Equalizer
| Equalizer | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Kill Icon | |
| Basic Information | |
| Used by: | Soldier |
| Slot: | Melee |
| Released: | WAR! Update |
| Availability: | Unlock, Drop, Uncrate (#1), Purchase |
| Tradable: | Yes |
| Giftable: | Yes |
| Craftable: | Yes |
| Nameable: | Yes |
| Medieval: | Yes |
| Available Qualities | |
| Loadout Stats | |
 The Equalizer |
|
| “ | Get close enough to death, and you will become Death himself.
— Equalizer publicity blurb
|
” |
The Equalizer is an unlockable melee weapon for the Soldier. It is weathered and well-used pickaxe, and is therefore often referred to as "the Pickaxe".
Uniquely, this weapon has a damage potential that is inversely proportional to the player's current health, dealing low damage at high health and high damage at low health. This can make the player very powerful, and able to destroy buildings in two hits if at low heath. Additionally, the speed of the wielding Soldier is also inversely proportional to his health, his movement speed increasing the more he is hurt. Medics cannot heal a Soldier who is holding his Equalizer. For its Critical hit animation, the Soldier swings the Equalizer in a backhand fashion, attacking with the sharp end. This animation is identical to the Shovel.
Taunting with the Equalizer will perform the Soldier's Kamikaze kill taunt.
Contents
Damage
Scales inversely with health. Approximately 113.7 − 0.81x (113.7 minus 0.405x), where x is the amount of health the player currently has as a percentage of their max health, with a minimum of 33 when the player is at or above 100% health, and a maximum of 113 (before random damage and Critical hits).
| Health range | Health (RJ) | Damage | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 200-300 | 100-150 | 33 | |
| 121-199 | 61-99 | 65 | Base damage of Shovel |
| 100-120 | 50-60 | 73 | |
| 50-99 | 25-49 | 93 | |
| 1-49 | 1-24 | 113 |
Speed
Speed values are based on player's current health. For reference, the standard movement speed is 100%, which is 300 velocity units per second (the speed of the Spy, Sniper, Engineer and Pyro,) whilst the Scout moves at 400v (33% above the standard movement speed.)
| Health range | Health (RJ) | Speed (units per second) | Relative speed increase | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 161-300 | 81-150 | 240 | 0% | |
| 121-160 | 61-80 | 264 | 10% | |
| 81-120 | 41-60 | 288 | 20% | Faster than Demoman |
| 41-80 | 21-40 | 336 | 40% | Faster than Medic |
| 1-40 | 1-20 | 384 | 60% |
Function times
- Attack Interval: 0.8
All times are in seconds. Times are approximate and determined by community testing.
As a Crafting Ingredient
| Equalizer | Eyelander | Homewrecker | ||
|
+ | 
|
= | 
|
Related Achievements
Soldier
|
|
Demoman
|
Previous Changes
- Fixed a server crash caused by using the Equalizer.
- Reduced the damage bonus the Equalizer receives as the player loses health
- The speed boost was not changed
Trivia
- Before becoming an official weapon, the Equalizer was first conceived by community members Tom Francis and jibberish. These users were to receive a unique version of the weapon, called "The Great Equalizer"[1], but currently they are both labeled "Community Equalizer".
- Based on the hidden Poopy Joe page on the WAR! Update, the Equalizer was originally a pickaxe issued to American Monkeynaut Poopy Joe for him to "pierce the Vault of Heaven itself" before it was acquired by Mann Co. in entirely innocent circumstances.
- A Spy who is disguised as a Soldier with the Equalizer will not move faster than default Soldier speed, regardless of the Spy's fake health display or actual health.
- Additionally, Medics will be able to heal the disguised Spy even if the disguise weapon is the Equalizer.
- After the Soldier throws the Equalizer over his shoulder when taunting, it simply disappears. This was to fix a bug which would cause him to drop two Equalizers upon the taunt's completion (one from the drop, the other from dying).
- The Equalizer's heal block does not apply to the Medic's Crusader's Crossbow heal effect.
Gallery
1st person view.
See also
External links
