The firebug, quite simply, supports the team with their panic affliction from their fire weapons by controlling groups of zeds and keeping his valuables (Medics, Demos etc) safe. This perk is no longer a damage perk like it was in the first installment, and moreso a support perk (This being compared to the high dps the firebug was in KF1, the firebug still works as a dps with the right perks).

The firebug's priority targets are trash zeds, and medium zeds besides the husk (due to the husk's high fire resistance). This perk DOES NOT meddle with big zeds, without getting shouted at, atleast. Stick to ♥♥♥♥ zeds and your team kills the bigger ones.

The firebug's diverse arsenal consists of all the different ways you can burn zeds.

The pocket size flamethrower you load into the game with is known as the Caulk n' Burn. It has a notably small range (for reference, about as far as a Bloat's vomit), and lacks damage, but makes up for it with the ability to stumble small zeds who are directly struck by its flame. This weapon is best used to control low threat zeds like crawlers and gorefasts/fiends from getting too close to your big game hunters like the sharpshooter.

Stats
Weight: 5
Price: 200 (T1)
Damage: 10 Impact, 5 Splash (Lasts for 5 seconds)
Mag Size: 50
Reserve Ammo: 500

The Incendiary Trench Gun mixes up the traditional firebug arms by adding spikes of damage, allowing the firebug to clear medium threats like sirens if a different perk is incapable of doing so. For this damage, the trench gun trades out the high mag size and ammo reserve, and the afterburn potential of the caulk n' burn and the flamethrower.

Stats
Weight: 5
Price: 650 (T2)
Damage: 15 Impact (x10 Pellets), 2 Burn (Lasts for 5 seconds)
Mag Size: 6
Reserve Ammo: 40

These revolvers are a recent addition to the firebug's arsenal, and essentially do the same as the shotgun, but serve as a middle ground when used in akimbo. They have the same trade off as the shotgun, trading a higher spike damage for less afterburn and magazine size. They are a good medium between the flamethrower and the shotgun because they sport an incredibly high ammo reserve, and are good for clearing most types of zeds besides Scrakes and Fleshpounds (and Husks, obviously).

Stats
Weight: 2 (4)
Price: 325 (650) (T2)
Damage: 40
Mag Size: 6(12)
Reserve Ammo: 192

The classic firebug weapon, the trusty flamethrower has been around longer than the firebug perk itself, and is the main tool for zed control. In every respect, this weapon is an upgrade from the caulk n' burn, sporting higher damage, range and carrying twice the mag size. In the right hands, the flamethrower controls large crowds through ground fires which are used to apply DoT burn and inflict panic (more on the panic affliction later).

Stats
Weight: 8
Price: 1100 (T3)
Damage: 21 Impact, 10 Splash (Lasts for 5 seconds)
Mag Size: 100
Reserve Ammo: 600

Since it's better to leave the bigger threats to your sharpshooters and demos, you will most likely stay far from using this weapon, but for the sake of clarity I'm including it anyway. This gun is essentially what the firebug uses for large zeds, abusing their metal frames with microwaves, dealing high damage to the zeds you would normally ignore. This gun takes a large part of your weight capacity, and normally it isn't worthwhile since it only leaves you with a caulk n' burn space capacity to deal with low threats. It's worth noting the MWG's alt-fire, which compensates for the lack of a flamethrower by knocking zeds back with an orb-like shot, dealing a direct 200 damage in a 60 degree cone. This is probably the most useful part to the MWG, as it can be used to keep your valuables safe. When using the MWG, you should probably stick close to your team and alt-fire to keep big zeds away. This alt-fire is costly on ammo though, so it must be used sparingly. This gun can create ground fires, but it does half as much as the caulk n' burn and the flamethrower, making it just a waste of ammo. It's also worth mention that the MWG does more damage than any other firebug weapon to the patriarch, making it a worthwhile choice for the boss round.

Stats
Weight: 10
Price: 1500 (T4)
Damage: 14 Impact
Mag Size: 100
Reserve Ammo: 500

The firebug's grenade of choice, the molotov cocktail is thrown, contacts a surface, explodes, and creates 5 residual flames. These flames stay for 10 seconds and deal damage to zeds every 0.5 seconds. This grenade is amazing at closing off doorways and narrow corridors, as it fills the entire space and forces zeds to traverse it, taking damage as they cross. Use them sparingly, to cover a doorway so you can turn to deal with a different group of zeds or to cover a teammates tail while he escapes a large crowd. Both the nade's impact and the residual flame apply afterburn.

