Community Spy strategy

The Spy is a class of trickery and deceit. Specializing in espionage and sabotage, he can backstab, cloak, disguise and sap buildings. Enemies performing Spy checking should be evaded, and, to avoid suspicion, a little bit of acting on your part can go a long way.

General

• Your Cloak and Disguises take one second to become fully effective. A common error is to step into an enemy's line of sight before the change is complete, and immediately getting shot down. You can tell when the change is complete by watching the picture in the bottom left of your screen. Because of this you cannot stab an Engineer and then cloak straight away to avoid Sentry fire.

• Try to disguise as a class which is easier to act like(eg.Don't pick Medic and Scouts.)

• After de-Cloaking, there is a three second cooldown period where you cannot use any equipment at all. This means you cannot attack or use the Sappers. Always take this into consideration before starting a sap or attack.

• The default Invisibility Watch take 1 second to cloak completely and one second to completely decloak and 10 seconds of cloak that is charged, so that's about 8 seconds of full cloaking (unless you recharge your cloak with ammo). Recharging from empty takes 30 seconds so keep that in mind when you are in an enemy base and you find a hiding spot.

• Any source of ammunition including building destruction will recharge the cloak of the default Invisibility Watch and the Dead Ringer, even if they are active. Level 1 dispensers will maintain the amount of cloak while cloaked, Level 2 dispensers will slightly increase the amount of cloak while cloaked, and Level 3 dispensers will increase the amount even more (you must be using an enemy disguise to use enemy dispensers, but the friendly dispensers will heal and refill your ammo in any case). The bomb cart Dispenser on payload maps will NOT refill your cloak meter while cloaked, regardless of disguise used. Using the aforementioned sources of ammo for cloak refills can greatly aid you in an escaping enemy territory after you've done your job.

• Use blind spots (areas where the player's view is cut off, this is normally a 90 degree angle) to recharge the Cloak if you are not using the Cloak and Dagger. An example of this is in 2Fort, in the corner next to the enemy entrances. Most people will run past without even looking in the corners, allowing you to recharge the Cloak time or surprise a group running across the bridge.

• Only your Cloak keeps you safe. Disguises are only temporary - never count on them because Spy-checking is so easy and everyone does it constantly. Only use Disguises when you are Sapping buildings or facing away from the enemy base. Also, to reduce the chances of being Spy-checked, Disguise as a class that would be where you are anyway, and try to act like that class.

• Avoid broadcasting the obvious signs of an enemy Spy, e.g. running against the crowd, or a Demoman standing nowhere near Sticky bombs, or an Engineer standing nowhere near buildings, or anyone standing around doing nothing. If someone does start shooting you, you can try to take him down with your Revolver, or Cloak and make a quick turn to escape (but don't forget the one second delay before your cloak is fully active).

• When disguised, enemy Sentries will not attack you and you can use enemy Dispensers. Enemy Medics can heal you if you fool them into thinking you are friendly. Note that you can still be harmed and killed by an enemy Sentry if it accidentally hits you while shooting at your teammates.

• Your most dangerous counter-class is the Pyro. Avoid them at all costs. They are as fast as you, their flames make your Cloak useless, and the Spy's suit seems to be extra-flammable. Pyros puff flames everywhere as Spy-checks, and if you bump into one he will immediately light you up. Plus they especially love to chase down and roast Spies.

• If you are on fire, immediately drop your now useless Cloak and run for healing (e.g. Health packs or enemy Dispensers). Hopefully you can escape or get lost in a crowd, although due to the Spy's low health, finding a health pack and cloaking to regroup should be your primary concern.

• Always go for your opponent's back with your Knife. Not only are Backstabs instant kills, your Knife is weak otherwise. If you have to go toe-to-toe, get the Revolver out; every other weapon in the game is stronger than the Knife. However, the Revolver is loud and distinctive, so you may want to stick with the Knife if you don't want to attract more attention.

• Don't underestimate the power of the Revolver. If you're being chased, run backwards side-strafing and firing into your opponent.

• Use the Revolver for sniping. A Spy makes a decent Sniper; at long range, damage is low but he has a good rate of fire and excellent accuracy. At long range, the Revolver can out-damage a Shotgun, and even a Heavy's Minigun if there is healing and some cover if the Heavy is dumb enough to stand there and keep shooting from a distance. A Spy with steady aim can also pick off fleeing Scouts.

• When targeting an enemy Engineer nest
  • The Engineer is behind his sentry: Stab the Engineer, sap the sentry before it turns around.
  • The Engineer is away: Sap the sentry, stab the Engineer as he comes back. Another alternative is to immediately start firing your Revolver at a sapped building to destroy it faster. For Sentry guns, this worked better before the December 20, 2007 Patch; with the new Sapper change, this doesn't work as well - even after a Sap and six rounds from a Revolver, the Engineer still has time to remove the Sapper and while the sentry kills you, since your disguise is gone.
  • The easiest way to take out an Engineer nest is to coordinate with your teammates. Have a friendly Soldier, Pyro, or Demoman attack the nest immediately after you sap the sentry.
  • When camping a sentry nest and the Engineer is nowhere to be seen, mouse over a building to find his name and check the scoreboard to see whether he's dead. If he's stuck in spawn you'll often be able murder his toys with impunity.

• One of the best ways to stop an enemy rush is to backstab the Medics, especially if they are close to a full Ubercharge. Quick suicide runs against enemy Medics can shut down an attacking team.

• If you happen to run into a Heavy and Medic pair, use your judgment to pick your target. If many enemies are around, the Medic is a higher priority as he can keep everyone healed. If the pair are on their own, stabbing the Heavy will leave the Medic completely defenseless. If the pair is pinning down a group of allies, it is best to kill the Heavy and allow your team to advance and possibly kill the Medic if you are unable to. If the Medic is following the Heavy though, getting the Medic first and then the Heavy in succession should be the default course of action.

• Snipers, and solo Heavies are usually easy targets for newer Spies, due to their low speed and movement when concentrating/firing. Also, eliminating Snipers makes it easier for your team to move into the enemy base. Repeatedly killing skilled Snipers when they are not protected by their team is a good way to make them change class!

• Always act like anybody on the other team can backstab you from any direction. Be very careful approaching people who aren't distracted by combat.

• You can perform an offensive strike when the action is intense and packed in a single area. Give yourself a Disguise and then Cloak yourself. Dodge around the pack of enemies, being extremely careful not to run into anyone, then de-cloak and turn around. Pick your targets and start backstabbing, starting with the one farthest back and moving up. You can chain several kills before the enemies turn their attention to you. There is a delay after every backstab before you can backstab again, so be careful not to overrun the last enemy.

• Disguising as someone on your side can be a good way to approach an enemy base. If you approach in an enemy disguise it is obvious you are a Spy, and if you approach cloaked, you are using up valuable Cloak time. Also, approaching as a fast and dangerous class such as Pyro can be used to scare enemy Spies and Scouts into avoiding you. Most of the time enemies will buy your friendly disguise if they spot you; use this your advantage. Cloak out of sight and get behind them, they'll be more open to being backstabbed/revolvered while focused on killing their imagined foe.

• When you disguise or change disguise, your body will be covered by smoke puffs visible to anyone (including enemies). If you are cloaked, this smoke can only be seen by teammates. However, if you have the Dead Ringer equipped, the smoke will linger if you disguise shortly before you are "killed," making it immediately obvious that you are still alive.

• If you step onto the enemy Intelligence, you will immediately pick it up and lose your disguise. This can get you instantly mowed down by enemy Sentries, so watch where you step when operating near the enemy Intelligence. Note that you cannot pick up the enemy Intelligence while cloaked.

• The name you appear under to the enemy while disguised, is the name of an enemy player that is playing the same class as the one you chose. If the enemy does not have the class you disguised as, it randomly picks any opposing players name (note this happens every time you change disguises). This can easily give you away, so always attempt to disguise yourself as a class that you know someone on the opposing team is playing.

• When an enemy sees you cloak, try and head in one direction, trick them into thinking you're heading one way, and then veer off and head a different pathway, causing them to chase nothing.

• When you disguise, your disguised health level (what the enemy sees) will mimic the health of the player that you are disguising yourself as at the moment that you equip the disguise; so if the Demoman that you are disguising yourself as is low on health, your disguise will appear to be as such, and the same applies if the Demoman is overhealed. You can increase your fake health level by being healed by a Medic, standing nearby the Cart (while on defense) or an enemy Dispenser, and picking up a medkit, but be aware that you will pick up medkits even if your disguise health is full, so try not to use them around enemies unless wounded as it may look suspicious that you picked up the medkit despite being at full health.

