THE SCOUT
Health: 125, 185 with Medigun buff
Weapons:
Scattergun
Ammunition: 6 Shells
Reserve Ammo: 32 Shells
Pistol
Magazine Capacity: 12 rounds
Reserve Ammo: 36 rounds
Melee Weapon:
Baseball Bat
WHY THE SCOUT IS THE BEST CLASS TO PLAY:
Think of the way you play other shooters.
Do you like to hurl yourself
at objectives with little regard to yourself? Are you the sort of
player that enjoys strafing and leaping to throw off enemy aim? The
Scout is the best class for this style of play, hands down.
The thing to keep in mind when playing the Scout class is that your
greatest weapon isn't a gun, it's your speed. Scouts are CRAZY
fast. They fly across maps, and the
best Scouts never run in a straight
line; they zigzag across maps so that the Heavies, Demoman grenades and
Soldier rockets never hit them. What
more, a Scout is the only
class that can do a double-jump ala Mario; and just like
Nintendo's plucky plumber, the Scout can change direction in mid-air.
Use this to your advantage as a Scout.
Spin around your enemies, speed
into capture zones (Scouts even capture control points twice as fast
as other classes) and most importantly: Never. Stop. Moving.
A Scout doesn't have the health bar or the raw weapon power to outlast
opponents, but he doesn't need them, because of his ridiculous speed.
Scouts are the ideal flag-runners (although in TF2 we steal
Intelligence briefcases, and not flags.) He's the running back to
his team's offensive line. Sure, you
may not get a touchdown
right away, but no class is better at swooshing past enemy
defenses, nicking the dropped Intelligence, and hopping away before
anyone can react. If they shoot you
again, so what? You can run
faster than they can relocate their defense, and you've already
reset the Intelligence timer. The
points are practically already
on the board.
Scouts are the perfect decoys, keeping defenses busy while your
offense pushes in. Besides being
natural Intelligence runners
and always appreciated in a cap zone, Scouts can quickly (see the
emphasis here?) move between offensive and defensive fronts to
help where he can. Every team should
have one.
WEAPONS
SCATTERGUN:
Most Scouts fall into one of two archetypes, those who prefer the
Scattergun, and those who prefer their Baseball Bat. Really, each
playstyle is valid, and boils down to a matter of preference. When you
try out the class, give each a go and see what works best for you.
The Scattergun is an ideal weapon for the Scout. Similar in output to
the standard Shotgun many classes carry as a secondary weapon, the
Scattergun packs a bit more oomph and a bit wider of a spread. This is
really the best sort of primary weapon a jumpy, speedy class like the
Scout could ask for, as the spread nature of the weapon means the
Scout doesn't have to slow down and aim in order to take a chunk of
health out of his opponent. That
said, the more comfortable you get
aiming with the Scattergun, you'll find that it can be very, very
powerful, capable of one-shotting weaker enemies like Engineers, Medics
and rival Scouts if you're close enough - and with the speed of the
Scout getting close shouldn't be a problem.
The Scattergun isn't as useful as the other classes' Shotgun at
longer ranges... as useful as a Shotgun can be at range, anyway. The
Scattergun is amply suited to destroying enemy Dispensers and
Teleporters, but even a Scout isn't fast enough to outrun a Sentry
Gun; leave those for the Demomen, Soldiers and Spies.
And remember, as the Scout loads new shells into his empty Scattergun
(shells which I suspect are filled with nails, as the TFC Scout
carried a Nailgun) you can interrupt the reload to fire off whatever
shells you have currently loaded. So
if you're reloading and
backpedaling and a Demoman launches a few grenades your way, by all
means double-jump away and fire whatever you've got to scare him
off.
PISTOL:
The Pistol that Scouts carry shoots straight, reloads quickly and fires
as fast as you can click the mouse.
It is a reliable secondary weapon
for finishing off a fleeing opponent when your Scattergun is empty,
although many Scouts, due to their speed, prefer their Baseball Bat
in a similar situation.
The Pistol is also useful at longer ranges, where the Scattergun
becomes less effective. Don't expect
to outdo your team Sniper, but if
you need to finish off a fleeing, burning opponent without putting
yourself in harm's way, the Pistol will be a surer bet than your
Scattergun.
BASEBALL BAT:
The Scout's small Baseball Bat is his melee weapon of choice and primary
weapon of choice for many career Scouts.
The Bat isn't any stronger
or weaker than the other melee weapons in the game; like them all, it
will deal a small chunk of damage in front of an opponent, and more if
you are behind them.
What makes the Bat so deadly is its pairing with the Scout's unrivaled
speed. See a Heavy wailing away across
a bridge? Zig-zag across,
double-jump over his head, and with a few BONKS! the Heavy won't be a
problem anymore.
While the Engineer perhaps gets the most use out of his melee weapon,
I'd say the Scout comes close, for some.
Sure, it's dangerous
to take a bat to a gunfight, but it can be fun as hell too. It's
at least worth trying out, to see if it works for you.
########################################################################
THE SOLDIER
Health: 200 | 300 with Medigun buff
Weapons:
Rocket Launcher
Ammunition: 4 Rockets
Reserve Ammo: 16 Rockets
Shotgun
Ammunition: 6 shells
Reserve Ammo: 32 shells
Melee Weapon:
Shovel
WHY THE SOLDIER IS THE BEST CLASS TO PLAY:
Soldiers are hostile, versatile, integral classes to the success of any
offensive push. Demomen may have
more explosive power, Heavys more
raw firepower, and Scouts more maneuverability, but a good Soldier can
still do it all, right when his team needs him.
At 200 Health (300 buffed by a Medic), a Soldier is one of the most
resilient classes in the game, second only to the Heavy. Demomen
may be able to bounce grenades around and lob Sticky Bombs, but there
is no substitute for the all-range, all-purpose devastation that the
Soldier's Rocket Launcher brings to a fight.
Good Soldiers frustrate their enemies constantly by outlasting them
with their combination of high health and offensive power.
Pyros and Scouts who rush up close either catch a rocket to the face
or several rockets exploding on the ground and walls around them. The
Pyros and Scouts are in pieces; the Soldier is at half health and
reloading; ready to send a barrage of rockets across the map to a
Sniper nest, or pop around a corner, firing with precision at Sentry
Guns.
Though the Soldier runs slower than some, he is still faster than
the Heavy, and in a crude way shares the Scout's airborne mobility:
Firing a rocket at the ground and jumping at the same time propels
the Soldier high into the air and forward... and over walls, over
defenses, and into capture areas.
With practice, a Soldier can get
almost anywhere he needs to be, when he needs to be there.
Every team should have one.
