Bow. Its high damage and wide swing arc make it useful at mowing down specimens. However, compared to the Claymore, its damage may be overkill when used on lesser specimens such as Clots or Gorefasts, and the slower swing rate provides a slight drawback. Overall, it can be seen as a sort of sidegrade to the Claymore.

Claymore

The Claymore is more expensive than the Scythe and does less damage, but it swings faster. It's slightly more efficient at killing smaller specimens and is one of the best melee weapons for dealing good damage to the Fleshpound. Alt-fire attacks from the rear do incredible damage, and the Berserker's thick skin and fast movement allow him to distract the Fleshpound while teammates help finish it off.

Chainsaw

The Chainsaw is the heaviest melee weapon, but offers a great deal of versatility thanks to its multiple fire modes. Primary fire absolutely shreds Clots, Crawlers, and Gorefasts, and the alt-fire can be used against anything bigger, especially when aimed at the neck. Unlike other melee weapons, however, the Chainsaw does not grant a movement speed bonus, and the weapon's noise can mask the sound of incoming specimens. Nonetheless, the Chainsaw makes for an excellent defensive weapon.

Buzzsaw bow

The Buzzsaw Bow is the only ranged weapon for the Berserker perk. It is comparable to the Sharpshooter's Crossbow in terms of damage and rate of fire, but what the Buzzsaw Bow lacks in accuracy and range it makes up for with its ricocheting projectiles. A well aimed buzzsaw can cut down crowds of Clots or decapitate a Scrake, and the buzzsaws can be picked up after they are fired, saving money. However, the Buzzsaw Bow is both heavy and extremely expensive, relegating it to late game use unless the player is a high-level Berserker on a low difficulty.

Dwarfs!? Axe

The Dwarfs!? Axe is the slowest available melee weapon, and is comparable to the Claymore in terms of damage and cost. However, it possesses the unique ability to knock specimens back with a blow, making it useful for keeping Scrakes and Fleshpounds at arm's length. This allows you to kill even an enraged Fleshpound without taking damage.

Leveling Tactics

• Leveling Berserker can be done quite effectively alongside players leveling Field Medic, due to the nature of the perks. Having a Field Medic at hand for healing is quite handy for leveling Berserker.
• The DOOMed map is great for power-levelling Berserker on solo, as it has a chainsaw spawn very close to the player spawn. High difficulty setting combined with the Faked Players mod can yield hundreds of thousands of damage points in a very short space of time.
• Bloats and Scrakes are both juicy targets with lots of health. Don't let them go to waste. Both specimens move at a slow pace, and possess a large frame that makes them particularly susceptible to Pipe Bombs and friendly Sharpshooters.

Helping the Beserker

If the Berserker is in combat with a Scrake, don’t fire! The Berserker can repeatedly stun the scrake with his melee attacks, and kill it without taking any damage – unless somebody enrages the scrake with gunfire. Concentrate on putting down any Clots and Crawlers that are flanking the Berserker, but don’t automatically shoot a Scrake that’s in melee combat.

Try to avoid killing specimens that the Berserker is about to engage; there is nothing more frustrating than charging all over the map with your prey being killed just before you make contact.

Don't stand directly behind a Berserker unless you are healing them. A lot of Berserker combat can involve trying to move back and forth in an attempt to dodge attacks, and it is bad team play to end up getting your Berserker killed by not letting him back away.

If you can, let the Berserker take out the Bloats and Scrakes which are at close quarters. It would be a nice way to manage ammo count for Sharpshooter as well.

Berserker
Rank	Requirements	Melee Weapons				Berserker		Zed-time Extensions	Spawn equipment
	Damage*	Damage	Attacks	Movement	Discount	Bloat Bile damage	All Damage Resistance
—	—	+10%	—	+5%	10%	-10%	—	—	—
★	25000	+20%	+5%	+10%	20%	-25%	5%
★★	100 000	+40%	+10%	+15%	30%	-35%	10%	1
★★★	500 000	+60%		+20%	40%	-50%	15%	2
★★★★	1 500 000	+80%	+15%		50%	-65%	20%	3
★★★★★	3 500 000	+100%	+20%		60%	-75%	30%	4	Machete
☆	5 500 000		+25%	+30%	70%	-80%	40%		Body Armor Axe
*With the Machete, Axe, Chainsaw(Golden), Katana(Golden), Dwarfs!? Axe, Claymore, Buzzsaw Bow, Scythe or Combat Knife.

