Last Updated on by Samuel Franklin
Killing Floor 2 Firebug Guide – Best Build, Perks & Weapons Loadout
With our Killing Floor 2 Firebug guide you’ll wield the power of flame effectively to get the most out of this class with the appropriate perks and weapons to create the best build possible. Serving as a chaotic class perk the Firebug utilises flamethrower weapons, a range of incendiary ammo weapons and some unique hard hitting options that can dramatically alter your ZED priority when playing as this class. As a result the Firebug is designed to be a master of clearing waves rapidly but is capable of dealing with a larger ZED with the right selections in your KF2 build.
To help achieve your goals the Firebug is equipped with familiar perks for their specific weapons with damage, reload speed and starting ammo that provide the solid base you need to be effective. Further to this the Firebug gains immunity to their own fire and high resistance to ZED fire damage that gives you a no fear attitude as you dive into the centre of a literal firefight to perform your role and help the team. Unique to the Firebug class is a fire panic mechanic which triggers on ZEDs when they are placed on fire which combined with your ability to spread fire and general area of effect on your weapons makes you a capable crowd control class in Killing Floor 2.
This guide to play as the Firebug provides players a foundational array of tips, perks and weapon loadouts to navigate the multiple potential playstyles of the best Firebug weapons KF2 has to offer. Choosing the right moment to use these weapon loadouts and making smaller tweaks to this Firebug introduction will be based heavily on your Killing Floor 2 cross platform (Steam and Epic Games) teammates, the current map, difficulty and some personal preferences. With this in mind the Firebug builds presented here are intended as a starting point for players to adjust based on these factors. For players still trying out classes to find their favourite we have a tier list for classes in Killing Floor 2 article that details individual class perk strength for solo and co-op play.
Killing Floor 2 Firebug Strategy and Tips
To maximise your potential when playing as the Firebug you will want to utilise the following tips and strategies which range from beginner to advanced tactics:
- Be careful when using your flame abilities on the larger ZEDs of Killing Floor 2 as this is far from the most effective use of your flame weapons and you also run the risk of triggering fire panic that can create some issues for your teammates trying to kill these large ZEDs (and these should not be a major focus of the Firebug).
- For flame weapons players should be looking to aim at enemy feet as this deals damage and ensures you are triggering ground flames directly under the enemy for maximum flame damage potential. When done correctly you’ll be able to double your damage output and ensure your ammo economy goes much further.
- The Firebug is an unpopular class for some classes to share the same lane with as they heavily rely on weak ZEDs to achieve their own maximum effectiveness. For this reason players should be aware of any laning partner and avoid pairing up with a SWAT or Commando where possible.
- While the low base damage of your flame weapons might make you think that they need upgrades to deal damage your perks already provide you the damage needed and upgrades are not cost effective for the small damage bonus they provide.
- Chokepoints are a speciality of the Firebug as they often allow you to claim a narrow corridor as your own with flames able to spread rapidly across the ZED ranks.
Killing Floor 2 Firebug Perks Build
The Firebug has the following perk bonuses at maximum level:
- 20% weapon damage (0.8% per level)
- 20% weapon reload (0.8% per level)
- 80% ZED fire damage resistance (30% base and 2% per level)
- 100% own fire damage resistance (25% base and 3% per level)
- 50% starting ammunition (10% per 5 levels)
The Firebug has the following active perk skills to select from:
| Perk Category | Left (L) Option | Right (R) Option |
|---|---|---|
| Supplies | Bring The Heat: Increase damage with fire weapons 35%. | High Capacity Fuel Tank: Increase fuel tank capacity and magazines for all perk weapons 100%. |
| Spicy | Barbecue: Perk weapons’ burn effect lasts 150% longer, increasing damage over time. | Ground Fire: Ground fires deal 3x the damage and reduce Zed movement speed 30%. |
| Burn | Napalm: Burning ZEDs that make contact with other ZEDs will light them on fire and the burn effect lasts 150% longer. | ZED Shrapnel: ZEDs you kill with fire have a 30% chance to explode, damaging and stunning nearby Zeds. |
| Flame | Heat Wave: ZED struck at point blank range with fire will stumble back. | Firestorm: Increase range of the Caulk n’ Burn, Flamethrower, and Microwave Gun. |
| Advanced Training | ZED TIME – Pyromaniac: During ZED Time, you attack with perk weapons in close to real time and never run out of ammo. | ZED Time – Inferno: During ZED time, your fire damage over time spreads to all surrounding ZEDs. |
Notable active perk skills when playing as the Firebug are:
- Supplies: With a large boost to damage (35%) on the left hand side this will be your default perk choice when playing as the Firebug as it simply overshadows the right hand side which doesn’t increase overall ammo available and only reduces how often you’ll need to reload which simply isn’t inconvenient enough to remotely offset the damage boost.
