View source for User:TheJohns

==MvM Assessments==

{| class="wikitable grid" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"
! class="header" width="200"| Class
! class="header" | Assessment
|-
| class="small" align="center" valign="center" style="padding:0.5em" | [[Image:Scout.png|200x200px|link=Scout]]<br>[[Scout]]
| {{Pro}}Excellent money collector<br/>
{{Pro}}Great support capability<br/>
{{Pro}}Flexible builds<br/>
{{Pro}}Fast respawn time<br/>
{{Con}}Somewhat limited early game<br/>
Due to the Scout's unique abilities involving money collection, multiple debuff applications and a myriad of viable upgrade options, the Scout is an excellent addition to any team composition. Early game, the Scout is primarily focused on collecting the money while applying Mad Milk or the Fan O'War mark for death when opportunity presents, as well as marginal damage. Later, the Scout will have enough money to either buy resistance and focus on "tanking" or upgrade his primary so that he can dish out damage as well. He can also switch to the Sandman and buy the Mark on Death upgrade to make applying mini-crits easier.
|-
! class="header" width="200"| Weapon
! class="header" | Assessment
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Scattergun}}
| Probably the best choice for Scouts going for an offensive build. Buying Projectile Penetration early lets Scout provide a bit of "chip damage" early, and once you have enough money for damage, reload speed and clip size, he can dish out significant damage on his own.
<br/>Rating: '''Very Good'''
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Force-a-Nature}}
| The Force-a-Nature is suited for a more support type build. While the pushback is somewhat difficult to control, pushback in general is useful, particularly in stalling giants in the FaN's case. While it can be built for damage like the Scattergun, its small clip size makes it less efficient than the Scattergun.
<br/>Rating: '''Good'''
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Shortstop}}
|
<br/>Rating: 
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Soda Popper}}
| Similar in the FaN's capabilities, except it swaps out pushback for mini-crits. The constant mini-crit boosts lets the Scout deal more damage at certain periods and also lets the Scout be a threat at mid-range, thanks to the lack of damage falloff. While still not as good in terms of raw damage as the Scattergun, the Soda Popper is more effective against waves of regular robots.
<br/>Rating: '''Good'''
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Baby Face's Blaster}}
| While the speed boost can be useful at times, the disadvantages often overshadows its advantage. The damage reduction means it's much weaker offensively, and the reduced speed without damage dealt often makes the Scout less effective at collecting money than without it, especially in cases where the Scout died before he can collect a lone pile of money far from the Teleporter.
<br/>Rating: '''Weak'''
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Pistol}}
| The Scout rarely needs a Pistol in MvM. Not only are there far better secondary choices, its ability to harass at long range is not necessary due to healing from collecting money and is overshadowed by a Scattergun with Projectile Penetration.
<br/>Rating: '''Weak'''
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Mad Milk}}
| Arguably the "best" secondary for the Scout. The Mad Milk's healing grant sustainability that allows the class to tank hits while damaging the robots, and is particularly useful against giants. The slowdown is also a nice addition to the Mad Milk's already powerful debuff. Generally, Mad Milk should be fully upgraded first, regardless of build.
<br/>Rating: '''Very Good'''
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Bonk! Atomic Punch}}
| If money is sitting on or behind a highly dangerous area, Bonk allows the Scout to bypass that danger, especially in situations where the Scout just respawned or doesn't have enough health. It can also be used to tank incoming fire for a few seconds. While by no means bad, it's overshadowed by the Mad Milk's sheer effectiveness, and the invulnerability can be substituted with an Uber canteen, even though it costs money.
<br/>Rating: '''Good'''
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Crit-a-Cola}}
| Gives the Scout more damage and is one of the only sources of mini-crits against Tanks. However, taking mini-crits is very dangerous for Scouts, and is much more limited in its versatility compared to his other secondaries. Can be used as a last-ditch effort against a Tank that's giving the team a very hard time.
<br/>Rating: '''Situational'''
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Winger}}
| While slightly better than a pistol thanks to its passive jump height boost, it is still heavily outclassed by other secondaries in usefulness.
<br/>Rating: '''Weak'''
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Bat}}
|
<br/>Rating: 
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Fan O'War}}
| Mark for death is a very powerful debuff against giants and the like. What makes the Fan O'War truly shine is it requires no credit investment to use it effectively. Later in the game, it can be substituted for a Sandman, or you can just stick to the Fan O'War if you don't plan on investing money on the Sandman.
<br/>Rating: '''Very Good'''
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Sandman}}
| While it reduces the Scout's max health, marking an enemy at a range is far more safer than making a "suicide run" to mark a robot using the Fan O'War. Even then, as long as you continue to collect money the health penalty should be rather negligible.