Firebug

link=File:Perk_Firebug.png|right|128x128px The firebug specialises in fire-based weapons. Its role is crowd control and dealing damage over time.

Detailed Firebug Information

The Firebug is primarily a class specializing in mob control. His main task is to ignite groups of specimens early to help thin out the smaller zeds, dealing with ranged threats while softening up larger targets and making them easier to deal with. To accomplish this, the Firebug utilizes fire-based damage, receiving bonuses for the Flamethrower, MAC-10, Trenchgun, Husk fireball launcher, and (with a DLC purchase) the Flare Revolver. For all of the five weapons, the Firebug is given a discount of up to 70%, increased ammo capacity of up to 60%, and faster reload speed (with the exception of the Husk fireball launcher, which doesn't reload). For only 3 weapons, Firebug also gains a base damage bonus of up to 60%, for Flamethrower, Husk fireball launcher and DLC Flare revolver.

Firebug is the distraction and ranged threat eliminator for the team. Their flame based weaponry can cut through the horde and kill ranged threats like Siren with ease, taking the Husk's attention away from less capable team mates. Also he can accommodate in dealing with big targets by crisping and slowing them down, when they endure the burn damage for a couple of seconds. Firebugs are meant to deliver fear and flames by standing at the front lines just behind the Berserker class, in the line with Support Specialist, yet they're not as durable as Berserker, nor have instant damage spikes like Support; that makes them the "jack of all trades" but master of none, in the terms of gameplay. Yet, they're gambit classes that act as a shield for teams to dispatch medium threats quickly and cease mayhem after a big target breach, to sweep the path of their destruction and clear bunched up specimens in chunks.

Weapon Analysis

Sidearms

MAC-10

The MAC-10 can be fired either fully-automatic or semi-automatic. If fired full-auto, its ammo reserves are quite low, but each successful shot ignites its victim. Its recoil is very high, especially with sustained fire, so keeping a steady aim while taking on large numbers of specimens is a big challenge with the MAC-10, and is almost always inferior to using the Flamethrower. MAC-10 does not benefit from perk bonuses for afterburn damage unlike Flamethrower but it's a safe choice at early levels as it doesn't have splash damage. Learning to score headshots from afar and letting specimens burn out is a useful skill for rationing ammunition throughout each wave. Compared to the flare revolver(s), the MAC-10 has a higher rate of fire, but suffers from a wider spread and less impact damage per hit, and lacks in damage to take on greater specimens. It can not set off hand grenades like a Flare revolver as it has no splash damage, but MAC-10 has a unique utility of stacking grenades faster when wielded. Tossing 2-3 grenades faster against a big target can be more valuable than setting off incendiary hand grenades quickly for mobility and crowd control.

Flare Revolver(s)

The flare revolver is a projectile-based weapon; it deals significant impact damage as well as a small splash-damage effect capable of igniting any nearby specimens, and a medium-sized splash effect that will damage, but not ignite enemies unless they're close enough due damage fall off. The Flare revolver is generally capable of stunning and then finishing any lesser specimen in 1 direct hit; if they are not killed by the impact, they will soon or almost instantly burn out. These are one of the better weapons to use against a Husk, with 2 direct head-shots killing it on any difficulty and number of players. When dual-wielded, they can be fired nearly as fast as you can click the mouse. When compared to the MAC-10, they lack in the ability to be fired fully-automatic, are more expensive per clip, have a lower ammo capacity and reserve, and have a lower rate of fire; but do more impact damage per hit, and have no spread, as well as the small splash-effect. Dual-wielded flare revolvers are an option for a solo Firebug to use for finishing off a greater specimens, but not really recommended if more capable teammates are available.

