Community Mercenary Park strategy

Community Mercenary Park strategy
Basic Information
Developer(s):	{{{map-developer}}}
Map Info
Environment:	Jungle
Setting:	Daylight, overcast
Hazards:	Crocodiles, Pitfalls
Map Photos

This article is about Community Mercenary Park strategy.

Note: It is recommend that the reader first reads about the Mercenary Park article so that he/she can get familiar with the names of many different locations of the Mercenary Park.

General Strategy (All Classes)

Offense

Point A

• The Blu team has three ways to exit from the visitors center (they're spawn) upon the start of the round: left exit, middle exit and the right exit. The middle and the right exit both lead into the gift shop, which then leads into the right most part of the playground, the left exit leads directly to the playground. Although all three exits lead into the same place, the left exit is slightly more preferred since it puts the Blu team in a slightly better position to quickly take the playground and the Mann.Co building later on.

• After the round starts and gates open up, the Blu team should be aggressively pushing out there spawn to try and take the playground as soon as possible. This should be rather easy since there are three options to choose from for the Blu when they will be entering the playground and that there are no Healthpacks or Ammo pack on the playground putting the Red team in a disadvantage considering that they won't have any healing sources immediately available to them compared to the Blu which will have they're respawn cabinet to safely fall back to. After quickly taking over the playground the Blu team can move onto capturing the Mann.Co building. Mann.Co building is a large building complex almost surrounding the first capture point. The Mann.Co building is split in two parts. The first part and the second part. The first part is positioned right after the playground and comes before the first point (meaning its the closest of the two Mann.Co buildings to the Blu), meanwhile the second part is positioned behind the first control point. You could say that the first control point is in between these two parts. Both parts of the Mann.Co building are directly connected via a pair of catwalks hanging above the first point. In order for the first control point to be captured the Blu team will have to take control over the two catwalks since duo to they're elevated position right over the first point they offer significant height advantage to anyone standing on them. Since the quickest access to these catwalks for the Blu is provided by the first part of the Mann.Co building the Blu team will first have to capture it and then move onto the catwalks.

• The first part of the Mann.Co building (from now on simply referred to as the Mann.Co building) has multiple entrances for the Blu team to pour into it. On the left side of the building there is a doorway which leads directly to the point and a outdoor stairwell which goes to the second floor of the Mann.Co building. On the right side, there too, is a doorway which leads into the steroid room and from then on to the first checkpoint. On right side there is also a small opening on the second floor which can be accessed by blast jumping up to it. Only on the second floor is there a path leading to the catwalks. Now that we now the locations we can move onto the strategy. Since the second floor is the one which grants easy access to the catwalks, a vitally important location for capturing the first capture point, then obviously the Blu team should capture the second floor first. As said earlier, there are two ways to do this, going up the outdoor stairs on the left side of the Mann.Co building or jumping up to the small opening on the right side. Blast jumping through the small opening the right is a good route. This way you can surprise the Red team members positioned on the second floor as they will be expecting that the bulk of the Blu team will be coming through the outdoor stairwell. However, not every class has access to blast jumping meaning that the majority of the Blu team will have to go up the outdoor stairs to get to the second floor, a move which will be anticipated by the defenders. In general, the best way to win over the second floor is to try and "squeeze" out the Red team on the Second floor by attacking them from two directions. The bulk of the Blu team should go up the outdoor stairwell to attract the attention from defenders meanwhile a small group of Soldiers and Demomen will blast jump they're way through the small opening on the right to attack the Reds back line and cause confusion and panic. After the upper floor has been secured the Blu team can rather easily proceed to kill/destroy the remaining Reds on the first floor and proceed to push out to the two catwalks now that they have a safe access to them. With the control of the catwalks, the Blu team can with ease destroy the defenders of the first capture point below them as now the Blu's have the height advantage over them allowing them to effortlessly wipe them out.

• With the Reds pushed back from the capture point the Blu team can secure the first control point and move onto the second one.

