Community Demoman strategy

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Click to listen

— The Demoman

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Like the Soldier, the Demoman is an easy class to pick up and play and can be great for players with poor aiming skills or those who have experience of Team Fortress Classic's Grenades. It is one of the three classes capable of being hurt by their own Friendly fire (the others being Soldier and Engineer). Advanced players can transform the Demoman from a Grenade spewing player to a lethally accurate gibbing machine.

General

The Grenade Launcher rounds explode on contact with an enemy player or Sentry Gun, but only before they bounce.

Use the Sticky bombs to propel yourself into the air, similarly to the Soldier's Rocket jump technique. This can allow you to move over large distances quickly, or get into hard to reach places. Careful as you can take fall damage when landing.

Sticky bombs can travel great distances (hold MOUSE1 to launch them further). Use this to your advantage when targeting foes from afar.

In tunnels, try to place your Sticky Bombs on the ceiling, ideally between details like support beams.. Not only it will hide them until the enemy comes closer, but players are more likely to scan floors than ceilings for dangers.

To take out Sentry Guns around corners, the Sticky bombs are often more useful than the Grenade Launcher, since you don't have to use accurate rebounds. Simply throw a few Sticky bombs next to the Sentry Gun and detonate: the blast radius will kill the turret with ease, and perhaps injure a nearby enemy Engineer tending to that turret.
- Three sticky bombs right next to a fully upgraded enemy Sentry Gun will destroy it.

The Demoman has two main roles:
- Defense: The classic role for the Demoman is defense. Throw Sticky bombs on the point you wish to defend, then switch to your Grenade Launcher to keep enemies at bay. As soon as an enemy walks over (or under) your mines, detonate them with your alternate fire button for an easy kill, then replant your minefield.
- Offense: When your team's progress is denied by a strong Engineer-led defense, switch to offense to punch through the defenses. Along with the Spy and the Pyro, you are your team's best hope in clearing enemy Sentry Guns and Heavies. A good team-mate for you is the Scout, who can capture a point or the Intelligence after you clear the enemy defenses, and help you battle enemy Engineers who will want to confront you directly.

While it is certainly both effective and necessary to Sticky-camp certain choke points in a map, this typically requires your active attention; you have to watch the area constantly to see if enemies pass within range of your Stickies. If you want to Sticky bomb something while still retaining the flexibility of being able move all around the map, try Sticky bombing objectives. While this seems obvious, the bonus is that the game automatically alerts you (one way or another) when your objective is under attack or being captured. When this happens, simply right-click and you'll often kill one or more enemies.

The Demoman has the only indirect fire weapon in the game meaning that he does not have to be able to see the enemy in order to hit him. Use this to your advantage!

When enemies see a heap of Sticky bombs piled at the end of a tunnel, they tend to avoid it. However, if you place your Sticky bombs all right on top of each other, less experienced enemies won't notice that it is actually multiple Stickies, not just one.

Try luring enemies into your Sticky bombs. Engage a lone enemy and, if the fight isn't going well, retreat around a corner (preferably a tunnel or narrow passage) where you have placed your Sticky bombs. Oftentimes your opponent, sensing victory, will chase you down. As soon as they walk around the corner, detonate your Sticky Bombs. Pyros are especially notorious for being all-too-eager to chase their enemies down. This technique is very effective when employed near a health and ammo spawn. Retreat back to the health box, detonate your enemy, reset your Sticky bombs, rinse, repeat.

The Grenade Launcher is very useful as a fire-support weapon. Instead of getting up in the enemies' face at the front of an assault, try hanging back near (but a little ahead of) the Snipers on your team. Fire your Grenade Launcher high into the air (45 degrees or higher) and launch all 4 shots in a row with a little bit of spread. Do this continually, using ammo boxes or Dispensers to maintain your ammo supply. This technique, dubbed "artillery," often results in extra kills and assists for Demomen while keeping him well out of the way of harm.

Grenades linger on the ground after bouncing. Keep in mind that just because an enemy isn't near where your grenades first bounce, doesn't mean an enemy won't run over them and take damage. In chaotic fights involving a lot of people, enemies often tend to ignore less immediate threats likes Demoman Grenades and instead focus on charging Pyros and Heavies. Punish them for it.

If your initial attack doesn't kill the enemy, your Grenade Launcher and Sticky bombs will often launch them away from you, giving you time to set up for another attack, while also forcing them to adjust their aim.

Your own Sticky bombs can be used to scatter enemy Sticky bomb carpets. Just plant a Sticky bomb or two in center of the minefield and detonate them. The enemy mines will scatter, making them less effective.

Remember that when shooting at moving opponents with the Grenade Launcher, you should aim ahead of where they are going in order to hit them dead on. Depending on distance, you should also aim up a little to account for the grenades' ballistic trajectory.

The Sticky bombs are one of the few weapons where you can see a Critical hit before it's taken. As you place them occasionally you will get an extra sparkly one. This causes a Critical hit. You can often use fewer stickies in one location if there's a critical sticky there.

In addition to being a good offense against Sentry Guns, Demomen are also good at assisting Engineers fight off enemy Spies. Place one or two sticky bombs near a building, then wait nearby. If you hear the Engineer say "Spy sapping my [building]," or if you see in the corner that an Engineer just knocked off multiple Sappers, then detonate the bombs and run back to set them back up.

A Demoman is the best counter for an ÜberCharge pair. Place a string of Sticky bombs on the ground to create a mine field. You can either detonate them just before the pair reaches the bombs, hoping to push them backward, or just after the first one crosses the bombs, hoping to separate the Medic from his ÜberCharge target. Even if they manage to regroup, they have lost precious seconds. You can also place Sticky bombs on walls or edges of bridges hoping to push them into corners or off bridges; use advance planning and creativity here.

You can place sticky bombs under an ÜberCharge pair, wait for the charge to wear off, and then immediately blow them up. This is especially useful for defending control points from an enemy breaking through with an ÜberCharge.