Primary Weapons

Flamethrower

At lower levels, the flamethrower may lack range, and for stronger enemies, damage output. It can also be awkward at close range, when the Firebug is forced to either fire at point-blank and sustain self-damage, or wait through the long weapon swap animation to pull out another weapon. However, from level 3 onwards, the Firebug enjoys 50-100% more range with the flamethrower as it becomes a significant change. The Flamethrower also does constant damage, with each unit of fuel doing impact splash damage, piercing the target, as well as causing lingering burn damage. A single ignition from a higher-leveled Firebug will kill any lesser specimen. This comes at the disadvantage of having very little use against the Husk, which has +50% fire-resistance against the flamethrower, and faltering against highly vital specimen such as Scrakes or Fleshpounds, lacking the power to quickly kill them without positioning. Compared to the Husk Gun and Trenchgun, Flamer has the disadvantage of having very little impact or spike damage and has to reload uninterrupted, but provides rapid rate of fire and high sustain.

Trenchgun

Trenchgun has no splash damage to increase its damage output against groups and a large spread, when both combined it's a perk weapon for safer playstyle viable at earlier levels. The Trenchgun is capable of doing impact damage as well as lingering burn damage while piercing multiple enemies to dispatch the weaker ones in one or two shots. This gun is useful at both dealing large amounts of damage to close specimens and lighting large groups of distant specimens on fire. Every enemy hit by even a single pellet will be set alight. Compared to the Flamethrower, it has the advantage of doing more impact damage and a large spread area of ignition by distance, but it costs more. While both gun and ammo is a more expensive choice, it doesn't deal damage as quickly as its afterburn damage doesn't benefit from perk bonuses and it has to be kept reloaded. Compared to Husk Fireball Launcher, it lacks in the ability to deal massive, focused damage, but it doesn't have to be charged up and has faster projectiles. The Trenchgun is a viable option for a solo Firebug to use against greater specimens, but is not really recommended. Trenchgun requires a hectic gameplay where Firebug has to run back and forth as needed and as it requires constant reload, it's not eligible to use in small areas at all.

Husk Fireball Launcher

The Husk fireball launcher is sometimes used as an alternative to the flamethrower but is often overlooked due to being somewhat expensive, even at level 6 (£3200 - £1200) and functioning very similarly to the flamethrower despite its price and relatively high damage output. However, the Husk Fireball Launcher has several advantages over the Flamethrower and Trenchgun. It requires no reloading, so Firebugs using it will never find themselves stuck reloading while being mobbed by specimens. Its power can also be charged by holding down the mouse button while firing, which is useful for taking down any of the bigger targets, and it has a significantly shorter weapon switch time than the Flamethrower. Although it can't spit as much fire as the Flamethrower or Trenchgun to reach multiple targets in the same amount of time, and it doesn't have the spread of the Trenchgun, these are rarely necessary against higher grade threats. The Husk Fireball Launcher causes much less recoil than the flamethrower as well, keeping the Firebug on target for additional shots.

Leveling Tactics

The perk description reads, "Deal x damage with flame weapons", fire damage from the MAC-10, the flamethrower, the husk fireball launcher, incendiary grenades, the trenchgun, and the flare revolver adds to the total. A firebug at level 3 or higher can therefore throw incendiary grenades during the first wave to earn some extra fire damage before acquiring a more versatile weapon from the Trader.

Flamethrower has a self splash damage and as a low level firebug it's not optimal for one to flail it around unless one has funneled monsters with enough distance. Even at a one exit room, the distance between you and specimen will always be an issue because fast specimen can easily swarm a player. Prefer to start the game by acquiring MAC-10 first at early waves instead for preventing any severe death penalty upon losing your weapon or causing splash damage to yourself when you're careless.

Firebug don't have incendiary grenades before level 3, however setting stacked frag grenades with either Flamethrower or Flare revolver can be a volatile recipe for a booming blast. This can come handy but as Firebug has no resistance against high explosives, failing to determine distance may cause one to kill themselves or heavily get hurt.

Spraying your flamethrower by holding down primary fire will increase your damage count faster than firing small bursts, but on higher difficulties and later waves may result in you running out of ammo faster. Holding the button down will cause stutters for nearby players and deny you from dealing accurate splash damage from bursts to increase damage output even further.

In addition, spraying a Fleshpound or Scrake may cause it to become enraged and incur severe damage on you or your teammates. Shooting the flamethrower in Zed time, sometimes cause flamethrower to shoot non-stop as slow motion ceases, try to shoot in bursts unless you try to overwhelm a target with focus fire. Paced bursts will allow one to deal splash damage from solid obstacles more accurately by controlling kickback between them.

