Community Kong King strategy

Kong King
Basic Information
Map type:	King of the Hill
File name:	koth_king
Released:	August 10, 2012 Patch
Developer(s):	Valentin "3DNJ" Levillain
Map Info
Environment:	Urban
Setting:	Night
Bot support:	Yes
Map Items
Health Kits:	×6  •   ×4
Ammo Boxes:	×8   •    ×2   •    ×2
Map Photos
Map Overview

This article is about Community Kong King strategy.

Note: It is recommended to read the main Kong King article first to become familiar with the names of key map locations used in this article.

General strategy

• This map is one of the widest King of the Hill maps in Team Fortress 2. Choose your route carefully and learn the various roaming and flanking possibilities.
• If possible, be creative and experiment when jumping around in different locations. The urban nature of the map offers a lot of unexpected jump opportunities, particularly when making use of the neon signs and other protruding map geometry.
• The control point of Kong King is one of the few that can be accessed by two floor levels: upstairs (main approach) and downstairs. While defending the control point, pay special attention to the lower level, since the most effective flanks are usually conducted from below.
• Due to the abundance of high signs and ledges accessible by more mobile classes, it is important to pay attention to these ledges in anticipation of potential surprise attacks from experienced and/or more knowledgeable players. While finding players in these unusual positions is not common, keeping unusual hiding spots in mind can prevent devastating ambushes or at least reduce the damage they may deal, especially if players in the ongoing match have been abusing these spots already.
  • In addition, not all signs and ledges are accessible as they may appear, either due to being non-solid decoration props or by being inaccessible due to invisible collision brushes preventing players from reaching them. Knowing which signs are and are not solid can make anticipating ambushes or setting attacks up yourself a much easier task.

Class-specific strategy

 Scout

• As a Scout, you are one of the main roaming classes. Don't stick at the point for too long, but take advantage of the alternative routes the map offers to flank and take out unaware enemies.
• Medium/Long range weaponry is advised, like the Shortstop or the Flying Guillotine, which goes particularly well with the Sandman or when you are ambushing the bridges and/or the team-colored stairs.
• Kong King has many different routes to take. Use your speed and double-jumping to your advantage and get the first strike on an unsuspecting enemy.
• Mad Milk can be very useful on enemies who are trying to capture, as it allows your team to regenerate health while defending.
• The far left passage to the enemy's side of the map can be used to circle all the way around to the enemy's spawn - often unnoticed, especially if you take the below route past the control point. While this maneuver can be pulled off by any class, the Scout's speed makes him especially effective at it. You can take out their Teleporters or surprise an enemy coming out of spawn, then zoom away before the other team can react.
• As enemy Engineers will often deploy Mini-Sentry Guns on the ground level of the central area around the point, it is advisable to use the path below it to stay out of their line of fire as much as possible.

 Soldier

• A roaming Soldier is perhaps not that great on this map, as he has little room to maneuver in the alleys and tunnels close to either spawn. Instead, try to dominate the more open, elevated, middle area of the map around the control point. Cover the opposing team's stairs and approaches, holding the high ground from which your rockets are more effective, along with helping people capturing/defending the point.
• If you like rocket jumping, jump to the top of the Pagoda's roof and start raining down rockets from there. You can see the whole upper level of the map and can proceed to pick off key targets, such as Sentry Guns. Because the roof is conical, backing off to the lower side of it when under fire gives you cover and makes it harder for the ground-level enemies on the other side to hit you. Beware of Snipers, though, as the width of the map means that a Sniper aiming for your head will be more difficult to spot before it's too late.
• The Black Box can prove to be useful, due to the low amount of health packs on the map.
• Be prepared to encounter plenty of Pyros in the tunnels and alleys leading to either spawn. They're very useful and common on this map, and deflected rockets and puff-and-sting ambushes can really ruin your day.

 Pyro

• This map has many winding corridors, making it perfect for Pyro. Hide behind one of the numerous corners to ambush opponents.
• You probably have the best flanking opportunities on this map. Either downstairs or in any of the corridors, any flamethrower will be lethal and hard to counter. Deflected rockets, grenades and other projectiles can also be devastating to the enemy in these areas.
• When standing on the point, do the usual spycheck and perform a continuous back and forth motion, going down to one team's lower level, then up, then down again to the other team's downstairs. This will heavily hinder the flanking capabilities of the other team (especially Spies) and make you quite hard to catch unaware, due to the vertical movement. In case you get injured, both sides offer a medium health pack at the middle of the downstairs tunnel.
• The relatively long distances to health packs on this map, due to its large size for a King of the Hill map, make afterburn somewhat more deadly than usual. If the opposition doesn't have constant Medic support and/or ways to extinguish themselves, you might score plenty of kills with afterburn alone, provided you ambush them in the right places.
• The many flanking possibilities on this map are perfect for effective Backburner use, as you have plenty of ways to get behind the enemy team.

