Community Mann vs. Machine strategy

“

Oh, I am going to murder so many robots. Click to listen — The Medic after studying some strategies

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This article details strategy for the Mann vs. Machine game mode.

General Strategy

• Teamwork is more vital than ever. Make sure to communicate at all times.
• The robots don't drop ammo, so take note of ammo placements and consider getting Engineers to place Dispensers at choke points. Slain players still drop their weapons, however, so if your teammate is unfortunate enough to die, grab some ammo if you need any. You may also refill your weapons with ammo in the form of destroyed Engineer buildings, most commonly if a Sentry Buster has just detonated beside them.
• Robots rarely, if ever, jump. Maps are designed so most places can be reached without jumping. If you need to evade pursuing robots, look for something to jump on or over. Also, when there are Spies on the field, you can also quickly show teammates that you are not a disguised enemy Spy by hopping.
• Tanks do not harm players, so feel free to get as close as you want when trying to destroy one. Be careful when attacking a tank in a confined space however, because a turning tank may crush players against walls and kill them instantly.
• Try to collect all the money the robots leave behind. The Administrator gives the players a bonus $100 if the team takes them all, and more money means more upgrades.
• If there is a Spy robot and a Tank on the field at the same time, you can evade the Spy by standing on the Tank.
• Spy robots often reveal their location by chuckling, even when disguised. Listen carefully for them when you can't afford to look around the field.
• Before entering your first wave of the mission, consider your class and its weapons carefully. Once that money is invested into the class and the wave is won, you cannot get a refund on previous upgrades. This makes team composition even more vital as you'll have less power if you switch classes in the middle of the mission. Agree on which classes and weapons everyone should have before starting.
• If your team keeps failing at a wave, upgrade different things before the wave begins, e.g. if a Tank always deploys its bomb before you can destroy it, invest in Critical Hit Boost Canteens. If that still doesn't work, ask your team if you want to restart the mission.
• Über Medic Robots always spawn with a full ÜberCharge meter and will use it if they even take the slightest bit of damage. Either make them waste their Über early before they reach your ally's choke point or destroy them with a single blow.
• Before each wave, before the robots are released, there will be floating holographic arrows that show the path the bomb robot will take. Use these to plan a defense. Engineers should especially take heed of these arrows to set up more effective Sentry Guns, and Demomen should leave their sticky traps where the robots will go. Most of the team should focus firepower there and locate chokepoints so you can easily pin down enemies.
  • Remember that these arrows disappear when the robots appear, and that the arrow locations change between waves. If your team fails to defend against a wave, the path may change, too. Before a wave, if a teleporter isn't present to take you to the front lines, consider following the path for practice.
  • Enemies may stray from the path to chase down a player, so try to kill them before they take another route to the base.
  • If the robot carrying the bomb is moved off this path and then killed, the robots will go for the bomb and then take the shortest route to the hatch. Keep this in mind.
• Robots cannot attack or be harmed until they touch the field, so Demomen and Soldiers have time to leave explosives in the enemies' path.
  • Don't be too eager. If you blast robots too early, you'll only scatter them, making them more difficult to destroy, and the money will scatter and be harder to collect.
• Bomb carriers taunt to receive their buff, and robots surrounding them stop to wait so they can travel together. Robots may also taunt after killing a player, even while being attacked. Use this time to destroy the robots.
• Try not to find yourself on an open area when the Sniper Robots arrive, you will only make yourself an easy target for their shots.
• Sometimes upgrading your resistance can be more important than upgrading your equipment. In some cases it gives you a higher chance of survival.
• Try to make your team's class composition balanced. Having 2 or more of the same class is usually pointless.(For example: 2-3 Scouts).
• If there are 2 or more players playing as the same class on the team , try to maximize their role together. (2 Heavies on defence, 2 Scouts collecting all credits, 2 Demomen for Quick traps, etc).

Class-specific strategy

 Scout

• Due to the defensive nature of this mode, the Scout is at a disadvantage, with low health and short-range weaponry. To counter this, he's given a wider money gathering radius, gets health from gathering money, and respawns much quicker than the other classes.
• Scouts should always be aware of the positions and amounts of cash around them. In some cases, it is wiser to charge enemies head on to collect a large sum of cash behind them, supplying you with more than enough health to either deal with the foes or flee.
• It's risky, but you may want to consider dumping all your money into resistances and move speed and using a bat or Frying Pan exclusively. Cash collection becomes a breeze, you'll deal plenty of damage, cash drops will keep you full to the brim with health and in a pinch you can outrun anything that's too big for you.
• A Scout investing on multiple resistance upgrades added with the health boost of cash drops can prove to be a great distraction tool, allowing allies, even Spies, to give more free hits.
• The Scout's role is not restricted to money gathering; with piercing upgrades his primary weapons can take out whole crowds of enemies at close range. Each of the Scout's primary weapons has its uses: the Scattergun has the bigger clip, the Force-A-Nature has knockback, the Soda Popper can build up periods of mini-crits, and the Shortstop and Baby Face's Blaster can allow you to do damage from a safer distance.
• The Special Delivery item set can be very useful because of the +25 health effect.
• Once upgraded, a hit from the Sandman's ball marks a robot for death like the Fan of War, meaning the robot will take mini-crits from your friends' weapons. Both the Sandman and the Wrap Assassin can also be upgraded so that more balls can be hit, meaning more targets being affected. Keep in mind, however, that the Sandman reduces the Scout's health to 110, making him able to take less hits before dying.
• The Fan O'War can be very effective if you manage to mark a Giant robot for Death, since a very large amount of firepower is needed to destroy them.
• Mad Milk is a great assisting tool, as anyone who hits a doused robot gets a health boost, and upgraded Mad Milk slows down wet robots, making them easier to hit. It can also be used to help root out Spy bots.
• Using Bonk! Atomic Punch can allow you to serve as a distraction for giant bots, as well as grab credits without fear of being blasted to oblivion.
• As a Scout, you are usually the only one that can catch up to Scout Robots early in the mission. Since early waves tend to have copious amount of Scout Robots, be alert if any of them are carrying the bomb and are close to the hatch.
• Attempting to take down a Tank may be pointless as a Scout, but if you are nearby when it is destroyed, you can collect a good deal of the money dropped for an incredible health boost.
• A good Scout know when to collect money and giving support to their allies, prioritize your objective and don't be late at decision making before it's too late!