Bloats are 50% weak against direct fire damage, a good target for scoring fast damage points but they have no weakness against afterburn effects. Keep in mind that Husks are 75%-85% resistant to both direct fire and afterburn so you should kill them with other weapons or only distract them to tank their shots as your teammates kill it. Fleshpounds simply has 50% innate resistance to most non-explosive attacks also ignore afterburn crisp up slowdown enraged. If a big specimen is enraged, best you can do is hosing them down and hoping that they'll crisp up or die before they reach you.

Helping the Firebug

• The Firebug doesn’t always do enough damage to exterminate the specimens that are rushing towards him, so be prepared to finish off the smaller, faster specimens, as well as the larger ones with more health, especially the Gorefasts and Bloats, with supporting fire. Firebugs are horrible versus Scrakes and Fleshpounds, and need help in eliminating them. Husks are also 50% resistant to a Firebug's Flamethrower. If you see a Firebug struggling to kill a Husk with a Flamethrower, they would probably appreciate help. Remember, however, that they are highly resistant or invulnerable to the fire damage the Husk does, and you are not, so try to avoid attracting its attention to you while attacking it.

• If at all possible, don't kill a burning specimen. The longer the specimen burns, the more burn damage the Firebug gets, and the faster they rank up. The obvious exceptions are Fleshpounds, Scrakes, and Gorefasts that get too close without 'crisping up'. Husks are also a viable target if the Firebug is having trouble with them.

• The Firebug is a supporting class; he is there to ensure that you do not get overrun, so choose a suitable place to fight from where he can provide you covering fire without having to put himself in danger to do so.

Firebug
Rank	Requirements	Flame Weapon					Fire Resistance	Spawn equipment
	Damage*	Damage	Reload Speed	Extra ammo	Discount	Extra Flamethrower Range
—	—	+5%	—	—	10%	—	50%	—
★	25 000	+10%	+10%	+10%	20%	—	60%
★★	100 000	+20%	+20%	+20%	30%	—	70%
★★★	500 000	+30%	+30%	+30%	40%	+50%	80%
★★★★	1 500 000	+40%	+40%	+40%	50%		90%
★★★★★	3 500 000	+50%	+50%	+50%	60%	+100%	100%	MAC10
☆	5 500 000	+60%	+60%	+60%	70%			Body Armor FlameThrower
*With the FlameThrower(Golden), Trenchgun, MAC10, Husk Gun or Flare Revolver(dual).

Demolitions

<figure class="mw-halign-right">[./File:Perk_Demolition.png link=|128x128px]<figcaption href="Golden FlameThrower"></figcaption></figure> The demolitions perk specialises in explosive-based weapons. It has mixed roles; it is effective at both crowd-control as well as taking on the larger enemies.

Detailed Demolitions Expert Information

The Demolitions expert, colloquially known as the Demo, is the team's heavy supporting class, specializing in explosives. He can inflict extremely high amounts of damage upon crowds and large specimens at long range, but is far less effective against specimens in close proximity and the cost of explosives is relatively steep.

For all explosives, the Demo inflicts up to 60% more damage, receives discounts of up to 74%, and has damage resistance of up to 55% – which also affects the Patriarch's rocket. He can carry a larger number of grenades, and also Pipe bombs, which function as powerful proximity mines.

The Demo's main weapons of choice are the M79 and M32 grenade launchers, the M4 203, and the L.A.W rocket launcher. The large explosive radius and strength of explosives allows the Demo to set up high-damage traps, and bombard large areas to efficiently eliminate large groups of specimens. The explosion of grenades and rockets instantly set off any grenades thrown by the Demo within their explosive radius, allowing the Demo to stack grenades in one place and quickly explode them before the target specimen can move out of the way. This technique has proven to be effective against large groups, the Fleshpound, and even the Patriarch.

The grenade launchers and L.A.W have a safety mechanism that will prevent the explosive from detonating too close to the player. Even so, the explosive radius of these explosives is very large, and can result in a large amount of self-damage, especially for the grenades launchers. This makes Stalkers and fast specimens very problematic if they are not dealt with quickly, and pipe bombs are extremely dangerous if the player is caught in the blast. The Demo should therefore stay at the rear of their squad, providing supporting fire to take out groups of weak specimens and stack as many explosives as they can to nuke stronger specimens like Fleshpounds. The M4 203 is more flexible in close quarters than the grenade launchers, however its small magazine, lengthy reload, lack of single fire, and low max ammo count make it better suited for emergency self defense than for use as a primary weapon.

