Community Mercenary Park strategy

Mercenary Park
Basic Information
Map type:	Control Point
File name:	cp_mercenarypark
Released:	October 20, 2017 Patch (Jungle Inferno Update)
Developer(s):	Valve
Map Info
Environment:	Jungle
Setting:	Daylight, overcast
Hazards:	Crocodiles, Pitfalls
Deep Water:	Yes
Bot support:	Yes
Map Items
Health Kits:	×2  •   ×14
Ammo Boxes:	×1   •    ×11   •    ×5
Map Photos
Map Overview

This article is about Community Mercenary Park strategy.

Note: It is recommended to read the main Mercenary Park article first to become familiar with the names of key map locations used in this article.

General strategy

Offense

This strategy guide will be told from the Blu's point of view

Point A

• After the round starts and the gates open up, the Blu team should be aggressively pushing out of their spawn in order to capture the Playground - a large open area just outside the Visitors center. Capturing this area should be an easy thing to do; for there are three ways to enter it, its open and spacious and it contains no Health or Ammo packs for the Red to use. After swiftly conquering the Playground, the Blu can now move onto capturing the next important location: the Mann.Co building.
• Mann.Co building acts as transfer station to the A point, meaning that you simply have to go through it in order to reach the first capture point. Furthermore, the second floor of this building provides access to the Catwalks, an important piece of high ground directly above the A point. Because of this, its imperative that the Mann.Co building it taken control of in order to continue the Blu's advance.
• Mann.Co complex can be easily captured by seizing control of its second floor. To accomplish this, the bulk of the Blu team should use an outdoor stairwell on the building's left side, and reach the second floor that way. Doing this will garner large attention from the Red team, making them prioritize defending that side of the building. Meanwhile, a small group of Demomen and Soldiers should Rocket jump through a tiny window located on the Mann.Co's right side, allowing them to cause mayhem and panic in the Red team's backline. With enemies attacking them from two opposite sides, the Red team will slowly be squeezed out of the Mann.Co building for good.
• From now on, taking control of the first point should be an easy task. With the capture of Mann.Co building, the Blu team now has access to Catwalks and the areas below them, allowing them to quickly flush out any remaining Red members defending the A point.

Point B

• The second control point, the Lab, is positioned in the middle of another building complex with two floors. There are multiple ways to capture the Lab, but once again, the easiest way to do it is to take control of its second floor. A set of stairs behind the left most shutter door and the aforementioned Catwalks are the two routes Blu can use to reach the so desired upper floor.
• Once the swift conquering of the second floor has been completed, the Blu team now has two advantageous routes they can use to capture the B point itself: The Server room and the Staircase. The Server room is important since it provides access to a set of platforms hanging above the second control point, which grant huge high ground advantage to whoever is holding them. Meanwhile the Staircase provides a direct path from the second floor to the Red's backline, opening up flanking opportunities for the Blu.
• Once more, capturing the B point is all about coordinating an assault from two directions. One part of the Blu team should head towards the Server room and bombard Red's from the high ground, while another group of Blu members make their way down the Staircase in order to surprise Red defenders from behind.
• This combined assault from multiple directions will usually result in the crumbling of Red defenses, thus allowing the Blu team to capture the B point.

Point C

• Now its time to move onto the final capture point, the Test Pit. There are three ways for the Blu to access the Test Pit. The most direct route of them all is through the Elevator Shaft in the middle. Other than that, two other routes can be found branching of from the YTI Room: the Ventilation Shaft and a path leading directly to the Platform - an elevated position just behind the C point.
• All three of these routes have their advantages and disadvantages. The Elevator Shaft is the quickest path to the last control point, but its also the most dangerous one duo to it being a Chokepoint. In addition to being cramped and dangerous to traverse, managing to go through it will only land you on the low ground - in front of the entire enemy team. Duo to this, its advised to never take this route unless you have an ÜberCharge ready to go.
• Other two routes are more interesting as they both branch of from the YTI room and have flanking potential. The Ventilation shaft will sneakily take you either under the Platform or behind it, while another path will take you straight to the Platform's left side.
• In general, the best way to capture the final control point is to quickly take over the YTI room, and then shove the entire Blu team down the previously mentioned flank routes. Majority of the Red team will be positioned up on the Platform, so using the path which directly takes you to the Platform's left flank will surely threaten the Red defenses over there. In addition to that, some Blu members can make their way through the relatively concealed Ventilation Shaft, in order to surprise Red's from below and behind. Usually, this simple flanking maneuver will be enough to overcome the defenders and capture the point, but if it doesn't work out, then the Blu has one more trick up the sleeve.
• When the Red team members get attacked from behind, below and even from the side, they will get preoccupied and leave the previously impassable Elevator Shaft unguarded. This will allow for a small percentage of the Blu team to make their way through this chokepoint and deliver the finishing blow to the Red from yet another direction. Ultimately capturing the point and winning the game.

