Sniper match-ups

Class			Strategy
Sniper	vs	Scout	Avoid Scouts whenever possible. Scouts are fast and difficult to track while scoped and they are more than fast enough to chase you down should they reach you. Try and take down a Scout with a fully charged shot before they reach you, and watch for their Pistol shots. The only time you should be actively seeking Scouts is when they are running away with the Intelligence, and your team is nowhere in sight. Note that a fully charged shot will kill any Scout in one hit so don't bother aiming for the smaller target of their heads but instead aim for the torso. If a Scout does engage you, backpedal and fire your SMG, then charge him with your Kukri when he gets within Scattergun range. Using the Huntsman in a small path is an advantage against the Scout because the arrow is much harder to dodge than the Sniper sight. Most Scouts do not expect a Sniper to kill them and generally run straight towards their target. You can take advantage of this by quickly taking a snapshot at their heads.
Sniper	vs	Soldier	Don't get caught in close quarters, where the Soldier has a massive advantage. Be wary, as Soldiers can send rockets towards your position to force you behind cover. Dodge the rockets and try to take him out while keeping yourself moving if you can. Rocket jumping will allow them to appear in close range unexpectedly - it is not recommended to fight them if they should appear in your Sniping nest as their rockets will usually take you down swiftly. Experienced Snipers will take advantage of Soldiers who rocket jump at them and take head shots while they are airbourne as jumpers usually have a far more predictable trajectory assuming they don't airstrafe. Keep a big distance between you and the Soldier, as you can dodge the slow-moving rockets shot from the Rocket Launcher and he cannot deal effective damage with the Shotgun.
Sniper	vs	Pyro	Due to oddly shaped heads, achieving a headshot may be difficult. Additionally, if a Pyro is aware of your presence, it may use its Flamethrower to mask your view of its head with flames. Pyros will likely be a fairly rare sight, as they try very hard to avoid being in places where Snipers are effective. If the Pyro has somehow gotten close, your best option is your Submachine Gun. Stay at medium range while laying down fire until the Pyro goes down. If the Pyro gets you within range of his Flamethrower it's quite likely you'll die, so get in as much damage as you can while looking for the nearest body of water or Health pack to neutralize the fire. A Pyro with a Backburner will eat through you in an instant, so watch your back. Also, watch out for the Pyro's Flare Gun which can set you on fire and mess up your aim. Strafe to avoid the relatively slow shots. If you are using the Huntsman, beware Pyros utilizing the standard Flamethrower or Degreaser as they may use their air compression blast to reflect your arrows back at you and kill you. Having Jarate helps greatly against enemy Pyros, as it allows you to extinguish their flames. The Bushwacka is a risky weapon to use against a Pyro because of the 20% higher fire damage. Don't bother carrying it if you don't have Jarate, or if there are a lot of enemy Pyros. Your best bet is to Jarate him while backpedaling and no-scoping him. In some cases you can kill the Pyro instantly by Jarating him, going around him and hitting him with the Bushwacka.
Sniper	vs	Demoman	Be alert about blind-spots where they can safely hide and lob grenades and Stickybombs at you. With these they can turn your Sniper nest into a deathtrap. At such a point, it may be best to wait until your teammates take the Demoman out rather than risk death. One strategy not often used is to scope and shoot the stickies individually or spray them with your SMG, this isn't always useful as if the Demoman is nearby chances are they'll come for you. Otherwise though if you find one or two that could be a threat and there are no enemies in the immediate area take the time to remove the stickies.
Sniper	vs	Heavy	If you are at a distance, the spread of his Minigun fire should do minimal damage, allowing you to take him out before it mounts up. If a Heavy were to somehow get to your Sniper spot (likely accompanied by a Medic), it would be wise to simply run whilst attacking with your Submachine Gun, because a Heavy's Minigun will cut you up in an instant. Because the Heavy is a slow moving target, at mid-range he is a perfect target for the Huntsman. Fire a single arrow at the Heavy's head and drop back behind cover. If being hunted by a Heavy take advantage of charging up a shot and wait for the Heavy to come to you. If you hear him spin up his gun quickly and then spin down from around a corner, use that small delay to take him by surprise as he will be vulnerable and slow. With the Fists of Steel Heavies can survive even fully-charged headshots so try to catch them when the have their other weapons drawn.