<br/>Rating: '''Very Good'''
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Wrap Assassin}}
| 
<br/>Rating: '''Very Weak'''
|}
<br/><br/>
{| class="wikitable grid" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"
! class="header" width="200"| Class
! class="header" | Assessment
|-
| class="small" align="center" valign="center" style="padding:0.5em" | [[Image:Soldier.png|200x200px|link=Soldier]]<br>[[Soldier]]
| {{Pro}} High AoE damage<br/>
{{Pro}} Great vs. Tanks<br/>
{{Pro}} Doubles as support<br/>
{{Con}} Very money-dependent<br/>
The Soldier is a bread-and-butter class, and provides the team a little bit of everything. Any of his primaries can demolish a wave of robots, and when upgraded and combined with a crit boost, the Soldier can deal an insane amount of burst damage to giants and Tanks. The Soldier can also buff his teammates, and the Buff Banner is one of the only sources of mini-crits against tanks.
|-
! class="header" width="200"| Weapon
! class="header" | Assessment
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Rocket Launcher}}
| High damage, large splash radius and ease of aim means the Rocket Launcher is just as powerful as it is in the base game. Although the default Rocket Launcher is an acceptable option, the other primaries have bonuses that will outweigh its disadvantage pretty fast, particularly clip size.
<br/>Rating: '''Good'''
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Direct Hit}}
| The Direct Hit makes the Soldier better at destroying high-profile targets, but reduces his effectiveness against crowds of robots. Whether you're willing to give up valuable splash damage for increased effectiveness against giants and tanks is up to you.
<br/>Rating: '''Situational'''
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Black Box}}
| The Black Box gives the Soldier more survivability, which improves as you upgrade the Black Box. Its disadvantage becomes almost trivial as you upgrade clip size.
<br/>Rating: '''Very Good'''
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Cow Mangler 5000}}
| While slightly weaker than the default Rocket Launcher, the Cow Mangler's main strength is its infinite ammo, which by itself is a big advantage, as it removes the need to retreat to collect ammo and saves money. However, the Cow Mangler comes with a huge disadvantage of not being able to be crit boosted at all, thus greatly reducing its effectiveness against Tanks. The alt-fire charge shot also useless, since it uses up all the ammo regardless of clip size.
<br/>Rating: '''Good'''
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Beggar's Bazooka}}
| Many Soldiers swear by the Begger's Bazooka as their choice of primary in MvM, and for a good reason. Firing multiple rockets means the Soldier can take out a wave of robots or a giant very quickly, and it makes the most out of a crit boost Canteen once reload and firing speed are fully upgraded. It does have its disadvantages, as ammo is a constant issue since you can't gain ammo from dispensers, range deviation can be problematic if you are trying to focus on a single target, and the Begger's Bazooka requires a lot of money to reach its peak.
<br/>Rating: '''Very Good'''
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Shotgun}}
|
<br/>Rating: '''Very Weak'''
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Buff Banner}}
| The Buff Banner is extremely effective in MvM. You won't be relying on your secondaries for damage in MvM, and compared to the Battalion's Backup or the Concheror, the mini-crit boost from the Buff Banner is the most useful out of the three. It is one of the most accessible source of mini-crits in general, and practically the only source of mini-crits against Tanks.
<br/>Rating: '''Very Good'''
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Battalion's Backup}}
| The damage resistance aid you and your team's survivability, plus it makes crit-boosted robots a much lower threat for a few seconds. While not as good as mini-crits, in certain missions where crit-boosted robots come by the dozen, it can come in handy. The start-up time means you can't use it as a crutch save, somewhat diminishing its effectiveness.
<br/>Rating: '''Situational'''
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Concheror}}
| While healing increases survivability against constant fire, it's not as generally useful as mini-crits and is often overshadowed by the Mad Milk. The startup makes using it in an emergency cumbersome.
<br/>Rating: '''Situational'''
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Righteous Bison}}
|
<br/>Rating: 
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Shovel}}
| The Shovel is already one of the worse vanilla melee weapons in TF2, and is even less useful in MvM.
<br/>Rating: '''Very Weak'''
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Escape Plan}}
| Probably the only viable melee weapon choice for the Soldier. Thanks to the effectiveness of his primary after upgrades (as well as its dependency on upgrades), there will only be few cases where you use your Melee for damage. The Escape Plan's speed boost makes it a great weapon for retreating.
