Slowdown

“

What da hell's goin' on? Click to listen — The Scout on being slowed down

”

Slowdown or Slow is a gameplay mechanic that decreases the speed of a player for a set time. This can be either given as a detriment for using an item, or as a method of attack delivered by a weapon.

Falloff

The Slowdown effect has no falloff, meaning it will slowdown affected players at any distance. The effects of bullet spread, however, means that it is more difficult to slowdown players further away.

Weapon Effect

Even though the two weapons use the same mechanic, they are implemented in two different ways. The difference is that the Shortstop's effect has a changed time period, as well as the scaling of speed.

Natascha

On Hit: 100% chance to slow target

Every bullet that hits the player will slow them down to approximately 113 Hammer Units per second. All affected people are slowed to that speed, regardless of their normal running speed.

Shortstop

Slow target movement by 40% for 0.5s

The target is slowed down by 40% of their max speed for 0.5 seconds. Unlike Natascha, this speed effect is scaled by their max speed. The Shortstop lacks a constant rate of fire, so that the slowdown cannot be constantly applied, meaning the effect is more subtle.

Sandman

Launching the baseball by using the Sandman's secondary fire can stun the target. The stunned target will slow down in speed and cannot use any weapon during the stun effect. If the baseball is launched at max ranged distance, the victim will be completely immobile and cannot move at all for a few seconds.

Weapon Slowdown Uses

The first use of the slowdown effect would be to diminish your opponent's ability to flee from a fight, allowing you or your teammates to finish them off. The slowdown effect will also cause airborne targets to lose momentum, perhaps preventing them from jumping across certain gaps. Defensively, the slowdown effect can be used to prevent certain enemies, such as Pyros or Demomen with the Chargin' Targe, from coming too close to you. The Scout may escape from a lethal situation by using the Shortstop to slow his pursuers.

Weapon Penalty

Scotsman's Skullcutter

-15% movement speed on wearer

Currently, the Demoman's 'Scotsman's Skullcutter' is the only weapon to have Slowdown as a weapon penalty. When added to the loadout, the Demoman's movement speed is lowered from 280 units per second (93% of normal speed) to 238 units per second (78% of normal speed), rendering him only marginally faster than a Heavy. This effect is constant, so long as the Skullcutter remains in the Demoman's loadout.

Environmental Slowdowns

Scared

On the map Harvest Event, there will occasionally be a ghost belonging to Zepheniah Mann wandering around certain areas of the map. If any players are near the ghost, they will be frightened and have their movement speed reduced. The Horseless Headless Horsemann in Mann Manor has a similar effect.

Related Achievements

Heavy

Don't Touch Sandvich Kill 50 Scouts using Natascha.

Scarechievements

Scared Stiff Kill a player scared by a ghost.