Community Heavy strategy

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— The Heavy

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The Heavy, as the class name suggests, is the full frontal attack force of Team Fortress 2. His class itself is a heavy weapon -- big, slow, tough, and powerful; players can wade into battles where other classes dare not. The Heavy's usefulness as a shock troop on the front lines, defense breaker, and wide-area defender should not be underestimated or ignored by either side.

1 Quick tips
2 General
3 Weapon Specific
4 Taunt Attacks
- 4.1 Showdown
5 Weapon combinations
6 Class combat strategies
- 6.1 Scout
- 6.2 Soldier
- 6.3 Pyro
- 6.4 Demoman
- 6.5 Heavy
- 6.6 Engineer
- 6.7 Medic
- 6.8 Sniper
- 6.9 Spy
7 Cooperative class strategies
- 7.1 Scout
- 7.2 Soldier
- 7.3 Pyro
- 7.4 Demoman
- 7.5 Heavy
- 7.6 Engineer
- 7.7 Medic
- 7.8 Sniper
- 7.9 Spy
8 See also

Quick tips

Hurry through any open areas. You're the favorite target of Snipers. Using the Gloves of Running Urgently will make you a harder target to hit (albeit at the cost of taking more damage if you do).

Look out behind you! A Spy will almost invariably be behind you. Listen for the de-cloaking sound.

The Sandvich heals you very quickly, and will keep you in the fight. Use it from cover.
- Do not use the Sandvich if there are Spies or enemies with taunt kills in their loadouts nearby; the Sandvich eating animation, being a taunt itself, provides them with a perfect opportunity to kill you instantly.

You can right-click to throw your food items to someone else, like your Medic.

Consider arming the Fists of Steel while crossing open areas, and as a strategy for distracting Sentry Guns.

If you have a Medic healing you, keep them protected by having them stay behind you.

Pick up ammo often. Though 200 seems like a lot, your Minigun will deplete it quickly.

General

As the class with the most HP, the Heavy is capable of absorbing a large amount of damage before going down. This endurance can allow players to stay on the front lines for longer durations than other classes. Use this to keep the pressure on the enemy if teammates need to replenish their health or ammo.
- However, remember that due to the Heavy's slow speed and large hitbox, it's far easier for players to cause damage to the Heavy, so always be ready to retreat behind cover. As powerful as the Heavy is, players should keep in mind that they are still vulnerable to concentrated attacks, and that the Heavy's slow movement can increase this vulnerability.

Beginner Heavy players should aim to develop the mentality that they will automatically retreat no matter what when their health drops to around 125 HP (plus/minus 25 HP). As they gain experience, they will be better suited to judge a situation to see if they should retreat early or to stay and fight to the death.

File:Headshot heavy.jpg

Snipers can take out a Heavy with one fully charged Headshot, so keep out of their sights!

With 300 HP, the Heavy is capable of being overhealed up to 450 HP, which can allow players to absorb even more damage. A Heavy with a Medic in tow is easily one of, if not, the most powerful combinations in the game.

Being the slowest class in the game, the Heavy usually has top Teleporter priority. In the absence of Teleporters, it is important to plan your route ahead so as to not waste time by going the wrong way.

Thanks to the class's size, strength, firepower, and general obviousness, Heavy players draw a lot of attention in a fight. This allows Heavies to dictate the focus and pace of a battle merely by their presence and positioning. Heavies can be used to distract enemies while more maneuverable classes such as Scouts and Pyros can ambush and flank the enemy, and their absence can be used to lead the foe into a false sense of security.

Remember that, in spite of the class's considerable offensive power, the Heavy is a Defensive type class. Heavies used in defensive situations can suppress enemy movements and break up pushes.

A Heavy standing next to a Dispenser, health/ammo pickups, or pushing the Payload cart can get a constant supply of ammo and health, letting players fire their Minigun without the need for a resupply or Medic.

Watch out for the enemy-colored laser dot. Though Heavies have a large health pool, one well placed Sniper shot can take them down easily.
- Firing the Minigun at Snipers may not do much damage, but will cause them to lose accuracy.

Heavies are big targets for Spies. Constantly watch your back when spinning up.
- Because of the Minigun's wide spread, firing occasionally out in the open can hit and reveal a cloaked Spy. This allows players to Spy-check over longer distances.

When firing any of his primary weapons, a Heavy's bullets actually originate from his head, not his gun barrel. This mechanic can be used to fire "through" solid objects that reach up to the Heavy's neck, allowing you to deal considerable damage to enemies from behind cover. As an additional bonus, most casual players are not familiar with this tactic and may not be able to counter it.

Pushing the cart in Payload games can be quite effective if there are teammates to support the push. Use the cart as cover and shoot from behind it. Furthermore, as the cart acts as a moving Dispenser, health and ammo will be replenished automatically, increasing the Heavy's already impressive endurance.

Take care of Medics! A Heavy/Medic pair can be a devastating force, but only if the two of them work together. Remember that a Medic usually has other teammates to worry about besides a Heavy, so be observant of when the Medic is and isn't healing you. Be sure to throw your Sandvich to your Medic if he is low on health. You can also block incoming projectiles for your Medic if necessary.

Communication is the key! Keep communicating with your Medic to reduce the chance of getting separated. This can also help with ÜberCharge, because you can tell your Medic when to deploy it so that it is not wasted.

Lunchbox items such as Sandviches cannot be eaten in situations where the Heavy is considered airborne or swimming. However, it can still be thrown with secondary fire, with the exception of the Dalokohs Bar or the Fishcake.

To compensate for the speed reduction during the primary weapon's spin up time, run towards the spot you intend to fire from. Before reaching that spot, jump to keep momentum, and hold the fire button to start the spin up. You will land on your intended spot, and begin firing. This is most useful when firing around corners.

Weapon Specific

Primary Weapons

Minigun + reskins

Weapon	Kill Icon	Ammo	Damage
Weapon	Kill Icon	Carried	Point Blank	Medium Range	Long Range	Critical
Stock Minigun		200	50-54	5-30	5-10	27
Promotional Iron Curtain
Uncrate Festive Minigun
Botkiller Minigun
Two Cities Reward Australium Minigun

Remember that holding alternate fire will keep the Minigun spun up and ready to shoot at a moment's notice; taking up station in strategic defensive positions and staying spun up is often an excellent alternative to attempting an assault as a Heavy.
- Beware that spinning up the Minigun will greatly reduce movement speed as well as emit a distinctive sound. Nearby enemies will know that you are nearby.
- Tap the alternate fire button to move at a normal speed while still being able to spin up quickly.

Mouse tracking speed doesn't decrease when the Minigun is spinning. Setting the mouse to a high sensitivity can allow players to quickly lock on to moving targets.

Knowing when not to fire is key to good Heavy play. Wasting ammo whittling away long-range targets or on ÜberCharged pairs will leave players without bullets at a crucial point.

One of the keys to using the Minigun effectively is learning to jump and spin up at the same time. Use this when going around corners to effectively ambush the enemy.

Natascha

Weapon	Kill Icon	Ammo	Damage
Weapon	Kill Icon	Carried	Point Blank	Medium Range	Long Range	Critical
Unlock Natascha		300	32-36	5-20	3-10	20.25

Natascha is particularly effective against faster classes (such as the Scout), since it counteracts their speed advantage. Use Natascha to prevent speedy classes from reaching cover, making them easier to pick off.

Due to Natascha doing less damage, it's best to avoid fighting Heavies that are wielding a different primary weapon (especially the Brass Beast), or an Engineer's Sentry Gun, unless a Medic is providing support or teammates are nearby.

When working with a teammate on defense, such as a Demoman, Soldier, or Minigun-wielding Heavy, Natascha can make Scouts, Medics, and Pyros easier targets for slow-moving projectiles and allows other Heavies time to spin up their guns.

