Basic Heavy strategy

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I have plan for you: more pain! Click to listen — The Heavy

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The Heavy is the largest, toughest, slowest, shootiest class in the game. With a Medic, he wades in where others dare not. His usefulness as a shock troop on the front lines, defense breaker, and wide-area defender cannot be underestimated by either side.

General

• Remember that holding your alternate fire will keep your Minigun revved and ready to shoot at a moment's notice.

• Although the Heavy has a lot of Health, a well-placed Sniper shot can take him down in one hit. One should be wary when standing in wide-open places.

• As a Heavy you're always a prime target for Spies, so make sure to turn around often and Spy check.

• A Heavy standing next to a Dispenser can get a constant supply of ammo, letting him fire his Minigun without stopping.

• Though you do the most damage up close, you still do damage at range. A good aim is not required. Your spread will take care of that.

• If one is available, take a Teleporter. If the exit is placed strategically enough, you will always save time.

• Remember to team up with a Medic if possible. The extra health makes you both difficult targets.

Weapon Specific Tips

A list of useful tidbits about the Heavy's tools.

Minigun

• The Minigun, or Sasha, is a great ambush weapon; think of it as a Shotgun with a high rate of fire and no reloading. Try to ambush them around corners, higher places, or concealed areas.

• You can rev your Minigun at the start of a jump. This gives you a moment of extra speed, and can be useful when you expect an enemy to be waiting right around the corner.

• By the same token, few people expect a Heavy to fall from the sky with Minigun spun up and ready. Stages with vertical peaks such as Gravel Pit and Granary make great places to use this ambush strategy.

• If the enemy team has many combat classes, it is a better idea to take this over Natascha.

• At mid-range or closer, the Minigun has a higher damage output than any other weapon in the game, save for Critical hits and Backstabs. Keep this in mind and stand your ground when facing opponents one-on-one.

Natascha

• Enemies taking damage from her will find themselves moving slower for an instant, sometimes forcing them to face the Heavy instead of running away.

• It inflicts 25% less damage than the normal Minigun, so the Heavy will find that it takes longer to finish off enemies. It's best against light, fast classes.

• Watch out for direct combat against other Heavies with Sasha if you are using Natascha.

• Natascha can interrupt taunts, including taunt attacks and can also interrupt the consumption of "lunchbox" items such as the Sandvich and Bonk! Atomic Punch.

• The slowdown of Natascha also affects vertical momentum, meaning that any opponent trying to jump (including rocketjumps and stickyjumps) will fall like a stone if hit.

• Natascha can stop a charging Demoman in his tracks. You only need one hit, so this ability can be used to protect teammates from some distance.

• Eating the Dalokohs Bar with Natascha will boost your health by 50 hp and gives you a better chance against Sasha-wielding Heavies.

Shotgun

• The Shotgun is the maneuvering weapon of the Heavy. Use it when moving from point to point.

• If you believe the speed decrease and spin-up time of the Minigun will be a hindrance to a successful attack, switch to your Shotgun instead.

• If your team has lots of able-bodied Medics, then it is a better idea to bring this over the Sandvich, since healing yourself is not an issue.

• The Shotgun is great if you have low ammo and don't want to waste it on Spies or Pyros.

Sandvich

• If the enemies are coming in waves or your team has few Medics, bring this because you will need all the health you can get.

• Without your Shotgun, Snipers are much deadlier, and without a fallback weapon it makes the limited ammo supply of the Minigun all the more scarce.

• The healing powers of the Sandvich work great with the Gloves of Running Urgently. You can quickly switch to the Sandvich, throw it on the ground, and continue your run through the area in quick succession.

• You can use alternate fire to throw your Sandvich for a teammate, healing 50% of their max health and stopping burn damage/bleeding.

• You can pick up your own thrown Sandvich from the ground for instant healing.

• Picking up a health item while at full HP restores the Sandvich instantly.

• Share the Sandvich with your Medic.

Dalokohs Bar

• The Dalokohs Bar heals much less HP than the Sandvich and can not be shared.

• The Dalokohs Bar can be particularly useful for Heavies that can obtain a constant source of healing but lack a nearby friendly Medic for overhealing, such as near a Dispenser, resupply cabinet, or large health pack.

• Even though the Dalokohs Bar allows your maximum health to rise up to 350, Medics can only overheal you to 450, making the bar less effective when there are numerous Medics on your team.

Fists

• Fists are a fallback weapon, and are your only fallback weapon if you traded your Shotgun for the Sandvich or Dalokohs Bar.

File:Headshot heavy.jpg

Snipers can take out a Heavy with one fully charged Headshot, so keep out of their sights!

Killing Gloves of Boxing

• The slow swing speed coupled with the Heavies slow movement speed makes it a risky prospect. It is best to use it when you have an enemy cornered.

• However, if you do manage a kill, and you are in tight corridors, keeping using them while there are still enemies around, since any hit will instantly kill all but Soldiers, Heavies, and other overhealed foes.

• You can switch to your Minigun of choice or the Shotgun immediately after making a K.G.B kill and use the guaranteed Critical hits with those weapons instead.

• Keep in mind however that spinning up the Minigun eats up a lot of your Critboost time.

Gloves of Running Urgently

• Use the GRU to escape certain situations where you know you can't win without support.

• With the added speed, you can use trick jumps that the faster classes can do, like jumping onto the bridge on 2Fort.

• With a Medic healing you, you can negate the -6 damage penalty, and help their ÜberCharge build as well.

• Remember that the GRU does much less damage than standard melee weapons, so it may not be wise to get into a melee fight.

• Using the GRU to reach the front lines faster and keep up with a group of teammates is also a good idea, but make sure you you can heal!

• Use the gloves while ubercharged to reach enemy Sentry nests and other targets that are easiest to destroy at short range.

• When combined with the Dalokohs Bar, a Heavy can get a short burst of speed and stop when his health gets close to 300, so he would have taken no net damage.

See also

• Community Heavy strategy
• Heavy match-ups