User:Tallahzirakzigal

Hello! I got Team Fortress 2 as soon as it was free (yes, I'm a cheapskate =p) and I've been playing it a lot since. My favourite class is the Engineer.

Engineer Suggestions

The engineer really lacks weapons, so here's a few little ideas:

Nailgun (Replaces Pistol)

• Per shot: -15 metal
• Can repair and upgrade friendly buildings (actual repair/upgrade starts at 2/5 of normal Wrench repair/upgrade rate, and drops down the further away you are)
• -25% damage to players

An old weapon in a completely different format. The Nailgun offers longer-range repairs, handy if your sentry gun is hard to reach. However, it's more expensive in metal costs, and quickly depletes stocks.

Charge Kit (Replaces Pistol)

• Adds charges on buildings you build.
• If the buildings are destroyed, they blow up, harming enemies, based on type of building and level.

A perfect compliment to the Frontier Justice, the charge kit is an item that encourages more aggressive placement, at the cost of having no long-range defence.

Tele-friend (Replaces Wrench)

• Allows a second Teleporter entrance to be built
  • If a Spy saps an entrance, it won't affect the other one
  • If a Spy saps the exit, it will affect both entrances
  • Hitting any point with a wrench will repair and upgrade all three parts
  • If one entrance is destroyed, the teleporter will retain its upgrade. If any two pieces are destroyed, all upgrades will be lost.
• Teleporters need +50 metal to upgrade
• -20% damage

A team-coloured wrench with an odd liquid inside.

The tele-friend is especially effective if you're the only Engineer on the team and there's two spawns, (so you can cover both of them,) or if your team controls a fairly central region (you could place a teleport entrance secretly in their base and safely in yours, meaning your team has an escape route.) Unfortunately, higher amount of metal required (and the fact a Spy sapping the exit will destroy everything) means you need to establish a base before you can really start using the teleporter effectively.

Blacksmith's Workshop

These items focus on slower but precise weapons, and opening Medieval Mode options for the Engineer.

Set bonus: +10% melee defence

Blacksmith's Crossbow (Replaces Shotgun)

• -50% "bullet" spread
• +10% damage
• +30% reload time
• -20% fire speed

The Blacksmith's Crossbow encourages more medium-range play. Slow firing and reloading makes it hard to operate at close range, but improved accuracy and damage balances that out.

Throwing Axes (Replaces Pistol)

• +75% damage
• -50% fire speed
• -25% shot speed
• -50% damage drop-off at range
• Shots count as projectiles

-150 max ammo

Old offcuts of metal have been re-fashioned into deadly throwing axes.

Throwing axes can be used at a greater range than the regular Pistol, with more damage. However, a skilled Pyro can send it flying right back, and a slow rate of fire makes it less effective for prolonged use.

Metalworking Hammer (Replaces Wrench)

• -25% Fire speed
• (Repair rate is modified to be the same repair rate per second as a normal wrench)
• +25 Metal on upgrading an item
• +10% damage

Metalworking Hammers make upgrading and defence slower, but compensate you with metal on an upgrade, making it easier to get your next level, and also meaning you don't need to venture out as much for metal.

Metalworking Apron

A misc item for the Engineer. A team-cream leather apron, with a spanner and pliers in a pocket.

Side Suggestion - Dispensers and Teleporters in Medieval Mode

Here's a possible way to introduce these support buildings into Medieval Mode. These changes only take place there.

• Re-skin PDA slots to a old scroll-like format (The Pip-boy takes priority over this)
• Buildings are stored in crates, Engineers appear to carry them when hauling a building.
• Re-skin Dispensers and Teleporters to look similar to normal, but made mostly out of wood (When "detonating" it, it falls apart instead.)

Meddling Mechanic

A weapon set for the Engineer, focusing on metal usage, at a personal cost.

Set bonus: +10% build speed

Clocky (Replaces Shotgun)

• +50% fire speed
• +50% clip size
• No random critical hits
• +75% reload time

Clocky is a clockwork shotgun, capable of firing constantly at pesky foes, but a slow reload time leaves you vunerable.

Sentry's Snackbox (Replaces Pistol)

• +50 metal cap
• +25% melee defence

The Sentry's Snackbox sacrifices long-range potential for more close-range survivability. It also lets both a dispenser and a sentry gun to be placed without needing a top-up.

Spanner (Replaces Wrench)

• Uses 40 metal at a time, rather than 25 for upgrading
• -15 max health on wearer

The Spanner is very good for setting up quickly, but leaves you even more vunerable than normal.