Natascha can be a better choice than the Minigun for dealing with Spies, as Natascha reduces the chance of an enemy Spy escaping after a successful Spy-check.

This weapon has 50% more ammo, adding the total to 300. Use Natascha when there are no Dispensers or ammocrates around, you need to shoot a longer time and/or you need to shoot something of a long distance.

The slowdown of Natascha also affects vertical momentum, meaning that any opponent trying to jump (including rocket jumps and sticky jumps) will come up short when hit. This can be used to defend high vantage points against Soldiers and Demomen trying to take the high ground.

Natascha can slowdown Demomen who use the Chargin' Targe or Splendid Screen to charge.
- Slowdown negates a charge, which can stop a Demoman's assault in his tracks.

The slowing effect makes the Heavy more frustrating to fight, giving him a much larger presence in battle, and can be very effective at giving suppressive fire.

This weapon gives the Heavy more of a team support role instead of being the spearhead of the team. Adjust your strategy accordingly.

Brass Beast

Weapon	Kill Icon	Ammo	Damage
Weapon	Kill Icon	Carried	Point Blank	Medium Range	Long Range	Critical
Craft Brass Beast		200	60-65	6-36	5-12	32.4

Carrying the Shotgun as a secondary weapon is recommended due to the Brass Beast's long spin-up time. This allows players to quickly have a weapon ready to fire in event of an ambush.

Due to the extremely slow walking speed while spun up, this weapon is great in defensive situations that do not require a significant amount of movement.
- Take advantage of its greater damage potential by guarding bottlenecks and choke points, where the enemy has less room to maneuver and avoid fire.

Positioning yourself with the Brass Beast takes a lot of forethought and also a lot of practice to get used to. As a rule of thumb, let the enemy come to you in relatively short spaces; although the Brass Beast will do good damage at longer ranges, you will be at very high risk if you try to to take advantage of this due to your being almost immobile.

In team defenses, try to pair up with another Heavy that is using the Natascha. The Natascha-wielding Heavy can slow nearby targets down, maximizing the amount of damage that the Brass Beast can do.

Make good use of Dispensers with this weapon. The slower movement speed when spinning means it's difficult for players to keep the Brass Beast well-stocked with ammo, as others may take the dropped weapons of dead foes first, as well as making the Heavy an easier target for explosive splash damage.

With the Brass Beast equipped, enemy Heavies are often less of a threat; you should nearly always win against other Heavies, assuming that they don't ambush you.

Hiding around the corner for unaware players is a good way to make a quick ambush.

A good strategy to use with the Brass Beast is to make sure you have the Brass Beast spun up before your Medic deploys his UberCharge, as the spin-up time will decrease the amount of time you have to deal damage on an UberCharge.

Though enemy Heavies do generally become less of a threat, a Heavy with the Minigun can spin up and kill you faster than you can spin up and kill them because of the marginally increased spin-up time.

Tomislav

Weapon	Kill Icon	Ammo	Damage
Weapon	Kill Icon	Carried	Point Blank	Medium Range	Long Range	Critical
Craft Tomislav		200	50-54	5-30	5-10	27
Two Cities Reward [[Australium Tomislav\|Template:Dictionary/items/australium tomislav]]		200	50-54	5-30	5-10	27

A Tomislav-equipped Heavy is ideal for surprising foes as they turn corners. Ambushing a foe at point-blank range in this manner results in a very quick, nearly unavoidable kill; they cannot retreat fast enough to escape the finishing burst as you follow them, and they usually cannot outlast the Heavy's health if they choose to fight anyway.

If you find an area where you can efficiently execute such ambushes, make sure you do not use the same spot each time. Victims of your rampage will quickly warn their teammates, who will bring backup or keep their weapons ready as they close into the kill zone.

The Tomislav's rapid spin-up generally compensates for many of the weaknesses of the Shotgun. If your ammo efficiency is good and/or you expect to use mostly defensive tactics, a consumable may be a better use of your secondary slot.

Try not to use this weapon primarily for its faster spin-up, because the faster spin-up time is only a 0.087 second difference.

Normally, switching to the Minigun while boosted from the Killing Gloves of Boxing is an inefficient use of the Crit-boost period; the Tomislav is a powerful exception to this rule, as you can switch to, deploy, and fire the weapon less than a second after you connect with the gloves. This is a great way to clear an area while ÜberCharged.

When coordinating with a Medi Gun-equipped Medic, feel free to close the distance more in the early part of an offensive ÜberCharge, as you will have additional time to fire nonetheless.

Listen carefully for enemy Heavies and their Miniguns; should you engage, you will lose in a head-to-head fight with all but Natascha-wielding Heavies (assuming both of you are spun up and ready to fire and all else being equal). Catch them close and undeployed, and you will win the damage race before they can deal too much damage.

Huo-Long Heater

Weapon	Kill Icon	Ammo	Damage	Effect
Weapon	Kill Icon	Carried	Point Blank	Medium Range	Long Range	Critical	Fire Ring	Afterburn
Craft Huo-Long Heater		200	50-54	5-30	5-10	27	12-18	36 damage over 6 seconds

The Huo-Long Heater is very similar to the stock Minigun in terms of damage output. However, while being spun up, it continuously emits a ring of fire around the Heavy that ignites nearby foes and does minor damage. This ring of fire consumes 6 ammo per second, meaning that the Huo-Long Heater runs out of ammunition more quickly than other Miniguns. The ring of fire is not generated if the Huo-Long Heater is out of ammunition.

It is best to carry a Shotgun for Heavy's secondary weapon, as the Huo-Long Heater will reduce ammo far quicker than the other miniguns. In the event that you run out of ammo, rely on the Shotgun, but do not try to substitute it for the Heater's firepower. The Family Business is recommended due to its larger ammo clip.

Focus more on long-ranged assaults with your Minigun fire than for self-defensive, close-ranged attacks. The ring of fire will protect you from close-ranged enemy assaults, though it will not finish them off completely.
- Do not rely completely on the ring of fire or its afterburn to kill nearby enemies. Unless your opponent is low on health, the flames will most likely not be effective enough to kill even a Spy attempting to backstab, but it will ignite them either way.

Rely on teammates more than ever. Your ammo is more limited than usual, and you will be likely to run out of ammo directly in enemy territory. Teammates will be able to support you in this situation as well as to finish off any enemy ignited by your flames while you focus on key targets, or when you are not spun up as to not waste ammo.

Pay attention to any reserve of ammo nearby. Fallen players' weapons and ammo packs will be able to restore your quickly-depleted ammo for a longer assault.

Conserve ammo as much as possible. It is best to keep your Heater spun up only when in an area vulnerable to ambush or near a source of ammo, like a Dispenser. Otherwise, you may run out of ammo quickly.

Attempt to get close to enemies. Far away from them, they both take less damage from your bullets and are out of the range of your flames. Pairing with the Gloves of Running Urgently can allow you to close in to your enemies quicker.

The Heavy's own size added to the ring of fire that surrounds him can allow him to act as an even greater defensive figure, able to block off passageways and ward off enemies, while protecting himself from attacks.

The ring of flames you create can also serve as a deterrent for Spies. Spies attempting to backstab you while you are revved up will be ignited. Keep an eye out for any friendly players who have been lit on fire -- they may be an enemy Spy.
- Just because you have a ring of fire doesn't mean a Spy won't backstab or try to shoot you. Use this weapon for Spy-checking.
- Experienced Spies can sometimes jump into melee range and strike before landing on the ground, scoring a backstab without being ignited by the ring of flames. Continue to stay alert for Spies approaching behind you.