• Be aware of what you look and sound like, a Scout doing half the speed they should be doing is an obvious sign of a Spy, as is the firing of the Revolver and decloaking. Remember that everything, including the Sapper, makes a loud and a very identifiable noise that most skilled players will be able to recognize and locate. So try and avoid making overt Spy moves until you can cause significant damage to an enemies offense/defense.

• If nearby players are suspicious of you and try to shoot you (usually with a secondary weapon such as the SMG or Pistol, as not to waste primary ammo), they usually base their decision on your reaction. Try to pay them no mind, as turning around or panicking is a good way to blow your cover, simply keep walking. They will usually back off if you don't react or die within two or three seconds. (If it is a Pyro, ignore the above; run and shoot)

• Spies can choose which disguised weapon they display to the opposing team. This will allow for more convincing disguises, especially making choices such as the Medic more viable. An example tactic is having the Kukri out as a Sniper when moving through compact and enclosed spaces, where using a Rifle wouldn't make sense.
  • Weapon switching is done by pressing the "Last Disguise Used" button. This will change your "fake" weapon based on what weapon the Spy has out. Holding out the Revolver will change your "fake" weapon to that class's primary weapon (Scout Scattergun, Soldier Rocket Launcher... etc). Holding out the Sapper will change your "fake" weapon to that class's secondary weapon (Scout Pistol, Soldier Shotgun... etc). Holding out the Knife will change your "fake" weapon to that class's melee weapon (Scout Baseball Bat, Soldier Shovel... etc).
  • Weapon switching is instantaneous and does not emit any smoke or shimmers; it looks just as if the class had switched weapons. Use this to your advantage in further confusing your foes!
  • You'll only be able to hold out the primary, secondary or melee weapons; the Engineer's PDA, Destruction Remote Control and Toolbox (right before placing a building) as well as the Spy's Disguise Kit and Sapper tool will not be available for you to use as your "fake" weapon.
  • You will also wield whatever weapon your disguise target has, so if you are disguised as a Pyro wielding the Backburner, you will be carrying it as well.

• Spies can see enemy names and health when they are disguised. This can be used when planning on whom to kill or to predict where an enemy will go (an injured enemy is more likely to go toward a health kit). Spies can also see enemy Engineer's building's stats, including health and upgrade status.
  • Try using your Revolver instead of going for a backstab against a target with very low health. The ability to keep at a distance will allow you to score an easy kill without (completely) blowing your cover. If this is against a high threat target (Pyros, Demomen, Scouts, anything that can kill you quickly once they know you're there), all the better for your next backstab run!
  • You can also spot enemy Spies this way! Enemy Spies using cloak, regardless of their disguise, will show the Spies name and health. Of course, as you cannot see them, you'll need to scan around to keep a track of him, but this can be a great asset to your team by keeping a running tab on a dastardly Spy and keep your Medics and Engineers safe from their backstabbery! Be wary, though, as Spies using your team's disguise (same color as you) can also spot you too! Keep in mind that you need to assume an enemy disguise to see the Spy (friendly disguises or your normal Spy mode won't activate the enemy name and health display when you mouse over them).
  • The moment you lose your disguise by switching to a friendly disguise, attacking, or what-have-you, you won't be able to see the name and health display until you re-disguise.
  • You can also see the Medic's ubercharge / Kritzkrieg charge status! While it's always been somewhat obvious when a Medic is at 100% charge, it does help prioritize targets when that enemy Medic is at 80+% charge!
  • Try to single out the better enemy players and target them for assassination (Medics still have priority though). Sometimes you can stop a push in its tracks by killing the good player acting as its mainspring.
  • More deviously if the teams are uneven and the next player killed is due to be rebalanced to your side sometimes you'll be in a position to 'headhunt' a good player to your cause.

• If you know of an enemy Spy in your base, disguise as a Pyro of your own team. Most Spies will turn and flee, allowing for an easy Backstab. If he runs away facing you, either chase them out of your base, or into a group of teammates.

• If confronted while carrying the enemy Intel, just drop it and cloak, as you will rarely win a head-on fight. You can then get behind the enemy, backstab them, and pick up the Intelligence again.

• A Spy can be healed by an enemy Medic if he's disguised. Depending on the situation, Spies can get heals, and even get an UberCharge out of enemy Medics. The easiest way of achieving this is to wait for the Medic to gain an UberCharge. If his heal target dies, disguise as a target a Medic would normally uber (Pyro, Demoman, Heavy). The Medic is in hot water, being out numbered by your team mates without a heal target. In such situations, the Medic will be in panic, desperately trying to find someone to heal. The Medic probably won't even take the time to Spy check you. Once you're disguised properly, start calling Medic and see if you can get his attention. When he starts to heal you, simply walk to whatever your team is defending and tell your Medic to hit his uber charge. There's a high chance the Medic will waste his UberCharge on you.

Weapon Specific

Revolver / Big Kill

• The Revolver is the Spy's primary weapon. While not as useful as the Knife, it is still an integral part of the Spy's arsenal. A critical hit with this weapon does 120 damage, enough to kill all damaged classes with low default HP level, like Scout, Sniper, Spy and Engineer. It is also moderately accurate, enabling a skilled Spy to use it for medium-range sniping. It also has a very fast reload time.

• Use the Revolver for killing low-health classes when backstabs are not easy or possible (for instance, if a Sniper has their back against a wall). Additionally, it is a good getaway weapon: if you are being pursued by a Pyro, for instance, the Revolver is powerful enough at short range to take the Pyro down within 4-6 direct shots (fewer, if one of the shots is a critical hit). However, the majority of any Spy's kills will come from skilled use of the Knife.

• A good scenario for using the Revolver is to sap a lone building, then shoot the Engineer who comes to save his building (If the Spy can land 3-4 solid hits on the Engineer, the Engineer will die). The Spy can also shoot the sapped building to speed up the demolition process, but patches have made this less effective.

• Another good use is a get away weapon, since the Knife is both short ranged and will do even less damage in that range that is not a backstab.

• The Revolver can also be used to prevent Engineers from setting up buildings without having to get close enough to sap. Buildings can be destroyed with one or two shots if you shoot them right after they are placed, and because buildings are large, unmoving targets and the Revolver is quite accurate, the Spy can destroy them from far away so that the Engineer cannot find him(getting above the position works well).

• Remember that the Revolver is always 100% accurate (as accurate as a Sniper Rifle bullet) when putting a delay of 1.25 seconds (an accurate wait time is to hold down reload while firing the first shot, let the reload play, and when your ammo count goes back up to 6, fire again for a 100% accurate shot.). Use this to snipe buildings from far away, pick off wounded enemies, or to weaken far away enemies from a distance. Every long-ranged shot from the Revolver deals about 20 damage.

Ambassador

• The Ambassador is the Spy's unlock for the Revolver. Its headshots can be very useful, especially against distracted foes. If caught unaware, two headshots will prove lethal for any class aside from the Heavy (discounting Overhealing).

• Remember that the Headshot ticker icon shows the bullet coming from behind. This suggests that the developers may have intended the Ambassador to be something of a 'ranged backstab', and the weapon does work well towards that end.

• The Ambassador can also be used to "snipe" Engineer buildings from a distance, as an alternative to sapping. Remember, if an Engineer is working on the building, shooting the Engineer first is preferable.

• With good aim, the Ambassador can be deadly against a Scout. If you manage to headshot him at close quarters he will have only 23 hp left, so you can finish him off with a single slash of the Knife or another shot, as he may flee in search of health.

• The Ambassador makes the Razorback almost entirely useless; Assuming that the Sniper is not overhealed, a single headshot followed by a regular shot is enough to kill him.
• The ability to see enemy health is invaluable with the Ambassador. When it drops below half of its base value, the health meter is shown in red. Against all classes except Heavy, this means a guaranteed kill upon headshot.

Most, if not all, tactics concerning Engineers will only work if the Engineer is not surrounded by allies. Use these tactics wisely.

• A tremendously useful ability to have is the power to surprise an enemy Engineer. The worse the Engineer is at Spy checking, the better. An excellent way to check if an Engineer is in the vicinity is to cloak, run in, and survey the area before retreating. However, this technique is less effective with the Dead Ringer equipped, as you cannot cloak at will. When a lone Engineer is blocking an objective with a Sentry Gun, you can use the Ambassador to attempt to take out the Engineer at long range first, using nearby objects for cover. Most Engineers will not see it coming. An alternative strategy is to use the Engineer's own buildings against him. This can be done by disguising as a player with low health, and crouching near the Dispenser to heal your disguise, while simultaneously using the Dispenser as cover from the sentry. Using this strategy will allow you to eliminate the Engineer at close quarters, while being safe from his Sentry Gun's fire.

• A lonely Engineer building a Sentry can be easily killed by the Ambassador. Shooting him first in the head and then on any body part will kill him; afterward, you simply sap the building. Very useful if the Engineer is busy wrenching the said building.