Point B

• The second control point, the Lab is positioned in the second part of the Mann.Co building and has multiple ways to be approached from. First way is to take one of the two shutters on either side of the second part of the Mann.Co building (From now on simply referred as the Mann.Co building or just the building) which takes you directly to the point B. The other way is to go to the second floor of the Mann.Co building and by either walking to it using the catwalks from the previous point or to take the left most shutter door and walk up a set of stairs. After finding yourself on the second floor you can walk over to the server room and from then on to a set of platforms lined up against the wall overlooking the second control point. Alternatively, instead of going to the server room, you can use another set of stairs to go from the second floor down to the former Red spawn putting yourself effectively in the Reds back line since the majority of the Red team will be positioned on the platform and the point itself.

• Capturing the second control point shouldn't be to hard. Assuming the Blu team can get the control over the second floor of the Mann.Co building (Which too, should be relatively easy to achieve considering that the catwalks lead right to the second floor and if the Blu team captured the previous point then they should have an automatic access to them) they will have direct access to not only the high ground over the point, but to a flank route leading straight to Red's back line aswell. The best way to win the second capture point is to utilize all of these routes available to you. Small group of players should go down the direct route to the B point to cause a distraction, meanwhile the majority of the Blu team can go to the server room to bombard the Red's below them or go into they're back line to flank them and potentially encircle them on the platform. It doesn't matter which option the Blu chooses as both have a great chance for leading to success.

Point C

• Once the second capture point has been secured the Blu team can now move onto the final control point, the point C. Lets first discuss the ways for the Blu team to enter the C point. There are three ways to enter the last point (From the Blu's side ofcourse). The first way is about entering through the elevator room (the finale chokepoint), the second option is to climb up the stairs, go through the elevator cage and end up in the Institute for Research and Development (or YTI for short), in the YTI you can either proceed to the point or go through an even bigger flank route, and that is the route through the ventilaton, through the cave and finally up the side stairs

• First way is to enter through the elevator room. The elevator room is a chokepoint meaning that you will be faced with a onslaught of spam once you get in it plus, once you manage to get yourself in one piece through the it you will be standing on the low ground compared to the Red team which will surely result in your demise. For all that reasons, going through the elevator room is a very dangerous thing to do without an ÜberCharge but if you do have an Über than taking it through here can be really devastating since once you exit the elevator room you find yourself right in front of the most common sentry spots.

• The other option for reaching the point is to get to the YTI from where you have a multitude of routes to choose from. Since ending up in the YTI means that you now find yourself on the Red's left flank you can be pretty destructive. Many of the common sentry spots which lie on the right side of the map can be either spammed out from outside of they're range or safely corner peaked. Also the YTI puts you on the same ground level as the defenders meaning that you won't have to fight an uphill battle unlike when exiting the elevator room.

• The third option is to go through the ventilation shaft in the YTI room to end up behind the Red. This can be a very sneaky strategy to do and can be a good choice for Blu members trying to flank since this route avoids almost all common sentry spots and puts you right behind the point.

• In general the quickest way to win the final point is to take an Übercharged combo through the elevator room. But if you do not have an Übercharge then coordinating attacks from the Blu teammates positioned in the elevator room, YTI room and the ventilation shafts is the key to capturing the control point C thus winning the round.

Defense

Point A

• The Red strategy for the first control point is all about holding the second floor of the Mann.Co building thus denying the Blu's access to the catwalks ultimately denying them the height advantage they need to capture the first point.

• As soon as the round starts you should just abandon the playground, it's a hard area to hold, has no cover to hide behind and no Healthpacks or Ammopacks for the Red team, as soon as the Blu team starts showing competence simply retreat out of the playground to the second floor of the Mann.Co building. This is where the bulk of your defenses should be. Denying the second floor ad thus the entire building is the key to preventing the Blu team from capturing control point A. Keep an eye on the two main ways to climb up to the upper floor and watch out for any Blu members trying to use these routes. If the second floor falls try and keep control over the two catwalks. Even though holding the catwalks will be a difficult task to do with the Blu team now in control over the second floor and thus a direct access to the catwalks. But it is still possible to prevent the Blu team from capturing them by positioning a couple of Sentry Guns and Heavies up on the catwalks to make it as difficult as possible for the Blu team. However be aware, after taking control over the Mann.Co building its pretty easy for the Blu team to quickly capture the catwalks even with good defenses positioned up there so be prepared to retreat as soon as thing start to go badly.

