Anti-Sniper strategy

“

Perhaps they can bury you in that van you call 'home.' Click to listen — The Spy

”

The Sniper specializes in eliminating enemies at long range. He will typically position himself at a calm vantage point away from the battlefield, scanning the area for targets. His primary weapons can charge and deliver headshots, so ignoring him is never an option. Fortunately, the Sniper is very weak at close combat. A cornered Sniper can usually only fight with weaker armaments, such as his Submachine Gun or melee weapon. The best way to deal with a Sniper is awareness; if you know he's watching one route, try taking another or forcing his attention somewhere else.

General

Attributes	Anti-Sniper strategy
Role	The Sniper's goal is to pick off any exposed enemies. Make good use of cover and keep moving to avoid being an easy target. A Sniper is most effective when he fights from a distance. If you get close to him, he will have a hard time landing a headshot on you.
Health	The Sniper has rather low base health; he will generally lose in a direct fight against sturdier classes.
Speed	The Sniper runs at an average pace, but slows down heavily while aiming. He will find it difficult to flee from mobile opponents such as Scouts, Soldiers, and Pyros.
Power	The Sniper's primary weapons are unaffected by damage fall-off. Try not to get hit at all, as even an uncharged headshot or a fully-charged bodyshot from the default Sniper Rifle already deals 150 damage - enough to instantly kill weaker classes and severely injure tougher ones. A fully-charged headshot will usually instantly kill any class, even if they are overhealed.

Weapon-specific

Main article: Sniper weapons

Primary weapons

Weapon	Anti-Sniper strategy
Sniper Rifle + reskins	The Sniper Rifle fires a single, perfectly accurate bullet, but takes nearly two seconds to reload. This makes it ineffective in crowded or close quarters. The Sniper Rifle has the ability to zoom in to charge a shot, indicated by the Sniper holding the weapon to his eye. When scoped, he walks very slowly and has a limited field of vision. He will be scoped often, making him susceptible to ambushes. Even with limited visibility, experienced Snipers can still headshot enemies who are only a few feet from them. Charging at him from the front is ill-advised. Check if there is a Sniper or his weapon's laser dot before entering an area to avoid walking into a charged shot. He can only cover one route at a time, so take a different route or move once his laser dot moves away. Be careful - the Sniper may move his laser pointer away from your field of view to trick you into thinking he’s looking elsewhere, then immediately attack you when you expose yourself. If you must approach a Sniper while in the open, try to shoot at him to make him flinch and throw off his aim or hide behind cover while advancing.
Huntsman + reskins	The Huntsman fires arrows, which move slower than bullets. This makes it possible to dodge incoming arrows. Arrows have deceptively large hitboxes. Beware of fighting in narrow corridors, where dodging is much more difficult. The Huntsman cannot zoom in, forcing the Sniper to fight closer to the front lines and making him easier to target. The lack of zoom also allows him to spot flanking enemies more easily.
Sydney Sleeper	The Sydney Sleeper’s headshot deals less damage (202 on headshot, compared to the Sniper Rifle’s 450). This means that not even a skilled Sniper can instantly kill you without some delay. A scoped shot from this weapon coats the victim in Jarate, allowing the Sniper's allies to finish you off easily. If hit, consider falling back for a few seconds until the debuff wears off. Overall, the Sydney Sleeper deals less damage on headshot, but charges faster; treating it as the default Sniper Rifle is a safe bet.
Bazaar Bargain	The Bazaar Bargain reduces the Sniper’s rifle's charge time as he lands multiple headshots. If you see teammates dying to his headshots, make sure to avoid his line of sight - he is likely skilled enough to kill you instantly.
Machina + reskins	The Machina's fully charged shot pierces enemies, so avoid clustering up with teammates. The Machina's tracer rounds reveal its user, making tracking the Sniper down much easier. It can only fire while scoped, however leaving the Sniper even more vulnerable up close.
Hitman's Heatmaker	After obtaining an amount of kills or assists, the Sniper can activate the Heatmaker's “focus” ability. A Sniper who stays alive long enough to obtain that much kill credit may be skilled. When focus is activated, the Hitman's Heatmaker uses tracer rounds that reveal the Sniper after each shot, making him easier to locate. The Hitman's Heatmaker suffers a bodyshot damage penalty, rewarding you for even partially dodging the Sniper's shots.
Classic	The Classic allows the Sniper to charge his shot while unscoped. This means that he'll have an easier time spotting and aiming at potential attackers. The Classic can headshot only when it is fully charged. Engaging the Sniper between charged shots will lessen the damage you take.