Care should be taken when firing explosive projectiles near team-mates, as a player who intercepts the projectile may cause the Demo to blow himself up. The Demo should also bear in mind that every explosion creates a large dust cloud, which heavily obscures the vision. Having a Commando take the lead during an explosive attack helps prevent specimens from sneaking through the smoke, especially against the Patriarch.

The M32 MGL, M79, and the M4 203 are relatively lightweight, and any two can be carried simultaneously. Alternatively, taking a secondary weapon like an assault rifle or Lever-action rifle allows the Demo to more effectively eliminate close-range threats while saving his explosives for bigger threats at long range. When carrying the L.A.W, the Demo only has enough room for either Pipe Bombs or a Machete. In these situations, bunching up enemies behind welded doors or narrow corridors is generally where explosives serve their best roles.

One of the major drawbacks of the Demo is the cost of explosives. Even on high levels with large discounts, it can still take quite a few rounds to save up enough money to buy his weapons and ammunition, regardless of his preferred load out. As long as he has a good supporting team, and spends his money and explosives carefully during the early rounds, the Demo should be able to adequately sustain himself.

Weapon Analysis

Note: Although explosion damage can never do damage to the head of specimens, headshots with explosions weapons do at least 2x the normal damage. Blunt damage from unexploded shots also do 2x normal headshot damage, since it does not count as explosive damage. Note that the fleshpound has different multipliers for explosives damage on head and torso. Grenade

The Demolition Expert perk features having extra damage and capacity on hand grenades. When he's short on money for other explosive equipment investing some money on grenades could save lives. Stacking them around the big targets then setting them off with L.A.W. or M32 blast is essential for big target removal; but should be used sparingly, as they're fairly expensive at £40 each. Stacking these can be very useful against Fleshpounds; as they will do 2.0x more damage against it. This technique can also be used against Scrakes, if a better alternative isn't available, but is highly ill-advised. These can be stacked and detonated by any other Demolitions weapon, excluding the M4 portion of the M4-203.

M79 Grenade Launcher

The M79 Grenade Launcher is the first uniquely Demolitions weapon a Demolitions will acquire. This weapon features a larger, but weaker explosion compared to hand grenades, but is much cheaper per use. The M79, as with all Demo weapons, can be used to explode stacked hand grenades, but not planted pipe bombs. Compared to the M32, it is only a single shot grenade launcher, and has a lower ammo reservoir. Compared to the L.A.W, it features a smaller, less damaging explosion, but reloads faster, weighs a lot less, and has a larger ammo capacity. Compared to the M4-203, it is the exact same as the M203 portion, but lacks a close-range option, but has more explosive rounds. Head or torso shots with this weapon will do 2.33x more damage against a Fleshpound.

Orca Bomb Propeller

The Orca can be seen as a sidegrade to the M79. Unlike the M79's impact-explosive grenades, the Orca's bombs will bounce off of walls and floors, allowing for bankshots around corners. Orca bombs will explode after a 2.5-second fuse or after direct impact with a Specimen. Both the M79 and the Orca have roughly the same damage, ammo capacity, and fire rate, and both are equally effective at thinning out the Specimen horde.

Seal Squeal Harpoon Bomber

The Seal Squeal launches explosive harpoons that lodge into walls and specimens and detonate after a few seconds with the force of a grenade. Harpoon explosions will stack, much like hand grenades and harpoons can be ignited by other explosions. With its boosted damage of 3.65 on headshots, emptying a magazine into a Scrake or Fleshpound will deal a massive spike of damage or killing it on headshots, wounding or killing any nearby specimens as well. However, the Seal Squeal is slow to both fire and reload, and its pathetic iron sights make it difficult to aim.

Seeker Six

In many ways, The Seeker Six is the Seal Squeal's polar opposite. It fires homing mini-rockets that do low individual damage, but it boasts a high rate of fire and fast reload time. The rockets' concussive effect is disproportionate to the amount of damage they do, and they can easily send specimens flying even if they do not kill them. Alternate fire launches the entire magazine at once, useful for softening hardened targets up, killing everthing lesser than a scrake on headshots.

