Item quality

“

Hmmm, have a gander at this little beauty. Click to listen — The Sniper, on hat-based modern stylishness

”

Item rarity is a "quality" of items in Team Fortress 2.

Normal items

Also called 'stock' items, these are the standard non-unlockable weapons that first shipped with the game, e.g. the Scattergun and the Rocket Launcher. These weapons are available to all players. Since the Polycount Update, unique variants of these items can now be viewed for use with Name Tags in the backpack by checking the box "Show Stock Items".

Unique items

Also known as unlockables. These items can be purchased from the Mann. Co Store, dropped randomly through gameplay, obtained through achievements, crafted, or traded. As of the Mann-Conomy Update, all unique items gained before the update were changed to vintage status (see below).

Vintage items

Vintage items are items that were obtained before the release of the Mann-Conomy Update. Most existing Unique items were changed to Vintage items in order to increase their appeal in trading. However, they bear no difference other than their blue name and new "Vintage" prefix. Some items were excluded and not changed to Vintage, such as badges, promotional items such as Bill's Hat, and Holiday items such as the Ghastly Gibus. Other items such as the Vintage Tyrolean keep both their original name and the new prefix, resulting in the muddled title "Vintage Vintage Tyrolean". It remains to be seen if this will be fixed by Valve.

As the number of Vintage items decreases over time by crafting and trading, their individual value will increase. Renamed vintage items keep their original name color.

Unusual items

Unusual items are hats that have special particle effects attached to them. Currently, the only way to obtain these items is by unlocking a Mann Co. Supply Crate with its corresponding key, or by trading for one. There are 896 possible combinations between hats and unusual item particle effects (14 Effects * 64 Current 'Unusual Able' Hats). The different particle effects are viewable in this animation, and below as they appear in-game.

Currently, any Spy disguising as a player wearing an unusual hat will also be wearing the same hat, but the particle effects will be missing.

Originally, the majority of the particle effects were bound to the feet[1] until the October 6, 2010 Patch.

Gallery

Rarity/Gallery

Backpack examples

Scattergun
Level 1 Scattergun

The Huntsman
Level 10 Bow

Vintage Backburner
Level 10 Flame Thrower

Unusual Napper's Respite
1 - 100
Effect: Circling Heart
After a long day of burning scouts.

Community Knife
Level 50 Knife

Valve Equalizer
Level 100 Pickaxe

Colors

Colour	Rarity Name	Example
B2B2B2	Normal	Rocket Launcher
FFD800	Unique	The Backburner
456292	Vintage	Vintage Axtinguisher
874FAD	Unusual	Unusual Safe'n'Sound
71B149	Community	Community Wrench
	Self-made	Self-Made Dalokohs Bar
A50F79	Developer	Valve Equalizer

See also

• Item levels
• Item drop system