Community Territorial Control strategy

Hydro

This article is about Community Territorial Control strategy.

General strategy

Territorial Control combines Control Points gameplay with Attack/Defend elements. As such, strategies for Territorial Control are somewhat similar. However, compared to standard Control Points, Territorial Control is much faster because only one point per team is in play rather than 5. Therefore, thought has to be given to both offense and defense.

• Since the control points belonging to both sides are both in play at the same time, it is possible for both RED and BLU to attempt to capture each other's point simultaneously. When this happens, whoever captures faster won't just lock the other team out of capturing, like in standard Control Points, they'll also win the mini-round.

• This also means that it's inadvisable to have all teammates push simultaneously, since this creates the possibility of backcaps with Scouts or Spies. Territorial Control, more than any other game mode, emphasizes a good balance between offense and defense.

• For the non-base territories, other than the increased necessity of defense, standard Control Points strategy still applies.

• For the base territories, while game mode may seem similar to Attack/Defend, it's really much more like King of the Hill, with the sole difference that you cannot allow the opposing team to capture the control point at all.

• Because of the faster play structure, where only 2 control points are in play for 8 minutes, as compared to Control Points where time controls are much longer, classes which need setup time like Engineers or Medics are at a disadvantage, especially since there is no setup time. Spies are also less useful because there is less time for them to set up and prepare, but not to the extent of Arena. Be prepared to withstand heavy attacking pressure when down to only your base territory, as these classes will have almost no opportunity to bring their full power to bear at first.

Class-specific strategy

 Scout

• Because gameplay is like Control Points, Scouts are theoretically as useful when non-base territories are being contested as they are in Control Points. This is not very observable in Hydro, the only official Territorial Control map, since it is a rather cramped map - however, this may differ if you play a community-made Territorial Control map.

• As with any control point-centric game mode, Scouts are valued for their superior mobility and capture rate, so don't be afraid to roll out with your teammates and get to the point.

• It also follows that Scouts are far better in Offense than Defense. As such, if you have to defend, pick another class, but if you're attacking, Scout is a decent choice.

• Be careful in the pathways linking control points. Pyros, Heavies, and Soldiers can quickly overpower you in a confined space. To avoid ambushes, try jumping around corners, and Double Jumping back the way you came if you spot someone tougher than you can handle.

 Soldier

• Spamming the point with rockets can be a great way to clear it of defenders, or sticky bombs.

• Because you can rocket jump you can cover a large area in a short time.

• You can easily take down an enemy Sentry Gun from a safe distance with your Rocket Launcher.

• Use the Disciplinary Action to help your team reach the front lines faster.

• The Black Box is a good option due to health packs being far from each other.

• Make use of your splash radius by taking out enemy behind cover.

• The Cow Mangler 5000 and Righteous Bison are useful due to the scarcity of ammunition in this mode, but both should not be used together due to the common presence of Sentry Guns.

 Pyro

• You effectively clear out a chokepoint with your Flame Thrower.

• Wait and ambush to take enemies by surprise.

• Help your Engineers by using your airblast to push away sticky bombs and rockets.

• As always, Spy check.

• The Back Scratcher's usefulness is limited. There are usually few health kits on the map and Medics and Dispensers are more likely to be available.

• Because there is a lot of open space in a Territorial Control map, a Flare Gun or any of its variants is a reasonable choice. The Detonator in particular can hit multiple targets in chokepoints.

• There is shallow water on Hydro and Strata, especially around the Control Points; remember where it is and kill lit enemies before they can reach the water and extinguish themselves. In addition to the shallow water on Hydro and Strata (Strata's water is only found at one point), Meridian and Spectre have deep water. If an enemy is wet, you can use the Neon Annihilator on them.

 Demoman

• Lay sticky traps to halt enemy attackers.

• The Scottish Resistance is recommended for defending control points and over the entire territory.

• Try to sticky jump to cover large distances quickly.

• Use your Grenade Launcher to take down enemy Sentry Guns.

• Try to avoid using a Demoknight-based loadout due to the map's large size.

• The Ullapool Caber is not a safe choice, due to the lack of health on the map and long travel times from respawn.

 Heavy

• Use the G.R.U to make up for your slow speed.

• Use a Sandvich to restore health due to medpacks being far from each other.

• The Tomislav can be a good weapon for offense and to ambush enemies around corners.

• Stay close to the control point when on defense.

 Engineer

• Build a Teleporter to help your team reach the front lines faster.

• The Jag can be extremely helpful in this game mode, due to its faster building construction rate.

• The Widowmaker is not recommended for this game mode due to ammo boxes being far from each other.

• Consider using the Wrangler to look over the control point and fire at enemies normally out of range of your gun.

 Medic

• Always heal your teammates and stick with them due to health packs being far from each other.

• Snipers are your main enemy on this map. The open spaces favor their rifles, so stay behind cover or allies. Spies may appear if you push into enemy territory though, so don't let down your guard.

• The standard Medi Gun is probably the best choice for this mode. Sentry Guns are almost guaranteed to appear, and the Medi Gun can deal with them better.

 Sniper

• The sight lines surrounding the control points are extremely long and favor the Sniper Rifle and its variants. Equip rifles when on defense.

• The areas linking control points are typically narrower and more confusing, and players will often bunch up in them. Use Jarate to give your team an advantage. If you want to fight in these tunnels, use the Huntsman or an SMG instead.

• Because of the size of the maps, enemy Snipers will be a bigger threat than Spies. The Razorback will not usually be necessary, especially on defense.

• Since health is limited and Medics are unlikely to be around you, consider using the Cozy Camper if you don't intend on going near enemies.

 Spy

• The control point areas are large and the tunnels to go between them are narrow and twisty. This will quickly drain your Cloak, and since metal is rare on this map, your Dead Ringer and standard Invis Watch will have to rely on their natural charge rates.

• Consider using the Cloak and Dagger due to the rarity of metal and ammo boxes and the need to take long walks to reach objectives or targets.

• The Ambassador is a good choice to attack control point areas due to long lines of sight, but the standard Revolver and the Enforcer are better weapons when surprised in the tunnels.

• Because of the spread out nature of the map, Your Eternal Reward may be useful if you can find isolated enemies. Due to the lack of health, however, the Conniver's Kunai is not a recommended choice.

• Engineers have a hard time setting up quickly on this map, so the Diamondback and Red-Tape Recorder are less useful due to their reliance on buildings, especially upgraded buildings.

• Water can be found in various places, especially around Control Points. Don't be afraid to make a run for water if you are ignited, since health is rare on this map.