This weapon can also be used to defend friendly Engineer nests. Dispensers will give you a continuous source of ammo, and the ring of flames you create will ignite enemy Spies attempting to sap buildings.
- Similarly, the weapon is quite efficient when pushing the cart in Payload and Payload Race game modes. The cart's ammo supply is enough to keep the weapon spun-up continuously, and the ring of fire will provide protection to you and your nearby teammates who are pushing it.

When taunting with the Huo-Long Heater while spinning up, the ring of fire will still be active and you will still continue to lose ammo.

Secondary Weapons

Shotgun

Weapon	Kill Icon	Ammo		Damage
Weapon	Kill Icon	Loaded	Carried	Point Blank	Medium Range	Long Range	Critical
Stock Shotgun		6	32	86-90	24-67	3-26	180

The Shotgun is the maneuvering weapon of the Heavy. Use it in situations where losing mobility is disadvantageous, such as:
- Fighting Demomen and Soldiers, negating their advantage where they can use cover to damage you whilst remaining safe from Minigun fire.
- Whilst retreating.
- Whilst attempting to close distance whilst ÜberCharged.
- Fighting whilst in view of an enemy Sniper.
- When getting to Health and Ammo pickups quickly is important.
- "Bull-rushing" ranged weapon classes to close from mid range to close where the Shotgun excels.

The Shotgun also provides a ranged backup weapon when you have run out of Minigun ammo.

If there are multiple friendly Medics on the team, then it may be a better idea to bring this over the Sandvich, since replenishing health is not an issue.

Keep in mind that without the Sandvich, players will need to rely more on Health Packs and Medics to stay alive. Try to memorize the map's health pack locations, and keep within easy distance of teammates should the need to retreat arise.

You can also try and use the Shotgun to bait more reckless enemies around corners if going around said corner is too dangerous or you're low on health. This strategy is more effective with the Tomislav, as the enemy won't be aware of your plan until it's in full effect.

Although the Sandvich is better than this weapon in many cases, don't underestimate the Shotgun's power! It becomes heavily effective in scenarios which are defensive, especially if friendly Engineers have Dispensers present and Medic support is available, effectiely removing the need to a source of self-healing. On the other hand, you won't be able to drop your Sandvich and provide quick healing for your Medic.

Sandvich + reskins

Weapon	Ammo		Eating
Weapon	Loaded	Carried	Health Gained	Duration	Recharge Time
Unlock Sandvich	1	∞	300	4.3 seconds	30 seconds
Promotional Robo-Sandvich
Uncrate Festive Sandvich

When eaten, the Sandvich fully restores the Heavy's HP over four seconds; during this process, the Heavy becomes immobile and emits loud eating noises.

Remember to use the Sandvich only when behind cover and in the presence of teammates. As the Heavy is completely immobile while recovering health, enemies can very easily follow up at their leisure.
- Try to eat while backed up against a wall, as a Spy that happens upon a dining Heavy can spell disaster. In addition, make sure to stand somewhere where a Spy is unable to use a height advantage to climb over and perform a backstab from above.

It is wise to be generous with your sandviches, as they recharge rather quickly; if you see a teammate with less than half health and there are no health packs, medics, or Dispensers in the very immediate vicinity, don't hesitate to toss them some health. By eliminating some time they would have spent backtracking for health, you have inevitably made your next push stronger.

Use alternate fire to throw the Sandvich onto the ground. A dropped Sandvich acts as a medium health pack, replenishing 50% of a player's HP when picked up, and stopping burning/bleeding damage. Use it to help endangered teammates quickly recover health. This is especially advisable for healing Medics, as they cannot heal themselves and doing so helps them to retain their ÜberCharge meter.
- Sandviches cannot be used on yourself this way. Picking it up will replenish your Food bar.

Enemies can use dropped Sandviches from either team, so it's possible to set traps by dropping a Sandvich and ambushing enemies that try to pick it up.

The Sandvich has a 30 second cooldown if it's thrown or eaten when injured. Picking up a Health pack while at full HP restores the Sandvich instantly.
- This can be used to teammates' benefit when picking up small health packs, as the Sandvich can be dropped for a teammate, and the small health pack picked up to restore the Food meter, effectively turning the small health pack into a medium one.

Without a fallback weapon such as the Shotgun or the Family Business, you are forced to rely solely on using the Minigun to do damage in open areas.

By immediately performing a taunt upon equipping the Sandvich, the one-second weapon-change delay can be bypassed, allowing for faster consumption.

Do not try to hold a Sandvich when enemies are around, especially when Scouts are around, as they gain 75 health instead of the normal 50 if you drop it when killed.

Remember that your teammates don't have eyes in the back of their head, and teammates ignoring their health could lead them to charging into battle at low health. You are slower than your teammates, so remember to drop it in front of them if you can. You can use the Gloves of Running Urgently to keep up with them if they are ignoring/can't see your Sandvich.

You need to wait for the weapon to switch before you can eat it -- if you can't wait for that time, taunting allows you to skip this. This is more effective with the Fists of Steel, which has a slower switch time.

Dalokohs Bar + reskins

Weapon	Ammo		Eating
Weapon	Loaded	Carried	Health Gained	Duration of Eating	Effect Duration
Craft Dalokohs Bar	1	∞	100 or if at full health, raises maximum health to 350.	4.3 seconds	30 seconds
Promotional Fishcake	1	∞	100 or if at full health, raises maximum health to 350.	4.3 seconds	30 seconds

Consuming the Dalokohs Bar restores 100 HP over four seconds when eaten, and increases the Heavy's maximum health to 350 HP for 30 seconds. As with the Sandvich, the Heavy becomes immobile and makes highly audible eating noises.

At the end of the 30-second time limit, any health over 300 becomes overheal health and will fully drain away in around 7 seconds.

Unlike the Sandvich or Buffalo Steak Sandvich, the Dalokohs Bar has no cooldown timer, and thus can be consumed consecutively multiple times to restore health. However, be wary that consuming it will still take time, so it's often wiser to simply look for more health pickups if the chance of being ambushed by enemies is high.

The extra 50 HP allows the user to withstand a minimum of one more shot from the Scattergun, the Grenade Launcher, or the Sniper Rifle (minimally charged headshots or bodyshots). It may also allow a minimum of one more shot from the Stickybomb Launcher and Direct Hit when fighting outside very close range. All of these weapons are used by the Heavy's most common enemies, and the extra hit may give the Heavy time to finish off his opponent; however, without the 100% healing power of the Sandvich, they will be troubled to find healing afterward.

The Dalokohs Bar can be particularly useful for Heavies that can obtain a constant source of healing but lack a nearby friendly Medic for overhealing or a Dispenser for healing.

Even though the Dalokohs Bar increases maximum health to 350, Medics can still only overheal the Heavy to 450 HP, making the bar less effective when there are numerous friendly Medics.
- Furthermore, due to a bug, Dispensers will still only heal Heavies under the effect of the Dalokohs Bar up to 300 HP.

Unlike the Sandvich and the Buffalo Steak Sandvich, the Dalokohs Bar and the Fishcake cannot be thrown.

Buffalo Steak Sandvich

Weapon	Ammo		Eating
Weapon	Loaded	Carried	Buff	Eating Duration	Duration of Effect	Recharge Time
Craft Buffalo Steak Sandvich	1	∞	Increases speed by 35%, turns damage dealt into Mini-Crits, and increases damage taken by 25%. Prevents usage of non-melee weapons for the duration of the buff.	4.3 seconds	15 seconds	30 seconds

Like the Sandvich, the Buffalo Steak Sandvich can be dropped with alternate fire. A dropped Buffalo Steak Sandvich behaves the same as a regular Sandvich, replenishing 50% of the health of whoever picks it up, excluding the person who threw it.

