Buff Banner
| Buff Banner | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Basic Information | |
| Used by: | Soldier |
| Slot: | Secondary |
| Released: | WAR! Update |
| Availability: | Unlock, Craft, Drop, Purchase |
| Tradable: | Yes |
| Giftable: | Yes |
| Craftable: | Yes |
| Nameable: | Yes |
| Craft No.?: | No |
| Medieval: | Yes |
| Available Qualities | |
| Loadout Stats | |
 The Buff Banner |
|
| “ | Admit it: Every so often, you suspect you’re carrying your team... How about motivating those lazy sons of bitches to put on their war face and fight?
— Soldier Update blurb
|
” |
The Buff Banner, also known as the Bugle or simply Banner, is an unlockable secondary weapon for the Soldier. It is a tattered battle standard mounted on a small backpack and accompanied by a dented brass bugle. The war flag itself – which is rectangular and colored faded yellow with a brown starbust design and moves realistically – remains hidden in the backpack until it is activated, at which point it will appear on a pole mounted to the pack.
Equipping the Buff Banner adds a "Rage meter" to the Soldier's HUD, which is filled by dealing damage to enemies. The Rage meter becomes full after the Soldier has dealt 600 damage in a single life, at which point he can sound his bugle to rally his teammates. Telefragging an enemy results in a fully charged rage meter regardless of the previous charge or the type of class killed. Switching classes, dying, or unequipping the Buff Banner will empty the Rage meter completely.
During the 10 seconds following this rallying call, all hits made by allies positioned within 450 units of the Soldier, including his own, become mini-crits. Buffed players within the radius emit team-colored rings of light from their feet, and their weapons brighten similarly to a crit boost. It is possible to delay the release of the banner after the trumpet call, and thereby delaying the buffing effect, by holding down the primary fire key; left mouse button by default.
Though players only receive the buff while positioned within the buff radius, the source or sources of their damage need not be within the radius, so traveling rockets, pre-laid stickybombs, Sentry Guns, and afterburn will deal mini-crit damage as long as their creator is buffed when the damage is actually dealt. Likewise, a damage source created within the buff radius will not gain a mini-crit benefit if its creator no longer has the buff when the damage is dealt.
The Buff Banner is automatically given to any player who obtains 17 Soldier achievements.
Contents
Damage and function times
| Damage and function times | ||
|---|---|---|
| Effect range | 450 units | |
| Damage | ||
| Charge fill damage | 600 | |
| Function times | ||
| Effect duration | 10 s | |
| Activation time | 3 s | |
| Values are approximate and determined by community testing. | ||
Demonstration
Crafting
Blueprint
| Class Token - Soldier | Slot Token - Secondary | Scrap Metal | Possible Results | |||||||||||||||||||
|
+ | 
|
+ | 
|
= |
|
As a crafting ingredient
| Buff Banner | Reclaimed Metal | Battalion's Backup | ||
|
+ | 
|
= | 
|
Related achievements
Soldier
|
|
Update history
- The item was added to the game.
- Fixed the Buff Banner not working when +reload has been forced in console.
- Fixed inconsistent Rage generation with the Buff Banner.
- Fixed the player keeping their rage setting when the Buff Banner isn't equipped.
- Fixed resupply cabinet not clearing the rage and the buff status effect.
- Soldier Rage bar no longer resets when touching a resupply cabinet.
- Increased the rate of the Soldier's Rage generation by 40%.
- Reduced the duration of the Soldier's Buff Banner effect from 14 seconds to 10.
- Added jiggle bones to the Buff Banner.
September 30, 2010 Patch (The Mann-Conomy Update)
- [Undocumented] The weapon was added in the crafting blueprint for the Battalion's Backup.
- Soldiers no longer maintain their rage level when changing loadout.
- Updated flag model with optimizations and new LODs.
March 10, 2011 Patch (Shogun Pack)
- Updated bugle model with optimizations and new LODs.
- Fixed a bug that caused players to see the wrong backpacks on some classes.
Bugs
- The Buff Banner shares the same Rage meter as the Battalion's Backup and Concheror. If the player fills the Rage meter up while equipping this weapon, they can then equip the Battalion's Backup or Concheror by returning to a Resupply locker and retain the charge stored in the Rage meter. This only applies if the player previously had "Automatically respawn after loadout changes in respawn zones" disabled in advanced options or is outside of the respawn area..
- The Buff Banner does not glow while being held when the player is crit boosted. However, the crit electricity can be seen.
- If the Buff Banner is activated during Humiliation by a Soldier on the winning team, it may trigger as soon as the next round begins. The Soldier will spawn with his weapon glowing and his rage meter draining from full, and he and others around him are able to deal mini-crits. The effect still wears off after the normal length of time. This can be used to easily obtain the Buff Banner achievements.
Unused content
- There are two unused textures for separate "attack" and "defense" banners in the game files, which depict an explosion with an orange background, and a shield with a green background, respectively. Why the defense concept was not included on release is unknown, but the concept has since been given to the Battalion's Backup.
Trivia
- The bugle was originally issued to American monkeynaut Poopy Joe as a means of calling for help before it was acquired by Mann Co. in entirely innocent circumstances.[1]
- The Buff Banner has separate, unique calls for both the RED and BLU teams.
- The Buff Banner has text on its back, reading "Screaming Eagles". This is a reference to the United States Army's Template:W, nicknamed the Screaming Eagles, and is also a phrase used by the Soldier.
- The Buff Banner uses the original Shotgun taunt, before it was changed to a 3 Volley Salute in the December 17, 2009 Patch (WAR! Update)
Gallery
First-person view
Backpack component
Bugle component
Flag component
Players being buffed.
The unused attack explosion flag texture.
The unused defense shield flag texture.
See also
External links
References
| ||||||||||||||||||||
