Community Demoman strategy

“

Not one of ya's going to survive this! Click to listen — The Demoman just before detonating his stickybombs

”

The Demoman is a medium-ranged, projectile-heavy class with an outstanding damage output, capable at both offensive and defensive support. While inaccurate at range and often threatened by self-damage at point-blank, the Demoman is one of the few classes able to attack without a line of sight to their target, allowing him to utilize his Grenade or Sticky Launchers for crowd control on the offensive, or area denial via Stickybomb traps on the defensive. His playstyle can change completely with access to a sword and shield, making the Demoman a fearsome melee class courtesy of his long melee range and the ability to perform charged dashes. Like the Soldier, the Demoman is also capable of performing explosive jumps, and can reach objectives well in advance of other classes once the jumps have been mastered. The Demoman is a rewarding class to learn but challenging and difficult to master, and is an ideal class for players oriented towards protecting objectives or eliminating multiple enemies.

Quick tips

• A Demoman is most effective at medium range, where his explosives are easier to aim, harder to avoid, and won't deal self-damage to himself. Since Grenades and Stickybombs have travel time and obey the laws of gravity, you will have to aim where a target is going in order to hit them.
  • Aim higher for distant targets or lead towards the direction of a traveling opponent.

• One distinct advantage the Demoman has compared to other classes is the ability to deliver damage where others cannot easily reach; try bouncing Grenades around corners, through windows, and onto battlements.
  • When aiming at a distant target, skipping Grenades across the ground may be more effective than lobbing them through the sky.

• Search for areas of the map that would make ideal Stickybomb traps for unsuspecting enemy players; if they are in plain sight, enemies may destroy the bombs before you can detonate them. Maintaining a safe distance from the trap, while keeping a clear view of it, would be an ideal scenario.
  • When defending a key target, try placing Stickybombs onto obscure areas of the objective and retreating to cover. One can then simply wait for an alert that the area is being captured, then detonate the Stickybombs.

• Stickybombs are small and a cluster can stick in a single spot, allowing for surprisingly strong ambush traps such as on the ceiling of Junction's control points.

• When fleeing, leave Stickybombs in your wake; you can often kill pursuers by detonating your bombs as soon as you can. Pursuers may also pause to destroy the Stickybombs or choose an alternate route, giving you more time to escape to safety.

• Use the potent knockback of your explosives to disrupt enemy tactics, such as Heavy/Medic pairs, by using explosions to push the Medic away from the Heavy so each can be killed more easily. One can also use a large number of Stickybombs and detonate all of them at once to kill one or both targets.

• Mastering Demoman Jumps, also called sticky jumps, can allow players to easily propel themselves behind enemy lines and take out unsuspecting players from either the rear or above.

• The Demoman is one of the most effective melee classes, with advantages including longer ranged melee weapons and charged dashing capabilities. However, in order to utilize these advantages effectively, one must try to employ ambush tactics in order to launch surprise attacks on enemy players.
  • Like your projectiles, your charge works best at a distance, and requires you to lead targets who are not running away from you. Get used to the distance needed to gain a charging critical hit.

• The Demoman is the only class without hitscan weapons, meaning that most classes (especially Snipers or Scouts) have a high advantage over you at long distances. Additionally, fighting at close range will always result in self-damage and potentially a suicide unless you switch to your melee weapon.

General

• When it comes to base stats, the Demoman is comparable to a less durable, yet slightly faster Soldier. With 175 base health and 93% speed, he matches the Pyro's base health, but moves slower to compensate for his high damage output.
  • As such, the Demoman is one of several classes able to endure uncharged headshots at full base health, but also makes it slightly more difficult to chase opponents down or retreat on foot.

• As a Demoman, you completely lack any source of hitscan weaponry. To make up for this, all your ranged weapons deal heavy explosive damage; two direct hits with your Grenade Launcher is enough to kill or severely damage any enemy, while a bunch of detonated stickybombs from your Stickybomb Launcher are the single strongest burst damage options in the game. Use this to your advantage by eliminating bulky targets like Heavies, or protect key areas with Stickybomb traps.

• Like the Soldier, your explosives deal excellent splash damage, allowing you to deal heavy damage to groups. This shines when defending objectives, as enemies often crowd onto a single spot, leaving them open.
  • However, this splash damage also applies to you. Keep a safe distance from the fight to avoid blowing yourself up by mistake.

• The projectile nature of your weapons allows you to act as covering fire; even if you miss, you can cover the area with ticking grenade hazards that will often deter opponents from retreating, making them open for another grenade or your teammates.
  • This inherently allows you to attack enemies out of sight. Lob grenades and Stickybombs to damage opponents in enemy territory that would otherwise be risky to enter.

• Always keep your weapons loaded. While your Grenade and Stickybomb Launcher variants have reasonably large clip sizes, they have a comparatively long reload time, especially if they are completely empty. This is especially true for the Loch-n-Load and Quickiebomb Launcher.
  • It is beneficial to keep a loaded Grenade Launcher as a backup weapon instead of the other way around, as Stickybombs have an arm time that can be the difference between life and death.

• You have access to Demoman-specific explosive Jumps, allowing you to traverse long distances and offset your below-average movement speed. However, unlike the Soldier, you only resist 25% of the damage from explosive jumps (compared to the Soldier's 40% resistance) and you do not have access to Gunboats, making this a far riskier maneuver.
  • Optimize your jumps via a friendly overheal, or simply take note of the position of the map's health packs.

• As the class' name implies, the Demoman is a go-to demolition expert when it comes to Buildings. Your high overall damage, large clip size, and ability to lob projectiles from a safe angle allows you to take down Sentry Guns in two or three Stickybombs before an Engineer can destroy them himself; at best, you can destroy an entire nest and the Engineer in the process.
  • However, this does not mean you do not require team support. A large Engineer nest or one with enemy backup (such as Pyros) may require a teammate's help, either through a friendly Spy's Sapper or a Medic's Übercharge.

• Do not underestimate the utility of the Bottle! It deals reliable damage with no danger of harming yourself, allowing you to punish enemies who get into dangerous point-blank range, where you would usually risk blowing yourself up with your own bombs.
  • Pesky enemies who weave in-and-out of melee range can be baited into a hastily-set Stickybomb cluster; after all, you can still detonate your traps while holding out your melee weapon.
  • On servers with random critical hits enabled, the high damage of your weapons allow you to get the maximum critical swing chance very easily.

• Your dependence on projectiles means that you will be inaccurate without properly leading your target and accounting for distance. Even so, you still have a natural disadvantage against hitscan in general, especially if your enemy strafes constantly or keeps their distance. This can make fighting Scouts or Snipers difficult.
  • If you have no other options, leave a trail of grenades or Stickybombs in the direction your opponent is moving; you might kill them even once you're dead. At worst, you can approach and kamikaze with a point-blank shot for an equal net loss.

Knockback and Aerials

• Your explosives deal massive knockback to enemies if they connect with their lower body, with exceptions being the Heavy (due to his natural resistance to knockback), Soldiers wearing the Mantreads, and a Medic and/or his patient under the influence of an Übercharge from a Quick-Fix. This makes you even more imposing near environmental hazards, allowing you to force an untimely death.
  • A Scout under the effects of Bonk! Atomic Punch or an Übercharged target can be easily thrown into the air with a well-timed explosion, thus wasting their invincibility and leaving them wide open for the rest of the team. However, competent players can abuse this knockback and propel themselves on a Control Point, or even straight into your team. Watch out and use this brutal power with care.

• Your ability to knock enemies into the air (and, by extension, your ability to deal heavy damage with direct hits at any range) allow you to perform aerial kills, or "Airshots", one of the Demoman's specialties. When an enemy is launched into the air, a Demoman with good prediction skills can score a direct hit with his Grenade Launcher to kill the helpless enemy. While aerials are possible with the Stickybomb Launcher, it is not recommended due to damage falloff and the arming time.

• Aerials work on any class, but the more common targets include Scouts, Demomen, and Soldiers. This is because these classes' own special abilities (Double jumping, Sticky Jumping, and Rocket Jumping, respectively) make them more likely to be spotted airborne than the other classes.

Roles

Defense

Defense is the traditional role a Demoman will play, and is well suited to the class.

• One of the more basic defensive strategies a Demoman will employ is placing well hidden Stickybombs on or near key strategic points on a map. When enemy players approach the target, a properly timed detonation can severely injure or kill passing enemies, and even if the stickies are spotted, they can delay and slow enemy pushes toward an objective.
  • Setting up Stickybomb traps in unexpected places are critical to their success. Hiding Stickybombs behind escape routes and spamming grenades can make the enemy recklessly retreat, driving them to their death.

• Maintaining pressure on choke points is another core Demoman defensive strategy due to his pure burst damage. Once the enemy team begins to push through a chokepoint, a Demoman can single-handedly obstruct any enemy progress by covering the area with Stickybombs and spamming Grenades at incoming opponents. This is especially useful if the enemies are taken by surprise, or in confined or narrow spaces.

• A Demoman can use the knockback of his explosives to split apart or disrupt pushes and isolate enemies to allow for easy pickings.

• The Demoman is effective at helping Engineers to fight off enemy Spies. Your attacks won't harm friendly buildings, so place one or two Stickybombs near a building, then wait nearby or while providing offensive support with your Grenade Launcher. When an Engineer says "Spy sapping my [building]," or if an Engineer just destroyed a Sapper, detonate the bombs to kill the Spy in case he is still there, then return to place more. You can also use the Scottish Resistance to protect friendly buildings from enemy Demoman Stickybombs.

• Because the Stickybombs on the Scottish Resistance take a longer time to arm, it is better suited for defensive play that requires guarding multiple areas simultaneously while still leaving unneeded traps undetonated. Additionally, this allows for a "safety net" in case your first cluster misses or isn't enough to kill a group of enemies; simply have another group of Stickybombs prepared close by so you can have another go. You can also deliberately prematurely detonate one group of Stickybombs where the enemy can see them; this may trick the enemy into thinking that they have tricked you into prematurely detonating your Stickybombs, causing them to relax their guard and stumble directly into your real Sticky trap.

Offense

For a Defense-based class, the Demoman has one of the highest damage outputs in the game, allowing him to fill in the offensive role and punch through enemy defenses, letting his entire team move forward.

• Stickybombs are a very useful weapon, as their short detonation time, combined with their damage and splash range, can destroy enemy pushes and break stalemates. Multiple stickies can be used to take down slower and larger targets such as the Heavy.
  • The Grenade Launcher is also powerful on its own, with the added benefit of exploding on hit and contributing to spam, which limits enemy movements.
  • Stickybombs can be charged to throw them further.

• When your team's progress is denied by a strong Engineer nest, a Demoman is an optimal choice for offensive pushing. Along with the Spy and the Soldier, the Demoman is a team's best hope at clearing enemy Sentry Guns and Heavies.

• If given an ÜberCharge, the Demoman becomes a formidable front-line attacker that can fill in several roles. With a standard ÜberCharge, the Demoman can clear out an entire Engineer nest as well as enemies and other obstructions, while a Kritzkrieg ÜberCharge allows him to shut down enemy groups and pushes completely. This proves particularly effective with backup from other Demomen and Soldiers.

• Being a support Demoman is slightly harder than concentrating on offense or defense alone, as it revolves around covering as much friendly ground or chokepoints as possible. A Demoman can lay down spam to hold enemies back, while also utilizing Stickybombs to hold ground for other teammates to advance forward.

Demoknight

A Demoknight set completely changes the playstyle of the class.

Using a Demoknight set (generally seen as one of the shield weapons paired with a sword-based melee weapon) grants the Demoman a unique combat style that requires separate tactics and techniques.

