Community Demoman strategy

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Not one of ya's going to survive this! Click to listen — The Demoman just before detonating his stickybombs

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One of the most powerful and versatile classes in the game, the Demoman can provide outstanding offensive and defensive support. Utilizing his Grenade or Sticky Launchers, the Demoman is able to attack without a line of sight to his target. While intended to be a defensive class with his ability to lay Stickybomb traps, the Demoman is also arguably the most effective melee class due to the long range of his melee attacks and the ability to perform charged dashes. Like the Soldier, the Demoman is also capable of performing explosive jumps, and can reach objectives well in advance of other classes once the jumps have been mastered. The Demoman is a rewarding class to learn but challenging and difficult to master, and is an ideal class for objective oriented players.

Quick tips

• Strive to place Stickybombs on places that are not obvious to enemy players; if the Stickybombs are in plain sight of the enemy, they will have an opportunity to destroy the bombs before you can detonate them.

• When fleeing, leave Stickybombs in your wake; you may be able to kill pursuers with properly timed detonations. Another advantage to this strategy is that pursuers may also pause to destroy the Stickybombs or choose an alternate route, giving one more time to escape to safety.

• One distinct advantage the Demoman has over alternate classes is the ability to deliver damage where others cannot easily reach; try bouncing Grenades around corners, through windows, and onto battlements.

• When defending a key target, try placing Stickybombs onto obscure areas of the objective and retreating to cover. One can then wait for an alert that the area is being captured, then detonate the Stickybombs in order to neutralize the enemy threat.

• As a Demoman (especially when playing defensively), one should search for areas of the map that would make ideal Stickybomb traps for unsuspecting enemy players. Maintaining a safe distance from the trap, while keeping a clear view of it, would be an ideal scenario.

• When aiming at a distant target, it may be more advantageous to skip Grenades across the ground rather than lobbing them through the sky.

• The Demoman is one of the most effective Melee classes, with advantages including longer ranged melee weapons and charged dashing capabilities. However, in order to utilize these advantages effectively, one must try to employ ambush tactics in order to launch surprise attacks on enemy players.

• Use Grenades and Stickybombs to disrupt enemy tactics, such as Heavy/Medic pairs, by using explosions to push the Medic away from the Heavy so each can be killed more easily. One can also use a large number of Stickybombs and detonate all of them at once to kill one or both targets.

• Mastering Demoman Jumps, also called sticky jumps, can allow players to easily propel themselves behind enemy lines and take out unsuspecting players from either the rear or above.

• The Demoman is the only class without hitscan weapons, meaning that most classes (especially Snipers or Scouts) have a high advantage over you at long distances.

• Never underestimate the knockback potential of your explosives! A Scout under the effects of Bonk! Atomic Punch can be easily thrown into the air with a well-timed explosion, thus wasting his brief window of invincibility and leaving him wide open for the rest of the team. Do note that resourceful Scouts will abuse this knockback and propel themselves behind your lines, on a Control Point, or even next to your Medic. Watch out for this and use this brutal power with care.

Roles

• The Demoman has two major roles:

Defense

Defense is the traditional role a Demoman will play, and is well suited to the class.

• One of the more basic defensive strategies a Demoman will employ is placing well hidden Stickybombs on or near key strategic points on a map. When enemy players approach the target, a properly timed detonation can severely injure or kill passing enemies, and even if the stickies are spotted, they can delay and slow enemy pushes toward an objective.

• Setting up Stickybomb traps in unexpected places are critical to their success. Hiding them behind escape routes and spamming grenades can make the enemy retreat and trap them during their retreat.

• A Demoman is able to defend a lot of ground and multiple entry points through skilled use of Stickies and Grenades by setting up sticky traps and utilizing grenade spam in confined or narrow spaces. This strategy can be further extended with the use of the Scottish Resistance, allowing for multiple areas to be guarded simultaneously.

• Maintaining pressure on choke points is another core Demoman defensive strategy. Once the enemy team begins to push through a chokepoint, a Demoman can singlehandedly obstruct any enemy progress by covering the area with Stickybombs and spamming Grenades at incoming opponents.

• A Demoman can use Stickybombs to split apart or disrupt pushes and isolate enemies to allow for easy pickings.

• The Demoman is effective at assisting Engineers fight off enemy Spies. Your attacks won't harm friendly buildings, so place one or two Stickybombs near a building, then wait nearby. When an Engineer says "Spy sapping my [building]," or if an Engineer just destroyed a Sapper, detonate the bombs to kill the Spy in case he is still there, then return to place more. You can also use the Scottish Resistance sticky bombs to protect friendly buildings from attacking Demoman sticky bombs.

• Because the Stickybombs on the Scottish Resistance take a longer time to arm, it is better suited for defensive play.

Offense

• When your team's progress is denied by a strong Engineer nest, switch to an offensive role to punch through their defenses. Along with the Spy and the Pyro, the Demoman is a team's best hope in clearing enemy Sentry Guns and Heavies.

• The Demoman has one of the highest damage outputs, and when using both the Stickybomb and Grenade Launchers, a Demoman can clear out an entire Engineer nest, as well as enemies and other obstructions. This proves particularly effective when used with Medic ÜberCharges, allowing for an entire team to move forward.

• Stickybombs are a very useful weapon, as their short detonation time, combined with their damage and splash range, can destroy enemy pushes and break stalemates. Multiple stickies can be used to take down slower and larger targets such as the Heavy.

• Being a support Demoman is slightly harder than concentrating on offense or defense alone. A Demoman can lay down spam to hold enemies back, and also utilizing Stickybombs. This allows Demomen to hold ground for other teammates to advance forward.

• Using a Demoknight set (generally seen as one of the shield weapons paired with a sword-based melee weapon) typically sets a Demoman to being more of a 1-v-1 oriented class, as single targets will be surprised and confused by charges. During large firefights and battles, Demoknights do not fare well as their longer range damage output is reduced, making Demomen more vulnerable to long-range damage.

Aerials

• Aerial kills (commonly known as "Airshots") are one of the Demoman's specialties. When an enemy is launched into the air, a Demoman with good prediction skills can score a direct hit with his Grenade Launcher and kill the helpless enemy. While aerials are possible with the Stickybomb Launcher, it is not recommended due to damage falloff and the arming time.

• Aerials work on pretty much any class, but the more common targets include Scouts, Demomen, and Soldiers. This is because these classes' own special abilities (Double jumping, Sticky Jumping, and Rocket Jumping, respectively) make them more likely to be spotted airborne than the other classes.

Demoman Jumps

• The Demoman can use multiple weapons to perform jumps, including: Grenade Launcher, Stickybomb Launcher, and Scottish Resistance. These various weapons require different methods to execute; as explained below.

Grenade Jumping

• For smaller jumps or when having a group of stickies already deployed elsewhere, it can be beneficial to use Grenade Jumping. This inflicts slightly less damage, and placed stickies are left undetonated. YouTube video on various grenade jumps.

• Note that grenade jumps are less practical than Stickybomb jumps in situations where enemies may be nearby due to the fact that one must wait for the grenade to explode with the stock Grenade Launcher. However, Grenade Jumping is a very viable tactic with the Chargin' Targe or Splendid Screen equipped, and it can easily catch people off guard when they find a Targe-equipped Demoman in an unexpected place.
  • Note that grenade jumping is easier with the Loose Cannon and Iron Bomber as for the former of the two, by overcharging the shot, the projectile's timer will run out, causing a point-blank detonation that allows for controlled grenade jumps, and for the latter, because the projectiles stay almost completely stationary until detonation, and self-damage is slightly reduced as opposed to self-damage from normal grenades.

Cannon Jumping

• Similarly to the Beggar's Bazooka, overcharging the Loose Cannon causes an explosion directly in front of the player. By charging a cannonball for a full second, the detonation allows for an easily timed, much stronger jump at a greater health cost.

