Community Sniper strategy
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The Sniper is a long-ranged Support class who is best at the precision elimination of key targets. The Sniper is one of the only two classes that can headshot, the other being the Spy. Headshots are guaranteed Critical hits, and often result in an instant kill.
Contents
General
- The Rifle's laser dot is visible to enemies
Allowing your Rifle to be seen may cost you the element of surprise. This can be avoided by aiming your dot out of sight on a nearby wall or object. Alternatively, you can use it to discourage enemy advances; most classes will not willingly go into a Sniper's line of fire, and will instead take another route. This tactic, however, doesn't always work with Scouts.
- Don't stick to one spot
The freezecam will give your position away after a single kill; you should switch to a new location often, especially after killing another Sniper. This can be avoided by moving to an unfamiliar location upon making a kill, and may give you another shot opportunity if the enemy can't discern your location. This tactic is far less effective if you're firing from a well-known Sniper nest.
- Stopping re-zoom
To stop the automatic re-zoom of the Rifle's scope after every shot, either press the zoom button again after firing a shot, or turn off the automatic re-zoom in the Advanced Options menu, in the Multiplayer tab.
- Engineer buildings
A fully-charged shot can instantly destroy any Level 1 building and do major damage to others. Put pressure on enemy Engineers by standing outside the range of their equipment and hitting them with charged shots. Working in conjunction with a friendly Soldier can easily overwhelm the Engineer's repair capabilities.
- Crouching tactics
Crouching shifts your vision downwards while making you a much smaller target (albeit a slower one). This can be useful for getting a better shot on your enemies. Crouching may also throw off enemy Snipers going for a headshot, especially if you have just fired a shot and are retreating.
- Respawning
Pay attention to respawn timers, especially when facing many enemy Snipers. On defense, you may only have 5-10 seconds to focus on other targets between spawns.
- Manipulating Medics
A quick headshot or bodyshot against a Medic's patient (or the Medic himself) can force him to use his ÜberCharge early.
- Close combat
You have two options: retreat and attempt a quick headshot or bodyshot, or fight with your secondary weapon and melee. A quick headshot is rarely a viable option unless you know you can make the shot. It is generally more advisable to retreat while firing your SMG/Jarate or swinging your melee weapon. (Unless of course you have the Razorback or Darwin's Danger Shield equipped.)
Weapon combinations
Loadout combinations that can be used with the Huntsman:
- The SMG boosts your damage output and acts as a backup weapon if you ever run out of arrows.
- Showering enemies in Jarate allows you to kill Scouts, Engineers, and all Support classes with a single fully-charged arrow. It can also put out fires and reveal cloaked/disguised Spies.
- Using the Razorback is generally NOT recommended, as your increased mobility and field of view make it much easier to detect Spies.
Loadout combinations that can be used with the Sydney Sleeper:
- Your SMG can be extremely useful for eliminating coated enemies who are advancing on your position.
- The Razorback will protect you from a Spy's backstab, while Darwin's Danger Shield grants you 25 extra health.
- The Bushwacka is extremely effective against coated enemies and provides excellent synergy with the Sleeper's bonus effect.