WEAPONS
ROCKET LAUNCHER:
As a Soldier, you're going to be shooting this a lot, so lets get the
details straight up front: The Rocket Launcher can shoot 4 rockets at a
time, and shoot them fairly quickly.
This may startle those of you
out there who are used to traditional Rocket Launchers in shooters that
are single-shot and take a while to reload (DoD:S, I'm looking at you.)
The next happy surprise is the speed with which the Soldier reloads his
rockets. If, for example, the first
four rockets don't get the job
done, a fifth can be fired pretty quickly. Remember, you can interrupt
the reload process to fire... you don't have to wait for the Soldier to
load four more rockets.
You'll be called to a variety of tasks by your team as a Soldier, all
of which your Rocket Launcher should be able to handle. Soldiers are
excellent at removing Sentry Guns in the absence of a Demoman or a Spy,
esepcially at longer ranges. When
you fire at stationary targets like
those built by Engineers, be sure to take time to line up your shot -
the goal is to demolish the Sentry quickly so your team can advance.
Don't worry, the Soldier's ample health will keep him alive long enough
to line up a proper shot.
Against moving targets, you'll find that the slow propulsion of the
rockets makes things trickier. One
of the best tips is straight from
Valve (the people you bought the game from.) Aim at the ground.
Enemies, especially those rascally Scouts, can easily sidestep rockets
fired from afar - but when you aim for their feet, or a nearby wall,
the splash damage of the explosion will either kill them, or at least
wear them down for a friendly Heavy or Pyro to finish.
As a Soldier, you aren't a Heavy, but you're the next best meatshield
there is. Follow your Medics
(actually, have them follow you :p), and
when you hear "UberCharge is up! Go buddy Go!" charge forward and
blow up that enemy base.
SHOTGUN:
You'll get more use out of this baby than you might think when you
start out as a Soldier. Rockets are
powerful, but when they miss and
the Pyro is charging you, or the Demoman hailing you with grenades,
the Shotgun will get you out of a jam if you don't trust your up-close
Rocket aim.
Of course, the Shotgun is also a natural clean-up weapon for targets
of your own who are wounded from the explosions, or passing
enemies who've been lit on fire and aren't really worth the rocket.
My advice: get some experience playing the class, and decide for
yourself when the Shotgun best helps you.
SHOVEL:
I like the collapsible Shovel that the Soldier carries, but maybe that's
just my DoD:S experience talking. As
a Soldier I find I will more
often than not finish off an opponent with my Shotgun, but if you can
get behind an enemy and resist the urge to blow them up, by all means
thwack them with this.
########################################################################
THE PYRO
Health: 175 | 260 with Medigun buff
Weapons:
Flamethrower
Can be fired for 200 seconds,
fully loaded.
Shotgun
Ammunition: 6 shells
Reserve Ammo: 32 shells
Melee Weapon:
Fire Axe
WHY THE PYRO IS THE BEST CLASS TO PLAY AS:
Who doesn't like running around setting things on fire? The Pyro is
a class unlike any other, and is easily the most deadly close-range
attacker in the game.
As a Pyro, your goal is simple: set as many people and objects on fire
as you possibly can. People on fire
who are foolish enough to stay in
your jet of flame will die at a quicker rate than those smart enough to
run away - who will still die, either from burning alive while running
around (which is hilarious to watch) or being shot while burning alive,
many times by the Pyro's trusty Shotgun.
But the fire does more than quickly eat away at enemy health bars: it
disorients them, and confuses attacks.
A Pyro crouched around a corner,
or underneath a ramp, or just inside a door is ideal; When the
incoming attackers or defenders are suddenly ablaze, their coordination
breaks down, their vision is blurred by flames on-screen, and their
ranks break in search of a Medic, medkit or pool of water to stop
the burning.
When the enemy defense is occupied with a frontal assault, a backdoor
attack from a Pyro and an UberCharged Medic can create unrivaled
chaos. Heavys, Soldiers and Demomen
love the "I'll set em
up, you knock 'em down" nature of the Pyro. Defensively, Pyros melt
fragile cloaked Spies, Scouts, Medics and Engineers with ease,
keeping the capture point or Intel safe from attack. Every team
should have one.
WEAPONS
FLAMETHROWER:
The Flamethrower is instantly fun, very lethal, and can also be a bit
frusterating if you don't understand the mechanics of it. With
practice, however (and a handy FAQ to read :p), you'll become more and
more comfortable with it.
With the Flamethrower, the closer an enemy is to the Pyro's jet of
flame, the quicker his health will decrease. The best thing to do then
is trap your opponent in a corner or narrow hallway, where you will
have an easier time keeping your flame centered on your hapless
opponent. Obviously, people don't
like being lit on fire, and they
will do everything they can to escape your deadly flame, from running,
jumping, and of course, shooting at you.
The best idea here is to strafe around your opponent in such a way that
forces them towards a wall, while keeping you safe from counter-fire.
True, even if that Soldier or Demoman hits you with an explosive in the
face, you'll probably melt him to death anyway (Opponents will stay on
fire and lose health unless they find a Medic, medkit, pool of water
or Dispenser), but its better to live to burn again.
The biggest hurdle new Pyros tend to encounter when playing is the
range of the weapon. It is easy to
light someone ablaze, see that the
enemy is on fire, and chase them with your trusty Flamethrower spewing,
thinking that, since the enemy is still on fire, he is still
within your Flamethrower range. One
way to know for sure if you're
searing your opponent is to listen for a "sizzling" sound (think
bacon frying in a pan) which you will hear when your Flamethrower is
still on target.
Also, the length of the Flamethrower flame is longer when the Pyro
is standing still, and shorter when he is moving. Often, if chasing
an opponent refuses to ignite them, stopping for a second (extending
the length of the flame) will work! Bottom line, if you aren't sure,
I'd switch to your Shotgun.
Finally, due to the close-range nature of the weapon (and class), you
should understand that a Pyro does not belong in open areas or at the
end of long corridors alone. Your
Flamethrower can't help you there.
Stick with your team, scratch their back, and they'll scratch yours.
SHOTGUN:
Pyros are tied with the Engineer in my book as the class most reliant
on his Shotgun, although both rely on the weapon for different
reasons.
When I started playing the Pyro class, I didn't really use the Shotgun.
Why? I thought. I have a
Flamethrower... I'm a Pyro, I light people
on fire. What I didn't realize is
how quickly a Shotgun can finish off
a burning opponent.
The Flamethrower burns people pretty quickly, as you'll see the first
few times *you* get lit on fire. The
tendency for most new Pyros is
to chase people down with their Flamethrower, and opponents will take
advantage of this and just run away, creating a distance disadvantage
for the Pyro.