• Unlike a standard Demoman, who is a medium-ranged expert focused on traps and strong crowd control, a Demoknight is instead a sub-class focused on single-target melee picking, with advantages including higher resistance to explosives and fire, better mobility and the removal of debuffs via charging, longer melee range combined with on-hit/kill weapon perks, and the ability to chase down and eliminate a single target with a well-positioned critical swing.
  • Downsides of the class include contributing less to large firefights and battles, since Demoknights do not fare well as their longer range damage output is reduced. Melee combat in itself is risky due to a Demoknight being unable to escape if their charge misses. Finally, with Boots equipped, a Demoknight is completely forced to depend on melee combat, making him extremely vulnerable to long-range damage and Sentry Guns, the latter of which is (ironically) usually simple to deal with if playing as the stock class.

• Playing a Demoknight requires a different mindset from a standard Demoman, as you sacrifice the Stickybomb Launcher's strengths for the utilities gained by your array of shields and swords.
  • Your shields make you harder to kill with flames and explosives, giving you an advantage against Soldiers, Pyros, and other Demomen. This is most apparent with the Chargin' Targe, which allows you to tank a Flamethrower's flames when a Pyro would usually have the upper hand.
  • Meanwhile, your sword-based weapons have increased melee reach, and also give you health or charge on hit/kill. Combined with the resistance and charge ability granted by your shields, you can dash in quickly and slice at opponents, then escape with the health or charge gained by your melee attacks.
  • Boots give you more health and charge maneuverability, and also grants you additional speed when equipped alongside a shield, making it easier for you to swordfight; with the Eyelander and four heads, the extra speed even allows you to chase down any class on foot, including Scouts. However, all these tempting upsides are offset by this setup's pure-melee requirement, making you easy to kill unless you are already in melee range. In essence, a full Demoknight setup tests your prowess as a Demoknight, and rewards players who understand when to run in and which opponents to engage with.

• Even if you are not actively using your melee weapon, a shield is still an effective utility tool. It lets you get to places without self-harm (unlike your explosive jumps), endure more blast and fire damage while still being aggressive with your Grenade Launcher, and can even lead you and a friendly Medic to safety if he is healing you with the Quick-Fix while you charge.
  • Charging also immediately removes the effects of Jarate, Mad Milk, Bleeding, and Afterburn, which is very useful due to a Demoknight's tendency to work alone and run into danger.

• Grenade or Loose Cannon explosive jumps can be extended using your charge, even letting you switch direction in midair. This is especially efficient when using the Tide Turner.
  • The mechanics of charging also allows you to charge into the air using slopes, a technique named "trimping", which is explained further below in the "Demoman Jumps" section.

• Remember to prioritize the original role of the Demoman class! If there is a building or Engineer nest that desperately needs taking down, be a team player and drop the shield for your Stickybomb Launcher. A Demoknight simply lacks the firepower needed to take down nests by himself, and you can always re-equip your shield after clearing a nest.

• If you are not willing to drop the shield, equip one of the Grenade Launchers. You can provide some extra firepower at the cost of 25 health.
  • Chain a Grenade Jump with a trimp to gain some distance!

• It is possible to increase the range of your melee weapon by 128 units. You can do this by swinging your weapon just before charging.
  • On top of that you will still be charging after doing this, granting you two swings in one charge. (note that the first swing will not be a critical hit) If you are in front of a low-health enemy and there is another one behind him, use this tactic to kill the enemy in front of you and use the crits of your second attack to kill the one behind him.

Demoman Jumps

Main article: Demoman Jumps

The Demoman, along with the Soldier, is one of the two classes who can perform explosive jumps. His various weapons, including the Grenade Launcher, Stickybomb Launcher, and Scottish Resistance, can be used to perform such jumps, each with different methods to execute.

Stickybomb Jumping

Stickybomb jumping, or sticky jumping, is often the most common type of Demoman jump, which involves the detonation of one or more stickybombs for a large, though highly damaging, explosive jump.

• Sticky jumping is very similar to rocket jumping. Simply lay a Stickybomb on the ground, run over it, jump, and then detonate the bomb. As when rocket jumping, crouch-jumping in mid-air before setting off the sticky will propel the player with even more force.

• Compared to rocket jumping, sticky jumping sends the user much further, but at the cost of much more health (45-114 excluding fall damage). Multiple stickies can be used for an even greater effect, at the cost of a higher amount of self-damage.
  • Due to the high amount of health lost from sticky jumping, it is wise to memorize health pack locations on the map, or have a Medic in tow.

• Demomen only take 25% reduced damage from their explosive jumps, unlike Soldiers (who take 40% reduced damage). It is usually suicidal to stickybomb jump as a retreat option unless you have overheal or are at full health.

• Your angle to the Stickybomb when it is detonated determines your flight path — standing directly on top of your stickybomb sends you straight up, and the more you stray from the explosion's center, the more horizontal distance you cover. You can adjust when to detonate your Stickybombs to adjust your trajectory to be either more vertical or horizontal.
  • For an optimal horizontal sticky jump, fire a Stickybomb where a wall meets with the floor to maximize distance gained.

• With practice, Stickybomb jumps can be extended with "pogo-jumping" — detonating a second Stickybomb in the air to increase your air time. However, this is quite complicated to master, as it requires your first jump to send you directly over your second, airborne Stickybomb, and it often deals too much damage to survive unless you are overhealed.

• The Stickybomb Launcher can be replaced by the Sticky Jumper, which will remove all self-damage when sticky jumping, allowing much farther and higher jumps. However, fall damage must still be taken into account.

Scottish Resistance

• When sticky jumping with the Scottish Resistance, any stickies directly under the Demoman will be detonated when secondary fire is used, so long as there are no other stickies in the player's crosshair. However, jumps with a lot of forward momentum are difficult to achieve with the Scottish Resistance unless the Stickybomb being used for the jump is being directly looked at — essentially, the player will be facing away from the direction they wish to go when the bomb is detonated. This can take some practice to get used to.

Grenade Jumping

Grenade jumping uses the timed explosion of a Grenade Launcher's grenades for a smaller, less damaging explosive jump.

• Like a Stickybomb jump, simply jump atop a grenade as it is about to explode to send yourself flying; the further you are from the explosion's center, the more horizontal distance you gain and more vertical distance you lose. Remember that grenades have a fuse time of around 2.3 seconds.

• As grenades tend to roll around after being shot, it is usually best to fire a grenade towards a wall to make its final sitting position more predictable.

• Grenades deal 38-73 self-damage depending on the distance you are from the center of its explosion. This makes it more efficient for smaller jumps, or when conserving health is a priority.
  • Grenade jumping is also beneficial if you already have a group of stickies deployed elsewhere, as placed stickies will be left undetonated.

• Note that grenade jumps are less practical than Stickybomb jumps in situations where enemies may be nearby, due to the fact that one must wait for the grenade to explode with the stock Grenade Launcher.
  • However, Grenade Jumping is a very viable tactic with the Chargin' Targe or Splendid Screen equipped, and it can easily catch enemies off-guard when they find a shield-equipped Demoman in an unexpected place.

• A tutorial on Grenade Jumps can be found here.

Iron Bomber and Loose Cannon

• The Iron Bomber can make grenade jumping more efficient, simply because the projectiles stay almost completely stationary until detonation, and its shorter fuse time means a shorter wait for each grenade jump. Overall, this gives you more control over your jumps.
• Loose Cannon cannonballs can also be used for grenade jumps due to its short fuse time. However, take note that their shape may make it difficult to position them for an optimal jump, and that cannonballs have a fuse that only lasts one second. Additionally, the Loose Cannon can perform a more efficient Cannon Jump, as shown below.

Cannon Jumping

Similarly to the Beggar's Bazooka, the Loose Cannon can be overloaded. By charging a cannonball for a full second, the detonation allows for a strong, easily-timed explosive jump.

• The Loose Cannon deals 64-73 self-damage when overloaded, as overcharging causes an explosion directly in front of the player. This is more stable when compared to the Grenade Launcher (38-73 damage) and Stickybomb Launcher (45-114).
  • Since both the Loose Cannon's fuse time and the position of the overload's explosion is fixed, it allows for controllable jumps and doesn't necessitate a surface to maximize distance gained. Additionally, since Cannon Jumping offers good distance comparable with a Stickybomb jump, it allows you to clear large distances much faster with a lower health penalty.

• As Cannon Jumping grants an easily accessible method of explosive jumping without the use of your Stickybomb Launcher, equipping an alternative secondary weapon is a viable option. By equipping the Chargin Targe, Splendid Screen, or the Tide Turner, it's possible to choose a Demoknight loadout whilst keeping a useful jumping ability. Your shield's charge can even let you lengthen your jump or even switch directions in midair.

Charge jumping (Trimping)

Charge jumps, while technically not an "explosive jump", is a unique Demoman jump which uses slanted objects to alter the trajectory of a shield charge.

• The most basic Trimping technique is a simple leap off a sloped surface while equipping the Chargin Targe, Splendid Screen, or Tide Turner. This is often executed by moving towards a slope, jumping while looking at it, and charging right before hitting the ground. This burst of speed will propel the player to great distances since the slope will typically point upwards. One such easily-accessible jump exists on Degroot Keep.

• Water can also be used for a niche charge jump. When fully submerged, the player can leap out of the water in an arc, provided that they have gained enough speed and are aiming upwards at a strong angle.

Tide Turner

The Tide Turner's full turning mobility allows for a charge jump known as Trimping, and is especially useful for Boots-wearing Demoknights with no access to explosive jumps.

• Turning during an airborne charge will increase the speed of the charge, allowing jumps to gain more distance. This allows slopes that would previously fail to work to be jump-able, if the player jumps and turns towards the slope in order to gain sufficient speed to slide on it.
  • On slopes that can be walked up and are too long, it is important to jump and gain enough speed to fling off the surface. Simply charging straight up these sorts of slopes will cause the player to brake immediately once the charge is finished, as the game considers the player to be "stuck" against the ground.
  • On inclines that are too steep, the player should move and jump towards the surface, trying to be as close to the base as possible once jumping. If timed too late, the game will consider the incline to be a "wall", and the player will crash into it without traveling anywhere.
  • Use the Claidheamh Mòr to increase airtime by 0.5 seconds. This will be useful when trimping up long surfaces.

• Depending on the map and slope, charge jumps with the Tide Turner may cover more ground than other jumps would, whilst retaining all health besides fall damage. This is even more apparent when multiple slopes are used for the jump.
  • The turning ability also allows the player to strafe around obstructions mid-jump without requiring to end the charge first, allowing for less restrictive and easier jumps.

• Slanted walls too steep to walk up are nevertheless still useful for Trimping, such as the rocks outside BLU spawn on Badwater Basin. By jumping and charging towards such a surface and then immediately doing a quick 180° turn, the player will gain enough speed to be sent flying into the air, where they can continue to extend the distance gained by continuously strafing in midair.

• Much like the Loose Cannon, the Tide Turner allows players to choose a Demoknight loadout while having a very useful mobility option.
• More info about Trimping can be found in this tutorial.

