Anti-Sniper strategy

“

Perhaps they can bury you in that van you call 'home.' Click to listen — The Spy

”

The Sniper specializes in eliminating enemies at long range. He will typically position himself at a calm vantage point away from the battlefield, scanning the area for targets. His primary weapons can charge and deliver headshots, so ignoring him is never an option. Fortunately, the Sniper is horrible at close quarters combat. A cornered Sniper can only run or engage you with weaker armaments, such as his Submachine Gun or melee weapon. The best way to deal with a Sniper is awareness; if you know he's watching one route, try taking another one or forcing his attention somewhere else.

General

Attributes	Anti-Sniper strategy
Role	The Sniper's goal is to pick off any exposed enemies. Make good use of cover and keep moving to avoid being an easy target. A Sniper is most effective when he fights from a distance.
Health	The Sniper has a rather low amount of health; he will generally lose in a direct fight against sturdier classes.
Speed	The Sniper walks and runs at an average pace, but tends to slow down heavily while aiming. This makes his ability to flee from fights quite poor.
Power	The Sniper's primary weapons are unaffected by damage fall-off. Try not to get hit at all, as even an uncharged headshot from the default Sniper Rifle already does 150 damage.

Weapon-specific

Main article: Sniper weapons

Primary weapons

Weapon	Anti-Sniper strategy
Sniper Rifle + reskins	The Sniper Rifle fires a single, perfectly accurate bullet. This makes it ineffective in crowded or close quarters. The Sniper Rifle has the ability to zoom in to charge a shot, indicated by the Sniper holding the weapon to his eye. When scoped, he moves very slowly and has a limited field of vision. He will be scoped often, making his susceptible to ambushes. Even with the limited visibility, some players are still capable to dealing headshots to targets who are only a few feet from their faces. Charging at him from the front is ill-advised. Try to check and see if there is a Sniper or his weapon's laser dot before entering an area to avoid walking into a charged shot. He can only cover one route at a time, so take a different route or move once he drops his guard. If you must approach a Sniper while in the open, fire at him to cause flinching oreven force him to take cover.
Huntsman + reskins	While Huntsman arrows are nowhere as fast as bullets, they are just as dangerous, even more so the closer the Sniper is to his target. Keep moving to deny him an accurate shot. Beware of narrow passageways, where it is harder to avoid many projectiles, and corners, where you may be ambushed (possibly by the Huntsman taunt-kill). If you can, send a Sniper airborne, as this will prevent him from firing his Huntsman until he lands. Stay out of his line of sight, as he may have been readying an arrow that will be fired upon landing. A Pyro can deflect an enemy Sniper's Huntsman arrow, but this takes considerable skill. It is usually wiser to conserve ammo for attacking or deflecting other projectiles.
Sydney Sleeper	Don't underestimate the Sydney Sleeper due to its inability to perform headshots; it can reach full charge faster than the standard Sniper Rifle (a fully charged shot can kill classes that have 150 HP or less), and will coat you in Jarate when charged over 50%. The Jarate effect proves to be very hazardous if you have just run into enemy forces, since they will likely target you now. If you are using the Dead Ringer and are shot by a Sydney Sleeper that was at least half-charged, you will be covered in Jarate even after leaving a fake corpse.
Bazaar Bargain	Snipers spawning with the Bazaar Bargain are at a disadvantage, requiring a longer time to charge powerful shots. However, any headshot will hasten the weapon's charge rate; make sure to take constant cover. Scoped bodyshots and misses reduce the Bazaar Bargain's bonus - if you can't make a Sniper miss, at least force him to strike your body instead of your head.
Machina	The tracer rounds the Machina fires makes locating a Sniper much easier; however, utilize cover as you approach him, for a fully charged shot will cause massive damage. Be wary of lining up with other teammates out in the open; a Sniper using the Machina may succeed in shooting (and killing) you all. The Machina can only fire while scoped, so attack the Sniper up close; close enough so that the Sniper cannot get an accurate shot with this weapon, and just out of range of his secondary and/or melee weapons.
Hitman's Heatmaker	The Hitman's Heatmaker does less damage when landing a successful bodyshot than any other Sniper Rifle, giving you a better chance against a Sniper who chooses to fight you up close with one. Try to kill a Sniper using the Hitman's Heatmaker before he enters Focus, or locate him from the tracer rounds he fires once he does.
Classic	The Classic can only headshot when it is fully charged, and body shots deal slightly less damage. Engage a Sniper who has started charging his shot. Avoid closing in on a Sniper who has fully charged his Classic, as this will only make it easier for him to shoot you while unscoped.

