Merasmus match-ups

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Enjoy Halloween, mortals...for it will be your LAST! Click to listen — Merasmus to the mercenaries

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Class			Strategy
Merasmus	vs.	Scout	The Scout's agility, double and triple jumps allow him to evade Merasmus' magic attacks with more ease than other classes.  Hit-and-run tactics are a necessity when attacking Merasmus.  A Scout has the best chance of stunning Merasmus with a bomb due to his speed and agility. If the Bombinomicon chooses you as the bomb carrier, find Merasmus and charge at him!  The Scout's ability to get round the map quickly is vital when Merasmus hides as a prop.  Bonk! Atomic Punch will allow you to survive Merasmus' magic for a short time and also distract the boss effectively.  Because base damage is retained at all ranges when attacking Merasmus, the Scattergun will deal the most damage to him, provided you can move to around medium range to ensure you don't partially miss your shots.  The Pistol can be effective against Merasmus as base damage remains the same when attacking it. This will allow you to do more damage from a longer range than normal.  The Shortstop allows you to deal a good amount of damage at medium-range because of its 100% increase in damage per pellet.  The Pretty Boy's Pocket Pistol is still a sub-par option against Merasmus. Its health-upon-hit buff is useless as hitting Merasmus will not grant the health, but its firing speed bonus can be useful for quickly getting out decent chip damage, though less than the pistol.  Do not use Crit-a-Cola against Merasmus. Your attacks will deal no extra damage and will make it easier for Merasmus to kill you.  The Sandman baseball and Fan O'War are ineffective against Merasmus, as he cannot be stunned by baseballs or marked for death.  The Scout's health is low enough that a single blast from Merasmus' magic staff will likely result in death.  Mad Milk and the Flying Guillotine have no effect on Merasmus; they will bounce off harmlessly.
Merasmus	vs.	Soldier	Rocket jumping is a viable method of evading Merasmus' attacks.  All of the banners (Battalion's Backup, Concheror, and Buff Banner) will charge when you deal damage to Merasmus.  A Kritzkrieg ÜberCharge will allow a skilled Soldier to do decent damage to Merasmus, as a pack of critical rockets and Shotgun shells will take a fair chunk of his health away.  The Direct Hit is probably the Soldier's best primary weapon to use against Merasmus. The projectiles are fast and do high damage and Merasmus is large enough for you not to worry too much about missing him.  The Air Strike is also an extremely deadly weapon to use. The damage penalty is negligible, as the volley of rockets you can shoot at Merasmus is sure to deal faster and more damage than the other launchers. The blast radius penalty is also negligible, as Merasmus is big enough to be hit directly. Pairing this with a Kritzkrieg ÜberCharge can help a long way with defeating him.  The Beggar's Bazooka can also be used to great effect, as unloading 3 rockets at once can do some severe damage. However, using the bazooka incurs the risk of getting hit, as the Soldier has to get close to Merasmus to ensure that all 3 rockets hit.  The Shotgun can be effective against Merasmus, as base damage remains the same when attacking him. This will allow you to do more damage from a longer range than normal.  Charging Merasmus with the Equalizer at very low health will only be effective if Merasmus is stunned. Otherwise, it's a risky strategy.  The Buff Banner will charge when doing damage to Merasmus, but Merasmus is not affected by mini-crits, so using it is not recommended.  The Reserve Shooter will not mini-crit against Merasmus and is not recommended.  The Black Box does not award health upon hitting Merasmus and is a considerable drawback when its reduced ammo is taken into account.
Merasmus	vs.	Pyro	Because Merasmus does not suffer afterburn damage, using the Pyro against Merasmus is inadvisable.  A Pyro is more suited to a support role in this boss fight; as one of Merasmus' frequent attacks sets any other class on fire, airblasting them will extinguish the flames and allow them to survive longer against Merasmus. Either the standard Flamethrower or Degreaser is recommended for this.  The Shotgun can be effective against Merasmus, as base damage remains the same when attacking him. This will allow you to do more damage from a longer range than normal.  Since Merasmus can light the player on fire, the Manmelter can extinguish your teammates for free instead of the 20 ammo cost for airblasting making it an excellent choice for a support pyro. The stored critical hits from each extinguished teammate can deal a moderate amount of damage to Merasmus even at long range.  The Reserve Shooter will not mini-crit against Merasmus and is not recommended.  The Flare Gun, Detonator, and Scorch Shot are among the worst weapons to use against Merasmus, as he cannot catch on fire. Only the minimal flare impact damage will register.
Merasmus	vs.	Demoman	It is possible to briefly dodge Merasmus' magic attacks by charging with the Chargin' Targe, Splendid Screen, or Tide Turner in a single direction across open ground.  Direct hits with the Grenade Launcher, Iron Bomber, or Loch-n-Load will cause decent amounts of damage to Merasmus, so it is advisable to lead your shots slightly to ensure they connect. This strategy is more effective with a Kritzkrieg ÜberCharge.  The Quickiebomb Launcher, with it's increased damage and faster charge time, can be effectively spammed against Merasmus.  Stickybombs are tricky to effectively use against Merasmus as he pushes them away while gliding around the battlefield, often making setting traps a waste of time. However, a skilled Demoman may be able to arc his shot so it can be detonated to do max damage, or bombard Merasmus with stickies while he is stunned.  Attempting the above strategy with the Scottish Resistance is extremely difficult due to the slower arming time of the bombs.  Demoknights are not recommended as Merasmus can deal far more damage at close range with his staff and magic.