Weapon-specific

Main article: Demoman weapons

Primary

Grenade Launcher + reskins

Weapon	Kill Icon	Ammo		Damage
		Loaded	Carried	Base Damage	Splash Damage (Landed)	Self Damage	Critical (Direct Hit)	Critical (Missed)	Projectile Speed
Stock Grenade Launcher		4	16	100	30-57	38-73	300	90-170	1216.6 Hammer units/sec
Uncrate Festive Grenade Launcher
Advanced+ Mann Up Reward Australium Grenade Launcher

• The Grenade Launcher is a projectile weapon that launches arcing/bouncing grenades which explode on direct contact with an enemy (if they do not hit a surface first), or 2.28 seconds after being launched. Each grenade causes a wide area-of-effect explosion; direct hits deal excellent damage against single targerts and crowds, while missed shots deal less damage but are useful for covering areas with ticking hazards.
  • Grenades deal 100 damage (at any range) if they hit a target directly; if not, grenades will instead fall to the ground and explode after a set timer, dealing ~60 damage or less to any nearby enemies. Note that the closer an opponent is to the center of an explosion, the more damage they will take.
  • The Grenade Launcher's first reload takes twice as long as the rest of the clip (1.24s and 0.6s respectively).
• The Grenade Launcher's large splash damage radius is useful against large groups of enemies and in small, confined spaces. A single clip can be enough to take out a team crowded on a control point, while its timer makes it difficult for opponents to escape if they are busy fighting against other teammates.
  • If an enemy is about to run away, try to block his predicted escape route with some grenades. If the enemy's health is low enough to have them hesitate at running into the grenades, attempt to go for the kill.
• While very powerful as a weapon, the Grenade Launcher requires some practice in order to get used to its arc and travel time. In one-on-one battles, it is important to make most shots count, as it usually takes only two/three shots to kill a full-healed enemy.
  • Keep in mind that it is very easy to avoid grenades at long and even medium range. Because of the grenade's low speed, enemies have a lot of time to react, especially Scouts. As a rule of thumb, lead moving targets and aim higher for more distant opponents.
• The Grenade Launcher has a four-grenade clip and a quick fire rate. This, along with its moderately slow reload speed, makes spamming the weapon unwise; you will easily find yourself out of grenades and caught off-guard against close-range opponents, reloading and helpless.
  • As you only hold 16 grenades in reserve, it will also make you run out of ammo quickly without an ammunition source.
• Take note of grenade physics:
  • Grenades spin when fired, which causes them to bounce unpredictably. This allows grenades to bounce around corners and randomly move after they have made surface contact. Shoot them around corners by bouncing them off walls, props, and carts at an angle. You can even roll grenades down slopes, albeit with little control.
  • Grenades launch slightly to the right of the cross-hair, so lead to the left to compensate. This is especially important for dealing with faster classes such as Pyros and Scouts, especially at close range.
  • Grenade are shot forward in a gravity-obeying arc. High angle fire at long distances can help to hit enemies behind cover and flush Engineer nests out without getting you in harm's way.
• Try to aim near an enemy's feet; your grenades deal excellent knockback and will send opponents flying in a predictable arc for you to pick off.
  • The opposite is true; landing direct hits from above will forcibly plant your target on the ground for a moment, making them open to another grenade.
• Like rockets from the Rocket Launcher, critical-boosted grenades are potent: a single grenade can kill multiple opponents instantly, and will send any survivors flying with high knockback. Even if missed, they are still beneficial as deadly time-bombs for anyone unfortunate enough to walk by them.
• On certain maps (and with correct timing), it is possible to keep firing an endless stream of grenades out of spawn by standing right next to a Resupply Cabinet. Such examples are the first BLU spawns on Badwater Basin and Dustbowl Stage 1, respectively. This is helpful if BLU is trapped at their spawn point by RED, as it will weaken enemy defenses and give your team a chance to push out.
• The Grenade Launcher is an excellent sidearm if your Stickybomb Launcher has no stickies loaded, and will be your main ranged weapon when any of your Shields are equipped. The fuse on your grenades can deter enemies from advancing forward, and grenades deal almost as much damage as Stickybombs, allowing you to keep up the pressure even while reloading your Stickybomb Launcher or waiting for your "Charge" meter to refill.

Loch-n-Load

Weapon	Kill Icon	Ammo		Damage
		Loaded	Carried	Base Damage	Splash Damage	Self Damage	Critical (Direct hit)	Projectile Speed
Craft Loch-n-Load		3	16	100	50-92	38-70	300	1513.3 Hammer units/sec
Festivizer [[Festivized Loch-n-Load|Template:Dictionary/items/festivized loch-n-load]]

The Loch-n-Load is a craftable primary weapon for the Demoman. It fires grenades that are 25% faster than grenades from the stock Grenade Launcher, and deal 20% more damage to Buildings. As a downside, the Loch-n-Load carries one less grenade in its clip (3 instead of 4), while its grenades have a 25% smaller splash radius and shatter harmlessly on contact with the world.

• The Loch-n-Load is designed more for sharpshooting single targets and taking down pesky Sentry Guns due to its faster projectiles and stronger damage against buildings. Its lower splash radius and fragile grenades make it less effective at contributing to spam and handling groups when compared to the Grenade Launcher.
• The 25% extra damage to buildings allows you to destroy Level 2 and 3 Buildings in 2 hits instead of 3. Combined with the Stickybomb Launcher and good aim, a single well-used Übercharge can be game-changing if an Engineer nest is all there is from keeping you and your team from an objective.
• While its smaller blast radius can be problematic against groups, the Loch-n-Load's extra projectile speed is very redeeming in the hands of a player who focuses on direct hits. Its faster grenades make it easier to land direct hits on enemies who are at close to medium range, as it give them less time to react and move out of the way.
• The Loch-n-Load has a longer effective range compared to other Grenade Launchers, as its grenades travel in a straighter trajectory. This allows you to hit distant targets more easily without having to compensate by aiming and predicting, especially against stationary targets like Sentry Guns or Snipers.
  • Its increased shot velocity means that the Loch-n-Load is also excellent for tunnel fighting, such as in the tunnels of Turbine and Hoodoo. This is especially noticeable against bigger and slower targets like the Heavy, who otherwise have a natural advantage in long, narrow tunnels.
• The Loch-n-Load's shattering grenades grant significant downsides, including the inability to contribute with spam and area denial. You are unable to block off areas with undetonated grenades at all, and you will also be unable to deal chip damage to Buildings if you miss them completely.
  • You are also unable to grenade jump because of your shattering grenades. This means you will need to use sticky jumps to get to hard-to-reach areas.
  • The Loch-n-Load's lower clip size means there is little room for error, as it increases the number of times you need to reload in the face of enemy aggression. It can be a good idea to switch to your Stickybomb Launcher of choice for extended battles, and switch to a suitable melee weapon rather than engage them at point blank.
• Ironically, the downside of shattering grenades can be an advantage if you are fighting an enemy Pyro who is good at compression blasting. The reflected grenade will simply shatter harmlessly if the Pyro reflects your grenade but misses you or your teammates.
  • The faster grenades are a further benefit, as it makes them quite difficult to airblast in the first place.
• If using the Loch-n-Load for a Demoknight setup, do note that the lower clip size and smaller splash radius will hinder your already low effectiveness against groups and during extended battles. However, the faster projectiles can make you more dangerous at a longer range, and the extra damage against buildings can be helpful if you are still determined to help your team destroy Sentry Guns while swordfighting.

Ali Baba's Wee Booties + reskins

Weapon	Effect
	Passive Effect
Craft Ali Baba's Wee Booties	+25 maximum health on wearer. +10% faster move speed on wearer. (Only if a shield is equipped simultaneously) 200% increase in turning control while charging. Kills with melee weapons restore 25% of the charge meter.
Craft Bootlegger

The Ali Baba's Wee Booties/Bootlegger is a passive primary weapon that gives the Demoman 25 extra health at the cost of losing his Grenade Launcher. Used in conjunction with either the Chargin' Targe, the Splendid Screen, or the Tide Turner and a Melee weapon, you can become a melee-based offensive powerhouse; you gain 200% more charge turning control (triple), 25% charge meter restored on a melee kill, and 10% increased movement speed. This comes at the cost of all of your ranged weapons.

• The main problem with this strategy is the loss of all explosive/ranged weapons. An enemy who the Demoman normally dominates, the Engineer and his Buildings, suddenly becomes his worst nightmare. Because of this, it is necessary to plan your engagements and to avoid conflict when appropriate.
  • In Medieval Mode, the loss of ranged weaponry is no longer an issue.
• The 10% speed boost the boots provide (assuming you also have a Shield equipped) allow you (at 103% speed) to pursue all classes except the Medic, Spy, and Scout with any of your melee weapons except the Scotsman's Skullcutter. Your superior speed coupled with the resistances of your shield and the increased range of many of your melee weapons will give you a surprising edge against even many ranged opponents.
• The extra health from the Ali Baba's Wee Booties can be useful for both Demomen and Demoknights.
• The extra shield turning control and charge restoration don't match that of the Tide Turner, but they do allow the other two shields to become pseudo-Tide Turners.
• Synergy
  • The Ali Baba's Wee Booties are great for boosting the abilities of any Demoknight, and some Demomen.
  • Together with the Eyelander and Splendid Screen, and with 4 heads (5 for max shield damage) or more, the Ali Baba's Booties will make you almost unstoppable. You will have 235 maximum health (2nd highest in-game), which is a whole 35 health more than a maximum health Soldier; you also get 350 max Overheal. You will also have 136% base movement speed (2nd highest in-game, behind Baby Face's Blaster Scouts), 3% more than the Default Scout; your shield charge is actually much faster than this, at 250% speed. Your Splendid Screen will also be dealing up to 128 damage shield bashes, killing Scouts, Snipers, Engineers, Spies, or injured enemies in just one hit. You also have a melee weapon that deals 195 damage if used correctly in conjunction with a shield charge. You also turn 200% more effectively while charging, regain 25% charge and 15 health on melee kill (can get Overheal), have 20% resistance to both Fire and Explosives, have a default shield recharge time that is double that of other shields, and can remove debuffs (Bleed, Jarate, Mad Milk, and Fire) by charging. Clearly, this is the most powerful possible Demoknight setup. The only problem is gaining the required 5 heads in the first place, and staying alive. Once you die, all your health, speed, and shield damage is lost.

Loose Cannon

Weapon	Kill Icon	Ammo		Damage
		Loaded	Carried	Base Damage	Splash Damage (mid-air)	Splash Damage (after bounce)	Self Damage	Critical
Craft Loose Cannon		4	16	57-77	22-64	11-32	56-104	202
Festivizer [[Festivized Loose Cannon|Template:Dictionary/items/festivized loose cannon]]		4	16	57-77	22-64	11-32	56-104	202

The Loose Cannon is a Grenade Launcher whose damage is dealt as a 25-50 damage Direct Hit and a 60 damage explosion that occurs soon afterward (instead of as a 100 damage Direct Hit). The cannonballs launched by the Loose Cannon explode in a maximum of 1 second (instead of 2.3) and can be charged to explode even earlier. The cannonballs also feature a 20% faster projectile speed, immense Knockback, and the ability to Double Donk foes; if the Direct Hit and explosion occur within half-a-second of each other, the explosion will be a mini-crit.

• For novice players, the 50% reduced direct damage can make the Loose Cannon feel much weaker than the other Grenade Launchers. However, don't be fooled; the Loose Cannon can actually deal 31 more damage per cannonball (~131) if successful Double Donks are achieved. As these Double Donks usually require good timing and aim to pull off, practice is necessary to get them consistently.

• As well as being able to perform Double Donks, the Loose Cannon's charge meter has a variety of tricks that it can pull off.
  • The first trick is the ability to cause mid-air explosions (~40 damage each), similarly to the Detonator (a Pyro weapon). This can be useful for hitting fast-moving targets such as Scouts, or Pyros using Compression blast.
  • Another trick is the ability to perform very effective Grenade-jumps. There are two methods for doing this. The first is jumping and looking at the ground/wall as the cannonball explodes while it is still in the chamber (similar to an overload jump). Another method is to release the cannonball with less than half-a-second fuse time and to jump off that, like a regular Grenade-jump.
  • The third trick is the ability to hold down the fuse meter and let it explode while it is still in the chamber (Kamikaze), in order to damage nearby enemies. You will take around 60 damage from the explosion, but so will your foe. This can be a useful last resort, especially for fighting Scouts.
  • A trick of this charge meter is the ability to self-damage yourself by exploding the cannonball while it is in the chamber, in order to assist Medics wielding the Default Medi Gun or Kritzkrieg in building up ÜberCharges at the maximum rate. These weapons build up their ÜberCharges faster if the target has minimal Overheal or has low health. The Quick-Fix and Vaccinator can benefit from this also; however, their Overheal is actually stunted, so most of the time they are building up ÜberCharges at the maximum rate anyway.

