Sniper weapons (competitive)

This article is for competitive play, based on the standard community competitive format.
The community competitive scene changes frequently. Some or all info may be outdated.

Some Sniper weapons may be banned in your league. For a list of banned weapons, please see the Weapon Ban List.

The Sniper specializes in long range area denial. He is frequently used to get a pick on a Medic in case of a stalemate. He deals decent damage at close range, but not enough to match other classes.

Primary Weapon

The Sniper's primary weapons are his main source of damage, and constitutes his only long-range damage. All Sniper Rifles can be charged up to deal increased damage, and all but the Sydney Sleeper can deal headshots for guaranteed critical hits. All but the Huntsman provide a visible Sniper dot while scoped. The stock Sniper Rifle, Sydney Sleeper, Hitman's Heatmaker, and Bazaar Bargain can shoot without being scoped, dealing accurate but low damage.

Sniper Rifle

The stock Sniper Rifle provides the simplest source of damage. It can kill any enemy on a fully charged headshot, and can deal significant damage on a bodyshot. The AWPer Hand has the same stats as the stock Sniper Rifle.

Weapon	Damage	Critical damage	Function Time	Special
Sniper Rifle	Uncharged: 50 Charge: 150	Critical, Uncharged: 150 Criticak, Charge: 450 Mini-Crit, Uncharged: 68 Mini-Crit, Charge: 203	Attack: 1.5s Scope Delay: 0.2s Charge Delay: 1.0s Full Charge Time: 4s	Has no damage fall-off or ramp-up. Charge to 100% takes 3.3 seconds. No Random Critical Hits.

Below is a table displaying the availability of the Sniper Rifle in the Global 6v6 Whitelist.

Weapon	Global 6v6 Whitelist
Sniper Rifle	Allowed

Huntsman

The Huntsman is designed for medium range combat. It is affected by gravity, but fires faster than the stock Sniper Rifle. It has a limit on the time it can maintain full charge, and has less ammunition than the stock Sniper Rifle. The Fortified Compound has the same stats as the Huntsman.

Weapon	Damage	Critical Damage	Function Times	Special
Huntsman	Uncharged: 50 Charged: 120	Critical, Uncharged: 150 Critical, Charged: 360 Mini-Crit, Uncharged: 68 Mini-Crit, Charged: 162	Attack: 1.94s Inaccuracy Delay: 5.0s Full Charge Time: 1.0s	Has no damage fall-off or ramp-up. Projectiles are affected by gravity. Arrows can be uncharged with alt-fire. Arrows can be ignited to deal fire damage to the target. Provides the Arrow Stab taunt. Enemies which are killed with an arrow near a wall may be pinned to it.

Below is a table displaying the availability of the Huntsman in the Global 6v6 Whitelist.

Weapon	Global 6v6 Whitelist
Huntsman	Allowed

Sydney Sleeper

The Sydney Sleeper provides a stronger support basis for the team. It sacrifices the ability to deal headshots at the benefit of applying Jarate to the target on scoped hits. It also has a 25% faster charge rate than the stock Sniper Rifle.

Weapon	Damage	Critical Damage	Function Times	Special
Sydney Sleeper	Uncharged: 50 Charged: 150	Critical, Uncharged: 150 Critical, Charged: 450 Mini-Crit, Uncharged: 68 Mini-Crit, Charged: 203	Attack: 1.5s Charge: 2.8s Jarate Delay: 1.06s Jarate Effect Duration: 8s	Has no damage fall-off or ramp-up. On a scoped hit, the target is coated with Jarate for 2 to 5 seconds, depending on the charge level. Scoped headshots always mini-crit and reduce the remaining cooldown of Jarate by 1 second. +25% charge rate. No headshots. No random critical hits.

Below is a table displaying the availability of the Sydney Sleeper in the Global 6v6 Whitelist.

Weapon	Global 6v6 Whitelist
Sydney Sleeper	Banned

Bazaar Bargain

The Bazaar Bargain has an initially slowed charge time, which increases with each headshot kill. It counts "heads obtained", up to a maximum of 7.

Weapon	Damage	Critical Damage	Function Times	Special
Bazaar Bargain	Uncharged: 50 Charged: 150	Critical, Uncharged: 150 Critical, Charged: 450 Mini-Crit, Uncharged: 68 Mini-Crit, Charged: 203	Attack: 1.5s Afterscope Delay: 0.2s Charge Delay: 1.0s Full Charge Time: 4.95s (0 Heads) 1.65s (7 Heads)	Has no damage fall-off or ramp-up. Initially charges at 150% time of the stock Sniper Rifle. Decreases by 25% for each additional head, up to a maximum of 6 heads. Head count is only affected by scoped shots. Each headshot kill adds one head. No random critical hits.

Below is a table displaying the availability of the Bazaar Bargain in the Global 6v6 Whitelist.

Weapon	Global 6v6 Whitelist
Bazaar Bargain	Allowed

Machina

The Machina adds damage and piercing on full charge, but reveals the Sniper's location and prevents no-scopes. The Shooting Star has the same stats as the Machina.

