Tactics Sharpshooter Guide by ljM

[ljM]

Hello everybody, I've played KF since release and here I am, two years later, putting together nearly everything I have learned into a guide.

This is designed to be a collection/portfolio of advice, assistance and beneficial information from players of all skills and experiences.

Over a long period of time, I have picked up a lot of my knowledge of the Sharpshooter perk from others and felt it would be a great help to people who want to learn more/improve their efficiency as a Sharpshooter.

After providing information on an item, I will provide a personal rating on the item from my experiences. Minimum: 0 Stars. Maximum: 5 Stars.

I welcome any contradictions, disagreements, spotted mistakes/misinformation. Please, PM me. Cheers.
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• Section 1: The Run Down of the Sharpshooter Perk
• Section 2: The Weapons and viable Load-Outs
  
• Section 3: Specimen Breakdown and Priority List
• Section 4: Extra Information and Assistance
  

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Section 1: The Run Down of the Sharpshooter Perk.

Level 0:
Headshot Damage: 10%
Recoil Reduction: 0%
Reload Time Reduction: 0%
Headshots required for next level: 30
Weapon Discount: 10%

Level 1:
Headshot Damage: 20%
Recoil Reduction: 25%
Reload Time Reduction: 10%
Headshots required for next level: 100
Weapon Discount: 20%

Level 2:
Headshot Damage: 38%
Recoil Reduction: 50%
Reload Time Reduction: 20%
Headshots required for next level: 700
Weapon Discount: 30%

Level 3:
Headshot Damage: 56%
Recoil Reduction: 75%
Reload Time Reduction: 30%
Headshots required for next level: 2500
Weapon Discount: 40%

Level 4:
Headshot Damage: 82%
Recoil Reduction: 75%
Reload Time Reduction: 40%
Headshots required for next level: 5500
Weapon Discount: 50%

Level 5:
Headshot Damage: 125%
Recoil Reduction: 75%
Reload Time Reduction: 50%
Headshots required for next level: 8500
Weapon Discount: 60%
Spawn with Lever-Action Rifle

Level 6:
Headshot Damage: 140%
Recoil Reduction: 75%
Reload Time Reduction: 60%
Headshots required for next level: -
Weapon Discount: 70%
Spawn with Crossbow

Note: The required Headshots are with the 9mm, HC, LAR, Crossbow and M14 only.

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Section 2: The Weapons and viable Load-Outs

9mm Pistol (1 block)
+ Ideal for dealing with the smaller specimens, it's free and cheap to refill, the iron-sights are accurate, there is a good mag size with a fast reload, it is light-weight, there is an attached flashlight.

- The body damage is poor, weak against medium-large specimens. Less effective at suicidal/HoE difficulty.

Summary: An excellent side-arm for the Sharpshooter, can deal with the smaller specimens efficiently, preserving ammo in the more powerful weapons for the larger specimen. 4 stars

Dual 9mm Pistols (4 blocks)
+ Again, ideal for dealing with smaller specimens, cheap to refill, twice the mag size, attached flashlight.

- Again, the body damage is poor, weak against medium-large specimens, long reload time, slightly heavier, poor accuracy which contradicts how the Sharpshooter should be played. Less effective at suicidal/HoE difficulty.

Summary: A poor choice of weaponry for the Sharpshooter. The loss of accuracy reduces the Sharpshooters effectiveness, as aiming for the head is a must. Can be used to get out of tight situations. 1 Star.

HandCannon (4 blocks)
+ Extremely powerful against smaller specimens, up to 4 specimen penetration, good headshot damage, fast reload, cheap to buy and refill, iron sights are accurate.

- There is a small mag size, which despite good headshot damage can lead to problems with bigger specimen, acts as a second side arm which means fast access to the 9mm can be a problem when the HC is out of ammo.

Summary: My personal choice of side-arm. Can be used to instantly take out small-medium specimens with ease, preserving ammo on the more powerful weapons for larger specimen. 5 Stars.

Dual HandCannons (4 blocks)
+ Again, extremely powerful against smaller specimens, up to 4 specimen penetration, good headshot damage, slightly more expensive to buy but still cheap to refill, twice the mag size which means it is capable of dealing with medium-large specimens.

- Slower reload, slightly heavier, poor accuracy which contradicts how the Sharpshooter should be played.

Summary: A fair choice of weaponry for the Sharpshooter. The loss of accuracy reduces the Sharpshooters efficiency, but the Dualies are an excellent side-arm for getting out of a sticky situation. 2 Stars.

