Respawn

“

Click to listen

— The Spy

”

Respawn may be used to refer either to the act of respawning, or to the place in which it occurs. The game respawns players in waves, so that they can respawn together with other players who died at a similar time, forcing them to work together.

When used as an event or action, the term "respawn" refers to the act of automatically rejoining the game-world after having been killed. The initial entry when you first join a map is simply called a spawn. The term "respawn" may also refer to the reappearance of map pickups after they have been used, such as ammo or health packs.

In Arena mode, or when Control Point matches turn to sudden death mode, players that die will not respawn until the next round has begun.

Respawn times

For exact timing measurements on all official maps, see respawn times.

The time it takes for the respawn wave to occur after being killed is variable, and a countdown is shown at the top of your HUD when your character has died. Respawn waves occur on regular intervals, based on the map settings. Most official maps use a 10 second respawn wave time. That 10 seconds is then modified by the map state, generally reduced for the team that controls the most capture points. Each team's respawn wave time is then scaled down if the team has less than 8 players in it, to a minimum of 5 seconds if team has 3 or less players in it. When you die, you are assigned to the respawn wave after the next one. So if the respawn wave time is currently 10 seconds for your team, you'll respawn somewhere between 10 and 20 seconds from your death. Your individual performance doesn't affect your respawn time in any way. Respawn Wave Time on a server can be altered by changing the mp_respawnwavetime variable.

Instant respawn

Some servers feature "instant respawn" times, where the waiting period for players to respawn is drastically reduced or even eliminated for all players. Servers can use either third-party custom plugins to enable this feature, or the in-built command mp_disable_respawn_times. The amount of time between death and actual respawn can vary if the server forces the deathcam to be displayed.

Areas

Respawn

The respawn area refers to where newly-joined and resurrected players are placed. On some maps, this may be a separate room from the resupply area. Frequently, the two areas overlap and there is no visible distinction between the two. The use of the respawn area as a separate room is frequent on Capture the Flag maps. In this case, there are sometimes automatic double doors leading to the resupply area. These doors frequently may only be opened from the inside, and when present provide one of the few safe places during Humiliation.

You may change your class within the respawn area without committing suicide. On most maps, it is also safe to change class within the resupply area, even if they are separate rooms. The point where you respawn is randomly chosen, but in control point maps, it is often determined by which points your team has control over. Note that changing class may sometimes instantly place you in a different respawn area, if more than one are present.

In the GCF files of Team Fortress 2, and in unused sound effects, there is a turret that may have been used to guard the respawn room rather than the eventual invisible wall, similar to Team Fortress Classic.

Resupply

The resupply area is a room which is generally safe from opponents and provides you with supply closets to replenish your health and ammunition. Depending on the map, this area may be adjacent to the respawn area, separate, or overlapping. Most resupply areas contain one or more supply closets, which instantly provide full health, metal and ammunition (including refilling all of your weapons magazines) upon opening. They also remove the effects of Jarate, stop bleeding and extinguish afterburn. Using a resupply locker also allows players to switch between hats and/or weapons if they have already respawned, therefore eliminating the need to switch between classes in order to update your weapon load-out (Unless you have the option of "Automatically Respawning when you change your loadout" On). Using a supply cabinet as Spy using the Your Eternal Reward will also remove your disguise. To open a supply closet, the player must simply walk near it. Note that resupply closets cannot be opened during sudden death, or by the losing team during humiliation.

Other purely decorative objects within the resupply area may include lockers in which the various classes keep their personal belongings, free weights and targets for practice.

Gallery

Resupply lockers, found in resupply areas, return players to full health and ammo when used.
An open resupply locker.
The medieval resupply locker used in Degroot Keep.
An open medieval resupply locker.