As a Demoman can only place eight stickies down at once, previously shot stickies blow up after you have gone passed this limit. The "self-detonating" stickies can still damage opponents, and could be a useful tactic for taking out incoming enemies while still attacking other enemies with new stickies.

The Grenade Launcher (primary weapon) has the additional advantage of not suffering from falloff damage. Only two other weapons in the game, the Sniper Rifle and the Pyro's Flare Gun, have this property. This means that your weapon is deadly at all ranges, and should be used to your advantage. For example, a Soldier has similar damage output and more health than you up close, but at long range his damage falls off to less than half of his point blank damage, while yours stays the same. As such it helps to get some range on Soldiers when fighting them.

When retreating from a lost fight through a tunnel or the pipes in 2Fort, the Grenade Launcher can easily finish off the pursuer. Using the Grenade Launcher in these types of area will give your enemy no place to run. This strategy isn't recommended against experienced Pyros, as the compression blast will bounce the grenade back at you, and your only option is to outrun the grenade or die.

Demomen wondering about the February 2009 Sticky bomb nerf should point their good eye to this official blog entry from Valve, which also explains valuable information about the damage falloff system behind stickies. Stickies still utilize range-dependent falloff damage when detonated in the first 5 seconds of their life (as they always have). However, fresh stickies are now "only" capable of up to 138 damage (they previously could do a whopping 180 damage if the Demoman and his target were close enough to the sticky).

In a one-on-one situation, one tactic is to damage the player until near death, then shoot one more sticky(don't detonate this one). Then pull out the melee and try to lure them into the previously placed sticky. Not many people expect this tactic, and works very well on classes that won't risk death(like medics).

Weapon Specific

Example Combinations
Combo			Usage
Grenade Launcher	Scottish Resistance	Scotsman's Skullcutter	For Demomen in defensive situations. The Scottish Resistance's ability to detonate groups of sticky bombs will come in handy when defending multiple chokepoints, and since speed isn't the most important thing in this role, the Scotsman's Skullcutter's extra damage can be useful when dealing with further threats.
Grenade Launcher	Chargin' Targe	Eyelander	An alternative way of playing the Demoman. Charging against enemies and decapitating them with the Eyelander is especially effective when dealing with slower enemies that are alone, and the Grenade Launcher can be used to pick off people at the other team while retreating from an attack.

Grenade Launcher

An easy weapon for the inexperienced to use which becomes deadly in the hands of an experienced player.

Grenades explode on contact with an enemy, provided they have not bounced first.

Grenades spin when fired, which sometimes causes them to bounce unpredictably. They do obey gravity (e.g. bouncing down slopes) and will bounce around corners and off walls. Predicting their direction after multiple bounces relies on knowing the area being attacked.

Like most other TF2 weapons, accuracy can only be relied on at close quarters. Grenades launch to the right of the cross-hair, so you should lead to the left to compensate. This is especially important for dealing with the faster classes such as Pyros and Scouts.

Grenades are affected by gravity. To shoot long distances it's often better to jump and fire than change the angle of fire much past 45 degrees.

But keep in mind that it is very easy to avoid your grenades at long and even medium range - because of grenades low speed enemy have a lot of time to react. High angle fire at long distance can help you to get enemy over a barrel.

If your enemy is about to run away, shoot one or two grenades at his escape route and only after that try to get a direct hit.

If a group of enemies are distracted, it's better to bounce it off a wall to get splash damage, but be careful not to miss as bouncing if off he ground at any angle makes the grenade dart forward.

Jumping on your own Grenade will provide a small jump but only a small one, perfect for small areas that don't need much of a blast to get to.

Grenade Jumping

For smaller jumps or when having a group of stickies already deployed elsewhere, it might be more beneficial to use Grenade Jumping. This way you would take slightly less damage, and placed stickies are left undetonated. YouTube video on various grenade jumps. Note that, obviously, grenade jumps are less practical than sticky bomb jumps in situations where enemies may be nearby due to the fact that one must wait for the grenade to explode.

Stickybomb Launcher

The use of Stickybombs is one of the defining features of advanced Demoman play. They are detonated by using your alternative fire (Default key mouse 2), no matter which weapon you are holding.

The basic rules for planting Sticky bombs are:

When guarding a capture point or the Intelligence, create a large blast radius by spreading out your Sticky bomb carpet.

After planting Sticky bombs around the Intelligence or a Control point, you can leave the area, listen for the announcements of "The enemy has taken our Intelligence" or "Our Control point is being captured" and detonate your Sticky bombs. Watch your total number of fired stickies, though, as the enemy could be destroying them behind your back before stepping onto the point.

When guarding other strategic locations place your Sticky bombs in locations that are either impossible to see until it's too late, or in well hidden/odd places (such as on ceilings, under stairs, above automatic doors etc.).

When attacking, place them where your opponent is heading.

Never forget that you can launch them across the visible distance of all but the most open maps. Aim for windows, Sniper ledges and other populated areas. When you have the trajectory right, lob in a few bombs and detonate them to clear the room.

If your Sticky bombs are clustered too closely, enemy Demomen can clear them away with a single Sticky. To counter this, spread them out whenever possible. Beware of Demomen carrying the Scottish Resistance.

Don't stand still if you're placing a lot of stickies near objectives such as the Payload cart or a control point. You will become susceptible to headshots and backstabs.

Place stickybombs around Health packs, particularly if they are inside buildings (e.g. under Control point A on Gravel Pit)

You can destroy enemy Sentry Guns by peeking out from a corner, firing a sticky bomb, retreating, and repeating until you have placed enough (3 stickies will destroy any level of Sentry Gun), then detonate them. This way, the Engineer cannot repair his Sentry Gun because the damage is dealt all at once. Don't take too long, or the Engineer may draw his Shotgun and/or Pistol and destroy the stickies before you can detonate them.

