Anti-Spy strategy

“

That's what my daddy taught me to do to backstabbers. Click to listen — The Engineer

”

The Spy is a cunningly swift espionage agent bent on stabbing everyone's back. The Spy's primary attack is his backstab ability which allows him to instantly kill any class in one hit from behind. The best defense against a Spy is good observational skills; Spies only have so many ways to infiltrate your team and experienced players can usually detect them if there is little to no combat occurring at the time. When caught, most Spies will try and escape rather than engage in a fight because of their limited attack capability. Keep in mind that Spies have different ways of cloaking and backstabbing, including the ability to fake their own death. Pyros are generally considered the first defense against enemy Spies due to their great Spy checking ability.

General

Attributes	Anti-Spy strategy
Role	Spies will usually try to get behind your team with their ability to Cloak and Disguise. Run and fire around corners and props in order to expose any cloaked Spies; should you find one, alert your team and try to kill him before he does any damage. Disguised Spies will not act like your teammates do; Spy-check often to avoid becoming the victim of an unnoticed enemy Spy.
Health	The Spy is quite weak, with only 125 health points. Once he is spotted, he should not be difficult to kill. However, he may fake his death using the Dead Ringer, so remain on guard.
Speed	Spies move at the speed of the class that they are disguised as, unless that class is faster than they are.
Power	The Spy is quite weak by himself, but if he passes by undetected, he can kill players instantly with a backstab. He also has the ability to see the health of enemy players, allowing him to pick off weakened enemies with his Revolver.

Weapon-specific

Main article: Spy weapons

Secondary weapons

Weapon	Anti-Spy strategy
Revolver + reskins	The Revolver fires quickly and accurately; make yourself a more difficult target by strafing from side to side. Increase the distance between you and the Spy so that his Revolver deals less damage.
Ambassador + reskins	A Spy using this weapon will use similar tactics to a Sniper using his Sniper Rifle. Use cover and make erratic movements to reduce your chances of getting headshot. Take advantage of the Spy's increased vulnerability due to the Ambassador's emphasis on aiming for the head, as well as its slower firing speed. Once the Spy shoots, there is a cooldown until it can headshot again.
L'Etranger	A Spy using the L'Etranger can attack to refill his Cloak meter, making him particularly elusive. Once you find a Spy, light him on fire or douse him in Jarate/Mad Milk to render cloaking useless. A Spy using the L'Etranger is more likely to flee a fight due to its reduced damage output.
Enforcer	Try to kill a disguised Spy before he can retaliate with the Enforcer, as the weapon's 20% damage increase allows him to match the Shotgun's damage. The Enforcer's 20% slower firing speed leaves a Spy more vulnerable to counterattack.
Diamondback	As the Diamondback stores Crits each enemy backstabbed, and for each building that is destroyed while being sapped, Engineers must be extra diligent in protecting buildings. Pyros with the Homewrecker or Neon Annihilator equipped are of great help in defending them.

Melee weapons

Weapon	Anti-Spy strategy
Knife + reskins	If you hear the screams of teammates behind you and notice their deaths as backstabs on the kill feed, turn around immediately to avoid being the next victim of a Spy ambush. The Knife does less damage than most other classes' melee weapons, so attack a Spy head on to discourage him from switching to his Revolver. Always keep an eye on the Spy while in close quarters combat; one false turn will give him a chance to backstab you.
Your Eternal Reward + reskins	Be careful traveling alone, as a Spy using this weapon can instantly replace you without your team realizing it. Traveling in a line is also very dangerous, especially if no one watches the back. As such, communication is vital. As Your Eternal Reward prevents use of the Disguise Kit, have your team set up multiple Sentry Guns to limit where enemy Spies can lurk for their first backstab(s).
Conniver's Kunai	If a Spy wielding the Conniver's Kunai has just left his team's base, he should be relatively easy to kill; if left unchecked, he could become a more formidable foe. You can locate one of these Spies by the presence of Overheal on an injured "teammate."
Big Earner	The Big Earner is similar to the L'Etranger, where a Spy will use either one (or both) to use hit-and-run tactics against your team; he becomes even more problematic if he also uses the Dead Ringer. Burn or douse him to render cloaking useless; killing the Spy should take less time, since the Big Earner reduces his health to 100 HP.
Spy-cicle	Look out for frozen corpses, and use fire to temporarily disable a Spy's Spy-cicle. Upon doing so, the Spy will generally try to hide until the weapon is reusable. Spy-check feverishly to find him before this happens. When the Spy-cicle melts, you can hear a loud extinguishing sound; further contact with flames during the two-second interval will still produce crackling noises. A disguised Spy will also still react as if he were on fire.

PDA weapon

Weapon	Anti-Spy strategy
Disguise Kit	Walk into your teammates; if you cannot pass through one, he is an enemy Spy in disguise. Occasionally attack your teammates, preferably with fire, Jarate, Mad Milk, or weapons that cause bleed damage; disguised enemy Spies will immediately be affected. For more info, see Spy checking.

