Anti-Engineer strategy

“

Did ze Fräuleins have zeir Mittelschmerz? Click to listen — The Medic

”

The Engineer is a defensive support class who primarily helps his team with various buildings. He has mediocre weapons and low health, relying on his Sentry Gun for protection. By himself, an Engineer is a low threat who will usually run at the first sight of trouble. His primary purpose is to construct Teleporters and Dispensers in order to help his team either advance or hold a strategic location. Generally, Engineers build a "base" consisting of a Teleporter Exit, Dispenser, and Sentry Gun where his teammates are brought into the battle and return to be supplied with health and ammunition. The Gunslinger and Frontier Justice, however, allow an Engineer to assume a more offensive role which can make him much more dangerous than usual.

General

Attributes	Anti-Engineer strategy
Role	Engineers are high priority targets. A team without buildings is at a disadvantage. A Sentry Gun is quite vulnerable when you stay out of its range and its Engineer is not there to protect it. An Engineer away from his Sentry Gun is far less useful, so if you kill one away from the main front, the enemy is probably trying to keep his buildings alive. Use this opportunity to destroy the buildings.
Health	The Engineer has very little health compared to most other classes. Away from his Sentry Gun, he has little to defend himself. The Gunslinger will give the Engineer 25 more health, together with a weaker but faster-building Mini-Sentry.
Speed	The Engineer runs at the same speed as the Pyro, the Sniper, and the Spy. If he's out in the open, he shouldn't be too hard to kill. His speed falls to lower than a un-spun Heavy while carrying pre-constructed buildings - take the opportunity to simultaneously kill him and the building he's hauling.
Power	The Engineer is a mediocre fighter without his Sentry Gun. Work as a team and he should be dispatched in no time. If alone, react quickly to hidden Mini-Sentrys, and kill the Engineer before he can use any revenge crits he may have.

Weapon Specific

A list of useful tidbits about the Engineer's tools, and how to counter them.

Primary Weapons

Weapon	Anti-Engineer strategy
Shotgun	Shotguns have a wider spread the further you are from your target, so avoid aggravating an Engineer at close range. Engage the Engineer at a distance, preferably out in the open or away from his buildings, where you'll have the advantage.
Frontier Justice	When his Sentry Gun is destroyed, an Engineer will likely retaliate with the Revenge Crits stored by this weapon; kill him before he gets the chance to shoot. You could also kill him before destroying his Sentry Gun; that way he will not earn the Revenge Crits collected by that Sentry. If you cannot prevent the Engineer from firing at you, force him to do so at a distance, reducing his accuracy and the number of pellets that may hit you per shot. With only three shots per clip, an Engineer using the Frontier Justice has a limited time to retaliate before leaving himself open.
Widowmaker	The Widowmaker can only fire six times when an Engineer has maximum metal, and he will be forced to switch weapons once he doesn't have enough. Dodge his shots, and take him down when he's out of metal. If there are any sources of ammo nearby, collect them first to ensure the Engineer can't refill his metal supply.

Secondary Weapons

Weapon	Anti-Engineer strategy
Pistol / Lugermorph	An Engineer will use this weapon at farther range due to its more accurate shots. Close the gap between the Engineer and yourself in order to make his initial shots less accurate; kill him quickly, or he may adjust his aim. Unlike the Scout, the Engineer stores a lot of ammo for the Pistol; do not expect him to empty it anytime soon.
Wrangler	Note the appearance of any team-colored laser guides. Take an alternate path to ambush the Engineer, as his Sentry Gun cannot automatically detect enemies while wrangled. Kill him or force him to switch weapons to deactivate the Sentry Gun for a few seconds, leaving it susceptable to attack; make sure he or his fellow Engineers don't get the chance to repair the Sentry as it reactivates. Teamwork is important in destroying a wrangled Sentry Gun, and becomes essential when facing multiple wrangled Sentries. Beware of Sentry nests in unexpected places; an Engineer can propel himself skyward using his Level 3 Sentry Gun's rockets.
Short Circuit	The Short Circuit destroys projectiles (ie: rockets, grenades, arrows); one should use weapons that fire bullets instead. Work with your team to overwhelm the Engineer and his buildings.

