Community Heavy strategy

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— The Heavy

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This article is about Community Heavy strategy.

The Heavy, as the class name suggests, is the full frontal attack force of Team Fortress 2. The class itself is a heavy weapon - big, slow, tough, and powerful - players can wade into battles where other classes dare not. The Heavy's usefulness as a shock troop on the front lines, defense breaker, and wide-area defender should not be underestimated or ignored by either side.

1 Quick tips
2 General
3 Weapon Specific
4 Item sets
- 4.1 The Hibernating Bear
- 4.2 Black Market Business
5 Weapon combinations
6 Class combat strategies
- 6.1 Scout
- 6.2 Soldier
- 6.3 Pyro
- 6.4 Demoman
- 6.5 Heavy
- 6.6 Engineer
- 6.7 Medic
- 6.8 Sniper
- 6.9 Spy
7 Cooperative class strategies
- 7.1 Scout
- 7.2 Soldier
- 7.3 Pyro
- 7.4 Demoman
- 7.5 Heavy
- 7.6 Engineer
- 7.7 Medic
- 7.8 Sniper
- 7.9 Spy
8 See also

Quick tips

Hurry through any open areas. You're the favorite target of Snipers.

Look out behind you! A Spy will almost invariably be behind you. Listen for the de-cloaking sound.

The Sandvich heals very quickly, and will keep you in the fight. Use it from cover.

You can right-click to throw your food items to someone else, like your Medic.

Consider arming the Fists of Steel while crossing open areas, and as a strategy for distracting Sentry Guns.

General

As the class with the most HP, the Heavy is capable of absorbing a large amount of damage before going down. This endurance can allow players to stay on the front lines for longer durations than other classes. Use this to keep the pressure on the enemy if teammates need to replenish their health or ammo.
- However, remember that due to the Heavy's slow speed and large hitbox, it is far easier for players to cause damage to the Heavy, so always be ready to retreat behind cover. As powerful as the Heavy is, players should keep in mind that they are still vulnerable to concentrated attacks, and that the Heavy's slow movement can increase this vulnerability.

Beginner Heavy players should aim to develop a mentality that they will automatically retreat no matter what when their health drops to around 125 HP (plus/minus 25 HP). As they gain experience they will be better suited to judge a situation to see if they should retreat early or to stay and fight to the death.

With 300 HP, the Heavy is capable of being overhealed up to 450 HP, which can allow players to absorb even more damage. A Heavy with a Medic in tow is easily one of the most powerful combinations in the game.

As the slowest class in the game, Heavy players should get used to planning their moves ahead of time. Knowing what path to take, the best places to spin up the Minigun, and the shortest path to cover and support can mitigate the Heavy's slow speed.

Heavies are among the highest priority classes for Teleporters. While other classes like Scouts can quickly reach the front lines from their spawn point, doing so as a Heavy wastes precious time during which could be spent attacking the enemy team.

Due to the Heavy's slow speed, successfully setting up an ambush can have devastating effects, if only for the reason that the other team will not expect a Heavy to be there. A Heavy that can surprise a group of enemies can easily kill 2-3 of the other team's members and force the rest to retreat.
- As it is relatively uncommon for players to look up, setting up an ambush from above lets players mow down unaware enemies from close range before they can react. This can negate the Heavy's slow speed, as players will not have to race to chase down their targets.

Thanks to the class's size, strength, firepower, and general obviousness, Heavy players draw a lot of attention in a fight. This allows Heavies to dictate the focus and pace of a battle merely by their presence and positioning. Heavies can be used to distract enemies while more maneuverable classes such as Scouts and Pyros can ambush and flank the enemy, and their absence can be used to lead the foe into a false sense of security.

Remember that, in spite of the class's considerable offensive power, the Heavy is a Defensive type class. Heavies used in defensive situations can suppress enemy movements and break up pushes, and only needing to wait for the enemy to approach negates the Heavy's movement speed disadvantage.

A Heavy standing next to a Dispenser can get a constant supply of ammo, letting players fire their Minigun without worrying about running out of ammo.

