Sentry jump

A Sentry Gun jump refers to using the knock back effect of the bullets from a Sentry Gun or the rockets from a Level 3, to propel yourself great distances at the cost of some health. This tactic can be used by Engineers with the Wrangler to go to unusual places in maps in order to place a Sentry Gun nest that may be difficult to destroy. They may also place Teleporters in places that players would not normally go.

Techniques

Rocket jumping

The same tactics as normal Rocket jumping apply:

• Fire the rockets from a level 3 Sentry Gun at your feet using the Wrangler, crouching mid-air for maximum height.
  • Once this tactic is mastered, a skilled Engineer can pack-up the Sentry Gun that just launched him right before he is launched away, allowing him to redeploy the Sentry Gun in a new place quickly (assuming he is initially next to it). This is trivial to do with a script.
  • A simple variation of this technique is to simply crouch on top of the Sentry Gun, aim straight down and very quickly tap Secondary Fire (to launch rockets) > Weaponswitch > Secondary Fire again (to pick the Sentry Gun up). This will send the Engineer flying almost straight up. When mastered, the direction and height of the jump can be manipulated by aiming slightly further away on the ground and possibly through variation in timing of the actions.
  • Due to the Engineer being a low health, light framed class, when mid-air he has higher level of control over his direction and trajectory, much more than the Soldier or Demoman, and marginally more than a reflect jumping Pyro. However, he also flies higher and farther as a result, and so if you do not have enough health when making the jump you may die upon landing from fall damage. Try to be at full health when attempting this, or get a Medic to overheal you as you jump.

Bullet jumping

• Stand on top of your Sentry Gun and aim away from it in the direction you want to go before firing it. This requires more skill than a Rocket Jump, but often does less self-damage.

This variation on the tactic excels with the Gunslinger, for two main reasons. One, it adds an additional 25 HP to survive the Bullet-Jump, (and subsequent fall) and two, it provides you with the cheaper-and-faster-to-build, faster-firing Combat Mini-Sentry Guns. Since the Combat Mini-Sentry Guns only costs 100 Metal to build, a Bullet-Jumping Engineer can switch back and forth between building a Sentry Gun, and building a Dispenser to refuel on Health, Ammo, and Metal between progressive jumps. This process is slower, but arguably safer, than trying to jump straight towards where the player wishes to go.

