Basic Spy strategy
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— The Spy
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The Spy specializes in deception and excels at punishing mistakes made by the enemy team. Although he is fragile and possesses some of the weakest weapons in the game, he can backstab enemies and sap Engineer buildings. Additionally, the ability to see enemy names and health levels allows him to pick off weakened foes with his Revolver. The Spy will almost always operate behind enemy lines, using Cloaking and disguises to move about undetected. Because of the threat he poses, enemies will frequently Spy-check their teammates. Although the Spy can hide or blend in with the enemy team, he can easily be exposed through various methods, including the Pyro's flames, Jarate, or even a simple collision with a foe. Through cunning and effective use of his various tools, a good Spy can avoid drawing enemy attention while effectively picking off important targets.
Secondary weapons
Revolver / Big Kill
Although weaker than the primary weapons used by other classes, the Revolver is extremely accurate, so you can use it to pick off weakened enemies from a distance. There are several situations where you'll want to choose it for combat over the Knife, such as when your backstab fails, you cannot safely approach a target, or when a Sniper has a Razorback equipped.
Ambassador
The Ambassador comes with small penalties in damage and firing rate but has the ability to headshot enemies. If you are confident about your aim, use your ability to see enemy health as an indicator of which enemies can easily be taken out from a distance. There is a set period after firing where the Ambassador cannot headshot, so it's better to space your shots out instead of firing rapidly.
L'Etranger
The L'Etranger comes with a small damage penalty but slightly refills your Cloak when you shoot an enemy, converting firepower into potential fleeing power. It can be used to safely refill your Cloak from a distance and pairs well with the Cloak and Dagger or Dead Ringer, cloaking devices that have specific recharge methods.
Enforcer
The Enforcer deals extra damage when attacking while undisguised, making it useful for direct confrontations but not for ambushing. The increased damage is accompanied by a reduced firing speed, so accuracy is rewarded. Because the buff only applies when completely undisguised, the Enforcer should be used with caution, generally as a last resort to force an escape by taking down a pursuing enemy.
Diamondback
The Diamondback's decrease in base damage makes it a poor weapon for direct encounters. However, the guaranteed critical hits gained upon the destruction of a sapped building allow you to more easily escape from enemy territory after a successful attack. Work with your allies to ensure that buildings are destroyed; for example, if an Engineer is actively guarding his nest of buildings, simply disable his Sentry Gun and run interference while your teammates destroy it. You will still receive critical hits, even if the final hit wasn't done by your Sapper.
Melee weapons
Knife / Sharp Dresser / Saxxy / Festive Knife / Black Rose
The Knife is typically used to backstab targets and deals pitiful damage otherwise. To get into position for a backstab, use your Cloak and disguises to maneuver behind your enemies without drawing attention to yourself. Switch to your Revolver in any situation where you can't land a backstab.
Your Eternal Reward / Wanga Prick
Your Eternal Reward removes your ability to initially disguise, making you rely more on your Cloak ability to find good hiding places. Upon a successful backstab, your victim will silently disappear while you instantly take their profile as your disguise; no death notice will appear to the enemy team. Once you obtain a disguise, you are free to approach your enemies from behind as usual. Although backstabs by Your Eternal Reward don't appear in the kill feed, don't rely on the "silent killer" aspect of the weapon; dead enemies will still be able to communicate using text or voice chat. If you're stuck with a slow disguise, you can Cloak at any time to move at normal walking speed.
- The Wanga Prick cannot be used as part of the Saharan Spy item set.
Conniver's Kunai
The Conniver's Kunai allows you to steal the health of your victim and eliminate any negative status effects upon a successful backstab. While stolen health can overheal your health up to 180, the weapon reduces your initial maximum health to 60, meaning that you can be killed by just one stray projectile. When using the Conniver's Kunai, you can either play aggressively, landing continuous backstabs to maintain your health, or pick off single targets and use the stolen health to safely escape.
Big Earner
When you kill an enemy with the Big Earner, your Cloak will be refilled by 30%, regardless of any restrictions for the Cloaking device you are using. However, it comes with a moderate health reduction which allows for stronger weapons like the Soldier's Rocket Launcher to kill you in one shot. Overall, you'll have a smaller margin of error when behind enemy lines but can escape more easily with your Cloak once you kill an enemy.
Spy-cicle
Like Your Eternal Reward, the Spy-cicle does not announce a death notice to the enemy team upon a successful backstab. Additionally, you retain the ability to manually disguise. Unlike Your Eternal Reward, backstabs visibly turn victims into ice; alerted enemies can use this information to track you down more easily. If you are hit by fire while the Spy-cicle is your active weapon, it will melt, temporarily disabling its use but protecting you from being ignited again for two seconds; this gives you some immunity to the routine Spy-checks made by any Pyro and allows you to extinguish yourself while invisible by changing weapons.