M4-M203

This weapon is an M4 assault rifle with an attached M203 grenade launcher. This weapon gives the Demolitions a chance against close-ranged enemies, at the cost of explosive damage potential. The weapon can also be used to explode stacked hand grenades, but not planted pipe bombs. The M4 portion of this weapon has very heavy recoil and a very high rate of fire, which can seriously shake up an unprepared Demolitions Expert. Compared to the M79; it takes about the same time to reload both parts, and it has a close-range option, but has fewer explosive rounds. Compared to the L.A.W, it features a smaller explosion and less damage, but weighs a lot less, and has a close-range option. Compared to the M32; the M203 portion does the exact same damage and has a very similar reload rate, but has fewer explosive rounds. Head or torso shots with the M203 portion of this weapon will do 2.33x damage against a Fleshpound.

M32 Grenade Launcher

The M32 Grenade Launcher is a much more advanced version of the M79. This weapon features a higher possible rate of fire, and has a larger ammo reservoir and boasts a six-shot cylinder compared to the M79, while costing the same per grenade. This weapon can also be used to explode stacked hand grenades, but not planted pipe bombs. Compared to the M79; it takes longer to reload, but can be interrupted. Compared to the L.A.W, it features a smaller explosion and less damage, but weighs a lot less, reloads faster and has a larger capacity. Compared to the M4-203, it is the exact same damage as the M203 portion, as well as having more explosive rounds, but lacks a close-range option, and reloads slower. Head or torso shots with this weapon will do 2.33x more damage against a Fleshpound.

L.A.W

The L.A.W (Light Antitank Weapon) is a very powerful and heavy rocket launcher. This weapon offers massive damage and a large splash radius, but due to its weight prohibits carrying any other weapons except your basic equipment, and either pipe bombs or a machete. This weapon can also be used to explode stacked hand grenades, but not planted pipe bombs. Compared to the M79; it takes longer to reload, weighs a lot more and has a lower ammo capacity, but has a larger blast and does more damage. Compared to the M32; it features a larger explosion and more damage, but has a slower, un-interruptable reload, and a lower ammo and it must be reloaded with each shot. Compared to the M4-203, it has a larger blast and does more damage, but lacks a close-range option, and reloads slower. Head or torso shots with this weapon will do 2.0x more damage against a Fleshpound.

Pipe Bomb

The pipe bomb is a high-explosive charge fitted with a proximity detector. If a certain specimen, or group of specimens, step over it it explodes, dealing massive damage to all caught in the blast radius. These are exceptionally useful in creating a perimeter, or in helping your team in removing large specimens, or a large group of the smaller ones. A planted pipe bomb can be prematurely detonated by a single shot of any pistol wielded by the player who planted it. Multiple pipe bombs can be stacked in a certain area, but will not explode in conjunction with each other unless an external explosive (i.e. the Husk fireball or the Patriarch rocket) detonates them. A detonated pipe bomb will do 2.0x damage against a Fleshpound.

• The enemies (or groups) that will set off these are: 4 or more of any Clots, Stalkers, or Crawlers; 3 or more Gorefasts, 1 or more Bloat, Siren, Husk, Scrake, or Fleshpound. The Patriarch will also set off pipe bombs by himself. Note that groups of intermixed enemies will set off a pipe bomb as well (e.g. 2 Gorefasts and 3 Clots, or a Husk and 3 Crawlers, would set off a pipe bomb.)

Leveling Tactics

• Even though perk level progress say explosive damage, blunt damage from explosive projectiles also count towards the perk progress as long as they explode. Trying to deal explosive damage by aiming at specimen feet simply deny one out of potential perk progress. Explosive damage has a fall off around the blast radius to determine how far the target is from the center of the blast. Non-direct shots deny player from a dealing half of the damage and only should be an option when there weak multiple specimen stacked at chokes or up close to give projectile an arm distance.

• Low difficulty levels don't tend to punish player with flanking specimen spawns often on mass kills. Try to stack single grenades to set them off with M79 or any shots to score mass kills against large crowds of weak specimen to maximize the explosive damage.

