Domination

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Click to listen

— The Heavy

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A Domination is a reward received for killing, or assisting in killing, one particular enemy four times in a row. Accompanied by a distinct sound cue, adds a special icon to the scoreboard. If you Dominate a player, you become their Nemesis, and this is indicated to them by a small icon appearing above your head. If your Nemesis kills you, you will lose your domination and status as their nemesis – this is known as a Revenge kill.

Dominations in one life are counted in your all-time stats. When dominating players, a medal symbol will appear next to your name on the scoreboard along with a number indicating how many opposing players you are currently dominating. Dominations are carried over map stages, but not over team or map changes. Team swapping will cause all dominations for and against you to be lost.

Dominating someone may sometimes produce a special audio response from your class. Dominating several people in one round will result in increasingly enthusiastic responses from your character.

Nemesis

When a player becomes your nemesis, they sport a distinct icon above their head which allows you to identify them (unless they are are currently a Cloaked or disguised Spy). Only you can see this icon. If your nemesis kills you, the Deathcam will identify them as such.

It is possible to have any number of opposing players as your nemesis at once. Upon killing a nemesis, you gain a Revenge kill, which counts towards your player stats, and the player loses their status as your nemesis.

The nemesis feature was added to promote relationships between players, creating a small negative reinforcement loop by giving players an opportunity to score extra points with a revenge kill.

Revenge

Killing your nemesis is called a Revenge kill. This is accompanied by a short sound cue, and a special kill notice on the HUD. Obtaining a revenge kill will also produce a short audio response by your class.

A Revenge kill is worth double the Points received for a regular Kill, and will remove your Nemesis' Domination against you. Revenge kills in one life, as well as in your player history, count towards your all-time stats. Players receive the Nemesis achievement upon collecting 5 total Revenge kills in their all-time stats. A Revenge kill can occur during Humiliation, which is a highly advantageous and satisfying time to get one, as your Nemesis will be cowering and completely vulnerable.

Trivia

Dominations were originally created to make player interactions have a more personal feel.
You cannot get a domination during an Arena match, due to being unable to respawn.
Dominating enemies with kill assists won't trigger voice responses from your class.
Killing a Spy who is using the Dead Ringer (If it is the 4th time you have killed said player) will notify you that you have dominated him, although once he de-cloaks, he will not be "Dominated" anymore. The same goes for Revenges.
No actual numerical medal will appear next to the name of a player who has beyond 16 dominations.