| Example Combinations | |||
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For a more defensive and long ranged Sniper. Contains the Sniper Rifle which provides consistently high damage from a long range. The Razorback helps defend you from Spies and the Tribalman's Shiv bleeding effect means that, although less damage is inflicted, the attacker is more likely to retreat - which is important as this combination features less close-range damage. This setup is also good in medieval mode with Sniper Rifle replaced with Huntsman, owing to the increase of Spy's usefulness. |
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For a more offensive medium-ranged Sniper. The Huntsman provides higher and faster damage output at a closer range while the Submachine Gun acts as a secondary defense when under attack at close quarters (or if you run out of arrows). The Tribalman's Shiv bleeding ability allows you to reveal cloaked Spy and it's also devastating with SMG. However, this combination lacks the power that the Sniper Rifle provides at long range. |
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A good setup if you are working close with your team as opposed to at a far distance. Your Jarate can help expose Spies as well as help your team take down enemies faster. Jarate also extinguishes fire, which makes it perfect for working with your team by putting out the afterburn on nearby teammates or by quickly putting out the flames on yourself, which is useful because of the Bushwacka's extra fire damage drawback. In addition, after hitting an opponent with Jarate all hits of your Bushwacka are Crits instead of just the Mini-Crits that Jarate normally provides. A Huntsman is useful for taking down enemies who have advanced toward your team while the Sniper Rifle can be used to take out enemy defence and allow your own team to advance. |
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An ideal setup in Medieval mode. Since you do not get Mini-Crits except with a Buff Banner or against Scouts using Crit-a-Cola in this mode, stick with the Kukri to take care of opponents quickly or Shiv for Spy checking or forcing attacking classes to retreat. On the other hand, the Huntsman is the fastest firing and the most powerful ranged-weapon in medieval mode, and the Shield allows a Sniper to survive melee combat. This setup will make Sniper a good counter to DemoKnights. |
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For a Sniper whose priority is to support your team in a strong defense/offense this loadout is great at this situation. Sydney Sleeper's ability is similar to Jarate but you don't have to be near the enemy to use it. Jarate is perfect when you want to extinguish your teammates or yourself fom fire, reveal Spies, fight against a enemy in near distance or make a unexpected rain of urine on your enemies while taking a cover and retreat while your teammates do a job. |
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The Croc-O-Style Setup
This setup is the weaponry for The Croc-O-Style, and will give you invulnerability to Headshots when wearing the Ol' Snaggletooth. The Sydney Sleeper isn't the best weapon for taking down high HP enemies, but a long-range coating of Jarate will give your teammates an edge. The Danger Shield's extra health can allow you to be closer to the action, but be wary for Pyros as your Bushwacka makes you more vulnerable to fire, and you're not carrying Jarate. Overall, the Bushwacka is significantly harder to utilize without Jarate unless you're sniping people closer to the action. |
Weapon specific
Sniper Rifle
- Aim for the head, if possible. Be aware, however, that a fully charged bodyshot from your Rifle can instantly kill light classes that aren't overhealed.
- Keeping your back against a wall while zoomed in can protect you from a backstab, but you should still be wary of Spies. On the other hand, keeping your back against a wall will leave you more open to splash damage from rockets.
- Unscoped shots do about 50 damage; you can significantly weaken most attackers this way, if you have good enough aim.
- The Sniper Rifle cannot randomly Crit; outside of headshots, only the Kritzkrieg and Crit boosts from Humiliation and Intelligence captures can force your Rifle to score Critical hits.
- Always try to keep your distance from the battlefield. Your Rifle is most effective at medium to long range.
- Standing still while zoomed in will make you an easy target for enemy Snipers and Spies. Move around and Spy check often to throw both classes off-guard.
- Also do not stay scoped in constantly, it is easy to miss a player coming towards you with your narrowed field of view.
- If an enemy Sniper is carrying the full Croc-o-Style Kit, aim for the body. You cannot kill him with headshots.
- With the Rifle, positioning is key; you should look for high vantage points to get a good view of the battlefield, or positions where you can easily cover multiple enemy routes. Ideally, you want to maximize your threat to your enemies while minimizing their threat to you.
- Changing the cl_interp command to 0.034 can help increase the likelihood of hitting a fast moving enemy.
- Firing through small hole in walls, called loopholes, Minimizes the space enemies can shoot through, making you a significantly smaller target, but this also limits the area you can cover.
The table below lists the percentage charge needed to kill enemies with a bodyshot/headshot. Percentages greater than 100 mean you cannot kill enemies with one shot in this fashion.
| Class | Bodyshot Charge Needed (w/ Overheal) | Headshot Charge Needed (w/ Overheal) |
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Note: If random damage spread is not disabled, body shot percentages will vary. Demomen, Scouts, Engineers, Snipers, Heavies, and Medics all have gear that can increase or lower their total health so only use this table as a guide.
Huntsman
- The Huntsman fires relatively slow-moving projectiles: lead your target unless they're headed straight for you; arrows will always hit to the lower right corner of the crosshair.