If you fall into this category, listen to me: pull out your Shotgun
early in the fight, and unload it.
You will be pleasantly surprised
at how quickly the Shotgun will either put them down, or accellerate
your enemy's death-by-burning. And
don't be afraid to hold your ground
as a Pyro. You may not have the
health of a Soldier or Heavy, but
175 health in a fire-proof suit is nothing to sneeze at, especially
with a Medic around. (Fun Fact: Pyros take damage from Flamethrowers,
but do not burn over time.)
The Pyro Shotgun, like all of the Shotguns, reloads quickly, has decent
stopping power, and surprising range.
Use it.
FIRE AXE:
The Fire Axe is a fitting weapon for the Pyro, although many Pyros are
so comfortable at close range with their Flamethrower, they forget to
use it.
I like to take out the Axe against opponents like Heavys and even
Soldiers, who have tons of health (particularly with Medics.) Heavys
burn for a long, long time, whereas a Minigun can shred a Pyro in
seconds. If you can get close enough
to a Heavy, I think it better to
stow the Flamethrower and Axe him in the back. See what works for you.
########################################################################
THE DEMOMAN
Health: 175 | 260 with Medigun buff
Weapons:
Grenade Launcher
Ammunition: 4 grenades
Reserve Ammo: 16 grendades
Sticky Bomb Launcher w/
Detonator
Ammunition: 8 bombs
Reserve Ammo: 24 bombs
Melee Weapon:
Bottle
WHY THE DEMOMAN IS THE BEST CLASS TO PLAY:
Hands down the most explosive class in TF2, the Demoman can frustrate
enemy attacks better than any other class, shelling them from afar with
his Grenade Launcher, booby trapping routes and defensive areas with
Sticky Bombs - and never putting himself in the line of fire.
Nothing disrupts enemy advances, and encourages retreat like a steady
hail of grenades, tumbling over cover, around corners, into buildings
and control points; but it's not just infantry that Demomen can
assault.
Engineers learn to loathe a good Demoman, as grenades and Sticky Bombs
are the best (and only) way to indirectly destroy otherwise well
protected Sentries and sheltered Dispensers. Spies can Sap them,
but they put themselves in harm's way to do so. A Demoman need never
even see the Sentry, he just waits for the successful explosion.
Sticky bombs do more than defend control points, they allow the Demoman
to create choke points. Seemingly safe waypoints are transformed into
an explosive death trap, forcing the enemy to either retreat or push on
through the ensuing detonation - and into whatever trap the Demoman
sets up next. Every team should have
one.
WeAPONS
GRENADE LAUNCHER:
The Demoman is a unique class to play, as all of his weaponry is
indirect. He doesn't have anything
that shoots bullets or shells -
which changes the way you have to approach certain combat situations.
The best thing to do is play to the Grenade Launcher's strengths. The
best part about playing a Demoman is that you don't
have to put yourself in the line of fire to rack up kills. Grenades
work best when bounced off walls, around corners, down hallways, into
rooms an enemy is defending, pretty much anywhere you would expect
the other team to be.
Unless your grenades hit your opponent directly (and if so, watch as
he goes BOOM) they will take a few seconds to explode, at which point
your opponent will usually retreat.
Don't think of this as a
failed attack - keep the pressure up!
Even if you aren't blowing up
your opponents, you'll be forcing them back and back, allowing your
team to advance. Remember, although
you'll fire off 4 grenades pretty
fast, the Demoman can interrupt his reload to fire off an emergency
grenade or two if need be.
The more practice you can get using the Grenade Launcher to ricochet
grenades into enemy bases the better.
As I said above, there's really
noone better suited to dispatching enemy Sentries and Dispensers safely
than a Demoman; as you become more practiced in placing your grenades
where they need to be, you'll find few problems you can't solve with
an explosion or two.
STICKY BOMB LAUNCHER:
Sticky Bombs are wonderful or terrible, depending on whether they're
friendly or not. These small, round
spikey doodads can make capture
points impossible to take, and choke points impossible to pass, if
a wary Demoman is present.
Sticky Bombs are always the color of the team of the Demoman who shot
them. So if you're RED, don't run
over blue bombs, and if you're BLU,
don't run over red bombs. By holding
down the fire button, the
Demoman can "charge" his shot, propelling each Sticky Bomb as far
as he
needs to.. into Sniper nests, at out-of-range Sentries, etc. And
when these babies explode, they can do massive damage, especially in
clusters. Only the Demoman can
detonate them, but he can do so
whenever he needs to, regardless of what weapon he is holding, by
clicking secondary fire - even if the bombs are in mid-air!
A Demoman can place up to eight Sticky Bombs at a time. If he shoots a
ninth, the first Bomb that he launched will explode. There really
isn't a bad place to put these bombs, and true to their namesake, they
will stick to anything, including walls and ceilings. Putting them
in plain sight on top of control points discourages smart opponents
from advancing, and encourages dumb opponents to set them off.
But the best thing to do with Sticky Bombs is create your own choke
points, luring your enemies into following you (or as a defense
against enemies who are chasing you.) You can coat the floor with
Bombs in a pinch, but if I have time I like to stick them around the
outer edges of doorframes and support beams, behind crates and along
rooftops - guaranteed to shake up a few hapless opponents, and make
the rest of their team think twice before taking that route.
Sticky Bombs are also wonderful ways to destroy entire Engineer bases.
The idea is to launch as many Stickies into the base around the
Sentries and Dispensers as possible, because unlike grenades, all of
the bombs will explode at once when detonated, giving no time for
repair to the Engineer (who will instead
likely be in pieces.)
I think, though, that practicing this sort
of Sentry extermination
with your Grenade Launcher is important,
in addition to using your
Sticky Bombs. Why? Because it saves you from having to
detonate
your Sticky Bombs, which you may have
already set as a defensive
trap, and take longer to shoot and reload
than the Grenade
Launcher's grenades.
Granted, there are some jobs that only a
Sticky Bomb can handle,
but a good Demoman doesn't rely on his
Sticky Bomb Launcher alone;
he uses both of his Launchers together to
trap his opponent in an
explosive demise. :)
Oh, and before I forget - a Demoman can
use his Sticky Bombs the same
way Soldiers use their Rockets to reach
high places. By detonating
a Sticky Bomb underneath his feet, the
Demoman can make a powerful
leap (in the old days it was called a
'pipe bomb jump') to get to
hard-to-reach areas, and set up ambushes
from there.
BOTTLE:
Now, at close range, the Demoman doesn't
have many options, and short
of a direct shot with a grenade, or quick,
mid-air Sticky detonation,
the Bottle is the only other thing a
Demoman can turn to. (That
was a pun.)