The Petroleum Baron

"Got Oil?"

Another weapon set, focusing on the theme of oil, as well as an additional building.

Set bonus: -10% fire vunerability

Old Sparky (Replaces Shotgun)

• Alt-fire can short-out electrical devices for 4 seconds (Spy cloaking devices and buildings.)
• -25% damage

Old Sparky is an old attempt to make an electric shotgun. Why weren't more made? Because its inventor shot anyone who tried to steal the blueprints.

Drill Blueprints (Replaces Pistol)

Allows a Oil Drill to be made for 150 metal:

• The Oil Drill squirts out oil like a revolving fountain
• Oil makes coated enemies take more fire damage (similar to Jarate)
• If a Pyro ignites it, it will give out fire for 10 seconds, igniting anything that gets near. If it kills a player, the Pyro will get a kill assist.
• Level 2 drills have a larger radius, and level 3 drills revolve faster

Turnscrew (Replaces Wrench)

• Can repair buildings without metal, more slowly than with metal. Alt+fire to force a repair without metal if you have some.
• No random critical hits
• -50% damage against players

The turnscrew aids in a simple problem with having an extra building - having the supplies to repair it. If someone runs in and is killed by your sentry or oil drill, they may have inflicted damage en route. This fixes that problem. However, it's weaker against players, so if there's a pesky spy around, you better use your shotgun.

Graduation Party

"Make that twelve hard science PHDs!"

University-themed items, bringing more strength to the Engineer at the cost of less construction ability.

Set bonus: Replaces Dispenser with Vending Machine:

• Grants mini-crits to friendly players in range
• -10% healing
• -50% ammo recharge rate

The Vending Machine is more intended for team use than personal use, and is more for offensive than defensive use. As dispensers don't have a particulary long range, players need to stay close. Slow classes, like the Soldier or the Heavy excel here.

Gatecrasher (Replaces Shotgun)

• +30% bullets per shot
• +30% bullet spread
• -30% damage per bullet
• +10% fire speed

The Gatecrasher is a shotgun so sawn-off, you can barely load it. Don't know where a pesky enemy is? Fire randomly!

The Second Amendment (Replaces Pistol)

• +66% Clip size
• -30% Weapon switch

A plastic-handled gun manufactured for "domestic" use.

This can load up to 20 bullets at a time, being great at chasing fleeing players. Unfortunately, a slow weapon switch means that you may not have time to switch back to the melee weapon to repair your Sentry gun.

The PhD (Replaces Wrench)

• Doesn't add to construction rate
• +40% firing speed

The PhD is a graduation scroll, good enough to smash someone's head in. It's extremely dangerous to unsuspecting enemies and Spies.

The Mortarboard

A hat similar to worn by graduates, with an orange trim. Required for the set bonus.

Building ideas

Here's a few random ideas I haven't yet assigned to an item.

Quickdraw (Replaces Sentry Gun)

• +100% turning speed
• -40% knockback

The Quickdraw helps stop enemies creeping up on your sentry, but less knockback leaves it just as vunerable to Spies.

Tank Gun (Replaces Sentry Gun)

• Requires 200 Metal to build
• -25% fire rate
• -25% turn speed
• +50% health

With more health, the Tank Gun can stand up to all sorts of threats, including Spies. High metal costs, however, makes it longer to get ready, and a slow turn speed encourages defensive usage.

Armoured Fridge (Replaces Dispenser)

• Costs 125 metal to build
• -50% ammo and metal given
• +50% health
• +50% Sapper resistance

The Armoured Fridge acts as a back-up in case everything else is destroyed. Many go straight for the Sentry and ignore anything else, and the combination of health and Sapper resistance means even if your Sentry's gone, you can still save this. A higher cost, however, means after setting this up, you'll have to wait longer to build a Sentry, or vice versa, and less metal given makes it harder to set up. It's still a decent source of health, however.

Heal Booth (Replaces Dispenser)

• Only requires 75 Metal to build
• +25% build time
• +50% range
• +25% heal rate
• -25% health
• No ammo given

Like the Vending machine, this is intended for more Team-based usage. A cheap cost means you can set this up anywhere, and fast building means it'll be healing up allies quickly. No ammo means you'll have to venture out more as an Engineer.

Mini-Tele (Replaces Teleporter)

• Only costs 100 metal to build
• -25% build time
• +25% recharge speed
• Cannot be upgraded
• -75% health

The fact you can build both ends with just one lot of Metal makes it quick to build, and a fast recharge rate means you keep a powerful effect. However, once an enemy finds it, it takes pratically no time at all to take it down.

