The no-frills co-op shooter is a fantastic way to pass the time, as you’ll find yourself screaming through the heavy metal soundtrack trying to rid Europe of waves of different zombie types (yes, multiple zombies) While KF2 hits it out of the park in terms of gameplay and presentation, there’s really not a lot here in terms of content. It’s fun while it lasts, but leaves you wanting more. So what’s to do when you’ve grinded through your favorite classes? Well, there are tons of cool mods to choose from to keep the game interesting. I’ve already found some of my favorites that you might want to try for yourself, and I’m ranking them all here.
20. DooM 2: Map 1 Entryway
Check Out This Mod One of the first things you’ll see when it comes to modding KF2 is maps. New maps are a great way to add spice to the game, especially given its repetitive nature. And there are tons of maps to choose from. The first couple of maps combine some of our favorite shooters with KF2 – because why the hell on Earth not? Starting off we have DooM 2. This one’s actually a port of a popular KF1 map, except the textures have been upgraded to match. Interestingly enough, Doom 2 was actually titled “Doom 2: Hell on Earth” so perhaps the KF2 play mode is actually a nod to the classic FPS game?
19. Arid Zedlands
Check Out This Mod Up next we have Arid Zedlands. If the name isn’t obvious enough, this one takes us to the Arid Badlands – made famous by the original Borderlands game. It’s amazing how the map actually looks and feels like Borderlands. You probably won’t be able to tell which game you’re playing. Every detail has been included, from the art style to the ammo in the mailboxes. Even the soundtrack has been replaced with the original Borderlands music. That’s dedication, folks. If you’re a fan of Borderlands, be sure to try out this one.
18. Mario 64 Remastered
Check Out This Mod Another beloved video game reference, except this time we’re moving towards the retro era. Typically, FPS games (especially those involving zombies) are expected to have dark, gritty visuals. Well why not have a bit of fun and take KF2 to the world of Mario? Trade in the dank European streets for the bright and colorful fields of Peach’s Castle. All before you paint the map red, of course. The change of scenery is definitely something to get used to, but it makes for tons of fun. You might be surprised at how the contrast is actually quite nice.
17. Bikini Atoll
Check Out This Mod This time we’re taken under the sea to Bikini Atoll. If you didn’t know already, the actual Bikini Atoll was actually a test site for nuclear weapons back in the 40’s-50’s, which actually makes sense given the setting of KF2. What’s more interesting is that this map is also inspired by Bikini Bottom from SpongeBob. Combine the two and you get a much darker version of Bikini Bottom – one that actually looks like zombies belong there. You’ll even find some familiar places like the Krusty Krab. KF2 and Mr Krabs… I never thought I’d see the day. This world is gonna be fun to explore if you’re a hardcore SpongeBob fan. It’ll probably lend itself to some nice memes along the way, too.
16. Zed’s Diner
Check Out This Mod Zed’s Diner is a retro diner map that you’re sure to have loads of fun with. A retro diner in the middle of the desert? Check. A wide-open drive-in cinema? You got it. With nothing to light your surroundings but the diner’s neon signs and the moonlight, it looks like this was taken straight out of a horror film. The map features some rebalances as well, as zed spawn faster than they do on official KF2 maps. Other than surviving waves of zombies, you can also search for the 10 “Gold Record” collectibles scattered around the map as well. Gives you a little something to keep you busy.
15. Finland Winterland
Check Out This Mod This time we’re taken to the snowy mountains of Finland. The map features an open mountainside, complete with a lakeside house and sauna avanto. All of that surrounded by the beautiful Northern Lights shining in the background. It looks like it would make for a great vacation spot, but unfortunately we’re not here for that. There’s lots of snow on this map, too. Which only means you’ll have more white to paint over.
14. Dystopia 2029
Check Out This Mod Every game deserves a Bladerunner map. KF2 is no different. Here we’re taken to a bleak dystopian cityscape in Dystopia 2029. There’s a wide-open downtown area, but the many buildings really give the playable area variety. You’ll be fighting off waves of zeds from the grimy alleyways to the once heavily-populated city central in this futuristic city world. There’s so much to see on this map, you can even go looking for the 30 bling necklaces hidden across the city.
13. Katana Black Golden
Check Out This Mod Other than maps, some modders let their creativity shine through by creating unique weapon skins to enhance the visuals of KF2. This specific skin changes the appearance of the katana, giving it a black and gold colorway, along with red ribbon highlights wrapped around the handle. The katana now looks better than ever. Truthfully, the attention to detail is incredible here. You’ll even find Japanese symbols as well as a biohazard symbol etched on the backside of the blade.
12. The Gentleman’s Revolver MKII
Check Out This Mod This time we have a reskin of the 1858 revolver. The gun is now dominantly dark blue with gold highlights. The etched detail in the gold hardware gives the gun a much more delicate, classier look. Looking through the comments section, someone actually noted that “the engravings offer no tactical advantage whatsoever.” So why install it? While this is completely true, it also completely misses the point. The skin looks great and should make a gunslinger playthrough all the more fun. Small aesthetic tweaks can enhance immersion, always something I’m into.
11. Deagle – Vampire Hunter
Check Out This Mod Here’s another one for the gunslingers – a reskin of the .50 Desert Eagle. This offers a heavily-engraved silver skin which gives the gun a whole new depth in terms of detail. The floral patterns really don’t look too girly, either. The modder mentioned that he originally went with gold, but ultimately decided on silver instead as it felt less cheesy. I completely agree. As now it doesn’t make the gun look too over-the-top. Instead it feels like your deagle’s were passed down through generations and they’ve finally been upgraded.
