Knockback
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— The Scout
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Knock back is the movement of a player, caused by an outside source.
When taking damage from any source, a player will experience an amount of knock back that generally depends directly on the power from the attack. While most weapons inflict minor knock back at best, there are quite a few exceptions that inflict significant knock back, and can have a dramatic effect on the battlefield. Significant sources of knock back will instantly interrupt any animations the victim is in, whether it be a taunt, or the consumption of a lunchbox item. The only items that can reduce the effects of knock back are the Mantreads, and the Quick-Fix while deploying an ÜberCharge.
Explosive projectiles
The explosive projectiles fired by weapons such as the Rocket Launcher and Stickybomb Launcher are among the most powerful sources of knock back and can send victims flying through the air. Crouching or being airborne reduces air drag, greatly increasing the degree of knock back experienced. Classes that utilize explosives will often take advantage of this mechanic to propel themselves great distances.
Damage over time
Damage received from an adirectional source or a weapon that damages the user pushes the recipient upward. The degree of knock back inflicted can be significant enough to access previously unreachable areas.
Sources:
- Fire damage, infects the target and deals a small amount of damage per second. Each shot of fire damage dealt will cause the infected player a little bit of knock back, allowing them to jump a little further than they are normally able to.
- Bleed damage, infects the target in a manor similar to fire, dealing a small amount of damage over time. Like fire damage, each shot of bleed damage dealt will cause the infected player a little bit of knock back, allowing them to jump a little further than they are normally able to.
- Boston Basher / Three-Rune Blade, is able to deal bleed damage to the Scout using it. A Scout may use this to his advantage, to propel himself to great heights at the cost of great health. [1]
- Gloves of Running Urgently, deals small amounts of damage per second is a manor similar to fire and bleed damage. A Heavy can use this to make great leaps that he isn't normally able to. For example, a Heavy may use the knockback dealt by the Gloves of Running Urgently to leap to control point E on Steel before the bridges extend. [2]
Special cases
- Compression blast - Launches victim backwards aerially without inflicting damage.
- Force-A-Nature – Launches victim according to the angle at which the weapon was fired; launches an airborne wielder in the opposite direction.
- Melee weapon Critical hits - Launches airborne targets significantly backwards.
- Natascha – The effects of slowdown are similar to knock back and will cancel any animations the victim is in.
- Sentry Gun – Sentry Gun bullets push targets away.