• Since cannonballs can be immediately detonated, it allows for rocket jumping without surfaces. Additionally, since the cannonballs launch Demoman with the force of a multiple-Stickybomb explosion, it allows him to clear large distances much faster.

• As cannon jumping allows for the mobility of stickybomb jumping, equipping an alternative secondary weapon is a viable option. By equipping the Chargin Targe, Splendid Screen or the Tide Turner, it's possible to choose a Demoknight loadout whilst keeping a useful jumping ability.

Stickybomb Jumping

• Sticky jumping is also similar to rocket jumping. It allows a player to jump much higher at the cost of more health (45-114 excluding fall damage). To do this, lay a Stickybomb on the ground, run over it, crouch-jump, and then detonate the bomb. As when rocket jumping, crouching in mid-air before setting off the sticky will propel the player with even more force. Multiple stickies can be used for an even greater effect, at the cost of a higher amount of self damage.

• Your angle to the Stickybomb when it is detonated determines your flight path. You can adjust when to detonate your Stickybombs to adjust your trajectory to be either more vertical or horizontal.

• The Stickybomb Launcher can be replaced by the Sticky Jumper, which will remove all self damage when sticky jumping, allowing much farther and higher jumps. However, fall damage must still be taken into account.

Scottish Resistance

• When sticky jumping with the Scottish Resistance, any stickies directly under the Demoman will be detonated when the alternate fire is activated, so long as there are no other stickies in the reticule. However, jumps with a lot of forward momentum are difficult to achieve with the Scottish Resistance unless the Stickybomb being used for the jump is being directly looked at -- essentially, the player will be facing away from the direction they wish to go when the bomb is detonated. This can take some practice to get used to.

Charge jumping

• Charge jumps can be performed by doing a charge with the Chargin Targe, Splendid Screen or Tide Turner in mid air while moving toward a sloped surface. This burst of speed will propel the player to great distances since the slope will typically point upwards.
• The Tide Turner's full turning mobility greatly extends the viability of charge jumps. This is because charge turning whilst airborne will increase the speed of the charge, allowing jumps to have more distance. This also allows slopes that would previously fail to work to be jump-able, if the player jumps and turns towards the slope in order to gain sufficient speed to slide on it. The turning ability also allows the player to strafe around obstructions mid-jump without requiring to end the charge first, allowing for less restrictive and easier jumps. Much like the Loose Cannon, the Tide Turner allows players to choose a Demoknight loadout while having a very useful mobility option.
• Depending on the map and slope, charge jumps (especially using the Tide Turner) may cover more ground than other jumps would, whilst retaining all health besides fall damage. This is even more apparent when multiple slopes are used for the jump.

Weapon-specific

Main article: Demoman weapons

Primary

Grenade Launcher + reskins

Weapon	Kill Icon	Ammo		Damage
		Loaded	Carried	Base Damage	Splash Damage	Self Damage	Critical
Stock Grenade Launcher		4	16	84-123	22-64	42-74	270-330
Uncrate Festive Grenade Launcher
Advanced+ Mann Up Reward Australium Grenade Launcher

An easy weapon for the inexperienced and a deadly tool of destruction in the hands of an experienced player.

• Grenades explode on contact with an enemy, provided they have not touched anything first.

• Grenades are used as an area denial tool when the Stickybomb Launcher or Scottish Resistance have no stickies loaded, or either the Sticky Jumper, the Chargin' Targe, or the Splendid Screen is equipped. The 2.28 second timer on grenades can deter enemies from advancing forward, and therefore, grenades contribute greatly to spam.
  • If BLU is trapped at their spawn point by RED and a resupply cabinet exists in BLU's spawn in a direct line of sight to the exit of the spawn point (e.g. Badwater Basin, Dust Bowl stage one) a BLU Demoman may stand next to that resupply cabinet and fire an endless stream of grenades out of spawn to try to break RED's defense.

• Grenades may be shot around corners by bouncing them of walls, props, and carts at an angle.

• Grenades spin when fired, which causes them to bounce unpredictably. This allows grenades to bounce around corners and randomly move after they have made surface contact.

• Grenades launch slightly to the right of the cross-hair, so lead to the left to compensate. This is especially important for dealing with faster classes such as Pyros and Scouts, especially at closer ranges.

• Keep in mind that it is very easy to avoid grenades at long and even medium range. Because of the grenade's low speed, enemies have a lot of time to react.

• High angle fire at long distances can help to hit enemies behind cover and flush Engineer nests out.

• If an enemy is about to run away, try to block his predicted escape route with some grenades. If the enemy's health is low enough to have them hesitate at running into the grenades, attempt to go for the kill.

• The Grenade Launcher's large splash damage radius is useful against large groups of enemies in small, confined spaces.

Loch-n-Load

Weapon	Kill Icon	Ammo		Damage
		Loaded	Carried	Base Damage	Self Damage	Critical
Craft Loch-n-Load		3	16	103-147	53-93	342-388

The Loch-n-Load is a Grenade Launcher that does extra damage and has faster projectiles, but has less ammo, an explosion radius penalty, and its bombs shatter on contact with the world.

• One of the more notable strengths of the Loch-n-Load is its ability to consistently deal over 100 damage at any range. Its damage output consistently reaches over 315 if all grenades hit.

• Loch-n-Load Grenades shatter on impact with the world, making them near useless for spam and area denial, but they are stronger in direct combat, with their higher velocity and damage output.

• The Loch-n-Load is weaker in area control and building demolition than the standard Grenade Launcher, as standard grenades will stick around for a few seconds and then explode on a missed shot. The Loch-n-Load's grenades have a slightly smaller blast radius and shatter on impact, exploding only if they hit an enemy or enemy's building. However, in the case of buildings, these downsides can be considered negligible as long as you can hit the building, because it takes less bombs to destroy them.

• The Loch-n-Load's higher damage per-hit and higher splash damage, paired with the increased shot velocity, means that the Loch-n-Load is a great weapon for tunnel fighting. It proves its worth in areas like the tunnels of Turbine and Hoodoo. The Loch-n-Load is especially useful for bigger and slower targets like the Heavy, who otherwise have a natural advantage in long, narrow tunnels.

• A Demoman with a Loch-n-Load in any area where opponents are forced to enter through narrow areas, such as tunnels or chokepoints can wreak havoc, especially with critical hits or boosts. Combined with Stickybombs, the Demoman can deny access to chokepoints and with some team support will be very difficult to dislodge.

• The Loch-n-Load's grenades are somewhat better for dealing with tightly-packed crowds than the Grenade Launcher, making it extremely good at holding choke-points. If you can get enemies to cluster up (such as any of the control points on Egypt), the damage and disruption the Loch-n-Load can cause makes it extremely effective.

• The Loch-n-Load does have a small clip size (increasing the number of times you need to reload in the face of enemy aggression). It's a good idea to switch to your Sticky Launcher of choice for extended battles, and switch to a suitable melee weapon rather than engage them at point blank.

• The Loch-n-Load removes your ability to grenade jump, since the grenades only explode on impact with an enemy or enemy building. This means you will need to use sticky jumps to get to hard-to-reach areas.

• The Loch-n-Load is particularly devastating against the low-HP classes: the Sniper, Engineer, Scout, and Spy. A direct hit will leave these classes with critical health -- and often kill them through falling damage alone if the initial hit bounces the opponent.

• The Loch-n-Load is also useful against the Heavy, as with his Minigun spun up, he is an easy target and the high damage will shred through his health.

• Reload often: with only three shots, you don't want to get caught with empty chambers in the middle of a firefight.

• The downside of destructible grenades can be used to your advantage if an enemy Pyro is good with the airblast. Should the Pyro airblast the grenade but miss you and/or your teammates, the reflected grenade will shatter without any explosion whatsoever.
  • Deflecting these grenades is difficult in the first place, due to their fast movement speed and failure to rest on the ground, making this an excellent weapon against airblasting Pyros.

• This weapon is one that takes skill, timing, and good accuracy to make the most of. Practice making direct hits from various ranges and angles if you intend to use it; your time will be well-spent.