- Fired arrows have a team-colored trail; beware, as this will give away your position when firing.
- When under fire, don't stick around to see if your shots hit their mark; duck behind cover! A distinct sound will always play upon a hit, no matter how far away you are.
- The Huntsman's Skewer taunt is the fastest taunt in the game, taking a mere 3 seconds to kill. The initial thrust stuns enemy players, while pulling the arrow out kills.
- You can stun (but not kill) Ubercharged enemies with the Skewer, causing them to waste precious seconds.
- Occasionally take shots at areas enemies are likely to appear from, even if you don't see anyone there at the moment. By the time your arrow reaches its destination, an enemy may have appeared. This is mostly useful when aiming at common Sniper nests and choke points.
- A Sniper using the standard Sniper Rifle has an advantage over you, thanks to his hitscan weapon. Avoid engaging them at medium/long range unless they are under fire or plainly unaware of your presence.
- If a Sniper using the standard Sniper Rifle is taking a shot and ducking behind cover in a very predictable pattern, it is possible to time your shots in order to hit him him as he peeks out again.
- Huntsman Snipers have higher mobility and no scope to restrict their field of view. They are also capable of landing near-instant headshots, and have an easier time defending themselves with their primary.
- Arrows fire from shoulder height, even if you're crouching. This is a bug.
- If you equip a secondary other than the SMG, keep an eye on the amount of ammunition available. If you run out or arrows, you will only be able to use your melee weapon.
- Before going around a corner, have your Huntsman fully drawn to be ready for approaching enemies. Alternately, jump around a corner while charging a shot to surprise your attackers.
- Arrows arc downwards when fired; the greater the charge, the straighter your shot will fly.
- Always try to use alt-fire to gently release drawn arrows; this conserves your small ammo pool and avoids giving away your position.
- Avoid fighting in wide-open areas, where enemies can easily dodge your arrows; stick to narrow spaces or mid-range combat whenever possible.
- Always attempt to ambush enemies; catching them off-guard will give them no time to dodge your arrows.
- A friendly Pyro can light your arrows on fire, even if they're not drawn; lit arrows have the added bonus of setting your enemies on fire. Switching weapons will cause a lit arrow to go out. The torches in DeGroot Keep can also light your arrows on fire.
- Since the Huntsman does similar damage to the Rifle while firing faster, you can use it to put pressure on enemy Medics and Engineers. Team up with a friendly Soldier or Sniper to quickly take down buildings or force a Medic to deploy an ÜberCharge.
- The Huntsman can do a maximum of 360 damage with a fully-charged headshot. This means you cannot kill an overhealed Heavy without using multiple arrows.
- Be sure not to hold the Huntsman to long when you charge it, holding it too long will result in an inaccurate shot or a premature shot.
The table below lists the percentage charge needed to kill enemies with a bodyshot/headshot. Percentages greater than 100 mean you cannot kill enemies with one shot in this fashion.
| Class | Bodyshot Charge Needed (w/ Overheal) | Headshot Charge Needed (w/ Overheal) |
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Note: If random damage spread is not disabled, body shot percentages will vary. Demomen, Scouts, Engineers, Snipers, Heavies, and Medics all have gear that can increase or lower their total health so only use this table as a guide.
Sydney Sleeper
- Support-oriented Snipers should use The Sydney Sleeper. It applies Jarate to enemies hit with at least a half-charged shot.
- In a heated firefight, you should focus on hitting heavier classes with charged shots to aid your teammates. Coated enemies take 135% damage.
- The Sleeper only applies Jarate to one target per shot; you must select your targets carefully for maximum effectiveness.
- You cannot score headshots with the Sleeper, but a charged shot can still eliminate most light classes.
- If a coated enemy advances on your position, an unscoped body shot will do 68 damage; you may be able to finish off your attacker with 1-2 well-placed shots.
- The Jarate effect is an excellent deterrent; coated enemies will think twice before engaging your teammates.
- Work with your teammates to eliminate threats! Applying the Jarate effect to an enemy is useless unless there is a teammate there to inflict damage.
