Team strategy

In Team Fortress 2, it can be very hard for a single player to effectively combat the enemy team. Working with your team is important for success. This article is designed to help you and your team achieve that victory. For a guide on improving your own game, see Strategy. For map-specific strategies, see the individual pages for each map.

General Strategy

Communication

Communication is a key element in Team Fortress 2. The Class-based nature of the game means that there will often be situations that a lone player simply cannot handle alone. Coordination between different players and Classes is usually needed to win a game (even if that coordination was accidental). Also, the lack of a "mini-map", "radar", or "motion detector" feature commonly found in other first-person shooters makes communication of enemy locations and activities that much more crucial. Voice commands and text messages are better than nothing, but microphones are strongly recommended for anyone who wishes to play Team Fortress 2 beyond a purely casual level (that is, someone interested in actually being on winning teams often). Communication is so important that a team without any sort of microphone communication can easily lose to a team with a single microphone user even if it has more skilled players overall. Information such as the location and Disguise of enemy Spies, the location of enemy Sentry nests and Sticky Bomb traps, and the timing of attacks and Übercharges simply cannot be communicated effectively without voice chat. Effective team communication and coordination is especially prevalent in the more competitive venues of the game.

Team Composition

Team Fortress 2 is a class-based, team game in which players on a team usually have to cooperate and coordinate to some extent in order to achieve victory. The nine different Classes have their own strengths and weaknesses and their own unique styles of play based around maximizing their strengths and minimizing their weaknesses -- however it is impossible for any one player no matter how skilled to completely compensate for the weaknesses of the class they are currently playing. One player may be less skilled than another but still win in an encounter due to being a Class that has a natural advantage over the other, such as a less-skilled Pyro beating a skilled Spy. This not only makes the choice of what Class to play very important and rewards players who are willing to learn and play different Classes, but also makes playing cooperatively equally important.

A mistake many new players make is to view Team Fortress 2 outside of a team context, focusing instead on the Class(es) they prefer to play and thinking of strategy only in terms of a series of one-on-one match-ups against the other Classes they will meet in battle. However most combat in Team Fortress 2 is between groups of players playing as different Classes, and part of being a skilled player is paying some attention to overall team strategy. This can include being aware of what Classes currently make up your team and the opposing team, or what is referred to as team composition. It is often possible to gain an advantage over the opposing team by having several players play as Classes that the other team is currently ill-equipped to deal with. One of the most obvious examples would be running several Spies to counter an enemy team that has several Engineers, Snipers, and Heavies but few, if any, Pyros. Paying no attention to what Classes are currently giving your team the most trouble and how best to counter-attack is a fast way to lose. However, over-compensating can also happen, for example if a team is having trouble with enemy Spies too many players might decide to switch to Pyro depriving your team of offense. Use the "Tab" key periodically to keep an eye on your team's current classes and recommend adjustments accordingly -- and be willing to change your Class as well from time to time.

The Classes

The heart of Team Fortress 2's gameplay are the nine different Classes and how they interact with both friend and foe. Even if you play only one or two of them on a regular basis, it is still enormously helpful to learn about the role of each Class in the overall context of a game. Each Class has unique attributes that determine their strengths and weakness: health, movement speed, and weaponry, and other innate abilities such as health regeneration or the ability to Double Jump. This section categorizes the different Classes and is meant to draw attention to how the different Classes can work together to become more powerful in groups than they would be functioning alone. NOTE: this categorization is different from the "official" class roles of Offense, Defense, and Support defined by Valve, and is meant to draw attention to strategic and play-style similarities as opposed to an arbitrary "theme."