PDA 1
Disguise Kit
The Disguise Kit is one of your major infiltration tools. If near allies, it's best to disguise as another friendly class or an enemy Spy so that even if seen by an enemy, you will draw less attention. You can safely change your disguise while cloaked to throw off enemy suspicion and avoid the puff of team-colored smoke that appears when donning a new disguise. A disguise takes one second to become effective, so avoid the common mistake of approaching an enemy before the change is complete. Once you have successfully navigated behind enemy lines, try to not behave like a Spy; for example, reloading your Revolver while disguised will mimic your disguise's reload animation, allowing you to better blend into an enemy crowd. Even if you're disguised, don't linger in front of enemies for too long, as you are still vulnerable to Spy-checking. Attacking with the Revolver or Knife will cause your disguise will disappear, so find a safe place to redisguise afterwards.
PDA 2
Invisibility Watch / Enthusiast's Timepiece
Out of all your watches, the Invisibility Watch has the quietest decloaking sound and allows you to cover the furthest distance while invisible. However, its limited Cloak meter and delayed activation time give you the smallest margin of error to work with when in enemy territory. To keep your Cloak filled and ready for emergencies, deactivate it when in safe areas and frequently grab metal pickups. Although you are invisible, you are not invincible; upon seeing an ammo box disappear, competent enemies may Spy-check the area. If in enemy territory, always stay on the move to decrease the chances of you being detected or cornered.
Cloak and Dagger
As long as you remain still, the Cloak and Dagger can be used to remain invisible indefinitely, allowing you to camp an area to pick off important targets, such as enemy Medics. Its meter drains based on your average movement speed; traveling a certain distance over a set period of time will drain a certain amount of Cloak, regardless of whether you move slowly and steadily or in quick bursts. The Cloak and Dagger cannot be recharged by collecting metal pickups or dropped weapons, making it more difficult for you to escape from enemies once discovered. The Cloak and Dagger's decloaking sound is small but distinct, so refrain from decloaking too closely to an enemy you're stalking. Continue to be mobile, even when remaining in one area; enemies will be encouraged to Spy-check if you stay in the same place too long. Likewise, don't just use the Cloak and Dagger to stay out of harm's way; being alive does not necessarily equate to being useful.
Dead Ringer
While you cannot manually Cloak with the Dead Ringer active, it will instantly Cloak you if you take any type of damage, displaying a fake kill notification to the enemy team and shielding you from 90% of further incoming damage for as long as the Cloak is enabled for up to 6.5 seconds. Simply "dying" from fall damage is a sure sign that you're a Spy. To make your feign death more convincing, consider disguising as an ally or letting the enemy damage you for a bit before taking out the Dead Ringer. Even if you make your feign death completely obvious, the Dead Ringer's damage reduction allows you to easily navigate across battlefields and behind enemy lines. While collecting metal will prolong your Cloak, the increased Cloak drain rate and loud decloak noise means that finding a safe area is your priority. While enemies will not see you if you run into them, they can still bump into and even reveal you using effects such as fire, bleeding, or Jarate.
Buildings
Sapper
The Sapper will instantly disable an Engineer's building and can only be removed by the Engineer's melee weapon or the Pyro's Homewrecker. You have an unlimited supply and can place them extremely rapidly on any building within melee range. Typically, you'll first backstab an Engineer, then quickly sap any nearby buildings; you'll want to begin with Sentry Guns to prevent them from attacking you. While your weapons deal reduced damage to any building that has a Sapper on it, it may be worth further attacking a building to speed up its destruction.
Red-Tape Recorder
When compared to the standard Sapper, the Red-Tape Recorder takes longer to fully destroy a high-level Engineer building. However, when applied it immediately takes the targeted building down by one level, making it effective at weakening a large Engineer nest for teammates to clean up. It very quickly reduces a Sentry from level 2 or 3 to level 1, but takes a long time to chew through level 1; if fighting with an engineer while sapping it, be sure to shoot it as well as him, to ensure that he can't reverse your progress through level 1 as quickly. Keep in mind that after downgrading to level 1, it will also have the health of a level 1 sentry, making it easier to pick off with a few well-placed Revolver shots.
Item set effects
The Saharan Spy
| The Saharan Spy | |
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Extra effects when taunting. |
Your Eternal Reward removes your ability to disguise, forcing you to rely on your Cloak, while the Saharan Spy item set's increased Cloak blink time makes you visible for a longer period of time if an enemy manages to temporarily reveal you. However, if you can successfully get behind your enemies without being caught, the significantly reduced decloak volume makes finding suitable hiding places easier. The Dead Ringer's initial Cloak is not affected by the item set's downsides.
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