- Although you can't score head shots with the Sydney Sleeper, a fully charged shot to an enemies limb (i.e. a foot or a hand) will still deal damage of a fully charged body shot and will also still completely coat an enemy with the Jarate effect.
- When playing maps that take place at night use the Sydney Sleeper to highlight Targets that are hidden in the shadows waiting to ambush you or your teammates.
- When using the Sydney Sleeper, it is also helpful to equip the stock weapon SMG. This allows the Sniper to dispatch enemies with Mini-Crits when you douse your enemies with Jarate shots.
Submachine Gun
- The Submachine Gun (SMG) isn't the most effective in a one-on-one scenario. However, it is usually more useful than attempting to use the Sniper Rifle without a scope, as that can make it very difficult to aim. If you are being attacked, it is best to retreat quickly while using your SMG.
- It is important to make every shot with this weapon count, due to the low damage output. Aim carefully and keep your crosshair trained on the enemy rather than just spraying bullets wildly.
- The SMG is useful for spraying wide areas to reveal or draw out Spies who are trying to hide in the vicinity. Once you know a Spy is in the immediate area, fire bullets into likely hiding places and watch for the tell-tale blood splattering to show when you've hit.
- While equipped along with the Huntsman, the SMG makes a good finisher weapon after hitting an opponent.
- Combining the SMG with the Tribalman's Shiv's bleed effect can be incredibly effective. Hit them with the Tribalman's Shiv to make them bleed, back up to mid-range and start firing with the SMG. Having two constant sources of damage can quickly drain the health out of any class, success rate may vary; using this method on classes such as Soldiers and Heavies is not a good idea and should only be used in the worst of circumstances.
Razorback
- Only use the Razorback if you know the enemy has Spies on their team and/or those Spies are actively impeding your sniping. The SMG is very advantageous in hunting down Spies in your area or taking down nearby weak enemies. The other secondary item, Jarate, is excellent for keeping already-discovered Spies visible to your team or making enemies easier to kill due to its Mini-Crit effects.
- Try to stay in the open with the Razorback and close to allies. If you're far off, it'll be easier for the Spy to realize that you have the Razorback equipped and effectively counterattack you with his Revolver or Ambassador.
- With the Razorback, you make an excellent 'rear guard' on maps with tight corridors or Payload maps. If you hang at the very back of the group, a Spy who would normally get quite a few backstabs from sneaking up behind will instead have to either alert you by breaking your shield, or try and go around you to get unshielded friendlies in-front of you.
- The only way to get a Razorback once it's been used is to get another one from a resupply cabinet. Remember to do this every time you have the chance to avoid getting backstabbed by another Spy.
- Even with the Razorback equipped the Sniper is still vulnerable to Spies, since the Sniper cannot see his immediate surroundings when zoomed in. 3 shots from a Revolver and 2 shots (including one headshot) from an Ambassador will kill a Sniper quickly; check for Spies periodically and stay alert for the Spy's decloaking sound to survive.
- As soon as you are backstabbed by a Spy, turn around and pull out your melee weapon to prevent it from happening again.
Darwin's Danger Shield
- This shield raises your maximum health to 150 at the cost of losing your secondary weapon. This allows the Sniper to be bolder when entering combat due to increased survivability. Consider using the Huntsman in conjunction with this to get in closer to the front.
- The shield is a rather poor choice in conjunction with either of the Sniper rifles, as you often do not need the extra health when you're at the back lines, and the lack of a secondary weapon will force you to engage Spies in melee combat, a rather risky business.
- Despite its similarity to the Razorback, you can still be backstabbed if you have the Danger Shield equipped. Do not hang around in Spy-friendly areas too much without backup.
- This shield is also useful when you're up against a wall, this shield is only recommended when you are in a safe position and your body is covered by walls or barriers. This is key considering that it makes it harder for Spy's to backstab you.
Jarate
- The Jarate's Mini-Crits do not stack with normal Crits, meaning that you'll either score a Critical hit or you'll get a Mini-Crit.