 Demoman

• The corner-ish, cramped nature of the control point is perfect for hiding sticky traps. Consider using the Scottish Resistance for a better, multi-point defense.
• Another good place to hide a good sticky trap is behind the corner of the enemy's corridor after their bridge.
• If watching over the middle area, firing grenades and sticky bombs down the enemy's sets of stairs (either the central staircase close to the bus or the side ones) while keeping out of sight can allow you to score some surprise kills, as enemies going up the stairs don't see the projectiles or the Demoman before it's too late. Don't expect them to fall for this trick many times in a row, though. Watch your ammunition and keep your long reloading periods in mind as well; you don't want to get caught by a flanking enemy at a bad time.
• The Demoman's sticky jump ability can allow him to jump over the side fences to surprise the enemy.
• The Splendid Screen/Chargin' Targe and Persian Persuader can be used to navigate the map quickly and perform hit and run attacks on the enemy, especially in the many narrow corridors and alleys that make up the map. With the Eyelander, you can gain some heads quickly and become a real threat in these areas with your extra health, speed and damage resistance. It helps to have good Grenade Launcher aim as well, of course.

 Heavy

• If your team is short of Teleporters, the Gloves of Running Urgently are vital in this map.
• Due to the wide-open nature of the map, your job when defending the point will be harder, especially because the control point can be attacked from four sides and two floor levels (ground level and below).
• Try to move in a circle around the upper level and pay special attention to the corridors and the stairs, as the players that choose these narrow routes will have quite a hard time dodging your hail of bullets.
• This map has a lot of blind spots; for a slow, often distracted class such as a Heavy, it'd be wise to be cautious of Spies and Pyros.
• The low amount of health packs can be devastating to a team if there are no Medics available. Take your Sandvich with you for that extra bit of survivability just in case.
• The width of the map means that it's harder to pay attention to all possible sniping positions; do take extra care if guarding the area around the point.
• Trying to fight a Soldier or Demoman that has occupied the roof of the Pagoda while you're shooting from below can be an unfavorable position, as he can take cover behind the roof and poke shots at you.
• As in any King of the Hill map, the Heavy's potency is greatly enhanced by having a Medic or two on his team, especially if acting as the guardian of the middle area.
• The plants and benches in this map provide good protection from enemy fire. Their bases provide ample protection from all forms of damage towards the Heavy's lower half, while the plants help disguise the top portion of the Heavy to protect from Snipers and Spies wielding the Ambassador. This allows the Heavy to fire towards the point from a distance, while still being relatively hidden and protected.
  • This strategy is especially useful while using the Tomislav. The higher accuracy and the silent spinning allow the Heavy to hit more shots from afar while remaining hidden for even longer.

 Engineer

• Teleporters are vital. Two good hiding spots for the exit are behind the wall in front of the leftmost stairs that precedes the pit/drop to the lower level, and between the bridge and the tunnel/corridor. There is a special ledge right before the tunnel that you can reach by jumping on the left side of the bridge, which will do particularly well as a place to hide the exit.
• If you're using the Gunslinger, you can either hide your Mini-Sentry behind a corner of the point or just put it in front of the enemy's corridor. Be prepared to replace it often though, because as usual it will be destroyed quickly.
• If you want to use the regular wrenches/Sentry Guns, remember that a truly safe, easily defendable spot does not exist here, but there are still some points that can cause major disruption if you happen to land a Level 3 Sentry there:
  • Crouch Jump on the wall before the pit, then reach the small warehouse and put your Sentry up there. It will be quite obvious and you need to be fast, but it will be hard to dodge as it will cover a large portion of the upper area.
  • The most common placement, however, will be at the lower level, in the area below the point, where the Sentry will be able to fire at the control point while being downstairs. While it's less exposed here and can be defended more effectively, you won't be able to cover the whole cap and there are edging possibilities.
• The stairways from either spawn to the control point make for excellent Sentry Gun spots. If equipped with the Gunslinger, this position can be used to easily and continuously provide quick supporting fire.
• If your Mini-Sentry is destroyed near you, place another one down right away for a few more seconds to escape or Shotgun the enemy to death while they are distracted again.
• The Jag is useful at the beginning of a round to get the edge on the enemy team when racing to construct and deploy a Level 3 Sentry Gun.
• Place a Dispenser behind the small warehouse or the wall next to it (at the top of the leftmost staircase). There, it can aid your team close to the control point without it being in plain sight. Another good position for it is inside your corridor after the bridge. Just alert/inform your teammates about its presence, as it will be somewhat less obvious than if kept out in the open close to the point.