• If an Engineer leaves his buildings unattended, some players may simply rush in and sap everything in sight. It is advised you do not do this, unless you are totally sure that the Engineer is dead or too far away to respond in time. What you should do is shoot at a building once, and then hide in cover to defend against the sentry. The Engineer may come rushing back to hit it with the Wrench, allowing you to then follow him back to wherever he was previously. Wait at the area and backstab him as he attempts to return to his buildings.

• A similar tactic is to find an enemy building outside of the sentry's field of vision and sap that, then pull out the Ambassador and wait. When the engie comes to remove the Sapper, quickly headshot him then shoot him, as the headshot is unlikely to kill him. Since it takes two whacks with the Wrench to remove a Sapper, you should have ample time.

Knife

• When you are basically guaranteed a successful backstab, the Spy will ready his Knife for a stab with a reverse-grip. If the Spy doesn't have his Knife in a reverse-grip, then you will simply do a low-damage slash. Always look for the change in grip before attempting a backstab if you're unsure if the backstab will actually register. It's best not to actually wait for this indicator, but it's a good indicator if you're just starting out playing the Spy.

• Before backstabbing a Sniper, make sure the Sniper doesn't have the Razorback. If he does have the Razorback, shoot him with the Revolver or the Ambassador. When the Sniper is under attack, it will take him a while to react and fight back giving you plenty of time to finish him off. It's also very easy to headshot a still Sniper from behind.

• If a Razorback wielding Sniper is standing beside a corner, it can sometimes be more rewarding to backstab the Razorback, then round the corner and cloak. When the Sniper finishes Spy checking (which they often don't do because they don't recognize the sound of a Razorback breaking, or they don't have sound on), come back and backstab them.

Disguise Kit

• The Disguise Kit is the Spy's major infiltration tool. See the Disguise page for more details on its use.

Electro Sapper

• The Electro Sapper is a tool used to take down an Engineer's buildings. There is an unlimited supply of these sappers, and there is no "reload" delay between placing them. Thus a Spy can continuously sap a building until it has been destroyed even if an Engineer is repairing it, since as soon as the Engineer knocks off a Sapper, a new one immediately replaces it. (And sappers still do damage during the 2 Wrench-hits it takes to remove them.)

• Holding MOUSE1 when using the Electro Sapper is enough to place another Sapper (after the first is destroyed or if you're aiming another building), from the moment you can reach the building (then the sapping emplacement is delimited in white).

• Spies can destroy their own sappers with the console command "destroy 4" (0-3 correspond to Engineer buildings). In most situations this is an undesirable and counterproductive tactic; but it can be useful for drawing an Engineer away from his nest, particularly now that Spies can take enemy teleporters. It can also be used to refill your cloak bar by picking up broken Sapper parts.

• The Homewrecker permits Pyros to remove Electro Sappers from Engineer buildings. This, combined with their Flamethrower's spychecking ability, will make your job much harder. Therefore, it is strongly advised to eliminate such Pyros before attempting to sap buildings.

Invisibility Watch

• Cloaking is the Spy's special ability. Right clicking (by default) activates the cloak, which renders the Spy fully invisible for enemy players. Players on the Spy's team can still see an outline around him. When cloaked, you can not use any of your weapons. Taking damage or running into an enemy will make the Spy flicker for a very brief period of time.

• The cloak is best used to get into an enemy base, where you should uncloak and continue being disguised. Cloaking takes 1 full second and uncloaking takes 3 during which you can be recognized by the enemy. Therefore, it is advisable to look for a safe and covered spot to uncloak. See the Cloak article for a more detailed explanation.

Cloak and Dagger

• Despite being less focused on movement, the Cloak and Dagger can be preferable to take on maps with not enough ammo boxes to get you past a large enemy front, such as if the enemy team has the center of Turbine.

• The cloak drain is based on how fast you are moving, however, it is capped at the Spy's normal walking speed, so moving any faster than that will not increase the drain rate. Though it is still not advisable to fall from great heights.

• You cannot pick up ammo boxes to replenish your cloak. Be sure to take this into account when attempting to infiltrate the enemy base.

• While it is possible to remain cloaked and sneak into the enemy Intelligence room, it is VERY slow and requires a lot of patience.

• With the Cloak and Dagger Spies can safely report important information to their team, such as the locations of Enemy Sentry Guns or Offensive Pushes, with a much lower risk of getting caught.

• While it is recommended to stay out of high-traffic areas while recharging your cloak, try to avoid the most obvious places. Don't hide in corners or crevices that have a good vantage point on the immediate area, as smart Pyros will regularly puff into these areas in order to flush out Spies. If possible, hide in an open area that is rarely traveled, as most enemies will never expect a Spy to hide out on the open.

• Standing on elevated terrain (such as on top of a crate, barrel, or rock formation) will prevent most enemies from inadvertently bumping into you, and give you a good vantage point, as well as a chance to run if you see an enemy approaching. It's also a fair defense against Pyros, since some don't Spy-check above eye level.

• If you have been discovered by an enemy, it is often best to stop, and then duck. If you have been discovered by a Pyro, then you should try to evade.

Dead Ringer

• The Dead Ringer makes a distinctive sound that lets all the enemies in the vicinity know that you are using the item. Try to uncloak in a safe location, then move in for the kill.

• To make feigned deaths appear more realistic, you can take fire for about a second, then pull out the Dead Ringer.

• While cloaked with the Dead Ringer, you take 90% less damage, and you do not flicker from enemy shots. Use this to your advantage when crossing chokepoints with a large amount of enemy fire.

• You can recharge your cloak with ammo, even while cloaked. However, be warned that after 5 seconds (the normal time you would uncloak if you hadn't picked up any ammo) you no longer take a reduced 90% damage.

• Remember, with the Dead Ringer, you can't cloak on demand. When possible, take the high road in maps such as Pipeline and ease into enemy territory. A fairly safe choice of disguise when doing this is disguising yourself as an enemy Spy because Spies are expected to infiltrate enemy territory. To the naive team, you will appear as a Spy that is coming back to resupply.

• The Dead Ringer is most effective when the enemy is very close by. When the game boils down to the last control point and the enemy is in your base, the Dead Ringer can be a better alternative than the Cloak and Dagger.

• A decoy tactic would be to use the Dead Ringer in combination with the Disguise Kit to fake the enemy Snipers into thinking you are a Sniper and wasting their headshots on you rather than your team's Snipers. You don't die from headshots, just resupply after being shot (it's easy to do on 2fort). Likewise, disguising as a friendly Heavy or other offensive class at the start-up gates and being on the front-lines ensures that not only do you take the initial hit that would likely kill a teammate, but you get a believable way to cloak past the front lines. Make sure to yell battle cries to further authenticate your disguise as well before the gates open.

• A useful tactic for using the Dead Ringer is to equip it during the beginning of payload maps, this allows you to run through enemy defenses relatively easy without anyone noticing that you are a Dead Ringer. It also helps your team by getting rid of sticky bombs at the door, as most demo men will blow the stickies at the first sight of an enemy.

• The Dead Ringer comes with its own unique style of terror, as you can tell when your teammates spot a Dead Ringer they tend to warn others that there is a Dead Ringer. This can be useful to both your team as well as yourself, allowing for you to cause several wild goose chases. The more confused your enemy is the easier it is to uncloak, however this does tend to bring more Spy checkers into the game, so switching between Dead Ringer and Cloak and Dagger is a good idea.

• The Dead Ringer can be held up when capturing a point, carrying enemy Intelligence, or pushing a cart on payload map, making it a relatively safe method for doing so, especially in combination with friendly unit disguises. If you are hit by enemy fire that causes the cloak to activate, however, you will drop the intel/cease to capture the point until you uncloak again.

• A fairly effective tactic is to use ammo boxes to your advantage and constantly cloak and uncloak while picking up ammo boxes, so as to replenish your cloak. Since the Dead Ringer removes 90% of damage taken, this tactic can be used for an incredibly long time. However, with a recent patch, the Dead Ringer cannot be fully recharged with a Large Ammo Box.

Also, once the Dead Ringer's initial cloak duration (approximately 6.5 seconds) is up, you will no longer benefit from the 90% damage reduction, nor the 'flicker-less' cloak effects.

• When on fire, don't immediately pull out the Dead Ringer. Unless you were at extremely low health, an immediate death due to fire will look suspicious. It is much more effective to escape the Pyro and cloak while out of it's view. Simply turn a corner or jump off a ledge to escape, then use the Dead Ringer to make your "death" look more authentic.

• The Dead Ringer can be helpful for dealing with Soldiers. Smart Soldiers will constantly spy check suspicious team mates by firing two well placed rockets at them. Since it only takes two rockets to kill you, this can make playing as Spy difficult. Because of this the Dead Ringer can be a life saver against teams with a lot of Soldiers.

