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Tactics List all of your loadouts for Survivalist!

My perks are as follows: Heavy Weapons Training, Melee Expert, Weapon Harness, Make Things Go Boom & Lockdown. Since I don't play with a team often, I tend to favor perks suited for handling Zeds and not allies. I will also be using weapons that cross with the Demolitionist, Berserker & Support.

My chosen weapons are as follows: VLAD-1000 Nailgun, Pulverizer & M32 MGL. The VLAD-1000 crossperks between the Support & Berserker, so it should receive bonuses from both HWT & Melee Expert. This may make for a weapon that cleans zeds fast & efficiently, especially against hordes of "weaker" targets.

The Pulverizer is (personally) my favorite weapon because of its heavy knockdown power, wide area attack & heavy explosive strike, which really suits well against fleshpounds, giving the Demolitionist a melee alternative and the Berserker an anti-FP utility. The problem is, with all melee weapons, is that the Pulverizer lacks range, and this weapon in particular is rather slow to attack, though it does seem to benefit from HWT, Melee Expert & (to a lesser extent) MTGB.

The M32 MLG is highly risky as its munitions are expensive, but it pays off well when destroying a FP at range or shooting a Siren's head off up close. It can also potentially decimate an entire group with just one shot, though the other 2 weapons do that job with less expense. Though I don't do it myself, this weapon can be exchanged for the Seeker 6 or the RPG-7.
 
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I like to experiment often with different weapons, so I separare my loadouts basicly into 'close-range surv' and 'long-range surv'. Always pick up at least a Medic pistol, if possible, to help your team mates!

Close-range perks:
Heavy Weapons Training, Melee Expert, either Ammo Vest or Weapon Harness depends on team comp (mostly Ammo Vest due grenade to self-heal), Zed-splosion and Madman.

Freezethrower:
I find it perfect for Surv, since it can be used in every situation. It works great to trash-clean + zed-splosion, can alt-shot medium zeds and can freeze big zeds before going for M4 barrage. Also gives a lot of Xp and dosh without the danger of fire panic. Simply perfect to control choke-points.

Pulverizer:
Use it just sometimes since I prefer Freezethrower with Zed-splosion, but it seems to work with Make Things Go Boom for better ammo efficiency use. Very nice when you want to save money.

Eviscerator:
No surprise, since it can trash clean easily with alt-fire, can defend yourself with parry, some stumble power and damage with your blades, and re-usable ammo. I use more often with closed maps like biolabs due ricochet and easier blade recovery.

Double-Barrel-Shotgun:
Just a wonderful weapon. Cheap to buy, high damage, quick reload, nice stumble power and some gimmicks like goomba jump or long disengage due alt fire. Another common for Surv that I like to use in close range

M4:
Very strong weapon in general, enough to give some assist to big zed kills, and clean up medium or trash zeds. Just need to be careful with reload, so often throw a molotiv to hold out while reloading.

Long-range Perks:
Either lv 5, depending on team, Medic Training, Weapon Harness, Make Things go boom and Madman.

Killerwatt:
This is for long-range, so I go with perks suiting such, like Medic Training to heal the front line and weapons like M79 for the improved Make Things Go Boom. Focusing on medium zeds due the high damage + EMP, M79 in case of needed trash clean and Charged shot always if needed. A huge plus with a Support team member since it can repair doors in order to make most use of charged shot.

M16:
Since it is both Demo and Commando, it fits pretty much every loadout I want because of faster reload. Some good head shots for medium zeds, decent trash clean for trash and a grenade in case of a quick cleaning.

501:
Mostly if I need to be a healer with spare money. While it hurts my pocket to buy it, its alt-fire ammo is very cheap and useful, along with Zed-splosion and a wielded door, you can clean an absurd ammount of zeds with one grenade. It also keeps the AoE heals of the medic grenade you lose by choosing Weapon Harness

Crossbow:
Yet another common for Surv as far I've seen. Great to maintain ammo and focus on medium zeds with some penetration, also stumble big zeds with head shots.

Railgun:
Still a very good weapon for Surv, but I don't use it often since it requires good aim and quick headshots to deal with big zeds. I use mostly if on lower difficulty or playing with few / no friends.

M79:
A long-range trash cleaner, simply put. Make Things Go Boom enhances your ammo efficiency, and the distance thanks to a close-range friend minimze the self damage.

RPG:
Deals huge damage, and don't require head shots if you're bad at them like me. With Weapon Harness you can upgrade it and still use other weapons.

PS: I often avoid Firebug weapons due the strong self-fire damage, and because FreezeThrower is simply better IMO, and I dislike Gunslinger and Commando weapons due their huge recoil. SWAT weapons are all ok, yet they run dry too fast in the hands of their class, which gets worse in the hands of a Surv, so I don't often choose them.
 
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Until the class gets level 15 or with the Ammo Vest perk.
M4 with Crossbow
Med shoty with Crossbow
Freezethrower wih Mag.500

With Weapon belt perk.
Rpg up. with the railgun up. Very very very very high cost. Preferably used in endless.
Rpg + med weapon
Railgun + med weapon

While trying to save on ammo throughout the wave. You can also use melee weapon.
 