• The Loose Cannon's high Knockback is useful in a variety of situations.
  • The Knockback is powerful for a defensive Demoman wielding a Stickybomb Launcher variant. The Knockback can be used to push enemies into Sticky-traps (Stickybombs attached to surfaces).
  • Yet again, the Knockback is useful for a defensive Demoman, regardless of what secondary he is using. If being chased by a horde of enemies, the Knockback can be greatly useful for pushing them back, giving you time to escape.
  • The Knockback can also be used very aggressively, pushing enemies away from areas that you deem off-limits.
  • The Knockback can be used to push enemies into hazards or off cliffs (Environmental death).
  • Since its knockback effect is still useful against Übercharge, it is an alternative to the Pyro's airblast for Über-jamming. Since Medics are more likely to Übercharge Heavies, who are dangerous at short range, this mid-range cannonball might prove useful against enemy Medics. In addition, you can still push them into environmental hazards in maps such as Hightower or Upward.

• The Loose Cannon's fast projectile speed may not be as impressive as the Loch-n-Load's (+20% instead of +25%); however, it is still higher than the other two Grenade Launcher variants. It can be useful in any situation.
  • On Offense, the faster projectile speed allows you to kill enemies faster and gives them less time to react.
  • On Defense, the faster projectile speed is helpful yet again; it can be used to keep up the pressure on advancing enemies.
  • The faster projectile speed also increases the range of the cannonballs (they are still short-ranged due to having an extremely short fuse) and lessens the arc of the cannonballs.

• The shorter fuse time of the Loose Cannon is great for making temporary traps for pursuing enemies to walk over.
  • The shorter fuse also allows more Direct and Explosive damage to occur, allowing you to achieve Double-Donks if the enemy is in close range.

• Despite having many upsides and special abilities, the Loose Cannon does have some noticeable downsides.
  • The Loose Cannon requires a lot of practice for it to be effective at combat.
  • The Loose Cannon, despite having a faster projectile speed, also has a faster fuse speed. Although the faster fuse can be a good attribute, it is also bad because it decreases the range of the Loose Cannon's cannonballs (although the faster projectile speed increases the range slightly).
  • The Loose Cannon may be the most powerful at PVP (Player vs Player), but it is possibly the worst Grenade Launcher variant at PVB (Player vs Building). Double Donks don't work against Buildings, but the damage of each cannonball overall still matches that of the Default Grenade Launcher. However, when fighting buildings that are under guard by an Engineer, stronger burst damage is more important than weaker, sustained damage, so using the Sticky Bomb Launcher to compensate for the Loose Cannon is optimal.
  • The knockback of the cannonballs can also be a detrement for achieving Double-Donks. Aiming at the feet of the opponent will launch them farther then aiming at their torso or head; aiming for the head will reduce the knockback severely, allowing Double-Donks to be achieved more.

• Synergy
  • Paired with the Scottish Resistance, this weapon is one of the pinnacle weapons in defense. Paired with several Sentry Guns, and Heavies positioned near Dispensers, with adequate Spy checking, this position is nearly impossible to break through and you will easily stop anything short of an Übercharge. The Loose Cannon's role here is long-range support, knockback, and well-timed air detonations.
    • The knockback is especially useful here since you can fire Scottish Resistance Stickybombs behind enemies and knock them into the traps despite the Stickybombs' long arm time.
    • Even without directly hitting an enemy, you may still do so by scaring your enemies into retreating with a cannonball explosion in mid-air.
  • Paired with the Quickiebomb Launcher or Default Stickybomb Launcher, the Loose Cannon can be used very effectively on offense. The Knockback can be useful for pushing enemies back, which allows room for devastating damage from the Stickybomb Launcher.
  • Paired with any of Demoman's shields, the Loose Cannon can still do a lot of work. Being the highest damage-dealer, most effective at Grenade-jumping, and best for self-defense and creating temporary traps, the Loose Cannon is the obvious choice for any Hybrid Demoknight. The only trouble is running into any Sentry Guns. Especially for Splendid Screen, the knockback effect might make the shield deal more damage due to longer distance.
  • Paired with the Sticky Jumper, the Loose Cannon offers similar utility to when it is paired with the shields. It can be combined with the Sticky Jumper to perform Air-jumps and to get around the map easier.

B.A.S.E. Jumper

Weapon	Effect
	Activation	Active effect
Craft B.A.S.E. Jumper	Press "Jump" in mid-air to deploy chute	Decrease descend speed and acceleration

The B.A.S.E. Jumper is a craftable primary weapon for the Demoman. When Demoman is in mid-air, he can activate it by pressing the jump key (default key: Spacebar) to activate a parachute, slowing and capping his vertical descent and allowing him to better control his ability to strafe. Pressing the jump key again will deactivate the parachute, allowing the Demoman to fall normally. Players can attack with any of their weapons while the parachute is deployed.

• The B.A.S.E. Jumper is very situational, as you're giving up the damage and utility of a grenade launcher, many official maps have a lower ceiling when compared to custom maps, and it's nigh-useless when indoors.
• The B.A.S.E. Jumper does prevent fall damage, and its decreased descent speed allows the Demoman to cross wider chasms. Additionally, with practice, the increased air control can be used to make oneself a very tricky target to hit.
• Paired with a sticky launcher (other than the Sticky Jumper), the B.A.S.E. Jumper may be used to rain down stickies on your enemies from above, where they are unlikely to expect a Demoman to be and where it will be difficult for them to get rid of you. That said, this strategy does make you very vulnerable to Snipers and to Soldiers who are competent at hitting airshots, so it is not recommended if the enemy team has them.

Iron Bomber

Weapon	Kill Icon	Ammo		Damage
		Loaded	Carried	Base Damage	Splash Damage	Self Damage	Critical
Craft Iron Bomber		4	16	84-123	20-58	38-67	243-297
Festivizer [[Festivized Iron Bomber|Template:Dictionary/items/festivized iron bomber]]

The Iron Bomber is an odd Grenade Launcher, with upsides that aren't as straightforward as a damage booster or projectile speed booster. Instead, it features the unique ability of grenade rollers that don't move around much (they are still affected by gravity). It also secondarily features a 30% faster fuse for its grenades (1.4 seconds), at the cost of a 15% smaller splash range (except for the Demoman who fired it).

• The faster fuse and slow-moving rollers don't affect gameplay at all if direct hits are going to be used primarily. In this case, the Iron Bomber is almost exactly the same except with a tiny splash range penalty.
• To unlock the benefits of the Iron Bomber, it is recommended that rollers be used frequently.
  • If fleeing enemies, the rollers can be useful for stopping their pursuit. By placing the bombs like breadcrumbs, the enemy will think twice about taking after you, especially if they are a Scout. The faster fuse on rollers becomes useful in this situation because the pseudo Sticky-trap will actually detonate in time for the enemy to be damaged by it.
  • The Iron Bomber is moderately effective at area denial, due to its stickybomb-like rollers. This also assists it with Building destruction.
  • The Iron Bomber is an easy-to-access method of blast jumping. You just throw a grenade onto the floor in front of you and jump while running towards it.
• The Iron Bomber doesn't really have any huge downsides, the problems with it usually boil down to its underwhelming upsides.
  • The Iron Bomber has no advantage with direct hits.
  • The Iron Bomber's jumps are of less value if you have a Stickybomb Launcher variant equipped. However, they are good for any shield-wielding Demomen, as the shield charge, combined with the blast jumps, can allow you to fly across the map.
  • The Iron Bomber's rollers are not as effective as stickybombs.
  • The Loose Cannon is almost 100% better than the Iron Bomber, serving similar defensive/utility purposes, but also serving other offensive purposes.
    • Both are great for doing blast jumps and both are great for self-defense. The differences lie in the Loose Cannon's terrific offensive capabilities and its incredible complicatedness and difficulty to use. For more serious players looking to use Iron Bomber-like strategies, the Loose Cannon is a better alternative. However, the Iron Bomber's simplicity and its 100 damage direct hits can be appealing for any players who aren't concentrating on their offensive capabilities.
    • The Iron Bomber mostly serves as a simpler and more player-friendly version of the Loose Cannon.
  • The Iron Bomber's smaller explosion radius is a minor hindrance, and its shorter fuse and slow-moving rollers restrict its range.
• Synergy
  • This weapon can be used both offensively and defensively, use this in conjunction with the Scottish Resistance, for probably the best results.

Secondary

Stickybomb Launcher + reskins

Weapon	Kill Icon	Ammo		Damage
		Loaded	Carried	Base Damage	Splash Damage	Self Damage	Critical
Stock Stickybomb Launcher		8	32	120	60-124	45-114	261
Uncrate Festive Stickybomb Launcher
Botkiller Stickybomb Launcher
Advanced+ Mann Up Reward Australium Stickybomb Launcher

The Stickybomb is one of the defining features of Demoman play. Stickybombs are detonated by using your alternative fire (default key Mouse2), no matter which weapon is currently out.

Some basic pointers for planting Stickybombs are:

• When guarding capture points or the Intelligence, you can create a larger blast radius by spreading out your Stickybomb carpet.

• After planting Stickybombs around the intelligence or a control point, the Demoman is free to leave the area. Look at the Capture the Flag or Capture Point HUD elements, or listen for the announcements of "The enemy has taken our Intelligence" or "Our Control point is being captured" and detonate the Stickybombs. Make sure to keep an eye on the total number of fired stickies, as the enemy could be destroying them before stepping onto the point.

• When guarding other strategic locations, place Stickybombs that are either out of sight until it's too late, or in well hidden/odd places (such as on ceilings, under stairs, above automatic doors, etc.). You can also place stickies directly on the objectives, where they will be hidden by them.

• Never forget that Stickybombs can be launched across the visible distance of most open maps. Aim for windows, Sniper ledges, and other populated areas. When the trajectory is right, lob in a few bombs and detonate them to clear the room.

• If Stickybombs are clustered too closely, enemy Pyros or Demomen can clear them away with a single shot. Demomen using the Scottish Resistance or Quickiebomb Launcher can destroy Stickybombs outright. To counter this, spread your stickies out across the area.

• Don't stand still when placing a lot of stickies near objectives like the Payload cart or a control point. Doing so will make you susceptible to headshots, backstabs, and any other form of damage.

• Place Stickybombs around Health packs if you feel like killing your enemies ironically.
  • However, this may not work well with small Health packs, due to being almost as small as the stickies themselves.

• If it is too dangerous to pop out of cover to set Stickybombs onto a Sentry Gun, try shooting them as close to the Sentry Gun as you can without revealing yourself. The splash damage will take out the Sentry Gun just fine, but it may require a few more stickies, as an alert Engineer will be able to destroy them. The Scottish Resistance can counteract this problem with its increased rate-of-fire.

• If an enemy is on a control point, wait a moment before detonating, as they may have seen the Stickybombs and might try to trick you into detonating too early.

• Do not underestimate the power of air-detonated stickies. The ability to detonate stickies in midair allows one to attack with great precision for high damage.

• To use stickies in an offensive battle, constantly launch stickies and detonate them as soon as possible. The constant flow of damage can add up very quickly, along with the fact that the Demoman may have an easier time laying them out in the heat of a battle in which they are not the only target. This method can be very effective, easily killing bigger classes such as Heavy/Medic combos.
  • Alternatively, it is also possible to lay down a small carpet of stickies and then blast the enemies to pieces.
  • However, a smart enemy may be able to get away from your stickies before you are able to detonate, so try to shoot the stickies where the enemy will be, or lay a carpet in an area near the enemy so they have no escape, as described above. If you miss your sticky and you know it will deal no damage, keep it there as it may be useful later on the fight.

• While holding down the detonate button will detonate stickies as soon as they are primed, it also prevents the sticky launcher from beginning to auto-reload, so it may be advisable simply to tap the detonate button repeatedly.

• Holding down the fire key will charge your shots, enabling you to shoot stickies much farther than normal. This can be used to great effect when engaged by faraway enemies such as Snipers.

