Basic Engineer strategy
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— The Engineer
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The Engineer has the unique ability to construct Buildings. Although he possesses a weaker set of weapons, his Sentry Gun is more than enough to fend off multiple enemies. His Teleporter system sends teammates to the front lines, while his Dispenser heals and supplies ammunition. After constructing a building, he can pick up and haul it to a new location, allowing him to keep his base as his team advances or retreats. The Engineer and his buildings will frequently be targeted by Demomen and Spies. A well-timed enemy ÜberCharge, in particular, can quickly ruin all of his hard work. When his buildings are destroyed, it is most important that the Engineer makes it out alive so that he can reconstruct his base. A good Engineer will place his buildings in strategic locations and not be afraid to get his hands dirty defending them.
Primary weapons
Shotgun + reskins
The Shotgun is a deceptively powerful weapon at close to medium range. Use it to defend yourself when alone and scare off enemies that your Sentry Gun cannot target, such as disguised Spies. Out of your available primary weapons, the Shotgun deals the most consistent damage.
Frontier Justice + reskins
Barring magazine size, the Frontier Justice is statistically identical to the Shotgun. You'll get the most of the Frontier Justice if you place your Sentry Gun or Combat Mini-Sentry Gun in an offensive position, where it should be able to get a few kills or assists before being destroyed and granting you Revenge crits. Even if you have stored up a great number of Revenge crits, the small magazine size in addition to the threat of losing all of them upon death will prevent you from going on a mini-rampage. Although you can destroy your own Sentry Gun and still receive Revenge crits, the firepower of your Sentry Gun is generally more valuable.
Widowmaker
The Widowmaker consumes 30 metal per shot, but will refund metal based on how much damage you deal. Accurate shots at close range will usually yield far more than 30 metal. Medium to long range shots, however, will generally yield close to or below 30 metal. Unless you have good accuracy, you'll generally be inefficient if you fight at the frontlines with this weapon and will often find yourself out of metal. It's best used when defending your buildings, as your Dispenser can replace most of the metal you lose from firing the Widowmaker at a distance. Equip the Pistol alongside the Widowmaker so that you have a reliable ranged attack even when out of metal.
Pomson 6000
When compared to the Shotgun, the Pomson 6000 is less effective in direct combat; it deals reduced damage at close range, has a smaller magazine size, and its projectiles are significantly slower than standard bullets. However, it is accurate and reloads quickly, so you can use it to harass enemies at a distance. The Pomson 6000's true value lies within its utility; a Medic or Spy shot by it will lose a small portion of his ÜberCharge or Cloak meter, respectively. This can be used to prevent them from attacking or escaping your team, particularly when dealing with the standard invincibility-granting ÜberCharge or Spies using the Dead Ringer. Consider using the hitscan Pistol alongside it so that you have a more reliable weapon for self-defense.
Rescue Ranger
The Rescue Ranger grants you the ability to haul buildings from a distance. This ability has an expensive cost of 100 metal; if in combat, prioritize preventing your Sentry Gun from being destroyed. Long range hauling requires a direct line of sight, meaning you can safely move buildings across open areas and save them from being destroyed, but can't sneak them into the enemy base. Hauling a building will mark you for death, encouraging you to only use the hauling mechanic when out of combat. The Rescue Ranger fires weak bolts that can safely repair friendly buildings from a distance, allowing you to save metal for an emergency long range hauling. This is balanced by your capabilities at close range, where the Wrench repairs faster and hauling is free. The bolts do not remove Sappers, making them as vulnerable to Spies as ever. Overall, the Rescue Ranger is an excellent weapon if you rarely use the Shotgun and prefer to rely on your Sentry Gun for fire power. Its mobility pairs well with the Jag, which aids in redeploying hauled buildings.
Panic Attack
The Panic Attack allows the user to load up to four shots, then fire them consecutively. Unlike the other classes with access to it, the Panic Attack replaces your primary weapon instead of the secondary one. Having to load bullets before firing can make yourself predictable in a direct fight, forcing you to rely on your Pistol or Sentry Gun for self-defense. On the other hand, many of the beefier classes assume that a lone Engineer is an easy kill. The Panic Attack's firing rate and bullet spread increase as your health gets lower; you can load the weapon while an enemy pursues you, then turn around and burst them down. The Panic attack is also good as an ambush weapon; not many people expect to get their head blown off in only a couple of seconds.
Secondary weapons
Pistol + reskins
As an Engineer, you have a tremendous supply of Pistol bullets, so feel free to spam them to fend off enemies or check for Spies. Its effectiveness at medium range makes it combo well with Combat Mini-Sentry Guns. The C.A.P.P.E.R. is a little bit better than the alternatives, as its disintegration effect makes it easier to hide your murder.
Wrangler + reskins
When the Wrangler is your active weapon, your Sentry Gun gains a damage-reducing shield and can be aimed manually. While the Sentry Gun is under your control, it fires more rapidly and isn't restricted by its slow turn speed. However, it will not automatically detect targets, forcing you to do all the aiming. Manual control is usually used to attack enemies outside your Sentry Gun's normal range or to siege the enemy base. You'll usually need to expose yourself to aim the Wrangler; like when using another weapon, duck in and out of cover to avoid being picked off. Deactivating the Wrangler will disable your Sentry Gun for 3 seconds, so you need to balance its activation with building repairs. If you need to focus on something else, don't be afraid to allow your Sentry Gun to function normally. The Wrangler can also be used to pick off far-away enemies, who will not expect a hailstorm of bullets to come their way.