Lever Action Rifle (6 blocks)
+ Powerful against all specimens, accurate iron sights enabling long range shooting, cheap to buy and refill, capable of stunning scrakes at Lv6, can kill in 5 headshots (6man HoE)

- Time consuming reload, relatively heavy.

Summary: With the pros by far outweighing the cons, with experience and practice the LAR is a great weapon. Capable of stunning the Sharpshooters highest priority target, the scrake at Lv6, this is a weapon you should often use. 4 Stars.

M14EBR (8 blocks)
+ Semi-automatic allowing an effective way to deal with multiple smaller specimens even on the move, fast reload, cheap to refill, large mag size.

- Extremely high learning curve which makes the m14 viable in only the most experienced hands, poor iron-sights and in-accurate laser, cannot stun scrakes, contradicts the Sharpshooters play of dealing with large specimen, heavy.

Summary: An extremely difficult weapon to use effectively. The iron-sights are poor, and the laser is unreliable. From my personal experience, this is a weapon to avoid. If you want to kill trash effectively, learn to use the HandCannon so you can still deal with bigger specimens. Otherwise, play commando. However, with experience, this weapon can be devastating. 4 stars (with experience).

Crossbow (9 blocks)
+ Extremely good (headshot) damage, can stun scrakes and capable of killing them in 2 or less shots (with hitbox practice), unlimited penetration,

- Expensive to buy and especially to refill, heavy, long time between shots.

Summary: Despite the cons, the Crossbow is the Sharpshooters best friend. It is ideal for dealing with scrakes and it can deal massive amounts to damage to all specimens. 5 Stars.

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Load-Outs:

Crossbow + HandCannon:
+ Great versatility, capable of dealing with both small and large specimens. A true Sharpshooter load-out with powerful, yet accurate weapons.

- Expensive to refill.

Summary: My personal load-out. With practice alternating between these two weapons will allow you to make quick work of any specimen in the game, making the Sharpshooter extremely powerful. Best suited for long-medium distance shooting. 5 Stars.

Addition: Recommended to learn how to use this load-out first. It is relatively simple, yet extremely effective.


Lever-Action Rifle + M14EBR:
+ Great for dealing with the smaller specimens and assisting on the larger specimens, as the LAR can stun scrakes. There is little downtime with the large mag sizes and fast reload speeds.

- M14 has a large learning curve. Firebug's can make your laser invisible.

Summary: Capable of dealing with smaller specimens (M14) and stunning scrakes with the LAR. A great assist to the team, specifically on spots where the specimens are only spotted at close range. However, the M14 is very difficult to use and this load-out is best suited to an experienced Sharpshooter. 4 Stars.

Addition: Only recommend learning this load-out after more experience. It requires a lot of knowledge and situational decision making to pull off, which only the more experienced players can make viable.

Lever-Action Rifle + HandCannon:
+ Great for dealing with smaller specimens (HC) and stunning scrakes with the LAR. Cheap to buy and refill, meaning you can give money to others.

- More difficulty/less effectiveness dealing with larger specimens, which contradicts how the Sharpshooter perk should be played, no use of tier 3 weapons.

Summary: Great for close-quarters shooting. Cheap to buy and refill, this combo also allows you to assist with both smaller and larger specimens. However, there is a lot of down-time with this load-out and the money you saved and gave to other players could be spent better on more powerful weapons. 3 Stars.

Crossbow + SCAR Rifle:
+ Great versatility, automatic weapon making quick work of smaller specimens, crossbow can deal with larger specimens. Accurate sights on both weapons. Great for clearing corridors.

- The assault rifle is less effective than in a Commando's hands. Extremely expensive and long reload times.

Summary: An effective combo for dealing with choke-point positions. This load-out provides great crowd-control. However, with a less effective, yet expensive assault rifle, this load-out has a lot of down-time. 3 Stars.

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Section 3: Specimen Breakdown and Priority List

The Clot:
A weak, common specimen that has the ability to grab you. Don't let it get to close. This specimen is best dealt with using a 9mm, HandCannon or M14.

The Gorefast:
A specimen that can deal a great amount of damage if ignored. It has the ability to charge at you. (likely hood of charge increased by difficulty) This specimen is best dealt with using a 9mm, HandCannon, LAR or M14.

The Bloat:
A large specimen that has a large amount of body HP. Has the ability to project bile onto you, which can be extremely deadly. Take of this specimens weak head with the 9mm, or more preferably the HandCannon, LAR or M14.

The Stalker:
A stealthy specimen that is relatively weak, though fast moving. Either keep on the move with this specimen preventing it from hurting you. This specimen is best dealt with using a 9mm, HandCannon, LAR or M14.

The Crawler:
A small specimen that normally comes in packs. It has a leap attack that can be lethal in numbers. This specimen is best dealt with using a HandCannon, LAR or M14 for that one-shot kill!