File:Headshot heavy.jpg

Snipers can take out a Heavy with one fully charged Headshot, so keep out of their sights!

Although the Heavy has a lot of health, a well-placed Sniper shot can take players down in one hit, and the Heavy's slow movement and large size makes things easy for the Sniper. Glowing Sniper sight dots are a warning sign to watch for. Heavies should never stand still or spin up their Minigun in open areas, and should seek safer, more closed-off spaces when possible.
- Snipers can be made to lose their aim by firing on them. Remember that while a Minigun round at long range will do negligible damage, being hit will cause the Sniper's scope to jump, making it much harder to hit any targets.

Heavies are always prime targets for Spies, especially due to their slow movement speed, so make sure to turn around every now and then to prevent a successful backstab. When spinning up the Minigun, always be sure to have a teammate watching behind as Spies can rarely resist backstabbing a spun-up Heavy.
- Because of the Minigun's wide spread, firing occasionally out in the open can hit and reveal a cloaked Spy. This allows players to Spy-check over longer distances.

Pushing the cart in Payload games can be quite effective if there are teammates to support the push. Use the cart as cover and aim over the top if the angle permits (bullets won't pass through it). Furthermore, as the cart acts as a moving Dispenser, health and ammo will be replenished automatically, increasing the Heavy's already impressive endurance.

Take care of Medics! A Heavy/Medic pair can be a devastating force, but only if the two of them work together. Remember that a Medic usually has other teammates to worry about besides a Heavy, so be observant of when the Medic is and isn't alongside. Pay attention to the type of ÜberCharge the Medic deploys. If carrying a Sandvich, throw it to the Medic to keep him or her healthy if an enemy manages to cause significant damage. Listen and watch for enemies attempting to attack the Medic, and keep them at bay when feasible. Medics will often help watch for Spies, but do not depend on them to be constantly aware. Always be ready to body-block any incoming explosives to protect the Medic, especially if nearly fully overhealed. Finally, always try to keep the Minigun full on ammo in order to make the most use of ÜberCharges.

Weapon Specific

Primary Weapons

Minigun/Iron Curtain

Weapon	Kill Icon	Ammo	Damage
Weapon	Kill Icon	Carried	Point Blank	Medium Range	Long Range	Critical
Stock Minigun		200	50-54	5-30	5-10	27
Promotional Iron Curtain		200	50-54	5-30	5-10	27

The Minigun is capable of dealing significant damage at close and medium ranges; any enemy caught by its stream will usually die in seconds. However, the Minigun must first be spun up in order to fire.

Remember that holding alternate fire will keep the Minigun spun up and ready to shoot at a moment's notice; taking up station in strategic defensive positions and staying spun up is often an excellent alternative to attempting an assault as a Heavy.
- Beware that spinning up the Minigun will greatly reduce movement speed, increasing vulnerability to enemy fire. Be especially wary of spinning up in wide-open areas, where cover is scarce and enemies can attack from multiple directions and Snipers can line up easy headshots.
- Also, be wary that the sound of a spun-up Minigun is highly distinctive; keeping it spun up alerts the enemy to a Heavy's presence long before they can see the danger approaching.
- Instead of holding the alternate fire to keep the gun spinning, tapping the alt-fire button allows players to enter a spin down phase, which allows Heavies to move at normal speed while still being able to deploy the gun quickly.

Although the Minigun fires bullets over a wide range, the spread of the weapon greatly reduces its utility at longer ranges, so try to use it in close- to mid-range situations; think of it as a Shotgun with no rate of fire or reloading drawbacks.

Mouse tracking speed does not decrease when the Minigun is spinning. Setting the mouse to a high sensitivity can allow players to quickly track in on targets that suddenly appear or try to circle-strafe to avoid being hit by the Minigun.

Knowing when not to fire is key to good Heavy play. Wasting ammo whittling away long-range targets or on ÜberCharged pairs will leave players without bullets at a crucial point, and suddenly ceasing fire to gain a speed boost to get out of sight can allow even a lumbering Heavy to out-maneuver the other team, rather than relying on firepower in a dangerous situation.