<br/>Rating: '''Good'''
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Equalizer}}
|
<br/>Rating: 
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Disciplinary Action}}
|
<br/>Rating: 
|}
<br/><br/>
{| class="wikitable grid" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"
! class="header" width="200"| Class
! class="header" | Assessment
|-
| class="small" align="center" valign="center" style="padding:0.5em" | [[Image:Pyro.png|200x200px|link=Pyro]]<br>[[Pyro]]
| {{Pro}} Can Airblast<br/>
{{Pro}} Lots of weapon choices<br/>
{{Pro}} Flexible builds<br/>
{{Con}} Short range effectiveness<br/>
{{Con}} Dependent on resistances<br/>
The Pyro's trump card is his airblast, allowing him to stall giants and most importantly, reset the bomb by pushing the bomb carrier into a pit. A Pyro dedicated to resetting the bomb can greatly increase the chance of his team winning a tough mission. Beyond this, the Pyro is capable of other roles, whether it's drawing fire and tanking hits, dealing heavy damage up close with an upgraded Flamethrower or heavy damage long range with an upgraded Flare Gun.
|-
! class="header" width="200"| Weapon
! class="header" | Assessment
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Flame Thrower}}
| Typically, the dedicated "pusher" Pyro will simply upgrade his airblast force and ammo capacity, and dump the rest on resistances and Uber Canteens. However, the damage capabilities of the Flamethrower should not be overlooked. If you can manage to upgrade the damage, the Flamethrower can burn through waves of robots, giants and even Tanks.
<br/>Rating: '''Very Good'''
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Degreaser}}
| Although slightly weaker than the default Flamethrower, the reduced damage is almost negligible in case of pure "pusher" Pyros, as they are not focused on dealing damage in the first place. The Degreaser is more suitable if you plan on relying on another weapon for damage.
<br/>Rating: '''Very Good'''
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Backburner}}
| Although the Pyro will be drawing much of the attention since he's closest to the front lines, crit damage is beneficial if you can get behind a robot. The increased airblast ammo cost means the Pyro ability to stall is less effective. The Backburner is more suited for Pyros leaning towards the offensive, but still want to airblast when the situation calls for it.
<br/>Rating: '''Situational'''
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Phlogistinator}}
| While it's easy to charge the "Mmmph" meter, the activation can potentially save your life, and is a very cheap way to obtain Crits, you are sacrificing airblast for it, and much of your utility with it. Although the Pyro has strong damage potential, you need a lot of money in order to reach that peak. Unless you have another Pyro with airblast, not recommended on harder missions.
<br/>Rating: '''Situational'''
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Shotgun}}
|
<br/>Rating:
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Flare Gun}}
| The Flare Gun allows the Pyro to be a threat at long range, particularly against giants. If you can manage to upgrade it, it allows the Pyro to deal a constant 120 damage per hit after the first shot while being out of harm's way. While not as powerful as the Flamethrower, it's also cheaper to upgrade.
<br/>Rating: '''Good'''
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Detonator}}
| If used the same way as the Flare Gun, it's inferior in every way. It only mini-crits burning enemies, so its power is greatly diminished. Detonating it to light multiple enemies has little point, since the burn damage is rather negligible. Flare jumping rarely comes in handy in MvM, and can be outperformed by jump upgrades.
<br/>Rating: '''Weak'''
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Manmelter}}
| Pyro robots are an uncommon sight, so there are few opportunities to charge it, and even then you are not likely to deliberately extinguish a teammate, let alone find a burning one. It deals no bonus damage against burning enemies, which makes it already inferior to the Flare Gun. Even when charged, you are limited to how many times you can charge it, while the condition required to crit with the Flare Gun is to simply hit the target once.
<br/>Rating: '''Very Weak'''
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Scorch Shot}}
| 
<br/>Rating: 
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Fire Axe}}
| Similar to how Pyros rarely use the vanilla Axe in the base game, the Axe has no practical purpose in MvM.
<br/>Rating: '''Very Weak'''
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Axtinguisher}}
| The Axtinguisher is perfect for Pyros who don't plan on upgrading the Flamethrower's damage. It allows you to conserve your ammo for airblasts and does not require heavy investment to use it effectively. You can use it to take out Uber Medics in desperate situations, but you need to do it fast.
<br/>Rating: '''Very Good'''
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Back Scratcher}}
| If there is no Medic on the team and you find yourself healing from health packs often, the Back Scratcher is a very good weapon to have. The bonus damage is also a plus, and it may be stronger than the Flamethrower in some situations.
<br/>Rating: '''Good'''
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Powerjack}}
| While deployed, it increases the Pyro's movement speed, which is important if a Pyro needs to reach an objective fast. As long as it's used in a safe area, the increased damage taken should not be a problem. The Powerjack is best used for Pyros who rely on their primary damage (if at all).
<br/>Rating: '''Good'''
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Third Degree}}
| While its use is limited, it does have one trick: If crit boosted, it will eliminate a Medic in one hit. Although extremely risky, you can use this tactic to take out a group of Uber Medics all healing the same giant if you lack any other way to eliminate them in one hit.