Group 1. General Combat

• Classes: Demoman, Heavy, Pyro, Scout, Soldier
• Common Characteristics: All the members of this group possess high average firepower, survivability, or maneuverability and in some cases a good mix of all three. All of them except for the Scout have a Health range of 175-300 without overhealing, and will receive the vast majority of ÜberCharges due to their powerful Primary weapons which have a high rate of damage over time and also due to their simple presence on the front lines. Another characteristic of this group is that almost all of the abilities in the game that have some sort of negative effect on enemy movement are found in this group: Natascha, the Force-A-Nature, the Shortstop, the Sandman, "juggling opponents" with the Rocket, Grenade, and Sticky Launchers, and the Pyro's Compression Blast. All of the abilities in the game that allow positive enhancement of movement (with the exception of Teleporters) are also found here. All five of these Classes are battle ready upon spawning and don't really need any special positioning or prep time and can jump right into the fight.
• Team Role: Makes up the majority of most teams, and engages in the heaviest and most direct fighting. The members of this group are generally the most responsible for spearheading pushes into enemy territory and securing objectives, and usually must be aggressive. Their success is usually measured in kills made and damage dealt before dying. Members of this group are usually capable of holding their own in a one-on-one matchup against any other class, and therefore a team entirely consisting of Group 1 classes won't have any critical weaknesses and can often do fairly well over short periods, but to break down tough defenses and hang in a sustained firefight, help from Groups 2 and 3 becomes necessary.

The Artillery

• Classes: Demoman, Soldier
• Strengths: Both of these Classes have a high amount of damage potential, range, resilience, and mobility, and they possess similar weapons. The Rocket, Sticky, and Grenade launchers fire highly damaging rounds that deal a large amount of "splash" that can damage multiple enemies at once. Not only that, but these weapons, and the Demoman's in particular, are the only consistent form of indirect fire in the game, able to damage and kill without direct line of sight to a target. This combined with the ability to "fire and forget" allow the Soldier and Demoman to make excellent use of cover to enhance their already formidable staying power. They also excel at demolishing the Sentry positions of Engineers. Both also possess the ability to trade some of their health for the ability to perform jumps that can cover huge vertical and horizontal distances quickly and allows them to make sudden and devastating attacks from unexpected angles to escape tough situations.
• Weaknesses: While the Artillery classes don't have very pronounced weaknesses, the weapons of these classes carry some disadvantages as well. The Soldier and Demoman can easily hurt and kill themselves when firing point-blank. Most importantly however, all of the "launcher" weapons have limited clip sizes and lengthy reload times. How to manage reloads is an important skill for playing the artillery classes -- being too trigger-happy can be fatal. The need to reload can often make holding positions against a constant stream of enemies problematic without support. Also it's important to note that because explosive projectiles take time to travel, they can often be dodged especially at mid to long range by agile and skilled foes, regardless of how well they were aimed when fired.
• Team Role: Dealing huge amounts of damage at medium ranges, forcing enemies out of cover and entrenched Sentry positions, and punishing enemies that are tightly packed together; these classes are the most commonly accused of being "overpowered". Consistent damage in any situation is their role however, and not doing enough of it can easily allow the enemy team free reign. Other than this, the main strengths of the Soldier and Demoman are their sheer lack of huge exploitable class weaknesses.