Defense

This strategy guide will be told from the Red's point of view

Point A

• The Red strategy for the first control point revolves around holding the Mann.Co building, thus denying the access to the A point or the Catwalks for the Blu.
• Upon the beginning of the round, its recommended for the Red team to simply retreat out of Playground. Its a difficult area to hold onto duo to having lack of cover, no Health or Ammo packs and being in near proximity to the Blu's spawn. Its better to fall back to the Mann.Co building and organize a strong defense then it is to die defending a pointless area.
• Be prepared to hold onto the Mann.Co building for your dear life if you don't want to lose the first control point. Set up a strong defense on the building's second floor and watch out for the two possible routes the Blu can use as means of accessing it - an outdoor stairwell on the building's right and a small window on the opposite side.
• Even if the Mann.Co is captured, its still worth holding on to the Catwalks adjacent to it. The Catwalks play a big role in capturing the first point, and while keeping them away from the Blu can be difficult, a few excellently positioned Soldiers and Demomen can waste a lot of Blu's time.

Point B

• Once again, its important to secure the second floor of the Lab, as it offers two powerful routes the Blu can use while attempting to capture second control point. However, retaining control of the Lab's upstairs is difficult, if not downright impossible to accomplish.
• Because of this, attempting a strong defense up there is rather futile. Instead, the Red team should take advantage of the fact that there are only two passages leading from the upper floor to the B point, making it possible to lock them down and prevent the Blu's from using them. For example, the gate serving as the exit of the Server room can be Sticky trapped, meanwhile the room to which the Staircase leads is quit open - making it a good location for Sentry Guns.

Point C

• When retreating from the B point, its imperative that you capture the YTI room duo to the two devastating flanks branching off from it; the Ventilation Shaft a path leading straight to the Platform. Denying the Blu from accessing these two avenues leaves the Elevator Shaft as their only route to final. And as mentioned before, the Elevator Shaft is something the Blu would want to avoid using duo to it being an easily defendable Chokepoint.
• In the event that the YTI room is lost, either prepare for a more then likely defeat or use all your strength to regain at least a part of it. This can be done by either approaching it directly, or using the Elevator Shaft and a staircase just left of it in order to flank behind the attackers situated in the YTI.
  • Also watch out for any Sentry nests which could pop up in the Ventilation Shaft.