• If you are waiting for your foe to come to you, or are otherwise out in the open and undisguised, keep the Dead Ringer active. An enemy Spy may attempt to kill you with his own backstab, and thus you'll have baited him out of hiding for a few moments, and may even catch a glimpse of his next disguise.

• Using the Dead Ringer will always cost you at least 60% of its charge, regardless of whether you de-activate it before that amount of charge is used. As such, you should maximize the time the Dead Ringer affords you, rather than simply flicking it on and off.

• When using the Dead Ringer, if you choose to not take the high or back roads it is better to disguise as another friendly class rather than an enemy one as a the other team will become suspicious if they see a disguised Spy ruining straight towards the front line.
• When you are at full health, only activate the Dead Ringer if an enemy is after you and firing at you. If he shoots you once without you cloaking, and then shoots you a second time and sees you die, they'l be more convinced that you are actually dead.

Sentry guns

• A sapped Sentry Gun cannot fire. If the Engineer is standing next to them, you have several options:
  • Sap the Sentry and then run out of the room with the Intelligence (or try and cap a fast-capping/partially capped point) (but remember: Be careful if the Sentry is close to the Intelligence; if you accidentally touch the Intelligence while disguised, you will lose your disguise, and the Sentry will attack you).
  • Sap the Sentry and stab the Engineer if he goes to repair it. If he is already in position and repairing the Sentry, the Sapper will be removed before you can switch to the Knife and backstab. If he is out of position, you will have time to make the attempt. If he is in position and is repairing the Sentry, all you can do is run for it, or keep putting new sappers on the Sentry. He will keep removing them as you place new Sappers, but it takes a long time to destroy a Sentry this way. You will almost certainly be spotted by a teammate of the Engineer and be killed without destroying the Sentry.
  • Your Revolver can destroy sentries at long range well (due to no damage falloff against buildings). Firing at a Dispenser first is the key to succeeding; once it's down, fire at the sentry. With your cloak you can move around and try shooting from different angles, finding nice hiding spots where no one notices you firing is the key to succeed. When an Engineer first deploys a building it's vulnerable to damage, one or two Revolver shots will take it down fast before the Engineer has time to set it up. Note that Sapping the Sentry and then immediately unloading your Revolver into it, worked well until the December 20, 2007 Patch, which reduced damage done by the Spy to the Sentry he sapped, now the Sentry does not go down and the Engineer has time to save it and then the Sentry will kill you. Your Revolver does more damage against buildings that aren't sapped, so if you find a lone Teleporter or Dispenser and Engineer isn't far off shooting it without sapping it is the best course of action. But when there isn't any Engineer near by, sapping it and running away is the best way to avoid been spotted.
  • In certain situations, a Sentry may be built so close to the cap point that you can reach it while capping. In this instance, you can quickly sap the Sentry, undisguise, and resume sapping the Sentry over and over. However, watch out for the Engineer breaking the capture with his body. Watch the Spy Guide Part#2 Engineers: Section 2 by [ESG] Orca to see how it's done.
  • Communicate with your teammates asking them to tell you via voice commands or voice chat when they need a Sentry Gun disabled, and then repeatedly sap the Sentry Gun.
  • A Sentry takes about a second to execute a full 180° rotation. If you are directly behind a Sentry and the Engineer is close to and facing his Sentry it is possible to take out the Engineer and then the Sentry. It requires that you backstab and as soon as the Knife hits the Engineer use the quick switch key to change to your Sapper and place one before the Sentry locks on. Strafe with the Sentry's rotation (remember that the Sentry will attempt to rotate as little as possible to shoot its target) so that you will have more time to place your Sapper. Note that due to lag, it is possible for the Sentry to shoot you between the actual placement of the Sapper and the Sentry being shut down. A level 3 Sentry will not always kill you immediately (although it has a good chance of doing so unless your reaction time is superb); however, it will still be sapped and most likely destroyed. Watch "How to play the Spy" for a demonstration.
  • If the Sentry and Dispenser are in such a position that you cannot reach the back of the Engineer for a backstab, try jumping on the Sentry or Dispenser and sitting on the Engineer's head. This is an ideal spot as it is in your victim's blind spot and will allow you to backstab him from above (and apply the stab and sap trick above). However, if the Engineer is crouched and tries to stand or jump, they will be unable to do so and suspect a Spy. At that range, a Shotgun blast or two will kill you instantly. This trick also works well against a Heavy taking the role of a makeshift Sentry.
  • A difficult trick is to take advantage of the fact that Engineers take damage from the gunfire of their own Sentry Gun. Stand in a position where the Engineer is between his Sentry Gun and you, then uncloak. You will die, but hopefully so will the Engineer. This is useful if the Engineer is in a position where you simply cannot backstab him.
  • A variation of this trick can be used against a common Engineer Sentry/Dispenser setup. Some Engineers like to sandwich themselves between their Sentry Gun to the front and a Dispenser to the back. Disguise as a Pyro (as if you are helping the Engineer Spy-check) and walk up behind him, so the Dispenser is between you and the Engie. As quick as you can, fire a few rounds into the Engineer with the Revolver. Duck as soon as the Engineer dies from the combined damage of your Revolver and the Sentry's fire. If done correctly, the Sentry will lose you as you hide behind the Dispenser. Re-disguise, sap everything and leave. Watch the Spy Guide Part#2 Engineers: Section 1 by [ESG] Orca for a demonstration of how this is done.
  • A usually difficult technique is to stab a sentry to death. It takes a bit of practise and won't work if there are enemies nearby to kill you. Essentially you crouch on top of a Sentry Gun and strafe around it so it does not lock onto you - it keeps tracking, and you repeatidly stab it until it dies. The reason this is difficult is because you have to time your strafing carefully to stop the sentry locking on; going too fast results in the sentry turning in the other direction and you not having time to react, and going to slow means it simply catches up to you. You can also do this just circling the Sentry Gun, but you'd need a rather large mousemat to pull that off.
  • The Engineer's Wrangler weapon permits the Engineer to control his sentry entirely. Take extreme caution, as many Engineers will spycheck with this, and it will make sapping the sentry much harder.

Dispensers

• Keep an eye out for Dispensers once you infiltrate the enemy base. They will still heal you and you can use them while your cloak is still active (when using the default Invisibility Watch or while cloaked with the Dead Ringer). In fact, all Dispensers above Level 1 can recharge your cloak even while you're cloaked. Level 1 Dispensers don't recharge your cloak but your cloak won't drain, either. Instead, it'll stay at the same level, giving you time to plan your next actions. Level 2 Dispensers recharge it slowly and Level 3 recharge it much faster, so Dispensers can be crucial to your plan. Note that the healing beam CANNOT be seen when cloaked and when next to a Dispenser - but be sure to watch out for Engineers, as they will constantly run back to their Dispenser, possibly running into you and revealing you. To avoid the Engineer, jump on top of the Dispenser instead of standing beside it. Be careful though, as his teammates can still run through it and, if they do, reveal your location.

Teleporters

• If you're disguised as an enemy and take one of your team's teleporters, the glowing ring and trail effect will not show up. Using friendly teleporters with friendly disguises will give you a ring and trail but these are removed when you next use an enemy disguise.

• Walking over an enemy Teleporter exit when someone uses it kills you, a term called telefragging.

• When you find an exit Teleporter, watch it to see which way players come out. Then stand behind the Teleporter and wait. When the next player comes out, backstab him instantly. He should report this to his team, but he'll be dead for a bit, so you can risk waiting a little for a second Teleport and kill, or you can just sap the Teleporter and leave the area. This is called tele-camping, which is usually frowned upon by most TF2 players.

• Due to the August 13, 2009 Patch whenever a teleport entrance or exit is sapped, the other automatically has a Sapper placed on it as well, regardless of their distance from one another. However, the Engineer can now remove sappers from both the entrance and the exit by using his Wrench on either. Although this makes it much harder for spies to get cheap points by sapping Teleporter entrances outside the enemy spawn, a successful Sapper on an active Teleporter will now give two points.

• If you see enemy Teleporter entrances and exits in unusual places (often near their objectives), it could mean you are walking into an Engineer's trap - many Engineers place their Teleporters inside their base as an early warning system, hoping that you will be unable to resist sapping them and will thus alert the Engineer to your presence. (One way you can trick the Engineer in this scenario is by firing 2-3 Revolver shots at it, or if the Engineer is close by, hit it with your Knife as it is much quieter, but not enough to destroy it. Engineers will almost always expect a Spy to sap it if anything, so this may throw off the Engineer who built it)

• As of the Sniper vs. Spy update, the Spy is now able to use enemy teleporters. This can be useful for getting into well-defended sentry nests and/or nests that would otherwise be unreachable.