Macro-Tele (Replaces Teleporter)

• Requires 150 metal to build
• +25% time to build
• Can teleport two players at once
• -25% recharge speed
• Double size
• +50% health

The Macro-tele is slow to build and expensive. However, once built, it can bring in a Heavy and his Medic buddy. A level 1 Macro-tele has a very slow recharge rate, so you'll want to upgrade it quickly. High health means it can stay up for longer - helpful as it's a bigger target. It's best used in risky positions, backed up by a quick Sentry gun so it can last long enough for someone to come through.

Pyro Suggestions

Vacuum Cleaner (Replaces Flamethrower)

• Airblasts work in reverse, taking in opponents rather than knocking them back
• Airblasts have no effect on projectiles
• +10% damage
• -40% afterburn duration

The Pyro has a knack for modifying everyday items, and this is no exception.

Vacuum Cleaners encourage more aggressive techniques, pulling in pesky opponents and finishing them.

Bonfire (Replaces Shotgun)

• Place down some logs using this. Use anything that ignites it to set it on fire.
• Ignites enemy players if it's alight
• Vanishes after being replaced, extinguished with Jarate or Mad Milk, or after 20 seconds
• Have 1 in supply at a time, must be replenished with ammo pack/dispenser to get a new one
• Cannot be placed in water
• Can be used in Medieval Mode

"The base is on fire! THE BASE IS ON FIRE!!!!! "

Bonfires work in a similar way to an Engineer building, except it can't be easily destroyed, or moved, and lasts a limited time. Bonfires are best for holding off corridoors. Seeing as you have to run for an ammo pack to move it, it stops Pyros spamming it on doorways. It also gives Pyros more potential in Medieval Mode.

Mannthrower Kit

I find the Pyro a fun to play class, but I have trouble with airblasts. The following item set is aimed to encourage them, and make them easier to do.

"Sure, throwing flames is fun. But nothing beats throwing men!"

Set bonus: -50% knockback

Airblaster (Replaces Flamethrower)

• -50% airblast cost
• Airblasts deflect better, deflecting projectiles immediately.
• -25% burn damage
• No random critical hits

Alternative stats:

• Crits instead of mini-crits deflected objects
• -25% burn damage
• +50 max ammo

The Airblaster encourages fast deflection of missiles and projectiles.

The Intensifier (Replaces Shotgun)

• Knockback on enemies already in the air
• Mini-crits enemies in the air
• -50% clip size

The Intensifier really makes a knockback more effective.

Air Extractor (Replaces Fire Axe)

• +30% ammo from ammo packs and dropped weapons (except Engineer wrenches)
• -50% fire speed

The Air Extractor is a oddly modified air pump. It's unknown what the Pyro did to it.

This compliments the airblasting abilities effectively, by making up the high amount of ammo used.

Medic Suggestions

Just a few random suggestions for the Medic.

The Long Run (Replaces Medi Gun)

• Has regular Ubercharge effect
• +20% heal rate
• -25% Ubercharge rate

The Long Run is a battered, tried and trusted Medi gun.

The faster heal rate means you'll do better in general use, but a slower Ubercharge rate makes it harder to do pushes. Try using the Ubersaw to get the precious Ubercharge.

Doctor's Handbook (Replaces Bone Saw)

• +10% Ubercharge duration
• -10 max health
• -25% damage

Beating people to death with a handbook is possibly weirder than a bust of Hippocrates...

The Doctor's Handbook is intended for Ubercharges, at the cost of being more vunerable, so you'll want to be more careful.

Sniper Suggestions

The Bush-Banger (Replaces Submachine gun)

• -20% weapon switch
• +15% damage
• Slightly louder fire noise

A large, bulky, modified sub-machine gun.

The Bush-Banger is intended for dealing with opponents on the way to an area, but at the cost of being harder to get spies.

Spy Suggestions

The Spy is one of my most-played classes (alternating with the Pyro).

Vanisher (Replaces Invis Watch)

• -25% Cloak duration
• You are totally invisible during the duration of a cloak - even if you're on fire, you're still invisible (but still taking damage.) Bumping into someone won't reveal you, either.

Vanishers are for very quick runs through dangerous ground. Spy-checking is less effective on you, so you can easily slip into position.

Smoke Powder (Replaces Invis Watch)

• +25% Cloak duration
• -50% Uncloak time
• Cloak and Uncloak creates a large-area smoke effect

Smoke Powder gives you time to get into position and land a backstab, but it is rather obvious when you uncloak.