Merasmus	vs.	Heavy	While the Heavy is one of the few classes who can go head-on against Merasmus, without help from your teammates, he will destroy you before your Minigun can do any damage.  Be aware that the Heavy has no real means of effectively dodging Merasmus' magic, but can withstand at least a few hits from his attacks. A Heavy can rely on the Gloves of Running Urgently to escape in such situations.  A Heavy/Medic pair can camp the control point while building up a Kritzkrieg ÜberCharge. The damage resulting from such an attack is usually enough to deal decent levels of damage to Merasmus. Be ready to escape, though, as Merasmus will make you both his primary target.  The Brass Beast and Natascha can help you survive longer with the damage resistance. However, Natascha deals less damage and Merasmus isn't affected by slowdown.  The Fists of Steel have some usability as a temporary distraction, since it halves the damage done by Merasmus' magic. Don't get too close, though, as his staff attack will instantly kill you.  The Brass Beast, even with a Kritzkrieg ÜberCharge, is only recommended if Merasmus is already busy or stunned, as your extremely sluggish movement will make you an easy target for Merasmus.  The Buffalo Steak Sandvich is not recommended, since the speed bonus is countermanded by the duration of eating and extra damage taken.  The Shotgun should rarely be used, as the time between shots and damage spread mean you will always get more damage from your primary weapon. Nonetheless, if you have run out of ammunition for your primary weapon, remember that base damage remains constant while attacking Merasmus, so you can use the Shotgun effectively from further ranges than normal.
Merasmus	vs.	Engineer	Since Merasmus is not affected by knockback, the player should never rely on his Sentry to keep the magician away.  Merasmus will attack anything within his range - this includes players and buildings. Keep in mind that Merasmus can destroy a Sentry Gun in one hit with his magic, and that you will need the help of the opposing team to defeat him. Keep your sentry wrangled at all times to maximize damage output against him, while still keeping your sentry alive.  The Shotgun and Pistol can both be effective against Merasmus, as their base damage remains the same when attacking him. This will allow you to do more damage from a longer range than normal.  The Widowmaker does not return metal for damage done to Merasmus.  Sentry Guns deal reduced damage to Merasmus per hit, making them a rather ineffective weapon against him.
Merasmus	vs.	Medic	Your teammates will be taking a lot of damage while fighting Merasmus. Be sure to heal them!  Use your ÜberCharge on a teammate so they can attack Merasmus. While Merasmus will ignore invulnerable individuals for as long as possible, keep in mind that he will attempt to target you if you are in range.  If you do not have an ÜberCharge ready, it is best advised to stay away and build one up.  If using a Kritzkrieg ÜberCharge to attack Merasmus, be sure to keep your distance.  Most of the Medic's weapons are relatively ineffective, so the Medic should be reserved to a support role.  The Crusader's Crossbow can be useful for quick heals, since it is largely ineffective against Merasmus.  Kritzkrieg charges are very important when fighting Merasmus, but combining it with a standard ÜberCharge on a strong class like a Heavy can result in a fair amount of damage. The Kritzkrieg Medic should be careful, however, since they are vulnerable to damage from Merasmus' magic, which can easily break this strategy.  It is not very helpful to use the Quick-Fix against Merasmus. The enhanced healing power will not be enough to survive a barrage from the Bombinomicon.  The Blutsauger does not heal the Medic upon successfully hitting Merasmus, making it ineffective due to the reduced amount of health regenerated per second.
Merasmus	vs.	Sniper	Merasmus takes massive damage from nearly all of the Sniper's primary weapons, making the Sniper essential to defeating him. A well-placed headshot will deliver three times the damage of a standard critical hit, and when Merasmus is stunned, all shots register as headshots.  The extra range that the Sniper class exhibits can allow the player to attack while far outside Merasmus' attack range.  The Huntsman is by far the best weapon to use against Merasmus. Its faster charge rate delivers more damage per second than the standard Sniper Rifle, and the extra speed and field of view will come in handy in evading his magic and locating him after he teleports. A team of Huntsman-wielding Snipers can take Merasmus down faster than any other team composition, provided they aim and time well.  For pure damage per shot, the standard Sniper Rifle and Machina reign supreme. If you are uncomfortable getting close to Merasmus, these are also useful.  Although the Sydney Sleeper can't coat Merasmus with Jarate, it is still a good choice considering its faster charge speed.  Jarate does not affect Merasmus, nor will the Sydney Sleeper provide Jarate coating effects.  The Classic is a bad choice of a weapon due to it only granting headshots with full charge. However, the ability to charge while unscoped can help with visibility.
Merasmus	vs.	Spy	The Dead Ringer's feign death ability will allow you to effectively distract Merasmus, as he will continue to target you despite your heightened resistance to damage.  The Spy's knife has drastically increased damage against Merasmus, although he cannot be backstabbed. Try to attack Merasmus only when he is stunned.  The Spy's primary weapons all do low damage against Merasmus and should not be used.  The Spy's ability to Cloak is useless against Merasmus, as he will chase you down even if you're invisible.  As with many other weapons, Your Eternal Reward, Conniver's Kunai, and the Big Earner will not grant bonuses upon attacking or killing Merasmus and should be avoided.

See also

• Merasmus
• Ghost Fort
• Spectral Halloween Special