Short Circuit
The Short Circuit fires a wide arc of electricity that will lightly damage all enemies in range. Secondary fire deals minor damage but can destroy enemy projectiles. It's particularly useful for defending your buildings or teammates from rockets, grenades, and even Stickybomb carpets. Each shot taken or projectile destroyed draws from your metal supply. Additionally, you can't pick up buildings while the Short Circuit is your active weapon; this means that your team needs to quickly take out the enemies firing projectiles before you can no longer fire the Short Circuit in defense.
Melee weapons
Wrench + reskins
The Wrench is not just a weapon; hitting buildings with your Wrench will cause them to build twice as fast. If a Spy places a Sapper to disable a building, two hits from your Wrench will remove it. Disabled Sentry Guns take 0.5 second to reactivate after having a Sapper removed, so first take care of the Spy if he hangs around. The game prioritizes repairing and upgrading buildings over melee combat, so use your Shotgun to dispatch nearby enemies instead.
Gunslinger
The Gunslinger grants you 25 additional health points and replaces your Sentry Gun with a cheap, rapidly constructed Combat Mini-Sentry Gun. The Gunslinger is great when constructing a full Sentry Gun can be inefficient, such as when you're on the offensive, in the middle of combat, or moving around too often. If you're staying at medium range, support your Mini-Sentry Gun with the Pistol or Wrangler. For a more aggressive playstyle, use the Shotgun or Widowmaker; the Shotgun needs to be reloaded less frequently while a few well-aimed shots with the Widowmaker will give you enough metal to build another Mini-Sentry. While the Gunslinger can deal a guaranteed Critical hit upon landing three successful consecutive attacks, using a loaded Shotgun is less risky and deals more damage-per-second at point-blank range.
Southern Hospitality
The bleed effect that the Southern Hospitality inflicts can be useful in a one-on-one fight and helps to track down Cloaked Spies. The fire vulnerability is negligble; if a Pyro manages to catch you alone and away from your buildings, you're probably going to die anyway.
Jag
Hitting buildings with the Jag will cause them to build even faster than when using the standard Wrench. This trait makes it useful for quickly constructing or redeploying a nest of buildings if you find yourself constantly moving around or need a Sentry Gun immediately. However, the Jag has a reduced repair rate and takes three hits to destroy Sappers, making defense against a constant assault or Spies much more difficult.
Eureka Effect
The Eureka Effect allows you to use the reload button to teleport back to your current spawn room or Teleporter Exit. However, this comes at the cost of slower construction when hitting new buildings with your weapon, as well as 50% less metal gained from pickups and Dispensers. It's best to use nearby ammo pickups to initially construct your buildings, then use the Eureka Effect's teleports to quickly upgrade them. The teleport can also be used as an emergency escape for you and one hauled building.
Buildings
You are most valued for your Buildings, which all have a sizable impact in a battle. It takes time to fully set up a base, which means you need to choose how to spend your time accordingly. Because the Sentry Gun provides most of your firepower, you'll want to fully upgrade it first in most situations. If your teammates can hold the line without the aid of your Sentry Gun, consider upgrading your Dispenser or Teleporter system first to further aid them. If any building is in danger of being destroyed, you can haul it away; it's sometimes more important to save an upgraded Sentry Gun than to stall your enemies.
Sentry Gun
It's best to place Sentry Guns in well-frequented areas to prevent enemies from passing entirely. When placing a Sentry Gun, note where it can shoot and where the enemy can fire from. If a Sentry Gun is placed out in the open, it can cover more ground but will be left more vulnerable to attackers. If placed in a corner, it is naturally protected from flanking by walls, but can only focus on a certain angle of the battlefield. Precise placement of your Sentry Gun can be very rewarding; a few inches can keep it from being picked off by Soldiers or Snipers. Keep in mind the power of your Sentry Gun and what it can comfortably fight, then compensate for what the Sentry cannot detect with your Shotgun. To safely upgrade your Sentry Gun, secure a stable source of metal from either a Dispenser or ammo spawn.
Combat Mini-Sentry Gun
Due to their small size and quick build time, Mini-Sentry Guns can often be placed in positions that a normal Sentry Gun cannot and perform exceptionally well when laid in concealed areas. These advantages, coupled with the bonus health the Gunslinger provides, allow for relatively aggressive play. They only cost 100 metal to deploy, so you should be able to provide a constant source of suppressive gunfire. Until fully constructed, Mini-Sentry Guns have reduced health, requiring you to speed up the construction yourself if you want them to be anything beyond a minor distraction. They are far less useful when placed in defensive positions, where their reduced firepower won't be able to fight enemies off efficiently.
Dispenser
A Dispenser is typically the first building you want to construct so that you have a stable source of metal if you aren't in proximity of an ammo pack or resupply closet. Placing Dispensers in forward locations will keep teammates healthy and allow them to hold an area for a long period of time. Additionally, because the Dispenser is a solid object, you can hop on your own Dispenser to climb to inaccessible places or block narrow passages from enemy Spies.
Teleporter
Always have a Teleporter system active to help a steady tide of reinforcements reach the front lines, even if the distance covered is short. Try to place the Teleporter Exit in a practical location, such as near the front lines yet behind cover, as opposed to out in the open. Rotate the Exit so that it faces away from a wall and allows teammates to see the battlefield immediately upon coming through. If either Teleporter member comes under fire, hitting one end with your melee weapon will repair the other. If guarding your buildings, refrain from standing on your Teleporter Exit, as enemy Spies are able to come through and telefrag you.
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