Ali Baba's Wee Booties + reskins

Weapon	Effect
	Passive Effect
Craft Ali Baba's Wee Booties	+25 maximum health on wearer. +10% faster move speed on wearer. 200% increase in turning control while charging. Kills while charging restore 25% of the charge meter.
Craft Bootlegger

• Used in conjunction with either the Chargin' Targe or the Splendid Screen and a Melee weapon, you can become a melee-based offensive powerhouse.
  • However, in doing so, you will completely lose all ranged damage, which can be particularly hazardous. Plan your engagements and avoid conflict when appropriate.
  • This is particularly helpful in Medieval Mode, where you're forced to only use melee only anyway.
  • The 10% boost the boots provide allow you (at 103% speed) to pursue all classes except the Medic and Scout with any of your melee weapons except the Scotsman's Skullcutter. Your superior speed coupled with the resistances of your shield and the increased range of many of your melee weapons will give you a surprising edge against even many ranged opponents.
• Together with the Eyelander and multiple heads, your speed can rival that of a Scout. This makes it easier to pick off other classes even without a charge ready, or for easier escapes.

• If the Grenade Launcher isn't your cup of tea, you can use the Booties to give you an added edge with the extra health and movement speed.

Loose Cannon

Weapon	Kill Icon	Ammo		Damage
		Loaded	Carried	Base Damage	Splash Damage (mid-air)	Splash Damage (after bounce)	Self Damage	Critical
Craft Loose Cannon		4	16	57-77	22-64	11-32	56-104	202

The Loose Cannon is a Grenade Launcher that causes knockback force and damage upon a direct hit, but causes 50% less explosion damage if its cannonball projectiles bounce off a surface.

• The Loose Cannon functions as a midpoint between the Grenade Launcher and Loch-n-Load; missing has a lesser penalty than the Loch-n-Load (post-bounce damage is halved rather than removed), but a direct hit carries less benefits (knockback damage instead of increased damage).

• In order to use the Loose Cannon to its full potential, use of the fuse timer is essential. By controlling when the projectile detonates, a direct hit can inflict both knockback and an immediate no-bounce explosion, inflicting the most damage possible and a guaranteed mini-crit.

• By overcharging the fuse timer, the Demoman will fire the projectile at the last moment, causing a point-blank explosion like the Beggar's Bazooka. Utilizing this feature allows for easily-controlled, higher grenade jumps at the cost of more health. This is also utilizable as a last-resort Kamikaze attack, but watch out while priming the cannon.

• Since knockback and timed detonations are a feature of this weapon, remember that environment kills are a viable alternative in a pinch.

• Due to the severe damage reduction, it's best to remain part of a group; facing multiple attackers when alone can be difficult when accurate, timed hits are required to have any impact.

• Paired with the Scottish Resistance, this weapon is one of the pinnacle weapons in defense. Paired with several Sentry Guns, Heavies taken position by Dispensers with adequate Spy checking, this position is near impossible to break through and you will easily stop anything short of an Übercharge. The Loose Cannon's role here is long range support, knockback, and well-timed air detonations.
  • The knockback is especially useful here, since you can fire Scottish Resistance stickybombs behind enemies and knock them into the traps despite the stickybomb's long arm time. Even without directly hitting an enemy, you may still do so by scaring your enemies into retreating with a cannonball explosion in mid-air.

B.A.S.E. Jumper

Weapon	Effect
	Activation	Active effect
Craft B.A.S.E. Jumper	Press "Jump" in mid-air to deploy chute	Decrease descend speed and acceleration

The B.A.S.E Jumper is a craftable Primary weapon for the Demoman. When Demoman is in mid air, he can activate it by pressing the jump key (default key: Spacebar) to activate a parachute, slowing and capping his vertical descent and allowing him to better control his ability to strafe. Pressing the jump key again will deactivate the parachute, allowing the Demoman to fall normally. The player can then reactivate the parachute in midair, as many times as they want. Players can attack with any of their weapons while the parachute is deployed.

• The B.A.S.E Jumper is greatly situational, as many official maps have a lower ceiling when compared to custom maps, and made even less effective when used indoors. Nonetheless, its decreased descend speed allow the Demoman to cross wider chasms.
• B.A.S.E Jumper can help extend a jump duration.

Iron Bomber

Weapon	Kill Icon	Ammo		Damage
		Loaded	Carried	Base Damage	Splash Damage	Self Damage	Critical
Craft Iron Bomber		4	16	84-123	20-58	38-67	243-297

The Iron Bomber deals 10% less damage when its grenades explode on their own accord and has a 20% smaller blast radius. In exchange, the grenades fired from this weapon have very little bounce and roll. They will stay in the relative area of where they were launched. This makes it easier to hit enemies.

• The Iron Bomber can be used as a form of 'pseudo Stickybomb Launcher' because the grenades do not move very much on fall. However, they do not have remote detonation.
• Due to the nature of how the grenades stay in one place, this can help achieve Airshots more easier.
• This can also be a replacement of the Stickbomb Launcers for Sticky Jumping, if you're using a shield as a secondary, since the grenades don't move much.
• Instead of directly hitting your opponent with the grenades, scatter the grenades near your opponent to scare them off, and this can help the Demoman in fighting lone classes easier, such as the Scout.
• This weapon can be used both offensively and defensively, use this in conjunction with the Scottish Resistance, for the best results.

Secondary

Stickybomb Launcher + reskins

Weapon	Kill Icon	Ammo		Damage
		Loaded	Carried	Base Damage	Splash Damage	Self Damage	Critical
Stock Stickybomb Launcher		8	32	120	60-124	45-114	261
Uncrate Festive Stickybomb Launcher
Botkiller Stickybomb Launcher
Advanced+ Mann Up Reward Australium Stickybomb Launcher

The Stickybomb is one of the defining features of Demoman play. Stickybombs are detonated by using your alternative fire (default key Mouse2), no matter which weapon is currently out.

Some basic pointers for planting Stickybombs are:

• When guarding capture points or the Intelligence, you can create a larger blast radius by spreading out your Stickybomb carpet.

• After planting Stickybombs around the intelligence or a control point, the Demoman is free to leave the area. Look at the Capture the Flag or Capture Point HUD elements, or listen for the announcements of "The enemy has taken our Intelligence" or "Our Control point is being captured" and detonate the Stickybombs. Make sure to keep an eye on the total number of fired stickies, as the enemy could be destroying them before stepping onto the point.

• When guarding other strategic locations, place Stickybombs that are either out of sight until it's too late, or in well hidden/odd places (such as on ceilings, under stairs, above automatic doors, etc.). You can also place stickies directly on the objectives, where they will be hidden by them.

• Never forget that Stickybombs can be launched across the visible distance of most open maps. Aim for windows, Sniper ledges, and other populated areas. When the trajectory is right, lob in a few bombs and detonate them to clear the room.

• If Stickybombs are clustered too closely, enemy Pyros or Demomen can clear them away with a single shot. Demomen using the Scottish Resistance can destroy Stickybombs outright. To counter this, spread your stickies out across the area.

• Don't stand still when placing a lot of stickies near objectives like the Payload cart or a control point. Doing so will make you susceptible to headshots, backstabs, and any other form of damage.

• Place Stickybombs around Health packs if you feel like killing your enemies ironically. This does not work well with small Health packs, due to being almost as small as the stickies themselves.

• If it is too dangerous to pop out of cover to set Stickybombs onto a Sentry Gun, try shooting them as close to Sentry Gun as you can without revealing yourself. The splash damage will take out the Sentry Gun just fine, but it may require a few more stickies as an alert Engineer will be able to destroy them. The Scottish Resistance can counteract this problem with its increased rate-of-fire.

• If an enemy is on the control point, wait a moment before detonating, as they may have seen the Stickybombs and might try to trick you into detonating too early.