The Siren:
An ugly specimen in a straight jacket with a surprising amount of health. She has the ability to do an area of effect scream, hurting everybody in the radius, regardless of armour. Extremely lethal if she gets too close. This specimen is best dealt with using the HandCannon, LAR, M14 or in emergencys, the Crossbow.

The Husk:

A tough specimen that is capable of shooting fireballs at you and your team. The biggest issue this specimen causes is that the fireballs blind your vision on hit. This specimen is best dealt with using the HandCannon, LAR, M14 or the Crossbow.
​

The Scrake:
The Sharpshooters highest priority target. This specimen is extremely tough, charging at you and your team when on a designated amount of health (75% on Suicidal/HoE, 50% on Hard and below). Take out this specimen immediately with the Crossbow, LAR or an experienced user of the M14..

The Fleshpound:
The most dangerous specimen in the game. However, your team are able to deal with these just as well as the Sharpshooter, so take care of those scrakes before you consider giving all your attention to the FP. This specimen is best dealt with using a Crossbow or an experienced user of the M14.

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Priority List:

Close Range:

1. Scrake - At close ranges, Scrakes are dangerous. Sharpshooters are suited to take them down!
2. Siren - Don't let her get too close, her scream hurts all the team!
3. Fleshpound - The largest threat to a team. Take them down fast!
4. Husk - Can blind you on impact preventing you from shooting effectively. Deal with it!
5. Crawler - A threat that comes in numbers. Bring some bug-spray.
6. Gorefast - A threat that can seriously hurt your team.
7. Bloat - Can act as a meatshield, take off their fat heads.
8. Clot - A weak specimen, but don't let them get too close!

Long Range:

1. Husk - Ranged attacks can blind you on impact preventing you from shooting effectively. Deal with it!
2. Scrake - Scrakes are dangerous. Sharpshooters are suited to take them down!
3. Fleshpound - The largest threat to a team. Take them down fast!
4. Siren - Don't let her get too close, her scream hurts all the team!
5. Crawler - A threat that comes in numbers. Bring some bug-spray.
6. Gorefast - A threat that can seriously hurt your team.
7. Bloat - Can act as a meatshield, take off their fat heads.
8. Clot - A weak specimen, but don't let them get too close!

This list is not a Holy Sharpshooter Book. This is a logical guide to how to deal with the specimens in order. You should learn to predict which specimens are the biggest threat to your team.

A close gorefast is a bigger threat than a distant siren.

Scrakes should be dealt with as soon as possible.

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Section 4: Extra Information and Assistance

Role of being a Sharpshooter:

• You are a master of accuracy, learn to aim for the head. It will make you extremely more effective and efficient in bullet use and time taken to kill a specimen.
• You are capable of taking on every specimen, but other perks are designed to specalise in taking out smaller specimens in crowds. Do your job and deal with the larger specimens before assisting with the smaller ones. Remember the priority list.
• Online, in a team game dealing with scrakes is the number one priority. This is not as easy as it sounds. After the first bolt, the scrake will become stunned and enter one of two stun animations.

The Lean Animation:
If they lean over their heads start to sway left and right, as though they are drunk! Well time it, so when their head is in the middle, you shoot their neck (this will be like shooting them through their head into their neck). Time the left and right sway. It doesn't take long, the swaying is fast enough so you're not stood like a lemon for 5 minutes, but slow enough that with a bit of practice you will reach 100% accuracy. Remember, aim for the neck.

The Stand-Up Animation:
Now this is when you have to be concentrating. I haven't yet found a reliable hitbox, so I've found a work around. When the scrake is stunned, he will look left, then look right, then he will face the front again, a mili-second later he will charge. So... fire your bolt, scrake is stunned, he looks left, he looks right, he faces front - NOW FIRE! Too early, and you have the fail hitbox effect. Too late, and you will miss. Just right = he will have exited the stand-up animation, ready to charge for you, but will not have yet started moving yet.

It starts to get really difficult when the map terrain is uneven (holding a cave in manor for example) This is when your timing must be perfect, as he will be almost impossible to hit while running up and down the terrain at speed.

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Positioning:

Not many people consider this, but being at the front or back of your team can drastically change the way you play in each wave. Here is a general list of the pros and cons from being at the front, back or middle of the team.

Front of Team:
+ Your team mates wont (unintentionally) block your shots providing you with a greater vision to deal with specimens. It is easier to use the HandCannon as specimens are closer. It is easier to hear incoming scrakes and fleshpounds allowing you more time to prepare.

