Cloak

“

Peek-a-boo! Click to listen — The Spy

”

Cloak, or cloaking, is an inherent ability of the Spy, embodied in a type of watch worn or held by the class's hand. For brief periods of time, a player may become invisible. This allows the class to move unnoticed through enemy lines or make a quick escape when attacked.

The nature and strategy for cloaking depends on the type of watch the Spy uses in battle.

General attributes

Firstly the Spy is unable to use his weapons or taunt whilst cloaked, but the player can still use the Disguise Kit. Disguising whilst cloaked will remove the team tinted smoke particle effect, allowing seamless disguise changing to fit certain situations.

Secondly, the Spy is completely invisible to all enemies when cloaked, athough teammates will be able to see the class as a semi-transparent silhouette tinted in the team colour.

Furthermore, regardless of what type of watch used, bumping into enemy players or being damaged results in the Cloak malfunctioning, producing a temporary outline shimmer that is visible to all players regardless of team (although with the Dead Ringer this is only shown after a certain time cloaker). A Spy therefore cannot simply charge through an enemy offensive with the Cloak.

Weapons used against the class that produce visual effects, such as Jarate, Bleeding and fire, will render the Cloak useless as the effects will make the Spy clearly visible. Similarly, emerging from water will cause the Spy to drip even when cloaked. Falling from a certain height will also produce a blood particle effect, and an audible crack.

Upon decloaking, the Spy is make a unique noise and briefly appear in his team colour, regardless of disguise. Players must therefore decloak away from enemies to avoid being discovered.

Each watch will display its Cloak meter on the model viewed by the player. The meter is also visible in the HUD.

Invisibility watch strategies

For more information see the article on Invisibility Watch

With the default watch, players can Cloak for a maximum of 9 seconds, during which they can move through enemy lines, across [{Sentry Gun]] paths, or away from attackers. Picking up ammo through boxes or dropped weapons will replenish the Cloak at the default rate. Therefore layout of the map and location of various ammo points are important to players who wish to be cloaked for a longer period of time. Dispensers on either team can also fill the Cloak meter even when the Spy is cloaked. Be advised that using an enemy Dispenser will require the correct disguise, and that the Spy may be discovered if bumped into by Engineers collecting their metal.

Uncloaking will produce a quiet 'whooshing' sound that can be heard by other players in the immediate vicinity. Experienced Spies should therefore uncloak in a lone location, prefereably with the correct disguise, in order to avoid enemies who may start searching the area upon hearing the noise.

The direct counter of the Cloak is the Pyro. The Spy will be rendered visible and will burn with a team-coloured ambience if set on fire. Players should avoid Pyros at all costs when cloaked; if bumped into, the Pyro will immediately begin to Spycheck the vicinity.

Dead Ringer Strategies

For more information see the article on Dead Ringer

The Dead Ringer watch is a unique gadget in terms of cloaking. The watch does not Cloak when the correct bound key is pressed, but rather it will be held up in the player's view in a ready position. However, the next time the Spy is dealt damage, either by enemies or falling, he will drop a fake corpse and immediately become cloaked for a total of 6.5 seconds. During this time the player will have damage against them reduced by 90%, and they will not shimmer when attacked or bumped into by enemies.

The corpse dropped is dependant on the disguise the player was using at the time. Dropping a friendly disguise as a corpse, therefore, may allow the Spy to move into enemy territory without arousing suspicion. Similarly, dropping a Spy corpse by being attacked when wearing an enemy disguise will trick the enemy into spychecking in all directions, allowing the Spy to move through undetected anyway because the Cloak is not affected by damage. The player should note that the dropping of the corpse ragdolls is somewhat bugged and noticeable to experienced players, who may alert their team of a Dead Ringer Spy being present. Furthermore, activating the Dead Ringer upon being attacked once will almost immediately be suspicious to the enemy. Players should therefore wait a couple of seconds if under continuous fire before cloaking to provide a more convincing fake death. This should not apply to competent Snipers, Sticky Bomb traps or forms of critical attacks.

Spies with the Dead Ringer can collect ammo and use Dispensers to replenish the Cloak, albeit at a reduced amount compared to the Invisibility Watch. Once cloaked for longer than 6.5 seconds, however, the Spy will shimmer upon damage or contact with the enemy as with any other watch. Making a run through the map with the Dead Ringer, therefore, is just as risky as with the default watch.

The main disadvantage of the watch is the loud and distinctive uncloaking sound. Players should therefore utilise cover or remote locations to uncloak.

The Spy can still be set on fire by a Pyro. The damage reduction, however, may allow the player to seek out water and extinguish themselves where otherwise they would have died. Most Pyros will continue to chase the Spy once alight, however, making escape more difficult. Should the Pyro prowl the area outside the water, players should consider hiding in the water for as long as the Cloak permits until the Pyro leaves. Shooting at the Pyro from underwater is also a viable option, as his Flamethrower is ineffective underwater. On the other hand, leading the Pyro into a friendly Sentry Gun or experienced teammate may prove successful.

Aside from providing normal Cloak espionage, the Dead Ringer can serve as a paranoia tool. Making an obvious fake death can lead to enemies spending more time Spychecking, possibly even causing Medics to deploy their ÜberCharge early. This can allow teammates an opportunity to advance on an objective, or wait for the enemy ÜberCharge to end before activating their own.

Cloak and Dagger Strategies

For more information see Cloak and Dagger

The Cloak and Dagger watch servers as a sidegrade for the default watch. The cloak will last for 6.6 seconds when the Spy is running, and cannot be replenished by ammo crates. On the other hand, should the player remain perfectly still whilst cloaked, the meter will recharge by itself at a slow amount.

Due to the nature of the recharge, a Cloak and Dagger Spy will mostly conduct his espionage standing still. Objects in the map such as boxes or corners will therefore provide strategic points from which to crouch and relay enemy movement to the team through chat or microphone. On the other hand, these areas provide points from which players can backstab slow moving classes or sap buildings. Once the Spy performs these quick assassinations, they can return to their vantage point for the next unsuspecting victim. This can effectively cut off high traffic areas, as the enemy will become wary of using the route. Alternatively, they may send in a Pyro to flush out the Spy.

Once the cloak meter is drained, the Spy will have a clear visible outline. Coming to a halt will resume full invisibility. A crouch-walking Spy will drain the cloak slowly, but will move around at a slower speed.

It has been noted that Spies can maintain invisibility even when the cloak is depleted by moving slowly (often crouched) in poorly lit areas. This is a risky maneuvre however, as most players may still be able to locate the Spy, particularly if they are aware of his presence in the vicinity. Camoflage may also apply to team coloured areas, such as RED Spies against rocky walls, but is not a viable strategy.

Related Achievements

Pyro

Spontaneous Combustion Ignite 10 cloaked Spies.

Demoman

Shorn Connery Decapitate a cloaked Spy.

Heavy

Spyalectical Materialism Kill or assist in killing 10 cloaked Spies.

Engineer

Search Engine Kill 3 cloaked Spies with a Sentry Gun under control of your Wrangler.

Sniper

Jarring Transition Use Jarate to reveal a cloaked Spy.

Shoot the Breeze Kill a fully invisible Spy in a single hit.

Spy

Burn Notice Survive 30 seconds after being ignited while cloaked.

Spies Like Us While cloaked, bump into an enemy cloaked Spy.

See also

• Disguise Kit
• Spy strategy