Dispenser

“

Need a dispenser here! Click to listen — The Scout

”

The Dispenser also known as the Dispense-O-Matic 9000 Provisions Dispenser, is a building that can be constructed by an Engineer using the Build Tool. The team-coloured device appears as a sort of gas station pump with various supplies inside and a CRT screen with a gauge.

While operational, a Dispenser provides an endless source of health and ammo to all nearby players on the owner's team, in addition to generating and supplying a limited but infinite supply of metal to any friendly Engineers. A single Dispenser can heal multiple players at once, lowering the burden of friendly Medics, especially if many teammates are on fire or there are more important classes to heal. Dispensers are also more effective at keeping weapons restocked than any ammo pickup, which reduces teammates' dependencies on them, resulting in Engineers having more metal to build and upgrade their buildings. However, Dispensers themselves are defenseless and take considerable effort to build up to full power. If a team can defend their Dispensers adequately, they form an anchor to the team's hold on an area.

Functionality

Dispensers can prove to be very valuable in supporting a team when used effectively. Teammates that have been ignited can put themselves out by simply standing near the Dispenser. In addition to being an alternative health source, Dispensers act as a portable ammo source as well. They can provide additional metal for other Engineers to use. Dispensers will also attract many teammates to one area which can help to better forward an attack, particularly if the team is scattered and ungrouped. However, it can also make the group an easy target for rocket splash damage or incoming grenades. A Dispenser will not hand over new weapons if the player modified their load out; a Resupply locker is required to do so.

The Dispenser costs 100 Metal to place, 200 Metal to upgrade to Level 2, and a further 200 to upgrade to Level 3. Each upgrade increases the Dispenser's health, as well as its outputs of ammo, metal, and health. While being constructed, a Dispenser's health will increase until reaching 150 upon completion. A newly built Dispenser contains 25 Metal and thereafter generates 40 Metal every 5 seconds unless upgraded. It can hold up to 400 Metal, as represented by a gauge on the front of the Dispenser. A Dispenser can be manually rotated to face a different direction before one builds it. When the blueprint is shown, using the alternate attack button (default key: MOUSE2) will rotate the blueprints 90 degrees counterclockwise per mouse click. A destroyed Dispenser (regardless of level) leaves behind 50 Metal (5 parts, 10 Metal each) that can be picked up as Metal or Ammo by all players, regardless of team affiliation.

Levels

Level	Health	Cost	Generation
			Health	Ammo	Metal	Cloak
1	150	100 Metal	10/sec	20%/sec	40/5 sec	5%/sec (slower drain if cloaked)
2	180	300 Metal	15/sec	30%/sec	50/5 sec	10%/sec (no drain if cloaked)
3	216	500 Metal	20/sec	40%/sec	60/5 sec	15%/sec (slow regeneration if cloaked)

Related achievements

 Demoman

The Argyle Sap Blow up an Engineer, his sentry gun, and his dispenser with a single stickybomb detonation.

 Heavy

Factory Worker Kill 20 enemies while being recharged by a dispenser.

 Engineer

(Not So) Lonely Are the Brave Keep a Heavy healed with your dispenser while he gains five kills. The Extinguished Gentleman Have dispensers you built extinguish 20 burning players.

Drugstore Cowboy Have dispensers you created dispense a combined amount of 100,000 health over your career. Doc Holiday Have a dispenser heal three teammates at the same time.