• If you can time it just right, it's possible to sap an enemy Teleporter entrance just as it teleports you. However, due to the August 13, 2009 Patch this is rather pointless as you can achieve the same effect by taking the teleport and then sapping the exit. However, it does allow you to harass the Engineer as he attempts to knock your Sapper off.

• If you are lucky, you may manage to telefrag an enemy upon taking an opposing Teleporter. While this normally applies to your own team's teleporters as well if an enemy somehow stands on it without destroying it, the likelihood is higher as a Spy, as enemies may be clustered around the exit on the other side. In some cases, you may even be able to telefrag the enemy Engineer on the other side. However, be aware that telefragging will immediately alert the Engineer who built the Teleporter.

• A clever Spy can sneak his way to the enemy's Teleporter entrance, sap it, and then stand on it, waiting for an Engineer on the exit side to knock off the Sapper. Once the Sapper has been knocked off the Spy will teleport to the other side, telefragging the Engineer if he is close enough, and is free to sap any buildings the Engineer has built. This is a risky but effective way of taking down forward bases built by one Engineer.

• However, the above strategy becomes obsolete if there are two Engineers babysitting their buildings in the same location. The second Engineer will no doubt see/hear his buddy trying to repair his Teleporter and dying. There is usually no way to fight the second Engineer without the sentry guns swiveling and shooting you dead once you uncloak/remove your disguise. Your best hope in this situation is to either run, or sap BOTH the sentries as fast as you can, while avoiding the Wrench. If you're VERY lucky, you'll be able to get both of them, and then deal with your hard-hatted assailant. Assuming he doesn't just repair the sentry guns or Shotgun you to death, you could also try the continuous sap strategy.

• Another way to deal with teleporters is to simply sap the entrance, and then put another back on immediately after it gets knocked off, and repeating. As the Engineer cannot repair the Teleporter while it is being sapped, you can slowly wear down the entrance and take out both sides with little to no risk; this is one of the safer courses of action if the Engineer is smart enough to stand off of his exit and Wrench whoever comes through right after he knocks the Sapper off. However, beware that this takes a long time, and in the case of spawns with only one exit, greatly increases the risk of an enemy seeing you and killing you. In this case, you can simply take out your Revolver and empty it into the entrance after sapping it, this will usually kill the entrance in most cases. If the Engineer is quick enough to knock off your Sapper before you can destroy the entrance, simply place a second one on immediately and repeat, though repeatedly sapping will probably work better as your Revolver may be out of ammunition. This method is faster and reduces the risk of being discovered by the enemy in their spawn, but leaves you more vulnerable as you will not be disguised.

Infiltration

• You can disguise as your own team by hitting the minus (-) sign (or the e key if you have the simple disguise menu enabled) at the top of the keyboard after bringing up the disguise interface. As a friendly non-Spy class, players on the other team are much less likely to alert each other to Spies entering the base if they see you. However, the best way to get in and out is to cloak properly.

• While it may not seem immediately obvious to the Spy, as you slowly decloak you take on the color of your team until you are 100% visible. It is vital to let the cloak come on fully before entering into areas where you would be seen. Try to decloak around a corner where an opponent can't see you. It's very obvious that you are a Spy as no other class is able to cloak.

• While cloaked, remember to avoid all enemy fire - if you're hit, you flicker visible. The same is true if you bump into an enemy. If you plan to rush out, tell your team-mates to let you go first (cloaked), so that stray fire from the enemy team at your visible team-mates doesn't reveal or kill you.

• If you are discovered and must cloak to run away (assuming that you are not using a Dead Ringer), use misdirection to break away from your foes. If you are running in a certain direction while you cloak, your enemies will usually head in that direction, so you can immediately make a radical turn after becoming completely invisible, or even turn in the immediate opposite direction to get behind them for a backstab opportunity.

• While cloaked, avoid giving away your position, especially to Snipers or if you have been busted, your pursuers. So do not:
  • ...pick up medkits (unless you're burning) or ammo crates.
  • ...enter the enemies' line of sight before your cloak is fully active. (See above)
  • Also, if you go through an automatic door while cloaked and no one else is around, it is obvious that there is a Spy. If the door is very narrow, you still will become a very easy target, as you only have one direction to run in. Also, if you come out of swimmable water, water will be visible dripping from you.

• When the Spy activates a disguise, his health level will appear to the enemy as between 50% and 100%, regardless of his actual health or choice of disguise. His health level will not appear to go down if they shoot him, but will appear to go up if he is healed by an enemy or friendly Medic. This feature is a double-edged sword; The idea is that it looks less suspicious when a Spy runs into the enemy base calling for a Medic (since he usually appears injured), but the more observant players that know of this feature will often be wary of anyone who appears to be injured when near their spawn area, and may be more likely to pursue and Spy check him. Note: This no longer applies in the PC version as of the May 21, 2009 Patch. Instead, you appear to have the same health that the person you're disguised had when you took on that disguise.

• Get a friendly Medic to heal you while you are disguised, because your disguised health level also rises to 100%, thus making you less suspicious when disguised while around the enemy spawn however appearing to be injured may be a good idea so you can get an enemy Medic to heal you. Note that overhealing will also be visible on your disguise, and if the enemy team has no Medics, walking around with an overheal may be a dead giveaway.

• Avoid walking over medkits unless your real health is injured, your fake health level will appear to be injured and if you don't pick up a medkit when walking over it it's a dead giveaway that you're a disguised Spy. You can only increase your disguised health level from dispensers and carts if your real health is injured. So if you're receiving a healing beam, and your health is not appearing to increase then those that know this telltale sign will know you're a Spy, so it's best to use a Dispenser and cart only if you're truly injured. But against less experienced players, being healed by a Dispenser or cart can makes you seem less suspicious. As of the May 21, 2009 Patch, in the PC version, walking over a medkit will add to your disguise health. You will also pick up medkits if your disguise health is down, even if your real health is full.

• Alternatively, if you have the Cloak and Dagger equipped, you can deliberately grab medkits in order to deny them to the enemy. While they will probably know that an enemy Spy is in the area, you can assist your team in this way by making your opponents easier to kill if your teammates are also relatively close by; however, this is also a double-edged sword since you can accidentally deny the medkit to a teammate who needs it.

File:Spy for Medic.jpg

Friendly disguised Blue Spy calling for a Red Medic

• Remember that you can call for and be healed by enemy Medics while disguised. This is a great way to hold your cover, and also a good opportunity to backstab the opponent's support. Beware that this also risks drawing undue attention to yourself, especially if your alter-ego notices his own name calling for a Medic. For these reasons it is probably best to do this as a retreating maneuver.

• Once in the enemy's base, communicate with your team. Talking might not move you up on the scoreboard but reporting Sentry Gun placements, if a group of enemies are taking an alternate route, or building a minibase can make a big difference and bring your team closer to victory.

• You can walk backward while heading for the enemy base, or look backwards occasionally while walking forwards. Retreating into an enemy base while disguised looks much less suspicious than running into it at full tilt (unless your disguise health is relatively low), but as this trick has been done so many times, it can appear obvious to the astute observer.

• When you disguise yourself, you take the name of an enemy player that is playing the same class as the disguise. It is crucial that you try to use a class that is well represented by the enemy side to decrease the risk of coming face to face with the person you stole the name from. As of the May 21, 2009 Patch, you can see whose name you have taken on on your disguise nameplate.

• If you disguise as a class not represented by the enemy team, you take on a name randomly. This can be a dead giveaway as a glance at the score table will make your trickery obvious, so try to disguise as a class that you know the enemy has.

• Try to act natural. Many times, an enemy will shoot you and not notice your health go down; however, if you react to their shots, you can be certain that they and the rest of their team will hunt you down. If you continue heading in the same direction and if you seem to ignore the attack (assuming that it doesn't kill you), many times you will be left alone.

• Expanding on the above, standing still while in the enemy base is highly suspicious, and most players will try to spycheck you. Making it seem like you were NOT harmed by this attack is the key to getting sneaky backstabs when they turn away. Be incredibly careful of Pyros however. If you see one heading for you, and he is actively spychecking, RUN!

• Before the Sniper/Spy update, when disguised as a Medic, no ÜberCharge percentage showed up when an enemy targeted you, which was a big giveaway. This was fixed in the May 21, 2009 Patch, and now disguising as Medic you appear to have a ÜberCharge percentage that the Medic you're disguised had when you took on that disguise. If there aren't any enemy Medics you will simply have a random ÜberCharge meter.

• You may, while entering the enemy base, notice that an attack force is heading for your base. Running in the opposite direction to them will likely result in a Spy check. A great method to single-handedly stop this attack is trying to run with them, towards your base. This works well, as it appears to the opposite team that you are not a Spy, and you can slow yourself down a little bit to get to the back of the pack and backstab most, or even all of them. Just be sure the person you are disguised as is not among them, or you will be very dead very quickly.