<br/>Rating: '''Situational'''
|}
<br/><br/>
{| class="wikitable grid" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"
! class="header" width="200"| Class
! class="header" | Assessment
|-
| class="small" align="center" valign="center" style="padding:0.5em" | [[Image:Demoman.png|200x200px|link=Demoman]]<br>[[Demoman]]
| {{Pro}}High AoE damage<br/>
{{Pro}}Good vs. Tanks & Uber Medics<br/>
{{Pro}}''(Demoknight)'' Natural resistances<br/>
{{Pro}}''(Demoknight)'' Good vs. Steel Gauntlets<br/>
{{Con}}''(Both)'' Very money-dependent<br/>
{{Con}}''(Demoknight)'' Melee-range effectiveness<br/>
{{Con}}''(Demoknight)'' No Sticky Launcher<br/>
Similar to the Soldier, the Demoman also excels in dealing heavy AoE damage. Unlike the Soldier who deals damage in a "spray and pray" style, the Demoman needs a little more time to prep his shots. The Demoman's ability to stack Sticky Bombs means that he has little trouble dealing with Uber Medics. Should he decide to swap his Sticky Launcher for the board, the Demoknight has some powerful advantages, although it means he will often the the brunt of the attack.
|-
! class="header" width="200"| Weapon
! class="header" | Assessment
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Grenade Launcher}}
| If you plan on using your Grenade Launcher as your main weapon, its functionality is similar to the Rocket Launcher. You can use it behind cover more effectively than the Rocket Launcher, but it's ineffective at longer ranges. Combine with the Chargin' Targe and you got a slightly more durable and faster Soldier. Its use as a sidearm diminishes as you upgrade the Sticky Launcher.
<br/>Rating: '''Good'''
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Loch-n-Load}}
| While the extra damage is a strong bonus, it requires utmost accuracy to use, and it can become difficult to aim in certain situations. You also won't be able to "Spray and Pray" at a safe location.
<br/>Rating: '''Situational'''
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Loose Cannon}}
| The damage reduction after contact on surface and reduced detonation time makes it more difficult and less effective as an AoE weapon, but the knockback is a very valuable asset. It's easier to knockback with the Loose Cannon than with other explosive weapons, and it can be used to push back giants and ubered robots when needed. The utility makes it a strong sidearm to the Sticky Launcher.
<br/>Rating: '''Very Good'''
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Ali Baba's Wee Booties}}
| The Booties is a good item to have if you plan on relying exclusively on your Sticky Launcher, as it gives you a slight boost to your health in exchange for a weapon you don't plan on using. On the other hand, on a Demoknight setup, this means that you have no ranged capabilities whatsoever, which makes the Demoknight helpless against melee-oriented giants and forces you to play offensively.
<br/>Rating: '''Situational'''
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Stickybomb Launcher}}
| The Sticky Launcher is a very effective weapon in MvM mode. It is a powerful AoE weapon especially with upgrades, and it can be prepped between waves of robots to deal massive damage in an area. It uses Crit canteens very efficiently, and it eliminates Uber Medics very effectively.
<br/>Rating: '''Very Good'''
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Scottish Resistance}}
| Just as powerful as the Sticky Launcher, but even more effective at defense. The extra sticky bombs deployable allows for even better sticky carpets, and the ability to selectively detonate bombs makes it more efficient. The bonus firing speed also saves some money on upgrades. However, the longer priming time makes it harder to use when under pressure or in succession.
<br/>Rating: '''Very Good'''
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Chargin' Targe}}
| Equipping the Chargin' Targe means you are sacrificing the very powerful Sticky Launcher, but it does come with its own benefits. The extra resistances provided helps the Demoman survive longer, and the charge can be used to get in or get out of fights quickly. Having the Chargin' Targe equipped lets you upgrade your melee weapon damage.
<br/>Rating: '''Situational'''
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Splendid Screen}}
| Same as the Chargin' Targe, except with weaker resistances. Typically shield bash is rarely used as a main source of damage, which makes its advantage mainly useless.
<br/>Rating: '''Weak'''
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Bottle}}
| As a non-Demoknight, you will rarely be using your melee. Most other melee weapons come with passive penalties, so the Bottle is a good choice since it has none.
<br/>Rating: '''Very Good'''
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Ullapool Caber}}
| The Ullapool Caber has no passive penalties like the Bottle, and the explosion can be used in emergency situations, including when dying might actually be beneficial.
<br/>Rating: '''Very Good'''
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Eyelander}}
| The standard Demoknight weapon. The main drawback of the Eyelander is its weak start, in both that you need kills to offset its health penalty and you need invest a significant amount of money on both the weapon and your resistances. But once you are able to rack up kills and keep them, the Demoman becomes a fast and tanky melee character.