An easier way to destroy the Sentry Gun is to get to such an angle that you can place the stickies next to the Sentry Gun. You might need a few more stickies, but it is less likely that the Engineer will be able to shoot them all away.

If an enemy engages you in close quarters, you may retreat by moving backward, dropping stickybombs at your feet. If he continues pursuit, detonate.

If an enemy is on the control point, wait a second before detonating, as they may have seen them and be trying to fake you out.

If you know you're about to die, detonate what stickies you have. You might catch someone in the blast. It is better to have a small chance of killing an enemy than no chance at all if you die and lose your placed sticky bombs.

Scottish Resistance

The SR is far more effective on defense than the normal sticky launcher because of the large number of bombs it can place (currently 14) and the fact that you can detonate whatever group of bombs you are looking at.
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 your retreat route you can nearly singlehandedly hold a position. Detonate individual main groups to take out incoming enemies, and if a Scout/Pyro gets past you can lure them into your secondary traps.
The longer arming time prevents the SR from being used to deal damage as quickly as the normal Sticky Launcher, and it also is much less able to use airbursts. This has led to the conventional wisdom that the SR is only useful for creating traps. This is no longer the case now that the SR has gained a 25% faster firing rate. While the bombs now arm even 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 actually possible to place bombs around any enemy player(s) quickly and then detonate once several stickies are out. This has the effect of rapidly denying enemies room to maneuver, and almost guarantees that enemies in the area being carpeted will take at least some damage once the carpet is detonated. This technique works best in areas where space is already limited, such as hallways. Also, 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. Finally, this method of attack works wonders against unaware opponents, since many players are oblivious to Stickies being placed around them until it's too late.
You still need to be wary of your own bombs as you would be with detonating normal stickies. Bombs close to you, whether or not you're looking at them, will still detonate. (otherwise you can't stickyjump)
While the SR does require the user to be looking in the general direction of the bombs they set, they do not have to be looking directly AT the bombs in question. Even if you don't have a direct line-of-sight to your bombs, you can still detonate them, no-matter where you are on the map, provided you turn to look in the general direction of your trap(s). This can prove invaluable if someone begins capturing a Control Point or takes your Intelligence while you're busy chasing down an opponent or otherwise pre-occupied elsewhere.
While you cannot detonate all of your SR sticky-bombs at once, you can detonate them in rapid succession by holding down the detonate key (Right-Mouse Button by default) and swinging your view across all of your stickybombs.
Remember that the SR can destroy enemy stickybombs. This is quite useful on offense despite the SR's obvious defensive applications. This is especially true on Attack/Defend maps and Payload maps where enemy Demomen often lay Sticky bombs outside the starting gates. Also, if you see an enemy Über Demo coming to destroy your teams Sentry Guns placing a few quick bombs of your own can nullify the charge.
The SR can be used offensively when trying to capture a control point,because it can hold more stickies you can try to put 4 close to the walls around the 2 sides in Granary and 6 on the doors. You will most likely get some kills.
The SR is useful for defending Engineer nests. Since it can destroy enemy stickybombs, it will be useful if you put 3-5 stickies around the buildings of the Engineer and activating them if a Demo tries to destroy it with the sticky launcher. This is also useful for dealing with Spies placing Sappers.
The SR is not the best weapon for taking down a heavy because of its 0.8 second delay to detonate, so it will be preferred to use the Grenade Launcher.
The SR is great for blocking the retreat path of the enemies and killing them when they are trying to get to the health kit.
Carpeting an area with SR bombs, such as the area around the second point on Fastlane, will give you essentially explosions on demand, allowing you to gib anyone within your line of sight. A high vantage point will help.

Sticky Jumper

The Sticky Jumper is a weapon used with training sticky jumping. However there are some advantage over the normal Stickybomb Launcher if you want to use it in serious online play.
It makes you unable to do any damage to the enemy with the stickies so you should use the Grenade Launcher on enemies instead.
This weapon won't cause you any damage from the jumps which you can use as an advantage to make many tricky jumps to confuse your enemy.
With the Sticky Jumper you can do high 8-sticky jumps without the need of a Medic using their valuable ÜberCharge on you.
Using this with the Pain Train can make you as effective pointcapturer as a Scout due to you being able to perform jumps at high speed on capture point and capture it with 2x capture speed.
The Sticky Jumper will remove any self-explosion damage meaning you won't take any damage from grenades either. You can use the Grenade Launcher at close range now and also perform pipe jumps without damage from pipes.
Due to the similar appearance with the Stickybomb Launchers you can make "fake sticky traps" if you have it equipped. If the enemy sees stickies on the ground they usually won't proceed and will go back to find a different way. Use this to confuse the enemy.
With 75 health penalty you will die easily. Make sure you have health packs or a Medic near you.
It might not be wise to use this weapon with the Eyelander because of its health penalty. The penalties will lower your health to 75 which is the smallest amount of health in the game. (the 100 is except for the Rocket Jumper -100 health bonus also the smallest amount in the game)
Capturing the intelligence can be easy with the Sticky Jumper. Capture the intelligence and make a quick sticky jump getaway.

Stickybomb Jumping

Sticky jumping is similar to Rocket jumping, but you can go much higher and you also lose more health (45-114 excluding fall damage). To do this, lay a sticky at your feet, run over it, jump, and then detonate your sticky. Like when Rocket Jumping, if you crouch in mid-air before setting off your sticky, you go much higher. You can also use multiple stickies for an even greater effect, at the cost of a higher amount of self damage (E.g. You can launch yourself from battlement to battlement in 2Fort). Sticky Jumping with the Scottish Resistance does not require facing the stickies in question. Instead, any stickies directly under the Demoman will be detonated when the alternate fire is activated, so long as there are no other stickies in the reticule. However, jumps with a lot of forward momentum are difficult to achieve with the Scottish Resistance unless you look at the sticky bomb you are using to jump -- essentially you will be facing away from the direction you wish to go when you detonate. This can take some practice to get used to.

