The Spy is a cunningly swift espionage agent bent on stabbing everyone's back. The Spy's primary attack is his backstab ability which allows him to instantly kill any class in one hit from behind. The best defense against a Spy is good observational skills; Spies only have so many ways to infiltrate your team and experienced players can usually detect them if there is little to no combat occurring at the time. When caught, most Spies will try and escape rather than engage in a fight because of their limited attack capability. Keep in mind that Spies have different ways of cloaking and backstabbing, including the ability to fake their own death. Pyros are generally considered the first defense against enemy Spies due to their great Spy checking ability.
General
Role
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- Spies will usually try to get behind your team with his ability to Cloak and Disguise. Run and fire around corners and props in order to expose any cloaked Spies; should you find one, alert your team and try to kill him before he does any damage.
- Disguised Spies will not act like your teammates do; Spy-check often to avoid becoming the victim of an unnoticed enemy Spy.
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Health
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- The Spy is quite weak, with only 125 health points. Once he is spotted, he should not be difficult to kill. However, he may fake his death using the Dead Ringer, so remain on guard.
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Speed
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- Spies move at the speed of the class that they are disguised as, unless that class is faster than they are.
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Power
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- The Spy is quite weak by himself, but if he passes by undetected, he can kill players instantly with a backstab. He also has the ability to see the health of enemy players, allowing him to pick off weakened enemies with his Revolver.
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Weapon-specific
Secondary weapons
Melee weapons
Knife + reskins
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- If you hear the screams of teammates behind you and notice their deaths as backstabs on the kill feed, turn around immediately to avoid being the next victim of a Spy ambush. The Knife does less damage than most other classes' melee weapons, so attack a Spy head on to discourage him from switching to his Revolver.
- Always keep an eye on the Spy while in close quarters combat; one false turn will give him a chance to backstab you.
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![Item icon Your Eternal Reward.png](/w/images/thumb/d/d3/Item_icon_Your_Eternal_Reward.png/100px-Item_icon_Your_Eternal_Reward.png) Your Eternal Reward + reskins
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- Be careful traveling alone, as a Spy using this weapon can instantly replace you without your team realizing it. Traveling in a line is also very dangerous, especially if no one watches the back. As such, communication is vital.
- As Your Eternal Reward prevents use of the Disguise Kit, have your team set up multiple Sentry Guns to limit where enemy Spies can lurk for their first backstab(s).
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![Conniver's Kunai](/w/images/thumb/0/02/Item_icon_Conniver%27s_Kunai.png/100px-Item_icon_Conniver%27s_Kunai.png) Conniver's Kunai
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- If a Spy wielding the Conniver's Kunai has just left his team's base, he should be relatively easy to kill; if left unchecked, he could become a more formidable foe. You can locate one of these Spies by the presence of Overheal on an injured "teammate."
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![Big Earner](/w/images/thumb/c/c9/Item_icon_Big_Earner.png/100px-Item_icon_Big_Earner.png) Big Earner
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- The Big Earner is similar to the L'Etranger, where a Spy will use either one (or both) to use hit-and-run tactics against your team; he becomes even more problematic if he also uses the Dead Ringer. Burn or douse him to render cloaking useless; killing the Spy should take less time, since the Big Earner reduces his health to 100 HP.
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![Spy-cicle](/w/images/thumb/a/a3/Item_icon_Spy-cicle.png/100px-Item_icon_Spy-cicle.png) Spy-cicle
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- Look out for frozen corpses, and use fire to temporarily disable a Spy's Spy-cicle. Upon doing so, the Spy will generally try to hide until the weapon is reusable. Spy-check feverishly to find him before this happens.
- When the Spy-cicle melts, you can hear a loud extinguishing sound; further contact with flames during the two-second interval will still produce crackling noises. A disguised Spy will also still react as if he were on fire.
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PDA weapon
![Disguise Kit](/w/images/thumb/8/81/Item_icon_Disguise_Kit.png/100px-Item_icon_Disguise_Kit.png) Disguise Kit
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- Walk into your teammates; if you cannot pass through one, he is an enemy Spy in disguise. Occasionally attack your teammates, preferably with fire, Jarate, Mad Milk, or weapons that cause bleed damage; disguised enemy Spies will immediately be affected.
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Cloaking devices
- Cloaked Spies can be revealed if they are doused, lit, or bleeding. Try using Jarate, Mad Milk, fire, and melee weapons that cause bleeding in areas where you suspect a Spy is hiding.
- Emerging from water also compromises a Spy's invisibility. Try chasing a Spy in and out of water.
- The Invisibility Watch and Dead Ringer can be recharged by picking up ammo; Spies can pick up ammo even while they're cloaked. If health kits and ammo boxes are mysteriously disappearing nearby, there may be a cloaked Spy trying to elude you.
- Disguised Spies can receive health and ammo from enemy Dispensers, even while they are cloaked. Occasionally spycheck next to and/or above Dispensers.