• Fleshpounds are heavily weak against grenades and pipe bombs. Additionally due to a coding oversight Husks tend to incur more damage from explosive projectiles aimed at their upper torso as well. At low difficulty levels, a shot from M79 can stun a Husk and stacking a few grenades before shooting an M79 at the chest of a Fleshpound or Husk will kill it right away.

• Siren scream can be silenced or canceled by explosive damage as well but they have a nasty habit of exterminating hand grenades and rockets mid air while destroying pipe bombs with their screams. They tend shuffle their feet to catapult themselves away from the blast damage too. Aim for their upper torso or try to wipe them with bouncing grenades off from walls to set them off. When you're a low level Demolition, Sirens should be your first priority to dispatch in a quick manner.

• Try to roam the map with light weight equipment in early waves while playing low difficulty games and always be on the look for sellable random weapons. Picking M79 with Lever-action rifle is a nice combination as rifle is trustful but also disposable thanks to low cost of rifle when you come across a sell worthy Fire axe. L.A.W and M32 are both very expensive for a low level Demolition Expert to possess at early waves even at low difficulty scales.

• Don't mess with Scrake unless you have enough grenades to set off and can aim directs at its upper torso or head. L.A.W can stun Scrakes so it's safer to wait to acquire it before attacking the Scrakes directly. An unalerted enrage may cause chaos amongst the team composition unnecessarily. In a similar manner you wouldn't want Fleshpounds angry and unattended for long if you're not up to par to kill it in one fell swoop.

Helping the Demolition Expert

• If the demo is using a L.A.W. or M32, he will appreciate any help you can give in eliminating the small, single specimens that try to crowd in on him. Crawlers that can be wiped out easily with a Bullpup or Handcannon become a major nuisance to anybody burdened with the powerful L.A.W or grenade launchers, since he can only use his knife or pistol against them, or waste valuable grenades doing blunt damage against them.

• Due to the nature of the Demolition, if he has the L.A.W, he will use his one spare block in pipe bombs, leaving him only his basic equipment for dealing with small specimen. If you see the demo carrying the L.A.W, he will need major help in swarming hordes even if they positioned infront of a funnel gate.

• Much of the Demolition perk’s ammunition is expensive, so keep him well supplied with cash if you can spare it. On Beginner or Normal difficulty, leaving ammo boxes for the demo is also a kind thing to do as each one can increase his supply of pipe bombs. Even at high difficulties sparing ammo boxes for Support Specialist or Demolition is preferred but Demolition has a priority over rest with their long ranged area damage shots.

• Try to kill off groups of smaller zeds before they can set off any pipe bombs the demo has placed: they will serve better against the Patriarch or larger specimens.

• If you see that a bigger Zed is coming and you see a usable pipe bomb - stand in such a way that the bomb will be between you and the Zed and do not move! The Zed will reach you and will stand exactly on the pipe bomb when it explodes. If you can time it properly, move backward slightly as the Zed approaches and you will find yourself unharmed and the Zed in giblets. This tactic works best on Fleshpounds that are not raging; if they are raging, they may run so quickly over and past the pipe bomb that it detonates behind them, doing minimal damage due fall off. It is also useful in stunning or killing an enraged Scrake, stopping it from damaging you and giving you a chance to finish it off without it attacking you.

Demolitions
Rank	Requirements	Explosives						Spawn equipment
	Damage*	Damage	Resistance	Discount Remote Explosives	Grenade Capacity	More PipeBomb	Discount
—	—	5%	25%	50%	—	—	10%	—
★	25 000	10%	30%	54%	20%	3	20%
★★	100 000	20%	35%	58%	40%	4	30%
★★★	500 000	30%	40%	62%	60%	5	40%
★★★★	1 500 000	40%	45%	66%	80%	6	50%
★★★★★	3 500 000	50%	50%	70%	100%	7	60%	M79
☆	5 500 000	60%	55%	74%	120%	8	70%	M79 Pipe Bomb
*With the LAW, Pipe Bomb, M79(Golden), M32, M4 203 or Grenade.

Neutral

Perk Neutral is the perk that was assigned to weapons that do not apply to any specific perk, however, they do benefit from perk skills, such as Sharpshooter headshot damage and Commando reload speed. Only two weapons fall in this category, the Zed Eradication Device, and the Zed Gun MKII. The Potato also falls into this category as it's not a real weapon.