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1. Upped Hemoglobber + Upped Rpg/Huskcannon - Healing nades All n all best survivalist loadout to 'survive' as perk intends.
2. HM501 + RPG/M99 - Molotovs.

Early waves - M79 and Healing Grenades

ZEDSPLOSION is your friend is most OP skill on Survivalist.
ALWAYS TAKE MELEE EXPERT. The move speed is too good to pass up for a little bit of healing.
 
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I got all PERKS at 25 (6th time)

Regarding Survivalist, I very often choose this perk for boss fights.

Loadout:
RPG - Upgraded
and
MP5 - Upgraded (or P90 cant upgrade due to slot space)

For Perk tree, I use "Make things go boom" which gives a 40% increased explosive damage on top of the upgraded RPG. (Swap to MP5 or P90 for adds)
I also use "Heavy Weapons Training" for fast reload of the RPG.
And you got some healing nades for your team mates and yourself to help medic, If you even have a medic.

This is a VERY VERY good choice for boss. Suicidal or HoE especially.
 
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I'm trying to shake things up and NOT use the melee skill or a melee weapon for once in my loadout...

This is where I think the class struggles become more apparent.

In regards to Commando or Swat guns, I think something that could be looked into for improvement is somehow implementing a clip/mag size bonus for the perk within its level progression (not an elected perk skill).

Obviously not to the extent you see with a level 25 SWAT but maybe something.

The ammo runs dry way too fast.. and it's a shame because with Zedsplosion the guns are pretty fun to play around with.
 
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I'm trying to shake things up and NOT use the melee skill or a melee weapon for once in my loadout...

This is where I think the class struggles become more apparent.

In regards to Commando or Swat guns, I think something that could be looked into for improvement is somehow implementing a clip/mag size bonus for the perk within its level progression (not an elected perk skill).

Obviously not to the extent you see with a level 25 SWAT but maybe something.

The ammo runs dry way too fast.. and it's a shame because with Zedsplosion the guns are pretty fun to play around with.
I have been trying out the crossbow and it is actually fairly decent. Coupled with the 501/M16/RPG its not that bad.
 
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I have been trying out the crossbow and it is actually fairly decent. Coupled with the 501/M16/RPG its not that bad.

Someone mentioned P90 but I can't remember where - it's not in here.

Upgraded with zedsplosion, it shreds very nicely.. the problem is, the moment you try to play SUI or HOE like that, you'll be crying for ammo (even with the generous amount the gun gives - 430 or something?)

It's still fun to do on Hard and Endless at least.

Crossbow just bores me for some reason, although it definitely has great penetration and recycling ammo is a big plus.
 
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Kaboomstick + eviscerator + hemoclobber - shred everyone to pieces. You don't even need to change anything on boss wave.
  • Eviscerator can one-shot headshot a siren, gorefiend, rioter with just bash attack.
Slashing(eviscerator's damage type) has 1x damage multiplier on bosses(except KFP) and scrakes.

  • Use kaboomstick against fleshpounds as they are vulnerable to explosives.

  • Hemoclobber - i don't need to say anything.
This is pretty much meta build for surv. It's scary how fast you can kill big zeds with this loadout, heck, you can kill anyone without any support.
Even 3x fleshpounds are joke.
 
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Because Survivalist is currently a better Berserker than the Berserker in the Summer 2021 beta...

Ammo Vest/Heavy Weapons Training*, HRG Blast Brawlers, single .500 Magnum, Medic SMG

*You'll actually be using Tactical Reload early on in the game until you get the Brawlers.

Blast Brawlers seems to be a pretty solid tool for damaging large zeds while also parrying them. Probably more ideal on Fleshpounds than Scrakes since FPs derage when hitting you. I don't expect the Survivalist to be the primary big game hunter since this loadout is meant to be "Zerker but better" but on the bright side, you'll still have heavy attacks for killing the occasional Gorefast and Siren.

.500 Magnum will be your dedicated medium zed killer given its 150 Ballistic_handgun damage and low capacity cylinder

Medic SMG for trash clearing and heals. I know it doesn't benefit from Heavy Weapons training but it's worth noting that it still has a decently fast off-perk reload speed which is probably necessary since Medics don't have Tactical Reload
 
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The only reason I play a survivalist in Multiplayer is because I don't want to play as a medic and the team needs one.
So I would use the field medic skill to heal everyone. The perk is very weak, every other perk can do its job better. Such a waste.
Survivalist can do the Berserker's job better than the Berserker if the Summer 2021 beta is anything to go by. M16+HM101+Bone Crusher is a pretty good melee-focused build if you don't mind picking Make Things Go Boom instead of Spontaneous Zed-Splosion
 
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Survivalist can do the Berserker's job better than the Berserker if the Summer 2021 beta is anything to go by. M16+HM101+Bone Crusher is a pretty good melee-focused build if you don't mind picking Make Things Go Boom instead of Spontaneous Zed-Splosion

The perk only has one skill dedicated to melee weapons however. I can see it working as an interesting hybrid (like the weapon comp you're proposing !) but a purely melee-focused perk? Naaah.

