When a player dies in Team Fortress 2, the event is logged briefly in the upper right-hand corner of the screen (occasionally referred to as a kill panel or death notice) displaying from left to right the name of the player (and, if applicable, an assisting player) responsible for the kill, an icon that reflects the nature of the death, and then the name of the player who died. The icon is referred to as the kill icon, or death notice icon. Additionally, all event logs involving the player are tinted pale yellow (in comparison to the normal brown) and remain on-screen for a longer period of time in order to assist the player in keeping track of their events. If the death was the result of critical damage, then the icon has a red glowing effect behind it.
Most weapons have unique kill icons, but there are some that refer to multiple weapons.
Weapons
These icons are used when one player inflicts a death upon another using a weapon.
Multiple classes
Kill taunts
Also known as attack taunts, most of these taunts have the ability to kill almost every opponent in a single hit, as they do 400+ damage.
Action items
These icons are used when one player inflicts a death upon another using an appropriate action item.
Environmental hazards
These icons are typically used when a player dies either from an environmental hazard, or causes their own death with their weapon or by other means.
Other
Unused
There are several unused kill icons that can be found in the game files. Some of these icons are included for custom use by the community, others appear to have been replaced by the currently used kill icons or possibly had their accompanying concept scrapped.
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Environmental death
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Likely implemented early on in development for explosive weapons, this icon has been in the files since the game's release.
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Half-Zatoichi
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An alternate kill icon for the Half-Zatoichi, assumedly designed for when a Half-Zatoichi wielder instantly kills another Half-Zatoichi wielder.
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Wrap Assassin
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An alternate kill icon for killing a player with the alt-fire bauble.
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Third Degree
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A kill icon for killing a player via the weapon's damage transfer effect.
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Holiday Punch
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A kill icon for killing a player presumably while they are laughing.
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Deflected arrow headshot †
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Scoring a headshot with a deflected arrow.
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Deflected flaming arrow †
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Scoring a kill with a deflected flaming arrow.
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Deflected flaming arrow headshot †
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Scoring a headshot with a deflected flaming arrow.
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Deflected Sandman ball †
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Scoring a kill with a deflected ball.
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Level 1 Sentry Gun
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This icon appears similar to the standard Level 1 Sentry kill icon with one clear difference: the Sentry appears to have some kind of laser attached to the top. The icon was introduced to the game files months before the Engineer Update.
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Flaming arrow headshot †
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Kill icon added with the Engineer Update for scoring a kill with a flaming arrow headshot.
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Ambassador headshot
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Two headshot icons for the Spy's Ambassador. The first was used in-game from the Sniper vs. Spy Update to the Engineer Update, but was changed to the Sniper Rifle headshot icon for unknown reasons. The second icon was included in the game files, but never used in-game, and is only assumed to be related to the Ambassador.
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Baleful Beacon
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A kill icon from the VPK files for a weapon that does not exist in-game.
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Stratonic Swatter
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A kill icon from the VPK files for a weapon that does not exist in-game.
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Shred Alert
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A kill icon for the Shred Alert.
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Alien walker
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A kill icon from the VPK files, likely meant to be used for the Alien walkers on 2Fort Invasion.
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Paint Bomb
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A kill icon from the VPK files for an unused "Paint Bomb" weapon.
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Blutsauger dart
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A kill icon that was added to the game in the Gold Rush Update alongside the Blutsauger, intended to be used alongside the unused Blutsauger dart model also found in the game files. The icon was eventually entirely replaced in the kill icon VTF by the Axtinguisher's kill icon in the Pyro Update.
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†These unused kill icons were created and contributed by NeoDement.
Update history
August 19, 2008 Patch (
A Heavy Update)
- The Fists were given a unique kill icon; previously they used what is now the icon of the K.G.B.
May 29, 2009 Patch
- Fixed players killed by flaming arrows not showing the appropriate death icon
December 22, 2009 Patch
- Fixed Pyros not getting the proper kill icon for kills with deflected Direct Hit rockets.
May 27, 2010 Patch
- The following weapons were given unique kill icons:
- Pain Train
- Scotsman's Skullcutter
- Tribalman's Shiv
- Homewrecker
May 28, 2010 Patch
- Fixed the community submitted deathnotice icons for the community submitted weapons.
July 8, 2010 Patch (Engineer Update)
- The Sandman now uses the Bat kill icon while the stunball uses the existing Sandman kill icon.
- The Ambassador headshot kill icon is replaced with the Sniper Rifle headshot kill icon.
- The following weapons were given unique kill icons:
- Force-A-Nature
- Lugermorph
- Natascha
- The Big Kill
December 9, 2010 Patch
- Fixed some of the deathnotice icons using the wrong colors.
January 7, 2011 Patch
- The Lumbricus Lid Kamikaze taunt kill received a unique kill icon.
- The following weapons were given unique kill icons:
- Sandman
- Backburner
- Gloves of Running Urgently
- Vita-Saw
- Blutsauger
- Frying Pan
- Black Box
- Sydney Sleeper
- Bushwacka
- Amputator
- Ullapool Caber
- Brass Beast
- Fists of Steel
- Warrior's Spirit
- Jag
- The following weapons' kill icons were changed:
- Rocket Launcher
- Direct Hit
- Shotgun
- Minigun
- Killing Gloves of Boxing
- [Undocumented] Fixed native kill icon not displaying when killing enemy players with the Degreaser.
- [Undocumented] Added an unused kill icon for the Loch-n-Load
January 10, 2011 Patch
- Implemented the Loch-n-Load kill icon
- Added mini-sentry kill icon.
- [Undocumented] The Ullapool Caber's and Candy Cane's kill icons were updated.
January 19, 2011 Patch
- [Undocumented] If the player suicides with the Ullapool Caber, it displays the Caber's kill icon.
February 7, 2011 Patch
- Fixed burning deaths to always use the death notice icon for the weapon that started the burn
June 8, 2011 Patch
- Updated the kill icons
- [Undocumented] The Maul and Three-Rune Blade kill icons have been flipped.
August 15, 2011 Patch
- [Undocumented] Updated the kill icons for Nessie's Nine Iron and Postal Pummeler.
August 15, 2011 Patch
- [Undocumented] Updated the kill icons for Cow Mangler 5000 and Nessie's Nine Iron.
September 6, 2011 Patch
- [Undocumented] Updated the kill icons for Postal Pummeler.
Bugs
- The Wrangler's kill icon is currently cut off; only the Wrangler itself may be seen.