Chargin' Targe

A simple shield, just equipping it gives the Demoman resistance to both explosions and fire. A Demoman at full health - even with the Eyelander equipped - can survive a critical rocket if they have the Targe equipped.

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, as the 'Red Zone' will only be active during the last 25% of the Charge.
Try to attack enemies that are unaware of your presence. Getting behind a Soldier or Medic and charging will result in an easy kill.
Charging down long hallways can force enemies back as well as give you a chance at a few kills.
If you're in danger or on fire, use the charge to quickly move out of the battle zone to find a Medic or Health pack.
The very end of your charge grants you a Critical hit with whatever melee weapon you are using. Using this critical in conjunction with the Eyelander can result in an instant kill for every class except for the Heavy and Soldier (it will leave the Soldier with 5 health left). Demoman, Pyro and Medic can survive if they are fully overhealed (A Demoman can also survive if he has collected enough heads).
The Chargin' Targe does deal damage if you come into contact with an enemy at the end of your charge. This shield bash deals a good amount of damage (50 + 10 for each head you have taken, up to 5 heads), useful for finishing off targets you have struck with the Grenade Launcher.
The Targe gives you a resistance to fire and explosive damage, but not to bullets and other projectiles. Keep this in mind when charging at Heavies, Scouts, or any players that have a Shotgun equipped.
Do not attempt to charge Heavies unless they are distracted by other teammates or you know they are very weak. The Heavy's Minigun fire is very effective at close range, and if they have Natascha equipped, you will effectively be slowed to a stand still. If you are hit with Natascha, your only real chances are to either crawl to cover or to spam grenades in hopes of killing the Heavy first.
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 Sticky bombs will all interrupt your charge.
Generally don't try to charge enemy who are aware of your presence and can see the beginning of your charge. Simple strafing will help enemy to avoid your attack and make you vulnerable.
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 80% faster than the Scout. Using this sudden burst of speed to retreat can mean the difference between waiting to recharge, and waiting to respawn.
A charge can be useful even if one is wielding the Grenade Launcher. The Charge itself will do a significant amount of damage to an enemy if you can hit them with it, and you can follow up with a volley of close range grenades that the Targe will shield you from (any grenades fired near the end of the charge will not be made critical by the charge, despite the Crit effect shown).
It is recommended that you use a melee weapon for the charge apposed to the Grenade Launcher, as the Grenade Launcher will do normal damage, regardless of how long you charged.
A common technique to use with the Chargin' Targe is to fire off grenades from behind obstacles and other such objects to catch someone's attention, then charge around the object to catch them off guard in their pursuit.
If you notice a large group of enemies that has not spotted you yet, charge towards them and fire off a few grenades from your Grenade Launcher. Hitting them with a critical grenade at the start will serve to take out the weaker enemies, and leaving the stronger opponents more vulnerable. This option is far preferable to using your melee weapon since you can kill multiple enemies at a time.
Another use for using the Grenade Launcher while charging is if you get spotted by enemies. You can abort your charge while firing whatever strength grenade, regular, Mini-Crit, or critical, you may have saved up from your charge. This is faster than using a melee weapon to cancel your charge and will allow you to get to cover faster.

Bottle / Frying Pan

The Demoman's Melee weapon, the Scrumpy Bottle, is valuable as an emergency fall-back, and the only 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).
The Bottle may break on a hit. This is purely visual and has no game effect.
The Bottle can also be used for Spy checking, as it is safer to use than your other weapons in close quarters.
The Bottle has no drawbacks, unlike the Eyelander and the Pain Train so if you aren't planning on bludgeoning enemy players with a melee, it is best to go with this.

Here's a list of priorities and penalties against the Eyelander.

*shared penalties:
 *minor health penalty.
*shared priorities:
 *Long Range.
*Eyelander priorities:
 *ability to gain max health and speed.
 *ability to switch from the Chargin' Targe and still keep gained health and speed.
*Scrumpy Bottle/Pain Train priorities:
 *Random crits on regular hits.

Eyelander / Horseless Headless Horsemann's Headtaker

In most cases, the Eyelander should not be used without the Chargin' Targe. However, a Demoman with 4 decapitations and a Sticky Launcher is a massive threat. Head count is not reset until death, so a smart Demoman can use the Chargin' Targe until he accumulates 4 heads, then return to a resupply cabinet and switch to the sticky 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.
This strategy will not work if "Automatically respawn after loadout changes in respawn zones" is checked in Options->Multiplayer->Advanced, as changing weapons respawns the player and resets the player's head count.
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.
Don't try to use the Eyelander all the time, you should have the Grenade Launcher out and be proficient with it. Use the Eyelander when you can get your enemy by surprise, cornered them or once your charge meter is full again (listen for the beep sound).
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.

Decapitation

This taunt kill can be used to kill enemies with one hit. It can be used for very distracted enemies although the taunt animation takes time and leaves you completely vulnerable which is why it is a very risky strategy to kill enemies.
A decapitation will add 1 to your Eyelander head count.

Pain Train

The Pain Train is situational. It is best used on capture point and Payload, especially when the enemy defenses are about to fall.
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. Especially if you're using the Chargin' Targe as well, as Pyros and Soldiers if they see you with it might forgo their primary weapons for the Shotgun to kill you faster.

For standard melee tactics, see the Scrumpy Bottle entry, as they both do the same damage and attack at the same rate (see the Chargin' Targe entry for using melee weapons with it).

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 Sticky bomb 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 all the more dangerous for you, so it is best to keep alert when attempting to do this and use stickies to lock down the point's entrances.

The Pain Train makes you slightly more vulnerable to any enemies that use bullets regularly: Scouts, Heavies, Engineers, Spies and Snipers.

The Pain Train is useless in Capture the Flag or when defending an Attack/Defend Control Point map. Equip another melee weapon instead.