And again, that's my main disappointment with the perk to be fair. You don't see many "jack-of-all-trades" in class-based shooters, and for good reasons: anything they can do, another class could do just as well if not better. Hell, with the many crossperks and ridiculous guns we now have for EVERY perk, there's even less use for a Survivalist. Not to mention his skills are underwhelming for the most part : both his level 15 skills give you a WORSE grenade than the base one.

It's a fun perk to toy with, as you can experiment with pretty much every loadout you can think of. But that's pretty much it really.
 
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The perk only has one skill dedicated to melee weapons however. I can see it working as an interesting hybrid (like the weapon comp you're proposing !) but a purely melee-focused perk? Naaah.
If you're insisting on playing Berserker, you're gonna end up using off-perk weapons as your primary source of kills anyways since you'll get torn to shreds even if you time your parries correctly.

Since the melee focused class is going to be using guns to make crowds more manageable, I think it'd make more sense to play a perk that's billed as a jack of all trades, since his capabilities in melee combat are similar, but also has the tools needed to make him a better tank than the designated tank class.

My previously suggested weapon loadout with the Blast Brawlers is for a more shootier tank, whereas M16+Bone Crusher is more for people who miss playing as Berserker.
 
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If you're insisting on playing Berserker, you're gonna end up using off-perk weapons as your primary source of kills anyways since you'll get torn to shreds even if you time your parries correctly.

Since the melee focused class is going to be using guns to make crowds more manageable, I think it'd make more sense to play a perk that's billed as a jack of all trades, since his capabilities in melee combat are similar, but also has the tools needed to make him a better tank than the designated tank class.

My previously suggested weapon loadout with the Blast Brawlers is for a more shootier tank, whereas M16+Bone Crusher is more for people who miss playing as Berserker.
I really don't know how you're playing berserker but you really need to run head-first to a raging fleshpound to get torn to shreds that easily. The perk is so damn hard to kill, it's ridiculous. If you got a medic with you, it's even easier.

What people don't seem to understand is that the zerk isn't actually a tank... Or shouldn't exactly play like one anyway. It is better to use a hit-n-run technique and use your mobility to avoid damage. Just going LEEEROY JENKIINS and praying that parrying and regen will be enough is deluding yourself.

Not to mention that a lot of his weapons are actually devastating: Bone Crusher and Pulverizer coming straight to mind in that regard.

Sure, popping a ranged-weapon into the mix is a wise decision. But that also stems from the fact that KF2 is not a very melee-friendly game altogether. This is probably why they gave the zerk ludicrous survivability to begin with. All in all, I believe it's either the game or the perk's design that is flawed from its roots. And considering the state of the game in 2021... Should we be surprised? KF2 is a balancing mess.
 
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I really don't know how you're playing berserker but you really need to run head-first to a raging fleshpound to get torn to shreds that easily. The perk is so damn hard to kill, it's ridiculous. If you got a medic with you, it's even easier.
The last time I played Zerk in Coop (Suicidal) I didn't heal for the first 4 waves. Yeah the perk is broken :ROFLMAO: :ROFLMAO: No medic on the team btw.
 
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So, now Headhunter can replace frost fang, if you upgrade it once it can kill 6p hoe scrake with one magazine.
You need to shoot first 3 stacks in the head and activate them, when he's stunned shoot not just 3 but 4 darts in the head and activate wave again - he's dead, fourth dart doesn't stack but you need to shoot it to kill him.

Equip kaboomstick for fleshpounds and locust for trash, there you go
 
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So, now Headhunter can replace frost fang, if you upgrade it once it can kill 6p hoe scrake with one magazine.
You need to shoot first 3 stacks in the head and activate them, when he's stunned shoot not just 3 but 4 darts in the head and activate wave again - he's dead, fourth dart doesn't stack but you need to shoot it to kill him.
Yeah... But do you even realize what you're telling us here? You have to fire a full magazine of a semi-auto gun that takes a little while to activate its main way to hurt zeds (aka : its alternative attack). It's a massive waste of time and something you can only rarely pull effectively in the heat of battle.

That's hardly OP. In fact, that's underwhelming as hell.
 
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Yeah... But do you even realize what you're telling us here? You have to fire a full magazine of a semi-auto gun that takes a little while to activate its main way to hurt zeds (aka : its alternative attack). It's a massive waste of time and something you can only rarely pull effectively in the heat of battle.

That's hardly OP. In fact, that's underwhelming as hell.
Just try it
 
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Just try it
But I tried the weapon man. And I've rarely seen such a clunky weapon to use. Sure, once you latch those darts, you can do some nice cleaning. But it seems to take so long to get there that you might as well just use a good ol' LAR to do the trick.

What's the point of popping the heads of multiple zeds when you could just blow it up with a bullet in the same amount of time?
 
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