The Shock Troops

• Classes: Heavy, Pyro, Scout
• Common Characteristics: While also belonging to Group 1, the "general combatants", the members of this group are distinguished by a few things. Namely, they have more pronounced strengths, but also more pronounced weaknesses than the Artillery Classes, creating trade-offs, along with a few more specialized roles such as Spy-checking and objective-grabbing. The Heavy has the highest Health of any Class but also the lowest mobility especially while attacking; the Pyro is devastating at close range and when appearing unexpectedly, but conversely has very low damage potential at mid and long range, and is usually not as much of a threat without the element of surprise. The Scout by contrast is the fastest and most agile Class but has the lowest health out of the Group 1 Classes, and if the Sandman is equipped, the lowest base Health (110) in the game. All three Classes in this group can do tremendous damage over time, however in order to do so they must 1) be at close range and 2) have line of sight to their target. This in turn requires that they are exposed to enemy fire just as much however, often requiring specialized tactics in order to survive. For the Pyro, this means ambushing, for the Scout it is using his superior agility to avoid damage, and for the Heavy it means relying on Group 2 for Healing and transportation. The reliance on line of sight attacks also makes this group much less effective against Sentry Guns than the Artillery classes. The Pyro is the most effective Spy-checking Class on the team, able to expose both Cloaked and Disguised Spies with ease. The Pyro and the Heavy are unique in that their Primary weapons, the Flamethrower and the Minigun, never need to be reloaded and can fire continuously until depleted. This can enable them to provide invaluable support to the other Classes during prolonged fights where enemies are streaming in constantly. This can also make them amazingly effective Übercharge recipients, able to utilize the entire period of invulnerability to the fullest possible effect.
• Team Role: This group of classes is the most easily held at bay by enemy Sentry Gun positions. Teams that are relying too heavily on the classes in this group often have a difficult time defeating a team that is "turtling" or defending; once enemy Sentry Guns have been eliminated however, they can freely enter enemy territory and wreak havoc. This group is also very good at working with allied Group 2 classes -- Pyros work synergistically with Engineers and both Pyros and Heavies work very well with friendly Medics. This group is also very good at punishing enemy teams that neglect having enough Group 2 classes to heal and restrict their movement with Sentry Guns. Without enough healing, fire can deal a huge amount of damage through afterburn, and the "hitscan" bullet damage of Heavies and Scouts with good aim can't be easily dodged and can quickly erode enemy health. Finally, all three Classes in this group are very effective at contesting objectives of various types. Heavies have the staying power to stay on dropped Intelligence, Capture points and Carts and lay down suppressing fire. Pyros have unique abilities to keep Spies away from objectives and can also physically prevent enemies from contesting objectives by using the Compression Blast to push them back. Finally the Scout can use his natural speed and extra capture force to accomplish objectives faster than any other Class.

Group 2. Support

• Classes: Engineer, Medic
• Common Characteristics:
• Team Role:

Group 3. The Assassins

• Classes: Sniper, Spy
• Common Characteristics: While both possessing similarly low Health (125-150) and average movement speed, the most obvious similarity of these two classes is their shared ability to instantly kill any opponent with a single attack, largely regardless of target health. They both rely on excellent positioning, skillful aim, and patience to get their kills. While the success of the Group 3 Classes is also to some extent measured by how many enemies they kill before they themselves die, unlike Group 1, who they kill is often more important than how many. A Spy that sacrificed his position and his life to stab an enemy Soldier is of questionable value -- but taking out an enemy Medic with full Über can be game-changing. Both the Sniper and Spy avoid the front lines due to their low health, and instead operate behind the lines -- the Sniper behind his allies' lines, and the Spy behind his enemies'. Both classes are also better than any other class at picking off opponents who are trying to hide behind their allies, such as Medics.
• Team Role: Precision elimination of key enemy targets. These can be very talented enemy players that your team is having trouble with, or they can be resilient targets such as Heavies, or they can be high value targets such as Medics and Engineers. The Assassin Classes are at their most valuable at countering the influence of the Group 2 Support Classes. Headshots and Backstabs can cut right through the healing and overhealing of Medics and eliminate Engineers hiding behind their Sentry Guns. The Spy in particular is designed with the ability to disable and destroy Engineers and their Buildings. The Sniper and Spy also tend to end up locking horns with their counterparts from Group 3 due to where and how they fight. The ability to pick off key enemies can break stalemates, and the psychological effect of Snipers and Spies can split the concentration of enemies and make them reluctant to push forward. The ability of Spies in particular to attack enemies in areas where they expect to be secure can have a huge overall impact on enemy defenses. A team with very effective Snipers and Spies, if left unchecked, can easily run away with a game. However there are several reasons why having too many of Group 3 Classes on a team is a very bad idea. Snipers and Spies operate "behind the lines" and rely on not being the immediate focus of the enemy to kill distracted enemies. However, without having enough general combat classes means the enemy team will be less distracted and much more able focus on eliminating Snipers and Spies. Not only that, but having a lot of Spies quickly becomes counterproductive as the enemy team becomes aware of it. One Spy that still has the element of surprise is much more effective than several that are constantly getting discovered and killed. If you are playing Spy or Sniper and not having a very good day, it may not be your fault. It may be the fault of your team's composition.