- Try to throw it at a Spy as soon as you spot him so that he can't Cloak and escape. Jarate renders the Spy's Cloak almost useless, lightly displaying his team color and showing dripping Jarate particles. If you suspect a Spy is in the vicinity do not be afraid to use your Jarate to spycheck.
- You can use Jarate to extinguish a player in case they are desperately in need and there's no Medic or medkit around.
- Be aware that Jarate cannot be thrown through friendly players. Try to avoid using it accidentally on a player who is not on fire. This tends to happen in tight areas and hallways, when you can't throw past the friendlies in front of you.
- Throwing Jarate near your feet will extinguish yourself and friendlies around you. This tactic is also handy for revealing nearby Spies.
- Alongside with Pyros, Demomen and Soldiers can also make good Jarate buddies, since they have powerful area-of-effect attacks with a similar range to Jarate. This means they have a better chance of hitting the coated enemy and dealing more damage to them.
- In particular, Soldiers with the Buff Banner are especially useful, as your Mini-Crits will charge their rage, so that they can grant further Mini-Crits.
- Sometimes you'll find yourself in the fray alongside a few members of your team. If you spot an allied Heavy walking into a group, toss your Jarate. The spread of his bullets will put Mini-Crits into everyone in the area, successfully neutralizing the number of enemies arrayed against you and your team.
- When using the Jarate it is also helpful to throw it on a soon to be captured point, this ensures a quick and easy way to kill a large amount of enemies on a single capture point with Mini-Crits.
Kukri
- Two blows with the Kukri are enough to kill an unbuffed Spy, Scout, Engineer, or Sniper.
- Use your Kukri to quickly dispatch cornered enemies if you are in close quarters, such as many Sniper decks.
- Try to use the Kukri in close quarters instead of your Primary weapon or SMG. All melee weapons have an increased chance of Critical hits so you should have an easier time killing your enemy.
- Using the Kukri in addition to Jarate is an effective strategy for dealing with Spies as it makes it harder for them to get away.
Tribalman's Shiv
- In many ways, the Shiv's Bleeding effect behaves much in the same way as the Pyro's afterburn. However, bleeding has the advantage of not being removed by being submerged in water, or extinguished with Jarate. Only resupply cabinets and health kits can stem the bleeding.
- Use your Jarate in combination with the Shiv for bleeding Mini-Crits. One hit on a 125 hp class will kill them with the bleeding if they are coated. Use this to wear down heavier classes quickly, supplementing the damage with your primary weapon if necessary,
- Overall, the Tribalman's Shiv causes more damage than the normal Kukri but over a longer duration.
- Due to the post-damage, two hits with the Tribalman's Shiv on lighter classes (Scout, Spy, Sniper and Engineer) are enough to kill them by the bleeding, unless they find a way to heal themselves within 6 seconds.
- Cloaked Spies will be semi-visible when bleeding, due to a slight flicker of their Cloak and the blood effect.
- Spies using the Dead Ringer won't flicker from bleeding, but will still leave the blood effect revealing their location.
- Due to the fact that bleeding does not stack, it may be a good idea to hit each opponent once when fighting multiple foes, and then hit each one again instead of focusing on one first.
- A Critical hit may be deadly, so if you Crit an enemy with moderate health, run away and the bleeding will probably finish off the enemy.
Bushwacka
- This weapon can be very effective when used in conjunction with Jarate, due to its ability of turning Mini-Crits into Full Critical hits.
- Jarate also works well to counter the Bushwacka's vulnerability to fire damage, as you can extinguish the flames easily and potentially coat the Pyro in Jarate.
- If your enemies have the habit of closing in after being hit by the Sydney Sleeper, this is an excellent counter.
- Unless the opposing team has an aggressive Pyro, the Bushwacka should be used in place of the Kukri if you are not using the Tribalman's Shiv.
- The Mini-Crit into Crit effect is applicable to any source of Mini-Crits (Buff Banner, enemy Crit-a-Cola, etc).
- Remember that the Bushwacka can still perform random Crits, in addition to its effect.
- The Bushwacka is ideal for dispatching Spies who have activated the Dead Ringer. Coating them in Jarate and hitting them a few times will kill them quickly.