Scotsman's Skullcutter

The Skullcutter is of good use in two situations: in conjunction with the Chargin' Targe, or when playing defensively, and confining yourself to a specific area (such as the Flag Room of a CTF map.)

When combined with the guaranteed Critical hit of the Chargin' Targe, the Skullcutter is capable of killing any class (due to a Critical hit doing 234 damage), save perhaps for an Overhealed Soldier (200 to 300 health), or a Heavy (300 to 450 if overhealed), in a single blow. However, the skullcutter does not collect 'Heads' as the Eyelander does despite the Decapitation animation it triggers, and as such will not add to your speed, health, or the impact damage of the Targe's shield-bash attack.

The charge speed when the skullcutter is equipped is reduced to 638 hammer units, which is still fairly fast but makes it easier for faster or more alert enemies to evade your charge. Because of this, it becomes a larger priority to choose your targets carefully, and maintain the element of surprise as often as possible (guaranteeing a higher success rate if you do).

With the skullcutter it becomes possible to charge Heavies and kill them without taking damage fairly easily, due to the fact that a Critical hit and another hit will do over 300 damage. However, if they have a Medic then it is generally discouraged as they will still have around 200 HP after taking a Crit (assuming they have been overhealed fully) and will be able to kill you easily if you do not get a second Critical hit post-charge.

The Skullcutter's lowered speed makes the Demoman less suitable for attacking teams, try to use the Skullcutter defensively.

Map Specific

Well

To defend the second point on Well, place your Stickybombs on the ceiling above the Control point. They will be hard to see and very difficult to remove. A single detonation will clear the Control point if you have them spaced correctly.

When assaulting the middle point, fire Stickybombs at it when entering the area. You can then use these to clear the Control point or defend it for your team.

Place Sticky bombs on the blind sides of the pillars in the second room when the Control point is already covered. These pillars are typically used to hide behind by teams assaulting the Control point.

Place lines of Sticky bombs along the sides of the boxcars. Attackers typically skirt along these as cover from Snipers.

Hydro

The key to proper Demoman play on Hydro is staying alive. The maps are small, and keeping your Control point defended with a carpet of Sticky bombs is essential.

When the sewer entrances are open, placing Stickybombs immediately around the corner (on the wall by the health pack) will allow you to kill attackers, while also preventing them from healing.

Place Sticky bombs on the catwalks and other high locations. These can launch people into the air, making them easy targets for others or leading to death by falling.

Another good place for stickies are on the ceiling of the radar dish control point.

Dustbowl

While defending the first point of Dustbowl, cover the back entrance to the point. Scouts sometimes stand on the point under the stairway, hidden from view.

If you defend the first point by staying on the ramp leading to the mines, you can retreat if the enemy captures the first point. While retreating, place two Sticky bombs at each corner of the mine path. If you do this properly, you'll end up with four Sticky bombs left. Place these behind the mine cart and wait.

At the beginning of the second section, place Stickybombs next to both exits from the enemy spawn.

On the second section of Dustbowl, place Stickybombs on the wall between the stairs and the back entrance to the first point. This defends both ways at once, and has the advantage of your Stickybombs being hard to see.

When defending the second capture point on stage 2, protect your team's Sentry Guns by placing your Stickybombs as a mine field around them. Then listen for friendly Engineers saying "Spy sapping my Sentry Gun"; when they do, detonate to kill the Spy.

When defending stage 2 cap 2, place Stickybombs by the rock pile. This is a popular place for attackers due to its large Med kit.

The third section consists of corridors and blind turns. Use these to your advantage by placing Stickybombs at blind spots.

If attacking Stage 1 Cap 1, toss grenades into the windows of the main shed. This should elimnate any sentrys on the stairwell as well as any RED team users trying to protect their point. Stickybombs work better for this, but since stickybombs needed denaoting and have a worse aim, emeny players are sure to attack you.

If attacking Stage 1 Cap 2, directly after entering the automatic grate doors, lob some grenades into the capture room. This will weaken the enemies defenses. It's also good to place sticky bombs on bottom of the stairs, any enemies trying to eliminate you will be blown to bits.

Granary

Rush to the top of the ramp overlooking the middle point. From here you can easily lob stickies and control the middle.

Place Sticky bombs over any of the large open arches in the map. These Stickybombs can't be seen by advancing enemies.

When on the offensive on Granary, get to the blind spots before your enemy.

Gravel Pit

When defending Point B, remember that the entire room counts as the point, so spread your Stickybombs out as much as possible.

Grenade jump onto the roof of Point B, and rain Stickybombs and Grenades down upon advancing enemies.

Place Stickybombs around the attacking team's exits. They should need to be low enough that the enemy can't see them, you can then take out anything that comes toward the point you're defending.

When defending the last point, remember that you can launch your Stickybombs long distances. You do not need to be up at the top in order to replace them.

2Fort

All enemies entering your fort will have to pass through the Courtyard to access the Intelligence, with the exception of Soldiers, Scouts, and other Demomen. This makes it an ideal spot for a Demoman to set up Sticky bombs. Above each of the two ground-floor doorways, and on the wall between those doorways, these are hard to spot. Enemies entering the room generally stick close to the wall to avoid Sentry Gun fire from above. Scouts can sometimes slip in before you see them, but Stickybombs on the wall between the doors will still stand a good chance of taking them out.

If the enemy manages to get your Intelligence, place Stickybombs at the top of the long stairs and in the doorway of the spiral. By standing in the hay room and watching the Intelligence compass, you can accurately predict when and from which exit the enemy will appear.

When the Intelligence has been dropped, the enemy may make a dash to retrieve it before the timer resets. Drop Sticky bombs around the exposed Intelligence and wait. Often even visible Sticky bombs will be ignored by Scouts rushing the Intelligence. Detonate and repeat. If you are under fire, move out of sight and listen for the alert, or watch the Intelligence compass to know when the Intelligence is being picked up.

