Heavy Mann vs. Machine strategy

“

Bring me metal men to fight! Click to listen — The Heavy after learning new robot-killing strategies

”

The Heavy is a man of large guns and even larger stature. In Mann vs. Machine, he is one of the primary damage outputs for a team, capable of mowing down multitudes of robots with his trusty Minigun. However, because of his slow speed, especially while using his Minigun, he can be quickly overwhelmed if he is not careful. The Heavy is also not well-suited for destroying Tanks, as they have a damage resistance against all of his miniguns. Despite this, the Heavy is a valuable asset for almost any Mann vs. Machine mission.

General tips

• The Refund Upgrades button in the Upgrade Station menu can be quite useful, especially when you want to change weapons. If you feel that you haven't spent your Credits on the right upgrades, or want to invest in a particular upgrade more to gain an advantage for a certain wave, then refunding your upgrades allow you to do so without having to earn more Credits.
  • Note that purchases for your Canteen cannot be refunded; make sure you choose your Canteen refills wisely.

Primary weapons

Minigun + reskins

The Minigun is a good all-rounder weapon, with no real strengths or weaknesses. It's good at dealing with normal robots, and works well against Giants. However, its simplicity can be its own weakness: it lacks a certain edge that can prevent it from being the best choice for every situation.

Natascha

The Natascha's bullets apply a slowdown effect on its targets, making it an ideal choice against faster robots, like Super Scouts. However, the -30% longer spin-up time and -25% lower damage output makes it more situational than other available options. Since the raw damage of a minigun cannot be upgraded, this puts you at a disadvantage in terms of damage output. The damage resistance effect is (in most situations) somewhat negligible; many team compositions include a Medic (or at the very least an Engineer), so staying near the rest of your team will keep your health up. It's preferable to swap to the Natascha when a wave has a lot of Super Scouts, then change to a more viable weapon once the wave is completed.

Brass Beast

The Brass Beast's 20% damage increase can help immensely in Mann vs. Machine, especially when fighting against Giants, along with having a damage resistance when under 50% health like the Natascha. In exchange, though, it has a 50% slower spin-up time and 60% slower movement speed, bringing the already-slow Heavy down to a crawl. Because of your decreased mobility, escaping from unfavorable situations is difficult; consider staying on elevated surfaces above robots, or staying near your teammates to reduce the possibility of becoming overwhelmed. Pairing it with the Gloves of Running Urgently, along with buying speed upgrades or Übercharge refills for your Canteen, can also help.

Tomislav + reskins

The Tomislav's upsides include having a faster spin-up time and increased accuracy, but has the downside of a slower firing rate. By default, this makes it a ineffective option against Giants (and robot Heavies), but it is still viable against other normal robots. Although you can negate the effect entirely purchasing two points of firing speed, this will cost you $700 (firing speed upgrades cost $350 each, and most missions start you out with $400); your credits could instead be spent on better upgrades for a different minigun. Also of note is that the silenced revving has no practical effect in Mann vs. Machine.

Huo-Long Heater

While the Huo-Long Heater normally has a -10% damage penalty, it does +25% more damage against targets that are on fire. The weapon also produces a flame ring around the Heavy when spun up, at the cost of 4 ammo per second. The ring's small size makes it only work against robots that get very close to the Heavy, where aiming can become difficult. Using the Huo-Long Heater is practical only if the team has a Pyro; work with them to make the most out of the damage bonus. Since the Huo-Long Heater chews through ammo quickly, along with killed robots not dropping any ammo, knowing where ammo packs are on a map is a good idea. Purchasing ammo reserve upgrades, filling your Canteen with Refill Ammo charges, and staying near a team Engineer's Dispenser are all also good ways to keep your ammo topped off.

Secondary weapons

Shotgun + reskins

The Shotgun's immediate ranged damage can be a useful defense tool when you run out of Minigun ammo; attempting to engage in melee combat with the robots can be lethal. Although purchasing a few upgrades for your Shotgun may be a good idea, investing in it too much is usually not very helpful (unless you are attempting a Shotgun-centric playstyle), since the Minigun can more reliably kill enemies. The Shotgun also reloads rather slowly, leaving you vulnerable; consider buying Reload Speed or Increased Clip Size upgrades to help mitigate this.

Family Business

The Family Business trades raw power for an increased clip size of 8 and 15% faster firing speed. While the stock Shotgun does more damage per shot (a point-blank Shotgun shot does 90 damage, the Family Business does 76), the Family Business can do more damage over time (8 point-blank Family Business shots does 608 damage; 6 point-blank Shotgun shots does 540 damage). In actual effect, the choice between the Shotgun and Family Business is down to user preference. Note that the Family Business's reloading speed is unchanged; prioritizing Reload Speed upgrade purchases can help keep you in a fight for longer.

Panic Attack

The Panic Attack has an 50% faster switch speed, a predetermined spread pattern, fires 15 pellets instead of 10, but has a 20% damage penalty. Despite this, it does the most point-blank damage (108) compared to the other shotguns. The weapon's largest downside is the increasing spread pattern: when it is fired continuously, the shots will spread further and further apart until the user stops firing, begins reloading, or switches to a different weapon. Firing in short bursts will help to keep your shots accurate. Upgrading the firing speed is usually not a good idea; focus on other upgrades instead.

Sandvich + reskins

When eaten, the Sandvich heals 300 health over the span of 4 seconds, and has a recharge rate of 30 seconds. While there are many other options to heal in MvM, the Sandvich can be used to heal when you are separated from the rest of your team, or if the team has no reliable healing source (like Medics or Engineers). If the team does have a Medic, drop your Sandvich on the ground nearby where you plan to attack; the health it provides can save your Medic from dying before they can deploy their Übercharge, which can provide an immense advantage in a fight. Be sure to find a safe place to eat your Sandvich; you become a easy target for any robots that catch you while you're eating.