Class-specific strategy

Scout

• A Blu Scout will need to play smartly on this map. There aren't many open areas to exercise your great mobility, forcing you to adapt to a much more flanking orientated playstyle.
  • Take advantage of the Playground when the round begins. Its a very open location where you can comfortably duel and guarantee success over your opponents. When the fight inevitably transfers over to the Mann.Co building, it is recommend to avoid going to the second floor where it's cramped spaces, which are the center of both teams attention, won't ensure your longevity. Instead, you can try flanking through the ground floor in order to sneakily reach the other side of the building. Once you're there, you can either: attempt to cause a distraction by capturing the point, or climb back up to the second floor and attack the Reds from behind.
  • There are a couple of things you can do when attacking the B point with your team. If your team has captured the second floor of the Lab, you can use the Staircase to flank behind the Red's line of defense. Alternatively, sticking to the first floor and engaging enemies in a large area just in front of the B point itself also works, just don't let the Sentry Guns positioned on the Loading Bay see you.
  • Attempting to capture the final control point requires patience, since the entire area around it will usually be heavily guarded by an array of enemy Sentry Guns. Until they get taken down, your capability to contribute to the battle is minimal. You can maybe participate in the fight for the YTI room and use its Ventilation Shaft as a means of stealthy transportation, or perhaps drink the Bonk! Atomic Punch in order to distract the Sentry Guns for your team, but either way you can't do much. However, if the Sentry Guns do get destroyed, your capabilities increase drastically. The area where the final capture point lies is very open and spacious, in addition to being filled with all kinds of obstacles and props. This makes it a near perfect environment for the Scout who, upon the removal of the Sentry Guns usually located there, can thrive in such a location.
• As a member of the Red team, your primary focus should revolve around flanking as well, but also denying the Blu members from doing the same.
  • Just as your Blu counterpart, take advantage of the Playground, as that is one of the few open areas you'll encounter. Even when the Mann.Co building becomes the main battleground, you can still sneak into the Playground and cut off Blu reinforcements to the building. After the Mann.Co falls into the Blu's hands, you can play directly above the A point by constantly jumping between the Catwalks and the top of the Shipping Crates. Doing this will hopefully make you a big enough obstacle in order to prevent the Blu from capturing the high ground over the first control point.
  • When defending the second capture point in the Lab, its advised against heading up to the upper floor, as its low ceilings and tight spaces will severely restrict your movement options. Instead, wait for the attackers in front of the Red's first spawn where they'll be descending down to via the Staircase. Your other option is to play around the point, in an area which is also quit open and unconstrained. Just watch out for enemy attacks coming above you from the Server room.
  • When defending the final point, you can't do much. Both of the routes leading to the Pit are better defended by explosive wielding classes then by Scouts. Your time to shine comes when enemies breakthrough your team's defenses and start to capture the C point. Then you can engage them in an area much better suited for your type of combat.

Soldier

• On the Blu team, your main objective should be to use your Rocket Jumping ability in order to reach key high ground positions which the remainder of your team can't. You should also aid your Demomen in destroying Red Sentry Gun nests.
  • When the round starts and fighting begins, first major objective of your team will be to capture the Mann.Co building, more specifically, its second floor. While you can use the route other team members will use to access the aforementioned upper floor, there is another path which you should take instead. On the building's right side there is a small window you can rocket jump through and land yourself in the Red's backline. From there, you'll be able to cause chaos and panic to an already preoccupied enemy. After taking over the Mann.Co building, you should move over to the Catwalks in order to rain down mayhem onto the remaining Red defenders and clear out the point.
  • Once again, trying to gain the height advantage by seizing control of the Lab's second floor is the safest way of capturing the second control point. After accomplishing that task, your next step should be to reach the Server room from which you can get a good angle on the Sentry nests positioned down on the Loading bay. If you want a quicker method of capturing the B point, simply pushing through the first floor and going straight for the point can overrun an incompetent enemy team.
  • While your team is capturing the B point, you should quickly head towards an area where the final Blu spawn is in order to climb a set of stairs located there. Once you've done that, you can either: bombard the Red players retreating through the Elevator Shaft towards their last defensive positions, or jump over them in order to quickly reach the YTI room and secure it for your team. Choosing the first option can grant you some free kills, but capturing the YTI room as fast as possible is of much greater strategic importance. You'll see that later when you will be able to get very good angles on the Red's defensive positions from the YTI.
• While defending, your task is to hold the high ground and keep it away from the Blu team. This is especially important on this map where many high ground positions also offer access to powerful routes.
  • On the first point, don't even bother going to the Playground and simply stay up on the Mann.Co building's second floor. From their, you can rain down rockets on anyone unfortunate enough to be below you. Bombarding the Blu members attempting to climb up via the outdoor stairwell can be particularly effective. Even after the Mann.Co falls, staying on the Catwalks and constantly trying to force yourself back into it can pose a real headache to the enemy team.
  • When defending the second point you want to, once again, stay on the upper floor and prevent the Blu from conquering it. This shouldn't be to hard of a task for you, considering the overall cramped nature of the second storey is exactly the kind of environment a Soldier would seek. Even after the second floor is captured, you can still harass Blu members up there by occasionally rocket jumping through a hole in the ceiling just behind the Staircase.
  • While you can focus on defending the YTI room alongside your team, its also important to remember that your explosive capabilities are needed for the protection of the Elevator Shaft as well. If the YTI room is captured, you can surprise the enemies in there by entering the Ventilation duct from the other end in order to suddenly emerge in the YTI. Just remember that you'll need to use your rocket jump in order traverse a vertical section of the Ventilation.