- You are (unintentionally) blocking other team mates and it is unwise for the Sharpshooter to crouch due to weapon penetration. There is significantly more danger and less time to pull off shots. With experience this becomes less of an issue.

Back of Team:
+ You are not blocking anybodies view and have a longer time to take shots. There is less danger in being at the back.

- Your shots can be (unintentionally) blocked by team mates. Due to the range, the HandCannon is harder to use. It is also harder to identify scrakes and fleshpounds by sound.

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General Tips and Tricks:

Use weapons from perk - It sounds obvious, but you will receive a greater amount of headshot damage. And as the Sharpshooter weapons are already powerful, these two variables combine for outstanding damage. It also means you are progressing your perk further!

Learn how the Dualies bug works - When you pick up a 2nd 9mm or HC, you will only receive ammo from the weapon you picked up. If you pick up an empty 9mm or HC, even if your current one is full, your ammo will instantly disappear. In trader time, drop your current HC before picking up a new one to test how much ammo it has.

A common trick of mine is to get a team mate to carry an extra HandCannon for you. Make sure you give him the money to refill it each round! This means you have more ammo to play with, be more trigger happy!

Stack multiple weapons if trader is close to the position you are holding. Again, this means you have more ammo to play with, allowing you to be more trigger happy!

Always be aware of incoming scrakes. Avoid getting tunnel vision from the large amounts of specimens at the other end of your HandCannon. The big ones come first, do your job!

Time reloads. The phrase 'calm before the storm' couldn't be more true in Killing Floor. Don't get caught with your pants down (if that's what your into) for a bunch of zeds closing in, reload whenever possible!

Suicide for free Crossbow. Can be frowned upon by some players, but why not make use of that excellent level 6 spawn weapon. This is a more efficient way to acquire a Crossbow than buying one!

Use the penetration! Just like the support perk - line up the zeds and save yourself some ammo!

Learn to quick-scope after firing a shot! Right click to zoom in immediately after the first shot!

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Okay, I hope you have learned something from all this information.

I spent a lot of time and effort making this guide, so I hope it was beneficial.

Thanks for reading.

ljM

Note: Would like to thank an old friend of mine, MT4K who has gone AWOL. He taught me much of what I know today.
Would also like to thank a more recent friend of mine, dez for his support and advice.
Thanks for poosh and Iban for their additions.

 

[Fish111]

Cool read and mostly accurate.

I think the ratings, while pretty subjective, are a bit too much in favor of the BOW or BOW/HC loadout. On Hell/Sui the LAR is pretty much superior to the crossbow in every way.

-While they both stun the scrake, due to hitboxes the LAR gives you more room for error if he breaks stun and charges you.
-LAR better for trash in most scenarios
-LAR can accompany M14 (Although as you mentioned why the hell would anyone want it to do that)
-LAR is so cheap for the price of a crossbow without ammo, you can buy 4 LAR's and toss them all over the map

>The crossbow is better at disabling/killing husks at extreme distances, but in my opinion doesn't make up for its other shortcomings

Sharp was the first class I leveled up, it's really powerful

edit: LAR does piss off FP's when headshotted from a sharpie. whoopsie :x

 

[blck_and_yllow]

I think the ratings are meant to be subjective as he says in the intro: "I will provide a personal rating on the item from my experiences".

Given that if the scrake does manage to break stun and charge, the LAR is arguably better. However, if done correctly the scrake should never have a chance to do so. Also, if the scrake is in a sea of zeds or a distance away, I think it would be easy to kill it with the xbow.

As for the LAR is better for trash. Is that LAR vs HC or LAR vs xbow. If it is the former then it's debateable. If it is the latter then of course but you should really be comparing loadouts rather than the individual weapons.

The LAR does instarage FPs when headshotted btw. You might be thinking of the M14.

The only major disadvantage I can think of for the xbow is the hit detection for the "stand-up animation". A lot of players miss their second bolt because they do not realise both animations have the same hit box. The LAR in that instance may be better because it feels more generous and you can fire 2 shots before the scrake wakes up rather than the 1 bolt.

 

[Ibin.]

On Hell/Sui the LAR is pretty much superior to the crossbow in every way.

-While they both stun the scrake, due to hitboxes the LAR gives you more room for error if he breaks stun and charges you.
-LAR doesn't insta-rage FP's when headshotted
-LAR can accompany M14 (Although as you mentioned why the hell would anyone want it to do that)

The LAR is superior only when using it against many different types of zeds. If the sharp is designated scrake killer at a camping spot, a bow is much more efficient and safe.

Your first point is negated with a skilled sharp shooter. Bow v. scrakes is very easy once you learn timings and hitboxes.

