Do not waste your shots as a support specialist

[Blasbo Bibbins]

I feel the need to make another thread pointing out another common mistake amongst players, for the benefit of their playstyle and effectiveness.

Handy support tip number one: you don't have that much ammo, so indiscriminately firing at everything and anything is a very bad idea. Your job is to support and not to absolutely destroy everything; if you do try to absolutely destroy everything you will have no ammo to use on priority targets.

Your first three shotguns only have 48 rounds total each (I say this because I think if you're on multiplayer you ought to be decent enough to put supplier on to help the team out a little, instead of taking a skill which doesn't really give you all that much extra ammo), which is not much ammo. You can burn through it very quickly, as in you can be barely half way through a later suicidal wave and be running out. The AA-12 has 80 rounds total. That's four magazines. Don't forget that support weapon ammo is also expensive.

What you should be doing is utilising your bonus shotgun penetration to maximum effect. Wherever you can, line up trash so that you can remove their heads in one shot. Get closer to priority targets to ensure all your pellets connect. If you're running fortitude you should be beefy enough to shake off a siren scream or a husk's flamethrower if you are quick enough. If you can't kill more than two weak trash targets at once, pull out your pistol and use that instead.

Don't forget that for whatever reason your AA-12 has a fire selector. You can go semi auto if need be, although realistically you want to unload on a large zed quickly if you need to. Keep the AA-12 for major threats and do not waste it on trash whatsoever.

My new style of play sees me start the game with tenacity until I reach enough money for the AA-12, to maximise damage. Then after I have an AA-12, I will go for the strength skill, using a boomstick and a bullpup rifle in reserve, as I can use the bullpup for trash and keep my shotgun rounds for more important things.

Regarding shotguns, your tier one weapon is actually very effective at killing all trash enemies, including husks and sirens. If you put a good shot on target you can decap a husk in one shot with the tier one shotgun.

The boomstick has a large spread but you can fire both barrels at once, useful for when you're up against a trash mob at point blank or need to headshot a scrake. It also has the most powerful single-shot damage of all your shotguns, which is offset by a slow firerate and low mag size.

The M4 is often overlooked I feel. It has a light, it's very accurate and it does the same damage per shot as the AA-12. I have found it decent for clearing sirens and it can still put up quite a respectable fire rate.

Don't spam the AA-12. It is important to save it for when you really need it, i.e. for fleshpounds or scrakes. Even then, it should be used only when necessary due to its low capacity.

Posted due to the number of support players I've seen wasting their ammo needlessly.

[Phillip]

There's only one way to play as Support on Suicide and HoE without running out of ammo: Take the strength ability and carry 3 shotguns (double, starting, and AA12)

[Blasbo Bibbins]

Originally posted by Pfreece:

There's only one way to play as Support on Suicide and HoE without running out of ammo: Take the strength ability and carry 3 shotguns (double, starting, and AA12)

Like I said, I go with a bullpup to replace the starting shotgun because I can still decap targets in one hit but it has a much greater ammo pool. With single fire on and a 30 round magazine with 270 more rounds in reserve, that's the potential to kill 300 clots/gorefasts/crawlers.

Get a commando gun for when there are not major targets, then pull out the shotgun when a priority zed turns up or a crowd needs claering.

[Get Out]

yesterday i see a guy ... who kill the mobs with AA-12 in hard ... cri evri tiem. T-T

[Blasbo Bibbins]

Originally posted by ☣ N\A ☣:

yesterday i see a guy ... who kill the mobs with AA-12 in hard ... cri evri tiem. T-T

I can go one better. I've seen them do that on suicidal.

[Dakoo187]

Gotta get to level 25 first but this was useful

[Rippy]

Great tips, but this does not apply to solo very well or last man standing. Supply is useless in solo, as you cannot take ammo off yourself.

