Deathcam

A DeathCam shot with gib labels

“

You're like a car crash in slow motion. It's like I'm watchin' ya fly through a windshield. Click to listen — The Scout

”

The DeathCam, also known as the Freeze Cam, is a gameplay feature that activates upon death. When you are killed, the camera zooms in on your killer (in the case of assists, the one that dealt the fatal blow,) and freezes for several seconds. At this point, their name, health and whether or not they are your nemesis are displayed. Their currently equipped weapon, miscellaneous item or hat may also be displayed in its own tab, along with custom names and descriptions. In addition to this, an 'On the bright side:' box may be displayed, detailing how your stats measured up to your personal records in that round. During the freeze-frame sequence, you may wish to take a screenshot (F5 by default), which will be accompanied by a flash and the sound of a camera shutter. The screenshots are located in (folders prior to Steam main folder)/Steam/steamapps/*steamname*/Team Fortress 2/tf/screenshots.

If you were gibbed by an opponent, your body parts are marked with humorous labels such as "Your Arm", "Your Head", "A Part of You", or "Another Part of You".

The function of the Deathcam in gameplay according to developer commentary is to allow the player to discern the location of their killer, allowing them to adapt their strategy upon respawn. This functions to lessen the frustration of being killed by an unseen or unexpected opponent and turn the player's demise into a learning experience. Some achievements also require you to taunt over the body of a fallen opponent.

Related Achievements

Soldier

Gore-a! Gore-a! Gore-a! Provide the enemy with a freezecam of you taunting over 3 of their body parts.

Worth a Thousand Words Provide the enemy with a freezecam of your 21 gun salute.

Pyro

Freezer Burn Provide enemies with freezecam shots of each of your taunts.

Demoman

Bloody Merry Provide an enemy player with a freeze cam of your smiling face.

Second Eye Provide an enemy player with a freeze cam of you shaking your rump.

Heavy

Photostroika Provide an enemy with a freezecam shot of you taunting while invulnerable.

Engineer

Six-String Stinger Provide an enemy player with a freeze cam of your guitar playing skills.

Medic

Autopsy Report Provide an enemy with a freezecam shot of you taunting above their ragdoll.

Sniper

Be Polite Provide an enemy with a freezecam shot of you doffing your hat.

The Last Wave Provide an enemy with a freezecam shot of you waving to them.

Spy

For Your Eyes Only Provide an enemy with a freezecam shot of you flicking a cigarette onto their corpse.

Trivia

• Enemy players killed during DeathCam are titled 'The Late'.
• Although external sounds fade out for a few seconds during the DeathCam sequence, you may still ocassionally hear your opponent's taunts and jeers.
• Certain environmental deaths may still result in a DeathCam sequence.
• If you are killed by a Sentry Gun that is destroyed immediately after your death, the DeathCam will not zoom in to highlight your killer. Instead, the camera will revolve around your body until you enter Spectator Mode.