• Do not underestimate the power of air-detonated stickies. The ability to detonate stickies in midair allows one to attack with great precision for high damage.

• To use stickies in an offensive battle, constantly launch stickies and detonate them as soon as possible. The constant flow of damage can add up very quickly, along with the fact that the Demoman may have an easier time laying them out in the heat of a battle in which they are not the only target. This method can be very effective, easily killing bigger classes such as Heavy/Medic combos.

• While holding down the detonate button will detonate stickies as soon as they are primed, it also prevents the sticky launcher from beginning to auto-reload. It may be advisable simply to tap the detonate button repeatedly.

• Holding down the fire key will charge your shots, enabling you to shoot stickies much farther then normal. This can be used to great effect when engaged by faraway enemies such as Snipers.

Chargin' Targe + reskins

Weapon	Kill Icon	Damage			Effect
		Charge Damage	Charge Speed	Recharge Time	Resistances
Unlock Chargin' Targe		50+10 per head (up to 5)	750 Hammer units/sec (638 Hammer units/sec with Scotsman's Skullcutter)	12 seconds (6 with Persian Persuader)	50% fire resistance and 40% explosive resistance.
Uncrate Festive Chargin' Targe

The Chargin' Targe is an unlockable secondary for the Demoman that allow him to charge forward. It also grants him partial fire and explosive resistance and it grants afterburn immunity. However, these benefits come at the cost of his Stickybomb Launcher.

• The Chargin' Targe is a shield: just equipping it gives the Demoman resistance to both explosions and fire. A Demoman at full health (even with items that reduce health, such as the Eyelander or the Claidheamh Mòr) can survive a critical rocket if he has the Targe equipped.

• Keep an eye on your Charge meter, as its color will tell you the effects of the Targe - white is recharging or charged, green is a recently-activated charge (less than 50% used), yellow means your next attack will be a Mini-crit, and red means that your next melee attack will be a full strength Critical hit. The red zone also means that colliding with an enemy will cause the Targe itself to inflict damage. (50 Damage + 10 damage for each head you have, up to 5 heads.)
  • You must be quick to react and time your attacks well, as the "red zone" will only be active during the last 25% of the charge.
  • Be aware that grenades will not Crit near the end of your charge.

• Try to attack enemies that are unaware of your presence.

• Charging down long hallways can force enemies back and give you an improved chance at getting a kill.

• The shield bash at the end of a full charge of the Targe deals a good amount of damage; it is useful for finishing off targets you have already damaged.

• The Force-A-Nature's knockback, the Flamethrower's compression blast, Sentry Guns, arrows, Natascha's speed reduction, and the explosive force of grenades, rockets, and Stickybombs will all interrupt your charge.

• During a Charge, you move at 750 Hammer Units per second; two and a half times faster than the Engineer, Pyro, Spy, or Sniper, and 87.5% faster than the Scout. The charge also overrides the game's built-in cap for movement speeds, enabling you to move faster than any other character in the game, including a Scout with a fully-charged Boost meter for the Baby Face's Blaster. If you are in danger, you can use the charge to quickly escape from the battle and save your life. Just be aware that your lateral movement ability is severely reduced during a charge, so you may make yourself an easy target for an enemy with good aim.

• In maps with areas of deep water, charging out by aiming in a vertical direction can surprise your enemy.

• When you hit an enemy with a charge, a loud sound will play; right after that, you can hit the enemy with your melee weapon to get a Critical hit. This kills most classes before they can react.
• Since it grants afterburn immunity, as well as fire resistance, Pyros will think twice if they should burn you or switch to their other weapons, so this is an excellent Pyro deterrent. This is also very well useful against Pyros with the Axtinguisher.

Scottish Resistance

Weapon	Kill Icon	Ammo		Damage
		Loaded	Carried	Base Damage	Splash Damage	Self Damage	Critical
Unlock Scottish Resistance		8	36	120	60-124	45-114	261

The Scottish Resistance is an unlockable Stickybomb Launcher that is intended primarily for defensive play. It allows the user to detonate Stickybombs in groups, at a cost of reduced offensive potential.

• The Scottish Resistance is far more effective for creating and managing Stickybomb traps than the normal sticky launcher because of the large number of bombs it can place and the ability to detonate individual groups of bombs.

• Although primarily used for defense, the Scottish Resistance can still be an effective offensive weapon. Its fast rate of fire can be used in direct combat, but not in the same way as the normal Stickybomb Launcher. One tactic is to launch Stickybombs behind enemies and then attack using the Grenade Launcher. This can cause enemies to retreat, thereby causing them to move backwards through the newly-created sticky trap. This technique helps to offset the longer priming time of the Scottish Resistance. When under the effects of an ÜberCharge, the technique can be used just as effectively without using the Grenade Launcher, as enemies will often retreat when confronted by an ÜberCharged player. It's important to consider the speed of enemy players when using this technique, as the Stickybombs should be placed close behind slower classes such as the Soldier and the Heavy, but further behind faster classes such as the Scout. This will ensure that the Stickybombs have time to prime before the enemy reaches them.
  • Another offensive strategy made possible with the quick firing rate is to shoot a few Stickybombs right in front of an incoming Heavy or a Sentry Gun, as you can place 3 or 4 without taking too much damage. When using this strategy, watch your health so that you have enough to retreat and detonate the bombs.

• When defending anywhere, especially places like tunnels, having 2-3 distinct groups of main bombs (2-4 per group) on the corner/doorway and 1-2 secondary groups (1-2 bombs) hidden along a retreat route can help you single-handily hold a position. Detonate individual main groups to take out incoming enemies, and if an enemy gets past, lure them into the secondary traps.

• The longer arming time prevents the Scottish Resistance from being used to deal damage as quickly as the normal Sticky Launcher. It also is much harder to perform airblasts using the Scottish Resistance. While the bombs arm slower, the faster firing can be used to create "offensive" carpets. Instead of creating a trap and waiting for enemies to walk near it, it is possible to place bombs around enemy players quickly and then detonate once several stickies are out. This has the effect of rapidly denying enemies room to maneuver, and enemies in the area being carpeted will usually take at least some damage once the carpet is detonated. This technique works best in chokepoints.
  • Some enemies may panic as the area around them rapidly becomes covered in stickies, and cause them to either rush forward blindly (into a trap) or run away; if they charge, be prepared to hit them with your Grenade Launcher. This method of attack also works wonders against unaware opponents, since many players are oblivious to stickies being placed around them until it's too late.

• While the Scottish Resistance does require the user to be looking in the general direction of the bombs they set, they do not have to have line of sight to the bombs in question. This allows you to be detonate them no matter what their location is on the map, provided the crosshair is fixated on the general area of your trap(s). This can prove invaluable if someone begins capturing a Control Point or takes the Intelligence while the rest of the team is preoccupied elsewhere.

• Remember that the Scottish Resistance can destroy enemy Stickybombs.
  • You can use this to destroy enemy Stickybombs that are placed outside of your spawn, without risk of being harmed.
  • Another application is to place Stickybombs with the Scottish Resistance around friendly Engineer buildings, and detonate your stickies if an enemy Demoman attempts to destroy the buildings through Stickybombs. This will also prove useful against enemy Spies, as they will likely have their Sapper prepared to sap the buildings when you detonate.

Sticky Jumper

Weapon	Ammo		Damage
	Loaded	Carried	Base Damage	Splash Damage	Self Damage	Critical
Craft Sticky Jumper	8	72	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A

The Sticky Jumper is a craftable sticky launcher that allows you to create Stickbombs that deal no damage, allowing you to jump without losing health. Though it is very useful for practicing Sticky jumping, there are also some situational uses in real matches.

• The Sticky Jumper is incapable of dealing damage to enemies, so it cannot be used to launch enemies. Keep this in mind when using it.

• Using the Sticky Jumper with the Pain Train can make be an effective method for point capturing. However, the Pain Train will make you vulnerable to bullets. It's best to use this combo against unguarded points or right after the previous point was captured.