Stats
Price: 40 (per)
Damage: 60 Impact, 10 per 0.5 interval (Residual Flames)

"It's a fireman's knife. You're a fireman, so we're assuming that we do not need to explain to you how to use it." This knife is the firebug's variant of the starting loadout knife, and you probably won't find yourself needing it as long as you don't ♥♥♥♥ through your high ammo reserves.

It is worth noting that, due to the firebug's unique nature and sole dependancy upon fire, it has no off perk weapons, and is best sticking to it's own guns.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1GDpg2mN1l_86U_RaDug0glFx8cZCuErwxZLiBKl9SyY/edit#gid=1502265493

As the firebug, you gain XP from dealing damage with any on-perk weapons, and bonus XP for every crawler killed by an on-perk weapon.

Perk Weapon Damage (0.8%/ Level)
Perk Weapon Reload (0.8%/ Level)
Resist Zed Fire Damage (30.0% + 2.0%/ Level)
Immunity To Own Fire (25.0% + 3.0%/ Level)
Starting Ammo (10.0%/ 5 Levels)

With every 5 levels gained in any perk, a choice between 2 skills is given.

This skill is really personal preference. It's extremely helpful to have the extra ammo in tight spots, but it comes at the sacrifice of lower damage. Since damage isn't the firebug's purpose, I see it better to use High Capacity Fuel Tank.

For this skill, Ground Fires shines above barbecue, due to not only increasing residual flame damage massively, but also slowing zeds movement speed by 20%, allowing easier control of crowds. It also adds a lovely blue hue to the Ground Fires.

Although the damage from Zed Shrapnel can be useful, it can also knock down nearby zeds, like the Fleshpound your sharpshooter just missed. With Napalm, zeds who contact each other instantly take afterburn damage. Napalm is the better choice here.

The only weapon that suffers a low range is the caulk n' burn, which you shouldn't be using for long anyway. Heat wave allows for much better control over low threats, allowing you to push back groups of small zeds to give your teammates some breathing room.

Inferno is seemingly the better choice from the two, as it further slows the zeds and allowing your team to focus the bigger threats.

Weapons
Flamethrower
Incendiary Trench Gun
Single Spitfire

Use the flamethrower for general crowd control, keeping the low threats at bay whilst the big game hunters kill the high threats. This loadout is for a team with perks that can deal with the scrakes and fleshpounds, so you can focus on keeping them safe. Use the trench gun for close quarters with medium threats, and the spitfire for medium threats that outrange the trench gun, (even though you shouldn't need to waste time aiming at these, it's good to have the pistol to fallback to).


Weapons
Microwave Gun
Caulk n' Burn

This loadout is used sparingly, and only when your team lacks the tools to deal with high level threats. Use the caulk n' burn for crowd control, and use the microwave gun for any medium-high threats approaching your team. The knockback on the microwave gun can be useful to control zeds while you focus down a high priority target, but it comes dear, at 10 ammo over 1 per second for the continuous beam. For this perk, it is better to take Bring The Heat as your first skill, as it allows you to effectively clear the bigger zeds quicker.

To summarise, the role of a good firebug in high levels is irreplacable by any other perk, because no perk in the game can control zeds like the firebug. Your job is to frontline the assault and contain trash zeds so that your valuable teammates like your medic stay alive, and fry the bigger fish. The firebug, due to hitting nearly every zed per wave, normally has the highest dosh counter by the end of it. For the firebug to be effective, he doesn't need as much money as he gets from assists. Try and spread out your dosh to keep your more cash heavy perks like gunslinger in the game.

Patience is key with the firebug, as the mouse 1 doesn't need to be held down to deal damage. The flamethrower and caulk n' burn shoot 4 ammo in one click, but also create 4 bursts of fire. Timing your clicks well can conserve ammo and keep the floors layered in fire with ease.

Made another guide, since this one got such good reception. Enjoy the killing, lovelies <3
http://steamproxy.net/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1103770542