Pyro

• An offensive Pyro should primarily partake in supporting his team's push. While this map is pretty decent for him, abundance of Sentry Guns and large oscillations between low and high ground make it difficult for the Pyro to do anything on his own.
  • Upon the start of the round, be ready to Spy check common decloaking spots such as the one behind the left most spawn exit, or the one near the Gift Shop. After that, move alongside your team towards the Mann.Co building and use your compression blast in order to protect your teammates from enemy projectiles, while they're climbing up the outdoor stairwell. If you are still on the second floor when the Mann.Co building is secured, you can swiftly drop down from the Catwalks and cause mayhem among the remaining Red defenders.
  • Because of the way the second point is structured, you may be able to perform more riskier actions. The tight and narrow second floor of the Lab allows your flames to spread like Wildfire, meanwhile the Flame Thrower's compression blast can deal with any Soldiers and Demomen which you're likely to meet. If the Sentry Gun usually positioned there gets destroyed, you can jump down from the Server room and land right on top of the Loading Bay - where the majority of enemies will be located.
  • When attacking the C point, your ability to contribute to the fight will be severely limited. The last point will more then likely be filled with multiple Sentry nests, preventing you from even considering an attack. The best you can do is to simply support your team via: Spy checking, reflecting projectiles and extinguishing them.
• As a member of the Red team, countless flank routes and concealed paths allow you to organize an effective ambush. And without as much Sentry Guns to deal with, you're free to do almost anything.
  • On the first control point, you should stay in the Mann.Co building and support your team. Although your hands are much freer when you're on defense, you still need to be careful. In this case, running into the open areas of the Playground will quickly get you killed. When the Mann.Co building is captured, sneaking up to its second floor in order to ambush anyone up there will yield great results, as the cramped rooms will amplify your Flamethrower's effectiveness. Alternatively, you can hide in one of the Shipping Containers and wait for the Blu to start capturing the A point.
  • The second capture point is a fair bit more open then the previous one, take this into consideration when planning your next move. Choosing to stay on the low ground and defend the point itself isn't an excellent idea, as you'll be open to an attack from multiple directions. Heading up to the upper floor in order to contest it is a smarter move, especially when you take in to account just how congested and "chokey" the upstairs section is. If the second floor is captured, flank underneath it in order to end up behind the attackers.
  • The Ventilation Shaft present on the final control point is an excellent environment for an ambush. Its narrowness allows you to catch out anyone unfortunate enough to meet you in there, and the frequency at which it is used means that you'll get an never ending stream of victims. If camping in the Ventilation is not your thing, then you can help out friendly Engineer's by regularly Spy checking.

Demoman

• A Blu Demoman's primary concern should be about destroying Red Sentry Guns and shattering enemy defenses.
  • As a Demoman, your focus on the first point should be centered around the Mann.Co building, as your explosive weaponry can annihilate anyone in there. When your allies capture the Playground, quickly move forward and Sticky jump through a small window on the buildings left side. Doing this will land you right behind the Red team and their Sentry nests, allowing you to swiftly wipe them out. When the Blu team advances forward after seizing control of the Mann.Co, you can expect the new Sentry positions to be either: Behind the Shipping Crates, on the Catwalks or on the other side of the Docks.
  • The most common Sentry position on the B point is right on top of the Loading Bay, from which a Sentry has a direct view of the area in and around the point. While this position is certainly powerful, it can be easily destroyed by spamming it from the Server room. You can also use the Staircase leading from the second floor in order to end up behind the aforementioned position. Be wary though, doing this will lead you to a wide open area, where you'll be easy picking for any Scouts, Snipers or other classes. If your team doesn't have control over the upper floor, hence denying you the previous two options, ask a friendly Medic to ÜberCharge you and simply head straight for the point.
  • A good Demoman is often crucial when attacking the final point, as that is the place where Sentry Guns are the most abundant. The quickest way to obliterate the Red defenses is to, once again, find a Medic who can Übercharge you, and push alongside him through the Elevator Shaft. If however, your team doesn't have a Medic (Or one with an ÜberCharge at least), your only other real option is to destroy the Sentry Guns from the YTI room. Excluding that, a niche thing you can try to do is using the hole in the window of the Elevator Cage - just above the Elevator Shaft. If you aim your projectiles through the hole just right, they'll be able to hit some of the common Sentry positions. But doing this is very time consuming and leaves you prone to Spies.
• As a part of the Red team, your main job should be to stop the Blu team in their tracks, either by: controlling the chokepoints or by constantly showering the attackers with explosives.
  • During the battle for the A point, stay in the Mann.Co building and deny the Blu team from accessing its second floor. Pay close attention to the outdoor stairwell on the building's right side, as that is the most likely route the invaders will take. If the Mann.CO building is captured, retreat to the Catwalks and lay Sticky traps on the two exits leading to them, in order to further stall the Blu's attack.
  • Its important to retain control over the upstairs section of the Lab, when defending the second point. This section is quit "chokey" and tight, making it a near perfect environment for you. If however, your forced to stay on the low ground. Lay multiple Stickies on the gates leading from the Server room, as that is the exit Blu members will pass through when attempting to reach the high ground positions above the point.
  • Your task for protecting the final capture point is quit simple. Shove explosives down the Elevator Shaft, or the Elevator cage in order to protect the YTI room. Periodically check in the Ventilation Shaft for any sneaky Sentry nests set up by the Blu.