The speed boost can be handy in more ways than simple offense; it can aid in scouting and can help get players to their destinations quickly. Note, however, that players are more vulnerable to attack after eating a Buffalo Steak Sandvich due to having 25% increased damage inflicted on them.
- A particularly effective tactic is to use the Buffalo Steak Sandvich at the start of Arena mode's setup time; the now-faster Heavy will be able to reach the front lines faster and the effect will wear off as combat begins, allowing players to make surprising offensive rushes and ambushes against lighter classes.
- The speed boost can also be used to gain access to places that were previously inaccessible to Heavies. Some jumps that would normally only be accessible to most other classes can be done by a Heavy under the effects of the Buffalo Steak Sandvich.

If an enemy is chasing at a distance, turn a corner and use the Buffalo Steak Sandvich. Using the third-person camera, it's possible to spot the enemy whilst eating and, with good timing, pop out again with a surprise melee attack.

Make sure not to charge at enemies, because they can still use their projectile weapons at range, which can result in swift death when combined with the extra 25% damage vulnerability.

The Fists of Steel can be combined with the Buffalo Steak Sandvich for soaking up the extra 25% damage vulnerability caused by the Buffalo Steak Sandvich's side-effect.

The Killing Gloves of Boxing can be useful with this, too. If you get one kill and you still have the effects of the steak, you can use the speed effects of the steak to keep up with an enemy, and the Killing Gloves of Boxing's critical boost to be both powerful and able to 1-hit kill most classes save for a Demoman with the Bootlegger/Ali Baba's Wee Booties, Soldiers, or Heavies.

Family Business

Weapon	Kill Icon	Ammo		Damage
Weapon	Kill Icon	Loaded	Carried	Point Blank	Medium Range	Long Range	Critical
Craft Family Business		8	32	74-76	20-52	3-22	153

The Family Business does best at longer ranges compared to the Shotgun, where its ammo count gives it a notable damage advantage per-mag over the Shotgun. At closer ranges, the difference is much smaller, though the Family Business still does more damage per-magazine than the Shotgun.

Though the decreased damage makes it less useful in direct combat and as an ambush weapon, the increased magazine size makes it useful for picking off distant or wounded targets that are unsuitable for being targeted by a Minigun due to distance or the Minigun's slowdown.
- The Family Business is particularly useful for Snipers and Engineers; against the former, it can push Snipers around and mess up their aim from afar, whilst against the latter, the spray of ammo makes it more likely you can damage an Engineer trying to hide behind its Sentry when attacking the Sentry itself is unfeasible. It can also help throw off the aim of Wrangler-using Engineers.

The added ammo of the Family Business makes it possible to destroy a Mini-Sentry or Level 1 Sentry from just outside its maximum targeting range. This is technically also possible with the Shotgun, but is considerably harder to pull off, as all the shots need to hit for it to happen, whereas with the Family Business, it's a lot more likely to due to the extra ammo eclipsing the lowered damage.

The added ammo of the Family Business makes it a superior "Run and Gun" weapon for the Heavy - it lacks the spin-up time of a Minigun, and when running forward, accuracy is often secondary in necessity compared to volume of fire. In this situation, the Family Business makes for a great weapon for running between objectives, and is a little better than the Shotgun for this purpose. It also is quite handy, in the same vein, for chasing down enemies trying to flee, especially faster classes like Spies and Scouts, since -- again -- volume of fire helps a lot more than raw punch in such a situation.

Paired with the Heavy's substantial health, a full-health Heavy can use the Family Business to "bull rush" mid-range specialist classes such as Soldiers and Demomen while firing. As most players expect a Heavy to switch to a Minigun, this tactic can catch many players by surprise (if the distance you need to close isn't too far). The large clip enables you to do significant damage while closing the distance and your large health pool allows you to soak up damage.

The lack of the Tomislav's firing noise means that the Family Business is a great backup weapon for it - enemies won't have any clue what you're going to use until you start firing, making the Tomislav and Family Business a good ambush combo. While the Shotgun can be used the same way, the Family Business' larger clip size means fewer reloads in the face of enemy aggression and more overall damage dealt per-clip.

There are a number of situations where the Shotgun's a better choice than the Family Business, so fight accordingly. The higher damage of the Shotgun means that it's much better when it comes to ambushing foes, medium-and-close-range combat (where the Shotgun will typically win a damage race against the Family Business), and for dissuading mobile melee attackers, such as Demomen.

The Family Business pairs well with the Killing Gloves of Boxing's Crit-boost, as the increased ammo clip means you can deal more critical damage than with the Shotgun.

Melee Weapons

Fists + reskins

Weapon	Kill Icon	Attack Interval	Damage
Weapon	Kill Icon	Attack Interval	Point Blank	Critical
Stock Fists		0.8 seconds	65	195
Promotional Saxxy
Craft Conscientious Objector
Promotional Apoco-Fists
Promotional Frying Pan
Promotional Freedom Staff
Drop Bat Outta Hell
Drop Ham Shank
Achievement Necro Smasher
Uncrate Crossing Guard

The Fists are a fallback weapon and are the Heavy's only fallback weapon if a secondary weapon other than the Heavy's Shotguns is equipped. It's also good against any class that is cornered or not expecting a Heavy to engage in melee combat.

The Fists are similar to the Medic's Bonesaw; you have a weapon that deals more DPS, but it's better for starting off battles and you have a higher crit chance. Because the Miniguns make a loud and VERY noticeable noise, it's great for attacking distracted enemies. Even if they notice you before you kill them, you have the Minigun or, against stronger classes where the spin-up time would leave you vulnerable, the Shotgun to back you up.

Killing Gloves of Boxing

Weapon	Kill Icon	Attack Interval	Damage	Effect
Weapon	Kill Icon	Attack Interval	Point Blank	Critical	Critical Boost
Unlock Killing Gloves of Boxing		0.97 seconds	65	195	5 seconds

In exchange for a slower swing speed, the Killing Gloves of Boxing grant the Heavy 5 seconds of guaranteed critical hits if he scores a kill with them.

The guaranteed critical hits can be transferred to other weapons as well. Therefore, it's possible to kill an enemy, then quickly switch to another weapon to kill enemies beyond melee range. However, switching weapons wastes precious time, and spinning up the Minigun wastes even more; in addition, the Shotgun's Criticals are less powerful than those of the K.G.B. If possible, get multiple kills (2 or more) with the K.G.B. before switching to another weapon.

The slow swing speed coupled with the Heavy's slow movement speed makes using the K.G.B. a risky prospect. It's best to use them when facing a cornered enemy, or have a Medic to provide constant healing.
- However, if the Crit-boost can be achieved in tight corridors, keep using the K.G.B. while there are still enemies around; a Critical hit with the K.G.B. will kill all non-overhealed classes with a single hit except Soldiers, Demomen (with the Eyelander and with 4 or more heads) and Heavies, who will fall if a second hit is landed.

Using the Buffalo Steak Sandvich can assist in getting the first melee kill, as players will be able to move faster and deal Mini-Crits. However, beware that all damage taken will be increased by 25% for the duration of the Buffalo Steak Sandvich's buff, so try to time an attack so that the Buffalo Steak Sandvich's effects run out as soon as a melee kill is achieved.
- This strategy is even more effective in Medieval Mode, as most other enemy classes will not be carrying long-range weapons.

Just because you waste some of the boost with the Minigun's spin-up time, doesn't mean you waste all of it. The Minigun doesn't require a reload and does absolutely MASSIVE damage with Critical Hits, so wasting a few precious seconds with the Minigun CAN be worth it in some scenarios.

If a friendly Heavy on your team is using the Killing Gloves of Boxing, do not steal their kill. The Heavy will not gain kills on assists, meaning even if you want that free kill, you should leave it for the Heavy.