Melee Weapons

Weapon	Anti-Engineer strategy
Wrench / Golden Wrench / Saxxy	This weapon is primarily used if you surprise him in his Sentry nest. Fire at him while keeping your distance, and you should have the advantage.
Gunslinger	The Gunslinger must connect three times to score a critical hit. If you can't avoid being struck by an Engineer with the Gunslinger, at least prevent him from hitting you two more times in a row. Also be careful assisting a teammate being attacked by this Engineer, as he may have already scored two consecutive hits and may strike you with the third. When a Engineer with this prosthetic equipped is on the prowl, find and destroy his Mini-Sentry as soon as it attacks before he and his teammates arrive to assist it.
Southern Hospitality	The Southern Hospitality is often used for [Spy checking]; as a Spy, kill the Engineer before he strikes you with the weapon or else you will be exposed. Attack the Engineer with fire to kill him more quickly.
Jag	The Jag deals 25% less damage, making it less reliable in melee combat. However, it allows an Engineer to constuct his buildings at a faster rate with each hit; kill him before he gets the chance to set up.

Buildings

Be aware that buildings are unaffected by critical hits; Medics should not use the Kritzkrieg in an area filled with more buildings than players.

Building	Anti-Engineer strategy
Sentry Gun	Of all Buildings, destroying a Sentry Gun takes highest priority. An Engineer behind his Sentry Gun is protected from splash damage at the front, but can easily be damaged by splash damage to the side, or from behind. Sentry Guns can be damaged from around corners without giving them a chance to fully lock onto and fire at the attacker. Engineers that switch to their Shotgun or Pistol to dispose of Stickybombs placed at the base of their Buildings are vulnerable to damage from other sources. Sentry Guns are slow to turn, especially at Level 1. If approaching one from a blind spot, you can run around it and damage it without it being able to lock on and fire at you. A full-health, level 3 Sentry Gun cannot be destroyed in one hit by anything other than a cluster of Stickybombs. Coordinate your attacks with your teammates to destroy it faster than it can be repaired. Don't assume you know where a Sentry Gun is, even if you've encountered one previously. With their ability to haul buildings, Engineers can repeatedly move a single Sentry Gun between numerous key points. Sentry Guns can damage their Engineers. If fired upon by a Senrty Gun, try to use its Engineer as cover.
Dispenser	Dispensers are easier to destroy than other buildings, as Engineers are often more preoccupied with repairing their Sentry Gun. If destroying a Sentry Gun isn't possible, destroying a Dispenser can make it more difficult for an Engineer to maintain his Sentry Gun. Dispensers have the second highest priority when destroying an Engineer nest that's nearby the enemy base. Teleporters aren't as useful due to the proximity of the spawn, especially when the other team is on defense. You can use an enemy Dispenser as cover from an enemy Sentry Gun; Sentry Guns cannot see through Dispensers.
Teleporter	Teleporters have the second highest priority when destroying an Engineer nest far from their spawn (e.g. offensive forward bases on maps such as Gold Rush or Badwater Basin), as this will severely limit the opposing team's reinforcements; any Dispensers can then be destroyed with little resistance. Teleporters that won't go down are most likely being repaired from the other side. Out-damage the repair rate to successfully destroy them. A Spy that continuously places Sappers on an unguarded Teleporter that's being repaired from the other side will eventually destroy both ends. Try not to stand on a functioning Teleporter Exit as you damage it; you risk dying by telefrag. On some maps, Engineers like to use "dummy" Teleporters as an early warning system. If you see a teleporter in an unusual place (especially if it is inactive), you may want to leave it alone to avoid losing the element of surprise.
Combat Mini-Sentry Gun	Do not underestimate Mini-Sentries; they have less health and power than the standard Sentry Gun, but have a faster build time and a higher rate of fire than it. Deployed strategically, they can be used to either finish you off or distract you from incoming attacks. When you see one, destroy it as soon as possible. Combat Mini-Sentry Guns are deployed with full health; this can make destroying them as they are being built problematic. It may be better to finish off the Engineer building them before eliminating the Sentry Gun; after all, he can quickly deploy another if the previous one is lost. If an Engineer is dropping a Combat Mini-Sentry in a place where his teammates frequent and/or is near an ammo source, destroying it may be pointless; he can easily replace it, and may even be doing this deliberately to distract you. Focus on the Engineer and/or his teammates until your own arrive and drive them back.

See also

• Sentry Gun
• Team strategy