Intelligence room. Place Stickybombs on the closer walls (the sides that aren't immediately visible), and then by standing outside of the Intelligence room you can accurately gauge when to detonate them. If they go for you instead, retreat into the Intelligence room, and detonate the Stickybombs behind you.

The roof of the bridge is capped on each end by a triangle-shaped piece of wood. This area cannot be seen by approaching enemies. By placing Stickybombs here, you can eliminate open travel across the bridge (eight Stickybombs in this position will kill a fully healed Heavy Medic combo).

Spycheck in water: In 2Fort there are always Spy's creeping in the sewers. To prevent your impending doom, simply place (2-3) sticky bombs in front of you and keep walking. Once you are just past the bombs, detonate them and you will usually kill a Spy.

Place Stickybombs above each of the main entrances to your enemy's base or the entrances to your own.

Standing on the grate next to the hay loft allows you to rain Grenades and place Stickybombs in the area below and affords you some protection from incoming enemy fire.

In the Intelligence room, place Sticky bombs so that they appear to be right inside the Intelligence, hidden from view, and stay in the room and detonate when a Scout attempts to take it. Watch out, because critical sticky bombs can ruin this tactic, since their glow will be visible causing the Scout to hunt you down before attempting to take the Intelligence.

Badwater Basin

The first area of Badwater Basin is a good place for Demomen as the blind spot the hill creates for both teams gives you an opportunity to make the enemy's side into a no-go zone by firing stickies to stop them coming over the hill and then grenades over the hill to hopefully score some kills and at least deter enemy players.

On attack the various rocks and outcrops present in the first area provide good cover from Sentry Guns when trying to take them out with stickybombs, and the corners next to them will often allow you to use splash damage and make the job easier.

The wideness of the map can also come into play, as a Sentry Gun's effective range on either side of the area only covers roughly half of the map's width. This means you can have a direct line of sight to a Sentry Gun and still destroy it from outside your range. Do not, however, stay still for too long if you do this as you may be sniped or noticed by closer enemy players.

Using the Chargin' Targe is a risky prospect on this point as there will usually be a Sentry Gun covering where enemy players are moving around, meaning that any chances to take a lone target out might be cut short by Sentry Gun fire. If you do use the Targe, try to keep to areas the Sentry Guns don't cover, and target enemies on their own, occasionally sacrificing yourself if you feel you can kill a key player like a good Sniper or a fully charged Medic. The same applies on defense, but you will have more freedom as there will be no predictable Sentry Guns to limit your actions.

Laying stickies on the rocks and cliffs outside the BLU spawn will allow you to get a few easy and often useful kills on defense, as you can potentially kill anybody who dares to try coming up the path on the right side. This tactic works even better with the Scottish Resistance, as you will be able to lay stickies there AND on the cliffs where you will be watching from so if anybody makes it past your first trap, you can surprise them at the second or even third if you lay that many. The same tactic works well too at the exit to the tunnel, putting some stickies around the rim of the tunnel exit and also on the rocks next to the capture point to consecutively thin out their charges.

The second point will almost always have a Sentry Gun or two to destroy on the offensive team, so be sure to pack a sticky launcher (preferably the standard one, as this gives Pyros less time to airblast them away from the Sentry Gun).

The corners that punctuate the routes to the second point and roof can also be used to your advantage, as you can potentially fire stickies or grenades around the corner and use splash damage to destroy the Sentry Gun and Engineer setup with ease (this also means you won't need an Über to deal with Sentry Guns unless the RED team's usual blind spots are being continuously patrolled).

An attacking Demoman on the building at the back of the courtyard can lob grenades over onto the roof and destroy any Engineer building covering the cart. However, due to the covered routes towards it, you may be flanked by a Scout, Spy or Pyro, as well as rocket/sticky-jumping Soldiers and Demomen.

When you have taken the roof, lay stickies at the top of the rear stairs to stop the RED team coming up to reclaim the roof and watch out for rocketjumping Soldiers trying to surprise you. Otherwise, fire grenades down onto any Sentry Guns or Snipers on the ground level to give your team a window of opportunity to push the cart in.

If you are defending the second point as a Demoman, use stickies to lock down any doors or corridors leading to the roof and if you have the Scottish Resistance, also try to put some stickies on the alcove next to the cart tracks on the left as it serves as a blind spot for the BLU team.

If an Über pushes onto the roof, try directly hitting either the Medic or their patient with grenades or stickies as you might be able to bounce them off the roof and completely waste their efforts. Otherwise, just ricochet grenades into the corridors and doorways to damage people trying to edge around the corner.

The third point area is good for a Demoman on BLU as it is long enough to lob grenades down and hurt or deter any enemies around the corners next to the third point itself. The upper right and cart track entrances to the main third point area aren't ideal to push in as they're chokepoints that will likely be subject to enemy Demomen and Soldiers. The top left can be accessed and fired from more easily, but you might run the risk of being sniped or grenaded from long distance.

The third point may have a Sentry Gun on either side of the capture point itself. If this is the case, use three or four stickies to blow up the Sentry Guns with splash damage, or if you are Übered run out and directly attack them to act as a distraction and allow your team to push.

Defending the third point area can be done with either the Chargin' Targe or stickybombs, as the vertical drops let you ambush your enemies effectively (Targe) and the various chokepoints and doorways can be locked down to limit enemy movements (stickies).

When using the Targe, be alert as to whether there are any enemies hiding around the right corner in the courtyard as they might hinder your chances of scoring heads.

When using the Stickybomb Launcher or Scottish Resistance, be sure to keep your eyes on the doors you have laid trapss around and lay suppressing fire with the Grenade Launcher as necessary should too many enemies try pushing in for your traps to handle. You can also attach stickies to the wall next to the third capture point to stop any enemies from hiding behind the cart, though they are easy to spot on the wooden texture the wall has.

