Note: Wearing the Horseless Headless Horsemann's Head or the Saxton Hale Mask will make you immune to the Horseless Headless Horsemann's scare ability. This will assist in defeating him at close range or defeating multiple incarnations of the Horsemann.
Scout
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Horseless Headless Horsemann
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 Playing as Scout while being "it" allows you to evade the Horsemann more easily than other classes due to your agility and ability to double and triple jump.
Luring the Horsemann if you are "it" towards the enemy team's spawn room will provide a much needed distraction.
 Bonk! will allow you to survive the Horsemann's axe hits for a short time and even allow you to use the knock-back to your advantage.
The Shortstop remains the Scout's best weapon choice in case a head-on assault against the Horsemann is required.
 The Sandman baseball and Fan O' War are ineffective against the undead horseman as he cannot be stunned or marked for death respectively.
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Soldier
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Horseless Headless Horsemann
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Rocket jumping over the Horsemann while "it" will cause him to hesitate briefly while changing directions. It can also keep you well outside of the reach of his attacks, thus giving you the opportunity to either make an escape or draw the Horsemann into a group of enemies.
The Buff Banner, Battalion's Backup and Concheror will not charge while doing damage to the Horsemann and thus is not recommended. Use the Shotgun instead, making the switch when you run out of ammo for your primary weapon. This loadout allows you to deal the most damage to the Horsemann.
Charging a busy Horsemann with the Equalizer at very low health can be effective if the enemy team is not around, as your crits will deal around 300 damage.
A friendly Kritzkrieg Medic will allow a skilled Soldier to make short work of the Horsemann, as a pack of critical rockets and Shotgun shells will take a large chunk of his health away.
The Black Box does not award health upon hitting the Horsemann and is a considerable drawback when the reduced ammo is taken into account.
The Half-Zatoichi does not behave properly against a Horsemann kill, and should not be utilized.
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Pyro
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Horseless Headless Horsemann
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Because the Horsemann does not suffer afterburn damage, using the Pyro against the Horseless Headless Horsemann is inadvisable. In addition, the Pyro's short range of effectiveness makes attacking head-on a very deadly prospect.
The Backburner while he is distracted can be moderately effective in defeating him.
The Flare Gun and the Detonator are possibly some of the worst weapons to use against the Horsemann as he cannot catch on fire. Only the minimal flare impact damage will register.
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Demoman
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Horseless Headless Horsemann
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It is possible to briefly outrun him by charging with the Chargin' Targe or Splendid Screen in a single direction across open ground.
Direct hits with the Grenade Launcher or Loch 'n' Load will cause large amounts of damage to the Horsemann, so it is advisable to lead your shots slightly to ensure they connect.
A full stickybomb trap can deal a large considerable amount of damage to the Horsemann. This strategy is especially effective with a Kritzkrieg charge.
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Heavy
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Horseless Headless Horsemann
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The Heavy is the best head-on class against the Horsemann, should he not be "it." Any Minigun will shred the boss in a matter of seconds at short range, even without crits.
Be aware that the Heavy has no real means of getting away from the Horsemann, and should be relying on the Gloves of Running Urgently in such situations.
The Buffalo Steak Sandvich is not recommended, except to attempt quick getaways. The Brass Beast, even with a Kritzkrieg, is only recommended if the Horsemann is already busy, as your extremely sluggish movement will tempt even the enemy team to focus on you.
A Heavy/Medic pair can camp the control point where it will spawn next, while building up a Kritzkrieg charge. The damage resulting from such an attack is usually enough to kill the Horsemann almost immediately following its spawn animation.
The Shotgun should never be used, as the time between shots and damage spread mean you will always get more damage from your primary weapon.
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Engineer
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Horseless Headless Horsemann
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Since the Horsemann is not affected by knockback, the player should never rely on his sentry to keep the monster away.
The Horsemann will attack anything blocking his path - this includes players and buildings that are in the way. Keep in mind wrangled Sentry Guns can survive a few axe hits, allowing you and your team to profit from the distraction.
Sentry Guns will target the Horsemann even when it is outside their normal range.
The Widowmaker does not return metal for damage done to the Horsemann.
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Medic
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Horseless Headless Horsemann
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Use your ÜberCharge on a teammate so they can attack the Horsemann. While the Horsemann will ignore Übercharged individuals for as long as possible, keep in mind that it will attempt to bat you out of his path, should you be in it.
If you do not have an ÜberCharge or Kritzkrieg charge, it is best advised to stay away and build one up.
Your Übersaw is ineffective against the boss as the close quarters combat will likely get you killed, and should not be used.
The Horsemann can also easily counter an ÜberCharged pair by stunning them with its special scare ability.
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Sniper
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Horseless Headless Horsemann
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The basic Sniper is very limited against the Horsemann, as headshots from the standard Sniper Rifle do not deal extra damage. However, charging shots is still worthwhile as the damage will properly scale against the Horsemann.
The Huntsman deals extra damage on headshots against the Horsemann, effectively rendering a skilled bow Sniper able to defeat the boss on his own in a short matter of time.
The Sydney Sleeper's faster charge rate makes it more useful than the standard Sniper Rifle, as he is immune to headshot's.
The Horsemann does not bleed, and so the Tribalman's Shiv is very inadvisable.
Jarate does not affect the Horsemann.
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Spy
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The Dead Ringer's feign death ability will allow you to survive one hit per use, giving the Spy more survivability against the Horsemann.
The Revolver and the Enforcer are the most worthwhile weapons, although it should only be used against the Horsemann if he is focused on another player.
The Spy is rather ineffective against the Horsemann as a Backstab will not result in an instant death or a critical hit and does not contribute significant damage.
As with any other on-hit effect weapons, Your Eternal Reward, Conniver's Kunai and the Big Earner will not grant you a bonus upon getting the last hit on a Horsemann and should be avoided.
The Horseless Headless Horsemann is not fooled by disguises or invisibility.
The Ambassador does not contribute extra damage via headshots.
The L'Etranger will not provide Cloak upon a successful hit.
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See also