Your second point is just plain wrong. A perked LAR will always rage a FP with a headshot.

M14 is the most underrated gun in the game. It will outperform any other weapon at any other task when efficiency is considered. 10 shots to kill a FP. 7 for a scrake. 1-2 for anything else. AND it has enough ammo for a whole wave while rolling over everything.

Very much agreed the learning curve for the M14 is very demanding. Would give it 2 stars for a beginner. Somebody who is competent with it I would give it 5 stars though.

Good guide overall.

 

[Fish111]

The LAR does instarage FPs when headshotted btw. You might be thinking of the M14.

Hmmm yeah probably. It is much more feasible to get 7 LAR headshots with a pound running toward you than 4 bow headshots on HoE.

I do use the bow on trash zeds and continually pick up bolts so that's something cool, but I think hands down I see less bows on SUI and above, for good reason.

Your first point is negated with a skilled sharp shooter.

No it's not. You can be the best sharpshooter on earth but if the hitboxes decide to go full-retard which they often can you're miles better off with the LAR than the bow.

 

[FSUBoo]

Hmmm yeah probably. It is much more feasible to get 7 LAR headshots with a pound running toward you than 4 bow headshots on HoE.

I do use the bow on trash zeds and continually pick up bolts so that's something cool, but I think hands down I see less bows on SUI and above, for good reason.




No it's not. You can be the best sharpshooter on earth but if the hitboxes decide to go full-retard which they often can you're miles better off with the LAR than the bow.

One thing I will say, that since I know Ibin personally an know what kind of sharpshooter he is, I will take him ANY DAY OF THE WEEK with the crossbow than I'd take a Sharpshooter with a LAR. It's not even a debate.

Want video evidence of the Xbow sharpie being superior on harder difficulties in competent hands, watch this video.

YouTube - ‪HoE Triple FP.wmv‬‏

It's crappier quality, but the start of wave 10 on Foundry on Hell on Earth, we hit a FP really early, follwed by a DOUBLE FP not 15 seconds later. Me and the other support take the first FP, while sirens blow nades on 2nd and 3rd, so it's ENTIRELY UP TO THE SHARPSHOOTERS to take out the 2nd AND 3rd fleshpound. Both sharpies using XBOW hit both FPs with 2 shots so that's 4 total bolts to kill 2 fleshpounds. If you don't believe that both sharpies hit 2 shots that hit BOTH fleshpounds, I can get Nips_FB who was in that game to back me up on this. End of argument right there. 4 bolts from xbow compared to 14 shots it would have taken sharpies using a LAR, or 20 shots it would have taken sharpies using m14.

 

[Fish111]

Yeah, I guess what I described has more to do with versatility when you can't count on your team.

Hard to put a price on the penetration of the bow when stacking it up against the other sharpie weapons.

 

[FSUBoo]

Yeah, I guess what I described has more to do with versatility when you can't count on your team.

Hard to put a price on the penetration of the bow when stacking it up against the other sharpie weapons.

My point is how many people can you see hitting all 7 LAR shots on a FP before it rapes you and your time?

I dunno I guess I'm getting spoiled too, because I pretty much only play games where I can count on my team, so that game today was like "that's why I quit playing pubs" cause that always happens. We had a demo wasting pipes on scrakes and trash, supports that shot everything that moved including scrakes while people were trying to kill them with no rage and injury to players.

 

[Ibin.]

It is much more feasible to get 7 LAR headshots with a pound running toward you than 4 bow headshots on HoE.

I do use the bow on trash zeds and continually pick up bolts so that's something cool, but I think hands down I see less bows on SUI and above, for good reason.

No it's not. You can be the best sharpshooter on earth but if the hitboxes decide to go full-retard which they often can you're miles better off with the LAR than the bow.

I honestly don't know what to say. Everything you are saying is wrong or doing would be wrong. Have you really ever tried to hit 7 LAR headshots on a FP? In a real game? It is not feasible at all.

If you do run with M14/LAR never use the LAR on FPs. LAR is for scrakes and crawlers, 9mm/M14 for trash, and M14 for FPs. And I would say never use the bow for trash, but if you really want to then go for it. Run out of bolts when you really need them. More power to ya.

The hitboxes on a scrake can be one of two things, and they are instantly identifiable. They can't go "full-retard." They follow predetermined routes and timings EVERY TIME. So if you can't do it don't blame the game.

As for your argument on versatility, I have been using the bow/hc a lot lately and have to say it is just as versatile as LAR/M14 if you know how to use the HC well, it is a very underrated gun. When I do that setup my primary is my HC for everything, with a bolt here and there for FPs and Scrakes only.