Supports do have low ammo reserves, but waiting to line up every possible Zed is unrealistic, it is not very wise to leave that lone sprinting Gorefast alive while waiting for some spawns to line him up. That Gorefast could outright kill me if I ignore him, when trying to line him up.

Also M4 is overlooked at, but not only does it do the same damage as the AA-12 per shot, it also has higher stumble power, allowing it to stumble Scrakes and Fleashpounds, which is something the AA-12 cannot do. This is assuming the Support has taken the bombard skill.

[Delta]

Originally posted by Jack Frost:

Whats wrong with using the AA12 single fire on trash? You save all your ammo if you don't target the big zeds and just focus on the trash. If you really need to help with the big zeds you can just use your boomstick right? Atleast that's the way I've found to play support the most effectively without running out of ammo.

Why would you waste your highest DPS weapon on trash? The Boomstick isn't close to as powerful as the AA12 so obviously you'll want to save the latter for the biggest threats. Not to mention clearing trash is something tons of classes can do yet only a few other classes and weapons are as powerful as the AA12, so focussing on trash as a Support means you aren't playing your role properly.

As for TC's advice about aiming shots to take out multiple enemies, as someone else said this doesn't work at lower perk levels where you have less penetration. It's always worth trying and definitely worth getting in the habit of, but not as vital on lower difficulties where ammo is less of a concern (and where most people can't be counted on to make the use of supplier, so the decision which perk bonus to go for isn't as black and white).

Wish I was back in KF1 Hard as a level 5 support, wiping out a whole crowd of clots with body shots from the basic shotgun *sighs at the pleasant memory* :)

[Blasbo Bibbins]

Originally posted by Rippy:

Great tips, but this does not apply to solo very well or last man standing. Supply is useless in solo, as you cannot take ammo off yourself.

Supports do have low ammo reserves, but waiting to line up every possible Zed is unrealistic, it is not very wise to leave that lone sprinting Gorefast alive while waiting for some spawns to line him up. That Gorefast could outright kill me if I ignore him, when trying to line him up.

Also M4 is overlooked at, but not only does it do the same damage as the AA-12 per shot, it also has higher stumble power, allowing it to stumble Scrakes and Fleashpounds, which is something the AA-12 cannot do. This is assuming the Support has taken the bombard skill.

Waiting to line up every shot is realistic, yeah, so it's usually beneficial to pack an off-perk rifle with cheap ammo so you can cut down trash without spending precious shells. Alternatively duallies.

I might try a build with a VLAD instead of the bullpup. It costs less overall and it seems to stumble enemies a fair bit. It also has a decent mag size assuming you go single shot with it.

[Blasbo Bibbins]

Originally posted by Jack Frost:

Originally posted by Delta:

Why would you waste your highest DPS weapon on trash? The Boomstick isn't close to as powerful as the AA12 so obviously you'll want to save the latter for the biggest threats. Not to mention clearing trash is something tons of classes can do yet only a few other classes and weapons are as powerful as the AA12, so focussing on trash as a Support means you aren't playing your role properly.

As for TC's advice about aiming shots to take out multiple enemies, as someone else said this doesn't work at lower perk levels where you have less penetration. It's always worth trying and definitely worth getting in the habit of, but not as vital on lower difficulties where ammo is less of a concern (and where most people can't be counted on to make the use of supplier, so the decision which perk bonus to go for isn't as black and white).

Wish I was back in KF1 Hard as a level 5 support, wiping out a whole crowd of clots with body shots from the basic shotgun *sighs at the pleasant memory* :)

Idk support isnt as optimal vs the scrakes and fps as a firebug or berserker is. They can make do without you being the core dps vs them so why not conserve ammo. AA12 like one shots all low and medium zeds which is helpful when every1 is busy with the scs and fps so they dont get overwhelmed. Maybe if the support got an ammo buff i'd agree with you but you basically have 2 choices focus on big zeds or focus on the trash and if you're not lvl 25 focusing on the trash is just more effiecient in the long run for gaining exp and helping your team.

