Cloak
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Cloak, or cloaking, is an inherent ability of the Spy. Embodied in a watch worn or held by his hand, cloaking allows the Spy to become invisible for short periods of time, allowing him to move unnoticed through enemy lines or make a quick escape when attacked.
Contents
General attributes
Firstly it should be noted that the Spy is unable to use his weapons or taunt whilst cloaked, but the player can still use the Disguise Kit. Disguising whilst cloaked will remove the team tinted smoke particle effect, allowing seamless disguise changing to fit certain situations.
Secondly, the Spy is completely invisible to all enemies when cloaked, although teammates will be able to see the class as a semi-transparent silhouette tinted in the team color. This will allow players to determine if an area is being surveyed by a friendly Spy and to structure future movements around him.
Furthermore, regardless of what type of watch used, bumping into enemy players or being damaged results in the Cloak malfunctioning, producing a temporary outline that is visible to all players regardless of team (although with the Dead Ringer this is only shown after a certain time). A Spy therefore cannot simply charge through an enemy offensive with the Cloak.
Should the Spy be hit with weapons that produce visual effects, such as Jarate, Bleeding and fire, the Cloak will be rendered useless; the effects will make the Spy clearly visible to all. Similarly, emerging from water will cause the Spy to drip water droplets even when cloaked. Falling from a certain height will also produce a blood particle effect, and an audible crack. Spy players should therefore avoid these weapons and their carriers if they wish to remain incognito in the field.
Upon decloaking, the Spy will make a unique noise and briefly appear in a team colour sillouette, regardless of disguise, before becoming visible. Decloaking away from enemies is therefore an important strategy to avoid being discovered.
Each watch will display its Cloak meter on the model viewed by the player. The meter is also visible in the HUD.
Strategy
The nature and strategy for cloaking depends on the type of watch the Spy uses in battle. Additionally, the enemy team may alter their behavior in order to protect themselves against a certain type of watch. An experience Spy will therefore usually be proficient in all Cloak types to be able to adapt to any opposing team force.
Invisibility Watch
With the default watch, players can Cloak for a maximum of 9 seconds, during which they can move through enemy lines, across Sentry Gun paths, or away from attackers whilst being completely invisible. Picking up ammo in the form of boxes or dropped weapons will replenish the Cloak at the default rate. Map layout and location of various ammo points, therefore, are important to players who wish to remain cloaked for a longer period of time. Dispensers on either team can also fill the Cloak meter even when the Spy is cloaked. Be advised, however, that using an enemy Dispenser will require the correct disguise, and that the Spy may be discovered if bumped into by Engineers collecting their metal.
Uncloaking will produce a quiet 'whooshing' sound that can be heard by other players in the immediate vicinity. Experienced Spies should therefore uncloak in a lone location, preferably with the correct disguise, in order to avoid enemies who may start searching the area upon hearing the noise.
The direct counter of the Cloak is the Pyro. The Spy will be rendered visible and will burn with a team-colored ambiance if set on fire. Players should avoid Pyros at all costs when cloaked; if bumped into, the Pyro will immediately begin to Spycheck the vicinity.
Dead Ringer
The Dead Ringer watch is a unique gadget in terms of cloaking. The watch does not produce a Cloak when the correct bound key is pressed, but rather it will be held up in the player's view in a ready position. Subsequently, the next time the Spy is dealt damage, either by enemies or falling, he will drop a fake corpse and immediately become cloaked for a total of 6.5 seconds. During this time the player will have damage against them reduced by 90%, and they will not shimmer when attacked or bumped into by enemies.
The corpse dropped is dependent on the disguise the player was using at the time. Dropping a friendly disguise as a corpse, therefore, may allow the Spy to move into enemy territory without arousing suspicion. It should be noted however that the dropping of the corpse ragdolls is somewhat bugged and noticeable to experienced players, who may alert their team of a Dead Ringer Spy being present. Furthermore, activating the Dead Ringer upon being attacked once will almost immediately be suspicious to the enemy. Players should therefore wait a couple of seconds if under continuous fire before cloaking to provide a more convincing fake death. This should not apply to competent Snipers, Sticky Bomb traps or forms of critical attacks.
