Knockback

“

This American boot just kicked your ass back to Russia!

Click to listen

— The Soldier

”

Knockback is the movement of a player caused by an outside source.

When taking damage from any source, a player will experience an amount of knockback that generally scales directly with the power behind the attack. For example, a point-blank Scattergun blast will push its recipient farther back than an uncharged Sniper Rifle shot. While most weapons inflict minor knockback at best, there are quite a few exceptions that inflict significant knockback and can have a dramatic effect on the battlefield. Significant sources of knockback will instantly interrupt any animations the victim is in, including taunts and consumption of a lunchbox item. Items that can reduce or prevent the effects of knockback include the Mantreads, the Quick-Fix's ÜberCharge, and the Cozy Camper. The only items that increase the effects of knockback are the Shortstop and the Thermal Thruster. The Heavy takes 50% less knockback from damage sources except for Sentry Gun bullets.^[1]

Explosions

The explosive projectiles fired by weapons such as the Rocket Launcher and Stickybomb Launcher are among the most powerful sources of knockback and can send victims flying through the air. Crouching or being airborne reduces air drag, greatly increasing the degree of knockback experienced. Classes that utilize explosives will often take advantage of this mechanic to propel themselves great distances.

v • d • e Explosion sources
Rockets
	Rocket Launcher¹	Direct Hit	Black Box	Rocket Jumper²	Liberty Launcher

	Cow Mangler 5000	Original	Beggar's Bazooka	Air Strike	Sentry Gun³
Grenades
Grenades	Grenade Launcher¹	Loch-n-Load	Loose Cannon	Iron Bomber
Stickybombs
Stickybombs	Stickybomb Launcher¹	Scottish Resistance	Sticky Jumper²	Quickiebomb Launcher
Exploding flares
Exploding flares	Detonator²	Scorch Shot²
Environment
Environment	Pumpkin bombs
Notes	¹ Includes Festive, Botkiller, and Australium variants. ² Knockback only affects the user. ³ Level 3 upgrade only.

Damage over time / Self damage

Damage received from an adirectional source or a weapon that hurts the user will push the recipient upward. The degree of knockback experienced scales with the damage taken and is usually minor, but can be significant enough to access previously unreachable areas.

v • d • e Damage over time / Self damage sources
Bleeding
Bleeding	Flying Guillotine	Boston Basher	Three-Rune Blade	Wrap Assassin	Southern Hospitality	Tribalman's Shiv
Fire
	Cow Mangler 5000¹	Flame Thrower²	Backburner	Degreaser	Phlogistinator	Rainblower	Nostromo Napalmer	Flare Gun²

	Detonator	Manmelter	Scorch Shot	Sharpened Volcano Fragment	Huo-Long Heater³	Huntsman^2,4	Fortified Compound⁴
Notes	¹Charge shot only.		²Includes Festive, Botkiller and Australium variants.		³Flame ring only.		⁴Flaming arrows only.

Special cases

Force-A-Nature – Launches victim according to the angle at which the weapon was fired; launches an airborne wielder in the opposite direction.
Shortstop - Alternate fire causes the Scout to shove a single enemy at melee range, launching the victim in the direction the player is aiming while dealing 1 damage.
Compression blast – Launches victim backwards aerially without inflicting damage.
Scorch Shot – Launches victim back a distance, the distance increases when the victim is on fire.
Loose Cannon – Launches victim back a distance proportional to how far the cannonball travels upon a direct hit.
Natascha – The effects of slowdown are similar to knockback and will cancel any animations the victim is in.
Sentry Gun – Sentry Gun bullets and rockets push targets away.
Backstabs - If by any means a player manages to survive a backstab they will receive a great amount of knockback.
Critical hits – Launches airborne targets significantly backwards.
Bumper Cars - The bumper cars in Merasmus's Carnival of Carnage can knock each other around when two carts from opposite teams collide.