Gloves of Running Urgently + reskins

Weapon	Kill Icon	Attack Interval	Damage	Effect
Weapon	Kill Icon	Attack Interval	Point Blank	Critical	Speed Boost
Craft Gloves of Running Urgently		0.8 seconds	49	147	299 Hammer units/sec
Uncrate Bread Bite		0.8 seconds	49	147	299 Hammer units/sec

The G.R.U. is a weapon that allows the Heavy to move 30% faster while active in exchange for both a 25% damage penalty as well as being marked for death while the weapon is active and for three seconds afterwards, meaning all damage taken is dealt as mini-crits.

Use the G.R.U. to reach the front lines faster and keep up with teammates, but make sure to know where the frontlines are so as to switch away on approach and be free of the mini-crit penalty upon arriving at the fight.
- The G.R.U. can also be used to escape losing combat situations. This can allow players to survive and rendezvous with teammates to continue the fight, rather than be killed and forced to respawn.
- Dodging enemy fire is also more effective when using the G.R.U., since players can use the increased maneuverability to actively dodge projectiles as well as make it more difficult to aim Hitscan weapons.
- Remember that the Buffalo Steak Sandvich's speed boost does not stack with that of the G.R.U. A Heavy under the effects of both will still only move at a maximum speed of 311 HU/sec.

When under the effects of an ÜberCharge, use the G.R.U. to push in closer to a Sentry Gun until close enough to nullify its knockback. The extra acceleration allows players go straight up to a Sentry Gun and use the Minigun's full damage potential, rather than at longer ranges where the spread makes a Heavy ineffective.

Beware of the amount of fire you are taking, and consider only using the G.R.U. in close-range 1-on-1 confrontation to minimize the risk of taking mini-crits from enemy attacks.

While this weapon has a damage penalty, you can still take most classes in a one-on-one melee fight. You have a large health pool and the speed boost does let you get almost a free kill on fleeing enemies, so feel free to take risks and go out there and punch some people! This weapon does 49 damage, which is still quite a lot, considering they attack every 0.8 seconds.
- Like said earlier, you have a large health pool, so the Mini-Crits you take aren't that significant.

Remember, if the server you're playing on has random Critical Hits enabled, melee weapons have a VERY high Critical Hit chance compared to guns. A Critical Hit from these gloves do 146 damage, so if you're feeling lucky, pull them out and you have quite a large chance to kill, if not, seriously injure most classes!

Equip this with the Tomislav and you can be a silent Heavy. Just run right past the enemy lines, stopping against walls to spin up your Tomislav (which, by the way, the enemy can't hear) until the coast is clear, and if the coast ISN'T clear, just pop right off the wall and shred them with the Tomislav. It's a silent killer; the enemy won't know you're behind that wall!

These are very useful in Capture the Flag. Not only are you powerful, if you grab the Intelligence, you can make a run for it, and even if enemies do attack you, you're stronger than them! (Unless it's an enemy Heavy or a skilled player using a powerhouse class like Demoman or Soldier.) So not only are you mobile (so you aren't nearly useless at capturing the Intelligence), you're strong too!

Warrior's Spirit

Weapon	Kill Icon	Attack Interval	Damage
Weapon	Kill Icon	Attack Interval	Point Blank	Critical
Craft Warrior's Spirit		0.8 seconds	85	254

The Warrior's Spirit can be used to give players an edge in melee fights. As the Heavy already has a significant amount of HP, being able to deal more damage allows players to kill their enemies before they take too much damage.

Due to the health penalty, the maximum amount of health that a Medic can overheal the Heavy to is 420, rather than 450.
- The Dalokohs Bar can be used to partially negate the health penalty. However, the Dalokohs Bar's buff does not increase the maximum overheal health.

One thing that should be noted about the Warrior's Spirit is that it blocks a lot of the screen, making it difficult to keep track of your surroundings, something of high priority when using a melee weapon. Use it wisely!

Fists of Steel

Weapon	Kill Icon	Attack Interval	Damage
Weapon	Kill Icon	Attack Interval	Point Blank	Critical
Craft Fists of Steel		0.8 seconds	65	195

The Fists of Steel can significantly reduce the Heavy's vulnerability if ambushed or when attacked while traversing areas. As the Heavy has effectively 500 HP, it's possible to survive fully-charged headshots under certain conditions.

When retreating, equipping the Fists of Steel can increase the chances of a successful escape. Enemy players trying to finish such a fleeing Heavy will not be able to deal enough damage to get a kill before the Heavy can retreat behind cover or find some health.

The damage resistance makes the continuous healing given by Medics, Dispensers, and the Payload more effective by proportion.

A Heavy with the Fists of Steel equipped can effectively shield a Sentry Gun from a barrage of rockets with ease and soak up quite a bit of Minigun damage, which makes it ideal for protecting friendly Sentry Gun nests against an enemy ÜberCharge.

The Fists of Steel are extremely valuable for accomplishing objectives such as capturing points, pushing the Payload cart, or capturing the Intelligence. As most players will often try to protect objectives from a distance, using the Fists of Steel can give the Heavy a much greater chance of success at accomplishing such objectives as damage can more or less be soaked up.

Make sure not to get into a melee battle, due to the double damage enemies can deal with their melee weapons.
- Because of this, it's generally a bad idea to equip the Fists of Steel in Medieval Mode, unless there's a large amount of Snipers using the Huntsman or Medics using the Crusader's Crossbow on the opposing team.

A Heavy using the Fists of Steel can be an enticing target for classes that would otherwise use ranged weapons. Baiting an enemy into chasing you with a melee weapon and then switching to your Minigun can be a very effective technique.

The Tomislav is a good weapon to pair with the Fists of Steel, as you can quickly spin the Tomislav up to take out faster enemies wielding melee weapons trying to take advantage of the double damage melee weapons will inflict on you.

The slowed weapon switching speed impedes switching between your Shotgun and Minigun, making such tactics much less effective.

Eating Buffalo Steak Sandvich will make Fists of Steel perfect for crossing wide open spaces or retreating. The incoming non-melee damage will be still less than usual, and you will be able to move faster than majority of classes. The only ones who can reach you and deliver a melee hit are Scout, Medic, and explosive-jumping Soldier and Demoman. All of them have quite low health, so even a single mini-crit punch is enough to discourage or even kill them. However, beware of the shield-using Demomen, as they can easily reach and kill you with a single melee crit.

Eviction Notice

Weapon	Kill Icon	Attack Interval	Damage
Weapon	Kill Icon	Attack Interval	Point Blank	Critical
Craft Eviction Notice		0.4 seconds	26	78

The Eviction Notice's improved attack rate makes the Heavy's melee attack faster than even most of the Scout's melee weapons, while dealing roughly equivalent damage.

This weapon attacks 100% faster, but inflicts 60% less damage, making the damage-per-second 20% less than that of the stock fists, meaning other melee weapons are overall more effective. However, the chance of Critical hits paired with the high attack rate means this is considerably more effective for beating down a weakened opponent, especially with the Buffalo Steak Sandvich's Mini-Crits and speed buffs.

The Eviction Notice is used to great effect when used to corner, panic, or ambush enemies. Because the Eviction Notice will get off 4 punches in the time it takes the K.G.B. to attack twice, it is extremely effective at taking enemies down quickly, provided you get the element of surprise.

The higher melee speed paired with the Heavy's natural punch means this weapon can also be effective in "Bull Rushing" players off of cliffs and off ledges, for much the same reason the Scout can - the first instinct of many players when melee attacked is to clear some distance, and the Eviction Notice's rapid punch rate means players will be in that much more of a panic when they try to escape.

This weapon can be effective in a melee fight, as you will land many more hits than your opponent. Simply hold down your mouse button and back away every time he swings, and move forward between swings. This is especially useful against fast, weak, classes like Scouts that could dodge your normal punches.

