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Honorable Hand-to-Hand Combat.

This article is about Community Medieval mode strategy. Medieval Mode is a mode added with the Australian Christmas update and is currently only activated by default on the map DeGroot Keep. As only certain weapons are allowed, class balance is drastically altered from normal gameplay.

General strategy

Available multi-class items

• Try to equip as many weapon slots as allowed when choosing a class. This can give a crucial tactical advantage over enemies.
• Item set bonuses will not apply if one of the required weapons is not allowed. Currently, the only item set that is fully functional is the Medieval Medic set.
• By default, melee weapons have a 12% chance of critical hits as opposed to the 2.5% chance of ranged weapons. Critical hits cause around 195 damage meaning most classes can be killed in one hit; Notable exceptions include: Soldiers, Heavies, Powerjack Pyros with a full overheal, Demomen wearing the Ali Baba's Wee Booties or the Bootlegger, Demomen wielding the Eyelander and its variants carrying 4 or more heads, and Spies wielding the Dead Ringer or the Conniver's Kunai with a full overheal. Be aware of this when using weapons that cannot deal critical hits.
  • Attack with your melee weapon wisely. There is usually a set delay until you can swing again. Try to attack your enemies between their swings or outside of their range. Learn to recognize your critical swing animations for a clean kill.
  • When participating in an all-out brawl in close quarters be aware that hitboxes will mesh together. Thus when hitting an opponent in the midst of your teammates, some hits may not register to avoid friendly fire. Simply take a step back and approach from a different angle. Be cautious of this when you and your teammates have an enemy cornered or surrounded.
  • The console command "tf_medieval_thirdperson 1" can be used to aid in melee weapon aiming, but will hinder in aiming ranged weaponry.
• If the auto-translate feature hinders in communication, placing a ! or a / before anything you say in chat will stop it.
  • Additionally, using the "say" command in the console before typing in chat will also negate it.
• Overtime in Medieval Mode will only engage after time runs out if any of the points are partially capped or if the final point still has time left on the clock.
• Server plugins, such as Roll the Dice, are likely to have a more noticeable effect on gameplay. If this is giving you trouble simply join another server or use the plugin yourself.
• Lastly, in Medieval Mode, teamwork takes on a different role. Your teammates may not be able to reach you in time, meaning you must be able to fend for yourself. However, teamwork such as healing others, extinguishing fire, or simply watching each others' backs is essential to succeeding in this game mode.

Class-specific strategy

 Scout

Basic strategy

• You lack any of your primary weapons. You must rely more on your other weapons, your speed, and double-jumping ability to survive.
• Use your drinks to get through and clear out points.
• Your melee weapons deal less damage than other classes but it is compensated by a faster firing speed. Use your speed to your advantage and circle-strafe to get as many hits as possible while taking as few as possible yourself.
• Your double capping ability and mobility will aid in getting to and capturing points.

Weapon specific

Secondary weapons

Since you aren't allowed to use the Pistol and the Winger, always equip some kind of drink.

Bonk! Atomic Punch

• Drinking this makes you invulnerable for 6 seconds, but the user cannot attack while active. Since Sentry Guns are absent in this mode, this weapon can be used effectively as a distraction or as an escape. Due to the invulnerability, you can leap over enemies in congested points and attack those unaware or distracted from behind with your melee weapon.
  • Using the Home Run taunt while invulnerable is also surprisingly effective on contested points. However, be sure to be invulnerable while the taunt completes lest you be killed quickly.

Crit-a-Cola

• Drinking this allows you to deal mini-crits with your melee weapon for 6 seconds. However, you will also taking mini-crits from any damage from enemies for the same duration. Due to a lack of reliable healing in this mode, this is a high risk-high reward strategy. Be sure to use this only if you are sure to finish off enemies and receive their health packs. Use this in conjunction with a friendly Soldier's Battalion's Backup to negate its negative effects.
  • Avoid Snipers with the Bushwacka, as the mini-crit you take will turn into full critical hit while the effect is active.

Mad Milk

• Enemies doused in Mad Milk will award health to attacking players for 10 seconds. This helps to support the user and their allies during brutal assaults. Throw this on highly contested points to aid in your and your teammates' survivability.
  • Mad Milk is also very effective for Spy checking as Pyros lack an effective fire weapon and Jarate is not allowed. Use this when you suspect a Spy is in the area to short out their Cloak.
  • Fire can whittle away a precious health points in a short period of time. Use Mad Milk to quickly extinguish fires on yourself or on your teammates.

Melee weapons

Atomizer

• This weapon allows you to triple jump, but at a precious cost of 10 health. The decreased damage means you will have to rely on your increased mobility or a critical hit to finish off an opponent. However, this will likely lead to a significant loss of health in the encounter. Jump wisely.
  • It is possible to scale walls and gain a tactical advantage over enemies in their own base.

Bat/Frying Pan

• This is the default melee weapon for the Scout. Take advantage of your fast firing speed and critical hits to finish off opponents.

Boston Basher/Three-Rune Blade

• These will deal melee damage and bleeding damage on a successful hit. However, a missed swing can take out half a Scout's health due to the bleedout. Try not to miss.
  • Use this in conjunction with a friendly Soldier's Buff Banner to dish out extra bleed damage.
  • While it is possible to "triple jump" with this weapon to scale walls, it is not recommended due to the bleedout and lack of reliable health sources. However, this will give a distinct tactical advantage over enemies whilst being in their base.
  • This weapon is also useful for Spy-checking; keep a sharp eye out for bleeding stuck "allies".

• Candy Cane: This weapon will drop two small medkits on a successful kill in Medieval Mode. The only downside is the vulnerability to explosive damage which, in Medieval Mode, is limited to the Ullapool Caber and the Soldier's Kamikaze taunt. However, in general, it is an upgrade to the default Bat.
• Fan O'War: This deals substantially less damage than any other melee weapon in game. However, an enemy that is marked for death will receive all damage as mini-crits. You can only mark one enemy at a time, but it will be unlikely to kill an enemy by yourself. Use this to mark an enemy in congested areas so your teammates can easily take him down.
• Holy Mackerel and Unarmed Combat: The attributes are the same as the default bat. However, the lack of a "FISH KILL!" or "ARM KILL!" in the kill feed can tell if a Spy is using Dead Ringer.
• Sandman: This grants the ability to throw a baseball that will stun an enemy on a successful hit. However, you will have a lower health of 110. Always have the ball ready to shoot to aid in escapes or attacks. Remember, the farther away from the target you are, the longer the ball will stun. Use the ball on congested areas to guarantee a stun.
• Sun-on-a-Stick: This weapon has limited use by itself due to its lower damage output, but it is very useful for killing enemies "tagged" by a Sniper's flaming Huntsman arrow, or a Pyro's Sharpened Volcano Fragment.
• Wrap Assassin: Similar to Sandman, this weapon can shoot an ornament that bleeds upon contact with an enemy. However, the melee damage is significantly less than the standard Bat. Throw the bauble in congested areas and try to attack enemies on low health to inflict the most damage.