Secondary weapons

Weapon	Anti-Sniper strategy
SMG + reskins	The Submachine Gun is surprisingly accurate, but ineffective at longer ranges. If a Sniper attacks you with it, move away from him and retaliate with a more powerful weapon. The Submachine Gun only contains three clips of ammo; the Sniper cannot fight for long with it if you dodge his shots.
Razorback	The Razorback deprives a Sniper of his secondary weapon, making him much weaker in direct combat. A Sniper may wear the Razorback to discourage Spies from backstabbing him. However, it does not protect him from being shot - the Ambassador and Enforcer can kill him in two hits, while other revolvers take three shots. Your Revolver makes a lot of noise! Take care to not reveal yourself to the enemy team if you decide to kill the Sniper with your Revolver. The Razorback renders Sniper unable to receive any kind of overheal, making "pocket Medics" much less useful. Exploit this to deal damage.
Jarate + reskins	If you're covered in Jarate, the Sniper's team will deal guaranteed mini-crits to you, dealing about 35% more damage. Take cover if there are other enemies nearby until the debuff wears off in ten seconds. Jarate can be removed by extended Healing, entering water, or touching a Resupply cabinet. A lone Sniper will often follow up his Jarate toss with the Bushwacka for a guaranteed critical hit. Stay away and gun him down, taking advantage of the Bushwacka’s damage vulnerability.. Sniper can use Jarate to extinguish himself or his teammates. Don't rely on afterburn to finish him off after igniting him.
Darwin's Danger Shield	Darwin's Danger Shield's grants afterburn immunity and 50% damage resistance against fire, making most of Pyros’ ranged attacks useless and giving a huge advantage to the Sniper in close-quarter combat. Try attacking him with your Shotgun instead.
Cozy Camper	A Sniper equipped with the Cozy Camper will not flinch if his Sniper Rifle is fully charged. Force him to take cover or shoot early. Be on the lookout and react accordingly if a Sniper comes out of cover. The Cozy Camper deprives the Sniper of a secondary weapon, making him nearly useless in close-range combat. The Cozy Camper gives passive health regeneration to the Sniper, nullifying chip damage. Try dealing constant/heavy damage to overcome this.
Cleaner's Carbine	Dealing damage with the Cleaner's Carbine allows the Sniper to fill a "Crikey" bar, giving him 8 seconds of mini-crits once filled and activated. Treat him as if you have been hit by Jarate. The Cleaner's Carbine suffers from a smaller clip size, lower fire rate, and no random critical hits. It's a terrible back-up weapon without the mini-crit boost. A Sniper with the Carbine will typically have the Bushwacka equipped. If he activates his Crikey, stay out of melee range and gun him down.

Melee Weapons

Weapon	Anti-Sniper strategy
Kukri + reskins	A Sniper will generally only use this weapon as a last resort. Simply back up and finish him off. In Casual Mode, do not attempt to melee-fight Snipers. They deal a lot of damage with headshots, increasing their random-critical hit rate. A Sniper who has landed two fully-charged headshots recently will deal criticals with the Kukri 60% of the time - often enough to kill you instantly.
Tribalman's Shiv	The Tribalman's Shiv does less damage upfront, giving you an immediate advantage in melee combat. However, it causes you to bleed and take extra damage over time, so end the fight quickly and remember the locations of health packs.
Bushwacka	A Sniper will typically pull out the Bushwacka after dousing you in Jarate. Fight from just outside melee range, where he is weakest, and take advantage of the damage vulnerability he receives while the Bushwacka is active.
Shahanshah	The Shahanshah deals increased damage if the Sniper is below half health. If fighting him in melee combat, know that his strikes may become stronger after you land a hit or two. A Sniper who fights with the Shahanshah is likely injured and trying to take advantage of its damage bonus. Similar to when he is using the Bushwacka, keep your distance.

See also

• Team strategy