Community Sawmill (Capture the Flag) strategy

Sawmill (Capture the Flag) strategy.

Community Sawmill (Capture the Flag) strategy
Basic Information
Developer(s):	Unknown
Map Info
Environment:	Alpine
Setting:	Cloudy, raining
Hazards:	Saw Blades
Map Photos

General (All Classes)

• Use the rooftops to give yourself the high ground advantage. The tops of the stairs in the central area are also good for picking off enemies down on the main point.

• Remember, the saw blades will instantly kill any player who wanders into their paths. Take advantage of knockback from the Force-A-Nature, compression blast, and explosive projectiles to knock enemies into the saw blades whenever possible.

Class-specific strategy

 Scout

• Scouts work wonders here. Use the rooftops and you will be in the enemy's Intelligence room in a blast.
• Double-jumping allows you to flank the enemy. A few bursts of the Scattergun can take down most classes quickly, if they're caught by surprise.
• When using the Force-A-Nature, try not to accidentally smash yourself into the saw blades.
• Mad Milk's health benefit is useful when there are fewer health packs. Do not let your enemies get to the water to wash it off.
• Bonk! Atomic Punch does NOT protect against saw blades. Don't run into them!
• The Sandman is relatively useful in this stage: accurate pitching over the rooftops may stun a dangerous foe.
• The Boston Basher or Three-Rune Blade is very useful here. The bleeding can only be stopped by health packs, which are far and few. Just be careful not to hurt yourself in the process.
• The Candy Cane helps you get more health on this stage, which is relatively useful.
• The Fan O'War can be useful for teamwork here. Just never go alone or you risk a quick melee death.

 Soldier

• Rocket jumping works well for experienced players. Jumping past the boarded-off area will allow you to flank the enemy and smash their defenses.
• If you encounter a Pyro, try to head for the waterfall area. Underwater combat is much easier when the Pyro's primary weapon is unusable.
• The Black Box is recommended here because there are fewer health pickups.
• The Buff Banner, Battalion's Backup, and the Concheror will work well here. The small map works to your advantage, allowing you to buff more players at once.
• Gunboats will massively help rocket-jumpers so they can ambush the enemy, with enough health to fight more effectively.
• The Half-Zatoichi is massively helpful here, making up for the small amount of health pickups easily. Be aware that players will try to keep a distance from you.

 Pyro

• If you want to grab the intelligence, it may be a good idea to use the Gas Jockey's Gear item set. A 10% increase in movement speed will help you move across the map; however, don't forget that you're 10% more vulnerable to bullets.
• You can use your airblast to push enemies into the saw blades.
• Pyros can utilize the corner sheds as a hiding spot while waiting for an enemy to ambush.

 Demoman

• Demomen with the Scottish Resistance can place stickies on the Intelligence while continuing to defend other spots. This is incredibly useful for a steady defense on the Intelligence while retaining chokepoint defense.

 Engineer

• The stairways from either spawn to the control point make for excellent Sentry Gun spots, especially useful for defending the Intelligence room and also being able to fire at other would-be attackers if you have the Wrangler equipped.

• Another strategy is to just set up in the Intelligence room, as this strategy defends against sneaky Scouts who try to steal the intelligence.

• BLU Engineers have the slight advantage of using the top shelf of the log shed to place a Sentry Gun and Dispenser. This can be easily achieved by approaching the edge of the door frame leading to the central area, running along a small lip on the outer wall towards the log shed and crouch jumping onto the ledge. This spot gives a strong defense/offense against most classes that happen to pass through and has an excellent element of surprise. Your team can receive ammo and metal from your Dispenser by jumping on the lower ledge directly below it.

• Remember that placing a Sentry anywhere other than in the basement itself may allow enemy players to slip by and nab the Intelligence while you're away. Make sure that your team is covering every other route before you set up a Sentry Gun elsewhere!

 Medic

• The Medic's health regeneration and the two large pools of water mean that fire is largely of no threat to you. If you find yourself fighting an enemy Pyro near the water, don't be afraid to take him on.

• The Medic's high speed and relative sturdiness (mid-level health with passive regeneration) mean you are still capable of making a capture. If the Intelligence room is clear of Sentry Guns and no enemies are in sight, go for it unless you risk losing a full or near-full ÜberCharge. If planning to capture, the Overdose may be a good choice of primary so you can escape faster.

 Spy

• Try sapping buildings on the top shelf on the log shed, as Engineers often go in the corner to hide and protect their buildings.
• Sawmill has many different areas with a variety of elevations, as a spy these can be used for escaping from enemies and staying aggressive in unusual ways.

See also

• Community Sawmill strategy