• A dead giveaway that you're a Spy in disguise is the fact that your enemies are unable to walk through you. Once they bump into you they will try to kill you immediately. When in small enclosed spaces (e.g. the sewers in 2fort), walk close to the walls and be sure to leave enough room for enemy players to run past you.

• However, deliberately trying to avoid people in corridors is like saying 'Hey! Here I am! Shoot me!', and is likely to get you spychecked and killed. If you see someone barreling down a corridor at you, it's usually a better idea to open fire on them then to risk bumping into them and being melee'd by them. Remember, your Knife isn't exactly fantastic in a face-off, it's only good for backstabs and taking out already weakened enemies; you cannot count on facestabs to save you.

• Keep an eye on the enemy players that are about to respawn. When did they die? What class did they play? What is their skill? Remember: these are the players that are going to be in your back in a few seconds. Use this knowledge to time your actions. If you know that the opponents #1 Scout will respawn in a few seconds, let him pass by before you take any backstabbing/sapping action. Also remember, if you've just killed the same player say twice in the exact same spot, he's going to be checking for you being there next time he comes through.

• Most importantly: There are many people (Pyros) who will Spy check everyone they see, ever, just as a precaution. Because of this, you must always remember to keep moving, change disguises frequently, and whenever possible, avoid being seen by the enemy entirely.

• As long as there's a damage indication on your HUD, you are semi-visible. To ensure that you're completely invisible, wait until the damage indicator clears before moving.

• Avoid disguising yourself as a Scout. While your speed will be slower when disguised as a Heavy or Solider you will not get a speed boost or be able to double jump when disguised as a Scout. Due to this, the enemy will see a slow Scout running slower than normal. This is one of the quickest ways to be detected. However, the speed difference is not as noticeable if running towards or away from enemies, and disguising as Scout can be effective if the enemy team has a lot of Scouts or just several newbie ones.

• A good idea to make your disguise more believable is to get behind or near the enemy spawn, then put on your disguise, wait until no-one is around/not watching you and then run forwards so it looks like you just respawned. Not only can it put you behind players leaving said spawn, but also makes enemy players less likely to Spy check you, think that you're someone who just came from their own spawn.

• Picking up the enemy Intelligence does not yet make you a suicide flag runner. You can drop the Intelligence anytime("l" key by default), put on a disguise or cloak to Scout ahead for danger and/or clear out an ambush, then return to the Intelligence and resume carrying it when the path is clear. This is especially useful against sentries which you can sap and then return to the intelligence and Demomen, who like to block your path with stickies, essentially trapping you between themselves and anyone pursuing you from the enemy base. It's also a good way to lure other classes out of ambush, as they will move from their spot to check why has the Intelligence been dropped.

• Disguises only fool enemies "at-a-glance". So it's best to avoid being seen altogether and use the cloak more often.

• While disguised, try to use voice commands, such as the battle cry. It will make your disguised model talk and do some mimics, and so it can fool some enemies who don't think about Spies being able to do so.

• Reloading the Revolver/Ambassador will reload the weapon equipped by your disguise. Use this for added realism.

• If you are using the Cloak and Dagger, try to jump up on obstacles and ledges as you move through the map. Players use the obvious running pathways and will run right past you if you are cloaked. Standing on a create allows you to recharge your cloak with out being bumped into and giving away your position. Standing on top of obstacles is also a good place to avoid Spy checking and escape pursuing players as they often forget to check the tops of boxes and ledges etc.

Map Specific

Well

• An effective start rush is to disguise, then swim so you're under the grate just as the round starts; the grate opens, you go up and immediately cloak. Then go into the central Control point 3 and over to the ramp on the far side. As you run up, the opposing force should already be in front of you and you're at the back of the CP area, so you can uncloak as you go up; then you'll be standing right behind a bunch of players who are typically busy firing at your team-mates on the other side of the CP itself.

• Lots of swimming: Swim out of your base and into the center of the map (where the trains pass), cloaking just as you pop out of the water. Remain invisible until you've reached the water entrance on the other side of the tracks. The water makes a great place to cloak/decloak and change disguises unsupervised, as most other classes don't use the water tunnels at all. However, do note that coming out of water while cloaked makes a water-dripping outline appear for several seconds.

• Fighting generally happens in clusters on Well, and when the middle point is being fought over, the first and sometimes second enemy points may be entirely undefended. This is a great opportunity for the patient Spy to capture points solo, especially the final point, which can be captured by a single combatant in a matter of moments. A Spy seeing his team pushing hard on point 2 can slip to the rear of the base and stay hidden, waiting for the moment point 2 is taken. Then he can step out of hiding and quickly nab the final point, winning the round.

• Since Well is such a long map, enemy Engineers will often drop Teleporter entrances outside their first spawn point, and then build their sentries near capture point 2 or 3. As a result, a Spy who manages to infiltrate all the way to the rear of the enemy base can easily score points by sapping these unattended Teleporters. Better yet, stand behind an exit Teleporter and stab people just as they come out.

• When a point is being hotly contested, freshly spawned combatants on the offense (Soldiers, Heavies, Demomen, and Medics) will rush out of their spawn and hustle into combat, one after the other. A Spy waiting just outside the base can tag along behind them, backstabbing as he goes, often taking out an entire string of enemies who are too busy to look behind them.

2Fort

File:Ctf 2fort0014.jpg

Take the sewers

Offense

There are four main tasks for a Spy on 2fort:

• Killing Snipers on the Sniper deck
• Destroying Sentry guns
• Killing enemy players as they cross the bridge
• Getting hold of the enemy Intelligence

The best way to get into the enemy base is to run from the spawn over the Sniper deck and into the water. Cloak before you come out onto the Sniper deck, so that you are fully invisible as you step out and fall down into the water. Once you're under the bridge and so well shielded from above, uncloak. Don't forget to get your Revolver out - you're running towards the enemy in a narrow passage, so the Knife isn't useful. Run through the sewers and up the stairs into the enemy base. Once you get to the top of the stairs you then have a choice; you can take the left passage, if you want to go for the Intelligence, or you can go straight on, if you wish to attack enemy Snipers on the Sniper deck.

If you go left, the ten seconds of cloak is just the right amount to let you be fully cloaked as you turn into the longer passageway leading to the open air area, and remain cloaked right up until you're far enough down the back stairs to the basement that you won't be seen. You then continue down into the basement, dealing with whatever is down there and then taking the Intelligence.

If you go straight on, cloak as late as possible before coming into the open air area and running up the main stairs. Then cross over into the Sniper deck and kill the Snipers there. Once you've done this, don't stay on the deck; when they respawn, they'll be looking for you. Either drop back down to your own base for a quick break, or better, run into the Grate room and disguise as a Demoman. You're out of sight, and if someone does come in, there's a chance they may think you're holding a Sticky bomb trap from that position.

If there is more then one Sniper on the deck (And there usually is) They might notice you backstabbing their buddies. As the Sniper decks are fairly cramped, they'll usually pull out their Kukri and charge you. To circumvent this, the best strategy is to run around the structure in the middle of the Sniper deck, cloak, and then crouch walk onto the tiny ledge that surrounds said structure. You can then laugh as the Sniper runs around, swinging his Kukri and everyone and everything. This also give your OWN Snipers a good giggle, and an easy target. Snipers will catch onto this strategy eventually, and try to get onto the ledge as well...all the more fun for your own Snipers. Just remember: This ledge can save your life.

If however you simply want to get kills, a good place to wait is up against the front of the opposing fort. Enemy players generally spawn and then run to the Sniper deck and fall off to the area in front of the bridge; very few players actually exit via the ground floor. As such, a Spy waiting up against the front of the fort isn't seen and is behind the enemy players as they run down the narrow, straight bridge.

Disguising as a Demoman in the basement where the Intelligence is found is also good. Wait in front of the resupply and if any Engineers or Demomen come down, wait until they go into the intel room or into the resupply. Right when they come out again, stab them. But this will only work once, usually, because the victim will report to his/her team (Unless he/she doesn't have a mic!).

Granary

• There is an overhead passageway with a circular exit (leading from Control point 2 to Control point 3) which you may take to avoid wasting precious cloak time.
• Stand on containers at Control point 3: Enemies are less likely to expect attacks from above them than in front of them (Who is?). Be wary of enemy Snipers on the opposite side of the map however.

Dustbowl

• When attacking Stage 1 Cap 1, use the canyon pathway to sneak up on the attackers by using the back door. Be sure once you sap the sentries, you have a Demoman or Soldier standing by to destroy it. Be sure when going through the canyon you are fully cloaked or Snipers will take you down as you come out. Do not wait by the grating; wait next to it or they will be aware of your way of attack.