Due to your low ammo count, a support is best played as an emergency clearance perk. Your job is pretty much to sit there, maybe take out one or two things, until you are needed. You're the shotgun guy people call when ♥♥♥♥ hits the fan.

He is outclassed on higher difficulties, I agree. I think he needs some attention in the future to beef him up a little.

If you want to kill trash like clots and gorefasts efficiently you can decap them in 2 9mm rounds. 9mm ammo is way way cheaper than shot shells.

[Blasbo Bibbins]

Originally posted by abugaj75:

Originally posted by Blasbo Bibbins:

Due to your low ammo count, a support is best played as an emergency clearance perk. Your job is pretty much to sit there, maybe take out one or two things, until you are needed. You're the shotgun guy people call when ♥♥♥♥ hits the fan.

He is outclassed on higher difficulties, I agree. I think he needs some attention in the future to beef him up a little.

If you want to kill trash like clots and gorefasts efficiently you can decap them in 2 9mm rounds. 9mm ammo is way way cheaper than shot shells.

A medic pistol should be part of every loadout.

True that.

[NYNYY]

I have better idea. Try not to waste player slot by using usless perk like Support in the first place.

[gliv]

OP stop creating these troll threads. Please act your age.

[Blasbo Bibbins]

Originally posted by Aeel BOOM!!!:

I have better idea. Try not to waste player slot by using usless perk like Support in the first place.

I'll agree that on higher difficulties support loses out in terms of damage but then again it's his job to sit there until there's an emergency as opposed to flat out murdering everything. Plus having a team with a supplier giving everyone a free magazine once per wave is very useful. Sure it's only one magazine but it can save yousome dosh and potentially be a lifesaver.

Like someone said above the M4 coupled with bombard lets you stumble large zeds so I can see people using this technique if there's a surprise scrake and other perks are busy/not available due to death. The AA-12 still has an extremelt high DPS as well. If you can nail a scrake in the head enough times you can kill it, since it has no ballistic resistance. If commandos can do a SCAR mag-dump to kill one then it only makes sense that a more powerful gun can be used too.

[Blasbo Bibbins]

Originally posted by Delta:

Originally posted by Jack Frost:

Whats wrong with using the AA12 single fire on trash? You save all your ammo if you don't target the big zeds and just focus on the trash. If you really need to help with the big zeds you can just use your boomstick right? Atleast that's the way I've found to play support the most effectively without running out of ammo.

Why would you waste your highest DPS weapon on trash? The Boomstick isn't close to as powerful as the AA12 so obviously you'll want to save the latter for the biggest threats. Not to mention clearing trash is something tons of classes can do yet only a few other classes and weapons are as powerful as the AA12, so focussing on trash as a Support means you aren't playing your role properly.

As for TC's advice about aiming shots to take out multiple enemies, as someone else said this doesn't work at lower perk levels where you have less penetration. It's always worth trying and definitely worth getting in the habit of, but not as vital on lower difficulties where ammo is less of a concern (and where most people can't be counted on to make the use of supplier, so the decision which perk bonus to go for isn't as black and white).

Wish I was back in KF1 Hard as a level 5 support, wiping out a whole crowd of clots with body shots from the basic shotgun *sighs at the pleasant memory* :)

With regards to lower levels being unable to penetrate with their shots as effectively, if you aim for the head you can still potentially kill multiple trash zeds. I've done so as medic with the medic shotgun before. All the shotguns have a base penetration stat I believe and even at higher levels doing bodyshots with the shotgun can be ineffective.

[q3.railgun]

*HoE unless otherwise specified*

I use AA12 on quick trash clears. DBS for SC uppercuts and nades on FP.

I don't actively go killing only assist on clearing and solo SC if required.

If they're actively killing trash with the AA12 there's a problem but that isn't to say every SUP that uses AA12 for trash doesn't know what they are doing.