Point B

• If the Red wants to try and prevent this point from being captured then its going to have to put up strong defense and some coordination to defend it successfully.

• First order of business should be preventing the Blu team from securing the second floor as the control of that location gives them the access to a whole lot of devastating routes. However, doing this is rather easier said then done. Unlike when defending the second floor of the Mann.Co building's first part, the Red team won't have to climb up to the second floor this time around. As mentioned earlier, they will now have a direct route leading straight to the second floor without needing to struggle to climb up to it. This means that that the defense of the second floor has gotten a whole lot harder, maybe even impossible. For that reason best way to hold onto the point B and prevent the Blu's from capturing it, is not to fight the Blu team in the second floor, but to make the Blu's position on the second floor worthless by locking them in it. The major downside of the second floor is that it provides only two routes leading from it to the point B. As said earlier those routes are pretty powerful but since there is only two of them, with enough Red supervision they can be locked down. There is a gate which leads from the server room to the powerful position on the elevated platforms above the point B, that gate could be easily sticky trapped and since it is a one way gate once the Blu team members pass through it they cannot retreat. The small stairwell which leads from the second floor into the Red's flank first goes to a large room which then leads to the Red's back line. Since this room is very large it can be easily locked down by positioning a Sentry Gun or a couple of Heavies in it to prevent any Blu members from going in it.

• In general, if you manage to lock down these two routes successfully, then the great advantage the second floor could have provided for the Blu teams suddenly becomes a disadvantage as now they are locked on it.

Point C

• Defending the last point revolves around holding the YTI. The YTI room leads to two devastating flank routes so holding it is a top priority. Defending the elevator room should't be to hard considering that the room is a chokepoint meaning that having a single Sentry Gun and few power classes defending it will be sufficient for denying any enemies trying to push through it. Defending the YTI room also shouldn't be a hustle. The elevator cage is the only route which leads into the YTI and just like the elevator room, the elevator cages acts like sort of a chokepoint meaning that defending it should be relatively easy.

• All in all, holding last isn't to hard. There indeed are three routes for the Blu team to approach the point C however, two of those routes (the ventilation and the path both leading from the YTI) can be denied from the Blu team by simply holding control over the YTI, which is rather effortless.

Class-specific strategy

 Scout

• The map has intensive elevation change. As a Scout, you are able to utilize this faster than any other class. Catwalks, shipping containers, and second stories can be bounced around with some attention to your routes.
  • Because of this, the map offers more aggressive Scout playstyles, letting you dodge in-and-out of combat-intensive areas.
• Be especially wary of explosives inside buildings. While you are very powerful one-on-one indoors, you are also extremely susceptible to blast damage.
• This map is fairly short compared to others. Don't be afraid to skip Teleporters in favor of running to the point.
• If your team is stuck in a heavy fire-fight, there are very bold flanking options throughout the map at your disposal. While this might not offer enough protection to escape alive, they can allow to make important picks for kills, all while distracting the enemy team.
  • For example, control point C has the main entrance, the side entrance, the catwalks, and the airvents. You could use the catwalks to flank the enemy when playing on offense, giving you just enough time to take down their Medic.

 Soldier

• Interiors are both your greatest friend and worst enemy. You can make it very difficult for enemies to escape rocket damage, but it also becomes very easy to injure yourself. If one of your rockets gets reflected, you have little room to escape.
• You can rocket jump from BLU spawn towards the very first control point building. Be careful, as a Sniper may predict this movement.
• The second control point is one of the most vertically-open parts of the map, and also one of the most commonly sentry-nested areas. If you are playing on offense and the enemy has Sentry Guns here, you become one of the biggest enemies to the sentry nest, as the open environment weighs in your favor.

