Mann vs. Machine (update)

This page is about the update to Team Fortress 2. For the game mode, see "Mann vs. Machine (game mode)"; for the update trailer, see "Mann vs. Machine (video)".

This article is for content released in the update. For the patch itself, see August 15, 2012 Patch.

“

Alright, enough reading advice. It's man-to-man talk time. I am not going to lie to you: I am going to have to lie to you. You men are absolutely prepared to deal with this, and you are going to be just fine. Right. End of lie. Now get ready to absorb some bullets so they don’t hit my factories.

— Saxton Hale; TF2 Official Website

”

Mann vs. Machine is a major update for Team Fortress 2, announced on August 13, 2012 and released on August 15, 2012.

Day 1: Machines

Day 1 revealed a new co-op game mode in which a team of six players fights a horde of bots, as well as a new map, Mannworks, and multiple special classes of robots introduced for the new mode. It also revealed the trailer for the mode.

Robots

Main article: Robots

Special Robots

The majority of the robot legion can be any class (with the exception of the Engineer) equipped with basic weaponry. In addition, several Special Robots exist:

Machine	Based on	Equipped with	Abilities
Minor League Scout	Scout	Sandman Batter's Helmet	Uses baseballs to temporarily stun
Demoknight	Demoman	Eyelander Chargin' Targe	Sword-wielding maniac Can cover large distances very quickly by charging
Steel Gauntlet	Heavy	Fists of Steel	Very durable Damage resistant Good with its fists
Heavyweight champ		Killing Gloves of Boxing Gloves of Running Urgently Pugilist's Protector	Doesn't need weapons to rough you up Attacks in large groups
Heavy Mittens		Holiday Punch	Permanently critboosted Once hit, players are forced to laugh helplessly
Quick-Fix Medic	Medic	Quick-Fix	Heals fast Cannot use ÜberCharge
Über Medic	Medic	Medi Gun	ÜberCharges like a maniac
Bowman	Sniper	Huntsman	Deadly accurate Quick on the draw
Sydney Sniper	Sniper	Sydney Sleeper	Shoots Jarate-coated darts

Giant Robots

Giant Robots are larger and more durable than normal robots, but also move at half speed. Each Giant Robot has its own unique ability.

Machine	Based on	Abilities
Super Scout	Scout	Unlike other giant robots, Super Scout moves lightning fast, so don't let it pick up the bomb!
Rapid Fire Soldier	Soldier	The machine gun of rocket launchers. Don't stand in one place for too long.
Deflector Heavy	Heavy	Can shoot down projectiles such as rockets and grenades.

Thought not explicitly stated in the page, a few more variations are revealed.

Machine	Based on	Abilities
Major League Scout	Scout	Throws baseballs at a much higher rate than most normally could.
Giant Charged Soldier	Soldier	Hurls slow moving, but fatal critical rockets.
Giant Pyro	Pyro	Able to airblast projectiles back at its source.
Giant Flare Pyro	Pyro	Fires flares rapidly and accurately.
Rapid Fire Demoman	Demoman	Lobs grenades at high frequencies with great precision.

Sentry Buster

Day 1 also introduced the Sentry Buster, a robot designed to take down co-op players' Sentry Guns.

Machine	Based on	Abilities
Sentry Buster	Demoman	Detects Sentry Guns that are dealing sustained damage to the horde and runs at the offending Sentry Gun, exploding after a couple of seconds. Also can destruct Dispensers, Teleporters and kill teammates in the explosion radius.

Tank Robot

The Day 1 update page also teased another robot, displaying only an image of a set of tracks in the dirt, accompanied by a mysterious note. It was revealed in-game that the said robot was a Tank Robot.

Machine	Abilities	Health
Tank	Has an extremely large amount of health, more than any other robot. Does not attack players through any means, but will instantly crush to death any players caught between the tank and(for example) a wall while it is turning. Carries a separate bomb that it will automatically begin to deploy if it reaches the hatch, regardless of whether a robot has the main bomb or not.	Varies

Bomb Carrier Upgrades

The longer a Bomb Carrier survives, the more attributes they get, making them tougher to kill. The upgrades accumulate, and can make them very dangerous should they be ignored or otherwise not killed quickly. One upside is that every time they upgrade, they will stop for a few seconds and Taunt, giving any nearby player a chance to take it out while its guard is down. However, while giant variations are able to carry bombs, they do not upgrade.

Stages	Upgrades
First stage	Defensive buff, shared with all nearby robots
Second stage	Health regeneration
Final stage	Full crits all the time

Maps

Name	Picture	Game mode	File name
Mannworks		Mann vs. Machine	`mvm_mannworks`

Day 2: Mercs

Day 2 revealed a variety of new upgrades and power-ups that players can purchase using in-game currency to boost their effectiveness on the battlefield, as well as Canteens. A new map, Coal Town, was also featured. Day 2 also revealed a set of sample tactics for each class, indicating each class's special abilities and the effects of upgrading some weapons.

Power Up Canteens

Image	Type	Usage
	Übercharge	Supplies 5 seconds of personal invincibility
	Critical Hit Boost	Full critical power for 5 seconds
	Ammo/Clip Refill	Instant ammo and magazine refill
	Return to Base	Immediately returns user to respawn room and supplies temporary speed boost
	Buildings Upgrade	Upgrades user Engineer's buildings to level 3 in a hurry

Maps

Name	Picture	Game mode	File name
Coal Town		Mann vs. Machine	`mvm_coaltown`

Day 3: Bounty

Day 3 revealed 35 new achievements, as well as an alternative Mann Up game mode, obtainable with the purchase of a ticket from the Mann Co. Store. A new map, Decoy, was also featured.

Maps

Name	Picture	Game mode	File name
Decoy		Mann vs. Machine	`mvm_decoy`

Trailer

Trivia

Mann vs. Machine has been heavily alluded to for several years;
- The earliest instance of robots in the world of Team Fortress was found on the Alarm-O-Tron in Meet the Spy. One of the signs had the words "Is a Robot."
- A diagram of a Scout Robot appears in the background of the Engineer Update teaser, as well as on the Engineer Update page itself.
- Photographs of the Demoman Robot and the Heavy Robot appear in hidden rooms found on the maps Foundry and Doomsday.
On a episode of GT.TV, Gabe Newell has stated that the Player-versus-Player servers in World of Warcraft inspired Mann vs. Machine.