 

[horzineplumpudding]

The M14 has few advantages you haven't listed. The laser allows you to keep running while you rack up headshots which is quite good when gorefasts are sprinting at you (the laser doesn't even bob). If it happens, you just have to run into them and leave them headless behind you, just like you would do in old fashionned first person shooters. You can aim reasonably well without having your FOV being decreased which results in a better awareness of your surrounding and your view doesn't get blocked by the iron sight which decreases your chances to get caught by crawlers.

The M14 has just a disadvantage : You have to aim, you can't just pull the trigger and relax (but it's not THAT hard, an average counterstrike player should do quite good with it if he concentrate, not saying he should be a miracle worker although). I had my best kill streaks with it when my perk level was around 3/4/5 because I wanted to get those headshots fast to get my free Xbow. Now I admit I've become a bit lazier and I usually don't do as good as before, haha

(EDIT : Wait, it has another disadvantage : Firebugs make your red dot nearly impossible to spot)

For the Xbow/HC combo vs fleshpound, does anyone know if a HC headshot will rage it (I can't check it now because don't have the game at my disposition atm) ? If it doesn't, kiting it with the HC should be a good option if you are forced to deal with it alone. You can also kite a fleshpound by shooting at his stomach with the Xbow, but this just takes forever and you might run out of ammo. I've succeeded in doing it only once as the last man standing, but it was mostly because the map was ideal for kiting and provided tons of ammo boxes. It was quite boring too.

 

[Ibin.]

A HC headshot will not rage a FP, 2 HC headshots will not rage it, 2 HC headshots and 1 body shot will not rage, but anything more than that will. Thought you could do 2 HC headshots every 2 seconds and be totally fine.

 

[poosh]

Good description, especially for new players. Good job, man!
Here are some remarks:
Single 9mm weights nothing. 1 block weights hand grenades. But this doesn't make any difference, because you can't drop pistol neither as nade holder.
9mm pistol is a good trash killer only up to Suicidal difficulty. On HoE 9mm headshot bonus is badly nerfed, so it leaves even clots alive (only decapitated) after one headshot.
You described M14 as total crap, but I think it isn't. I prefer xbow+HC combination too, but wouldn't put M14 only 1 star. In right hands M14 could be a ultimate weapon, but lack of bullet penetration and terrible iron sights make it weak on longer distance. Actually the longer hallway you get to shoot, the better is xbow+hc over LAR+M14. A common misunderstanding is "M14 is sharpie's weapon, so it can be used on long distances". It's not. M14 is good only on moderate distances, when you can clearly see red dot and not supposed to use those terrible iron sights. But in many situations on moderate distances LAR/M14 sharpie can be replaced by support, if someone else will take out scrakes.
I'm using LAR/M14 only for guarding the "back door". Where zed pressure is not so big, and this weapon combination allows sharpie to kill every zed alone, maybe with some help only for fleshpounds. So sometimes it's better to dedicate 1 sharpie for guading the back entrance, then 2 supports to weld it.
M14 has very cheap ammunition:

 

[poosh]

Now tactics. As I said before, I prefer xbow+HC combination, so I'll talk about it.

First about zed priority queue. Husk are enemies #1 to be killed by Sharpie. Scrakes are too slow, so can be ignored a couple of seconds. But if you start shooting scrake while there is husk, an entire team can be set of fire. And in that situation you can miss the second shot to scrake just because you can't see anything because of flames. One more weird thing: stunned scrakes are able to dodge Husk's fireballs. So Husk is #1.
Both SC and FP hold the second place of the list. Depending from situation, your choose who shoot first an differ. If there is demo with M32 in the team, always shoot SC first, or else demo will rage SC by shooting FP nearby. If no demo in the team, analyze zed positions. If FP is in the front, you will have enough time to kill it, then switch to scrake, because last one is very slow while not raged. If they're walking side by side, also kill SC first. If there are 2 sharpies in the team, try to prevent situation, when one shoots SC, another- FP. In such cases FP can block 2-nd shot to SC, and in result you will get both of them raged.
It's more complicated, when SC comes just in front of FP. While shooting SC you can rage FP with penetrated arrows. If start to shoot FP first, it will piss off SC on his rage run. So depending of team load-out you must choose between heavy weakened FP and pissed off SC or killed SC and almost full health raged FP.

When there are 2 or more sharpies in the team, I'm advising you before the game starts talk following things:
1. How to deal with multiple scrakes in the same time. Usually sharpie standing on the left side should take left scrake, and vice versa. But you can try also to instant-kill scrakes with 2 simultaneous headshots.
2. Who will do the first shot to the fleshpound. In situation when all sharpies starting to shoot FP usually first shot triggers rage animation and other miss the head. So it's better to wait for the first shot and make others while FP is doing rage animation. It also prevents shooting different targets when double or triple FP appear.