But hey, the Bottle can get the job done
up close, especially if your
enemy has been weakened by grenade/Sticky
Bomb explosions. When it
comes down to the difference between
taking potshots with grenades
and wildly swinging an empty whiskey
Bottle, I think personal
preference should be the deciding factor.
########################################################################
THE
HEAVY
Health: 300 | 450 with Medigun buff
Weapons:
Minigun
Ammunition:
200 rounds
Shotgun
Ammunition:
6 shells
Reserve
Ammo: 32 shells
Melee Weapon:
Fists
WHY THE HEAVY IS THE BEST CLASS TO PLAY:
Absolute, unrelenting firepower. There are many powerful weapons and
lots of creative equipment in TF2, but
*nobody* outguns the Heavy.
There is simply no outshooting a
Heavy. If you like to be the guy with
the BFG, the Heavy is for you. The Heavy is like a mobile upgraded
Sentry, sweeping the Minigun back and
forth, mowing down enemy troops,
laughing all the way. If you need a class to hold the line or
capture
point, you need a Heavy.
Offensively, Heavies are like battering
rams, punching through enemy
lines with their powerful Minigun,
marching towards control points,
clearing the way to the Intelligence. Will he be shot at? Sure.
Will he care? Likely not.
Rockets and grenades blow up the other
classes with a single hit, but not the
Heavy. Pyros melt down Scouts,
Spies, Medics, Demomen and the like with
ease, but not the Heavy.
Why not the Heavy? It's simple,
really. Medics look for Heavys all
the time, because when buffed with the
Medigun, Heavies carry a
whopping 450 health. That's not a typo. Heavies are always getting
shot at, but with a health pool that big,
and a Medigun trained on him,
he's going to outlast any class shooting
at him, unless his opponent
outguns him. And nobody outguns the Heavy. Every team should
have one.
WEAPONS
MINIGUN:
This is the reason you play as a Heavy, to
get to use this weapon.
Arguably one of the more satisfying
weapons in the game to fire, the
Minigun is like a death hose, the ultimate
example of quantity over
quality.
With practice, there are few weapons as lethal as a Minigun,
as long as it is used in the right
situations.
Heavies aren't very fast to begin with
(300 health is a lot to lug
around) and firing the Minigun slows him
down even more. So, there
are things to keep in mind when using this
weapon to compensate for
the Heavy's sluggishness.
First, you need to get the barrel of the
Minigun spinning before it
will actually start to fire. If you hold down primary fire, the Heavy
will lower his weapon, there will be a
delay as it begins to spin, and
then it will fire.
A good Heavy, however, will hold down his
secondary fire button, to spin
the barrel of the gun ahead of time. This is useful when rounding
corners, entering enemy buildings, and
anticipating attacks, as you
can fire immediately when you see an
enemy. Spinning the Minigun
barrel gives off a kind of whine, which
will alert nearby enemies to
your presence; but hey, you aren't a Spy,
you aren't trying to hide,
and given his size, the Heavy would have a
job hiding anyway.
The second thing to remember when using
the Minigun, is that although
your forward, backward and side to side
movement is slowed when the gun
is lowered/firing, your aiming speed does
not slow down. This is
very important to remember when dealing
with Pyros and Spies who are
going to try to ambush you up close, and
also pesky Scouts who will be
running circles around you. You can pivot as quickly as you can move
your mouse, and short of a backstab, there
is nothing as lethal at
close range as the Minigun.
The Minigun is unstoppable at all but long
ranges, but even so, it is
unwise to plod into enemy territory
alone. The Heavy is a big target,
and as good as the Minigun is, it works
much better with teammates.
Cover your teammates, and they'll cover
you. Finally, as I mentioned
above, Medics are very fond of Heavies,
especially as recipients of
UberCharges - but you must communicate
your ammo level to any Medics
following you! Some Medics are twitchy when it comes to
their
UberCharge and hit you with it as soon as
it's up, but it does your team
no good if the Minigun is empty. Fully loaded and invicible, there
is little the Minigun can't accomplish.
SHOTGUN:
The Heavy's Shotgun is just like the
others used by Engineers, Pyros
and Soldiers, but often doesn't see as
much use, and understandably so.
At the ready, a Minigun will be a much
more effective tool for Heavies
at killing. However, an ambushed Heavy who doesn't have
his Minigun
ready to fire wastes precious seconds
getting it going, and in these
situations I like to rely on my Shotgun,
rather than my health bar.
Alternately, you can use the Shotgun to
conserve Minigun
ammo before an UberCharge.
Although the Heavy is slow, the Shotgun
doesn't impair his speed,
giving him the most mobility he can get
when he needs it most.
With a few quick shots, the Shotgun will
hopefully beat ambushers back
long enough for the Heavy to start up his
Minigun, if not finish them
off.
FISTS:
Heavies rely on their knuckles to solve
any problems up close. True,
the noise that the Minigun makes, the
Heavy's naturally slow speed, and
his impossible-to-miss size makes sneaking
up on anyone about as
likely as a Sniper getting an UberCharge;
but overcoming those odds and
delivering a knockout punch is very
satisfying.
Just don't get your hopes up :).
########################################################################
THE
ENGINEER
Health: 125 | 185 with Medigun buff
Weapons:
Shotgun
Ammunition:
6 shells
Reserve
Ammo: 32 shells
Pistol
Magazine
Capacity: 12 rounds
Reserve
Ammo: 200 rounds
Melee Weapon:
Wrench
Equipment:
Construction
PDA
Detonator
Metal
Carrying
Capacity: 200 pieces
WHY THE ENGINEER IS THE BEST CLASS TO
PLAY:
Do you like to set up impenetrable
defenses, enabling victory by
bolstering your teammates, creating moving
bases that suffocate enemy
defenses?
The Engineer is the class for you.
There is nothing like a good
Engineer. While on their own they aren't
as powerful or healthy as ther peers,
their devices make or break
victory for their team. Harvesting metal from the weapons of fallen
enemies and destroyed devices, Engineers
construct powerful
Sentry Guns to hold off enemy advances,
and use the metal they
collect from their fallen enemies to
upgrade their Sentry to an
even deadlier model.
But the Engineer isn't limited to building
guns. Engineers create
Teleporter entrance and exits, providing
their team with quick access
to vital defensive points, or secret
access to their opponent's base.
Engineers also create Dispensers which
serve as stationary Medics,
replenishing health and ammo to nearby
teammates, and slowly refilling
the Engineer's metal supply.
