Water

Water in Team Fortress 2.

“

Click to listen

— The Pyro

”

Water can be found in many maps as a terrain feature and as a gameplay element. There are two types of water: shallow and deep. Shallow water will absorb the impact from a fall, and reveal the footsteps of Spies (which will also be more audible). It is otherwise a cosmetic part of the game.

Deep water allows a character to fully submerge and swim around. Immersion in deep water will negate the afterburn, Jarate, and Mad Milk effects instantly. Some maps feature submerged routes into the enemy base, which are often poorly defended in comparison to ground-level entrances. Like shallow water, deep water also reduces fall damage, but does so completely.

In addition, Engineers can construct buildings underwater just like on land. Due to the low visibility of submerged objects, deep water is often a great spot to conceal a Teleporter or a Sentry Gun.

Remaining submerged in water for too long will cause the player to drown. While drowning, the player will experience a periodic loss of heath and will flinch (such as with bleeding and afterburn effects), and the screen will flash blue to warn the player. To negate this, the player must reach the surface, where the health lost due to drowning regenerates over time. Standing next to a Dispenser, picking up a Medkit or being healed by a Medic will restore the player's health faster than it is lost due to drowning.

Deep water has several disadvantages:

Submerging in water will obscure the player's vision with bubbles for a few seconds.
Swimming in deep water will decrease the maneuverability of all classes, making them vulnerable targets for enemies who have the advantage of higher ground or more suitable weapons.
Surfacing on the water can affect vision, making aiming difficult. To counter this, fully submerge, especially if battling a submerged opponent.
Players cannot taunt while underwater.
All in-game sound is muffled while the player is underwater, including voice chat. However, setting the cvar dsp_water to 0 removes this effect.
The Scout cannot use his Sandman's baseball underwater. Mad Milk cannot be thrown.
Firing the Pyro's Flamethrower, Backburner, or Degreaser underwater will simply waste ammo, and will eject a stream of bubbles instead of fire. Additionally, the Flare Gun and Detonator cannot be fired. Pyros are also unable to use the airblast ability. The Sharpened Volcano Fragment will not ignite enemies underwater.
The Demoman's projectiles will travel slower and shorter underwater due to the physical effects of the water on them. Grenades will not explode upon a direct hit to an underwater enemy.
The Medic's Crusader's Crossbow bolts will be deflected significantly when fired into water.
The Sniper can neither draw nor fire his Huntsman underwater, and shooting it into the water will deflect the arrow significantly. Jarate cannot be thrown.
Lunchbox items such as Bonk! Atomic Punch and the Sandvich cannot be consumed underwater, though Sandviches and Buffalo Steak Sandviches can be thrown.
If a Cloaked Spy leaves a body of water, water will drip off the Spy for a short period and reveal his presence to the enemy. Likewise, if a Spy attempts to Cloak while underwater, the bubbles they make can still be seen although they are still difficult to catch.
The Cloak and Dagger cannot recharge while cloaked underwater.

2Fort: There is a large pool of deep water beneath the bridge in the center of the map.
Badlands (Arena): On each side, there is a small pond of deep water beneath the small concrete bridge to the left of the spawn room.
Double Cross: A pool of deep water is found beneath the drop hatches of the spawn rooms.
Freight: Two large bodies of water connect from the exits of RED and BLU's buildings under the main buildings to a small pool on the other side of the midpoint, allowing for flanking and an easy way around the trains.
Frontier: The rightmost exit of BLU spawn leads to a small, barely noticeable area covered with shallow water.
Hydro: There is shallow water in the Dam and Warehouse territories.
Lakeside: In the center building next to the control point there is a small pool of deep water.
Nightfall (stage 3 only): There is a very small pond of deep water in the center of the map, under the cart tracks.
Pipeline (stage 3 only): The small canal beneath the cart tracks has deep water.
Ravine: At the lower side of the map underneath the tall large building, deep water can be found in the small alcove.
Sawmill (all variations): Large bodies of deep water are found at the Lumbershack and Waterfall areas of the map. In the Capture the Flag version, shallow water also covers the Intelligence room's floor.
Thunder Mountain (stage 2 only): Right outside the BLU spawn there's a small stream which has deep water.
Watchtower: There are small ponds of deep water around the valley below the central tower.
Well (all variations): Deep water channels outside the team's buildings consisting of underwater routes connecting each team's base building to the central train house building. The Capture the Flag version is similar to the Control Point version, except the route to the central building is removed with the building itself. The Arena version features a small pool adjacent to the central building which offers a quick route to the central point.