Chargin' Targe + reskins

Weapon	Kill Icon	Damage			Effect
		Charge Damage	Charge Speed	Recharge Time	Resistances
Unlock Chargin' Targe		50+10 per head (up to 5)	750 Hammer units/sec (638 Hammer units/sec with Scotsman's Skullcutter)	12 seconds (6 with Persian Persuader)	50% fire resistance and 30% explosive resistance.
Uncrate Festive Chargin' Targe

The Chargin' Targe is an unlockable secondary for the Demoman that allows him to charge forward at breakneck speed for a short amount of time (max is around 2 seconds). This charge is indicated on a meter; as you use it, it quickly depletes, changing color from white to green to red. When the charge meter is red, the melee weapon that is currently equipped will perform a guaranteed critical hit. This charge meter recharges in around 12 seconds. The Chargin' Targe also features the ability to remove debuffs with its charge, and it gives the Demoman 50% resistance to fire and 30% resistance to explosives. The main drawback of the Chargin' Targe is that it replaces the Stickybomb Launcher. It also has minor advantages and disadvantages when compared to the other two shields, the Splendid Screen and Tide Turner.

• The Chargin' Targe gives the Demoman great melee combat ability. Combined with any melee weapon, but preferably a sword-type, and the Ali Baba's Wee Booties, you can become a powerful close quarters fighter, at the cost of losing all ranged weaponry. Alternatively, a Grenade Launcher variant can be equipped. These loadouts are often referred to as "Demoknight" and "Demoknight Hybrid", respectively.
• Keep an eye on your Charge meter, as its color will tell you the effects of the Targe — white is recharging or charged, green is a recently-activated charge (less than 50% used), yellow means your next attack will be a Mini-crit, and red means that your next melee attack will be a full-strength Critical hit. The red zone also means that colliding with an enemy will cause the Targe itself to inflict damage. (50 Damage + 10 damage for each head you have, up to 5 heads.)
  • You must be quick to react and time your attacks well, as the "red zone" will only be active during the last 25% of the charge.
  • Be aware that grenades will not Crit near the end of your charge.
• The Chargin' Targe is a shield: just equipping it gives the Demoman resistance to both explosions and fire. A Demoman at full health (even with items that reduce health, such as the Eyelander) can survive a critical rocket if he has the Targe equipped.
• The Force-A-Nature's knockback, the Flamethrower's compression blast, Sentry Guns, arrows, Natascha's speed reduction, and the explosive force of grenades, rockets, and Stickybombs will all interrupt your charge.
• During a Charge, you move at 750 Hammer Units per second; two and a half times faster than the Engineer, Pyro, Spy, or Sniper, and 87.5% faster than the Scout. The charge also overrides the game's built-in cap for movement speeds, enabling you to move faster than any other character in the game, including a Scout with a fully-charged Boost meter for the Baby Face's Blaster. If you are in danger, you can use the charge to quickly escape from the battle and save your life. Just be aware that your lateral movement ability is severely reduced during a charge, so you may make yourself an easy target for an enemy with good aim.

Tips

• Try to attack enemies that are unaware of your presence.
• Charging down long hallways can force enemies back and give you an improved chance at getting a kill.
• The shield bash at the end of a full charge of the Targe deals a good amount of damage; it is useful for finishing off targets you have already damaged.
• In maps with areas of deep water, charging out by aiming in a vertical direction can surprise your enemy.
• When you hit an enemy with a charge, a loud sound will play; right after that, you can hit the enemy with your melee weapon to get a Critical hit. This can kill most classes before they can react.

Scottish Resistance

Weapon	Kill Icon	Ammo		Damage
		Loaded	Carried	Base Damage	Splash Damage	Self Damage	Critical
Unlock Scottish Resistance		8	36	120	60-124	45-114	261
Festivizer [[Festivized Scottish Resistance|Template:Dictionary/items/festivized scottish resistance]]

The Scottish Resistance is an unlockable Stickybomb Launcher that is intended primarily for defensive play. It allows you to place 6 more bombs at a time (14), and it gives you 50% more reserve ammunition (36). It also only detonates stickybombs that are directly under the crosshair or directly under you. It allows you to see your own stickybombs through walls, and all of your stickybombs glow. Other abilities it has include a 25% faster fire rate and the ability to destroy enemy sticky bombs. The downside to using this weapon is a 0.8-second increase in bomb arm time.

• The Scottish Resistance is primarily intended for defensive use. It is far more effective for creating and managing stickybomb traps than the normal Stickybomb Launcher.
  • The ability to detonate bombs that are directly under the crosshair allows you to detonate only a few stickybombs at a time, and not destroy the other stickybombs. This allows you to set up multiple traps at once, allowing for more efficient use of ammunition. This also allows you to guard multiple areas at once.
  • The ability to see stickybombs through walls and the glow of stickybombs, regardless of their position, allows you to more easily organize your traps. It also allows you to detonate traps from safety. This is especially useful if standing behind a glass pane, such as from the windows in Gravel Pit or the window in Powerhouse. With the Powerhouse example, you can actually stand in spawn and blow up enemies on the Control point while looking through the window.
  • The ability to place 6 more stickybombs at a time allows you to create more traps at once.
  • The higher reserve ammunition count and faster fire rate allow you to set up many traps in a short amount of time and over a long period of time.
  • The ability to destroy stickybombs can be useful for protecting friendly Engineers' Buildings and Heavies from Stickybomb Launcher spam.
    • This can also be useful for fighting off spawn-camping enemy Demomen.
    • Placing stickybombs near friendly Players and Buildings can also be useful for killing enemy Spies.
  • The ability to blow up bombs directly under your feet is useful for performing Sticky Jumps. You can perform Sticky Jumps without blowing up your traps.
• Advanced Defense Strategy
  • When defending anywhere, especially places like tunnels, having 2-3 distinct groups of main bombs (2-4 per group) on the corner/doorway and 1-2 secondary groups (1-2 bombs) hidden along a retreat route can help you single-handedly hold a position. Detonate individual main groups to take out incoming enemies, and if an enemy gets past, lure them into the secondary traps.
  • The longer arming time prevents the Scottish Resistance from being used to deal damage as quickly as the normal Sticky Launcher. It also is much harder to perform airbursts using the Scottish Resistance. While the bombs arm slower, the faster firing can be used to create "offensive" carpets. Instead of creating a trap and waiting for enemies to walk near it, it is possible to place bombs around enemy players quickly and then detonate once several stickies are out. This has the effect of rapidly denying enemies room to maneuver, and enemies in the area being carpeted will usually take at least some damage once the carpet is detonated. This technique works best in chokepoints.
  • While the Scottish Resistance does require the user to be looking in the general direction of the bombs they set, they do not have to have a line of sight to the bombs in question. This allows you to detonate them no matter what their location is on the map, provided the crosshair is fixated on the general area of your trap(s). This can prove invaluable if someone begins capturing a Control Point or takes the Intelligence while the rest of the team is preoccupied elsewhere.
  • The ability to detonate Stickybombs in separate clusters allows you to set up "decoy" Stickybomb clusters. By deliberately prematurely detonating one group of Stickybombs where the enemy can see them, you may trick the enemy into thinking that they have tricked you into prematurely detonating your Stickybombs, causing them to relax their guard and stumble directly into your real Sticky trap.

• The Scottish Resistance can be useful for offense, too.
  • The Scottish Resistance's faster rate of fire and higher stickybombs out allows you to devastate huge Engineer nests (various buildings placed near each other).
• Advanced Offense Strategy
  • The Scottish Resistance's fast rate of fire can be used in direct combat, but not in the same way as the normal Stickybomb Launcher. One tactic is to launch Stickybombs behind enemies and then attack using the Grenade Launcher. This can cause enemies to retreat, thereby causing them to move backward through the newly-created sticky trap. This technique helps to offset the longer priming time of the Scottish Resistance. When under the effects of an ÜberCharge, the technique can be used just as effectively without using the Grenade Launcher, as enemies will often retreat when confronted by an ÜberCharged player. It's important to consider the speed of enemy players when using this technique, as the Stickybombs should be placed close behind slower classes such as the Soldier and the Heavy, but further behind faster classes such as the Scout. This will ensure that the Stickybombs have time to prime before the enemy reaches them.
  • Another offensive strategy made possible with the quick firing rate is to shoot a few Stickybombs right in front of an incoming Heavy or a Sentry Gun, as you can place 3 or 4 without taking too much damage. When using this strategy, watch your health so that you have enough to retreat and detonate the bombs.
  • Some enemies may panic as the area around them rapidly becomes covered in stickies, and cause them to either rush forward blindly (into a trap) or run away; if they charge, be prepared to hit them with your Grenade Launcher. This method of attack also works wonders against unaware opponents, since many players are oblivious to stickies being placed around them until it's too late.

• The Scottish Resistance has a few downsides.
  • The main downside to the Scottish Resistance is the slower bomb arm time. This makes offensive combat weaker.
  • It is easy to suicide accidentally with the Scottish Resistance, since bombs are detonated when they are under you.
  • You often don't get a lot of kills with the Scottish Resistance, and therefore, you don't get a lot of points. The reason is not because you are not helping the team, the reason is because enemies usually avoid traps, rather than walk over them. As a Scottish Resistance Demoman, you are still greatly helping the team by deterring enemies from entering an area, even if you have low points.
  • Spam with the Scottish Resistance is a little bit trickier since you have to aim at your stickybombs, instead of at your enemies.

Sticky Jumper

Weapon	Ammo		Damage
	Loaded	Carried	Base Damage	Splash Damage	Self Damage	Critical
Craft Sticky Jumper	8	72	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A

The Sticky Jumper is a craftable sticky launcher that allows you to create Stickbombs that deal no damage, allowing you to jump without losing health. Though it is very useful for practicing Sticky jumping, there are also some situational uses in real matches.

• The Sticky Jumper is incapable of dealing damage to enemies, so it cannot be used to launch enemies. Keep this in mind when using it.

• Using the Sticky Jumper with the Pain Train can be an effective method for point capturing. However, the Pain Train will make you vulnerable to bullets. It's best to use this combo against unguarded points or right after the previous point was captured.

• Due to the 100% reduction on self-damage, Demomen can perform multibomb Sticky Jumps without the need of a Medic. This can be used as a hasty retreat method or as a means to get behind enemy lines.

• In open Arena maps, the Sticky Jumper allows you to propel yourself and land behind the enemy team at the beginning of a round, when all players are packed together. This allows you to surprise them and perhaps even get the First Blood buff to deal even greater damage.

• While the Sticky Jumper allows you to sticky jump without taking self-damage, don't forget that you still receive damage from falling.

• Since the Sticky Jumper replaces your Stickybomb Launchers and Shields, you should bring with you a Grenade Launcher and a Melee weapon that doesn't rely too much on using a shield to be effective.
  • However, the Sticky Jumper replaces the function of a shield to get within melee range, so the Eyelander and Scotsman's Skullcutter can be surprisingly effective.

• Don't use the Sticky Jumper just for getting to your destination; if you're being overrun by a powerful threat, quickly sticky jump away back to safety.

• The Sticky Jumper can also be used to cut off the enemy's transportation and supply. Simply sticky jump to their spawn and destroy their Teleporters and Dispensers with your Grenade Launcher or Melee weapon.

• You cannot carry the Intelligence in CTF games, or the Australium in Special Delivery when using this weapon. Keep this in mind.
  • However, Medics healing you with a Quick-Fix will also gain any velocity applied to you from sticky jumping. This allows the Medic to sticky jump alongside you, and they are able to carry the Intelligence while doing so.

• When receiving a Crit Boost by an ally who has captured a flag on Capture the Flag, or getting a First Blood on Arena, and you don't have any damage-dealing weapons outside of your Melee, consider using this at your advantage to scare your enemies away with your Crit Stickies, as the visuals for the stickies are nearly identical to damage-dealing Stickybomb Launchers.
  • Make sure to shoot your stickies far away from the enemy, so they can't see that you are wielding the Sticky Jumper. Consider charging your stickies first before shooting.
  • It is not recommended to ask a Medic to deploy their Kritzkrieg on you just for the sake of scaring enemies away.

Splendid Screen

Weapon	Kill Icon	Damage			Effect
		Charge Damage	Charge Speed	Recharge Time	Resistances
Craft Splendid Screen		85+17 per head (up to 5)	750 Hammer units/sec (638 Hammer units/sec with Scotsman's Skullcutter)	6	20% fire resistance and 20% explosive resistance.

