So... For context; After ending a game of Suicidal Endless as the SWAT, I was really bummed out that I couldn't tank well enough with the lack of a berserker (plus I was feeling 100 round magazine onslaughts). I changed my level 5 skill from Heavy Armour Training so that I can get juiced by the medic, but I died to the infuriating combo of the EDAR Trapper and a raged Scrake so I couldn't really do much. However I still had armour and used the G18 & riot shield blocking damage but still died. With this, I thought to myself "I reckon I could actually make a better SWAT than what is already there" and personally I was quite happy with what I came up with.
Summary
The main idea behind this rework is to make SWAT a more inclusive perk; being the true alternative tank besides Berserker or a utility perk that is made to make space with high stumble power and a constant stream of lead. While the Berserker’s focus is health, the SWAT’s focus is armour. The left side of the tree is a strong focus on that, keeping a stable armour level so that they can keep in the heat of the battle. The right side of the tree is the focus on making space, and always having a weapon ready to throw hundreds of rounds at the horde, being able to buy time for the party to deal with the Fleshpounds and Scrakes.
When playing the perk through to level 25 for the first time, you'd be right to think that with the combination of Heavy Armour Training and Assault Armour, you'd have so much armour that you can tank a lot of hits but unfortunately that isn't the case, especially at higher levels. When you figure this out your initial thought is "Why don't I just play the Berserker since he does that role but much better?" The idea of the regenerative armour was the theory that brings a prolonged “tankiness” that only a few provide in their own ways. This regenerative armour will mean the SWAT can take a lot more punishment before they need to call it quits and return to the medic, plus when considering the weapons strengths you'll be more likely to focus on smaller zeds to make the skill more valuable and to properly play the intended role of the SWAT. This specialization (combined with the increase movement) makes for a class that can jump in to help out, make it out of tight spots and (when they reach level 25) can bring the reinforcements the party have been looking for.
A lot of the time, people tend to compare the SWAT to the Commando a lot, because as the SWAT currently stands it appears that they both try to offer similar roles (other than the extended Zed Time). But upon closer inspection of the weapons themselves plus the skills that SWAT offers, they aren't particularly similar. Commando tends to weapons with higher damage and lower magazine sizes so that he can occasionally take on FP and Scrakes (with a couple hits) but with enough ammo to pick off smaller zeds. But the SWAT has lower damage, higher magazine size and a very high fire rate; picking off more smaller zeds, slowing down larger zeds and being able to provide consistent damage output (even if he can't solo a FP). But then again the problem the SWAT is faced with is the mindset given to newer players that "They have a higher magazine pool, so he must do more damage". But that isn't his role the same way Berserker isn't a damage dealer. What the skills should bring is something that can keep distance from Zeds and providing enough of a constant damage output that your contribution is valued; but not panic zeds and create a hard time for GS and SS like the Firebug normally does. When looking at the SWAT’s weapons and the current perks you can choose, there isn’t much that flows well with the high magazine at higher level and keeping a literal constant flow of lead, so incorporating the Battalion perk can always keep your weapons topped up when you’re ready to reload. This combined with the high stumble from Cripple and Fully Automatic can help keep danger just out of reach, but by level 25 Rapid Assault makes sure it stays out of reach.
Changes
Specialisation
| XP Objectives: |
| Dealing damage with SWAT weapons. Killing Clots and Sirens with perk weapons. |
| Perk Bonuses: | | |
+25% Perk Weapon Damage [1% Per Level] | +100% Increased Magazine Size [4% per level] | +150% Armor Bonus [6% per level] |
+10% Damage Resistance [0.4% per level] | +20% Movement Speed [0.8% per level] |
| Specialization: | | |
| Heavy Armor Training While you have body armor, you only take damage from sonic attacks and clots cannot grab you. You begin each game with 50% armor. | 5 | Battalion While your perk weapons are holstered, they reload passively over time (5% magazine per second for all weapons holstered). |
| Unwavering Increase your damage resistance by 1% per Armour point lost, up to 50% | 10 | Always Prepared Carry one extra grenade and 25% more ammo for each perk weapon. |
| Regenerative Armor Killing any zed will regenerate 2 points of armour, up to 75 points of armor. | 15 | Cripple Multiple hits with perk weapons will slow zeds down by 30%. Head and weak spots apply this twice as fast. |
| Speed-load You can reload your perk weapons whilst you are sprinting. After a reload, increase your movement speed by 10% for 3 seconds (Cooldown of 5 seconds). | 20 | Fully Automatic After a weapon switch, increase your stumble power by 100% and Fire Rate by 30% for 2 seconds (Cooldown of 5 seconds). |
| Battering Ram During Zed time you move in real-time, you deal massive damage and knockdown any Zed you touch. Each zed hit will generate 4 points of Armor. | 25 | Rapid Assault When Zed time activates your weapons are reloaded, you do not consume ammo, you shoot in real-time and increase stumble power by 100% |
Summary
The main idea behind this rework is to make SWAT a more inclusive perk; being the true alternative tank besides Berserker or a utility perk that is made to make space with high stumble power and a constant stream of lead. While the Berserker’s focus is health, the SWAT’s focus is armour. The left side of the tree is a strong focus on that, keeping a stable armour level so that they can keep in the heat of the battle. The right side of the tree is the focus on making space, and always having a weapon ready to throw hundreds of rounds at the horde, being able to buy time for the party to deal with the Fleshpounds and Scrakes.