The last point is where an attacking Demoman can almost freely cross the map with the aid of his sticky launcher. By doing a single or double sticky jump, it is possible to land next to the main sniping spots of the RED team and kill any Snipers preventing your team from advancing.

The Sentry Guns positioned underneath the overhangs and out of your sight can be easily destroyed with stickies as usual, and often they will be so close to the edge of the corner that you will not need an Über.

It is recommended to not use the Scottish Resistance at this point, as if the RED team try to push you back you will only have to look at one particular chokepoint, namely the one at the top of the hill (though it can be used for destroying enemy sticky traps, they're likely to be relaid as soon as you do so).

On RED you should stay away from using the Targe as once again the areas where enemies are will be through several chokepoints, those of which are often covered by multiple people or Sentry Guns.

Instead, use the normal sticky launcher to lay traps on individual doors (like those in the left corridors with the windows), destroy Sentry Guns with ÜberCharge pushes (one of which is likely to be situated in the above right door through the ramp chokepoint) and to generally prevent the enemy from standing at the top of the ramp and firing down the ramp.

If you have a Kritzkrieg Medic charged and ready, wait for some BLU players to start pushing the cart around the corner and start firing critical stickies at them, airburst detonating them if you can. As a result of the tight space between the cart and the walls and the massive damage, it is extremely likely you will get at least one or two kills, and in the worst case scenario scare enemies off the cart (watch out for airblasting Pyros also, in the unlikely event one of them reflects a Crit sticky back at you and scores a rare reflect sticky kill).

Gorge

Gorge is a very Demoman friendly map at times, with many tight doorways that are ideal for setting sticky traps around, and some long straights for Targe users. Both of these tactics can work for either team, but as the RED team readily has access to the entire map at the start of the round, they can tread in a larger area safely than the BLU team initially can.

Attack

In terms of Sentry Gun placement, in the first yard there may be a Sentry Gun in the top left windows or on the exact opposite side, behind the wall on the right. To attack the windows, stay fairly close to the building and fire Grenades and Stickies directly up, using your splash damage to compensate for the lack of direct hits. The right Sentry Gun can be dealt with by either firing stickies around the corner, or stickyjumping over the walls and into the next point area to attack from behind.

The wide open space here makes the Targe useful, and the width of the map is enough so that you can easily cross with a single charge. Use this to your advantage, and surprise faraway Medics or Soldiers trying to hold the other spawn doors down.

You can stickyjump up to the walkways where the enemy Snipers will sometimes stand. This will not be possible if there is a Sentry Gun in the way, but if you can you can fire Grenades directly down onto the RED team and then quickly proceed through the top left window room to the point.

The main bridge point will have at least one or two Sentry Guns guarding it, usually next to the crates or in the far left window. Use long range Grenades or an ÜberCharge with stickies to dispose of these quickly.

You can access the area behind the RED team via the far left walkway. Unlike other classes, who face the risk of being sniped as they run to the far left side, a simple stickyjump will allow you to move quickly and somewhat safely to the health kit on the left.

When stickyjumping around this open point, be careful not to fly into the range of any enemy Sentry Guns that have yet to be destroyed. Otherwise, it is likely you will be shot out of the air before you can land.

If your team is capturing the point, be sure to fire grenades and stickies at the right garage door to deny the RED team access to the area. This will increase your team's chances of getting the point captured, and also deter any potential threats (such as an incoming Kritzkrieg) from storming in.

The corridors linking the two points are great for Targe Demomen, as they are long and straight enough to accommodate your charge well while also preventing enemy players from escaping a melee fight due to the tight space(which your Eyelander/Skullcutter will grant you an advantage in).

When attacking the last point, fire grenades from high ground to attack Sentry Guns below the point's overhang and harass any Engineers trying to hold their ground there.

You may use the upper left walkways to fire grenades and stickies down from (useful as the long distance is irrelevant due to the lack of falloff for both these weapons), but be careful of any RED Soldiers or Demomen trying to jump up and pin you down or retake the top area (if you can tell this is about to be attempted, lay a stickytrap on the walkways so that when they land they'll be easily blown up).

Defense

The Scottish Resistance is fairly useful on defense if only because there are always a few multiple entrances to the main areas, and you will have enough stickies to cover at least two or three of them sufficiently. Try to hide these stickies around corners or on props to minimize the chance of them being spotted.

Use grenades and stickies in combination with a Kritzkrieg to fire directly into the enemy spawn, abusing the splash damage to hit enemies for high damage around corners. This will halt their efforts to push out for a good 30 seconds, plenty of time for more defenses to be set up and your teammates to maintain them.

Lay traps in the hut with the health and ammo kits. This will make for a nasty surprise should anybody on the enemy team retreat in there while weakened.

At the main point area, keep pressure on the enemy team by firing grenades and stickies into either side of the interior area and also at the top of the stairs to maintain a chokepoint.

When the point is being captured, use Stickies (or, even better, Stickies with a Kritzkrieg) to clear the point from the left or right garages. This will be a quick and easy way to kill most of the enemy team, and hold the point for longer should your teammates need to build defenses at the last point.

The corridors between the points are perfect for the Scottish Resistance as the various corners each corridor turns into can be used for trap layering. Try to mix your trap spots up a little, so the enemy don't catch on and go an alternate route.

You can stickyjump up to the far right walkways as well as any of the upper level walkways to surprise the BLU team and deny them access to the upper areas. This will cut out one of the potential angles of attack for them, and so make the rest of your team's job a whole lot easier.

Should the BLU team push onto the point, stand to the sides above the point and fire stickies down to blow enemies off the point. Alternatively, if you have the Targe then dive in and block the point for your team, while also getting a head or two in the process should you survive.

Junction

Junction is an excellent map for Demomen as the tight spaces make sticky traps and grenades much harder to evade for your enemies. As such, do not use the Chargin' Targe as there is not enough open space around the map to warrant its use effectively.
Remember the richocheting properties of grenades here, as many potential Sentry Gun spots can be reached by bouncing them off of adjacent or nearby walls or pillars.