After FP receives 2 or 3 xbow headshots, his head is heavy weakened, while body still has 3-4k hp. So the best tactic for supports to finish such FP is to shoot in the head with AA12 (I prefer semi-automatic mode for better precision and ammo saving). Shooting in upper body with aa12 or HSg will require too many ammo in such situations. Jumping and shooting down in head with HSg double blast can work too, but support needs to keep in mind that he can block xbow arrows with such behavior. Nading single FP is not a good idea when 2 or more sharpies are in the team. FP trying to avoid nades also will avoid xbow arrows.
Classic situation:

Support: Look, how I can solo-kill FP...
(nade, HSg blast, 2 more nades... )
(SIREN SCREAM)
Support (spectating while dead): sorry guys... :(

Using HandCannon
On long hallways thanks to penetration HC can be ultimate trash killing weapon, even beating Commando until Scrake waves. All the following facts are for level 6 perks playing on HoE.

Lineup zeds, i.e. shoot the lines where are multiple zeds. Two Gorefast/Clot kills per HC shot should be a rule for a skilled sharpie, not a lucky exception.

Bloat are #1 target for HC, because other perks like support and commando usually leave those meat shields decapitated and alive for a significant time. HC instant-kill Bloat.

Gorefasts can be much easier taken out with HC comparing to other perks:
1 SCAR shot by commando leaves gorefast decapitated. So you need 1 shot to decapitate, 2 more shots to lay him down, so you can shoot next one).
If supports misses the head, he will be required up to 3 shots from aa12 or 2 shots from pump shotgun to kill gorefast. And there is some kind of shotgun bug when raged gorefast are directly at your face, shotgun pellets start flying behind him, killing next zeds but don't damaging this gorefast.
1 HC headshot can instant kill 2 gorefasts in line. So when there are no bigger zeds around you can significantly help your teammates by killing Bloats and Gorefasts with your HC.
Both LAR and M14 kill gorefasts in one shot too, but they don't have penetration. So you can't achieve more than 1 kill per shot and stalkers or jumping crawers in front of them will stop the bullets. Add here that you need to do 2 M14 shots to crawler or 3 to stalker to kill them, if you miss the hear. And of course you'll miss, because you're trying to shoot gorefast behind them.

You can help with shooting crawlers too, but don't bother yourself with it, if there are commandos or firebugs in the team. It's their job.
Don't waste ammo on killing single clots or stalkers, esp. when there are commando in the team. Killing those is not only making your ammo deplete faster, but also increases probability that Husk will catch you at reloading.

If Siren are too far to scream, you can kill them with 2 HC headshots. If they are close or you can penetrate multiple targets - it's better to use xbow. If you're holding HC when Siren apears and there is Commando in the team, you can use HC even on short distances: 1 HC headshots significantly lowers Siren head's health, so Commando is able to quickly finish her with SCAR.

 

[ljM]

Thank you for all your feedback, I have made several changes in response to some of your posts. Thanks again.

I don't want this to get into a debate on how effective the M14 or LAR is. That is for another thread. As I stated in my intro, this is a subjective, personal point-of-view on how to play sharpshooter, and although I have been considerate of other playstyles (use of the m14) I do not wish for people to take this guide as a factual way to play Sharpshooter.

I also think the LAR is a last resort for the Sharpshooter when dealing with scrakes. As there is no penetration, you are only able to deal with scrakes when they have either no specimens in front of them, or are extremely close, at which point the scrake is acting as a meat shield and team mates risk shooting it which cancels the stun effect.

Keep the feedback coming, but keep it on topic! Cheers!

ljM

 

[ljM]

Husk are enemies #1 to be killed by Sharpie. Scrakes are too slow, so can be ignored a couple of seconds.

Completely agree, I already included the note that you need to learn which specimens are biggest threat at the current time. As a general rule, Sharpshooters are best fitted to killing scrakes, as no other perk can do it as well (with the exception of berserker.) However, with husks, other classes have a level of effectiveness vs the husk which they do not have vs the scrake. I think the priority list is situational completely but I will put the husk higher on the list.

When there are 2 or more sharpies in the team, I'm advising you before the game starts talk following things

Yes! Communication is vital, an excellent point! Be sure to communicate with your team mates, before, during and after games! This also supports this point:

After FP receives 2 or 3 xbow headshots, his head is heavy weakened, while body still has 3-4k hp. So the best tactic for supports to finish such FP is to shoot in the head with AA12

It is always difficult to go into too much detail poosh, as you are simply giving people scenarios followed by what you would do, because of your experience. It is difficult to read some things from your post and go into a game and apply that knowledge. A lot of it is completely situational and I aimed to provide a general overview and a source of information in which you can improve.

