Weapons + Discription

               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.