Holiday Punch

Weapon	Kill Icon	Attack Interval	Damage
Weapon	Kill Icon	Attack Interval	Point Blank	Critical
Uncrate/Craft Holiday Punch		0.8 seconds	65	N/A

While remaining a last resort like the other versions of the Fists, the Holiday Punch is notable as it provides the advantage of forcing the enemy to laugh upon a hit to the back or a critical hit; as a result, consider surprising or repeatedly punching enemies in order to gain an easy kill.

Since the Minigun needs to spin up, the Shotgun is not too powerful, and the Holiday Punch comes with the Showdown taunt, it is recommended you abuse the instant kill ability by taunting upon stunning an enemy.

The Holiday Punch can be a great ambush weapon if used correctly, and paired with weapons such as the Tomislav, it can be used to immobilize one or more enemies from behind and finish them off with a fast hitting weapon.

This weapon can crush Übercharge pushes if you can get the element of surprise. Simply go behind and hit the Medic, breaking the healing beam, and waste up to five seconds of precious time.

Taunt Attacks

Showdown

	Kill Icon	Weapon	Damage	Duration	Details
High Noon		Fists Saxxy Apoco-Fists Holiday Punch	500	3 seconds	The Heavy mimics a quick-draw Pistol Showdown, resulting in instant death for any enemy in the way.

Keep in mind the attack speed for this taunt. If it can be timed right, it's a perfect revenge tool during humiliation. It also can be used against either distracted Heavies or scoped Snipers, saving ammo for other classes.

Unlike other taunts, the Showdown taunt must be manually aimed. This allows players to hit targets from above or below, as long as the target is within the player's line of fire when the "lethal" portion of the taunt is executed.

The Showdown acts as a short-ranged but very wide-hitting Pistol, making it the only kill taunt with range. In melee-only Sudden Death, this can provide a considerable advantage.

In Attack/Defend and Payload maps, it's possible to achieve a kill at the very start of the round with this. Stand in front of the gates, and taunt when there is a second left on the Setup clock.

The taunt attacks in a straight line, so it's possible to aim it through tight spaces and surprise unaware targets. It's possible to do a "Pinshot" by aiming the taunt through a thin crack that leads to another part of the map. For example, a crack under a bridge can be exploited to hit someone under or above the bridge.

Weapon combinations

Example Combinations
Combo			Usage
Minigun	Sandvich or Dalokohs Bar or Shotgun	Fists or Gloves of Running Urgently or Fists of Steel	This setup is good for an all-rounded, objective oriented Heavy. As most enemies generally attack with ranged weapons, the Fists of Steel can provide 40% damage reduction from player and Sentry Gun fire, allowing the Heavy to walk right into heavily defended objectives; this increased damage resistance can also allow particularly aggressive players to use melee attacks to successfully kill players or destroy Sentry Guns. The Gloves of Running Urgently will allow the Heavy, on the other hand, to get to objectives faster, but will make him prone to Mini Crits. If neither the Fists of Steel nor the Gloves of Running Urgently will work, the stock Fists can be used in place of them. In a Payload map, the Heavy can even use the bomb cart as an additional shield, as well as health replenishment, allowing players to escort the cart with ease. The Minigun provides a modest amount of damage, but at close range, is incredibly devastating, while the short spin-up time allows Heavy players to switch from the Fists of Steel directly with minimal penalties, as the Minigun does not suffer any spin-up penalties compared to the Heavy's other two unlockable primary weapons. Due to the obstacles a Heavy with this loadout faces, a lunchbox item is preferred over any Shotgun. The Dalokohs Bar is only useful by giving the Heavy extra health in the event that there are no Medics nearby to give a buff, if there are none at all in the current team line up, or to heal 100 HP when injured infinitely. The Sandvich is much more useful for healing supporting Medics, and other teammates to guarantee longer survivability for all, and since you can gather more Sandvichs by running over medkits at full health, there will be times where you will almost have an infinite supply of Sandvichs, depending on the map, the locations, and the frequency of said medkits. The Shotgun is a good backup weapon if the Minigun take a bad choice; movement is very important sometimes, and the Shotgun in close range is very devastating but, you need Medic's or Health urgently.
Natascha	Sandvich	Gloves of Running Urgently	A good offensive-support setup for when facing non-Heavies in close-quarter combat, and when paired with a Medic constantly. Natascha's slow effect can be used to help teammates finish off any particularly fast enemies, and a Pocket Medic allows players to sustain fire even in the face of overwhelming force. While replenishing health with the Sandvich will not always be necessary due to having a Medic along, the Sandvich can be dropped both to keep the Medic alive as well as keep other teammates in the fight if the Medic is too busy. The GRU gives players a significant maneuverability advantage, allowing them to quickly respond to enemy movements or to reach objectives more quickly.
Brass Beast	Family Business	Killing Gloves of Boxing or Fists of Steel	This set-up is for a strictly defensive Heavy whose main goal is to mow down enemy offensive pushes and stop them from advancing. The Brass Beast's increased damage allows players to counter Sasha-wielding Heavies, but its increased spin-up time and slow movement speed means that strategic positioning is required, preferably next to a Dispenser. The Family Business can provide vital secondary fire in the event of an ambush where players cannot spin up the Brass Beast in time, and its choice over Shotgun is due to its overall benefit as an escape weapon. Which melee weapon to use will depend on the type of defense needed: The K.G.B. can be used to quickly give players a temporary boost in firepower to deal with offensive pushes decisively. Due to the long spin-up time of the Brass Beast, the Shotgun is incredibly useful for utilising the 5 second Crit boost. Furthermore, the K.G.B can be used to decisively deal with any Heavies on the other team who attempt to use the Fists of Steel's sheer defensive potential to accomplish objectives, due to being able to kill such Heavies quickly with melee attacks without worrying about receiving double melee damage in return. The Fists of Steel can be used to physically prevent enemies from accomplishing an objective by using the high ranged weapon damage reduction, but beware of Scouts or other Fists of Steel-equipped Heavies.
Brass Beast	Buffalo Steak Sandvich	Warrior's Spirit	The Hibernating Bear This "official" set is very controversial, since the Brass Beast is a defensive weapon, but the Buffalo Steak Sandvich with Warrior's Spirit put Heavy as offensive (even so, the steak can throw allies with low health). This set is much occupied in Medieval Mode, because the Steak Sandvich gives mini-critics, they work very well with the Warrior's Spirit to punch enemies with a few punches. Never mind -20 life because you're still the liveliest kind of game. Typically, this set is defensively deals with the Brass Beast, and if you need to eliminate enemies without taking the slowness of the aforementioned weapon, you eat the Steak and hit the enemies with your fists, they do more damage per hit, finishing with problems medium as Pyros or Scouts.
Tomislav	Sandvich	Gloves of Running Urgently	One of the best setups for the offensive lonewolf. The G.R.U. allows the Heavy to quickly arrive to the battle, while the quick spin-up of the Tomislav eliminates the need of the Shotgun, and allows the Heavy to use cover, shoot a few rounds, and then retreat behind cover to heal with the Sandvich. Do note that the slower firing speed makes it a bad choice against other Heavies, so if Minigun/Brass Beast Heavies are encountered, the Tomislav-wielding Heavy should quickly retreat or attempt to take advantage of their longer spin-up time.
Minigun or Tomislav	Buffalo Steak Sandvich	Fists or Holiday Punch or Killing Gloves of Boxing or Eviction Notice or Fists of Steel	This setup is for a Heavy who likes to engage with his melee weapons, with the aid of the Buffalo Steak Sandvich for increased speed and damage, allowing him to surprise enemies with a couple Mini-Crit punches and retreat before extra fire can be drawn to him, or attack another distracted enemy. The Fists (and variants) provide supple damage output, without any real drawbacks. The Holiday Punch should be used when you can effectively circle-strafe around the enemy, and cause them to laugh after punching them in the back. Mini-Crits will not cause an enemy to laugh, but do provide Mini-Crit damage, so you must hit them in the back or get a random critical hit to cause them to laugh. The K.G.B. is more of a high risk, high reward weapon when combined with the Buffalo Steak Sandvich, as you have decreased attack speed, but when you do kill someone, you will gain a critical hit boost, which can kill most enemies in 1 hit. The Eviction Notice has a much higher DPS than the regular Fists (and variants), killing enemies much faster, although the hit sound is a dead giveaway to you. The Fists of Steel more than negate the mini-crits for all ranged damage, allowing you to survive much longer. The Minigun provides a reliable weapon when the Buffalo Steak Sandvich is recharging, and a good offensive weapon, while the Tomislav can be quickly fired when the effects run out and is great for switching from melee combat. This setup should not be used for direct combat if you are the only Heavy on your team and lack a Medic, as when the enemy sees a Heavy, they almost always direct their fire to him.
Tomislav	Family Business	Eviction Notice	Black Market Business The Black Market Business set trades some of the Heavy's sheer firepower for the ability to ambush and flank foes more effectively. The faster spin-up time of the Tomislav allows you to quickly engage or disengage from combat, while the silent spin-up bonus allows the player to quietly wait around corners or chokepoints and ambush enemies as they pass by, rather than fighting enemies head-on; a compensation for its 20% reduction in firing speed. The Family Business can be used to finish weakened enemies outside of the Tomislav's range, be used as an escape weapon, or to provide cover fire when crossing open ground. The Eviction Notice can be used to quickly dispatch unsuspecting Scouts and Medics from behind. Beware of Minigun, Natascha, or Brass Beast-wielding Heavies, however, as they will be able to quickly overpower you with their primary weapon. With no Sandvich to heal yourself, always make sure that a Medic or medkit is nearby.
Huo-Long Heater	Shotgun or Family Business	Gloves of Running Urgently	A set for Heavies on an offensive push. The Huo-Long Heater is an excellent weapon for clearing out tunnels or congested areas, as the fire it creates will drive enemies backwards and ignite other Heavies, making it easier for you to finish them off. However, the Heater uses up ammo extremely quickly, so use your Shotgun when engaging a lone enemy instead of wasting precious ammunition, or the Family Business can be used, due to the increased clip size, but won't deal as much damage. The GRU can be used to reach contested areas quickly; however, it can be traded for another melee weapon's benefits if the map is small or an Engineer has constructed a Teleporter.
Huo-Long Heater or Natascha	Shotgun or Dalokohs Bar or Family Business	Fists of Steel or Eviction Notice or Holiday Punch	A set for Heavies on a defensive push, also mainly used for Spy checking and ambushing purposes. The Huo-Long Heater, while offensive in nature, can be used as a great Spy checking tool while also doing the Heavy's natural thing. Natascha's slow mechanic can be used in Spy-checks and help teammates in finish any particular enemy. However, the Huo-Long Heater can use ammo quickly, so the Family Business or stock Shotgun can be used for backup when you are low on ammo. Natascha deals less damage at the other miniguns, so use Shotgun is recommended. The Dalokohs Bar can be used as a more suitable alternative if you want to tank more damage; coupled with the Fists of Steel, it can make you even more of a threat to deal with while enemies try to attack. The Eviction Notice or Holiday Punch can make you more of an surprise predator, if you want to go the ambush route.
Unless marked with a †, all weapons can be substituted with reskins.