When playing the perk through to level 25 for the first time, you'd be right to think that with the combination of Heavy Armour Training and Assault Armour, you'd have so much armour that you can tank a lot of hits but unfortunately that isn't the case, especially at higher levels. When you figure this out your initial thought is "Why don't I just play the Berserker since he does that role but much better?" The idea of the regenerative armour was the theory that brings a prolonged “tankiness” that only a few provide in their own ways. This regenerative armour will mean the SWAT can take a lot more punishment before they need to call it quits and return to the medic, plus when considering the weapons strengths you'll be more likely to focus on smaller zeds to make the skill more valuable and to properly play the intended role of the SWAT. This specialization (combined with the increase movement) makes for a class that can jump in to help out, make it out of tight spots and (when they reach level 25) can bring the reinforcements the party have been looking for.
A lot of the time, people tend to compare the SWAT to the Commando a lot, because as the SWAT currently stands it appears that they both try to offer similar roles (other than the extended Zed Time). But upon closer inspection of the weapons themselves plus the skills that SWAT offers, they aren't particularly similar. Commando tends to weapons with higher damage and lower magazine sizes so that he can occasionally take on FP and Scrakes (with a couple hits) but with enough ammo to pick off smaller zeds. But the SWAT has lower damage, higher magazine size and a very high fire rate; picking off more smaller zeds, slowing down larger zeds and being able to provide consistent damage output (even if he can't solo a FP). But then again the problem the SWAT is faced with is the mindset given to newer players that "They have a higher magazine pool, so he must do more damage". But that isn't his role the same way Berserker isn't a damage dealer. What the skills should bring is something that can keep distance from Zeds and providing enough of a constant damage output that your contribution is valued; but not panic zeds and create a hard time for GS and SS like the Firebug normally does. When looking at the SWAT’s weapons and the current perks you can choose, there isn’t much that flows well with the high magazine at higher level and keeping a literal constant flow of lead, so incorporating the Battalion perk can always keep your weapons topped up when you’re ready to reload. This combined with the high stumble from Cripple and Fully Automatic can help keep danger just out of reach, but by level 25 Rapid Assault makes sure it stays out of reach.
Changes
- The first thing I wanted to change about the perk was the Armour, other than the heavy armour training, having a perk dedicated to increasing your armour is completely redundant since the Field Medic will get 175 points of it by level 25 with no skills required for it. So having it be a passive skill frees up a spot for a new skill that adds more value and diversity to the perk.
- I decided to give the SWAT increased movement speed because the idea of Battering Ram would get much more use if you were actually fast enough to make it work, plus it adds an overall increase in survivability as the SWAT
- I gave the SWAT damage resistance rather than bullet resistance because the idea of a "tanky" perk needs to be able to stave off some damage.
- I gave the Sharpshooter's "Always Prepared" Skill to the SWAT because while it still gives ammo like Ammo Vest does, it gives the SWAT an extra Flashbang to help deal with Scrakes and FP better.
- I moved the Cripple down to level 15 as this is the general tipping point as to what side of the skill tree you want to go down, both perks are valuable and rewarding to play, so this side of the skill tree allows for more stumble and gives general practice of looking for weak spots and aiming for heads.
- I gave the Rapid Assault skill a buff to align with the new skills for the SWAT, when Zed time is triggered, your weapons are fully reloaded, which means even after Zed time is finished, the SWAT doesn't have to stop shooting.
- For Battering Ram, I shifted the movement to be in real-time rather than close to it, plus the reward of 4 armour points per Zed hit aligns perfectly with the tanky playstyle that the SWAT is supposed to ask for.
- I also gave the SWAT an XP objective to kill Sirens, proccing stumble on Sirens negates their scream plus that will be the SWAT's direct counter if it isn't catered to.
Specialisation
- Adding Unwavering would mean a more incentivised pick for heavy armour training since as you are more involved in the onslaught, your ability to take more hits doesn't decrease with added resistance, similar to that of "Parry" and "Resistance".
- Regenerative Armour is my idea of the solution to the Armour problem for the SWAT, as it is advertised that it is their specialty but it rarely lasts long, rewarding SWAT players picking off small/weak zeds to give them more survivability.
- Speed-load on its own sounds rather peculiar but when you consider that Battering Ram gives you real-time movement speed, keeping your weapons topped up keeps you prepared for maximised effect of Zed time.
- Battalion is the ideal perk for SWAT as their weapons will have very high magazine sizes, and having a weapon that is always filled with bullets at some point means your damage output rarely slows down and it slowly increases the reward for levelling the SWAT as its value increases with higher levels.
- Fully Automatic is the competitor to Speed-load and aligns with the decision to be either tanky or stumble power, this skill coincides with the idea of switching between weapons that has been loaded thanks to Battalion instead of just reloading your current weapon and rewards that playstyle with more stumble power
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