- Spicy: The second tier offers some spicy tier choices for the Firebug player with both designed to boost your damage through indirect burn damage. On one hand players have Barbeque that buffs your burn effect for greater damage over time and the other appropriately named Ground Fire provides a similar effect although is based on floor fire, has a stronger effect and limits ZED movement speed. Given how much value you obtain from the right side this should be your default choice the vast majority of the time unless you are opting for a weapon that doesn’t create ground fire.
- Burn: Both of the perk options in this tier are focused on boosting your crowd control potential when playing as the Firebug and building on the weapons you already have access to that can literally set the map on fire. With the left side the Firebug acquires an easy source to spread your fire through the enemy ranks and while this originally caused some issues with triggering fire panic on larger ZEDs that could actually hurt your team the threshold for this has been changed to make this less of a risk. On the right side you have an explosive alternative that will turn all the low tier trash ZEDs that we focus on into potential small bombs. Players really can’t go wrong with either choice here and will be influenced by your map and teammates as to the perfect option although personally I find the potential for a stun from ZED Shrapnel the better default choice.
- Flame: Giving players the choice between a safety mechanic through stumble or additional range on several of the Firebug weapons this perk tier is an easier decision than the previous tier. The left hand side offers the Firebug a great source of defensive utility for our close ranged playstyle that helps to keep ZEDs away from us and potentially teammates. In comparison the added weapon range on 3 of our core guns is tempting on paper but simply doesn’t do enough to win out.
- Advanced Training: The left hand side at this perk level is once again favoured given it lets us burn everything around us with great speed and no risk to running short on ammunition in the process that makes it the most effective use of our ZED time. While Inferno isn’t terrible it has situational uses given you need the right setup of ZEDs for it to be effective that is far from guaranteed when ZED time activates.
Given the above the Firebug best perks setup is LRRLL as your default option. Players can tweak this slightly to a LRLLL variant if you would rather the fire spreading Napalm effects over explosive stuns. If you are leaning towards ranged weapon options over the flame based choices of the Firebug perk weapons players can instead use a LLLLL or LLRLL perk setup given these setups will lack ground fire generation.
Killing Floor 2 Firebug Weapons Loadout Guide
The Firebug has some distinct paths with weapon options that push players towards either the flame based weapons or the ranged weapons that still have incendiary elements and both allow the Firebug to fill their role of trash ZED clearance specialist. These pathways are closely linked to the flame weapons, Microwave Gun and Husk Cannon that each have their own strengths that can alter your ZED target priorities. Note that generally flame based weapons do not need upgrades as the benefits are minimal with your dosh saved for upgrades on your ranged weapons instead. The Firebug is a highly flexible class in terms of weapons with the following being the Killing Floor 2 Firebug best weapons for final loadout combinations to aim for:
- Flamethrower and Helios Rifle: A deadly combo of weapons for the Firebug that is a popular choice by many in the community which mixes one of the notable flame weapons with the hard hitting assault rifle that fires plasma. With the Flamethrower players will have a fantastic weapon for dealing with weak ZEDs and triggering ground fire effects that is then paired with an equally deadly Helios Rifle that has a large ammunition pool to assist with the durable ZED variants. Both of these options are also effective in terms of cost as they don’t need upgrades so you can save money for the rest of your team.
- Caulk n Burn, Microwave Gun and HMTech-101 Pistol: A fantastic all around weapon loadout option that uses your starting weapon (which is surprisingly effective) and pairs it with the flexible Microwave Gun that can achieve a lot for the Firebug. Like the above build the Caulk n Burn is for your low tier ZEDs and can apply your flame based perks with ease while the Microwave Gun supports the team for medium to large ZED options. This combination also saves some weight to give you the potential to bring a medic pistol for extra team utility with the Microwave Gun swappable for a Flamethrower, Helios Rifle or Husk Cannon that further frees up some weight to upgrade to a medic SMG based on your tastes.
- Dual Spitfires and Dragonsbreath: This is a weapon build for the Firebug that leans harder on the ranged weapon options available and pushes hard on upgrading them to become extremely deadly to ZEDs. From the dual Spitfires to the Dragonsbreath (previously known as the Incendiary Trench Gun) players can stand a little further back from the front line while still dealing fire based damage if that is your playstyle preference.