Secondary weapons

Weapon	Anti-Sniper strategy
SMG	The Submachine Gun is surprisingly accurate, yet ineffective at longer ranges. If a Sniper attempts to attack you with it, try to move away from him while attacking with a more powerful weapon. The SMG only contains three clips of ammo, so it may not take long before the Sniper must resort to another weapon.
Razorback	The Razorback deprives a Sniper of his secondary weapon, so attack him just outside his melee range. A Sniper wearing the Razorback may discourage Spies from backstabbing him, but it shouldn't deter you from attacking the Sniper from outside his view anyway. Additionally, a Spy wielding the Ambassador may aim for a headshot to deal 102 damage to the Sniper and finish him off with another shot.
Jarate + reskins	It is often best to retreat for cover if covered in Jarate, as you will most likely be pursued by the Sniper's teammates, who can now inflict Mini-Crits on you. Jarate can be removed by extended Healing, entering water, or touching a Resupply cabinet. Beware of Snipers pursuing you with the Bushwhacka, which deals crits instead of mini-crits. As a Pyro, you can deflect Jarate onto the Sniper or his teammates.
Darwin's Danger Shield	Do not underestimate the health of a Sniper using the Shield; take advantage of his lack of a secondary weapon and kill him outside of his melee range. As a Spy, do not be intimidated by the presence of the Darwin's Danger Shield on a potential victim; the item does not prevent backstabs like the Razorback does. The Darwin's Danger Shield reduces bullet damage by 15%, but increases explosive damage by 20%, so attack with explosives if you can.
Cozy Camper	A Sniper equipped with the Cozy Camper will not flinch if you attack or burn him, allowing him an extended opportunity to shoot you. Use this bonus against him by attacking him from where he can't see you. By the time the Sniper realizes where he's being damaged, it should be too late for him to react. A Sniper with the Cozy Camper takes 20% more damage. Use your most powerful weapons to make short work of him. A Sniper with the Cozy Camper equipped will automatically regenerate health in a rate similar to the Medic, but only restores one health per second. Kill the Sniper before he gets away, or he may come back to continue harassing you and your team.
Cleaner's Carbine	The Cleaner's Carbine, like the Submachine Gun, is very accurate yet suffers from a smaller clip size, lower fire rate, and no random critical hits. The weapon's negative attributes give you a chance to damage him faster than he can damage you. On kill, the Cleaner's Carbine will be granted 8 seconds of mini-crits making it very deadly. Keep your distance until the bonus wears off, or overpower the Sniper.

Melee Weapons

Weapon	Anti-Sniper strategy
Kukri + reskins	A Sniper will generally only use this weapon as a last resort. Simply back up and finish him off.
Tribalman's Shiv	The Tribalman's Shiv does less damage upfront, meaning you will probably kill the Sniper in melee combat. However, it causes you to bleed and take extra damage over time, so have an idea of where health kits and Medics are. Do not let the Sniper get close to you if you have been doused in Jarate, as bleeding is affected by Mini-Crits.
Bushwacka	A Sniper will typically pull out this weapon after dousing you in Jarate. Wait for the effect to fade away before confronting him, or attack him from a distance using ranged weapons. Beware facing a Sniper with the Bushwacka out while you have the Gloves of Running Urgently out or while he is affected by the Buff Banner. Use fire on a Sniper who has the Bushwacka in his loadout to kill him faster.
Shahanshah	Be careful in engaging in prolonged melee combat with a Sniper wielding the Shahanshah; he may gain the advantage once the weapon's damage bonus kicks in. A Sniper wielding this weapon may purposely run into harm's way in order to deal serious damage to you once he gets within melee range; kill him before he gets the chance.

See also

• Team strategy