• The Splendid Screen, at the cost of less fire and explosive resistance than the Chargin' Targe, is capable of doing more bash damage and recharges 50% faster.
• The Eyelander also pairs well with the Splendid Screen, as the increased charge damage from having more heads offered by the former stacks with the increased charge impact damage from the latter.
  • With 5+ heads, the Splendid Screen will deal 170 damage on impact; enough to kill 5 out of 9 non-overhealed classes, and bring 3 more into critical health. If combined with a critical melee swing, this will kill all but overhealed Heavies.
• The Splendid Screen has a "hidden advantage" over other shields; its damage is great enough to cause an airblast-like knockback effect. Use this to your advantage when faced against similar Demomen wielding a different shield.
  • The shield knockback can cause an enemy charging Demoman to lose his charging Crits.
• Keep in mind that because the Screen offers less fire and explosive resistance than the Targe, it will still be somewhat easy for Pyros, Soldiers, and other Demomen to do away with you if you're not careful.

Tide Turner

Weapon	Kill Icon	Damage			Effect
		Charge Damage	Charge Speed	Recharge Time	Resistances
Craft Tide Turner		50+10 per head (up to 5)	750 Hammer units/sec (638 Hammer units/sec with Scotsman's Skullcutter)	12 seconds (3 if you score a kill a melee kill during the recharging)	15% fire resistance and 15% explosive resistance.

• The Tide Turner trades off the resistance of the Chargin' Targe for full turning control while charging and the ability to refill 75% of the charge meter if a melee kill is made whilst the shield is recharging.

• After charging, be sure to make a melee kill to partially refill your charge.
  • If done properly, it is possible to rampage through enemy lines if each charge "ends with" a melee kill.

• Because of the full turning control, it is not suggested to use Ali Baba's Wee Booties with the Tide Turner if you only use them for the turning ability.
  • However, pairing the Tide Turner with either Ali Baba's Wee Booties or the Claidheamh Mòr will give you full charge back if you make a melee kill during or after the charge.

• Taking damage while charging will cause your charge meter to deplete faster. For this reason, it is preferrable to charge into enemy players from behind to catch them unaware.

Quickiebomb Launcher

Weapon	Kill Icon	Ammo		Damage
		Loaded	Carried	Base Damage	Splash Damage	Self Damage	Critical
Craft Quickiebomb Launcher		4	24	102	51-105	38-97	222

• The Quickiebomb Launcher allows Demomen to fire bombs that are armed 0.2 seconds faster. It also has a 70% increased charge rate and based on charge, the damage can be increased up to 35% of default damage. It is also able to destroy enemy sticky bombs like the Scottish Resistance can. However, these stats come with the cost of -50% clip size (4 instead of 8) and 15% less damage when uncharged.
• Thanks to the 0.2 seconds faster bomb arm time, which makes the bombs arm in about half a second, this weapon is very good at not only quick in-combat detonations, but also airbursts.
• The 70% faster charging, which makes it so the charge fills in only about a second (compared to "the regular" 4 seconds), and the damage increase based on charge make the Quickiebomb Launcher excellent at "sticky sniping."
  • This weapon can be a massive threat to Snipers. If you manage to lob in a couple full-charge bombs, enemies will be blown to smithereens without much of an issue.
    • Note that one needs to have the enemy not knowing that the bombs are there; otherwise, the enemies may retreat and/or destroy the bombs.
• Due to the fact that the weapon has only half the clip size of other sticky launchers, it can be difficult to keep pressure against enemies, but if the planned usage of the weapon doesn't include "mass spamming" of the weapon, then it may not be an issue.

Melee

Bottle + reskins

Weapon	Kill Icon	Attack Interval	Damage
			Point Blank	Critical
Stock Bottle		0.8 seconds	65	195
Promotional Frying Pan
Promotional Saxxy
Craft Conscientious Objector
Craft Scottish Handshake
Promotional/Craft Freedom Staff
Drop Bat Outta Hell
Drop Ham Shank
Achievement Necro Smasher
Uncrate Crossing Guard

The Demoman's Melee weapon, a Bottle of Scrumpy, is valuable as an emergency fall-back, and is the only type of weapon you can use in close-combat without injuring yourself.

• The Bottle should be used in the same way as most other melee weapons: when enemies are too close or too fast to hit with a Grenade (or if you don't have time to reload the Grenade Launcher).

Eyelander + reskins

Weapon	Kill Icon	Attack Interval	Damage		Healing
			Point Blank	Critical	From Kill
Unlock Eyelander		0.8 seconds	65	195	15
Uncrate Festive Eyelander
Advanced+ Mann Up Reward Australium Eyelander
Craft Horseless Headless Horsemann's Headtaker
Craft Nessie's Nine Iron

The Eyelander is an unlockable melee weapon that gives you extended melee range, and also allows you to become stronger with each melee kill you earn. It has the downside of -25 base health.

• It is a good idea to use the Eyelander with one of the shields. However, a Demoman with 4 decapitations and a Sticky Launcher is a massive threat. Head count is not reset until death, so a Demoman can use the Chargin' Targe until he accumulates 4 heads, then return to a resupply cabinet and switch to the Stickybomb Launcher of his choice. With over 200 HP and the second-fastest run speed in the game, an Eyelander Demoman using the Sticky Launcher can be a very powerful enemy and one to avoid at all costs, especially if he has a Medic.
  • Another option would be to switch to the Splendid Screen. With 5 heads, your charge bash will do 170 damage, enough to kill 5 out of the 9 classes, and your follow-up Crit melee swing will do a total of 365 damage, enough to kill anything besides an overhealed Heavy.
  • The Sticky Jumper can also pair well with the Eyelander. Although getting the first two heads are difficult due to your slow speed and lack of a charge, once you have several, your high speed allows you to fly over obstacles and take enemies by surprise. Your initial heads can be taken from either slow classes you weakened with your Grenade Launcher, or unaware Snipers or Spies.

• The Eyelander has a very long range for a melee weapon. Get comfortable with its area of effect and take this into account when going for a critical charge.

• Time your charges correctly with the Splendid Screen if you have the Eyelander. The high charge damage can deprive you of claiming your enemy's head.

• If possible, weaken the enemy with the Grenade Launcher first before killing him with the Eyelander.

• Be aware that the Eyelander 'hits' near the beginning of the swing animation, rather than at the middle. Keep this in mind so you don't accidentally 'under-shoot' an attack, especially when using the sword in conjunction with the Chargin' Targe.

• Decapitating an enemy Demoman who also has the Eyelander equipped allows you to steal any heads he has accumulated.

• The Horseless Headless Horsemann's Headtaker and Nessie's Nine Iron both look different than the Eyelander; however, they share the same stats.

• Without any heads, sticky jumping becomes a much more risky endeavor. If you intend to utilize sticky jumping, it may be wise to equip a different melee weapon or use the Sticky Jumper.

• Inattentive Snipers are an excellent target for Eyelander-wielding Demomen seeking to collect heads, as it will take only two successful hits to decapitate a Sniper.
  • The Decapitation taunt kill is useful here if the said Sniper isn't paying attention and no one is nearby, resulting in a reliable one-hit kill.

• The -25 health penalty can be countered by Ali Baba's Wee Booties, balancing your base Health to normal.

Pain Train

Weapon	Kill Icon	Attack Interval	Damage
			Point Blank	Critical
Craft Pain Train		0.8 seconds	65	195

The Pain Train is a craftable melee weapon that enables you to cap points twice as fast, at the cost of 10% increased bullet vulnerability.

• The Pain Train is situational. It's best used on Capture Point and Payload, especially when the enemy defenses are about to fall or when your team needs to close the distance on a Payload Race. It can also prove extremely handy on King of the Hill maps, but it is useless in Capture the Flag or when defending on an Attack/Defend Control Point map. Equip another melee weapon instead.

• You should not equip the Pain Train if you are having trouble with Heavies and Scouts, as the increased bullet damage makes these already annoying enemies nearly impossible to beat in some situations. If you're using the Chargin' Targe as well, Pyros and Soldiers might forgo their primary weapons for the Shotgun to kill you faster.

• The Pain Train is also effective for back-capping, as it gives the Demoman a Scout's capturing capabilities. This works well with the Chargin' Targe for getting to an enemy point fast, and Stickybomb jumping for wide open/raised points (like Badlands 2nd and 4th capture points, or Gravel Pit C). The weakness to bullets it grants makes Scouts, Heavies, and Snipers all the more dangerous for you, so it's best to keep alert when attempting to do this and use stickies and grenades to lock down the point's entrances.

• The Pain Train is useful in Medieval Mode when attacking, due to the fact that most bullet-based weapons are not allowed.
  • That said, the Crusader's Crossbow, Flying Guillotine, Huntsman, Sandman's ball, and Wrap Assassin's projectile are all allowed in the mode, so it isn't free of downsides.
  • Additionally, you may find that other melee weapons are simply superior. In spite of its name, for example, the Pain Train can't let you become a constant, unstoppable menace the way the Eyelander and Half-Zatoichi can.

Scotsman's Skullcutter

Weapon	Kill Icon	Attack Interval	Damage		Effect
			Point Blank	Critical	Move Speed
Craft Scotsman's Skullcutter		0.8 seconds	78	234	280 Hammer units/sec
Festivizer [[Festivized Scotsman's Skullcutter|Template:Dictionary/items/festivized scotsman's skullcutter]]

The Scotsman's Skullcutter is a craftable melee weapon that increases the Demoman's melee damage and range at the cost of movement speed. Unlike most other non-stock melee weapons for the Demoman, the Skullcutter can inflict crits randomly.

• The Skullcutter finds good applications when a Demoman is also using a shield or when holding down an area, such as the Intelligence room of a CTF map.

• When combined with the guaranteed critical hit of the Chargin' Targe or the Splendid Screen, the Skullcutter is capable of killing almost any class in a single blow.

• Due to the charge speed being reduced with this weapon, try to attack unsuspecting enemies so that they cannot dodge your charge.

• Sticky jumps can help a Demoman with the Skullcutter into combat range, though this is very risky unless you are using the Sticky Jumper.

• Thanks to the recent patch that makes this weapon debuff your speed solely while the weapon is active, and the fact that it does more damage than the Bottle and can still inflict random crits, this weapon can almost be seen as a direct upgrade to the Bottle, provided you use it as a sidearm to your explosive weapons. In tight spaces, you should still be able to maneuver into a position where your increased range will allow you to damage your opponent, so if you're not dedicated to melee combat, you could find this weapon very handy.

Ullapool Caber

Weapon	Kill Icon	Attack Interval	Damage
			Point Blank	Explosion	Total	Self-Damage	Critical
Craft Ullapool Caber		0.8 seconds	55	75	110	52-55	330
		0.8 seconds	55	N/A	35	0	105

The Ullapool Caber is a melee weapon that explodes on contact with an enemy or the world. The downside of this effect is a large amount of self damage and the inability to explode again, unless you visit a Resupply locker.

• The Caber is generally a last-resort weapon, one best used to take an enemy down with you. One critical Direct Hit will kill any class from base health except an overhealed Heavy.

• The explosion will launch you particularly high in the air. It's quite possible to use this, either on its own or in conjunction with a Stickybomb jump, to reach otherwise inaccessible locations.
  • This functions especially well on DeGroot Keep, allowing you to jump up to the battlements atop the castle. This is useful for killing especially annoying Snipers, as most of them will find attacks at melee range a surprise.

• If you find yourself falling off a cliff or getting pushed into a death pit, this weapon can be used to blast yourself back into the playing field — with a little luck.

• After the Caber explodes, the weapon will still function as a melee weapon, but does far less damage than other melee weapons, such as the Bottle.

• This is a powerful Spy checking weapon, as it will explode instantly if you make contact with a Spy. However, its explosion also affects you greatly, so make sure to use it in a place where you can be healed. Try to do this in the safety of your base or where a Dispenser is nearby. However, bear in mind that the Dead Ringer invalidates its benefits and severely weakens you, leaving you with a drastically less powerful weapon and making it easier for the Spy to kill you or escape.