Weapon	Damage	Critical Damage	Function Times	Special
Machina	Uncharged: 50 Charged: 173	Critical, Uncharged: 150 Critical, Charged: 518 Mini-Crit, Uncharged: 68 Mini-Crit, Charged: 233	Attack: 1.5s Afterscope Delay: 0.2s Charge Delay: 1.0s Full Charge Time: 4s	Has no damage fall-off or ramp-up. Fires tracer rounds which leave visual trails. Piercing damage is dealt to all targets in line, regardless if it kills any of them. Deals 15% extra damage on full charge. Cannot fire unless zoomed. No random critical hits.

Below is a table displaying the availability of the Machina in the Global 6v6 Whitelist.

Weapon	Global 6v6 Whitelist
Machina	Banned

Hitman's Heatmaker

The Hitman's Heatmaker provides a combo system on kills and assists which grants a speedier charge time and no need to reload while active. This comes at the cost of a 20% damage penalty on bodyshots.

Weapon	Damage	Critical Damage	Function Times	Special
Hitman's Heatmaker	Uncharged: 40 Charged: 120	Critical, Uncharged: 150 Critical, Charged: 450 Mini-Crit, Uncharged: 54 Mini-Crit, Charged: 162	Attack: 1.5s Afterscope Delay: 0.2s Charge Delay: 1.0s Full Charge Time: 3.3s Charge Time while in focus: 2.8s	Has no damage fall-off or ramp-up. Gain Focus on kills and assists. Each kill grants 1/3 the focus meter, and each assist grants 1/9. Focus activates on fire when the focus meter is full. In focus: +25% faster charge rate and no need to unscope. Focus can still be added while Focus is active. -20% damage penalty on body shot. No random critical hits.

Below is a table displaying the availability of the Hitman's Heatmaker in the Global 6v6 Whitelist.

Weapon	Global 6v6 Whitelist
Hitman's Heatmaker	Allowed

Primary Weapon Usage

The Sydney Sleeper and the Huntsman are uncommon choices, due to an overall reduced damage output, but can be useful to assist the team. The stock Sniper Rifle deals consistent long-range damage, and can kill most classes with a quick headshot. The Bazaar Bargain is good for a Sniper who can hit headshots consistently, thus ramping up the charge rate. The Machina is useful for dealing increased damage, or for getting multiple kills with a single shot. The Hitman's Heatmaker is good for extremely accurate Snipers, since consistent headshots can eliminate unscoping completely (at the cost of revealing your location). Snipers, due to their situational use, tend to go for the stock Sniper Rifle for quick and consistent damage without having to reveal their position.

Secondary Weapon

The Sniper deals the majority of his damage with his primary, but his secondary weapon can provide some key medium range combat damage.

SMG

The stock Submachine Gun deals strong damage at medium and close range, and can help the Sniper survive an encounter with a Scout.

Weapon	Damage	Critical Damage	Function Times	Special
SMG	Point-Blank: 12 512 units: 8 Over 1024 units: 4	Critical: 24 Point-Blank Mini-crit: 16 Over 512 units: Mini-crit: 11	Attack: 0.1s Reload: 1.1s	If unfired in the past 1.25 seconds, the next shot has perfect accuracy.

Below is a table displaying the availability of the SMG in the Global 6v6 Whitelist.

Weapon	Global 6v6 Whitelist
SMG	Allowed

The Cleaner's Carbine

The Cleaner's Carbine functions similiarly to the stock Submachine Gun. It sacrifices 20% of it's clip size and 25% of it's firing speed for the ability to activate mini-crits for 8 seconds when needed.

Weapon	Damage	Critical Damage	Function Times	Special
Cleaner's Carbine	Point-Blank: 12 512 units: 8 Over 1024 units: 4	Critical: 24 Point-Blank Mini-crit: 16 Over 512 units: Mini-crit: 11	Attack: 0.13s Reload: 1.1s	If unfired in the past 1.25 seconds, the next shot has perfect accuracy. Dealing damage fills the charge bar, completely filling it requires doing 100 damage with the weapon. When charged, secondary fire grants mini-crits for 8 seconds. -20% clip size. -25% slower firing speed. No random critical hits.

Below is a table displaying the availability of the Cleaner's Carbine in the Global 6v6 Whitelist.

Weapon	Global 6v6 Whitelist
Cleaner's Carbine	Allowed

Jarate

Jarate does not deal any immediate damage, but makes any normal damage dealt to coated players become Mini-crits.

Weapon	Damage	Critical Damage	Function Times	Special
Jarate	N/A	N/A	Effect Duration: 10s Refill Time: 20s	Normal damage against coated players is upgraded to mini-crit damage. Extinguishes fire. Removable in water. Visible on cloaked or disguised Spies.

Below is a table displaying the availability of the Jarate in the Global 6v6 Whitelist.

Weapon	Global 6v6 Whitelist
Jarate	Banned

Razorback

The Razorback saves the Sniper from one backstab attempt from a Spy. It temporarily disables the Spy's knife after the stab.

Weapon	Damage	Critical Damage	Function Times	Special
Razorback	N/A	N/A	Time Restriction on Spy Knife: 2s	Can be replaced at a resupply cabinet.