<br/>Rating: '''Good'''
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Half-Zatoichi}}
| Unlike the Eyelander, the Half-Zatoichi has a much easier early game. The heal on kill saves money as the health on kill is not a requirement early on, and it lacks a health penalty. The Honorbound mechanic is not a big drawback, as kills are plentiful in MvM.
<br/>Rating: '''Very Good'''
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Scotsman's Skullcutter}}
| 
<br/>Rating: '''Situational'''
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Persian Persuader}}
| Robots do not drop metal on death, making the primary benefit of the Persuader largely moot. It only means ammo packs serve as additional medkits to the Demoman, but not being able to restock ammo without dying or retreating to spawn means the Demoman has greatly reduced staying power. Even when played as a Demoknight, the other melee weapons have better advantages and the faster charge recharge time is not very useful.
<br/>Rating: '''Weak'''
|}
<br/><br/>
{| class="wikitable grid" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"
! class="header" width="200"| Class
! class="header" | Assessment
|-
| class="small" align="center" valign="center" style="padding:0.5em" | [[Image:Heavy.png|200x200px|link=Heavy]]<br>[[Heavy]]
| {{Pro}}Consistent damage<br/>
{{Pro}}Great at mid range<br/>
{{Pro}}Has some defensive capabilities<br/>
{{Con}}Does not scale as well late game<br/>
The Heavy's main strength is his never-ending source of damage, as long as he's near an ammo supply. His Minigun allows him to endlessly mow down a wave of robots, and buying upgrades such as Destroy Projectiles and Knockback Rage lets him diminish the effectiveness of the robot's all-out offense. While late game he lacks pure damage compared to the Soldier or Demoman, he is nevertheless a welcome addition to any team.
|-
! class="header" width="200"| Weapon
! class="header" | Assessment
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Minigun}}
| The Heavy's Minigun deals heavy damage to multiple robots as long as you have ammo for it. Even when it doesn't kill a robot, it's perfect for softening up other robots for other classes to finish off. With crits or mini-crits, it can even be used at longer ranged effectively. The standard minigun is strong, but the other primaries have bonuses more suitable for MvM.
<br/>Rating: '''Good'''
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Brass Beast}}
| Most Heavies in MvM use this. The bonus damage is a very strong bonus, especially since the Heavy can't upgrade the damage of his Minigun. The reduced spin-up time and movement speed while spun up hardly matters in MvM where you're often sitting in one spot and firing constant.
<br/>Rating: '''Very Good'''
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Natascha}}
| The slowdown effect on the Natascha slows advancing waves of robots to a crawl, and it is the best possible weapon against Super Scouts. While it's great for buying time, its reduced damage is a significant penalty, especially against Tanks, which are immune to its slowdown effects.
<br/>Rating: '''Good'''
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Huo-Long Heater}}
| The ring of fire adds a very slight boost to your damage at point blank range and fend off Spies, but opportunities to use this are limited. It also chews up ammo very fast, even with extra ammo upgrades, which makes the Heavy require constant ammo restocking.
<br/>Rating: '''Situational'''
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Tomislav}}
| Slightly faster spin up time for reduced firing speed. Silent spin up is useless, and the slightly faster spin up is largely a weak bonus, especially considering its reduced firing speed.
<br/>Rating: '''Weak'''
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Shotgun}}
| Once you upgrade your Minigun even a little bit, there is no reason to use a Shotgun. Even without upgrades, the Minigun is far better in any situation.
<br/>Rating: '''Very Weak'''
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Sandvich}}
| The Heavy's best secondary, but mainly because his other choices have little use. The Sandvich allows you to survive a little longer when you need to, but only if you can find the time to eat it.
<br/>Rating: '''Very Good'''
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Dalokohs Bar}}
| The health boost from the Dalokohs Bar lets you survive slightly longer, if there is no Medic on your team overhealing you. If you don't find yourself retreating to eat a Sandvich often, it may be better to use.
<br/>Rating: '''Good'''
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Fists}}
|
<br/>Rating: 
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Gloves of Running Urgently}}
| Getting to the front line ASAP is very important for the Heavy, so naturally the G.R.U. is a very good melee for the Heavy to have. Its penalties are mainly superficial, but try to unequip it as soon as possible.
<br/>Rating: '''Very Good'''
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Fists of Steel}}
| Since the path from spawn to the front lines are almost always safe, the Fists of Steel is best used to retreat safely. Another thing the Fists of Steel can do is to let the Heavy take on a gimmicky "pure tank" role, due to how large the damage reduction is in addition to more resistances.
<br/>Rating: '''Situational'''
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Holiday Punch}}
| Robots are immune to laughter, making its main gimmick useless.