Good Engineers not only defend their base,
they create forward bases as
their team advances, building Teleporters
and Dispensers, encouraging
their team to press the attack. There isn't a friendlier sight in the
world when turning into enemy territory
than seeing an Engineer
banging out a Dispenser behind cover.
Every team should have one.
WEAPONS AND EQUIPMENT
SHOTGUN:
The Engineer's Shotgun is the same model
that the Soldier, Pyro and
Heavy carry, and is just as reliable. As a primary weapon, it
certainly doesn't stand up against the
others (but hey, you still
out-gun the Spy!). Your Sentry Gun is really more of a primary
weapon; it's the Shotgun's job to assist
and defend the Sentry, and
it'll be working overtime.
When you're out in the open scavenging for
metal, or if you have
to defend yourself in the middle of a
build, the Shotgun can get
you out of a jam. The Engineer reloads it quickly, and the
Shotgun
has decent range and spread. Hopefully, if you have to resort to your
Shotgun there will be teammates nearby to
assist you. In fact, I
recommend budding Engineers to always
travel with their teammates; they
can keep you safer than your Shotgun can,
and buy you time to build
stuff.
PISTOL:
The Engineer's Pistol is just as good as
the Scout's Pistol, firing as
fast as you can click, reloading fast, and
with surprisng accuracy at
longer range. The Engineer also packs a whopping 200 extra
rounds for
his Pistol. Maybe it's spillover from the Sentry Gun
ammo.
As an Engineer, you'll be building and
maintaining Sentry Guns,
Dispensers and Teleporters primarily, so
choosing to use your Pistol
over your Shotgun will likely boil down to
personal preference and
circumstance. Naturally, I find the Pistol more suited to
targets
who are further away from me. Just don't expect to out-snipe a Sniper.
WRENCH:
Aha! Now this is probably the most used
melee weapon in the game, and
not for any added lethality - as a weapon
the Wrench is no more or less
effective than any other.
Engineers, however, use their Wrenches
constantly to build, upgrade and
repair their devices. If, say, an Engineer decides to build a
Sentry
Gun, he can hit it with the Wrench
repeatedly to speed up the build
process.
In a similar fashion, Engineers bang on damaged or Sapped
devices to restore their health and save
them from being destroyed.
But wait, that's not all! Engineers can
upgrade their Sentry Guns if
they have enough metal to do so. By hitting a completed Sentry with
the Wrench, metal is deducted from your
inventory towards the total
amount required for the Sentry upgrade
(200 metal). Even if you don't
have enough metal for the full upgrade,
you can start to upgrade the
Sentry with the metal you have, then
collect more and finish the job.
Also remember that any Engineer can use
his Wrench to repair and
upgrade any other Engineer's Sentries,
Dispensers and Teleporters.
For my money, one Lvl. 2 Sentry at the
start of a map does a better job
repelling Scouts than two Lvl. 1
Sentries. Work together, and your
base will be impregnable in half the time!
Soooo.. it is not uncommon for an Engineer
to be found hovering over
his creations with his Wrench, in a
constant state of repair/defense
against enemy Spies - who you may often
find disguise themselves as
Engineers and act as though they are busy
repairing the Sentries, when
in fact they are sabotaging them. How to spot the Spy? A Spy that is
disguised as an Engineer will not be
holding a Wrench, but instead a
Shotgun.
If you see a Shotgun-toting Engineer suspiciously near some
damaged Dispensers, sending over a Pyro
would be a good idea :).
CONSTRUCTION PDA:
The Engineer's Personal Digital Assistant
is where he
builds all of his handy
constructions. Here is a breakdown of
what
the Engineer can build, and how much metal
it costs.
Lvl. 1 Sentry Gun: 130 metal
-Lvl. 2 Sentry Upgrade: 200 metal
-Lvl. 3 Sentry Upgrade: 200 metal
Dispenser: 100 metal
Teleporter entrance: 130 metal
Teleporter exit: 130 metal
Engineers start with their full capacity
of 200 metal, and so can build
anything they want to right off the
bat. After selecting what to build,
the Engineer will take out his toolbox and
an image of what you
selected will appear in front of you, so
you can pick out where to
place your device; just click primary fire
when you're ready, and
don't forget to bang away with the Wrench
to speed up the process.
Sentry Guns are the backbone of any
defense, and should be a build
priority.
Once you have set up a good base of operations for
yourself and your teammates, you can move
on to upgrading the Sentry.
When placing a Sentry, you need not worry
about aiming it in a
certain direction; each version of the
Sentry Gun rotates and auto-
shoots any enemy in sight. However, you can right click while
placing the Sentry to rotate the direction
it will face by default,
which can be useful in speeding up the
auto-target process.
Keep in mind that although the Sentry Gun
becomes stronger and shoots
faster with each upgrade, Sentries cannot
see through a Spy's cloak
or disguise, and will only fire on the Spy
when he reveals himself,
usually by stabbing or shooting
someone. And that someone is often
the Engineer :). It is very important to be wary of Spies, as
an
Engineer without his Sentry is a sitting
duck with 125 health and
an ordinary Shotgun.
Depending on your team, the map, and the
stage of the game, you can
get all sorts of requests on what to
build. I find that initially
Dispensers are great. Teammates love free ammo and health refills,
and
Dispensers can help replenish your metal
supply automatically, allowing
you to quickly build more devices to help
your team. In Sudden Death,
Dispensers NEED to be your first priority,
because in Sudden Death
Dispensers are the only source of health
for your teammates other than
a Medic.
Dispensers can be very helpful to your
team if placed correctly, and
one thing to keep an eye out for is how
far your team is progressing/
pushing into enemy territory. As they advance, one of the best things
you can do is build a Dispenser nearby,
behind some cover. If your
offensive classes see that they have a
fall back point nearby, they'll
be much more encouraged to sustain the
attack.
Teleporters are also a great thing for
forward bases, and also for
defense.
You'll need to build both an entrance and an exit for the
gizmo to activate, but when it does, it
provides instant
transportation with only a slight recharge
delay between Teleporters.
Heavys, Soldiers and Medics can then get
where they need to be right
away with a Teleporter, and good
Teleporter placement can really
prolong an attack, or bolster a
defense.
The key with Teleporters is communication:
talk to your team.
Let them know that you're building
Teleporters, where the entrance is,
and where it will take them.
In fact, communication is good across the
board with the Engineer.
Rather than randomly placing Dispensers
and Sentries, ask your team
where they will help the most, and monitor
their effectiveness. An
informed Engineer is a very serious
threat.
DETONATOR:
Engineers can only have one Sentry,
Dispenser and Teleport
exit and entrance built at one time. They can detonate their devices
with their Detonator so they can build
another one, as needed as their
team advances, but the Engineer will have
to start over with a Lvl. 1
Sentry Gun.