Class Specific Strategies

These guides are meant to help you understand what to do in certain situations and when fighting other opponents. Use these guides to know more about the Classes and their abilities.

• Basic Scout strategy (match-ups)

• Basic Soldier strategy (match-ups)

• Basic Pyro strategy (match-ups)

• Basic Demoman strategy (match-ups)

• Basic Heavy strategy (match-ups)

• Basic Engineer strategy (match-ups)

• Basic Medic strategy (match-ups)

• Basic Sniper strategy (match-ups)

• Basic Spy strategy (match-ups)

Team Tactics

These are the strategies of the game that most players should learn and understand if they want to help their team. Using these in combat will allow you to get a leg up on the competition.

• Flanking

Find alternate routes and use them (even if they take longer than direct route). Don't take the same flanking route too often to avoid becoming predictable -- the enemy will quickly learn to anticipate your strategy.

• Ambushing

Wait around corners and surprise your enemy. You and a few of your allies could wait around corners and ambush any enemies that walk by as a defensive or offensive tactic.

• Ubercharging

Communicate with your Medic buddy. Try not to waste your ÜberCharge, but remember that it's better to spend your charge and survive than to die with a charge ready. Have a plan for what you will do when Übered.

The Barrage

• Overview: a creeping hail of explosives moves though an area to clear the way for the rest of the team.
• Details: Demomen and Soldiers fire continually into an area to make it a no-go zone for the opposing team. Attackers follow the barrage by moving into the cleared area and holding it.

The Demomen and Soldiers must use a spread of fire across the intended area to ensure it is all cleared.

Über push

• Overview: the attacking team coordinates a series of ÜberCharges to clear an area.
• Details: Two or more Medics build up an ÜberCharge. The first Medic activates his charge and enters the area; after 9 seconds the second Medic follows and moves into the area. If the situation allows, the second Medic can follow immediately, taking advantage of the distraction provided by the first Über pair and moving deeper into enemy territory before activating the second charge. Communicating who will Über first is key.

Minefield

• Overview: Demomen lay series of sticky bombs over an open area.
• Details: a spread out carpet of Sticky bombs is laid over an open area in sequence by several Demomen. When attackers push forward, detonate each set of Stickies in series to kill multiple waves of attackers. It is important that the other Demomen wait for the previous set to be detonated before detonating the next set. Using the Scottish Resistance makes this strategy more efficient, easier to pull off, and somewhat lessens the need for multiple Demomen, as a single Demoman can have up to 14 stickies and selectively detonate them.

Coordinated Sap

• Overview: Spies sap Sentry Gun emplacements to enable an attack by teammates.
• Details: a Spy or Spies sap Sentry Gun emplacements just before an offensive push, enabling teammates to safely attack the disabled Sentry Guns. Communicate when you have sapped the Sentry Gun to enable the attack to commence immediately. Continue to sap to enable the attacker to take out the Engineer first.

Medic Luring

• Overview: a "Soldier/Heavy" disguised Spy lures Medics into ambush points.
• Details: instead of attempting to kill an enemy Medic, a Spy disguised as an enemy assault class can lure an unaware Medic into an ambush. Thinking you are a member of his team, the Medic may follow you into your team's base, allowing your team to ambush him with a Sentry Gun or a group of allies. Remember that Spies look less suspicious when they appear to be trying to help the team.

Rushing

Main article: Rush

• Overview: All players select the same class to overwelm the enemy.
• Details: All players choose only one class or a majority of one class. The class usually depends on the situation. For example, a Scout rush allows your team to reach and capture the first point very quickly, hopefully before the entire enemy team arrives.

Tactical Direction

• Overview: In certain maps your team will have to decided whether to go one path or another.
• Details: this decision usually comes into play in 3cp maps such as Gravel Pit.

Practice

It's important to practice both with your friends and your team. Learn your team's strengths and weaknesses. If you are aware of your team's weaknesses you can help remove them, and if you are aware of your team's strengths, you can amplify them. When your team is in need of a certain class, try to find a player who plays that class well, or who is not already fulfilling a vital role -- asking your team's only Engineer to switch to Medic may not be the most effective use of your teammate's ability.