• Due to the 100% reduction on self-damage, Demomen can perform multibomb Sticky Jumps without the need of a Medic. This can be used as a hasty retreat method or as a means to get behind enemy lines.

• In open Arena maps, the Sticky Jumper allows you to propel yourself and land behind the enemy team at the beginning of a round, when all players are packed together. This allows you to surprise them and perhaps even get the First Blood buff to deal even greater damage.

• While the Sticky Jumper allows you to sticky jump without taking self-damage, don't forget that you still receive damage from falling.

• Since the Sticky Jumper replaces your Stickybomb Launchers and Shields, you should bring with you a Grenade Launcher and a Melee weapon that doesn't rely too much on using a shield to be effective.

• However, the Sticky Jumper replaces the function of a shield to get within melee range, so the Eyelander and Scotsman's Skullcutter can be surprisingly effective.

• Don't use the Sticky Jumper just for getting to your destination; if you're being overrun by a powerful threat, quickly sticky jump away back to safety.

• The Sticky Jumper can also be used to cut off the enemy's transportation and supply. Simply sticky jump to their spawn and destroy their Teleporters and Dispensers with your Grenade Launcher or Melee weapon.

• You cannot carry the Intelligence in CTF games, or the Australium in Special Delivery (Game Mode) when using this weapon. Keep this in mind.
  • However, Medics healing you with a Quick-Fix will also gain any velocity applied to you from sticky jumping. This allows the Medic to sticky jump alongside you, and they are able to carry the Intelligence while doing so.

Splendid Screen

Weapon	Kill Icon	Damage			Effect
		Charge Damage	Charge Speed	Recharge Time	Resistances
Craft Splendid Screen		85+17 per head (up to 5)	750 Hammer units/sec (638 Hammer units/sec with Scotsman's Skullcutter)	12 seconds (6 with Persian Persuader)	20% fire resistance and 15% explosive resistance.

• The Splendid Screen, at the cost of less fire and explosive resistance than the Chargin' Targe, is capable of doing more bash damage and will inflict such damage at any range.
• The Splendid Screen will always be able to deal impact damage and allow you to inflict a Critical hit regardless of charge distance.
• Using the Persian Persuader over other swords allows you to use your extra shield damage effectively due to its doubled charge regain rate.
• The Eyelander also pairs well with the Splendid Screen as the increased charge damage from having more heads offered by the former stacks with the increased charge impact damage from the latter.
  • With 5+ heads, the Splendid Screen will deal 170 damage on impact; enough to kill 5 out of 9 non-overhealed classes, and bring 3 more into critical health. If combined with a critical melee swing, this will kill all but overhealed Heavies.
• The Splendid Screen has a hidden advantage over other shields; its damage is great enough to cause an airblast-like knock back effect, use this to your advantage when faced against similar Demomen wielding a different shield.
• Shield knock back can cause an enemy charging Demoman to lose his charging Crits.
• Keep in mind that because the Screen offers less fire and explosive resistance than the Targe or Tide Turner; it will still be fairly easy for Pyros, Soldiers, and other Demomen to do away with you if you're not careful.

Tide Turner

Weapon	Kill Icon	Damage			Effect
		Charge Damage	Charge Speed	Recharge Time	Resistances
Craft Tide Turner		50+10 per head (up to 5)	750 Hammer units/sec (638 Hammer units/sec with Scotsman's Skullcutter)	12 seconds (6 with Persian Persuader, 3 if you score a kill while charging.)	25% fire resistance and 25% explosive resistance.

• The Tide Turner trades off the resistance of the Chargin' Targe for full turning control while charging and the ability to refill 75% of the charge meter if a kill is made whilst charging.
• When charging, be sure to make a kill to partially refill your charge.
  • If done properly, it is possible to rampage through enemy lines if each charge ends in a kill
• Because of the full turning control, it is not suggested to use Ali Baba's Wee Booties with the Tide Turner if you only use them for the turning ability.
• Pairing the Tide Turner with either Ali Baba's Wee Booties or the Claidheamh Mòr will give you full charge back if you make a kill while charging.
• Being damaged while charging will deplete your charge meter faster. For this reason, try to charge into enemy players from behind to catch them unaware.

Melee

Bottle + reskins

Weapon	Kill Icon	Attack Interval	Damage
			Point Blank	Critical
Stock Bottle		0.8 seconds	65	195
Promotional Frying Pan
Promotional Saxxy
Craft Conscientious Objector
Craft Scottish Handshake
Promotional/Craft Freedom Staff
Drop Bat Outta Hell
Drop Ham Shank
Achievement Necro Smasher
Uncrate Crossing Guard

The Demoman's Melee weapon, a Bottle of Scrumpy, is valuable as an emergency fall-back, and is the only type of weapon you can use in close-combat without injuring yourself.

• The Bottle should be used in the same way as most other melee weapons: when enemies are too close or too fast to hit with a Grenade (or if you don't have time to reload the Grenade Launcher).

Eyelander + reskins

Weapon	Kill Icon	Attack Interval	Damage	Healing
			Point Blank	Critical	From Kill
Unlock Eyelander		0.8 seconds	65	195	15
Advanced+ Mann Up Reward Australium Eyelander
Craft Horseless Headless Horsemann's Headtaker
Craft Nessie's Nine Iron

The Eyelander is an unlockable melee weapon that gives you extended melee range, and also allowing you to become stronger with each melee kill you earn. It has the downside of -25 base health.

• It is a good idea to use the Eyelander with one of the shields. However, a Demoman with 4 decapitations and a Sticky Launcher is a massive threat. Head count is not reset until death, so a Demoman can use the Chargin' Targe until he accumulates 4 heads, then return to a resupply cabinet and switch to the Stickybomb Launcher of his choice. With over 200 HP and the second fastest run speed in the game, an Eyelander Demoman using the Sticky Launcher can be a very powerful enemy and one to avoid at all costs, especially if he has a Medic.
  • Another option would be to switch to the Splendid Screen. With 5 heads, your charge bash will do 170 damage, enough to kill 5 out of the 9 classes, and your follow-up Crit melee swing will do a total of 365 damage, enough to kill anything besides an overhealed Heavy.
  • The Sticky Jumper can also pair well with the Eyelander. Although getting the first two heads are difficult due to your slow speed and lack of a charge, once you have several, your high speed allows you to fly over obstacles and take enemies by surprise. Your initial heads can be taken from either slow classes you weakened with your Grenade Launcher, or unaware Snipers or Spies.

• The Eyelander has a very long range for a melee weapon. Get comfortable with its area of effect and take this into account when going for a critical charge.

• Time your charges correctly with the Splendid Screen if you have the Eyelander. The high charge damage can deprive you of claiming your enemy's head.

• If possible, weaken the enemy with the Grenade Launcher first before killing him with the Eyelander.

• Be aware that the Eyelander 'hits' near the beginning of the swing animation, rather than at the middle. Keep this in mind so you don't accidentally 'under-shoot' an attack, especially when using the sword in conjunction with the Chargin' Targe.

• Decapitating an enemy Demoman who also has the Eyelander equipped allows you to steal any heads he has accumulated.

• The Horseless Headless Horsemann's Headtaker and Nessie's Nine Iron both look different than the Eyelander; however, they share the same stats.

• Without any heads, sticky jumping becomes a much more risky endeavor. If you intend to utilize sticky jumping, it may be wise to equip a different melee weapon or use the Sticky Jumper.

• Inattentive Snipers are an excellent target for Eyelander-wielding Demomen seeking to collect heads, as it will take only two successful hits to decapitate a Sniper, three if they are wielding the Darwin's Danger Shield.
  • The Decapitation taunt kill is useful here if the said Sniper isn't paying attention and no one is nearby, resulting in a realiable one hit kill.

• The -25 health penalty can be countered by Ali Baba's Wee Booties, balancing your base Health to normal.

