Anti-Heavy strategy

“

This American boot just kicked your ass back to Russia. Click to listen — The Soldier

”

The Heavy is the sturdiest but least maneuverable class. He easily soaks up damage and still poses a threat thanks to his Minigun, which can mow down anyone who dares face him head-on. The Heavy will almost always be found at the frontlines, supported by a Medic. Because his direct combat capabilities are so powerful, taking him down will require smart play or additional firepower from teammates. The Heavy's weakness lies in his size and lack of speed, which makes him an easy target for sneak attacks or ranged weapons. Additionally, less diverse loadout options limit his unpredictability; any of his weapons that provide utility usually come with heavy drawbacks in combat.

General

Attributes	Anti-Heavy strategy
Role	The Heavy's large size and firepower often places him at the center of any fight. He is a natural shield for his allies; taking him out can often cause the enemy team to hesitate.
Health	The Heavy has the largest health pool of all nine classes and can soak up tons of damage. Defeating him will usually require focused fire from multiple allies, especially if he is being healed.
Speed	The Heavy's slow movement speed limits his ability to pursue or avoid you. If you can't take him by surprise, take potshots from behind cover to get free hits in. Combined with his large body, the Heavy is an easy target for Snipers and Spies.
Power	The Heavy possesses the most powerful weapons in the game. This usually means that fighting him head-on without backup is a bad idea.

Weapon-specific

Main article: Heavy weapons

Primary weapons

Weapon	Anti-Heavy strategy
Minigun + reskins	The Minigun rapidly fires rounds that deal immense damage, but is inaccurate over distances. Use cover and don't charge directly at him. The Heavy must spin-up his Minigun for a moment before be can begin firing. This makes him vulnerable to ambushes and coordinated attacks from different directions. When firing the Minigun, the Heavy's movement speed slows to a crawl, making him a very easy target.
Natascha	Natascha has a longer spin-up than the default Minigun, but slows targets it hits. This makes hit-and-run tactics easier to begin, but harder to run away from should you be caught in its fire. Natascha grants 20% damage resistance to the Heavy when spun-up. The Heavy will need to be focused by your team if he is suppressing an important area. Due to Natascha's significantly reduced damage, the more bulky classes can face its user head-on with proper positioning. At long distances, this weapon's slow down has little effect.
Brass Beast	The Brass Beast deals insane damage, making it near impossible to face directly. The Brass Beast takes even longer to spin-up than Natascha and brings the Heavy's speed to a crawl, making it impossible for him to avoid oncoming fire. The Brass Beast grants 20% damage resistance to the Heavy when spun-up. The Heavy will need to be focused by your team if he is suppressing an important area. The Brass Beast encourages the Heavy to linger in defensive locations longer. When fighting in enemy territory, take care to not run straight into a Heavy, no matter what weapon he wields.
Tomislav	The Tomislav spins up quickly and silently, making it excel at ambushing. It becomes more difficult to tell if a Heavy is lying in wait or is just coming around a corner. Be prepared as you move into enemy territory. Forcing the Heavy to fight in the open will lower his effectiveness, as the Tomislav fires 20% slower than the Minigun.
Huo-Long Heater	If a Heavy revs the Huo-Long Heater, it consumes ammo to deploy a ring of flames. Stealing or causing him to waste ammunition forces him to not rev his weapon in conservation. Spies can jump over the ring of flames let out by the Huo-Long Heater, making it possible for them backstab the Heavy without being set on fire or losing their Spy-cicle.

Secondary weapons

Armaments

Weapon	Anti-Heavy strategy
Shotgun + reskins	A Heavy may switch to the Shotgun when he is moving between areas or his Minigun runs out of ammunition. Take him down before he can prepare his other weapon. The Shotgun is a point-blank-to-medium range weapon and will be ineffective at long range. The Shotgun only has six shots. If the Heavy runs out of shots, keep the pressure up to deter him from switching to his Minigun.
Family Business	The Family Business has a 33% increased ammo clip compared to the Shotgun (for a total of eight shots), at the cost of doing 15% less damage. This makes constantly pressuring him less effective, but will also make combat beyond close-range less dangerous.

