Basic Engineer strategy

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Start prayin', boy! Click to listen — The Engineer

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The Engineer has the unique ability to construct Buildings. Although he possesses a weaker set of weapons, his Sentry Gun is more than enough to fend off multiple enemies. His Teleporter system sends teammates to the front lines, while his Dispenser heals and supplies ammunition. After constructing a building, he can pick up and haul it to a new location, allowing him to keep his base alongside an offensive push. The Engineer and his buildings will frequently be targeted by Demomen and Spies. A well-timed enemy ÜberCharge, in particular, can quickly ruin all of his hard work. When his buildings are destroyed, it is most important that the Engineer makes it out alive so that he can reconstruct his base. A good Engineer will place his buildings in strategic locations and not be afraid to get his hands dirty defending them.

Primary weapons

Shotgun

The Shotgun is a deceptively powerful weapon at close to medium range. Use it to defend yourself when alone and scare off enemies that your Sentry Gun cannot target, such as disguised Spies. Out of your available primary weapons, the Shotgun deals the most consistent damage.

Frontier Justice

Barring magazine size, the Frontier Justice is statistically identical to the Shotgun. You'll get the most of the Frontier Justice if you place your Sentry Gun in an offensive position, where it should be able to get a few kills or assists before being destroyed and granting you Revenge crits. Even if you have stored up a great number of Revenge crits, the small magazine size in addition to the threat of losing all of them upon death will prevent you from going on a mini-rampage. Although you can destroy your own Sentry Gun and still receive Revenge crits, the firepower of your Sentry Gun is generally more valuable.

Widowmaker

The Widowmaker consumes 30 metal per shot, but will refund metal based on how much damage you deal. Accurate shots at close range will usually yield far more than 30 metal. Medium to long range shots, however, will generally yield close to or below 30 metal. Unless you have good accuracy, you'll generally be inefficient if you fight at the frontlines with this weapon and will often find yourself out of metal. It's best used when defending your buildings, as your Dispenser can replace most metal you lose from firing the Widowmaker at a distance. Equip the Pistol alongside the Widowmaker so that you have a reliable ranged attack even when out of metal.

Pomson 6000

When compared to the Shotgun, the Pomson 6000 is less effective in direct combat; it deals reduced damage at close range, has a smaller magazine size, and its projectiles are slower than standard bullets. However, it is accurate and reloads quickly, so you can use it to harass enemies at a distance. The Pomson 6000's true value lies within its utility; a Medic or Spy shot by it will lose a small portion of his ÜberCharge or Cloak meter, respectively. This can be used to prevent them from attacking or escaping your team, particularly when dealing with the standard invincibility-granting ÜberCharge or Spies using the Dead Ringer. Consider using the hitscan Pistol alongside it so that you have a more reliable weapon for self-defense.

Secondary weapons

Pistol / Lugermorph

You have a tremendous supply of Pistol bullets, so feel free to spam them to fend off enemies, check for Spies, or protect your Sentry Gun. Its effectiveness at medium range makes it combo well with Combat Mini-Sentry Guns.

Wrangler

When the Wrangler is your active weapon, your Sentry Gun will take less damage and can be aimed manually. Thus, it can give your Sentry Gun extra staying power, even if you can't see it, and allow it to attack enemies outside its normal range. Deactivating the Wrangler will disable your Sentry Gun for 3 seconds, so you need to use deliberation when deciding to use it. Don't be afraid to allow your Sentry Gun to function normally; its AI is more aware and accurate than you are. By commanding a level 3 Sentry Gun to fire rockets at yourself, you can Sentry jump to unusual locations.

Short Circuit

The Short Circuit only deals minor damage but can destroy enemy projectiles. It's particularly useful for defending your buildings or teammates from rockets, grenades, and even Stickybomb carpets. Because it draws from your metal supply for ammunition, you should stay near your upgraded Dispenser so that you always have a shot to fire.

Melee weapons

Wrench / Golden Wrench / Saxxy

Hitting buildings with your Wrench will cause them to build twice as fast. When playing as the Engineer, the game prioritizes repairing buildings over melee combat; if you attack an enemy Spy who is standing next to a friendly structure, you will hit the building instead of him. Use your Shotgun, which deals greater damage, to dispatch nearby foes instead.

Gunslinger

The Gunslinger grants you additional maximum health and replaces your Sentry Gun with a cheap, rapidly constructed Combat Mini-Sentry Gun. The Gunslinger is great when on the offensive or when you don't have enough time to construct a full Sentry Gun; after laying down a Mini-Sentry Gun near an enemy, support it with your own gunfire or the Wrangler. While the Gunslinger can deal a guaranteed Critical hit upon landing three successful consecutive attacks, entering melee combat as the Engineer is risky and a loaded Shotgun can still deal more damage-per-second at point-blank range.