 Heavy

• There is a nice balance for Heavy on this map. You are at liberty to push more aggressively, as many of the direct routes still don't have long sight-lines. As always, however, overextending can be a death sentence, especially against a talented Sniper.

 Engineer

• Mercenary Park provides many good sentry spots for defending control points, but also provides good opportunities for assaulting them, too.
• At control point A, placing a sentry on the catwalks provides a good point of elevation to fire downwards at enemy targets attempting to capture or defend the point.
• Placing a teleporter in the room below BLU's first spawn allows the defending team to flank behind enemy lines and catch them unaware. Note though that all entrances lock except the top left entrance when control point A is captured.
• Placing a teleporter in the room above Point B makes an excellent place to assault the point, given the 1-way exit door and elevation over the point.
• Point C provides many invaluable sentry spots, such as on the shipping containers or in the corners below the metal balcony.
• A BLU Engineer, with the distraction of his team can go down the chute near control point C and set up a teleporter in the hallway behind point C, allowing his team to quickly flank around the defense. Set up a Sentry Gun to protect the teleporter.

Mercenary Park building spots

Note: It is important to understand what do the buildings with a white background and an orange circle represent. This overview is structured in such a way that it only shows the ground floor of the map, if there are any second floors or otherwise elevated platforms they will now be show, instead the ground below these second floors will be shown. For that reason orange circles and a white background has been added to some buildings. The orange circle is supposed to represent that the building is positioned on some sort of a second floor or an elevated platform which isn't show on the overview. So just keep in mind, when you see a building which has an orange circle, remember that that building isn't positioned on the floor it is actually shown on the map, but that there is a another floor above that floor which is that buildings actual placement. For example, on first point you can see two orange circled Sentry Guns positioned right next to the point. These Sentry Guns aren't actually right next to the control point but are actually positioned on a catwalk which isn't show here but is still running above and alongside the point.

 Sniper

The hole in the glass.

• While attacking the final point, taking advantage of the shattered hole in the elevator cage near the intersection on the second floor can be extremely useful for evading fire and catching enemies off guard, but key to this is making sure that your team has control of the second floor.
  • Be extra careful, as this spot can also be predictable to experienced players.

 Medic

• The right side of the lower elevator choke (opposite the medical procedure room) is a sheltered place close to the action for BLU Medic to do a lot of supportive healing and quick building of ÜberCharge. The RED Medic should be on the other side of the wall doing exactly the same thing.
  • Watch out for RED counter-pushes/BLU pushes as you are really close to a lot of the enemy.
  • The deck with the window to the medical procedure room is a possible secondary BLU Medic position on final.
  • The Health Kit on the RED side should be reserved for the Medic; he is going to need it.

 Spy

• This map is particularly noisy, with several locations of continuous or intermittent louder noise for masking decloaking sounds.
  • On the first point, the waterfall is particularly loud on the defender's side where RED Engineers are likely to have buildings. This noise can easily cover the decloak sound of the watches and sometimes the Dead Ringer, which can make it nearly impossible for someone to listen for decloak sounds to know there is a Spy attacking.
• There are a few rooms^[Which?] that players don't often visit, use these places to uncloak or hide.