Engineers can salvage the metal from their
destroyed buildings, making
it a little easier to relocate and rebuild
quickly.
########################################################################
THE
MEDIC
Health: 150 | 225 with Medigun buff
Weapons:
Syringe
Gun
Clip
Capacity: 40 syringes
Reserve
Ammo: 150 syringes
Equipment:
Medigun
Melee Weapon:
Bone
Saw
WHY THE MEDIC IS THE BEST CLASS TO PLAY:
Medics enable victory. Period.
If you want to be the reason your team
succeeds, the reason the Heavy stays alive
long enough to hold back
an attack or capture the game-winning flag
- play a Medic.
Medics in the right place make their team
unkillable, make defenses
unbreakable, and make any control point or
Intelligence Briefcase
takeable.
Teams need Medics like Enginners need metal, or Heavys need
bullets.
There's just no way around it.
Good Medics aren't just portable
Dispensers. Medics who bust their ass
every time they hear their teammates cry
out not only heal them, but
buff their teammates' health up to 150
percent! What more, Medics are the
only class capable of rendering a teammate
invincible. More often than
not, an UberCharge on the right class at
the right time is the only
way to win a control point, a map, or
both.
No class is more appreciated when around,
or missed when absent, than
the Medic.
When teams reach a stalemate, when it comes down to the
wire, you won't hear "Where's the
Pyro?" or "Can we get a Spy up
here?" When your team needs victory, your team needs
a Medic.
Every team should have one.
WEAPONS AND EQUIPMENT
SYRINGE GUN:
Playing as a Medic, you'll more often than
not be called on to use your
Medigun to keep your teammates in top
shape. However, this being a
frantic team shooter, you will be called
on to defend yourself now and
then.
Fortunately for you, the Syringe Gun is an excellent weapon to
use in these sorts of situations.
The Syringe Gun shoots hypodermic needles
at full auto. At 40 needles
per clip, and good stopping power, Medics
can hold their own when they
have to - just remember that Medics really
shouldn't have to.
When shooting the Syringe Gun, you'll
notice that the Syringes arc
downward as they shoot (damn gravity) and
as such you'll need to
compensate when you're aiming it at
range. The best idea for needling
down your opponents is to get as close as
you safely can to your
opponent; the goal is to land lots of
needles on your opponent as fast
as you can, because as a Medic you're
generally outgunned and weaker.
Fortunately, as a Medic (particularly a
Medic who has read this guide)
you'll be tagging along with bigger,
stronger classes with bigger,
stronger guns. In the case where you'll have to use your
Syringe Gun,
you should have a buddy nearby to help
you. No matter who you're
with, keep moving and don't stop shooting
till they keel over.
MEDIGUN:
Now this is the great part about playing a
Medic - who'd have ever
thought that keeping teammates healthy
would be easy and fun?
The Medigun in operation is kinda like the
Proton Pack from
Ghostbusters (my favorite movie, if you
haven't seen it stop reading
and go rent it... I'll wait for you.) It shoots a rubbery beam of
healing energy at whatever teammate you've
targeted, recharging
their health, and boosting it by up to 150
percent of its normal
total - but only for as long as you keep
your Medigun trained on them.
Note: the Medic cannot heal himself with
his own Medigun - he needs
another Medic to heal him, or else find a
Dispenser or medkit.
The most important thing about the
Medigun, however, is the UberCharge
I've been mentioning throughout the
guide. Your UberCharge gauge
starts empty, and as you heal your
teammates, that gauge will
start to fill. Even if a teammate is already at full health,
using
your Medigun on him will still fill your
UberCharge gauge; however,
(and this is important) healing wounded
teammates fills the gauge
faster.
You want to fill the gauge quickly.
Keep your ears
pricked, and as soon as you hear
"Medic!" help your teammate, and
you'll also help yourself. Savvy Soldiers and Demomen often
wound themselves with rocket and Sticky
Bomb jumps, with the
express purpose of helping a Medic charge
up quickly.
When the gauge is full, training your
Medigun beam on a teammate
and hitting secondary fire activates the
UberCharge, making you and
your selected teammate invicible for
precious few seconds - seconds
that win maps time and time again. You'll know that your UberCharge
is working when you see your teammate take
on a red or blue glow,
depending on what team you are on. Your UberCharge will ONLY LAST
if you keep your beam trained on your
buddy... if you break the
stream, you lose the invincibility.
Which brings us to our final Medigun
question: who to hit with
an UberCharge?
I'm not really concerned about what class
you pick. Depending on what
obstacle you're looking to overcome, a
Heavy, Soldier, Pyro or even
a talented Demoman can work. I just don't want you to waste it.
You don't need to fire off the UberCharge
as soon as the
gauge fills, and you shouldn't just use it
to save your own hide.
Evaluate your team's situation and
communicate with your team to set
up a group attack built around the
UberCharge. And don't "lock
in" on one class. True, the Medic+Heavy and Medic+Soldier
pairings
are popular, but don't glue yourself to a
Heavy at the expense of the
rest of your team - spread the healing
love around.
And remember, I said that the Medigun beam
was rubbery and flexible,
so the Medic can hide behind a wall or
other cover safely while the
recipient of his healing beam does the
dirty work. Stay alive out
there! Your team is counting on it.
BONE SAW:
When the Syringe Gun runs out and that
Pyro or Scout that ambushed you
is hot on your heels, this cool-looking
weapon will be what keeps you
alive.
In fact, the more comfortable you become
with close-quarters combat,
you might just stop firing your Syringe
Gun early, as most opponents
aren't going to expect a Medic to perform
a bayonet charge of sorts.
This thing'll carve your enemies up as
well as any other melee weapon,
but again, you hopefully won't have to
resort to it.
########################################################################
THE
SNIPER
Health: 125 | 185 with Medigun buff
Weapons:
Sniper's
Rifle
Single
Shot, Bolt-Action
Reserve Ammo: 25 rounds
Machine Pistol
Magazine Capacity: 25 rounds
Reserve Ammo: 75 rounds
Melee Weapon:
Machete
WHY THE SNIPER IS THE BEST CLASS TO PLAY:
The only class capable of a sustained, deadly long range attack. We all
know what Snipers do, and in TF2 the Sniper is no different - but he is
truly alone: no other class can strike from a distance with precision
or lethality like the Sniper can.