• This weapon can be very useful for enemies that run away in a melee battle and don't let you hit them with the grenade: because the grenade explodes if you hit any hard surface with it, you can strike the floor or a wall and the resulting explosion will hit them in a very large range. For weaker classes (such as Engineers), the explosion alone will greatly damage if not outright kill them if they're in range.

• This weapon is very useful for suicidal picking, as you could sticky jump or charge into an important target (like an enemy Medic) and kill him with it. Be wary of your health if you survive, as the combined sticky jump, explosion, and fall damage will leave you with very little health, if any.

• The Ullapool Caber is even more effective with the Chargin' Targe or Splendid Screen. With a Critical boost, the Caber can inflict more damage in one hit than any other melee weapon and kill any class in one shot, unless you're facing an overhealed Heavy.

• The Caber is also good when used with the Sticky Jumper. You can sticky jump behind enemy lines without any damage taken other than fall damage, then sneak up behind the enemy to inflict a large amount of damage.

• Using the B.A.S.E. Jumper, the Sticky Jumper and this weapon together allows you to sticky jump and then use the parachute to slow your descent and land a hit on your target without too much difficulty.
  • You could then use the self-knockback from the explosion to activate another parachute and fly to a health kit or even back to spawn if you are close enough.

Claidheamh Mòr

Weapon	Kill Icon	Attack Interval	Damage
			Point Blank	Critical
Craft Claidheamh Mòr		0.8 seconds	65	195

The Claidheamh Mòr is a sword melee weapon that refills 25% of your charge meter upon scoring a kill. This is at the cost of a 15% damage vulnerability while active and no random critical hits. The sword will grant a .5 second longer charge duration to all shields.

• Equipping the Chargin' Targe, Splendid Screen, or Tide Turner allows you to get the full benefit of using the weapon.

• The Claidheamh Mòr is an attractive melee to equip should you not want to commit to melee in your playstyle. Although the bonuses are fairly minor, you are not required to have any of the shields to fully make use of the sword, such as the Eyelander.

• Having the Ali Baba's Wee Booties or Bootlegger equipped with any shield restricts you to the Claidheamh Mòr, meaning you will always have a 15% damage vulnerability. This combination of weapons may be better-suited to a different sword that has a larger reward for kills made.

• The extra charge duration is great for getting away. Use it when you need to get a slight bit farther to a health pack or Medic when you are injured.

Half-Zatoichi

Weapon	Kill Icon	Attack Interval	Damage		Healing
			Point Blank	Critical	From Kill
Promotional/Craft Half-Zatoichi		0.8 seconds	65	195/Instant	175 (200 with Ali Baba's Wee Booties)

The Half-Zatoichi is a sword melee weapon that restores 50% of the Demoman's max health on kill and is capable of overhealing. The Half-Zatoichi can be holstered with no penalty if a kill has been scored, but will inflict 50 damage if it has not done so. If the player is below 50 health points, the weapon can not be holstered until the player gets a kill. Random critical hits are impossible to achieve with this sword.

• Ambush and kill weakened enemies with the Half-Zatoichi for an easy health refill.

• Be prepared to score a kill with the Zatoichi when you pull it out, losing 50 HP may be detrimental depending on the situation.
  • On defense, this is less of an issue, as a friendly Engineer is more likely to have a Dispenser set up to negate the damage taken.

• The Half-Zatoichi has good synergy with the Chargin' Targe and the Splendid Screen. The shields can be used even with the Half-Zatoichi drawn, enabling you to easily approach or flee.

• Be aware of enemies who are also using the Half-Zatoichi. If they hit you once, you die. However, you can do the same to them!
  • Due to the instant kill mechanic, you can also use Half-Zatoichi as a counter to charging Demomen using a Half-Zatoichi, even if you don't have a Chargin' Targe or Splendid Screen of your own.
  • Prioritize other Half-Zatoichi wielders in battle, either for a quick kill and health boost or simply to protect yourself from their one-hit kills.

• This weapon is very useful in Medieval Mode. As you are only allowed to use melee weapons anyway, the Zatoichi's drawback has no effect.

Persian Persuader

Weapon	Kill Icon	Attack Interval	Damage		Shield Charge
			Point Blank	Critical	From Engineer Toolboxes	From Small Ammo Boxes	From Medium Ammo Boxes	From Large Ammo Boxes
Craft Persian Persuader		0.8 seconds	65	195	100%	20.5%	50%	100%
Festivizer [[Festivized Persian Persuader|Template:Dictionary/items/festivized persian persuader]]

The Persian Persuader is a melee weapon for the Demoman that allows him to use ammo packs as a source for shield charge and gains 20% charge with every hit landed with the weapon. However, he is incapable of regaining ammo if the charge meter is not full; also, both primary and secondary weapons will have their maximum amount of ammo carried decreased by 80%.

• A highly offensive melee weapon, the Persian Persuader allows you to regain shield charge by picking up ammo and hitting enemies. Keep in mind, however, you cannot benefit from random critical hits and the bonus is invalid without a shield equipped.

• Note that you do not need to be using the Persian Persuader while you pick up ammo to regain charge. Consequently, you will never regain ammo unless if your charge meter is full.
  • With this weapon, be aware that you can rampage around for a longer period of time, but you may eventually need to return to your base in order to get resupplied.

• Always be aware of how much ammo you have, especially on defense. You don't want to run out of explosives as you begin a fight or the enemy team begins a push.

• Consider using either Ali Baba's Wee Booties or the Bootlegger as well as one of the shields to completely eliminate the need for ammo and thus maximize the effects of this weapon.

Taunt Attacks

Decapitation

	Kill Icon	Weapon	Damage	Duration	Details
Barbarian Swing		Eyelander Half-Zatoichi Claidheamh Mòr Persian Persuader Horseless Headless Horsemann's Headtaker Nessie's Nine Iron	500	5 seconds	With a twirl behind his back, leading to a horizontal slash to the neck, the Demoman beheads anyone unfortunate to be in his path. The Demoman concludes his short swipe by bringing his blade back and wiping down its length with his fingers. Adds one head to the counter if using the Eyelander, Horseless Headless Horsemann's Headtaker, or Nessie's Nine Iron.

• This taunt kill can be used to kill enemies with one hit. It can be used for very distracted enemies, such as Snipers looking down scopes or Engineers working on their buildings, but like most taunt kills, leaves you vulnerable during the animation.

• If you catch up to a Heavy about to eat a Sandvich, it's a better idea to use the Decapitation taunt rather than start wailing on them with the Eyelander, as they will out-heal the damage and proceed to kill you.

• While this is a long taunt, it is nearly silent until it finishes, and you can attempt it several times on the same target - provided they don't hear the sword swooshes when you do it.