<br/>Rating: '''Very Weak'''
|}
<br/><br/>
{| class="wikitable grid" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"
! class="header" width="200"| Class
! class="header" | Assessment
|-
| class="small" align="center" valign="center" style="padding:0.5em" | [[Image:Engineer.png|200x200px|link=Engineer]]<br>[[Engineer]]
| {{Pro}}Practically a ''requirement'' in MvM<br/>
{{Con}}Attracts Sentry Busters<br/>
Due to the fact that Mann vs. Machine involves playing defense, the Engineer naturally shines in this mode. His Teleporter let his teammates get to the front lines faster, the Dispenser heals and restocks ammo for him and his teammates, and the Sentry Gun excels against groups of robots and giants. The Engineer's sheer effectiveness means that you will need at least one Engineer in any MvM game.
|-
! class="header" width="200"| Weapon
! class="header" | Assessment
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Shotgun}}
| On the rare occasion your Sentry isn't taking heavy fire, the Shotgun can squeeze in a bit of damage. However, the Engineer's Pistol and other primaries are better at this.
<br/>Rating: '''Weak'''
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Frontier Justice}}
| Your Sentry will be doing most of the work, which means the Frontier Justice will rack up revenge crits very fast. You can easily gain revenge crits between waves. If you can manage to upgrade this slightly, the Engineer himself can deal tons of damage effectively.
<br/>Rating: '''Very Good'''
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Widowmaker}}
| The Widowmaker is suitable for a more combat-oriented Engineer, especially if you're using a Gunslinger. It is extremely cheap to upgrade, and as long as he's near a Dispenser and is frequently close enough, it will practically never run out of ammo.
<br/>Rating: '''Good'''
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Rescue Ranger}}
| The Rescue Ranger is a very versatile weapon, allowing you to repair your Sentry Gun from a safe spot and save your Sentry Gun from being destroyed at long range. As long as you're smart with when and where to haul your buildings, the Mark on Death shouldn't be a problem. 
<br/>Rating: '''Very Good'''
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Pistol}}
| As a regular Engineer, you will likely be too busy looking after your Sentry Gun to use the Pistol regularly. For Gunslinger Engineers, it's an excellent sidearm in cases where you're trying to conserve your primary or attack at longer ranges where it's safer.
<br/>Rating: '''Situational'''
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Wrangler}}
| If you won't be using the Pistol regularly, the Wrangler is great choice. It allows your Sentry Gun to deal damage outside of its range, focus down a giant or Tank, and can even be used to protect it against waves of incoming projectiles.
<br/>Rating: '''Very Good'''
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Short Circuit}}
| 
<br/>Rating: 
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Wrench}}
| The Engineer's best tool. You'll be constantly repairing your buildings, so you will have your Wrench out almost all the time. It can also be used to fend off enemy Spies.
<br/>Rating: '''Very Good'''
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Jag}}
| The Jag has a slight advantage where you're trying to reconstruct your buildings as soon as you can without spending money on Upgrade Buildings canteens. On the other hand, you are slightly more vulnerable against Spies.
<br/>Rating: '''Very Good'''
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Eureka Effect}}
| Unless you team can take down Sentry Busters 100% of the time, using the Eureka Effect means than you won't be able to save your Sentry from the Sentry Buster. Being able to retreat to spawn can be useful, but the penalty is too severe to compensate for it.
<br/>Rating: '''Very Weak'''
|}
<br/><br/>
{| class="wikitable grid" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"
! class="header" width="200"| Class
! class="header" | Assessment
|-
| class="small" align="center" valign="center" style="padding:0.5em" | [[Image:Medic.png|200x200px|link=Medic]]<br>[[Medic]]
| {{Pro}}Heals his teammates<br/>
{{Pro}}Gives his teammates Ubers & Crits<br/>
{{Con}}Little to no direct damage<br/>
Just like in the base game, the Medic's primary goal is to keep his teammates alive. A powerful feature of the Medic is his ability to share his Canteens, further increasing the effectiveness of his teammates. While he won't be dealing much damage directly, the Medic's indirect power makes him a powerful asset.
|-
! class="header" width="200"| Weapon
! class="header" | Assessment
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Syringe Gun}}
|
<br/>Rating: 
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Crusader's Crossbow}}
| You will rarely be using your primary as the Medic, but the Crusader's Crossbow has some uses. Its long range allows you to harass enemy Snipers, and it can be used to heal if you aim is good enough.
<br/>Rating: '''Good'''
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Overdose}}
| You will rarely use your primary as the Medic, and since the Overdose is the only primary with a passive effect, it alone makes it superior to the Syringe Gun or the Blutsauger. It can be used to get to your teammates faster when needed.
<br/>Rating: '''Good'''
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Medi Gun}}
| As the Medic, you will almost always be healing your teammates. The Medi Gun's Ubercharge can be very useful in situations where it's almost impossible to survive a group of robots.