10. Synthwave Soundtrack
Check Out This Mod With the Synthwave Soundtrack mod, you can change the music you kill zeds to. Pretty straightforward right? If you’ve gotten tired of the heavy metal soundtrack that comes with the vanilla version of the game, this should be an interesting change of pace. Taking inspiration from Far Cry Blood Dragon, this mod completely changes the soundtrack with some electro synth music. You might not expect it to fit, but the music surprisingly works well while you’re fighting off zed hordes. The boss fight music has been updated as well, and actually adds to the intensity of the battles. I imagine this one would go well with the Dystopia 2029 map.
9. Pepsiman Scrake Skin
Check Out This Mod Weapons and music aren’t the only things getting overhauled in KF2. There are character skins available as well, the first on this list being a reskin of the scrakes. While scrakes are usually annoying chainsaw-weilding brute zeds, why not give them Pepsiman outfits to tone down the intimidation a little bit? We all remember the Pepsiman game for PlayStation 1, right? Now scrakes will have the signature silver skin tone from that iconic game. They maintain the aprons as well, except now they’re blue complete with a huge Pepsi logo. Ah, corporate advertising.
8. The Chickenator
Check Out This Mod Edmund Cook (better known as The Chickenator) was actually an unlockable character for a limited event back in the first Killing Floor game. He hasn’t made an appearance in KF2, and although his Commando Chicken outfit can be purchased in the in-game store, you could just mod Foster’s appearance to get him in the game. This neat mod completely changes Foster’s appearance to a brand-new Chickenator suit. So you’ll be able to play as Commando Chicken any time you want. The suit now even features chicken leg pants!
7. Joker Foster
Check Out This Mod Another Foster reskin, this time letting you play as the Joker. Inspired by the red suit worn by the recent Joke iteration performed by Joaquin Phoenix, you can now customize Foster’s appearance and have him wear the exact same outfit. What’s nice about this mod is that it appears in the gear menu during character selection, so you’ll be able to easily select the different parts to mix and match. Unfortunately, the skin doesn’t include a joker face. Instead you’re given a gas mask smeared with clown colors… which isn’t a bad alternative.
6. Controlled Difficulty
Check Out This Mod If you’ve grinded through the base game, played around with different maps, and had fun with different skins, how else can you get more out of KF2? Well there are actually mods that allow for actual gameplay customization that can make the game either more interesting or more challenging, depending on your own taste. Controlled Difficulty is one of those mods. It allows you to take control of otherwise hardcoded or random factors in the game. The mod keeps it close to vanilla, but gives you options to tweak spawn system values, max zed limits, and even controlling which boss spawns. This makes it possible to play a completely customized game, so how you play is essentially up to you.
5. Be the Zed Variety Pack
Check Out This Mod The versus mode in KF2 isn’t actually all that great, since the zed team randomly spawns as any zed in the game. That means that you could spawn as any of the weaker zeds and that wouldn’t make for such a good time. Lucky for us, there’s a “Be the Zed Variety Pack” mod. This introduces four new game modes to keep things interesting. Boss Challenge lets one random player spawn as the Patriarch, one of the few bosses in the game, and has access to all his attacks. There’s also a Pop the Cyst mode where one player spawns as a cyst, except with buffed speed and health. The other players are only given knives and welders and have to chase the cyst around until they can kill it. There are two other fresh game modes to try as well, and this should make for a lot of fun – especially playing with friends.
4. Headhunter
Check Out This Mod Headhunter gives you the ability to play the Cranium Cracker mode from the Weekly Outbreaks. For those who are unfamiliar, Weekly Outbreaks are weekly events in Killing Floor 2 offering additional game modes and rewards for completion. Note that you don’t have the ability to choose which event is be available, but if you’re a fan of the Cranium Cracker mode, this mod will definitely keep things interesting. You’ll be able to play in Headhunter mode anytime you want, where as in Cranium Cracker, only headshots will count towards damaging enemies.
3. Abominations’ Minibosses Spawns
Check Out This Mod This is a fun mod that also makes for a more challenging playthrough. What it does is replaces bloats, scrakes, and fleshpounds with “mini abominations”. When a mini abomination is present on the field, it will spawn a mini boss every 10 seconds. The mini bosses include weaker versions of all bosses in the game. Sounds cool right? Mini bosses have the same abilities as their original counterparts, but generally do less damage. This adds a whole different aspect to the game and how battles play out, so you’re probably going to be tweaking your strategy a bit.
2. GrooveYard
Check Out This Mod GrooveYard is actually a map mod, but there are tons of features to discover here. And all of them bring a whole new level of fun to the game. Once you make your way inside, you’ll actually find yourself in a night club setting. And everything is oversized. Your character is actually mouse-sized in GrooveYard, so everything from the bar to the tables and chairs scattered around the map will be like the Jolly Green Giant’s house. What’s fun about this map is that you can interact with pretty much all the objects inside. You’ll find yourself spending most of your time riding skateboards and playing the giant drum set or piano, among loads of other stuff you can explore. It’s a unique map loaded with original ideas that’s sure to make for a good time.
1. Zedternal
Check Out This Mod Zedternal is basically endless mode for Killing Floor 2. One of the biggest features of the mod is the updated perks system. Perks are now completely customizable, as all 10 can be combined to make for a totally unique character. All players start with no perks at level 0. Then you’ll have to unlock different perks, skills, and weapons throughout the playthrough. Zedternal gives you complete freedom in terms of upgrades too, so classes will no longer limit your development options. Not only that, but Zedternal introduces new skills, weapon upgrades, and even zeds to make for a completely fresh KF2 run. When I say fresh I mean really feels like new. Absolutely give this one a try if you can.