Switch-Flicker (Replaces Revolver)

• Shoot one of your team's sappers for area-of-effect blast damage, which removes the sapper.
• Sappers take 0.5 seconds longer for you to place

Switch-Flickers are intended when there are no or few engineers guarding buildings, but a few other players around. Blow up those Spy-checkers from a distance. Especially good when teamed with another player. However, it removes the sapper, so don't use it when the Sentry's on high health! With a slower sapper-place time, Engineers have time to kill you in direct combat and remove the sapper, so don't go head-on.

Demoman Suggestions

Demomen are currently torn between the regular Demoman, and the Demoknight, with few combat options for both sides.

Lochdrainer

A rather 1940s-esque set dealing with huge explosions.

Set bonus: +10 Max Health

Bombsling (Replaces Grenade Launcher)

• +50% reload time
• +25% blast radius
• +10% damage
• Only one can be loaded at a time
• -50% fire speed
• No random critical hits

A crude leather sling firing small black bombs.

With a clip size of 1, and a slow fire, it's not that powerful if you're cornered. However, a slight damage increase and a larger blast radius punches through cowering Medics, as well as buildings.

Bonus Taunt-Sling Fling

The Demoman swings the fling for a few seconds before firing a bomb at great range. This bomb will mini-crit.

Land Mine (Replaces Stickybomb Launcher)

• Must be manually placed
• Can only have 4 out at a time
• Larger than regular stickybombs
• Explodes on enemy contact or if it's destroyed
• Cannot be manually exploded
• Double bullet resistance
• No self-damage or self-knockback
• No random critical hits
• +10% damage
• +20% blast radius

A makeshift landmine that looks like it's probably partially made of asbestos and plaster.

Landmines work rather defensively, as they aren't fired. They're best for taking out Scouts, who are unlikely to check where they're going. Unfortunately, they're useless for stickybomb jumps.

Soldier Suggestions

The Soldier may have more weapons than any other class, but I had to throw this in:

Fission (Replaces Rocket Launcher)

"I'm gonna split you into atoms, you hear me?!"

• +50% explosion radius
• +15% damage against players (including self-damage)
• -25% damage against buildings
• -30% projectile speed
• No random critical hits
• Only one can be loaded at a time

A massive oversized team-coloured rocket launcher with a radiation-hazard symbol on the side.

Such immense power is intended for breaking up groups. While you can't get random critical hits, a crit-boost makes this even crazier. Slightly less damage against buildings was necassary to prevent the weapon being used as a Engineer-buster, when the Soldier already has plenty of those. However, slow speed gives players time to dodge it, and a airblasting Pyro could very quickly kill you...

Your Eternal Reward Strategy

Your Eternal Reward is an extremely effective spy weapon, at the cost of no disguises. For that reason, unless you're using the Saharan Spy kit, you're best off equipting it with the Cloak and Dagger so you can infiltrate the enemy base more easily. Otherwise, pick off a lone player (such as a heavy not checking their back) then you can safely enter.

The First Backstab

The main challenge of Eternal Reward is making the first move - you must be able to backstab someone before you can do some real damage. Here's some good targets:

• Engineers, returning to their "nest" after collecting some ammo. Take off your cloak and backstab quickly. Then, you can probably sap their sentry.
• Snipers
• Heavies too busy spinning their miniguns to watch their back (particulary ones with the Brass Beast)

You're In!

The strategy that follows focuses around whoever you backstabbed. Seeing as you can't choose who to disguise as, you must play the part.

Scout

Scouts are hard to play convincingly as a spy, but you're best off keeping near other players in places such as control points or payloads, so it looks as though you're contributing to their efforts, and you don't reveal that you can't run fast or double-jump.

Soldier

As you'll move slower, spy-checking is more effective on you. Keep away from pyros, and get to some battlements or a commanding position. Then, you can backstab another player on the battlements or just one passing by. Stay out of the main focus of the battle.

Pyro

Engineers love allied pyros. For that reason, you can pretend to be a defender of them. If they go out for metal, you might as well sap all their buildings and cloak. If the other team has no engineers, find a little attacking force (2-3 players) and join them - then backstab as many as you can, while they're busy fighting. Lone players may suspect you more.

Demoman

If you've disguised as a melee-based Demoman, you may have some difficulty. You'll be expected to charge straight through your team, and as soon as they see that isn't the case, you might just be found out. If possible, try to attract a medic, and run forward with them. Backstab them if they overtake you. Alternatively, try hiding behind corners as if to ambush your team. Chances are, the enemy will run through that way as well - a good enough excuse as any for a backstab.

