Horseless Headless Horsemann match-ups

Note : Wearing the Saxton Hale Mask or the Horseless Headless Horsemann's Head will make you immune to its scare ability. Use these if extensive undead horsemen hunting is a priority.

Class			Strategy
Scout	vs	Horseless Headless Horsemann	Playing as Scout while being 'IT' allows you to evade the Horsemann's attack range and pursuits due to your agility and ability to double/triple jump. A good idea for a Scout who is "IT" is to flee while the Horsemann pursues you away from your team's spawn room. Luring the Horsemann towards the enemy team's spawn room will provide a much needed distraction. The Sandman baseball and Fan O' War are ineffective against the undead. Bonk! will allow you to survive the Horsemann's axe hits (and even allow you to use the knockback to your advantage). The Shortstop remains the Scout's best weapon choice incase a head-on assault against the Horsemann is required.
Soldier	vs	Horseless Headless Horsemann	Rocket jumping over the Horsemann while "IT" will cause him to hesitate while changing directions.It can also keep you well outside of the reach of his attacks, thus giving you the opportunity to either make an escape or draw the Horsemann into a group of enemies. The Buff Banner cannot generate charge by damage to the Horsemann. It is not recommended that you take this to battle with you. Use the Shotgun instead, making the switch to it when you run out of ammo for your primary weapon. This layout allows you to deal the most damage to the Horsemann. As with the Buff Banner the special effect of the Black Box does not work and therefore is a considerable drawback when the reduced ammo is taken into account. Charging a busy Horsemann with the Equalizer at very low health can be effective if the enemy team is away as your crits will deal ~300 damage - make sure you are not "IT". The Half-Zatoichi does not properly behave against a Horsemann kill, and should be staying sheated. The Gunboats will allow a skilled Soldier to entirely kill a Horesmann by his own, should the latter be properly kited. A friendly Kritzkrieg Medic will allow a skilled Soldier to make short work of the Horsemann, as a pack of critical rockets and shotgun pellets will take a huge chunk of his health away.
Pyro	vs	Horseless Headless Horsemann	Because the Horsemann does not suffer afterburn damage, using the Pyro against the Horseless Headless Horsemann is not recommended. In addition, the short effective range of the Pyro makes attacking head-on a very deadly prospect. However, using the Backburner while he is distracted can be effective in defeating him. A critting ubercharged pyro can make short work of the Horsemann should it not use its scare ability. The Flaregun is possibly the worst weapon to use against the Horsemann (minus the Fan O' War) as the latter cannot catch on fire. Only the minimal flare impact damage will register.
Demoman	vs	Horseless Headless Horsemann	The Demoman can deal a considerable amount of damage to the Horsemann by planting stickybombs where the Horsemann's spawns, before he appears. This strategy is particularly effective with a Kritzkrieg charge. Direct grenade hits damage the Horsemann hard, it is best advised to stay slightly out of his search radius and make your hits count. It is also possible to outrun him by charging with the Chargin' Targe in a single direction across open ground. As much as the Demoman can be melee-centered, it is extremely suicidal to go head-on against the Horsemann, even with the Chargin' Targe. Curiously, the Horsemann cannot be damaged by a targe hit, even at the end of a charge.
Heavy	vs	Horseless Headless Horsemann	The Heavy is the best head-on class against the Horsemann, should he not be "IT". Any minigun will shred the boss in a matter of seconds at short range, even without criticals. Be aware that the heavy has no real means of getting away from an angered pumpkin-headed skeleton, and thus should be relying on the Gloves of Running Urgently if the player has enough time to get away. The Shotgun should never be used, as you will simply get more damage in with your primary. The Steak is also unrecommended, as the Horsemann makes short work of anyone around it. The Brass Beast, even with a Kritzkrieg charge, is only recommended if the Horsemann is already busy, as your movement vulnerability will tempt even the enemy team to focus on you. A Heavy/Medic pair should camp the control point where it will spawn next, while building up a Kritzkrieg charge. Unleashing it upon the boss while it is spawning subsequently does the job shortly after the spawn animation is complete.
Engineer	vs	Horseless Headless Horsemann	Sentry Guns will target the Horsemann even when it is outside their normal range. Since the Horsemann is not affected by knockback, the player should never rely on his sentry to keep the monster away. Note that the Wrangler's slight auto-aim will not activate on the boss, rendering it slightly more difficult to keep the Sentry Gun's fire on-target. In addition, the Horsemann will attack anything blocking his path - this includes untargeted players and buildings. Keep in mind wrangled Sentry Guns can survive a few axe hits, allowing you and your team to profit from the distraction. The Engineer's standard loadout against the Horsemann is very basic and not worth the risk. The player is better off leaving a sentrygun in the Horsemann's vicinity to maximize damage and go on with his business.
Medic	vs	Horseless Headless Horsemann	Use your ÜberCharge on a teammate so they can attack the Horsemann. While the Horseman will ignore a ubercharged individual for as long as possible, keep in mind it will attempt to bat you away should you be in the Horsemann's way. The undead boss can also easily counter an ubercharged pair by stunning them with its special scare ability. Your Ubersaw is inneffective against the boss, and thus should be not used. If you do not have an ÜberCharge or Kritzkrieg charge, it is best advised to stay away and build one up. The medic's weaponry is mediocre against the Horsemann - the class should instead be used to help teammates against the boss.
Sniper	vs	Horseless Headless Horsemann	The basic Sniper is very limited against the Horsemann, as Sniper Rifle headshots curiously do not affect the Horsemann. However, power charge damage properly scales against the Horsemann, making the Sniper rely on fully charging his rifle(s). The Huntsman deals extra damage on headshots against the monstrosity, effectively rendering a skilled bow Sniper able to defeat the boss on his own in a short matter of time. Jarate nor bleeding do not affect the Horsemann thus rendering the Sydney Sleeper and Tribalman's Shiv obsolete.
Spy	vs	Horseless Headless Horsemann	The Spy is rather ineffective against the Horsemann as a Backstab will not result in an instant death or a critical hit and does not contribute significant damage. As with the Sniper Rifle, the Ambassador does not contribute extra damage by aiming at its head. The Revolver is the Spy's best choice for a head-on attack. Keep in mind the Dead Ringer will allow you to survive a few axe hits, giving the Spy the most survivability against the Horsemann. As with any other on-hit effect weapons, the Your Eternal Reward and the Conniver's Kunai will not grant you a bonus upon getting the last hit on a Horsemann and should be avoided. Note that the Horseless Headless Horsemann is a product of black evil magic, and thus cannot fall for disguise and/or invisbility tricks.

See also

• Scream Fortress
• Mann Manor