A lucky direct shot with a grenade or rocket will blow you up, sure,
but rockets are slow and even grenades can be easy to dodge. A Heavy's
Minigun is a terrible thing at close range, but over distance becomes
more of a crapshoot. The Sniper's
Rifle, however, is constantly,
reliably lethal at any range - in the right hands, and in the
right spot, a Sniper's Rifle is the deadliest weapon in the game, hands
down.
The Sniper's Rifle is the only weapon that offers an aim zoom, and also
"charges" the Sniper's shot - vastly increasing its strength,
making
the Sniper not only wildly efficient at cutting down enemy troops, but
just as deadly at removing Engineer constructions - all in one shot.
Every team should have one.
WEAPONS
SNIPER'S RIFLE:
The hallmark of the Sniper class, without which he'd just be a guy in
a funny hat. The Sniper's Rifle in
TF2, in my opinion, is one of the
best Sniper Rifles of any shooter I've played, and with practice, can
be extremely deadly.
Often, when players try out the Sniper class, there is an adjustment
period, where the players get used to aiming with the zoomed-in
sights (secondary fire brings up the scope) and targeting the most
vital areas. I find that adjusting to the frantic, zig-
zagging pace of the game is the biggest
thing for any budding Sniper
to get used to before he or she gets
comfortable playing the class.
Like so many other games, you want to aim
for the head for the
insta-kill in TF2.
As you practice with the Sniper (I like to
think of Sniping as a
practice, like law or medicine) observe
these two things. Firstly,
when you are zoomed-in, and ONLY then,
your Rifle will "charge,"
increasing the lethality of your next
shot. It takes a second or
two to fully charge, but it's worth
waiting for. The only way
you're going to down a beefy Heavy in one
is with a fully-charged
shot to the head. Even missing a headshot and hitting the guy's
chest instead could end up in a kill if
the shot is charged.
Secondly, when you zoom in, and as your
charge builds, a little
laser dot will appear at the center of
your scope, helping you aim.
What you need to be aware of, is that your enemies can see the
little laser dot too. I promise you,
you might bag a few beginners,
but competant players won't leave cover if they see a little red
or blue dot dancing around on the wall.
The good news is you can hide this -
veteran Snipers will aim so that
the laser dot is on the outer edge of a
wall, or nearby
obstacle where your enemy can't and won't
see the laser as it travels
up their body and settles on their
forehead.
Other than those tips, the best thing you
can do with the Sniper's
Rifle is find a good position to shoot it
from. Nobody can really
contest with the Sniper at long range, so
you should stay at long
range, and find positions that threaten a
wide area - just don't
overload yourself; the more areas you try
to cover, the more chances
an enemy Sniper has to get the jump on
you.
When I pick up the Sniper's Rifle, I like
to let the enemy do the
work for me. As a Sniper you can count on
your targets moving
laterally to try to avoid you; but rather
than chase them around,
keep your sights at their head level, and
squeeze the trigger as
their movement carries them across your
laser dot. In other words,
you can try to put the laser dot on their
head, or you can just wait
for them bring their head to your laser
dot, and then its BOOM
HEADSHOT time. :p
MACHINE PISTOL:
This is hands-down my favorite ever Sniper
class sidearm of all of
the shooters I've ever played. You just don't usually think
'automatic weapon' when you think of a
Sniper, but that's what the
Machine Pistol is, and I think you'll like
it as much as I do.
As a Sniper, you'll always be the victim
of opponents who manage to
sneak into your base, especially
Spies. But if you're wary (and I
do encourage you to step back from your
scope and check out your
perch every now and then) you can mow down
a potential backstabber
without breaking a sweat.
This gun shoots fast, shoots straight, and
carries just enough
rounds per magazine to take down your
ambusher. I recommend
that the Sniper use this weapon as he
advances with his team, or
changes positions; I think it gives the
Sniper a better survival
rate on the move, and when your team needs
you to move to shoot
a Heavy or enemy Sniper, survival is
important.
MACHETE:
I won't lie to you Snipers, you're going
to be getting backstabbed a
lot, because it's so easy to sneak up
behind you when you're looking
down your Rifle's scope.
That said, turning the tables on the Spy
who thought he had the jump
on you, and hacking him apart either
straight away or after riddling
him with your Machine Pistol, feels
*wonderful*. Boast loudly whenever
this happens.
########################################################################
THE
SPY
Health: 125 | 185 with Medigun buff
Weapons:
Revolver
Ammunition:
6 rounds
Reserve
Ammo: 24 rounds
Electro
Sapper
Melee Weapon:
Butterfly
Knife
Equipment:
Invisibility
Cloak
Cigarette Case
WHY THE SPY IS THE BEST CLASS TO PLAY:
I've repeated this phrase a lot over the
course of this FAQ, so bear
with me, but there is really, absolutely,
no class like the Spy. Not
just in TF2, but in any shooter I've
played.
The Spy is all espionage. If you want to be a master of subterfuge,
the Spy is your guy. Big guns and flashy explosives are for
Rambo.
The Spy is James Bond. Under disguise or his trusty Invisibility
Cloak,
a Spy can go anywhere, safe even from
enemy Sentry Guns. And
speaking of Sentries, the Spy is the only
class capable of directly
disabling them using his Electro Sapper -
making him an invaluable,
if unseen, asset to any attack.
As a Spy, you aren't playing to outgun
your opponent, you're playing to
outsmart them. Using the right disguise in the right place,
a Spy can
accomplish any number of dirty deeds for his team, and what team
wouldn't appreciate that?
Only one guy can disguise himself as a Soldier to get into an enemy base,
switch disguise to a Heavy to trick the enemy Medics into healing him,
sneak under an Invisibility Cloak to the Intelligence room, sabotage
all of the Engineer's defenses and shoot his way back out to safety:
the Spy. Every team should have one.
WEAPONS AND EQUIPMENT
REVOLVER:
As the Spy, feel special: you are the least powerful class in the game,
when it comes to raw firepower. The
Medic has more health and
firepower than you.
What that means is that although the Revolver is a potent weapon, its
limited ammunition and semi-auto operation forces the Spy to use
his other tools to get in and out of hostile territory, rather than
force.
That said, don't be so absorbed as a Spy with Sapping, backstabbing
and staying hidden that you don't use your Revolver when you need
to. The Revolver is a strong weapon
- the slugs it fires are much
stronger than those that the Scout's and Engineer's Pistol fires.
You just need to be careful with your aim - make every shot count.
The limited ammo is the reason I list the Revolver as weaker than
the Medic's Syringe gun. Shot for
shot, the Revolver's stopping
power is better.
When your cover gets blown as you're trying sneak up on a Sniper, or
a Pyro catches you moving toward your Engineer's Sentries, drawing
your Revolver can save the situation.
Better to uncloak,
displose of a threat, and recloak then stay invisible and burn to
death.