• Before Stage 1 Cap 1 is taken, you can quickly run to the enemies Control point 2. Although this is locked, if your team is close to taking it then it would be a good idea to stay here and base camp. Although this is discouraged due to the fact that this is camping, it can help end the stage faster and the enemies will most likely not make it in time to stop you. This also works on Stage 2 and 3.

• When defending Stage 2 Cap 1, have a Spy stay near the Control point building. This Spy will be able to backstab any enemies that come through.

Hydro

• There's always one path that nobody uses. Take it, and you're less likely to bump into an enemy or die from random explosions, or bursts of gunfire.
• More often than not, enemy sentries will be put in spots which can be shot at from afar with the Ambassador. In this case, try to snipe the Engineer so that you will have a clear sapping of his sentry (this should take only 2 shots if you headshot him first then follow up with a bodyshot while he tries to see where the shot came from, or less if he was already damaged enough).
• When defending either of the last points, you can hide behind the ramps that just out of the ground as entrances to the undergound cap area, both to recharge cloak with the Invisibility Watch or the Dead Ringer or to pick targets for ambushing and call out attacking spies with the Cloak and Dagger.

Gravel Pit

• Since Gravelpit has 2 initial Control points it can be useful to soften up a lesser defended point (sap Sentries, backstab Snipers etc) coordinated by an immediate rush by some of your team (a Scout rush works best in this situation) to easily capture the point. Usually this point is A because it's considered harder to defend.

• A Spy can be quite necessary on the most heavily defended Control point as there are usually at least one or two Sentries that are supported by other players, making them almost indestructible. The best way to deal with these Sentries is to co-ordinate with your team to sap the Sentry and follow it with a push. Keep in mind that as you do this it's likely you'll be seen and killed.

• Defending Engineers will often create Teleporters from their respawn to their front line. If you sap these Teleporters it will slow down the defensive players, and also coax the Engineer(s) away from their Sentry Gun(s), allowing your team to destroy it easier. Keep in mind that doing this will often result in the C area to be Spy-checked, so the best idea would be to sap them, cloak and then run back into your own territory.

• After the first point has been captured but before the second, you can cloak up to the C point and camp there until the second point has been captured, when you can undisguise and quickly capture the point. It is likely that defenders will come up and kill you when they notice their point is being captured, but you may finish capping the point before they get there. This is position is easy to hold, because defenders rarely ever go up there until the second point is being captured, but you must make sure that they can't see you from the ground. If they do they'll usually start checking the point. Keep in mind though that the same task could be done with a Scout with usually a better outcome once you get on the point.

Badwater Basin

Offense

• The first stage of this map is good for spies on BLU as they can use their cloak to quickly move over the hill, but this is often dangerous as the exit of the tunnel and top of the hill are bound to have Pyros or Demomen locking down the area with their flames or grenades.

• A large part of your helping the team here will be sentry destruction, as the prime spots for sentries are all directly below a piece of easily accessible terrain (such as a sentry at the tunnel exit being below the cliffs, or a sentry on the right behind the rocks being reachable from over the rocks). With this in mind, it may be best to try to coordinate a charge with your team so when you drop down to sap a sentry they can back you up and push the point.

• Before your team reaches the first point with the cart, try to sneak ahead and take the back entrance up onto the roof to prevent enemy engineers from building up too much so your team has a much easier time getting passed the potential sentry trap.

• The second point is an area that Spies can easily access on attack, as the back courtyard allows Spies of both teams to move between the first and second point areas with relative ease.

• The roof will likely have a Sentry Gun or two on it, which can be easily sapped when the Engineer is on the ground floor, dead, or is otherwise distracted, and the courtyard on either side of the building can be jumped down into to escape.

• Defending Snipers will often sit just behind the concrete wall next to the point and scan the main corridor, but do not try to kill them unless you are sure there are no sentries or pyros covering the area.

• The third point is difficult for BLU Spies to attack beyond sapping any sentries in the ditch and coordinating with your team because there are no alternate routes to the are beyond the point. As a result, it may be worth running around one of the corners and sapping a sentry so that whether or not you die, your team can destroy the sentry and hopefully capture the point.

• You may want to hang back in blind spots such as the dark alcove next to the cart tracks to take out any ubers or kritzkriegs set to push your team back.

• If you can get by the main chokepoint of the point, you can try to take an Engineer's Teleporter at their spawn and telefrag him, allowing you to single handedly destroy their setup for your team to take advantage and push.

• The last point is also an area where Spies are useful due to there often being hidden sentries that only ubers can usually take care of otherwise. However, it is difficult to move around and stay in the main area as it is so open and there will be many RED players running between the spawn doors and the main ramp. To remedy this, try to spend as little time as possible in the open, and get out of there as fast as you can once you have sapped a sentry and/or killed the Engineer.

• There are also a few good corners to hide in (including one with a Maximum Health pickup and the stairs near their lower spawn) but be cautious of Pyros around these parts. When jumping down from the balcony or windows, do be careful of fall damage revealing you as before.

• It is not advisable to use the Dead Ringer to get behind their enemy lines unless you are very sure of your route, as there are a limited number of places to get metal on the route to the enemy spawn/the third point. Ideally though, now would be the best time to destroy BLU teleporters and sentries though, as it is a long walk to the front lines for them otherwise and their sentry will likely be the only thing stopping your team from pushing them back and using Kritzkriegs to halt their charges.

Defense

• On defense the rocks serve good hiding spots both behind and on top of them, but if you are using the Cloak and Dagger be careful you don't pick a place that other players will jump over and attract fire to/bump into you if they're on the enemy team.

• The large vertical drops are also a problem while cloaked as they can reveal you when you take fall damage or even trigger your Dead Ringer. To combat this, try to move down through lower routes and crawl down ledges to minimize contact with BLU players, taking your time if necessary and choosing your moment to strike before retreating over the hill or through the tunnel.

• You can effectively defend the second point by hiding in the BLU team's blind spots near the cart (like the alcove to the left of the cart or under the garage overhang next to the first point) and stabbing crucial targets like a Heavy to be ubered or Medic with an ubercharge as they pass.

• You can also loop around the back of people coming up the stairs via the rear courtyard to foil charges at the roof, but be careful on repeat runs as the BLU team may expect you and go round another way/kill you when they see you regardless of your disguise.

• Defending the third point is significantly easier as a Spy due to the fact you will often have the height advantage, allowing you to literally get the drop on enemies charging in. It is at this point it may be worth destroying the BLU teleporters if they have any, as it is quite a trip from their spawn.

• BLU Snipers may also position themselves on the roof of the second point, a spot you can easily access and hide in due to its secluded nature (just be wary of Snipers if they have Jarate or the Razorback.

• Drop down on enemy charges from the various balconies and stab them to thin out their offense, also sapping any buildings an Engineer might be building around the corner if you can.

• On defense your main area of action will be around the chokepoint at the top of the ramp leading to the third point, and the top right courtyard where the top window can be reached. Up there, you can take care of any intrusive Snipers and also loop around to the chokepoint ready to stifle any charges or snipers standing at the top of the ramp.

• If you hide in the darkness of the rooms next to the top of the ramp you can easily stab BLU players coming from either side and quickly run back into the safe zone your team is in.

Junction

• Junction is a map best suited for the Dead Ringer, due to its tight spaces and few possible hiding spots. You can use the normal watch or the Cloak and Dagger on offense quite well (with the numerous areas around the RED spawn letting you watch over the enemy teleporters), but if you want to survive long enough to do some damage then use the Dead Ringer before running to the nearest BLU spawn door. On defense, any of the watches can be used depending on your personal preference, but be careful when using the Cloak and Dagger as the narrow halls and lack of potential hiding places make you easily bumped into no matter where you hide.

Attack

• Try not to rush into a point area on your own, especially if there are many RED players lying in wait. The tight space and aforementioned lack of suitably dark places to uncloak mean that should you be discovered (likely, due to the enhanced effect of splash damage and flames the cramped space grants) you will almost certainly not make it out alive (unless using the Dead Ringer, in which case be sure to retreat to spawn and not behind the enemies as they will be able to feel you pushing through them).

• Only sap Sentries when your team is absolutely ready to charge in and take it out while you are sapping. Otherwise, it is likely the Engineer will be be able to keep his Sentry alive and for one of his teammates to kill you as you are sapping.

• When attacking A, try to use the corridor that links A and B together to access the raised area from C that is normally inaccessible except to Soldiers and Demomen. This place is a good, out of the way area to watch over the point, Scout out any potential threats to your team and also remain until your team makes their push.

• Do not hide in the stairwells that go directly to the point, as they are too tight and well lit to allow adequate hiding or waiting.

• At B, you can use the crates dotted around the hall as cover, and move directly onto the point. Here you can uncloak safely unless there is a RED player directly on the point, and you can then walk down the stairs and stab anybody locking down your spawn.

• If possible, try to get into the hallway behind B that joins onto C, as this area is a good, dark spot for uncloaking and following key targets.