Pain Train

Weapon	Kill Icon	Attack Interval	Damage
			Point Blank	Critical
Craft Pain Train		0.8 seconds	65	195

The Pain Train is a craftable melee weapon that enables you to cap points twice as fast, at the cost of 10% increased bullet vulnerability.

• The Pain Train is situational. It's best used on Capture Point and Payload, especially when the enemy defenses are about to fall or when your team needs to close the distance on a Payload Race. It can also prove extremely handy on King of the Hill maps, but it is useless in Capture the Flag or when defending on an Attack/Defend Control Point map. Equip another melee weapon instead.

• You should not equip the Pain Train if you are having trouble with Heavies and Scouts, as the increased bullet damage makes these already annoying enemies nearly impossible to beat in some situations. If you're using the Chargin' Targe as well, Pyros and Soldiers might forgo their primary weapons for the Shotgun to kill you faster.

• The Pain Train is also effective for back-capping, as it gives the Demoman a Scout's capturing capabilities. This works well with the Chargin' Targe for getting to an enemy point fast, and Stickybomb jumping for wide open/raised points (like Badlands 2nd and 4th capture points, or Gravel Pit C). The weakness to bullets it grants makes Scouts, Heavies and Snipers all the more dangerous for you, so it's best to keep alert when attempting to do this and use stickies and grenades to lock down the point's entrances.

• The Pain Train is useful in Medieval Mode when attacking, due to the fact that bullet-based weapons are not allowed. Note, however, that shield bashes count as bullet damage.

Scotsman's Skullcutter

Weapon	Kill Icon	Attack Interval	Damage	Effect
			Point Blank	Critical	Move Speed
Craft Scotsman's Skullcutter		0.8 seconds	78	234	280 Hammer units/sec

The Scotsman's Skullcutter is a craftable melee weapon that increases the Demoman's melee damage and range at the cost of movement speed. Unlike most other non-stock melee weapons for the Demoman, the Skullcutter can inflict crits randomly.

• The Skullcutter finds good applications when a Demoman is also using a shield or when holding down an area, such as the Intelligence room of a CTF map.

• When combined with the guaranteed critical hit of the Chargin' Targe or the Splendid Screen, the Skullcutter is capable of killing almost any class in a single blow.

• Due to the charge speed being reduced with this weapon, try to attack unsuspecting enemies so that they cannot dodge your charge.

• Sticky jumps can help a Demoman with the Skullcutter into combat range, though this is very risky unless you are using the Sticky Jumper.

• Thanks to the recent patch that makes this weapon debuff your speed solely while the weapon is active, and the fact that it does more damage than the Bottle and can still inflict random crits, this weapon can almost be seen as a direct upgrade to the Bottle, provided you use it as a sidearm to your explosive weapons. In tight spaces you should still be able to maneuver into a position where your increased range will allow you to damage your opponent, so if you're not dedicated to melee combat you could find this weapon very handy.

Ullapool Caber

Weapon	Kill Icon	Attack Interval	Damage
			Point Blank	Explosion	Total	Self-Damage	Critical
Craft Ullapool Caber		0.8 seconds	35	149	185	100	405
		0.8 seconds	35	N/A	35	0	105

The Ullapool Caber is a melee weapon that explodes on contact with an enemy or the world. The downside of this effect is a large amount of self damage and the inability to explode again, unless you visit a Resupply locker.

• The Caber is generally a last-resort weapon, one best used to take an enemy down with you. One direct hit will kill any class other than a Soldier or Heavy, excluding Overheal.

• The explosion will launch you particularly high in the air. It's quite possible to use this, either on its own or in conjunction with a Stickybomb jump, to reach otherwise inaccessible locations.
  • This functions especially well on DeGroot Keep, allowing you to jump up to the battlements atop the castle. This is useful for killing especially annoying Snipers, as most of them will find attacks at melee range a surprise.

• If you find yourself falling off a cliff or getting pushed into a death pit, this weapon can be used to blast yourself back into the playing field—with a little luck.

• After the Caber explodes, the weapon will still function as a melee weapon, but does far less damage than other melee weapons, such as the Bottle.

• This is a powerful Spy checking weapon, as it is an instant kill if you make contact with a Spy. However, its explosion also affects you greatly, so make sure to use it in a place where you can be healed. Try to do this in the safety of your base or where a Dispenser is nearby. However, bear in mind that the Dead Ringer invalidates its benefits and severely weakens you, leaving you with a drastically less powerful weapon and making it easier for the Spy to kill you or escape.

• This weapon can be very useful for enemies that run away in a melee battle and don't let you hit them with the grenade: because the grenade explodes if you hit any hard surface with it, you can strike the floor or a wall and the resulting explosion will hit them in a very large range. For weaker classes (such as Engineers), the explosion alone is quite capable of killing them outright if they're in range.

• This weapon is very useful for suicidal picking, as you could sticky jump or charge into an important target (like an enemy Medic) and kill him with it. Be wary of your health if you survive, as the combined sticky jump, explosion, and fall damage will leave you with very little health, if any.

• The Ullapool Caber is even more effective with the Chargin' Targe or Splendid Screen. With a Critical boost, the Caber can inflict more damage in one hit than any other melee weapon and kill any class in one shot, unless you're facing an overhealed Heavy.

• The Caber is also good when used with the Sticky Jumper. You can sticky jump behind enemy lines without any damage taken other than fall damage, then sneak up behind the enemy to inflict a large amount of damage.

• Using the B.A.S.E. Jumper, the Sticky Jumper and this weapon together allows you to sticky jump and then use the parachute to slow your descent and land a hit on your target without too much difficulty.
  • You could then use the self-knockback from the explosion to activate another parachute and fly to a health kit or even back to spawn if you are close enough.

Claidheamh Mòr

Weapon	Kill Icon	Attack Interval	Damage
			Point Blank	Critical
Craft Claidheamh Mòr		0.8 seconds	65	195

The Claidheamh Mòr is a melee weapon that gives the Demoman longer melee range and increased charge distance at the cost of 15 health.

• You should always equip the Chargin' Targe, Splendid Screen or Tide Turner when using this weapon, as its largest bonus only works with a shield equipped.

• The biggest advantage to the Claidheamh Mòr is its mobility enhancement capabilities. It's possible to use the Claidheamh Mòr's improved dash distance to cover enormous distances in one go: you can easily cross the bridge on 2Fort, for example, with one use, and can likewise go from one end of a sewer tunnel to the other with one dash. This makes the Claidheamh Mòr a great weapon for both quickly engaging enemies and getting away.

• The longer dashes mean that the Claidheamh Mòr is a phenomenal weapon for getting the Demoman to where he needs to go as quickly as possible. The weapon is very useful on Capture the Flag maps, on which you can grab the enemy intelligence and escape quickly, even outpacing Scouts.

• The Claidheamh Mòr is the offensive counterpart to the Scotsman's Skullcutter; whereas the Skullcutter does a lot of damage and is well-suited to defensive missions, the Claidheamh Mòr is far more useful on offensive missions.

• The extra charge time that the Claidheamh Mòr grants also lengthens the time that you can attack for a Mini-crit or a Critical Hit.

Half-Zatoichi

Weapon	Kill Icon	Attack Interval	Damage	Healing
			Point Blank	Critical	From Kill
Promotional/Craft Half-Zatoichi		0.8 seconds	65	195/Instant	175 (200 with Ali Baba's Wee Booties)

The Half-Zatoichi is a melee weapon that restores the Demoman's health on a kill, but requires him to score a kill once the weapon is drawn in order to switch to a different weapon.

• Ambush and kill weakened enemies with the Half-Zatoichi for an easy boost back to full health.

• Be prepared to score a kill with the Zatoichi when you pull it out; you can't switch weapons until you do.

• The Half-Zatoichi has good synergy with the Chargin' Targe and the Splendid Screen. The Targe/Screen can be used even with the Half-Zatoichi drawn, enabling you to easily approach or flee, and the Half-Zatoichi's ability to score random critical hits makes it an impressive weapon for Demomen seeking close quarters combat.

