Projectiles

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Related images: Projectile images

Projectiles, unlike hitscan bullets, do not travel instantaneously across the map but rather at a preset speed, differing depending on the projectile, and are often subject to engine physics. Projectiles use a large hitbox shared by all classes to judge contact, the same as that used by melee weapons, other players, and the enviroment. The damage of a projectile is usually determined by the distance the target is from the attacker upon collision or, alternatively, from the spot said attacker was at upon death. Many projectiles have unique properties, which differ depending on the weapon. Projectiles are not affected by lag compensation. Maps are coded so that at the edge of their area projectiles disappear.

A Heavy's dropped Sandvich; pieces of destroyed Stickybombs, buildings, and Sappers; and dropped weapon pickups from dead players are not considered projectiles; although they are launched and subject to engine physics, they have different properties.

Special projectiles

The properties of projectiles differ depending on the weapon that fired them. Projectiles often damage on contact like a hitscan bullet. Alternatively, many projectiles generate explosions upon contact, or in the case of the Demoman, generate explosions and destroy themselves when a certain time has passed (in the case of grenades) or at the Demoman's cue (in the case of Stickybombs). All projectiles except rockets are subject to gravity and fall downward. The damage of the projectiles that are fired from the Demoman's weapons (after five seconds, in the case of stickybombs), the Flare Gun, a level 3 Sentry Gun, and the Huntsman are not affected by distance (although the Flare Gun's range is limited by a mechanic that causes the flare to drop rapidly after a certain distance), however the Crusader's Crossbow has an inversed damage falloff (which means damage and healing increase by distance). Certain projectiles apply effects upon contact. The baseballs launched by the Sandman apply a stunning effect, while flares set enemies on fire. Jarate and Mad Milk do not deal damage at all, but instead apply their respective effects to enemies, temporarily remove the Cloaking ability from Spies, and put out fires within their splash radius. The Blutsauger and Black Box restore health to the firing Medic or Soldier on a hit, and the Crusader's Crossbow heals and damages a teammate or enemy respectively. The Huntsman can also be made to apply the fire effect when ignited by a Pyro's flames. Note that effects are not applied when the target is ÜberCharged by a Medi Gun.

Stickybombs adhere to the environment, but bounce off spawn walls, players, and certain other objects. Arrows stick to players and the environment, but only cosmetically; syringes also cosmetically stick to the environment. Rockets from a level 3 Sentry Gun track targets slightly and circle each other in flight; the cluster of four is considered a single object.

Flames

Flames are large, damage-dealing, player-igniting 'particles' fired from the Pyro's primary weapons: the Flamethrower, Backburner, and Degreaser, and also when hit by the Sharpened Volcano Fragment. They use the projectile hitbox to judge contact, like projectiles, but are invisible (instead casting a distortion effect), both time out and have a maximum distance, and have their damage largely determined by time since fired and not distance. Also unlike projectiles, flames do not make contact with players or buildings except to damage them and do not make contact with the environment except at their center; the projectile does not ignite or deal damage through walls, however. Flames have a "negative" curve that cause flames to drift upward and have their momentum partially determined by the firing Pyro's movement. Flames that enter water become bubbles and do not deal damage.

Explosions

Explosions are instantly damaging splash effects produced by projectiles (and the Kamikaze taunt and Ullapool Caber melee weapon), that usually have significant knock back. They also use the projectile hitbox. The knock back, size, and damage of explosions vary depending on the projectile that generates them. Explosions cannot pass through walls, and thus conform their shape to the shape of their surroundings. They deal damage and knock back proportional to the amount of hitbox encompassed in their radius and the distance between their origins and the midpoints of affected players. Explosions can hit the player that fired them, which may be used to augment jumping.

The compression blast and splash effects from Jarate and Mad Milk are sometimes classified as explosions, and have similar properties, conforming to walls in the same way.

Syringes

Syringes, fired by the Syringe Gun and Blutsauger, use the projectile hitbox, curve, and have the approximate speed of rockets fired from the Rocket Launcher, but inflict bonus damage on enemies with a weakness to bullets, disarm Stickybombs, and cannot be reflected or destroyed by other projectiles or a compression blast.

Other properties of projectiles

The compression blast ability of the Flamethrower and Degreaser can reflect all projectiles save syringes. Except for Stickybombs, once reflected, projectiles switch ownership to the Pyro whom reflected them and deal Mini-Crit damage on enemies they hit. Baseballs from the Sandman can be reflected by a well-timed swing with the Sandman.

The Huntsman's arrows Critically headshot when they pierce a particular area of the projectile hitbox that is shared by all classes, although the Crusader's Crossbow, which shares the same projectile, does not. The Backburner Crits when attacking an area at the behind of the hitbox. The flares from a Flare Gun deal Mini-Crits on burning players and Critical hits on burning players at medium range.

When colliding in mid-air, Critical projectiles and arrows destroy other projectiles. Flares destroy other flares. Stickybombs can also be destroyed by bullets, syringes, melee weapons or Scottish Resistance's stickybombs, dropping ammo.

Projectiles

List of projectiles
Projectile	Speed (HU/s)		Arcs	Sticks	Reflectable	Destroyed by
Arrow	Huntsman	1875	Yes	Yes	Yes	Arrows
	Crusader's Crossbow	Unknown
Baseball	Sandman	1940	Yes	No	Yes	Nothing
Buffalo Steak Sandvich	Buffalo Steak Sandvich	Unknown	Yes	No	No	Consumed if damaged players walk over it
Flare	Flare Gun	1450	Yes	No	Yes	Flares
Grenade	Grenade Launcher	850	Yes	No	Yes	Nothing
	Loch-n-Load	1331
Jarate	Jarate	850	Yes	No	Yes	Arrows
Mad Milk	Mad Milk	850	Yes	No	Yes	Nothing
Rocket	Rocket Launcher	1100	No	No	Yes	Arrows
	Black Box
	Rocket Jumper
	Direct Hit	1980
	Sentry Gun	Unknown
Sandvich	Sandvich	Unknown	Yes	No	No	Consumed if damaged players walk over it
Stickybomb	Stickybomb Launcher	805~1850	Yes	Only to world	Yes	Bullets Melee Weapons Syringes Scottish Resistance Stickybombs
	Stickybomb Jumper
	Scottish Resistance
Syringe	Syringe Gun	990	Yes	Only to world	No	Nothing
	Blutsauger

See also

• Weapons
• Hitscan