Strategy

Main article: Engineer strategy

• A Pyro standing near a Dispenser can act as a mobile "firewall". The Dispenser is capable of replenishing the Flamethrower's ammo faster than can be fired. This is a potential anti-Spy measure, but it will leave the team short of a possible attacking class. This is especially helpful to a skilled Pyro, as they could reflect projectiles away from the Engineer's buildings with the Compression blast.
• The Heavy can utilize a Dispenser in the same way, laying down a hail of bullets across a large area. This can be used as an anti-Spy measure, or to defend an area such as a cap point or choke point. Any Heavy using this technique needs to be aware of the damage drop off of his Minigun. This can be used to control hallways or even in an enemy's base (such as the sewers in 2Fort) to keep either an entrance open or a safe place for a teleporter. A Heavy can fire continuously; sweeping an area to send away stickies and check for hidden Spies.
• A Sniper can keep firing without having to leave his position to replenish ammo if stood near a Dispenser. Since many Spies cannot resist sapping an unguarded Dispenser, it can be used as an early warning system.
• When entering Sudden death, building a Dispenser first is important to provide health, ammunition, and metal to the team.
• Dispensers give ammunition for any teammates nearby, including disguised enemy Spies. As a Spy, consider leaving enemy Dispensers intact to recharge Cloak, fill the health meter, or to remain indefinitely invisible while using the Dead Ringer or Invisibility Watch.
• When in a centralized area close to other Engineers, consider putting all the Dispensers close to each other. The healing and ammo dispensing mechanisms do stack for multiple Dispensers, so placing them together will allow players to refill and heal up to full health much faster than with a single Dispenser by each Engineer's Sentry Gun. While the risk of losing the Dispensers is higher, the benefits can sometimes be enough to keep teammates on the attack. It isn't recommended having more than two Dispensers next to each other, especially if both are level 3. Having three or more Dispensers near each other risks the loss of all of the Dispensers in a counterattack.
• A Dispenser can effectively block narrow passages from enemies, slowing down their progress. This is very effective versus Scouts and Spies when coupled with a Sentry Gun nearby.
• The healing beam and ammo supply mechanisms are two separate functions of the Dispenser, someone in healing range of a Dispenser is not necessarily close enough to take ammo from the Dispenser.
• Similarly, a Dispenser can sometimes supply ammunition and metal through walls but cannot heal through them.
• An Engineer can stand on his own Dispenser, allowing him to reach higher platforms than he could just by jumping, allowing for more strategic deployment of Sentry Guns and other buildings. Keep in mind, however, that a sentry is taller than a Dispenser, regardless of which level it is.
• Dispensers take the longest to build. It is usually best to construct one, and then put up a Sentry while it is still building.
• Dispensers cost the least amount of Metal, along with the Combat Mini-Sentry Gun. They therefore serve as quick barricades in certain situations.
• While Sentry Guns are usually the main target of ÜberCharge pushes, destroying the Dispenser is equally important. Without it, it will take much longer for the enemy to rebuild, not to mention heal, resupply, and allow the team more time to regroup for a decisive push.

Update history

February 28, 2008 Patch

• Changed Engineer buildings to detonate when a player disconnects instead of blinking out
• Fixed Engineer being able to detonate buildings that are being sapped
• Fixed potential client crash for players being healed by a Medic or Dispenser

April 2, 2008 Patch (Xbox)

• Dispenser heal rate returned to normal.

April 29, 2008 Patch (Gold Rush Update)

• Mapmakers can now place Engineer buildings directly into a map, with an option for them to be invulnerable

July 1, 2008 Patch

• Fixed buffed health not decaying properly after being healed by a Dispenser.

December 11, 2008 Patch

• The Engineer's Dispensers can now be upgraded to level three. It will give out metal and heal faster as it is upgraded.

December 7, 2009 Patch

• Fixed Dispenser not healing players at the correct rate if it's upgraded while the players are already touching the Dispenser.

December 18, 2009 Patch

• Fixed Spies being able to build Dispensers.

January 6, 2010 Patch

• Fixed a rare server crash related to Dispensers.

August 3, 2011 Patch

• Fixed a case where health overheal wasn't being applied when multiple healers were involved.

Trivia

• A Dispenser can give ammunition through a thin wall, but it cannot heal through it.
• A Level 2 or 3 Dispenser does not leave upgraded gib parts (such as the heart rate monitor) when destroyed.
• A Level 3 Dispenser heals nearly as fast as the Medi Gun's in-battle healing rate (24 HP/sec).
• Console versions cannot be upgraded.
• Sentry Gun fire and rockets can be blocked by Dispensers. Additionally, Sentry Guns will detect enemy players standing behind friendly Dispensers, but are unable to kill them. For this reason, it is common for Spies to hide behind a nearby Dispenser and kill the Engineer in the process.
• By staying within the healing range of a Dispenser, it is possible to stay underwater indefinitely.
• For a short time after the WAR! Update, Spies were able to build Dispensers through the use of the console command 'build 0', although they could not upgrade them.
• Per the Sentry Gun's instruction manual, the Dispenser is a "Dispense-O-Matic 9000 Provisions Dispenser".
• A fully-built Dispenser of any level pays homage to the Nail Gun, the Scout's cancelled primary weapon with an ammo belt of nails hanging out of the bottom tray.
• A Level 1 BLU Dispenser makes a cameo appearance as a "curious dispenser" in the Telltale game Sam & Max 304: Beyond the Alley of the Dolls. Standing near it makes the usual Dispenser healing sound. Sam can hit the Dispenser 8 times with a Wrench (complete with genuine sound effect) to open the bottom drawer revealing a "Banang" shake. Sam can also try to take the Banang, but the drawer closes again before he can grab it. (Max actually unplugs it out of irritation.) It also makes an appearance in Sam & Max 305: The City that Dares Not Sleep in the same area.

Merchandise

Main article: Merchandise

• 

  Dispenser T-Shirt

“

Look Max, free health, ammo, cupcakes, clues, and enlightenment! Oh wait, it's empty. Click to listen — Sam on Curious Dispensers

”