- Even if you prefer staying behind the frontlines to provide support, be aware of your fire weakness. Pyros may be easy pickings, but a stray flare can cause a lot of damage to you, making you easier to dispatch for other enemies.
- In conjunction with a well-placed Jarate toss, the Bushwacka can easily dispatch most enemies; even distracted, overhealed Heavies.
The Croc-o-style Kit
- The main perk of this set (immunity to death by headshots) is great when fighting predictable enemy Snipers. Upon being hit with a headshot that would normally kill you, you will be left at 1 HP instead.
- Despite this tempting quality, bodyshots will do the same amount of damage as usual, are easier to execute, and unless you are overhealed, a fully charged bodyshot will kill you regardless of your 25 health buff.
- Bear in mind that you will be unable to easily kill heavier classes on your own unless you can successfully fire off two higher charged shots on them in quick succession, or cover them in Jarate and proceed to hit them with the Bushwacka.
- Snipers that see you have Ol' Snaggletooth equipped may assume you are using the full set, and take a split second to readjust their aim to your body. Don't give the chance, and kill them quickly!
- An overhealed 225 HP Croc-o-Style Sniper is a great counter to distant enemy Snipers, as there is no way for them to take him down fast enough, unless they are overhealed as well.
- You can also aim for quick bodyshots. A fully charged bodyshot is still normally enough to kill a Sniper with the Darwin Danger Shield equipped.
- Croc-o-style Snipers are NOT immune to fully charged Huntsman headshots. However, you will survive uncharged headshots.
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Sniping Priorities
Priorities vary and depend on the situation at the time. The following list should often, but not always, be used in order to specify which target is the first to take down, but if there is an easier shot before hand, you should take the time to kill that target first. For example, if you have a large number of teammates battling a nearby Medic with a Heavy, sometimes taking out the Heavy first is the better choice since your teammates will be able to quickly control the area and kill the isolated Medic. If you shoot the Medic first, the Heavy might hold his ground by himself long enough for reinforcements to arrive, but it will only prevent them from using an ÜberCharge.
These four classes first:
The rest in relative priority order:
- Snipers are on the top of the list because they deny your teammates the ability to cross an open space freely and present the biggest threat to you as another Sniper.
- Medics are next because they are have the ability to heal and activate an ÜberCharge. They can also assist the enemy forces by providing overheals in order to survive the brutal fight with your teammates. The Medics are more prioritized when they have an ÜberCharge charged and ready to attack.
- Heavys are important targets because of their high damage output, and they can deal a significant amount of damage at close to medium range. They are tough enemies who can hold down points, and with their high health, this makes them very difficult for your allies to take down. When you are taking out a Heavy, fully charge your Sniper Rifle because their large amounts of health could survive your headshot.
- Engineers are essential to kill because their Sentry Guns can eliminate your whole team. Once he is down, your teammates would not have to worry about the Sentry Gun being repaired. If you can, try to take out at least the Sentry Gun from the distance after you have eliminated the Engineer in order to save your teammates some time and effort.
- Soldiers can be a dangerous threat if they take notice of your presence - they can strafe and fire rockets at you to prevent a clean shot; Direct Hit Soldiers are especially dangerous. Taking them down will essentially save your teammates the possibility of being wiped out by the Soldier's rockets.
- Pyros and their awkward shaped heads make it easier to kill them. They have the attribute to destroy your team in close combat, so they must be taken down quickly and prior to their onslaught; Pyros equipped with the Flare Gun can set you aflame at range and greatly hinder your ability to snipe.
- Demomans are next in the priority list because their Stickybombs can hold down an area really well, but their location is most likely reclusive in their territories. Once they die, their stickies will disappear which would allow your team to move forward.
- Spys are usually cloaked or disguised. If you see one, shoot him before he causes any trouble, but they will become hard to find as time goes on. Thus, you probably should not worry about them though if you spot a Spy and did not see him die, call out his presence to your team and watch your back. Most of the time, he should not be a sniping priority.
- Scouts move too fast for most cases for sniping, and you would be wasting your time and ammo trying to snipe Scouts.
See also
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