• Be aware of enemies who are also using the Half-Zatoichi. If they hit you once, you die. However, you can do the same to them!
  • Due to the instant kill mechanic, you can also use Half-Zatoichi as a counter to charging Demomen using a Half-Zatoichi, even if you don't have a Chargin' Targe or Splendid Screen of your own.
  • Prioritize other Half-Zatoichi wielders in battle, either for a quick kill and health boost or simply to protect yourself from their one-hit kills.

• This weapon is very useful in Medieval Mode. As you are only allowed to use melee weapons anyway, the Zatoichi's drawback has no effect.

Persian Persuader

Weapon	Kill Icon	Attack Interval	Damage	Healing
			Point Blank	Critical	From Weapons	From Engineer Wrenches	From Small Ammo Boxes	From Medium Ammo Boxes	From Large Ammo Boxes
Craft Persian Persuader		0.8 seconds	65	195	120	25-Max	10	20	40

The Persian Persuader is a melee weapon for the Demoman that allows him to use ammo packs and dropped weapons as a healing source. However, he is incapable of regaining ammo through any means other than a Resupply Locker.

• A highly offensive melee weapon, the Persian Persuader doubles the charge rate when using a Chargin' Targe, Splendid Screen, or Tide Turner. Keep in mind, however, you cannot benefit from random critical hits and the bonus is invalid without a shield equipped.

• Note that you do not need to be using the Persian Persuader while you pick up ammo to regain health. Consequently, you will never regain ammo unless you visit a Resupply Locker.
  • With this weapon, be aware that you can fight for a longer period of time without dying, but you will eventually need to return to your base in order to get more ammo.

• Always be aware of how much ammo you have, especially on defense. You don't want to run out of explosives as you begin a fight or the enemy team begins a push.

• While using the Persian Persuader, the Scottish Resistance may be preferred over the Stickybomb Launcher, as its larger total ammo supply will allow you to go longer without retreating to a resupply locker.

• Consider using either Ali Baba's Wee Booties or the Bootlegger as well as one of the shields to completely eliminate the need for ammo and thus maximize the effects of this weapon.

Taunt Attacks

Decapitation

	Kill Icon	Weapon	Damage	Duration	Details
Barbarian Swing		Eyelander Half-Zatoichi Claidheamh Mòr Persian Persuader Horseless Headless Horsemann's Headtaker Nessie's Nine Iron	500	5 seconds	With a twirl behind his back, leading to a horizontal slash to the neck, the Demoman beheads anyone unfortunate to be in his path. The Demoman concludes his short swipe by bringing his blade back and wiping down its length with his fingers. Adds one head to the counter if using the Eyelander, Horseless Headless Horsemann's Headtaker, or Nessie's Nine Iron.

• This taunt kill can be used to kill enemies with one hit. It can be used for very distracted enemies, such as Snipers looking down scopes or Engineers working on their buildings, but like most taunt kills, leaves you vulnerable during the animation.

• If you catch up to a Heavy about to eat a Sandvich, it's a better idea to use the Decapitation taunt rather than start wailing on them with the Eyelander, as they will out-heal the damage and proceed to kill you.

• While this is a long taunt, it is nearly silent until it finishes, and you can attempt it several times on the same target - provided they don't hear the sword swooshes when you do it.