Southern Hospitality

Unlike other Bleed-inflicting melee weapons, the Southern Hospitality retains a full 65 initial damage while remaining a reasonable choice in terms of survival. Upon hit, the inflicted bleed will deliver 40 damage over the total period of 5 seconds, which without the victim healing, totals around 105 damage from a single hit. The visual effect caused by Bleed highlights any offending Spies, making defending your buildings against them easier.

The downside to using this weapon is -20% fire damage vulnerability on the user. While a direct encounter with a Pyro usually results in death anyway, this downside will have its greatest effect if a Pyro manages to catch you in its flame briefly while you are defending your buildings, and you have no Dispenser or nearby Medics or Health kits.

Jag

Hitting a building with the Jag increases the construction speed to 15% (bug) that of the stock Wrench. However, it suffers a -25% damage penalty. While the overall building speed increase is approximately 0.9 seconds, it only hits 50 damage in a normal hit instead of the stock Wrench's 65; this makes the difference between killing a Spy on full health in 3 hits instead of 2. Therefore, the Jag primarily excels when an Engineer decides that the rapid replacement of buildings is important, while choosing to defend himself with another weapon.

Eureka Effect

The Eureka Effect allows you to use alternate fire to teleport back to your current spawn room at the cost of no longer being able to haul buildings. You can combine its teleport with your own Teleporter system to instantly restock your metal supply, particularly useful when you're constructing a fresh set of buildings. Additionally, if the teleport's moderately long animation isn't interrupted, you can use the Eureka Effect to escape dangerous situations. To compensate for the inability to haul buildings, you'll either need to use your teleports to quickly rebuild bases or ensure you're already camped out where you want to be.

Buildings

You are most valued for your Buildings, which all have a sizable impact in a battle. It takes time to fully set up a base, which means you need to choose how to spend your time accordingly. Because the Sentry Gun provides most of your firepower, you'll want to fully upgrade it first in most situations. If your teammates can hold the line without the aid of your Sentry Gun, consider upgrading your Dispenser or Teleporter system first to further aid them. If any building is in danger of being destroyed, you can haul it away; it's sometimes more important to save an upgraded Sentry Gun than to stall your enemies.

Sentry Gun

It's best to place Sentry Guns in well-frequented areas to prevent enemies from passing entirely. When placing a Sentry Gun, note where it can shoot and where the enemy can fire from. If a Sentry Gun is placed out in the open, it can cover more ground but will be left more vulnerable to attackers. If placed in a corner, it is naturally protected from flanking by walls, but can only focus on a certain angle of the battlefield. The difference between excellent and average Sentry Gun placement can be very small. For example, moving it even a few inches can keep it from being picked off by Soldiers or Snipers. If you place your Sentry in a more unexpected position, such as looking down holes in ceilings, narrow hallways, or around sharp corners, make sure to compensate for what the Sentry cannot reach with your Shotgun.

Combat Mini-Sentry Gun

Due to their small size and quick build time, Mini-Sentry Guns can often be placed in positions that a normal Sentry Gun cannot and perform exceptionally well when laid in concealed areas. These advantages, coupled with the bonus health the Gunslinger provides, allow for relatively aggressive play. They only cost 100 metal to deploy, so you should be able to provide a constant source of suppressive gunfire. Don't hesitate to place them out in the open as distractions or to cover a retreat; players tend to fire at them before you. They are far less useful when placed in defensive positions, where their reduced firepower won't be able to fight enemies off.

Dispenser

A Dispenser is typically the first building you want to construct so that you have a stable source of metal. Placing Dispensers in forward locations will keep teammates healthy and allow them to hold an area for a long period of time. Additionally, because the Dispenser is a solid object, you can hop on your own Dispenser to climb to inaccessible places or block narrow passages from enemy Spies.

Teleporter

Always have a Teleporter system active to help a steady tide of reinforcements reach the front lines, even if the distance covered is short. Rotate the Exit so that it faces away from a wall and allows teammates to see the battlefield immediately upon coming through. Be aware that the Teleporter Exit's placement can impact the flow of battle; sending teammates to poor locations will weaken both your offense and defense. If either Teleporter member comes under fire, hitting one end with your melee weapon will repair the other. If guarding your buildings, refrain from standing on your Teleporter Exit, as enemy Spies are able to come through and telefrag you.