Edibles

• A Lunchbox item replaces the Heavy's Shotgun, leaving him with one less weapon to attack you with.
• If a Heavy retreats from a fight, check if he's trying to eat. The distinct "nomming" sound makes him easy to track down.
• A Heavy is defenseless while eating. If no other enemies are nearby, interrupt his meal and kill him.

Weapon	Anti-Heavy strategy
Sandvich + reskins	The Sandvich slowly restores the Heavy to full health as he eats it, so he may be able to soak up the damage dealt by your attacks. At the very least, harm him enough so that eating the Sandvich was a pointless endeavor. Alternatively, use a kill taunt that is faster than the eating animation. A Heavy can acquire a new Sandvich by picking up a medkit while at full health; take any nearby medkits for yourself or damage him so that he does not receive a brand new Sandvich. A Heavy can throw his Sandvich on the ground for anyone else to pick up in order to regain 50% of their HP instantly. This is commonly done to heal a friendly Medic. Steal the Sandvich yourself or knock his allies away using knock back.
Dalokohs Bar + reskins	The Dalokohs Bar only heals the Heavy for 100 HP and has a cooldown timer of 10 seconds. He can eat it repetitively to heal minor injuries and stay healthy. The Dalokohs Bar increases a Heavy's maximum Health by 50 for 30 seconds, which can determine the winner of a duel. The Dalokohs Bar can be thrown on the ground for anyone else and heals as a small medkits, in order to regain 25% of their HP instantly.
Buffalo Steak Sandvich	The Buffalo Steak Sandvich increases the Heavy's speed and damage, but locks him into his melee weapon. Keep a distance if possible. Additionally, it increases the damage the Heavy takes. If he uses its speed boost to reach the front lines and you catch him off guard, it's an easy kill. Like the regular Sandvich, a Heavy can toss his Buffalo Steak Sandvich for others to pick up. Try to deny his allies this healing.

Melee weapons

Weapon	Anti-Heavy strategy
Fists + reskins	The Heavy's slow speed is a disadvantage that can be exploited by faster classes during a melee fight; strafe around him or back up as you attack. The Heavy is the class with the highest health; it will take more hits to take him down, which gives the Heavy more chances to strike you in turn.
Killing Gloves of Boxing	If a Heavy gains the critical hit boost from the K.G.B., stay back until it wears off. If he kills you, your death will just reset the effect's duration. The Heavy can also apply the Crit boost to his other weapons when switched. Quickly decide whether to take him down or temporarily retreat.
Gloves of Running Urgently + reskins	A Heavy will usually only have the G.R.U. out while running to a battlefield and switch weapons once he arrives. While they are active, he takes increased damage. He might not expect enemies along the way, so you can ambush him en route. While the Heavy has the G.R.U. active, he will be marked for death and has to waste time switching to another weapon. A Heavy could use the G.R.U. as a means of pursuit. If you cannot escape him, turn around and fight before he switches to another weapon.
Warrior's Spirit	A Heavy with the Warrior's Spirit inflicts heavy damage, so don't engage him in melee combat. A Heavy with the Warrior's Spirit will have 20 HP less than default. He will be slightly easier to take down - afterburn or bleed effects might finish him off when they ordinarily wouldn't.
Fists of Steel	The Fists of Steel reduce ranged damage, allowing the Heavy to approach the battlefield a bit safer. It increases the time it takes for him to switch weapons, so catching him by surprise is always a good option. The Heavy suffers doubled melee damage while the Fists of Steel are active, but he'll typically switch to his Minigun before you can reach him with your melee weapon. You can either fake an approach to weapon heckle him or attack with both ranged and melee alongside teammates.
Eviction Notice	Treat the Eviction Notice weapon as if dealing with the default Fists; it attacks twice as fast but deals 60% less damage, making it inflict 20% less damage per second than the Fists overall.
Holiday Punch	Try not to engage in melee combat with a Heavy using the Holiday Punch; if he manages to hit your back, you will be stuck laughing in place. You cannot be forced into an animation while airborne. If you're fighting a Heavy with the Holiday Punch, jump whenever he punches.

See also

• Team strategy