My guide means that new players aren't wasting time using dual HC's vs fleshpounds and xbow bolts vs clots like a lot of new players do.

You can't teach experience, only provide the means in which you can learn it.

 

[Fish111]

I dunno I guess I'm getting spoiled too, because I pretty much only play games where I can count on my team, so that game today was like "that's why I quit playing pubs" cause that always happens. We had a demo wasting pipes on scrakes and trash, supports that shot everything that moved including scrakes while people were trying to kill them with no rage and injury to players.

Yessir lol.

Have you really ever tried to hit 7 LAR headshots on a FP? In a real game? It is not feasible at all.

I said its more feasible than 4 bow headshots, I didn't say it was a good idea. 7 is how many you need on a 6 man HoE if I recall correctly so hopefully you aren't soloing a full HP pound. Regardless this is tied in with a LAR headshot raging the pound which I already said I was wrong about.


If you do run with M14/LAR never use the LAR on FPs. LAR is for scrakes and crawlers, 9mm/M14 for trash, and M14 for FPs.

Duh

And I would say never use the bow for trash, but if you really want to then go for it. Run out of bolts when you really need them. More power to ya.

I said I only use the bow on trash when I can retrieve the bolts. Don't put words in my mouth.

The hitboxes on a scrake can be one of two things, and they are instantly identifiable. They can't go "full-retard." They follow predetermined routes and timings EVERY TIME. So if you can't do it don't blame the game.

I'm not blaming anything, I'm accounting for things that can happen. The game follows rules for everything, it runs on a computer doesn't it? Still I've shot a gorefast in the head with a LAR 4 times and had him only flinch. Glitches happen, client/server side lag happens, when I compare weapons I take into account what can go wrong.

You said nothing else of value and seem to be angry, I'm not sure why but it's ljM's thread and he isn't taking it all personally.

Poosh, great info, I edited my post

 

[brick_top1982]

There is one big reason why I choose the xbow over the m14/lar combo.... Husks.....

Bolt goes through multiples, so no need to clear a "path" sort to speak, to get to it. And a quick hip fire can at least stun the bastard so either you or your teammates can finish it off.

Husk are quickly becoming number 1 on my sh!t list!!!!

 

[Ibin.]

Fish, I don't have the energy to point out the many flaws in your advice and arguments, and it wouldn't be fair to ljM for this is his thread. And I am not mad, more frustrated with players like you who spew incorrect information and flawed arguments, which new players might follow which would then make it tougher for them down the line. Back on topic, ljM this is a very good sharpshooter guide all in all, and all I would add would be which weapon sets to learn at which times.

For a new player to FPSs, I would suggest the bow/hc because it is easy to aim with.

For a new player to KF but have played many FPSs, I would suggest learning the M14/LAR first because it would be very easy to adopt the play style from other games and the potential for progress is higher.

For a player who can use the bow/hc well I would suggest migrating over to the M14/LAR and learning how to use that well, and a player who can use the M14/LAR well should do it vise versa as well.

This would make them very proficient at using both sets and will learn to both not spam the bow/hc like you can with the M14, and to aim carefully with the M14 like you can with the bow, resulting in a much better sharpshooter overall.

 

[ChairmanMurder[Forge]]

I was watching the video FSU posted and aborted nade-spam on the FPs. Those bowmen did a great job, and certainly the double-shots saved the team.

But I'm betting there was a lot of luck with that, too. How many times do you see Fleshpounds lined up perfectly so that the bolt hits them both in the head? That could have ended up very badly if the FPs were slightly staggered to the side.

More often than not, I use the crossbow to prioritize Husks and Sirens, while the LAR Sharpshooter focuses on the Scrakes. The Support and Demo can take care of FPs, and I use the crossbow to make sure the Siren doesn't pop their explosives or a Husks doesn't shoot them and jostle their aim.

 

[ljM]

How many times do you see Fleshpounds lined up perfectly so that the bolt hits them both in the head? That could have ended up very badly if the FPs were slightly staggered to the side.

I actually find more often than you think. On wave 10 there are regular x2 FP spawns and if you are in a position that funnels the specimens as you do on many maps, then it is 50-50 whether they will go side by side or one behind the other.

I agree that the husk is a big priority, because of his ranged attack, the Sharpshooter is best dealing with him. Sirens however are only a threat at close range and there are plenty other perks that can deal with them before they are an issue. Only assist on them if they seem to be getting uncomfortably close!