One of the keys to using the Minigun effectively is learning to jump and spin up at the same time. As the Minigun can be spun-up in mid-air, this can be used to negate the movement penalty suffered before the Minigun can be fired. It is especially effective if done around corners, as it gives enemy players next to no warning that a Heavy is about to attack, whereas spinning up while approaching a corner on foot will slow the Heavy down and alert the enemy beforehand.

Don't forget that the Heavy has a Shotgun and Fists as well. The Shotgun is the weapon to use when quick maneuverability is needed, as it makes the Heavy a much harder target than using the Minigun (especially for Snipers). Fists are a good alternative for conserving ammo, especially if the Sandvich is being carried instead of the Shotgun. It's also good against enemies trying to fight at close range (such as Spies), though be careful not to let them run out of range and switch to a long range weapon.

200 bullets seems like a lot, but when the Minigun is firing it will disappear rather quickly! Pay attention to fallen weapons of enemies/team-mates, weapon crates or Dispensers.

At mid-range or closer, the Minigun has a higher damage output than any other weapon in the game, save for Critical hits. Keep this in mind and keep on the offensive when facing opponents one-on-one.

For those players who have a Sandvich equipped instead of a Shotgun, consider keeping your Minigun ready at all times. Your only other defense are your fists.

Natascha

Weapon	Kill Icon	Ammo	Damage
Weapon	Kill Icon	Carried	Point Blank	Medium Range	Long Range	Critical
Unlock Natascha		200	32-36	5-20	3-10	20.25

Natascha is an unlockable primary weapon for the Heavy. It deals 25% less damage than the Minigun and has a 30% longer spin-up time, but will cause a slow effect on any enemy that is hit, reducing their speed to roughly a third of their normal speed if hit constantly.
- Natascha's slow effect is reduced over range. Therefore, as with the Minigun, its effectiveness is best at close to medium range.

Natascha is particularly effective against faster classes (such as the Scout) since it counteracts their speed advantage. Use Natascha to prevent speedy classes from reaching cover, making them easier to pick off.

Due to Natascha doing less damage, it is best to avoid fighting Heavies that are wielding a different primary weapon (especially the Brass Beast), or an Engineer's Sentry Gun, unless a Medic is providing support or teammates are nearby.

When working with a teammate on defense such as a Demoman, Soldier, or Minigun-wielding Heavy, Natascha can make Scouts, Medics, and Pyros easier targets for slow-moving projectiles and allows other Heavies time to spin up their guns. In this manner, players can whittle down a target's health while preparing them for a finishing blow from teammates. This makes Natascha an ideal support weapon for helping teammates in preventing enemy pushes from becoming successful.

Natascha can be a better choice than Minigun for dealing with Spies, as Natascha reduces the chance of an enemy Spy successfully fleeing after a successful Spy-check.

The slowdown of Natascha also affects vertical momentum, meaning that any opponent trying to jump (including rocket jumps and sticky jumps) will come up short when hit. This can be used to defend high vantage points against Soldiers and Demomen trying to take the high ground.

Natascha can slow the Demoman even when using the Chargin' Targe, so using it can prevent a Demoman from making a successful kill.

Brass Beast

Weapon	Kill Icon	Ammo	Damage
Weapon	Kill Icon	Carried	Point Blank	Medium Range	Long Range	Critical
Craft Brass Beast		200	60-65	6-36	5-12	32.4

The Brass Beast is a craftable primary weapon for the Heavy. It does 20% more base damage than the Minigun, but it has a 50% slower spin-up time, it also reduces the Heavy's movement speed by 60%.

Carrying the Shotgun as a secondary weapon is recommended due to the Brass Beast's long spin-up time. This allows players to quickly have a weapon ready to fire in event of an ambush.