Class combat strategies

Scout

As Scouts cannot take Heavies on in direct confrontations, most Scout players will rely on flanking and ambushing their targets and retreating before they can counterattack. As such, make sure to be careful of being ambushed whenever pushing forward, and always be aware of possible side paths that Scouts may use to try to perform flanks.
- While the Minigun is capable of killing Scouts almost immediately upon targeting them, good Scout players will only attack moving Heavies and retreat before they can spin up. Using the Shotgun can provide some measure of self-defense against Scouts when on the move.
- Scouts using the Force-A-Nature are particularly deadly, as they can land two shots inside of one second and retreat before the Heavy can react, on top of the knockback preventing players from pursuing. Always be ready for the Scout to follow up with another attack from a different direction.
Be especially careful when using a lunchbox item. Unlike other classes, Scouts can easily pursue Heavies and attack from unexpected directions.

Because a spun-up Heavy is an easy target, Scouts using the Sandman can easily stun Heavies over long distances, leaving them vulnerable to subsequent attacks. Try to minimize this by fighting at close ranges, where a Sandman stun will only last for a short duration.

A Scout using the Fan O'War can mark inattentive Heavies for death, allowing their teammates to deal Mini-Crit damage. If marked for death, it's usually wise to retreat away from enemy fire until the effects disappear.

Soldier

The Soldier's Rocket Launcher is extremely damaging, but so is your Minigun. Because you have more health, a Heavy will usually win the resulting damage race at close range.
The Soldier is one of the classes that is often best fought with a Shotgun. Using a Shotgun will allow you to move around and avoid his rockets, while still keeping up the damage.
When shooting your Minigun at the Soldier, remember that you're extremely slow, so the Soldier's Rocket Launcher will almost always hit you. If you are part of a Medic-Heavy pair, however, they cannot deal damage to you faster then the Medic can heal you, because of the time it takes to reload the launcher; use this to your advantage.
With a Shotgun, if the Soldier is attacking and not retreating, fire at the Soldier, duck behind cover to reload, and then pop out again to fire again. It's difficult to time rockets to hit you in the short frame of time, forcing them to move forward more or retreat. Conversely, a Soldier may use the same technique on you, usually with a Rocket Launcher.
In the event of a Shotgun battle, you will generally win, as you have far more health.
Of all the Soldier's rocket launchers, the Direct Hit is the most dangerous. The Direct Hit deals souped-up damage, but only if it hits directly; you are a large target to the extremely fast-moving rockets, which makes them hitting you almost inevitable. When dealing with a Direct Hit user, you need to either close the distance or get behind cover; it's not a good idea to try and kill them with your Minigun.
A Soldier wielding the Equalizer at low health can kill you in two or three hits, making him incredibly dangerous if he hits you. If you see one, make him your first priority. As they rely on closing the distance to kill you, it's often effective to switch to your primary, and be ready for any ambushes, since detecting a Equalizer-wielding Soldier with your primary spun up will result in an instant kill.
One of the most effective ways to fight a Soldier is to use his own rockets against him. Jump towards him as he shoots for your feet, and you will do a rocket jump of your own towards him. Spin up in mid air and you will land at his feet with your Minigun blazing, invariably resulting in a kill.

Pyro

Regard Pyros with the same kind of caution you would Scouts. Pyros will adopt similar tactics like ambushing, but can do it with the added effects of Afterburn and more health. Unless you have seen the Pyro outside of close range and can spin up your Minigun before closing in, keep your Shotgun handy. This is imperative for Brass Beast users, whose primary of choice takes especially long to spin up.

The Compression Blast of a Pyro's primary weapon can be an especially great nuisance to a Heavy, particularly a Heavy under the effects of an ÜberCharge. Even if the Pyro is killed while repelling a Heavy on the move in this manner, the Heavy's slow foot speed and reliance on prior positioning make it time-consuming to return to the fore, especially when on the front lines and in the middle of combat. If opposing Pyros are using these tactics, consider countering by advancing with teammates who can engage the Pyros quickly, allowing you to cover ground lost to a Pyro playing keep-away using Compression Blasts.