Weapon combinations

Example Combinations
Combo			Usage
Grenade Launcher or Loch-n-Load	Stickybomb Launcher or Quickiebomb Launcher	Pain Train or Bottle	A good setup for offensive Demomen. The Stickybomb Launcher or Quickiebomb Launcher's decreased bomb arm time, the latter being decreased even further, compared to that of the Scottish Resistance, allows the Demoman to quickly bombard choke points or turtling enemies with stickies. The Stickybomb Launcher can also be used to surround ground-level threats with a sticky carpet, an ability not available to the Quickiebomb Launcher, as it's bombs fizzle out after a mere couple of seconds. Fast bomb arm times also allow the Demoman to quickly sticky-jump to the objective and quickly capture it with the Pain Train's increased capture rate. If your team already has players focused on the points/cart, or if you are playing CTF, feel free to switch to the Bottle to rid yourself of increased bullet vulnerability. Choosing Loch-n-Load you may be able to quickly dispatch the sentry nest without having your Stickybombs destroyed or airblasted in a long range.
Grenade Launcher or Loch-n-Load	Chargin' Targe	Pain Train or Eyelander or Persian Persuader	A second loadout for an offensive Demoman: by using the Chargin' Targe, you will be able to rush to positions faster and allow for easier getaways, and boosted melee effectiveness, at the cost of your Sticky Launcher. That may be affordable if you don't use the Sticky Launcher offensively. You get the added benefit of being more resistant to explosions and fire as well, so it may be worthwhile if the enemy team has Soldiers, other Demomen and Pyros. Keep in mind that while the Targe charge will make your Pain Train do more damage, it cannot collect heads and doesn't have the same melee range that the Eyelander or Scotsman's Skullcutter do. The Pain Train does the same base damage as Eyelander, so a critical hit will still have the killing power that the Eyelander does. However, with the Eyelander, you can boost your speed and power with each head collected by killing an enemy mitigating the Demoman's natural slowness along the way as well, while also making you and your grenade launchers much more dangerous to handle in combat. The Persian Persuader can be used instead, albeit, in incredibly small maps, to gain health from ammo boxes, and dropped enemy weapons, while the +100% Charge rate can be taken advantage of to quickly retreat to spawn for more Grenade Launcher ammo.
Loch-n-Load or Loose Cannon or Iron Bomber	Scottish Resistance	Scotsman's Skullcutter or Ullapool Caber	For Demomen that desire to do a high amount of damage and defend well. The Scottish Resistance's higher Stickybomb amount and the ability to detonate groups of Stickybombs will come in handy when defending multiple chokepoints or destroying a bunch of Sentry Guns. The lessened speed from the Scotsman's Skullcutter while the weapon is active will only reduce the Demoman to a Soldier's speed, but the extra damage and range can be useful when dealing with further threats, and you can always switch away to another weapon to run at normal speed again in case if enemies are closing in too quickly. The Loch-n-Load provides a good support for your team in long distance while defending. It might shatter on surfaces, but it's lethal against a medium-sized group of enemies. While the Loose Cannon does overall less damage than the Loch-n-Load, its ability to push players back from a direct hit can be used excellently around control points; even if you find the knockback hard to utilize, a well-primed cannonball can deal heavy damage. If the cart or point is next to a hazard, the knockback can push hard-to-defeat players right into it. In the case of the Iron Bomber, since the projectiles don't bounce and roll about like other grenades or cannonballs, you gain the ability to set temporary traps, should you run low on stickybombs to set or add on to the explosive power of stickybombs you already set, though the damage from the manual explosions will be lesser on enemies, and the overall radius of the explosions are 20% smaller compared to the stock Grenade Launcher. The Ullapool Caber provides a backup source of high damage while useful on defense, as you can pick it back up from a resupply locker.
Grenade Launcher or Ali Baba's Wee Booties	Tide Turner	Persian Persuader	This set utilizes the Persian Persuader's double charge rate to its fullest. Coupled along with the Tide Turners ability to incur 75% of a full charge upon a charge kill, you will be charging very, very frequently. The Persian Persuaders other ability to convert ammo to health allows you to survive more reliably despite the lesser resistance of the Tide Turner. But be warned, this set relies heavily on melee combat, since the only way to obtain ammo for the Grenade Launcher is by visiting a Resupply Locker, should you have it equipped. You will be charging very frequently and unleashing a full critical hit on the opponents while picking up their ammo as your health, becoming very hard to kill. In case of the Booties or Bootlegger not being used, the Grenade Launcher is there in case you need to hit an enemy from mid to long ranges, but think ahead before doing so, especially if you're far away from a Resupply Locker.
Loch-n-Load	Splendid Screen	Ullapool Caber	The Expert's Ordnance - w/ Splendid Screen As its name indicated, this setup is optimal for Demomen with good positioning and good aim, as it's not good for direct confrontation due to the Loch-n-Load's high self damage. In Medieval Mode, this Demoknight variant is the only class that can deliver splash damage, making it useful when clearing a point filled with enemies. Use the Screen to deal impact damage to the enemy with the shield bash before creating a critical explosion that may kill several enemies, making this combination excellent for a Kamikaze play-style. Outside of Medieval Mode, you are more accurate with turning and can one-hit kill most classes, making it very useful for last a last resort defence when your last point is being captured.
Loose Cannon or Loch-n-Load	Tide Turner	Claidheamh Mòr	This setup is based around using the Claidheamh Mòr's charge increase to the absolute fullest. Normally, the usefulness of the sword's main and only upside aside from the extended range is very unnoticeable due to most shields not having the same kind of charge usability as the Tide Turner, however with this, you can become a huge threat to fleeing or damaged enemies. The Loose Cannon is a great asset for getting foes into a good position to be mowed down by your sword, while the Loch-n-Load would be more handy when dealing with tanky classes such as Heavy or Soldier. The other big improvement to using the Claidheamh Mòr is that fleeing yourself will be very easy with the Tide Turner combo. Scouts and Pyros may give you a bit of trouble if they get in on you so watch out for them.
Loch-n-Load	Chargin' Targe	Ullapool Caber	The Expert's Ordnance - w/ Chargin' Targe This is for Demomen who can aim well. The Caber can be used when there is no Loch-n-Load ammo left or there are no other choices left. If charging with the Ullapool Caber and timing the charge, you can deal Critical hits or mini-crits to deal more damage at the end of the charge. The Chargin' Targe will reduce the Caber's damage. The Chargin' Targe will reduce fire damage, which makes you less vulnerable to Pyros.
Ali Baba's Wee Booties	Stickybomb Launcher	Ullapool Caber	This combination can be quite deadly for a Stickybomb expert. The Stickybomb Launcher not only allows the Demoman to block off choke points, but at medium and long range, the launcher can easily destroy sentry farms or large quantities of Heavies; combined with the ability to airshot, the Demoman can destroy almost any foe, provided he is not fighting close range combat. The extra health generated by the booties allow the demo to survive longer. they also allow the Demoman to survive the explosion of the Ullapool Caber. Do note that this combination, due to lack of Grenade Launcher, is extremely poorly suited to short range combat.
Ali Baba's Wee Booties	Chargin' Targe	Eyelander or Scotsman's Skullcutter or Claidheamh Mòr	One of the most balanced setups in Medieval Mode. Charging towards enemies and decapitating them with the Eyelander is especially effective when dealing with slower enemies that are alone, and the longer melee range and high mobility gives it a legs up to most class except Snipers and Medics. The Chargin' Targe provides a much better defense against fire attacks (from Sharpened Volcano Fragments and fire arrows) and explosive damage (from the Ullapool Caber). Replacing the Eyelander with the Scotsman's Skullcutter allows higher damage at the cost of speed, which could be crucial when playing defense. Similarly, the Claidheamh Mòr allows the Demoman to charge longer, which aside from granting longer critical hits duration also allows the Demoman to reach a destination faster.
Ali Baba's Wee Booties	Splendid Screen	Persian Persuader	A Thousand and One Demoknights This is the A Thousand and One Demoknights set if combined with the Sultan's Ceremonial Hat. Ali Baba's Wee Booties will help you survive longer, and be able to unexpectedly turn to catch your enemies off guard. The Splendid Screen works well with the boots: while there is less damage resistance than with the Chargin' Targe, Ali Baba's Wee Booties' health benefit will allow you to slaughter your enemies without being killed quickly. The increased charging damage also works well with the ability to turn while charging. The Persian Persuader is good for destroying enemies in close combat. Since you don't use ammo with this set, all weapons dropped normally would be useless, but the Persuader allows you to gain health easier. The reduced charging time helps you to escape quickly or to run into the fray.
Grenade Launcher	Chargin' Targe or Splendid Screen	Persian Persuader	The Persuader and Grenade Launcher can make an interesting combination, giving you better mid-to-long range capability while still allowing you to operate well in melee range. On top of that, the Persuader's decreased charge regen time allows the user to utilize the charge as a mobility tactic, letting them control range, escape, or charge in for a quick burst of damage on impact. The downside, however, is your inability to get more ammo for the Launcher: this can be remedied by using a supply cabinet. This is a recommended loadout for a Demoman who is an expert in both melee and Grenades. For inexperienced players, this is good loadout if you don't like the Stickybomb Launcher. Take attention using this setup though: Without a Sticky Launcher Sentry Guns are more of a threat unless you have direct line of sight for utilizing the Grenade Launcher.
Grenade Launcher	Sticky Jumper	Pain Train or Eyelander or Ullapool Caber or Scotsman's Skullcutter	This is the 'Sticky Jumper' weapon set. The Grenade Launcher is preferred over the Loch-n-Load as the rolling grenades allow you to 'bomb' foes more easily during a sticky jump. The extreme mobility granted by the Sticky Jumper allows you to land near unsuspecting or busy enemies (such as Snipers) and kill them freely with the Eyelander, easily earning one or two heads in the process. You can also use the Pain Train with the Jumper to quickly reach and capture control points (this is particularly effective on open and/or vertical maps). When combined with the Ullapool Caber's raw power, the Sticky Jumper allows you to reach a tactical target (such as a Medic) and attack it with the Caber before jumping back to heal and resupply the Caber. The Scotsman's Skullcutter is useful if you plan to engage in melee often, as it's speed decrease is negligible when you are sticky jumping, and it's heavy damage easily dispatches enemies.
Loch-n-Load	Splendid Screen	Eyelander	For the Demoman who focuses on pure, relentless offense, dealing extraordinary damage from close-to-medium range. The Loch-n-Load can easily leave foes dead or with low health if both grenades hit. The extra damage from the Splendid Screen's charge bash combined with the Eyelander's ability to collect heads can lead into grabbing a few extra kills. The only real downside of the set is that the Eyelander stops you from surviving as long as usual unless you get at least 2 kills with it.
Loose Cannon	Sticky Jumper	Ullapool Caber	For a mobile Demoman who likes to bomb enemies from above. Although the Loose Cannon is weaker for self-defense than the Grenade Launcher, the precise explosions make it superior to attack enemies from a high location, timing the bombs to explode just before they hit the ground. The reverse damage falloff allows you to deal consistent damage even from far away, but makes you unreliable at close range, so rely on it's knockback and your sticky jumps to stay away from enemies. If cornered, the Ullapool Caber allows you to quickly dispatch an enemy and launch yourself away, hopefully to safety.
B.A.S.E. Jumper	Stickybomb Launcher or Sticky Jumper	Scotsman's Skullcutter or Ullapool Caber	For an air-raider Demoman, relying primarily on the essence of surprise and escapability with a safer outcome. The B.A.S.E. Jumper slows your descent by pressing the Jump key in midair, which can definitely come in handy for any type of knockback, as you can swiftly recover from it through the swifter air strafing the parachute allows. Alternatively, the slower falling speed can be used a follow-up from a sticky jump; allowing you to negate fall damage, and should you have the Stickybomb Launcher equipped, you can plant traps in locations one may not suspect and have less worries while doing it. Lastly, either the Skullcutter or Caber can provide great surprise attacks in a similar vein to the Soldier's Market Gardener after a blast jump. Since the movement speed penalty of the Skullcutter only applies if the weapon is active, jumping distance becomes less of a problem, since one could pull it out just before landing and deal good damage to unaware enemies. The Caber is much the same way, but can excel against small groups due to the radius inflicted upon impact, such as Sniper or Engineer nests. However, using the B.A.S.E. Jumper can raise your vulnerability to a good Sniper, so plan your jumps in discreet, closed-off locations so he can't counter you easily.

See also

• Team strategy