- The Invisibility Watch and the Cloak and Dagger will show a silhouette of a cloaked Spy if he bumps into an enemy or is hurt (even by a fall); if a Spy's silhouette is revealed, press against him and/or attack to keep him visible until he is killed.
- If you hear voice responses near you from an unknown source, check the area around you for invisible Spies trying to confuse you.
- Spies make a fairly loud, distinct noise when they uncloak. Be sure to scan the area around you if you hear it, and spycheck teammates that appear shortly after the sound was made.
- If you see a Spy Cloak, die suspiciously, or otherwise escape your sight, alert your team and tell them (in team-only chat, so the Spy won't notice and change tactics) exactly where you are. If there are teammates nearby, call for help, and spycheck them just in case.
![Invisibility Watch](/w/images/thumb/0/0e/Item_icon_Invisibility_Watch.png/100px-Item_icon_Invisibility_Watch.png) Invisibility Watch + reskins
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- If a Spy tries to flee with the Invisibility Watch, grab all surrounding ammunition boxes and dropped weapons to prevent him from increasing his cloaking time, and thus shortening the distance he can run before his Cloak deactivates.
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![Cloak and Dagger](/w/images/thumb/0/00/Item_icon_Cloak_and_Dagger.png/100px-Item_icon_Cloak_and_Dagger.png) Cloak and Dagger
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- Spies using the Cloak and Dagger will often wait in corners or secluded areas to recharge their Cloak. Check those areas if you think a Spy is nearby.
- A Spy may also choose to hide near you, yet at a different elevation; anywhere you can reach, a Spy may be lying in wait, trying to catch you off guard.
- The Cloak and Dagger cannot pickup ammo to replenish Cloak; while this limits the distance he can travel, it can also make it harder for you to notice a Spy's presence.
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![Dead Ringer](/w/images/thumb/b/b7/Item_icon_Dead_Ringer.png/100px-Item_icon_Dead_Ringer.png) Dead Ringer
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- The Spy gains a huge damage resistance bonus while cloaking with the Dead Ringer. Try to isolate and/or continuously inflict damage on him until his Cloak deactivates or he dies.
- Afterburn, Jarate, Mad Milk, and Bleed are not lost even if a Spy feigns death. Inflict one of these effects on a Spy before he activates his Dead Ringer.
- The Dead Ringer can only be activated when it's fully charged. When a Spy wielding the Dead Ringer uncloaks, he'll have between 0% to 40% charge remaining. Finish him off as quickly as you can, making sure he doesn't collect ammo, backstab someone with the Big Earner or shoot anyone with the L'Etranger.
- If you are fighting a Spy and he suddenly stops attacking, he is probably waiting for you to trigger his Dead Ringer. If you don't have the time or opportunity to simply wait until he attacks again, (have nearby teammates) prepare a way to reveal the Spy when he cloaks.
- Also, when a Spy dies in one hit while running towards you, assume that he has used the Dead Ringer.
- The Dead Ringer can replicate or fake many in-game mechanics, but not all. For more information, see the "Feign death effects" section of the Dead Ringer article.
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Buildings
- Keep special notice of your team's Teleporters. Left unguarded, a Spy can place a Sapper on one end and continue to replace those that are removed by the other end, eventually sapping more health than what an Engineer can repair and destroying both ends; this can deal a huge blow to your team.
- Pyros with the Homewrecker equipped are a great counter against Sappers; it only takes one strike to dislodge the device from a building, as opposed to the two strikes required by an Engineer's Wrench.
Sapper + reskins
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- A Spy can quickly replace any Sappers removed from the target building(s); locate the Spy (who is most likely in disguise) and kill him before removing his Sapper(s). An Engineer who needs to leave his buildings should have another Engineer or a Pyro guard them while he is away.
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![Red-Tape Recorder](/w/images/thumb/7/7d/Item_icon_Red-Tape_Recorder.png/100px-Item_icon_Red-Tape_Recorder.png) Red-Tape Recorder
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- The Red-Tape Recorder's ability to reverse a building's upgrades can leave many Engineers' creations vulnerable to destruction, and can ruin a team's defenses within seconds. Make haste in killing the offending Spy (or Spies) and restoring all affected buildings to their former efficiency.
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Telling Them Apart
-Also check the Spychecking page for more info, this is just some quick tips-
- If you aren't as sharp as a tack then telling a spy from your teammates can be difficult. There are many ways to tell which is which;
* Disguised Spies cannot enter your spawn area, so watch teammates passing the entry/exit door, and if it doesn't open/they can't enter, then its most likely a Spy.
* Disguised Spies don't get their fake class's weapons, they are only cosmetic, there for they cannot fire guns, or use any other tools.
* Disguised Spies will not be hurt by their teammates but they can be hurt by you. A stray bullet from your team may reveal the Spy.
* This also means if a supposed teammates is in enemy fire, but is not dying, he is most likely a Spy
See also