<br/>Rating: '''Good'''
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Kritzkrieg}}
| The Kritzkrieg's Ubercharge is often more useful than the Medi Gun's Ubercharge in many cases. Damage is in constant demand especially against giants and Tanks, and 10+ seconds of crit boost is very powerful. Invulnerability can be substituted with Uber canteens, which are cheaper than Crit Boost canteens anyway.
<br/>Rating: '''Very Good'''
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Quick-Fix}}
| The Quick-Fix's Ubercharge is the least useful out of the other Mediguns in MvM. While the Quick-Fix's Ubercharge heals fast, it won't prevent lethal burst damage like a standard Ubercharge. The increased heal rate hardly compensates for an inferior Ubercharge.
<br/>Rating: '''Weak'''
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Vaccinator}}
| 
<br/>Rating: '''Situational'''
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Bonesaw}}
|
<br/>Rating: 
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Ubersaw}}
| If you can find the opportunity to use it, the Ubersaw lets you fill your Ubercharge meter faster, and Ubers are very valuable in MvM. The difficulty is in finding a lone robot to melee and being able to retreat safely to keep your Ubercharge.
<br/>Rating: '''Very Good'''
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Vita-Saw}}
| If you are worried or are constantly dying and lack opportunities to use your Ubersaw, the Vita-Saw at least "insures" your Ubercharge a bit. The max health penalty can be problematic, however.
<br/>Rating: '''Situational'''
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Amputator}}
| There are very few cases when it's better to use Medicating Melody instead of healing regularly, as it leaves you immobile and vulnerable and doesn't charge your Uber.
<br/>Rating: '''Weak'''
|}
<br/><br/>
{| class="wikitable grid" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"
! class="header" width="200"| Class
! class="header" | Assessment
|-
| class="small" align="center" valign="center" style="padding:0.5em" | [[Image:Sniper.png|200x200px|link=Sniper]]<br>[[Sniper]]
| {{Pro}}Has Jarate<br/>
{{Pro}}Excels vs. Giants & Snipers<br/>
{{Pro}}Explosive Headshot can clear waves<br/>
{{Con}}High skill cap<br/>
{{Con}}Highly situational<br/>
{{Con}}Very money-dependent<br/>
The Sniper's effectiveness fluctuates greatly depending on the wave composition and map and requires competent aim to play. While some players dismiss Sniper as a "useless" class for MvM, the Sniper is far from it. His Jarate is a very accessible source of mini-crits and slows, and once his Sniper Rifle is significantly upgraded, he can deal an incredible amount of damage to giants, deal heavy AoE damage to clusters of robots with Explosive Headshot, and even hold his own against Tanks.
|-
! class="header" width="200"| Weapon
! class="header" | Assessment
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Sniper Rifle}}
| The hardest thing about using the Sniper Rifle is landing headshots consistently, and is not as effective against regular robots. If you can find an easy target (i.e. giants), the Sniper Rifle is a powerful single-target weapon. Once Explosive Headshots is purchased, it also deals significant AoE damage in an area, enough to kill a wave of Scouts and heavily damage any other class. It's also the best anti-Sniper weapon, allowing you to quickly dispatch enemy Snipers without having to get close.
<br/>Rating: '''Good'''
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Machina}}
| In MvM, the Machina's advantages often outweigh its penalties. The bonus damage on full charge means it's even more effective against giants, and the built-in penetration can be handy at times. Even Giant Heavies can be taken down with a few fully charged headshots from the Machina. Tracers have no effect on robots, and the Machina's inability to fire unscoped is a situational weakness, in cases where you want to fire shots rapidly (i.e. when using a Crit Boost canteen to rapidly shoot a Tank).
<br/>Rating: '''Very Good'''
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Huntsman}}
| The Huntsman's biggest flaw is that it does not give Explosive Headshots, greatly reducing the Sniper's ability to clear a wave of robots, which Bleed hardly compensates for. It is generally harder to use in MvM because while it may take down a weak robot with one bodyshot, Explosive Headshot takes care of multiple weak robots much more effectively, plus it makes getting headshots on Giants harder since it's a projectile.
<br/>Rating: '''Weak'''
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Sydney Sleeper}}
| The Sydney Sleeper sacrifices headshot damage for long-range Jarate. This means while the Sniper loses much of his own anti-Giant potential, it gives his teammates more damage against them. While this can be accomplished with Jarate itself, sometimes there will be cases when you can't throw a Jarate at your target, plus a target you are focusing on will have Jarate permanently applied to them. Despite being unable to headshot, it still retains Explosive Headshots, retaining the Sniper's anti-wave potential.
<br/>Rating: '''Good'''
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Hitman's Heatmaker}}
| Explosive Headshots makes filling the Focus meter trivial, the faster charge rate while focused further increases your DPS against giants and no unscoping means you can rapid-fire headshots. The reduced body shot damage is often not a big deal, as long as you have competent aim.