• At the last point, focus more on sapping Sentries and killing Engineers than actually trying to capture the point. The point itself is far too cramped and easily accessible to the RED team for you to attempt a Backcap, and does not capture fast enough for you to do it as soon as both previous points have been captured (by which time the RED team will have already begun setting up at C).

• If you are unsure of where exactly all the Sentries are located, try to access the upper left ledge (though the stairwell in the windows). This lets you survey the entirety of C, and also is a good spot for uncloaking and/or hiding while the enemy team is looking for you.

Defense

• Use the pieces of cover at A and B to hide behind, chasing enemy players as they rush into your point. This works better with the Cloak and Dagger, as you will not be seen until the last moment, if at all.

• The multiple sets of stairs up to each point allow you to come from the least watched side of the point when the BLU team are in the process of capturing. Do not try this if there are more than 4 people on the point (or more than 2 Scouts/Pain Train Soldiers or Demos due to their increased rate of capture), as it will mean that even killing one person will not affect the maximum capture rate.

• If you are trying to thin out the BLU team as they capture A, try using the Ambassador from a range. With enough people on the point it is likely you will often get a headshot, and may damage them enough to either kill them or weaken them for your teammates to kill them when blocking the capture.

• When defending C, use the many different corridors going to A, B and the area between to get behind the enemy lines. Then, run back toward C via the main entrances and stab anybody moving towards the point. This will not only foil enemy pushes from that side, but also increase the likelihood of you surviving thanks to the instant transition to a safe area (C, assuming there is a least one Sentry guarding the doors).

• If the BLU team congregate on the point itself, rush in with your Knife. It may be possible to get a stab or two and block the capture slightly, thus creating a window of oppurtunity for your team to aid you.

Steel

General

• The multitude of side routes and the multiple points favours a Spy who is willing to take the time to learn the layout of the map and get behind the enemy.

• There is almost always a different pathway to take to any objective that is less traveled. Use these to infiltrate the enemy base.

Offense

Point A

• Take the route to the right by the windows and over to cliff to quickly move behind any enemy Snipers or Heavies that may be unaware of your presence. Be aware that the RED spawn is very close to the point, so keep an eye out for reinforcements.

• Be very careful when decloaking, there is very little cover near the point. A good place to decloak is the sniper bunker overlooking Point E, though it may be difficult to get past the enemy spawn to get there.

• If there is a Sentry, co-ordinate with your team so that they wait just over the cliff edge while you sap it before rushing in to destroy it.

Point B

• Taking the path from A, through E to B is the best route to take for flanking, if a bit long. This will put you behind the entire enemy team.

• Once again, the enemy spawn is just beside the point. There is a good place to hide just below the spawn door where you can wait for a Medic or Heavy to backstab. Also keep an eye on any Snipers that may be looking out from the windows across from the spawn door. They will be easy targets to a Backstab as long as they don't hear you.

• The pathway to point C is another good place to decloak. There is also Health and [[Ammo] there if you need to ever retreat.

Point C

• There are only two narrow pathways up to the elevated point. Don't linger on them if you must take them. It is almost assured that an enemy will bump into you eventually. The lack of any decent cover on or near the point also makes it easy for enemies to Spy-check and find you easily. It is recommended that you generally avoid trying to hide on the point.

• It is possible to get behind the enemy, but the pathway is long. Go to Point D and move up the stairs towards the spawn door. Run along the plank sitting on the box and jump across to the extended platform. This pathway is very rarely used, so you may have a very good element of surprise.

Point D

• This point has four routes to access it from; Two from point A, one from point C and one from point E. The third route is best for a Spy that wishes to get behind the enemy, though it is a long path.

• Be careful along the windowed path from A to D, the enemy can see your legs through the windows and may notice when you cloak or disguise.

• If your teammates are attacking point E, start capturing point D until the enemy diverts some players to stop you, then cloak and hide until they leave, before repeating. This will take the pressure off your teammates and you may even be able to capture it by yourself. The Dead Ringer works very well in this role. This strategy also applies on point E if your teammates are capturing point D.

Point E

• You can only access this point if C has been captured. You can, however, help your Scouts, Demomen and Soldiers by waiting by the enemy spawn exit to E and backstabbing them as they attempt to remove your teammates. Be sure to communicate with your team so that they know what you are doing.

• The windowed room above the RED spawn exit to E is a good place to hide, as it is out of the way and has Health and Ammo if you need it. Consider waiting here until you spot a powerful target of opportunity like a Medic or a Sentry.

• Once point D is captured, the enemy only has two pathways to E: through D or through C. Consider waiting near these spawn exits and follow the enemies, they will likely be focussed on saving their point rather than spy-checking.

Defense

Point A

• Use the Cloak and Dagger to hide to the right of the BLU spawn exit and wait for the opportune time to kill any Medics with Übercharges ready. Also keep an eye on any Snipers or Heavies that may be harassing your team and consider taking them out. Communicate the enemy movements and plans to your own team to warn them of incoming attacks.

• The shed beside the RED spawn exit contains a full health pack but be careful, there's only one exit. If you are being chased by an enemy, cloak and make it appear you are going to grab the Health before moving away at the last second, leaving your chaser confused as to your new location. You can pick up the Health once he leaves.

• While you cannot get up to the raised pathway that BLU may take, you can still harass the enemy with the Revolver or Ambassador. Use this to distract enemy Snipers, Demomen or Heavies that may be about to attack.

Point B

• The pathway from A to B will likely be used for all the enemies that just captured A. Wait at the bottom of the drop in the small alcove with the Health for any targets of opportunity. Be aware that injured enemies may try to take the Health, try not to bump into them.

• The main pathway from the BLU spawn to B has a small alcove you can hide in to surprise the enemy. Be aware that it is suspicious for the enemy to see someone exit from there if they didn't see them go in. Keep an eye on the enemy spawn and only decloak once it's clear.

• The route that takes the enemy up onto the elevated platform is narrow and twisted. Keep an eye out for enemies as you navigate it and use the shack at the end of the platform to decloak. Note that you are still close enough to any enemies on that platform that they may hear you decloak.

Point C

• After capturing B, the enemy will likely be grouped behind the opening gate to C. Don't try to attack them when they are milling around, there are too many people watching behind them. Wait until the door opens and they funnel through before getting a few quick backstabs and retreating.

• Take one of the two pathways to get from C to B in order to get behind the enemy. The higher path is shorter but more dangerous while the lower path is longer and safer. Warn your team of any enemies that are moving down these pathways as you travel down them.

Point D

• Engineers often build between point A and point D. Check here occasionally to prevent them from setting up all their buildings. Coordinate with your team to remove and Sentry nests that may be constructed.

• Snipers may start using the windowed area above point A to attack your team. Help them out by removing the threat.

Point E

• Taking the pathway from C to E is often your best bet if D has been captured as most of your teammates will probably go from D to E.

• Taking the pathway from D works as well if you go around towards A to come up behind any enemies that are sitting on E.

Pipeline

• The twisting hallways and tight corridors allow for excellent flanking opportunities as long as you don't run into anyone.

• Remember that most players who are on a cart usually have their attention directed forward. This present a prime opportunity to thin out the opposition with a few quick stabs. Don't expect to live long if there are Soldiers, Heavies or Pyros on the cart.

• Don't be afraid to move the cart a little further, even at the risk of your own death. The cart never moves backwards on even terrain, so every inch helps. This is especially helpful when the cart is very close to the final point and the Defenders are occupied. Slip in and capture the cart before they can respond.

• At the start of the map, take the pathway through the door on the far left. This will take you above and behind the enemy. Use the elevated ground to spot Snipers, Medics and Engineers with Sentries. Plan your attack, and move in.

• The long sight lines favour Snipers, so be sure to remove them if you are in the area. Be careful, as the Respawn is usually right behind them.

• Use the elevated wooden platform beside the cart track to hide and wait for approaching enemies before leaping over the railing to backstab them.

• For the second section of the map, take the route in the back of your base that will take you straight to the enemy team's base, placing you behind the enemy and close to their Snipers.

• The tunnel with the carts can be a death trap for a Spy due to all the weapons being fired in it. Attempt to flank and take other routes whenever possible.

• Use the high platforms and balconies to Scout out the enemy team, relaying informations to your teammates before attacking.

• The third section of the map makes it difficult for Spies to effectively attack the enemy cart, as there are only two thin paths for you to follow. Communicate with teammates to distract the enemy before moving in.

• Use the wooden pathways to get up to the enemy Sniper nest, removing the threat to your team while they move the cart

Backstabbing Techniques

See Backstab

See also

• Spy match-ups
• How to play the Spy
• Spy Ninja Tutorial (OMFGNinja)
• In-Depth Spy Guide: by sR+Orca
• Great Spy Guide Video: by sR+Orca