Spies with the Dead Ringer can collect ammo and use Dispensers to replenish the Cloak, albeit at a reduced amount compared to the Invisibility Watch. Once cloaked for longer than 6.5 seconds, however, the Spy will shimmer upon damage or contact with the enemy as with any other watch. Making a run through the map with the Dead Ringer, therefore, is just as risky as with the default watch.
The main disadvantage of the watch is the loud and distinctive uncloaking sound. Players should therefore utilize cover or remote locations to uncloak. Should the Dead Ringer be heard, enemies may begin searching the area for the Spy culprit. Due to the Cloak taking a long time to recharge without nearby ammo, uncloaking far from enemies is a priority if the player wishes to remain alive.
The Spy can still be set on fire by a Pyro. The damage reduction, however, may allow the player to seek out water and extinguish themselves where otherwise they would have died. Most Pyros will continue to chase the Spy once alight, however, making escape more difficult. Should the Pyro prowl the area outside the water, players may wish to consider hiding in the water for as long as the Cloak permits until the Pyro leaves. Shooting at the Pyro from the water is also a viable option, as his Flamethrower is ineffective underwater. On the other hand, leading the Pyro into a friendly Sentry Gun or experienced teammate may prove successful.
Aside from providing normal Cloak espionage, the Dead Ringer can serve as a paranoia tool. Making an obvious fake death can lead to enemies spending more time spychecking, possibly even causing Medics to deploy their ÜberCharge early in anticipation of being backstabbed. This can allow teammates an opportunity to advance on an objective under the Spy's command, or wait for the enemy ÜberCharge to end before activating their own.
Cloak and Dagger
The Cloak and Dagger watch serves as a sidegrade for the default watch. The Cloak will last for 6.6 seconds when the Spy is running, and cannot be replenished by ammo crates. On the other hand, should the player remain perfectly still whilst cloaked, the meter will recharge by itself at a slow amount.
Due to the nature of the recharge, a Cloak and Dagger Spy will mostly conduct his espionage standing still. Objects in the map such as boxes or corners will therefore provide strategic points from which to crouch and relay enemy movement to the team through chat or microphone. Additionally, these areas provide points from which players can backstab slow moving classes or sap buildings. Once the Spy performs these quick assassinations, they can return to their vantage point for the next unsuspecting victim. This can effectively cut off high traffic areas, as the enemy will become wary of using the route. Alternatively, they may send in a Pyro to flush out the Spy; should this happen, the player may want to seek a different place to hide.
Once the Cloak meter is drained, the Spy will have a clear visible outline, similar to being bumped into by an enemy. Coming to a halt will resume full invisibility, yet this can be risky if in a corridor. A crouch-walking Spy will drain the Cloak slowly, but will move around at a slower speed.
A possibly strategy could be for the player to move slowly (often crouched) in poorly lit areas to maintain the Cloak. This is a risky maneuver however, as most players may still be able to locate the Spy, particularly if they are aware of his presence in the vicinity. Camouflage may also apply to team colored areas, such as RED Spies against rocky walls, but is a hit and miss tactic.
Related Achievements
Pyro
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Spontaneous Combustion
Ignite 10 cloaked Spies. |
Demoman
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Shorn Connery
Decapitate a cloaked Spy. |
Heavy
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Spyalectical Materialism
Kill or Assist in Killing 10 cloaked Spies. |
Engineer
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Search Engine
Kill 3 cloaked Spies with a Sentry Gun under control of your Wrangler. |
Sniper
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Jarring Transition
Use Jarate to reveal a cloaked Spy. |
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Shoot the Breeze
Kill a fully invisible Spy in a single hit. |
Spy
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Burn Notice
Survive 30 seconds after being ignited while cloaked. |
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Spies Like Us
While cloaked, bump into an enemy cloaked Spy. |