Strategy

• Use of good Sentry Gun Jumps can allow the quick construction of a base in hard or impossible to reach locations. Carry a fully upgraded Dispenser with you when jumping to a location of choice, then throw up a Teleporter Exit and rebuild a new Sentry Gun at the new location. Here are some good locations to build using Sentry Gun Jumps:
  • The roof of the bridge on 2Fort
  • The opposing Sniper Deck on 2Fort
  • The room with the grating right in front of the main Spawn Room on 2Fort
  • The elevated platform near the Intelligence on Turbine
  • The rooftops on Gravel Pit
  • The top of point C on Gravel Pit
  • The top of "the spire" on Badlands
  • The battlements near the spire on Badlands
  • The roof above the bridge spanning the central control point on Yukon
  • The higher pipe above your or the enemies last point on Granary
  • The battlement's and bridge shed's roofs on Double Cross
  • The enemy's backyard on Double Cross, by jumping out of their sewer
  • Near point E of Steel, while capturing the point early in the game
  • At the attacking team's top Spawn exit of Steel's point A, while defending
  • A structure above the first point on Gold Rush stage 3
  • A small shed with a flat roof near the final point and Red's Spawn on Gold Rush stage 3
  • Several battlements and alternative routes on Gold Rush stages 1 and 2 usually only accessible from the attacker's side once they captured the first point. This gives you more than the first 60 seconds of the match to set up since it takes the attackers at least some time to reach the first point.
  • Play around as Soldier or Demoman on maps to find locations accessible by Rocket or Sticky Jumping. Most of these locations will be accessible by Sentry Jumping as well, though on some you won't be able to build.
• Having set up a level 3 Sentry Gun in an elevated position, even one you would be able to reach without Sentry Jumping, allows you to Rocket Jump back up to the Sentry Gun faster than you could walk there. This is useful in dealing with Spies or getting tanking if attackers are incoming, although it will cost you quite some health and switch off your Sentry Gun's automatic firing ability for a short time.
• Using Bullet Jumping is the easier the less distance you have to fly forward to reach your target. This means your Sentry Gun should be build right below a rooftop or other high location you want to access, which might make it obvious to enemies. If possible, hide it around a corner or in the enemy's blind spot.
• Using Rocket Jumping you can jump from anywhere your Sentry Gun can aim to. For example, you can build your Sentry Gun on your team's side of the main Double Cross bridge then run forward and have it shoot a Rocket at you from afar. Note that you'll have to take into account the time it takes the Rocket to travel to you, which might be several seconds if it has a long distance to go. This is great to jump from within enemy territory where you wouldn't be able to sustain your Sentry Gun long enough.
• If jumping to inaccessible rooftops or the like, always get at least 100 metal before the jump. Nothing is more frustrating than succeeding in a difficult jump to find out you don't have enough metal to build a Dispenser in your new location. A Teleporter Exit requires 125 metal. Also make sure you have enough health to survive both the Jump itself and the Fall Damage you might take later.
  • Unless you use the Combat Mini Sentry Gun, you'll either have to get metal after building your Sentry Gun or haul your Sentry Gun from somewhere you can get metal to the position you want to use it to jump. If you build your Sentry Gun in front of your Spawn Room, consider upgrading it right there with the unlimited metal supply even if you don't intend to rocket jump.
• After a successful jump to an inaccessible location, leave your Sentry Gun where it is unless it's a dead give-away to your location. It might surprise some enemies on its own before you have enough resources to build a new one.
• If your Spawn Room is too far away, consider placing a Teleporter Entrance somewhere in between it and the location you'll jump to. This saves you the way back there to teleport, enables you to protect the Entrance and makes it viable to haul your Sentry Gun through that Teleporter after jumping so as not to have to rebuild it.
• Place your Teleporter Exit as soon as you reach an inaccessible location where you can build.
  • Especially if you only have a short walk back to your Teleporter Entrance, speed build the Exit instead of jumping right off the roof so you don't hang around waiting for the Exit to deploy by itself.
  • Placing a Teleporter Exit in an inaccessible and unseen position, but not building a base around it is an excellent way of concealing its position to the enemy. This works best if your team is able to evade the enemy without giving away the Teleporter's location either.
  • Placing an inaccessible Teleporter Exit and defending the Entrance effectively denies Spies to destroy the Teleporters by sapping them. The Spy isn't able to get to the Teleporter Exit unless you let him teleport there, and since you defend the Entrance he can neither do that nor simply sap the Teleporter Entrance undisturbed.
  • On some rooftops, a carefully placed Teleporter Exit can neither be seen nor shot with most weapons from below. Even if your new base is destroyed, only Demoman will be able to destroy this Teleporter Exit that they still can't see from below.
  • If the enemy succeeds in destroying your Teleporter Exit but your level 3 Sentry Gun stayed up, you will often be able to Rocket Jump back up to your base again easily.
  • If Spies harass you after using your Teleporter, you might rather destroy the Entrance denying them the possibility to reach you. However, most of your team won't be able to get to you either and you have to re-build the Entrance or Sentry Jump again each time you want to get back up.
• Have your team distract the enemy to give you time for a Sentry Jump and setting up a Teleporter Exit or a full base afterwards. You might also team up with another Engineer who'll haul an upgraded building through your Teleporter as soon as it's ready.
• Beware of Rocket Jumping Soldiers or Sticky Jumping Demomen. Although generally you should look out for other Engineers as well, these two are able to get to you without much of a setup. Some locations can also be reached by FaN and Double Jumping Scouts.