<br/>Rating: '''Very Good'''
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Bazaar Bargain}}
| Since the weapon charges on headshots and not kills, you can accumulate headshots on a Giant to charge up the Bazaar Bargain, which means once at near-maximum charge, you can potentially dispatch Giants faster than any other weapon. The drawback is not very significant, but it means dispatching slower but smaller targets is a bit harder.
<br/>Rating: '''Good'''
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|SMG}}
|
<br/>Rating: 
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Jarate}}
| The undisputed best secondary for the Sniper. It applies mini-crits in an AoE to robots, something the Scout can't do to multiple targets and the Soldier requiring some time to charge and deploy it. It also comes with a 35% slow, making it useful for both stalling and possibly getting an easier shot.
<br/>Rating: '''Very Good'''
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Cozy Camper}}
| The Cozy Camper can make aiming easier in cases where your aim is being constantly harassed, such as a wave of Heavies firing at you at long range, and the health regeneration increases your longevity slightly. However, your survivability is significantly reduced, and you are sacrificing Jarate for it.
<br/>Rating: '''Situational'''
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Cleaner's Carbine}}
| 
<br/>Rating: 
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Kukri}}
|
<br/>Rating: 
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Bushwacka}}
| The Bushwacka lets Sniper deal some heavy melee damage at situations where you won't be able to snipe effectively, when combined with the Jarate. The extra fire vulnerability is a small disadvantage, as Pyro Robots are uncommon and you'll likely die to one regardless if you let one get close.
<br/>Rating: '''Very Good'''
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Tribalman's Shiv}}
| On one hand, you are slightly better against Spies. On the other hand, the reduced damage makes it weaker against everything else. It's especially worse against Tanks, and makes the Sniper even weaker against Tanks early game.
<br/>Rating: '''Weak'''
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Shahanshah}}
| 
<br/>Rating: 
|}
<br/><br/>
{| class="wikitable grid" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"
! class="header" width="200"| Class
! class="header" | Assessment
|-
| class="small" align="center" valign="center" style="padding:0.5em" | [[Image:Spy.png|200x200px|link=Spy]]<br>[[Spy]]
| {{Pro}}Versatile role<br/>
{{Pro}}Sapper is the only source of hard disable<br/>
{{Pro}}Can deal great damage to giants<br/>
{{Pro}}Good vs. Steel Gauntlets, Uber Medics & Engineers<br/>
{{Con}}Situational effectiveness<br/>
{{Con}}Weak vs. Tanks<br/>
The Spy fulfills a variety of roles in MvM, including money collecting, disabling a group of robots and slowing giants to a crawl, dispatching multiple robots in succession or backstabbing a giant halfway to death. While the Sapper has a significant cooldown time, it completely disables regular robots, making it a valuable weapon against a dangerous group of robots. The Spy's biggest weakness is that's he's very ineffective against Tanks.
|-
! class="header" width="200"| Weapon
! class="header" | Assessment
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Revolver}}
|
<br/>Rating: 
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Enforcer}}
| As a Spy, you will be mostly sapping and backstabbing robots, and will not likely be investing money on your primary. There are rare times when you need to use your Primary, so the Enforcer is a natural choice considering its extra damage.
<br/>Rating: '''Good'''
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|L'Etranger}}
| Since your primary is not utilized very often in MvM, the L'Etranger's passive bonus to cloak duration makes it a very good primary choice, especially considering that taking damage reduces the Dead Ringer's cloak duration.
<br/>Rating: '''Very Good'''
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Big Earner}}
| The Big Earner is the best melee choice for the Spy. The Big Earner fills a half-charged watch to full with 2 backstabs, and has excellent synergy with the Dead Ringer.
<br/>Rating: '''Very Good'''
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Knife}}
|
<br/>Rating: 
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Conniver's Kunai}}
| Robots are unable to see through your disguise, so the health penalty doesn't matter much as long as you don't walk into enemy fire. The bonus health on backstab gives the Spy a better chance at escaping alive. Despite this, the Big Earner is still a superior weapon in most cases.
<br/>Rating: '''Situational'''
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Spy-cicle}}
| Being a Silent Killer has no advantage, and while it may save you from a random Pyro attack, it means that you won't be able to do any backstabbing for 15 seconds, and it may be faster to just die instead.
<br/>Rating: '''Weak'''
|-
| align="center" | {{Table icon|Dead Ringer}}
| The best watch to use for MvM, period. Robots are always fooled by disguises, and the Dead Ringer allows you to escape safely after the next group of robots discover you, and they are always fooled by Feign Death. The short period of near-invulnerability while cloaked lets you pick up money at a location that's too dangerous.
<br/>Rating: '''Very Good'''
|}