Due to the extremely slow walking speed while spun up, this weapon is great in defensive situations that do not require a significant amount of movement.
- Take advantage of its greater damage potential by guarding bottlenecks and choke points, where the enemy has less room to maneuver and avoid fire.
- When used in an assault/offensive, this weapon is more effective when used for brute force attack/support than an ambush.
- As with the Minigun, try not to spin it up in wide-open areas or places where Snipers have long lines of sight. As movement speed is greatly reduced, Snipers will have a far easier time lining up a headshot.

This weapon may occasionally be superior to a Sentry Gun.
- A Sentry Gun's placement is restricted, but a Brass Beast Heavy may deploy anywhere that players can reach.
- A level 2/3 Sentry Gun takes much longer to set up, so cannot be deployed in front of enemies.
- A Spy can easily sap a Sentry and take the objective before the Sappers are removed, while other classes can stay out of its range to destroy it. Provided a Heavy regularly spychecks, players can avoid being backstabbed and can fire at enemies from any distance.
- Automated Sentry Guns will only target and attack one person at a time. On the other hand, a Heavy may Spy-check anyone that comes near and can quickly change targets or move where necessary. Although use of the Wrangler does solve this to an extent, the Engineer has relatively low health and the Sentry Gun shuts down temporarily on the Engineer's death. Additionally, the Sentry Gun still cannot move without being packed up, and the laser sight makes its position rather obvious.
- Even a Combat Mini-Sentry has a slower deployment time than a Heavy with the Brass Beast(2.5s when building and 1.5s when moving, compared to 1.3s to spin up the Brass Beast), and is much weaker in terms of damage and health.

Using tap-spin (by tapping primary/secondary fire) allows players to quickly deploy the gun while able to walk at a normal speed. This is helpful when evading attacks or moving to a new position.

In team defenses, try to pair up with another Heavy that is using Natascha. The Natascha-wielding Heavy can slow nearby targets down, maximizing the amount of damage that the Brass Beast can do.

Make good use of Dispensers with this weapon. The slower movement speed when spinning means it is difficult for players to keep the Brass Beast well stocked with ammo, as others may take the dropped weapons of dead foes first, as well as making the Heavy an easier target for explosive splash damage.

Players can negate the extra spin-up slow down by using the jump and spin technique, mentioned in the Minigun strategy above.

Tomislav

Weapon	Kill Icon	Ammo	Damage
Weapon	Kill Icon	Carried	Point Blank	Medium Range	Long Range	Critical
Craft Tomislav		200	50-150	5-30	5-10	27

The Tomislav is a craftable primary weapon for the Heavy. It takes 40% less time to spin-up than the default Minigun, and generates no sound while in the spin-up state, at the cost of a 20% slower firing rate.

A Tomislav-equipped Heavy is ideal for surprising foes as they turn corners. Ambushing a foe at point-blank range in this manner results in a very quick, nearly unavoidable kill; they cannot retreat fast enough to escape the finishing burst as you follow them, and they usually cannot outlast the Heavy's health if they choose to fight anyway.

If you find an area where you can efficiently execute such ambushes, make sure you do not use the same spot each time. Victims of your rampage will quickly warn their teammates, who will bring backup or keep their weapons ready as they close into the kill zone.

The Tomislav's rapid spin-up generally compensates for many of the weaknesses of the Shotgun. If your ammo efficency is good and/or you expect to use mostly defensive tactics, a consumable may be a better use of your secondary slot.

An aggressive Heavy can take advantage of the Tomislav's quick spin-up in order to advance more quickly with almost no risk. If you run out of targets, feel free to stop spinning up and reposition rapidly; you can re-enter the fight or respond to surprises quite rapidly.

Normally, switching to the Minigun while boosted from the Killing Gloves of Boxing is an inefficient use of the Crit-boost period; the Tomislav is a powerful exception to this rule, as you can switch to, deploy, and fire the weapon less than a second after you connect with the gloves. This is a great way to clear an area while ÜberCharged.

When coordinating with a Medi Gun equipped Medic, feel free to close the distance more in the early part of an offensive ÜberCharge, as you will have additional time to fire nonetheless.