 Pyro

• Mercenary Park has many choke points in tight, indoor areas. Flamethrowers, a powerful choice for close range combat, can be used to manipulate the choke points to your advantage either offensively or defensively.
  • Paired with a Kritzkrieg Medic, you become especially terrifying to enemy teams.
• Stick to the side routes on the middle point. With how many walls and props there are in the way, you become a lot sneakier, and you can also take advantage of the alligator pit by way of your airblast.
• On defense, it is possible to Detonator jump from the outside of the control point building to the BLU spawn. Many players will not expect such an aggressive move from a Pyro at long distance.
  • If you don't close the gap, it could often be better to fall back towards the building or go under the BLU spawn, as the open hills put you at a disadvantage.
• Take note of the blind corners inside the buildings. Using these to your advantage is often better than pushing directly, as you can deal massive damage before enemies have a chance to react.
  • If you are attacking a Soldier or Demoman, prepare to airblast around a second after igniting them, as many will respond by firing a rocket or bomb without thinking.
  • Corners are especially useful. Airblasting classes up and into the building's corners lets you close in quickly, upsets their aim, and can typically set you up for a combo (ex. hitting with the Axtinguisher.)

 Demoman

• Sticky bombs are invaluable on defense, as many of the points require multiple entrances to be guarded. Consider switching to the Scottish Resistance if you find your team overwhelmed by pushes.

 Heavy

• There is a nice balance for Heavy on this map. You are at liberty to push more aggressively, as many of the direct routes still don't have long sight-lines. As always, however, overextending can be a death sentence, especially against a talented Sniper.

 Engineer

• Mercenary Park provides many good sentry spots for defending control points, but also provides good opportunities for assaulting them, too.
• At control point A, placing a sentry on the catwalks provides a good point of elevation to fire downwards at enemy targets attempting to capture or defend the point.
• Placing a teleporter in the room below BLU's first spawn allows the defending team to flank behind enemy lines and catch them unaware. Note though that all entrances lock except the top left entrance when control point A is captured.
• Placing a teleporter in the room above Point B makes an excellent place to assault the point, given the 1-way exit door and elevation over the point.
• Point C provides many invaluable sentry spots, such as on the shipping containers or in the corners below the metal balcony.
• A BLU Engineer, with the distraction of his team can go down the chute near control point C and set up a teleporter in the hallway behind point C, allowing his team to quickly flank around the defense. Set up a Sentry Gun to protect the teleporter.

Mercenary Park building spots

Note: It is important to understand what do the buildings with a white background and an orange circle represent. This overview is structured in such a way that it only shows the ground floor of the map, if there are any second floors or otherwise elevated platforms they will now be show, instead the ground below these second floors will be shown. For that reason orange circles and a white background has been added to some buildings. The orange circle is supposed to represent that the building is positioned on some sort of a second floor or an elevated platform which isn't show on the overview. So just keep in mind, when you see a building which has an orange circle, remember that that building isn't positioned on the floor it is actually shown on the map, but that there is a another floor above that floor which is that buildings actual placement. For example, on first point you can see two orange circled Sentry Guns positioned right next to the point. These Sentry Guns aren't actually right next to the control point but are actually positioned on a catwalk which isn't show here but is still running above and alongside the point.

 Sniper

The hole in the glass.

• While attacking the final point, taking advantage of the shattered hole in the elevator cage near the intersection on the second floor can be extremely useful for evading fire and catching enemies off guard, but key to this is making sure that your team has control of the second floor.
  • Be extra careful, as this spot can also be predictable to experienced players.

 Medic

• The right side of the lower elevator choke (opposite the medical procedure room) is a sheltered place close to the action for BLU Medic to do a lot of supportive healing and quick building of ÜberCharge. The RED Medic should be on the other side of the wall doing exactly the same thing.
  • Watch out for RED counter-pushes/BLU pushes as you are really close to a lot of the enemy.
  • The deck with the window to the medical procedure room is a possible secondary BLU Medic position on final.
  • The Health Kit on the RED side should be reserved for the Medic; he is going to need it.

 Spy

• This map is particularly noisy, with several locations of continuous or intermittent louder noise for masking decloaking sounds.
  • On the first point, the waterfall is particularly loud on the defender's side where RED Engineers are likely to have buildings. This noise can easily cover the decloak sound of the watches and sometimes the Dead Ringer, which can make it nearly impossible for someone to listen for decloak sounds to know there is a Spy attacking.