 Medic

• A Medic should play the usual pocket role on this map - stay near Heavies, Soldiers or Demomen and watch your back to counter flanking attempts accordingly. Tell your pocket to watch the various entrances and approaches as described above.
• If your patient wants to attempt camping the spawn, be aware that it has three different exits and, usually making it a lousy strategy.
• Due to the general spam and heavy fighting that occurs in the main area, using the Quick-Fix is often not advisable.
• Even though the area around the point is wide, the cap itself is quite narrow and limited in movement possibilities. Consider the Crusader's Crossbow in order to randomly damage enemies/heal allies fighting in a cluster on or around it.
• Using the Quick-Fix and its ÜberCharge when attacking the point can work, as you can rapidly keep your teammates healthy whilst still being able to capture.
• Low health packs on the map means more enemies running around at low health. Announce the health of the enemy team, especially the wounded ones, to your teammates if you have the Solemn Vow equipped.
• Low health packs on the map and their placements also mean that you will likely have to find another way to restore your health, like standing near a Dispenser or asking a friendly Heavy to share his Sandvich. Also, you can fall back to spawn in an emergency, considering it's rather close to the point.
• Use the Kritzkrieg on defense (or offense if there aren't Sentry Guns to worry about) while paired up with a friendly Soldier, Demoman, or Heavy to quickly clear the control point and greatly help your team.
• There are only a few long sight lines on the map. Take advantage of these by healing teammates/shooting enemies with the Crusader's Crossbow over long distances.

 Sniper

• Even though this map is wide, you'll rarely have a clear shot due to all the walls, ledges, signs, and roofs that characterize the main area. Change your position frequently and be prepared to fight enemies at close-quarters. Using the Machina or the Cozy Camper is not advised. The Jarate and Bushwacka combo, on the other hand, works great in self-defense here.
• If you use any Sniper Rifle, you can either stand in the farthest corners of the main area and pick off targets from there, or go downstairs and shoot down attacking players from below. If you feel like being sneaky and roaming a bit more, you can try circling around to the enemy's side of the map and sniping them from the sides or even the balcony overlooking their spawn.
• As always, the Jarate is particularly effective when thrown at a control point packed with enemies, and it's one of the best support plans to follow on this map. You can also play a denial role if you choose to fire a bunch of Huntsman arrows on the control point. If the enemy piles up around the point, you don't have to be particularly accurate and can just let the arrows' large hitbox do the job.
• Be especially careful of both Spies and Pyros, as this map is great for both classes to sneak up on you. Once again, Jarate can help extinguish both you and your teammates.

 Spy

• As a Spy, your role is to lurk in the enemy side of the map, sapping buildings (lack of Teleporters will significantly slow the enemy down) and picking off lone players that are walking from the spawn to the control point. Using the Your Eternal Reward with the Cloak and Dagger and the L'Etranger could be quite effective in achieving this task as stealthily and with as little ammo-scrounging as possible.
• Even if taking over the control point proves too difficult because it doesn't offer many easy backstab opportunities (you can try to sneak up the stairs, but expect those sides to be watched), you can still manage to get Ambassador headshots on Snipers and other standing players from the corners of the higher level.
• Relay to your team which enemies are low on health. Many players could be stuck on low health and searching for a healing source, due to the low amount of health packs on the map and their being quite far apart.
• Remember that while this map is generally good for Spies, it's also very favorable to Pyros. The same corridors, blind spots and hallways that you'll be using to sneak around will be likely used and patrolled by enemy Pyros. Steer clear of them as much as you can and if survivability proves an issue, consider using the Dead Ringer and the Spy-cicle to offset the threat.