Sniper	vs	Engineer	If the Sentry Gun is anything over level one and is accompanied by an Engineer with a Dispenser hiding behind it, there is nothing you can do as the sentry will block your attempts at killing the Engineer, so just ignore it. A Sniper is very effective at taking out a level one Sentry though, as a 100% charged snipe will destroy it in one shot, removing any option for the Engineer to repair it. Snipers can also be very effective at taking out a sentry when helped by a Soldier or another Sniper, just wait for it to be hit by a rocket then instantly fire a 100% charged shot at it, which should destroy it as the Engineer won't have had time to repair it from the rocket. If the sentry is unguarded, however, then charge up to 100% then shoot rapidly, taking the sentry down as quick as possible after the Engineer knows he needs to repair it. This is made much easier with the Huntsman. But be careful! A Wrangled Sentry is under manual control, thus means that the Engineer can use his sentry to attack you. Try to avoid to open fire at the Sentry Gun, a wrangled sentry is defended by a shield that absorbs 66% of all damage. Instead, open fire on the Engineer. Most Engineers will stand still while aiming their Wrangler, so take advantage of this and get an easy headshot. Engineer's with the Gunslinger can sometimes be a nuisance, but they can also be quite easy to deal with. If you see a Gunslinger Engineer, and you are using a Sniper Rifle, one fully charged bodyshot will still be able to take him out. One fully charged shot can take out a Mini-Sentry, so be sure to when you see one in the open. The Huntsman is devastating to Gunslinger Engineers. Not only will a fully charged arrow instantly take out a Mini-Sentry, but it can also take out Engineers that are dumb enough to come near you.
Sniper	vs	Medic	Medics are often underestimated by Snipers. Remember that they regenerate health, and have a higher max hp than you (unless you carry the Darwins Danger Shield). Their Syringe Gun easily out damages your SMG, so try to draw them into in a melee duel. If they have the Übersaw, then you have an even match (as the Kukri has a higher DPS), but with the Bonesaw they will usually overpower you. Snipers are the most viable candidate for killing Medics who are paired up with pesky Medic buddies, and as such, should be treated as high priority targets. Their high speed and constant strafing makes a headshot difficult, but due to their relatively low health, a fully charged shot to the body will kill the Medic. It's best not to leave them alive, as they can take cover behind their Medic buddy and regenerate their health.
Sniper	vs	Sniper	Protecting your team-mates from a pesky Sniper can assist heavily in winning a map (though overdoing this can lead to 'Sniper-wars', where both of you are of no direct use to each other's teams at all!). Other Snipers remain a priority target, as you are to them. Shuffle about constantly if you're in their crosshairs, and aim for the head. If you find yourself getting knocked out more than you are knocking them out, then it might be time to switch classes. A good strategy against other Snipers is to duck just before taking a shot out of cover. Most times the other Sniper while take his shot at where your head used to be, leaving him vulnerable. If you have a Huntsman and the other Sniper has a rifle, a good strategy for getting close enough is to fire your SMG while advancing until you're in range. When fighting against Snipers who are equipped with the Croc-O-Style Item set, avoid the temptation to attack with a headshot. Snipers using the set cannot kill you with a headshot, but cannot be killed by them either. Attacking with a fully charged body shot is a better choice against these Snipers. Conversely, you can also use the Croc-O-Style to avoid being instantly killed by a headshot, but you will often have to fully charge to kill another Sniper, as headshots will not be available. Also remember that if headshotted, you will have 1 hp remaining, and even a stray bullet will be able to kill you. Stay behind team lines so that this doesn't happen.
Sniper	vs	Spy	Watch your back; the Spy is the Sniper's nemesis. Spy check people you notice hanging around the battlements. Spies will often disguise themselves as other Snipers in popular sniping locations, so be especially wary of any other Snipers that come close. Also sometimes decent sniping locations are also used as Engineer nests so watch for Engineers as well. Watch the kill log in the top-right of for team-mates getting Backstabbed, friendly buildings being sapped, or enemy Sappers being removed. If there's another Sniper on the deck, try to put him between you and the entrance to the Sniper deck so that you have some advanced warning. Better him than you. Given a threat to personal space, melee combat is highly recommended. After all, you have a much bigger Knife. Jarate also helps, as it augments your Kukri's damage and makes the Spy unable to safely escape even if he does kill you. If the Spy is wielding his Revolver, strafe and gun or hope for a melee Crit, as 3 hits at close range are fatal. It's important to use Jarate against the Spies because Jarate will short out their Cloak, reveal their disguise and allow your teammates to take them out quickly. Using the Razorback will also provide protection from Spies when near teammates and make them take more time to kill you with the Revolver, but it will be ineffective if you are not paying attention to your surroundings or you may fail to notice having your Razorback removed while scoped and be backstabbed normally. Spies carrying the Ambassador can make quick work of you with a headshot and then a finishing shot (which is especially popular when Snipers wield the Razorback), so check your surroundings often. The Tribalman's Shiv is also effective for killing Spies as the bleeding effect nullifies their Cloak ability, and the long term damage may kill the Spy should he try to run away or end up killing you.

See also

• Team strategy