Listen carefully for enemy Heavies and their Miniguns; should you engage, you will lose in a head to head fight with all but Natascha-wielding Heavies assuming both of you are spun up and ready to fire, all else being equal. Catch them close and undeployed, and you will win the damage race before they can deal too much damage.

The Tomislav's fast spin-up can be rather useful against lighter classes such as Scouts.

Secondary Weapons

Shotgun

Weapon	Kill Icon	Ammo		Damage
Weapon	Kill Icon	Loaded	Carried	Point Blank	Medium Range	Long Range	Critical
Stock Shotgun		6	32	86-90	24-67	3-26	120

The Shotgun is the maneuvering weapon of the Heavy. Use it in situations where losing mobility is disadvantageous, Such as:
- Fighting Demomen and Soldiers, where they can use cover to damage you whilst remaining safe from minigun fire. This also allows you to dodge their shots more easily
- Whilst retreating.
- Whilst attempting to close distance whilst Übercharged.
- Fighting whilst in view of an enemy Sniper.
- When getting to Health and Ammo pickups quickly is important.
The Shotgun also provides a ranged backup weapon when you have run out of minigun ammo.

If there are multiple friendly Medics on the team, then it may be a better idea to bring this over the Sandvich, since replenishing health is not an issue.

Keep in mind that without the Sandvich, players will need to rely more on Health Packs and Medics to stay alive. Try to memorize the map's health pack locations, and keep within easy distance of teammates should the need to retreat arise.

You can also try and use the Shotgun to bait more reckless enemies around corners if going around said corner is too dangerous or you're low on health. This strategy is more effective with the Tomislav, as the enemy won't be aware of your plan until it's in full effect.

Sandvich

Weapon	Ammo		Eating
Weapon	Loaded	Carried	Health Gained	Duration	Recharge Time
Unlock Sandvich	1	∞	300	4.3 seconds	30 seconds

The Sandvich is an unlockable secondary weapon for the Heavy. When eaten, it fully restores the Heavy's HP over four seconds; during this process, the Heavy becomes immobile and emits loud eating noises.

Remember to use the Sandvich only when behind cover and in the presence of teammates. As the Heavy is completely immobile while recovering health, enemies can very easily follow up at their leisure.
- Try to eat while backed up against a wall, as a Spy that happens upon a dining Heavy can spell disaster. In addition, make sure to stand somewhere where a Spy is unable to use a height advantage to climb over and perform a backstab from above.

Use alternate fire to throw the Sandvich onto the ground. A dropped Sandvich acts as a medium health pack, replenishing 50% of a player's HP when picked up, and stopping burning/bleeding damage. Use it to help endangered teammates quickly recover health. This is especially advisable for healing Medics, as they cannot heal themselves and doing so helps them to retain their ÜberCharge meter.
- A thrown Sandvich can be picked up from the ground by yourself for 150 Health. This can be used to quickly replenish health while moving. To do this, throw the Sandvich in the direction you are moving and then quickly pick it up, or bounce it off a wall if you desire it to fall nearer to you or movement is unwise; a dropped Sandvich can also be used to provide a quick health boost in the middle of battle if dropped behind a corner beforehand.
- On this note, if you are wounded and are retreating and/or have strong reason to believe you are being pursured; run around a corner, throw your Sandvich ahead of you and then jump-spin onto your Sandvich, turning 180 degrees in mid air in the process. Your partially restored health and readiness to fight will catch your pursurer off guard and give you a chance to kill him. This technique is especally effective against Pyros, Scouts, and Spies.

Enemies can see dropped Sandviches, so it is possible to set traps by dropping a Sandvich and ambushing enemies that try to pick it up.

The Sandvich has a 30 second cooldown if it is thrown or eaten when injured. Picking up a Health pack while at full HP restores the Sandvich instantly.
- This can be used to teammates' benefit when picking up small health packs, as the Sandvich can be dropped for a teammate, and the small health pack picked up to restore the Food meter, effectively turning the small health pack into a medium one

Without the Shotgun, Snipers are much more deadly.

Without a fallback weapon such as the Shotgun or the Family Business, you are forced to rely solely on using the Minigun to do damage.