Weapon combinations

Example Combinations
Combo			Usage
Grenade Launcher or Loch-n-Load	Stickybomb Launcher or Quickiebomb Launcher	Pain Train or Bottle	A good setup for offensive Demomen. The Stickybomb Launcher and Quickiebomb Launcher allow the Demoman to quickly bombard choke points or turtling enemies with stickies. The Quickiebomb Launcher is even better than the Stickybomb Launcher at this, with its faster charge rate and lower arm time. The stock Stickybomb Launcher, however can also be used to surround ground-level threats with a sticky carpet, an ability not as prominent when using the Quickiebomb Launcher thanks to its smaller clip size. Fast bomb arm times and a damage penalty also allow the Demoman to quickly sticky-jump to the objective and quickly capture it with the Pain Train's increased capture rate. If your team already has players focused on the points/cart, you're on defense, or you're playing CTF, feel free to switch to the Bottle to rid yourself of the increased bullet vulnerability. Switching from the stock Grenade Launcher to the Loch-n-Load will help you to quickly dispatch a sentry nest without having your grenades or stickybombs destroyed or airblasted at long range.
Grenade Launcher or Loch-n-Load	Chargin' Targe	Claidheamh Mòr or Pain Train or Scotsman's Skullcutter	A "hybrid knight" alternate loadout for an offensive Demoman. The Chargin' Targe grants you the ability to rush to positions faster, easier getaways, and boosted melee effectiveness, at the cost of a sticky launcher. You get the added benefit of being more resistant to explosions and fire as well, so it may be worthwhile if the enemy team has Soldiers, other Demomen, and/or Pyros. Keep in mind that while the Targe charge will make your Pain Train do more damage, it doesn't have the same melee range that the swords do. The Pain Train does the same base damage as the Claidheamh Mòr, though, so a critical hit will still have the same killing power. With the Claidheamh Mòr, however, you gain the benefit of increased melee range and charge duration, with its damage vulnerability downside being irrelevant when you aren't using it. If you would prefer not to have damage vulnerability at all, the Scotsman's Skullcutter has a 20% damage bonus and the same range as the Claidheamh Mòr, with its only downside being a 15% speed penalty while active.
Grenade Launcher or Iron Bomber or Loose Cannon	Stickybomb Launcher or Scottish Resistance	Scotsman's Skullcutter	A more defensive Demoman loadout. Your sticky launcher is an invaluable tool for setting traps and defending choke points. The Scottish Resistance's higher stickybomb limit and the ability to detonate select groups of stickies allows you to set multiple independent traps, at the cost of being worse at quickly breaking enemy lines. The stock Grenade Launcher is an excellent weapon for self-defense (unless your attacker is very close to you) and mid-ranged spam. While the Loose Cannon does less damage than stock if poorly timed, its ability to push players back on a direct hit can be used to push enemies out of position. If the target is next to a hazard, the knockback can also push them right into it. The Iron Bomber's more stationary projectiles give you the ability to set temporary traps, should you run low on stickybombs to set or wish to add on to the explosive power of stickybombs you already set. The lessened speed from the Scotsman's Skullcutter will reduce the Demoman to a Soldier's speed, but the extra damage can be useful when dealing with further threats, and you can always switch to another weapon to run at normal speed again.
Ali Baba's Wee Booties	Stickybomb Launcher or Quickiebomb Launcher	Bottle	This combination can be quite deadly for a stickybomb expert. The stock Stickybomb Launcher not only allows the Demoman to block off choke points, and at medium and long range, the launcher can easily destroy sentry farms or break enemy lines. The Quickiebomb Launcher, although not as useful for setting traps, is better at close range thanks to its very short arm time. The extra health from the booties allows the Demo to survive longer and sticky jump more. Do note that this combination, due to lack of grenades or maneuverability, is poorly-suited to short range combat. If one switches the Booties and the Bottle for the (functionally-identical) Bootlegger and Scottish Handshake, respectively, and equips the Buccaneer's Bicorne and A Whiff of the Old Brimstone, one will have the Swashbuckler's Swag item set.
Grenade Launcher or Loose Cannon	Sticky Jumper	Pain Train or Eyelander or Ullapool Caber	This is "the" Sticky Jumper weapon set. The Grenade Launcher is often preferred over other launchers as the rolling grenades allow you to "bomb" foes more easily during a sticky jump, and it's better than most for self-defense. Although the Loose Cannon is weaker for self-defense than the Grenade Launcher, the precise explosions make it superior for attacking enemies from high up, timing the bombs to explode just before they hit the ground. The extreme mobility granted by the Sticky Jumper allows you to land near unsuspecting or busy enemies (such as Snipers) and kill them freely with the Eyelander, easily earning one or two heads in the process. You can also use the Pain Train with the Jumper to quickly reach and capture control points (this is particularly effective on open and/or vertical maps). When combined with the Ullapool Caber's raw power, the Sticky Jumper allows you to reach a tactical target (such as a Medic) and attack them with the Caber before jumping back to heal and resupply the Caber.
B.A.S.E. Jumper	Stickybomb Launcher or Quickiebomb Launcher or Scottish Resistance	Scotsman's Skullcutter	For an air-raider Demoman, relying primarily on surprise and easy escape. The B.A.S.E. Jumper slows your descent by pressing the Jump key in midair. The slower falling speed can be used during a sticky jump, allowing you to negate fall damage, plant traps in locations opponents may not suspect, and rain down stickybombs from an unexpected, hard-to-reach vantage point. That said, using the B.A.S.E. Jumper can raise your vulnerability to good Soldiers and Snipers, so be quick, careful, and stealthy if the enemy team has any of those. Lastly, the Scotsman's Skullcutter can provide great high-damage surprise attacks in a similar vein to the Soldier's Market Gardener after a blast jump. Since the movement speed penalty of the Skullcutter only applies if the weapon is active, jumping distance becomes less of a problem, since one could pull it out just before landing and deal good damage to unaware enemies.
Loch-n-Load (or Ali Baba's Wee Booties)	Chargin' Targe or Splendid Screen	Ullapool Caber	The Expert's Ordnance - w/ shield As its name indicates, this setup is optimal for Demomen with good positioning and good aim, as it's not good for direct confrontation due to the Loch-n-Load's high self damage. In Medieval Mode, this Demoknight variant (with the Booties as your primary) is the only class that can deliver splash damage, making it useful when clearing a point filled with enemies. Use the shield to deal impact damage to the enemy with the shield bash before creating a critical explosion that may kill several enemies, making this combination excellent for a kamikaze play-style. The Splendid Screen offers more frequent charges and better shield damage, while the Chargin' Targe grants better resistances, including to your own grenade and Caber damage. In or outside of Medieval Mode, you can one-hit kill most classes, which can come in handy for a last-resort defense when your last point is being captured. This is also probably the best way to use the Ullapool Caber.
Loose Cannon or Loch-n-Load	Tide Turner	Claidheamh Mòr or Persian Persuader	This setup is based around using the Claidheamh Mòr's or Persian Persuader's charge bonuses to the absolute fullest and being maximally maneuverable. The Claidheamh Mòr grants 25% of your charge meter back on kill, which, combined with the Tide Turner's 75% charge on kill, means you can immediately charge again upon getting a kill. The Persian Persuader, on the other hand, grants you 20% charge back on hit and lets you refill your charge meter with ammo boxes. Either way, you're going to be charging around a lot. The Loose Cannon is a great asset for getting foes into a good position to be mowed down by your sword, while also allowing you to perform precisely timed grenade jumps or cannon jumps. The Loch-n-Load also comes in handy when dealing with Sentry Guns, which are normally a Demoknight's worst nightmare. The choice of Claidheamh Mòr or Persuader depends largely on whether you prefer to use melee or grenades. The Claidheamh Mòr's only downside is active, meaning it's nonexistent while you're using your grenade launcher; meanwhile, the Persian Persuader makes it very difficult to reload your primary weapon, encouraging you to focus on melee.
Loch-n-Load	Splendid Screen	Eyelander or Scotsman's Skullcutter	For the Demoman who focuses on pure, relentless offense, dealing extraordinary damage from close-to-medium range. The Loch-n-Load can easily leave foes dead or with low health if both grenades hit. The extra damage from the Splendid Screen's charge bash combined with the Eyelander's ability to collect heads can lead into grabbing a few extra kills. Using the Eyelander, your main weakness is your low initial health, but after taking a few heads, you become nigh-unstoppable. Alternatively, the Scotsman's Skullcutter has higher base damage and no health penalty, but it makes you slower. Since the Skullcutter's speed downside only comes into play while it's active, one could use the Loch-n-Load most of the time, but the Loch-n-Load's smaller clip size makes it an unreliable main weapon.
Ali Baba's Wee Booties	Chargin' Targe or Splendid Screen or Tide Turner	Eyelander or Half-Zatoichi or Persian Persuader or Scotsman's Skullcutter	For extra/more detailed info about the weapons, see their own sections in this article. This is "the" full Demoknight loadout, with plenty of choices for going up close and personal to kill your enemies, quite literally. Ali Baba's Wee Booties are the general recommendation for your primary weapon. The different shields allow you to select between resistances (Chargin' Targe), damage (Splendid Screen), and maneuverability (Tide Turner); however, none of the shields give bullet resistance, so Scouts, Heavies, and Sentry Guns are still a danger for you. Then there's the plethora of swords to choose from. The Eyelander allows you to collect "heads" on kill for extra health and speed, making you nigh-unstoppable on max. heads, at the cost of making you more vulnerable to start. The Half-Zatoichi gives you health every time you make a kill and can overheal, acting like a mini-Eyelander without the vulnerability. Its main downside of needing 50 health or a kill to be sheathed is irrelevant when it's the only weapon you'll ever have out. The Persian Persuader gives you the ability to collect ammo as charge and gives charge on hit, but reduces your primary and secondary weapons' max ammo; however, since you're not using any ammo with this set, it isn't an issue. The Scotsman's Skullcutter simply gives brute power (extra damage) at the cost of mobility (decreased movement speed); a crit can kill any non-Heavy, non-overhealed class. The Claidheamh Mòr is a subpar option, as you can charge about as much with the Persian Persuader while taking less damage.
Ali Baba's Wee Booties	Chargin' Targe or Splendid Screen	Eyelander or Scotsman's Skullcutter	One of the most balanced setups in Medieval Mode. Charging towards enemies and decapitating them with the Eyelander is especially effective when dealing with slower enemies that are alone, and the longer melee range and high mobility gives it a leg up against most classes except for Snipers and Medics. The Chargin' Targe provides a much better defense against fire attacks (from Sharpened Volcano Fragments and fire arrows) and explosive damage (from the Ullapool Caber), while the Splendid Screen grants better offensive capability. Replacing the Eyelander with the Scotsman's Skullcutter allows higher damage at the cost of speed - critical hits (including random crits, which it has) with it will one-shot any class other than a Heavy.
Ali Baba's Wee Booties	Splendid Screen	Persian Persuader	A Thousand and One Demoknights This is the A Thousand and One Demoknights set if combined with the Sultan's Ceremonial hat. Ali Baba's Wee Booties will help you survive longer and be able to unexpectedly turn to catch your enemies off guard. The Splendid Screen works well with the boots: while there is less damage resistance than with the Chargin' Targe, Ali Baba's Wee Booties' health benefit will allow you to slaughter your enemies without being killed quickly. The increased charging damage also works well with the ability to turn while charging. The Persian Persuader is good for destroying enemies in close combat. Since you don't use ammo with this set, all ammo dropped would normally be useless, but the Persuader allows you to use them to gain charge back. The charge on hit helps you to escape quickly or to charge towards your next target.

Class Cooperation Strategies

 Scout

• In general, a Demoman and a Scout cover each others' weaknesses. Scouts excel at close range where Demomen suffer, while Demomen excel at mid-range combat and taking out Sentry Guns. At the same time, each is mobile enough that neither is hampered by sticking around the other.
• A Force-A-Nature or Shortstop Scout can launch/shove enemies into a Demoman's sticky traps.
• A Scout with Bonk! Atomic Punch can drink Bonk! and distract a Sentry Gun to allow a Demoknight to take the Sentry Gun out. Normally, a sentry would be a nightmare for both of them.
• With the Pain Train, a Demoman or Demoknight can pair up with a Scout to cap successive points at blinding speed.
  • If the Demoman is using a damaging sticky launcher, he can set up a sticky trap as soon as he reaches the point to prevent enemies from challenging their capture; however, a Demoman using a damaging sticky launcher will take significant self-damage from sticky jumping. This can be somewhat alleviated if the Demoman wears either the Ali Baba's Wee Booties or the Bootlegger, or if the Scout equips the Mad Milk.
  • To get perhaps the best of all worlds, a hybrid knight may be able to use the Iron Bomber's "heavy" grenades to perform grenade jumps and set up short-lived traps while using a shield to charge and take less explosive damage.

 Soldier

• A Soldier has much more "on-demand" firepower than a Demoman does and can cover him while he sets up sticky traps. This is especially true if the Demoman is using the Scottish Resistance.
• Both Demomen and Soldiers can perform explosive jumps, allowing them to launch coordinated attacks from unconventional places.
• A Demoman or Demoknight and a Soldier, both using the Pain Train, can rush to points to cap them very quickly.
  • As with a Scout/Demoman pairing, the Demoman can use a damaging sticky launcher or the Iron Bomber to set up sticky or grenade traps to prevent the enemy from contesting the point. Much like the Scout's Mad Milk, the Soldier may be able to somewhat alleviate the Demoman's self-damage problems by way of the Battalion's Backup (before explosive jumps, to reduce self-damage) or the Concheror (after them, to allow the Demoman to heal the self-damage off).
• A Demoman and a Soldier firing projectiles out of sync will be difficult (if not impossible) reflect targets for an airblasting Pyro.

 Pyro

• As usual, a Pyro is the perfect bodyguard for a distracted or vulnerable ally, such as a Demoman laying sticky traps.
• Much like a Demoman/Scout pairing, a Demoman/Pyro pairing can cover each other's weaknesses. The Demoman is effective at longer ranges than the Pyro and can take out Sentry Guns more effectively, while the Pyro is able to take care of close-range threats that might otherwise shred the Demoman.

 Demoman

As one of the best burst damage classes in the game, a pair of Demomen will be able to take out almost any enemy formation.

• The weaknesses of a Demoman using the Scottish Resistance will generally be covered by having a second Demoman nearby.
• Like with a Demoman/Soldier pair, two Demomen firing projectiles out of sync will be difficult for a Pyro to reflect.
• A Demoman/Demoknight pair can function much like a Demoman/Scout pair; the Demoman can take care of mid-ranged threats and Sentry Guns, while the Demoknight can take care of close-ranged threats.
  • If the Demoman is preoccupied with setting or watching sticky traps or is using the B.A.S.E. Jumper, the Demoknight can take out enemy Snipers to protect the Demoman.

 Heavy

Demomen and Heavies aren't 'especially' synergistic, but pairing high-DPS characters has trouble going wrong.

• Heavies are good at mowing down Pyros, Scouts, and other close-range characters who normally decimate Demomen.
• Pyros are also a problem for Demoknights, but again, Heavies will mow them down with ease. Heavies are also no slouch when taking out Sentry Guns, which the Demoknight will very much appreciate. In return, the Demoknight can pick off Snipers that'd normally cause major headaches for the Heavy.
• A Heavy with a lunchbox item, such as the Second Banana, can help a Demoman heal off self-damage from explosive jumping.

 Engineer

Demomen and Engineers are two of the best defensive classes in the game. Together, they can create a nigh-imprenetrable defense.

• Rather like a Heavy, a Sentry Gun will mow down Pyros and Scouts that could otherwise eat Demomen for breakfast.
• A Demoman can lay down sticky traps to block off routes enemies might take to evade a Sentry Gun.
• A Teleporter will allow a Demoman to quickly reach the front lines without taking self-damage, while a Dispenser will provide a reliable means for the Demoman to heal self-damage off.
• A Demoknight can pick off pesky Snipers to make the Engineer's life easier.

 Medic

• The Demoman is usually a prime candidate to receive ÜberCharges, especially from the Medi Gun or Kritzkrieg; the high DPS and/or invincibility is one of the main ways of dealing with hard-to-attack setups, such as Sentry nests.
  • A Demoman under the effects of a Kritzkrieg Übercharge in particular can devastate the enemy team.

 Sniper

Demomen and Snipers don't have much synergy, but they can do some work together.

• The Sniper can take out an Engineer to make a Demoman's nest-destroying efforts more effective.
• A Sniper can take out Engineers and Heavies to make a Demoknight's life much, 'much' easier. In turn, the Demoknight can take out enemy Snipers to make the Sniper's life easier.
• If a Demoman is using the B.A.S.E. Jumper, the Sniper can protect him by taking out enemy Snipers.

 Spy

As with Snipers, Demomen and Spies don't have 'much' synergy, but there is some to be had.

• By taking out an enemy Engineer to make sure he can't repair or haul his buildings, a Spy can ensure a Demoman's effectiveness.
• Engineers and Heavies can be nightmares for Demoknights to deal with but are favored targets for Spies. Simply sapping an enemy sentry can make life exponentially easier for an allied Demoknight.

See also

• Team strategy