Below is a table displaying the availability of the Razorback in the Global 6v6 Whitelist.

Weapon	Global 6v6 Whitelist
Razorback	Allowed

Darwin's Danger Shield

The Darwin's Danger Shield provides the Sniper with 50% fire damage resistance, and makes him immune to the effects of afterburn.

Weapon	Damage	Critical Damage	Function Times	Special
Darwin's Danger Shield	N/A	N/A	N/A	Sniper gains 50% fire damage resistance. Sniper gains immunity to the effects of afterburn.

Below is a table displaying the availability of the Darwin's Danger Shield in the Global 6v6 Whitelist.

Weapon	Global 6v6 Whitelist
Darwin's Danger Shield	Allowed

Cozy Camper

The Cozy Camper prevents the player's scoped view from jumping when they take damage, however only with full charge. It regenerates the wearer's health by +1 per second, slowly increasing to +4 health per second when no damage is taken.

Weapon	Damage	Critical Damage	Function Times	Special
Cozy Camper	N/A	N/A	N/A	Knockback is reduced by 20% while scoped. No flinching when aiming and fully charged. Huntsman is affected similarly by charging an arrow. +1 health regenerated per second, increasing to +4 over the course of 8 seconds.

Below is a table displaying the availability of the Cozy Camper in the Global 6v6 Whitelist.

Weapon	Global 6v6 Whitelist
Cozy Camper	Allowed

Secondary Weapon Usage

The stock Submachine Gun provides high damage output at close range, making it a strong option to deal with enemies. Jarate can help a push if it hits multiple enemies, and the Razorback and Darwin's Danger Shield provide more passive effects which are rarely useful in competitive play (but can save your life in some situations). The Cozy Camper is useful for increasing survivability, making for a more aggressive Sniper play style. The stock Submachine Gun provides the Sniper with better deathmatch capabilities, and is thus a popular choice in competitive play.

Melee Weapon

The Sniper's melee weapon is rarely used, but deals damage in a pinch.

Kukri

The stock Kukri deals standard damage, and can have use if out of ammo.

Weapon	Damage	Critical Damage	Function Times	Special
Kukri	Melee: 65	Critical: 195 Mini-crit: 88	Attack: 0.8s	Stock melee weapon.

Below is a table displaying the availability of the Kukri in the Global 6v6 Whitelist.

Weapon	Global 6v6 Whitelist
Kukri	Allowed

Tribalman's Shiv

The Tribalman's Shiv deals reduced initial damage, but comes with a bleeding effect. With the initial damage and bleeding combined, it deals more damage in a single hit than the Kukri, unless the victim finds a source of healing fast enough.

Weapon	Damage	Critical Damage	Function Times	Special
Tribalman's Shiv	Melee: 33 Bleed: 8 per second (48 total)	Critical: 98 Mini-crit: 44 Mini-crit Bleeding: 10.8 per second (64.8 total)	Attack: 0.8s	On Hit: Bleed for 6 seconds. -50% damage penalty.

Below is a table displaying the availability of the Tribalman's Shiv in the Global 6v6 Whitelist.

Weapon	Global 6v6 Whitelist
Tribalman's Shiv	Allowed

Bushwacka

The Bushwacka deals critical damage where it would normally deal mini-crit damage. The Sniper takes an additional 20% damage while the Bushwacka is active.

Weapon	Damage	Critical Damage	Function Times	Special
Bushwacka	Melee: 65	Critical: 195	Attack: 0.8s	Crits whenever it would normally mini-crit. Cannot deal mini-crit damage. +20% vulnerability to damage when active No random critical hits.

Below is a table displaying the availability of the Bushwacka in the Global 6v6 Whitelist.

Weapon	Global 6v6 Whitelist
Bushwacka	Allowed

Shahanshah

The Shahanshah deals increased damage when the Sniper is below 50% health, and reduced damage when he is above 50% health.

Weapon	Damage	Critical Damage	Function Times	Special
Shahanshah	Melee when below 50%: 49 Melee when above 50%: 81	Critical when below 50%: 146 Critical when above 50%: 244 Minicrit when below 50%: 66 Minicrit when above 50%: 110	Attack: 0.8s	Deals 25% additional damage when below 50% health. Deals 25% less damage when above 50% health. Affects melee only.

Below is a table displaying the availability of the Shahanshah in the Global 6v6 Whitelist.

Weapon	Global 6v6 Whitelist
Shahanshah	Allowed

Melee Weapon Usage

Sniper melee usage is rare, but often effective. The stock Kukri deals little damage compared to others, and is rarely useful. The Tribalman's Shiv can deal great damage to a Scout or Soldier who cannot get back to their Medic in time, whereas the Bushwacka deals immense damage in combination with Jarate, but means the Sniper dies very fast to a Pyro. The Shahanshah can deal immense damage to an unsuspecting player if the Sniper is at low health, but if confronted when at high health is a detriment. Most Snipers use the Shiv for increased overall damage, or use the Bushwacka, counting on the rarity of Pyros.