ELECTRO SAPPER:
This tool is really something special, and something that makes
Engineers cringe. The Electro Sapper
disables Sentry Guns, Dispensers
and Teleporters instantly. You'll
know when you've successfully
Sapped a Sentry Gun or Dispenser when you see electricity fritzing
all around it. Left like this, the Sapped construct will
eventually
be destroyed - and it can only be saved by
an Engineer's Wrench.
What really makes the Sapper groovy is
that it doesn't break a
Spy's disguise. As I'll talk about later, using your other
weapons will cause a Spy to lose whatever
disguise he is wearing, but
Sapping buildings won't cause the Spy to
lose cover.
It is no great deduction, therefore, that
a good Spy needs to be using
his Sapper as much as he safely can - and
by 'safely' I mean to the
extent that he doesn't get caught at
it. Sapping a Sentry is as easy
as walking right up next to it and
clicking fire, but you can't be
obvious about it, and you'll need to be
coordinating your disguises
and actions in a way that allows you to
stay alive, so you can keep
the enemy's defenses out of commission for
good.
A control point without working Sentries
is like a Heavy without his
Minigun: easy to attack. Sabotaging these defenses is one of the
biggest roles a Spy can play for his
team. Sap safely, and Sap often.
BUTTERFLY KNIFE:
A Spy's Butterfly Knife gets quite a lot
of use, given the ease with
which Spies can maneuver behind enemy
targets using disguises and
his Invisibility Cloak. And the Knife is the only melee weapon that
kills instantly when behind an enemy.
Keep in mind that stabbing someone with
the Knife while in a disguise,
just like shooting someone while in a
disguise, causes the Spy to lose
his disguise. Which means that if you stab an Engineer
around a
bunch of Sentry Guns, the second you get
the kill the Sentries will
see you as an enemy Spy and shoot your
face off.
Stab safely. For example, if you sneak up on a rooftop and
find a
Medic, Heavy and Sniper in front of you,
work from back to front so
that none of them see you, and then
redisguise or cloak and get away.
I see a lot of beginner Spies try to sneak
up on someone, botch their
cover, and try to stab their way out of
the situation. I don't
recommend this course of action, but maybe
you are better suited to
melee combat than I. I reach for my Revolver when things get
dicey,
and I'm going to suggest you do the same
thing, at least until you
get in some practice with the Knife.
INVISIBILITY CLOAK:
Everytime I use this, I feel awesome...
its just so cool, watching
the Spy activate his wristwatch, and
suddenly be invisible, walking by
hapless enemies and Sentries without drawing
as much as a second
glance.
You don't actually have to select this
tool from your inventory like
you would select a weapon. No matter what the Spy is holding, tapping
secondary fire (tap, do not hold the
button down) will render the
Spy completely invisible, giving him an
easy way into or out of an
enemy area. Tap the button again to reappear.
Sadly, you can't stay invisible
forever. A small bar at the bottom
of your screen will show you how much time
is left on your Invisibility
Cloak, and when it's empty, the Spy will
become visible. The idea then,
is not to waste your Cloak, but only use
it when you have to. It is
much better to have some juice left in
your Invisibility Cloak after
a few key backstabs or Saps, to buy you
time to get away or take on a
new disguise. Don't worry, the Invisibility Cloak's gauge
will slowly
replenish itself, but not as fast as the
rate which you'll burn through
it.
There are a few things to consider; you
can't attack anyone or Sap
anything while you're Cloaked. You CAN, however, prepare yourself
for whatever action you need to do -
readying your Butterfly Knife or
Sapper, or donning a new disguise so that
when you reappear you
can quickly execute whatever plan you've
cooked up.
Also, you need to be aware of your
surroundings when you cloak and
uncloak.
You have to be crafty when playing a Spy, and nothing will
gives you away quite like an enemy seeing
a supposedly friendly Scout
or Heavy suddenly appear out of thin air,
or disappear before their
eyes.
This is a good way to get Pyros to light you on fire, and when
you're burning, invisibility won't hide
the flames dancing around you.
Cloak and uncloak when it is safe to do
so, and as a general rule,
never deplete your Cloak gauge.. you never
know when you might need
to make a quick getaway, or change a
disguise on the fly, and your
Invisibility Cloak can provide you with
the time you need to do so.
CIGARETTE CASE:
The Cigarette Case is what the Spy uses to
don different disguises;
accessing it pulls up a menu that allows
the Spy to choose which
enemy class he would like to disguise
himself as, and after a quick
puff of smoke, he will. You'll know when the disguise has taken
effect when you see a silhouette of the
Spy appear on screen. Similarly,
you'll see the same graphic when you lose
your disguise.
The right disguise and the right actions
determine how successful a
Spy will be. As a Spy you have to think about a few
things. First,
it doesn't help you to pick the same
disguise and run the same
route into the enemy base again and again
- the other team is going
to catch on to you.
Secondly, when you pick your disguise,
you're going to have to put a
little salesmanship into it. A Spy who picks a random disguise,
sneaks up to an enemy, backstabs him and
then gets killed isn't nearly
as effective as a Spy who keeps changing
disguises, Sapping sentries,
and killing when the opportunity presents
itself.
The only way you'll get that kind of
success with a Spy is if you
act as the class you disguise as. Snipers belong in Sniper
nests, or at a distance from the main
conflict. Engineers belong
near Sentries and Dispensers, and Heavys
should be up close to
the action. Running around conspicuously, trying to get
behind
random enemies is just going to get a Spy shot.
I am no master Spy...(Spying is also a practice like medicine
or law :p) but I know some things that can help you. You really
shouldn't be seen entering an enemy base... it looks suspicious,
even when disguised. Cloaking can
help you here, or at least
running backwards, which looks more like a retreat. Also,
when disguised, don't run with a group of your own teammates.
How does it look to a BLU Sniper to see a bunch of REDs chasing
a BLU Soldier, but not shooting at him?
It looks like a Spy.
Shooting or stabbing an enemy while disguised makes you lose your
disguise, which means you'll need to have your Invisibility Cloak
ready if there are other enemies or Sentries nearby. A Spy
ALWAYS has to be aware of where Sentries are located, because as
soon as he loses his disguise or invisibility, Sentries will
shoot at him. Just because you
didn't see the Sentry when you
were sneaking by disguised doesn't mean it won't fill you full
of holes when you start killing.
Sapping, however, does NOT break
your disguise.
Above all else, try to have fun with the class (If you
really think you're hot shit, try to get an enemy Medic to
UberCharge you.) There's a lot to take in when playing a Spy, but
nothing that you can't handle while still having fun.