If you engage a Pyro one-on-one, keep your opponent at arm's length. You have the advantage of at least one extremely powerful midrange weapon in the form of your primary, and have a 125 Health advantage to outlast damage from Shotguns or ignition from a Flare Gun. Keep the Pyro in sight at all times: Pyros run faster than Heavies, and if the Pyro gets out of your sight that may be all that is needed to get within Flamethrower range.

Two of the Pyro's weapons, the Flare Gun and the Axtinguisher, are very lethal if you aren't paying attention. The Axtinguisher gets full crits if a Pyro hits you while you are burning; he can kill you in 2 hits if you aren't overhealed, and the Flare Gun does crits to burning targets; you are a very easy target. Most Pyros will ambush you with these, so stay alert.

Demoman

Demomen rely on their grenade launchers for indirect attacks and laying "traps" for enemies. While your greater health will provide some protection against their attacks, a competent Demoman can down a Heavy in many situations.
When facing an enemy Demoman, try to force them into the open. At close range your Minigun can shred even the most accurate grenade-shooting Demoman, but only if your view of them is unobstructed. In the open and up close you have a distinct advantage over Demomen.
At medium ranges, the Grenade Launcher is extremely damaging. The Demoman will often shoot shells at you, retreat to cover to reload, and then come back out and empty more shells on you, limiting the time he spends in your firing line without limiting the amount of damage he can do. In these situations it's best, if possible, to close the distance quickly so you can engage him head-on, where you have the advantage.
Demomen love corners and obstructions. They will often run away, round a corner, and set a Stickybomb trap for you. When pursuing an enemy Demoman, be extremely careful of any doorframes, corners, or other objects that could potentially harbor Stickybombs.
If you are being hit by grenades that are being angled off of corners you need to retreat. Although Demomen can hit you around corners, they cannot see where their grenades are going, so you can move away and find another way to attack them.
At long ranges your Minigun can hit enemy Demomen but they will be hard-pressed to do the same. This allows you to pick off damaged enemies, but the Minigun's damage dropoff is too high to kill a healthy Demoman.
When dealing with enemy Demoknights (Demomen carrying swords and shields), treat them like you would Pyros. Demoknights are very similar in many respects - like Pyros they deal damage primarily at extremely close range, and also like Pyros they can be shredded with the Minigun if you are healthy and aware of them.
- Natascha's slowdown can stop a Demoknight charge in its tracks and prevent him from running away, making the gun highly lethal against Demoknights.
- The Tomislav's faster spin-up allows you to set to killing Demoknights more quickly.
- Of all the Miniguns, the Brass Beast is most hampered when fighting Demoknights, as by the time it takes to lower the weapon the enemy Demoknight can whittle down as much as two thirds of your health.
- The Huo-Long Heater's ring of fire makes it somewhat difficult for a Demoknight to attack you. Think about equipping this if a Demoknight is being bothersome.

Heavy

Heavy vs Heavy fights usually boils down to a handful of simple factors.
- Who attacks first.
- Whose weapon has a higher damage output. (Brass Beast > Huo-Long Heater including afterburn > Minigun = Huo-Long Heater excluding afterburn > Tomislav > Natascha)
- Who has more health.
- Who has a Medic healing them.
- Whose Medic has a better Übercharge. (Medi Gun > Kritzkrieg > Vaccinator with Bullet resistance > Vaccinator without Bullet resistance > Quick-Fix)
- Whether one begins dealing critical hits.
If you believe you have the disadvantage, do not engage the enemy Heavy first; whenever possible let your teammates distract or soften him up before you attack.
However an exception to this general rule is when you have an obstacle between him and you. You can use small obstacles and props to cover up some of your body, thus taking far less damage from the enemy Heavy, while still being able to project all of your damage towards him. Corners are a fairly common place to employ this tactic, though general props such as boxes/crates, discarded wheelbarrows, stalagmites and such will perform the same role admirably. This tactic can afford you semi invulnerability against other Heavies when used properly, depending on the obstacle.
Every bit of damage counts when fighting a Heavy in direct combat. Make sure to fire as accurately as possible.

Engineer

While a lone Engineer is a small threat to a Heavy, even a low-level Sentry Gun can pose a serious threat to an unprepared Heavy. Heavies lack the speed and maneuverability needed to dodge low-level Sentry Guns, and the Heavy's substantial health is rarely enough to withstand the rapid fire and missile capabilities of a level three Sentry Gun. It's best to attack these threats with a partner, where the Heavy can serve to provide suppressing fire or absorb damage while a second party takes out the Sentry nest.
- With a Medic in tow, a skilled duo can make up for the concentrated fire of a powerful Sentry Gun, and the Heavy's wide spread from his Minigun can simultaneously damage both the Engineer and his Sentry Gun.
- Using good communication, a Spy can set a Sapper on an Engineer's buildings moments before a Heavy comes upon the nest. While the Buildings are disabled by the Sapper is a great time to help take them down, and a Heavy's fire is a great opportunity for a Spy to survive should they be discovered in the attempt.
If you destroy a Sentry Gun, but the Engineer survives, beware if he goes after you with the Frontier Justice. If he has at least 3 crits stored, he can kill you in three shots if you aren't overhealed. Try to kill him before this happens.

Medic

Although a lone Medic is no problem at all to take out as a Heavy, Medics are usually accompanied by a formidable combat class that could kill you under the healing support of a Medic.
You have no chance to take out a target that is Übercharged, unless you are being pocketed for the duration of their Übercharge. It would be best to retreat and prepare to attack again if you are alone.

Sniper

With his large size, slow speed, and lack of reliable long range weaponry, there is little a Heavy can do against a skilled Sniper in long-range combat. The Heavy would do best to avoid open spaces where Snipers can get clear shots, and to stay in motion at all times. However, a Heavy is a very tempting target and a perfect distraction to keep a Sniper occupied while other classes neutralize the threat or complete objectives.

When encountered one-on-one at close-mid range, however, a Sniper is easily dispatched, though beware, a good Sniper can still get a headshot in if you're not careful, even at close range.

Spy

Spies prey on vulnerable classes, and Heavy is more vulnerable to Spies than any other class. Being a slow and large class, Spies will backstab you fast and will be gone faster. Watch your back, and Spycheck with your Minigun. The Minigun has the strength to almost instantly kill a disguised or cloaked Spy. However, spinning the Minigun will make you even slower, so unless you're Spychecking, the Shotgun or Fists will work just as good.

In a Heavy-Medic pair, the Medic will most likely be taken out first, as he is the primary source of ÜberCharging and protecting the Heavy. Protect your Medic, and make sure they never leave your sight. If you are backstabbed, leaving a defenseless Medic could mean a lot for your team, although in teamwork, he can switch to pocket another class; in enemy territory, a Medic cannot stop Spies as efficiently as Heavies. Use communication, in voice or text, to secure your Medic if you're dead. Considering Spies disguise fast after killing, you should be able to see who they disguise as in your freezecam. Tell your teammates this, and make sure they are aware of the Spy's presence.

Listen carefully. Often when your Medic is taken out you will hear the sound. If the Spy is using the default knife then you will surely hear your Medic die.

Two of the Spy's knives, Your Eternal Reward and the Spy-cicle, will not cause your Medic to scream upon a backstab. The best way to counter this is to look behind you if your Medic suddenly stops healing you. You just might stop a backstab.

Although it gives you health, eating a Sandvich or Dalokohs Bar leaves you extremely vulnerable to being backstabbed. Find a wall or corner to push your back up against while eating. The health you gain during eating will usually heal damage done with stabs or shots from the front.

The Huo-Long Heater can be used to Spy check teammates, and with the area of effect, make Spies think twice of backstabbing you or your Medic. Spies with the Spy-cicle, however will be immune to afterburn but you will be alerted to their presence, and they'll lose their knife in the process making them vulnerable to your Minigun.

Cooperative class strategies