Cloaking devices

Main article: Cloak

• Cloaked Spies can be revealed if they are doused, lit, or bleeding. Try using Jarate, Mad Milk, fire, and melee weapons that cause bleeding in areas where you suspect a Spy is hiding.
  • Emerging from water also compromises a Spy's invisibility. Try chasing a Spy in and out of water.
• The Invisibility Watch and Dead Ringer can be recharged by picking up ammo; Spies can pick up ammo even while they're cloaked. If health kits and ammo boxes are mysteriously disappearing nearby, there may be a cloaked Spy trying to elude you.
• Disguised Spies can receive health and ammo from enemy Dispensers, even while they are cloaked. Occasionally spycheck next to and/or above Dispensers.
• The Invisibility Watch and the Cloak and Dagger will show a silhouette of a cloaked Spy if he bumps into an enemy or is hurt (even by a fall); if a Spy's silhouette is revealed, press against him and/or attack to keep him visible until he is killed.
• If you hear voice responses near you from an unknown source, check the area around you for invisible Spies trying to confuse you.
• Spies make a fairly loud, distinct noise when they uncloak. Be sure to scan the area around you if you hear it, and spycheck teammates that appear shortly after the sound was made.
• If you see a Spy Cloak, die suspiciously, or otherwise escape your sight, alert your team and tell them (in team-only chat, so the Spy won't notice and change tactics) exactly where you are. If there are teammates nearby, call for help, and spycheck them just in case.

Weapon	Anti-Spy strategy
Invis Watch + reskins	If a Spy tries to flee with the Invisibility Watch, grab all surrounding ammunition boxes and dropped weapons to prevent him from increasing his cloaking time, and thus shortening the distance he can run before his Cloak deactivates. If you see ammo boxes and weapons disappear without reason, you may have a Spy around.
Cloak and Dagger	Spies using the Cloak and Dagger will often wait in corners or secluded areas to recharge their Cloak. Check those areas if you think a Spy is nearby. A Spy may also choose to hide near you, yet at a different elevation; anywhere you can reach, a Spy may be lying in wait, trying to catch you off guard. The Cloak and Dagger cannot pickup ammo to replenish Cloak; while this limits the distance he can travel, it can also make it harder for you to notice a Spy's presence.
Dead Ringer	The Spy gains a huge damage resistance bonus while cloaking with the Dead Ringer. Try to isolate and/or continuously inflict damage on him until his Cloak deactivates or he dies. Jarate and Mad Milk are not lost even if a Spy feigns death. Inflict one of these effects on a Spy before he activates his Dead Ringer. The Dead Ringer can only be activated when it's fully charged. When a Spy wielding the Dead Ringer uncloaks, he'll have between 0% to 40% charge remaining. Finish him off as quickly as you can, making sure he doesn't collect ammo, backstab someone with the Big Earner or shoot anyone with the L'Etranger. If you are fighting a Spy and he suddenly stops attacking, he is probably waiting for you to trigger his Dead Ringer. If you don't have the time or opportunity to simply wait until he attacks again, (have nearby teammates) prepare a way to reveal the Spy when he cloaks. When a Spy dies in one hit while running towards you, assume that he has used the Dead Ringer. The Dead Ringer can replicate or fake many in-game mechanics, but not all. For more information, see the "Feign death effects" section of the Dead Ringer article.

Buildings

• Keep special notice of your team's Teleporters. Left unguarded, a Spy can place a Sapper on one end and continue to replace those that are removed by the other end, eventually sapping more health than what an Engineer can repair and destroying both ends; this can deal a huge blow to your team.
• Pyros with the Homewrecker equipped are a great counter against Sappers; it only takes one strike to dislodge the device from a building, as opposed to the two strikes required by an Engineer's Wrench.
• Spies can put Sappers in the teleporter entrance and stay on top of it. If the Engineer doesn't pay attention, he can suffer a Telefrag.
• When Spies place a Sapper on a building, including in disguise; they will play a custom animation where the Spy or "Teammate" slap the Sapper onto the building. Keep an eye out for this if someone is sapping your team's buildings.

Weapon	Anti-Spy strategy
Sapper + reskins	A Spy can quickly replace any Sappers removed from the target building(s); locate the Spy (who is most likely in disguise) and kill him before removing his Sapper(s). An Engineer who needs to leave his buildings should have another Engineer or a Pyro guard them while he is away.
Red-Tape Recorder	The Red-Tape Recorder's ability to reverse a building's upgrades can leave many Engineers' creations vulnerable to destruction, and can ruin a team's defenses within seconds. Make haste in killing the offending Spy (or Spies) and restoring all affected buildings to their former efficiency. The Red-Tape Recorder does take a while to work. Instead of destroying the building, it downgrades it and eventually destroys it. This is used when a Spy wants to soften up the enemy's defences, instead of destroying them.

Telling Them Apart

See Spychecking for more strategies.

• Disguised Spies cannot enter your spawn area, watch teammates passing the door. If the door doesn't open or they cannot enter, it is most likely a Spy.
• Disguised Spies cannot fire the weapon they appear to be wielding. Heavies are therefore very obvious Spies in disguises.
• Disguised Spies will not be hurt by their teammates but they can be hurt by you. A stray bullet from your team may reveal the Spy.
• Conflicting items such as the SMG and the Razorback may be applied at the same time.
• Enemy Spies can't pass through you. If you bump into a teammate and can't pass through them, then they are a Spy.

See also

• Spychecking
• Team strategy