Attack

At A, your main role will be to deal with any Sentry Guns that have been set up around the point (one of the most popular places being overlooking the entire area from the safety of the point itself). To deal with them, use the lower left spawn door to come out on a set of stairs where you can crouch and safely arc grenades at any faraway defenses (when doing this, be careful of Pyros or Spies waiting to ambush you on the computer terminals outside the door).

It would also benefit your team to leave or stand at the edge of the point when the coast is clear and laying traps on the door to C. This will stop the RED team rushing in to try and retake the point, or allow you to kill them if they do not notice the stickies.
Make use of the tight corridors leading up to the point by firing grenades in there while your team captures the point. Once again, this acts as a deterrent for the enemy team and takes advantage of the tight space via splash damage.

If you want to keep yourself safe but still protect the point, stickyjump to the ledge opposite the point. It is rarely checked by the enemy team unless they know you have been using it, and allows you to watch over both the door to C and your team as they capture the point (you can later use this ledge to access a corridor to C, though it is of limited usefulness).

When attacking B, make sure there are no Sentry Guns before storming in without an ÜberCharge. You can use the windows next to the spawn doors to check this, but be warned, as the enemy team can also see you checking and will know where you're going to come out of the spawn.

If possible, try to access the B area from the connecting corridor from A, or from the rear area behind C. This will prevent the RED team from seeing you coming in, and may also allow you to kill any Engineers behind Sentry Guns quickly and safely.

When capturing B, again put a sticky trap around the doorway to C, but try to vary the location of the trap somewhat if you have to reset your trap multiple times (or if you are using the Scottish Resistance). This will prevent the enemy from catching on to your plan, and so you can kill them much earlier or later than they would expect otherwise.

If you are using the Scottish Resistance, you can layer your traps to progressively wear down any pushes towards the point as it is being captured. To do this, simply place a few stickies on one of the doors connecting to C, then a few on a door nearer the point, and so on. Be sure to pick areas where you will know when it is the right time to detonate, and to leave them up even when the point is captured to deny the enemy access to your lines.

Attacking C will be incredibly difficult without an ÜberCharge ready to use, as there will almost always be at least one Sentry Gun covering the entire area (usually on the walkway next to the point room). If the Sentry Gun is shifted to one side of the area, try to fire grenades at long range from one of the doors at the opposite end of the area, or back up anybody trying to take it out by firing simultaneously (thus damaging it faster than the Engineer can repair it).

When capturing the point, but stickies outside the doors to the point room. This will at the very least prevent Pyros from rushing in and wreaking havoc with their flames, as well as any other enemies trying to run in.

Defense

This map is practically made for the Scottish Resistance, as its numerous doorways to each point and tight space make multiple sticky traps a godsend. Try to use layered traps as much as possible, and take advantage of the various alcoves to hide stickies in.

Keep stickies on the BLU spawn doors as much as possible, and reset said traps immediately once they have been detonated. This will always act as a deterrent to the BLU team from coming via the easiest way, and will prompt them to try coming through alternate pathways (most of which are typically difficult for them to access).

If you have the time, lay sticky traps in less obvious spots directly on the point you are defending. This means that in the worst case scenario, with the BLU team being in the process of capturing the point, you can detonate them to posible stop the capture, kill one or two people or heavily damage them.

You can also stand away from either of the points as they are being captured and fire grenades and offensive stickies through the doors, possibly richocheting the grenades off walls as necessary. Using this method also reduces the amount of damage you take as a result, but utilizing the Demoman's indirect fire capabilities.

At C, the Scottish Resistance truly shines, as it has a large amount of small doorways and tight corridors leading to the main area from the other points. Always keep stickies hidden around the most common entrances (the far left stairs and windows and right side doors) and stay alert as to when to detonate which traps where (it may be useful to stand directly on the point when doing this, as you will be completely unreachable to the enemy team, aside from Spies or Scouts with Bonk! creeping in).

Laying stickies on the walkways around the point room also helps, as they prevent anybody from safely entering the capture zone and force them to either destroy them, airblast them away or take the risk of running over them (which will kill them if you are about to detonate).

Pipeline

General

Your specialty on this map is to clear the enemy cart with Grenades or Stickies. Wait for the opposing team to bunch up on the cart before launching your attack.

Consider using the Scottish Resistance if you are going to focus on defense so that you can cover the many pathways simultaneously.

Keep an eye out for enemy Snipers. Your lack of a decent long-range weapon makes it difficult to effectively attack back, save with grenade spam or the occasional charged Sticky.

Section 1

Stickies around the center door are hard to see and very effective in deterring enemy assaults. Consider saving the Stickies for any Medics with an ÜberCharge or Kritzkrieg ready to blunt their offense.

Watch for any enemies using the side route to get behind your team. Be sure to warn your teammates if anyone is spotted up there.

Stickies on the enemy exit door out of the spawn is a very effective tactic, though some may consider it spawn camping even though there is another exit.

Section 2

The long, wide cart track does not favour your stickies or pipe bombs, the enemy can simply move away before they get there. Focus on clearing the cart or destroying Sentry Gun nests where you know the enemy will congregate.

There are far too many side routes to defend effectively with only the Sticky Launcher. The Scottish Resistance may be a better choice if you focus on defense.

Section 3

The exit from the enemy spawn by the cart starting location is an ideal spot for a Sticky trap, especially at the start of the round.

With enemies on their cart, stay below the track and lob explosives upwards onto it to confuse and kill them.

Move to the highest point at the end of the tracks for an ideal location to shoot explosives at the enemies below you.

Community Demoman strategy

Contents

General

Weapon Specific

Bottle / Frying Pan

Eyelander / Horseless Headless Horsemann's Headtaker

Map Specific

Attack

Defense

Attack

Defense

General

Section 1

Section 2

Section 3

See also

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