Heavy

Despite the Heavy's slow speed, being disguised as him might be really advantageous. Use a cloaking device or similar means to get near their base, get a medic on you and head back towards your own base. If they overtake you, backstab them.

Engineer

Backstabbing an Engineer allows you to sap their buildings. Additionally, you may find another engineer to backstab, too. Clean a "nest" of Engineers before you go sapper-mad, and if possible, cloak when you do. If the buildings are more spread out, take out the sentry but keep the dispenser. Stay near it, as if to be on hand for repairs, and backstab anyone coming for a top-up. If you get a Gunslinger engineer, you can go more offensively, and backstab a charging mob.

Medic

Players will be a little suspicious if you're not healing them when you're a Medic. However, chances are, any Medic you backstab will be near another player - often a slow one. Backstab them as well, before they have a chance to re-act.

Sniper

Similar to the Soldier, stay off front lines and keep to the battlements. People aren't that suspicous of a Sniper that hasn't fired in a while, but keep moving as if to prevent headshots. Stafe left and right and turn sparingly to give the impression you're using a scope. Backstab the next Soldier or Sniper than comes along.

Spy

The spy is a spy! Generally, when disguised as an enemy spy, you'll appear to be a spy disguised to them. Unfortunately, the disguise is random, and you have no idea what it is. If possible, play as if you're a spy on their team. You can get away with cloaking more easily, so long as you don't bump into anyone. Join an enemy ambush at the last minute (as if you're using it as an excuse to sneak into their base) and backstab any enemy survivors.

Anti-strategy

If you're against someone with Your Eternal Reward, it's good to spy-check as normal. Engineers should spy-check everyone they see coming near, and not be of the view that after being backstabbed, the sentry will get them. Don't use the Minigun for too long as a Heavy, unless you're with a Medic or someone else capable of spy-checking, as there's every chance someone will get you. Essentially, the key differences to normal anti-Spy strategy are:

• Sentry guns will be less effective at stopping spies
• A Spy must make a dangerous journey to your team, in the first place. As a Pyro, check corners. As other classes, just look out for a Spy running in the direction of your base.
• There'll be little sign a friendly player has been backstabbed (other than stopping firing, and the fact one of the players has "disappeared".)

Class match-up web

A quick-reference guide to how effective classes are against each other.

Key

• >> Class = Very powerful against this class
• > Class = Fairly powerful against this class, but still could lose on a one-on-one fight
• = Class = Even match
• < Class = Fairly weak against this class
• << Class = Very vunerable to this class
• ? Class = Not yet sure

Scout

• = Scout
• > Soldier
• = Pyro
• < Demoman
  • > Demoknight
• < Heavy
• << Engineer
• = Medic
• > Sniper
• > Spy

Soldier

• < Scout
• = Soldier
• ? Pyro
• = Demoman
  • < Demoknight
• = Heavy
• > Engineer
• > Medic
• < Sniper
• < Spy

Pyro

• = Scout
• ? Soldier
• = Pyro
• ? Demoman
  • ? Demoknight
• << Heavy
• < Engineer
• > Medic
• > Sniper
• >> Spy

Demoman (Explosive)

• > Scout
• = Soldier
• ? Pyro
• = Demoman
  • < Demoknight
• = Heavy
• >> Engineer
• > Medic
• < Sniper
• < Spy

Demoknight

• < Scout
• > Soldier
• = Pyro
• > Demoman (Explosive)
  • = Demoknight
• < Heavy
• < Engineer
• > Medic
• = Sniper
• = Spy

Heavy

• > Scout
• = Soldier
• >> Pyro
• = Demoman
  • > Demoknight
• = Heavy
• > Engineer
• > Medic
• << Sniper
• << Spy

Engineer

• >> Scout
• < Soldier
• > Pyro
• << Demoman
• > Demoknight
• < Heavy
• = Engineer
• > Medic
• < Sniper
• << Spy

Medic

• = Scout
• < Soldier
• < Pyro
• < Demoman
  • < Demoknight
• < Heavy
• < Engineer
• = Medic
• = Sniper
• < Spy

Sniper

• < Scout
• > Soldier
• < Pyro
• > Demoman
  • = Demoknight
• >> Heavy
• > Engineer
• = Medic
• = Sniper
• << Spy

Spy

• < Scout
• > Soldier
• << Pyro
• > Demoman
  • = Demoknight
• >> Heavy
• >> Engineer
• > Medic
• >> Sniper
• = Spy