Heavy match-ups

“

Entire team is babies! Click to listen — The Heavy on his tactical analysis of the opposition

”

Class			Strategy
Heavy	vs.	Scout	The Scout will either try to constantly dodge your fire or use hit-and-run tactics to wear you down. In a direct fight, the Scout will double jump and change directions often, making it difficult to keep your crosshair on him — Natascha can slow him down to a crawl. If a Scout keeps running away before you can retaliate, consider using the faster Tomislav or switching to the Shotgun. Always be wary of possible side paths the Scout can take to ambush you. The match-up overall becomes a matter of your reaction speed; if you are too slow, he can retreat and freely try again later. While fighting other enemies with a spun up Minigun, keep in mind that the Scout can use the Sandman to easily slow you from afar but they'll be a glass cannon as well.
Heavy	vs.	Soldier	You are the only class that both boasts more health and firepower than the Soldier. The Soldier will be aware of this and either abuse cover or high ground to bombard you with rockets. Your slow speed and large size makes avoiding rockets difficult, especially if he uses the Direct Hit. If he's not out in the open, lay down oppressive fire to wear down his health and stop him from rocket jumping away. Consider fighting an extending Soldier with the Shotgun to stay mobile and dodge his rockets. Alternatively feign weakness with a Sandvich at hand while retreating to lure him on yourself at the frontlines.
Heavy	vs.	Pyro	Your Minigun can deal more damage at close range than the Pyro’s Flamethrower. Thus, a good Pyro will resort to ambushing you. Like when dealing with the Scout, keep in mind possible routes you can be flanked from. If you are ambushed, you need to quickly react and wind up your Minigun; if you are fast enough, your large health pool should allow you to survive his high burst damage. A Pyro that attacks you head-on will often circle-strafe in an attempt to dodge your fire. He is not as mobile as the Scout, so keeping your shots on him is not as difficult. Watch out for Flare Gun shots at long range, as they can wear you down if you stay in the open and can not cover distance between. From up close their switch up combos and Phlogistinator's Mmmph activation can burst you down and kill you in a blink, so best approach is always performing a back jump and spun up your Minigun when they snuck closer. Better if you can time the back jump with their airblast to force them walking towards you, but be mindful of environmental hazards.
Heavy	vs.	Demoman	The Demoman’s explosives can easily match your large damage output, especially from medium to long range. A smart Demoman will keep his distance while lobbing grenades at you, possibly in an attempt to lure you into a Stickybomb trap. Your slow speed makes it extremely difficult for you to dodge his grenades, which can kill you at base health with only three direct hits. At the front lines, you want to force him to take cover just so you can hold position, which in turn will allow him to reload and attack you again. Instead of enduring his abuse, try to close the distance, preferably with a Shotgun at hand while being wary of possible traps he has set. The Demoman can fire around corners, but can't see around them, so consider backing off and taking a different route. A Demoman who runs at you with his melee weapon and a shield should be a much easier kill with all the hitscan options you have as long as you are aware of its presence.
Heavy	vs.	Heavy	Both of you will often be fighting on the front lines when you meet one another. The encounter will be decided by who has more health, who fires first, and which primary weapons the two of you are wielding. Even alone, it is possible to take down an enemy Heavy that is paired with a Medic by simply being the first to fire. Generally, a Heavy wielding Natascha or the Tomislav, weapons with lower raw firepower, will lose to one wielding any other available primary weapon. Brass Beast and stock Minigun seen as the best options you can bring to a Heavy fight in general, their slow speed will allow you to advance on them with a corner jump revved up so slower spin up speed is not a real downside. Brass Beast's slower movement speed when deployed however, will open you up to burst attacks such as Shotgun; be sure you have safe distance and watch above for ambushes.
Heavy	vs.	Engineer	A lone Engineer is far weaker than you in a straight-up fight. Regarding his buildings, if you can get the drop on a Sentry Gun at close range, your Minigun can actually destroy it faster than it can kill you. If you need to deal with a Sentry Gun at a longer range, it’s best to come back with teammates, as all of your weapons suffer at longer ranges. In particular, your firepower combined with a Medic's Übercharge should be enough to defeat any Sentry Gun. If necessary, you can use the Fists of Steel to tank Sentry Gun fire while your teammates destroy it. If Heavy can have a drop on the Sentry from really close as it turned away from Heavy's drop point, even a small amount of overheal from Dalokoh's Bar would help you to wreck down a level 3 Sentry. Jump revving from corner is not advised against Sentries placed at chokes, as push force from damage will sweep Heavy away from a safe engage distance, Heavy has to slowly peak from a reliable distance but still have to stick close enough to deal proper dps against Sentry gun.
Heavy	vs.	Medic	A lone Medic in the open should be easy to dispatch with your Minigun, but is more than capable of running away while taking potshots. The Medic is typically accompanied by a Medic buddy that can steadily wear your health down. Even if you chip away at his patient’s health, the Medic will be there to heal him. Thus, avoid the pair unless you have teammates nearby or can get the drop on them at close range.
Heavy	vs.	Sniper	Your slow speed and large frame make it difficult to move unpredictably, making you an easy target. A fully charged headshot will instantly kill you, no matter how overhealed you are, so it’s best not to go out into any open areas that a Sniper is watching. At medium range, you can nick him with enough short bursts from a deployed Minigun or Shotgun bullets to severely impede his aim and deter him from firing as you close in. Once you're in range, he will stand no chance. Equipping the G.R.U. or Fists of Steel can make crossing a Sniper’s field of view a little bit easier. Tapping crouch button for a second to dodge headshots or steering to the sides after a zig-zag stutter step are required pre-cautions to take them head on from distance by Minigun fire.
Heavy	vs.	Spy	Your slow speed, large size, and massive damage output will make you a very important target for an enemy Spy. Do not rely on your teammates to Spy-check for you, especially if you're the one leading a charge. If a friendly Medic stops healing you or teammates disappear, be suspicious. A short spray of Minigun bullets at a nearby teammate should be enough to determine if he is a Spy. If a Spy uses his Cloak to retreat, use the spread of your primary weapon or Shotgun to reveal him by shooting at obstacles (signs, crates, barrels), stair railings, ammo pack spawns and corners by not forgetting to check your back. The Huo-Long Heater deploys a ring of fire around you when revved up, which can reveal nearby Spies that you should react to quickly to the scorching noise. If you position at ramps in crouched position, firing away will help you to utilize ring of fire to block any stab attempts from below at the cost of ammo. Sometimes looking busy just to check your behind after figuring out their parkour route is the best way to catch a Spy, off-guard.

See also

• Team strategy
• Heavy (competitive)