By immediately performing a taunt upon equipping the Sandvich, the one-second weapon-change delay can be bypassed, allowing for faster consumption of the Sandvich.

Sandviches cannot be eaten in situations where the Heavy is considered airborne or swimming. However, it can still be thrown with secondary fire.

Take advantage of the Sandvich being a projectile to throw it over ledges to teammates in need.

Dalokohs Bar/Fishcake

Weapon	Ammo		Eating
Weapon	Loaded	Carried	Health Gained	Duration of Eating	Effect Duration
Craft Dalokohs Bar	1	∞	60 or if at full health, raises maximum health to 350.	4.3 seconds	30 seconds
Promotional Fishcake	1	∞	60 or if at full health, raises maximum health to 350.	4.3 seconds	30 seconds

The Dalokohs Bar is a craftable secondary weapon for the Heavy. Consuming the Dalokohs Bar restores 60 HP over four seconds when eaten, and increases the Heavy's maximum health to 350 HP for 30 seconds. As with the Sandvich, the Heavy becomes immobile and makes highly audible eating noises.

At the end of the 30-second time limit, any health over 300 becomes overheal health, and will fully drain away in around 7 seconds.

Unlike the Sandvich or Buffalo Steak Sandvich, the Dalokohs Bar has no cooldown timer, and thus can be consumed consecutively multiple times to restore health. However, be wary that consuming it will still take time, so it is often wiser to simply look for more health pickups if the chance of being ambushed by enemies is high.

Like other lunchbox items, the Dalokohs Bar cannot be eaten while in mid-air or swimming. However, unlike the other lunchbox items, the Dalokohs Bar cannot be dropped, meaning that players cannot heal endangered teammates.

The extra 50 HP allows the user to withstand a minimum of one more shot from the Scattergun, the Grenade Launcher or the Sniper Rifle (minimally charged headshots or bodyshots). It may also allow a minimum of one more shot from the Stickybomb Launcher and Direct Hit when fighting outside very close range. All of these weapons are used by the Heavy's most common enemies and the extra hit may give the Heavy time to finish off his opponent, however without the 100% healing power of the Sandvich they will be troubled to find healing afterward.

The Dalokohs Bar can be particularly useful for Heavies that can obtain a constant source of healing but lack a nearby friendly Medic for overhealing or a Dispenser for healing.

The Dalokohs Bar has good synergy with Medics using the Quick-Fix. The improved healthpool provided by the Dalokohs Bar works well with the Quick-Fix's inability to Overheal, thus allowing the Heavy the benefits of both a sort-of-overheal and the improved heal rate of the Quick-Fix, which makes the Heavy fairly difficult to kill, especially for support classes like the Engineer.

Even though the Dalokohs Bar increases maximum health to 350, Medics can still only overheal the Heavy to 450 HP, making the bar less effective when there are numerous friendly Medics.
- Furthermore, due to a bug, Dispensers and Quick-Fix Medics will still only heal Heavies under the effect of the Dalokohs Bar up to 300 HP.

Buffalo Steak Sandvich

Weapon	Ammo		Eating
Weapon	Loaded	Carried	Buff	Eating Duration	Duration of Effect	Recharge Time
Craft Buffalo Steak Sandvich	1	∞	Increases speed by 35% and turns all damage dealt and taken into Mini-Crits.	4.3 seconds	15 seconds	30 seconds

The Buffalo Steak Sandvich is a craftable secondary weapon for the Heavy. When consumed, it increases the Heavy's movement speed by roughly 35%, and makes any damage dealt and taken by the Heavy Mini-Crits for 15 seconds. For the duration of the Buffalo Steak Sandvich's effects, the Heavy is limited to using only melee weapons.

Like the Sandvich, the Buffalo Steak Sandvich can be dropped with alternate fire. A dropped Buffalo Steak Sandvich behaves the same as a regular Sandvich, replenishing 50% of the health of whoever picks it up.

The speed boost can be handy in more ways than simple offense; it can aid in scouting and can help get players to their destinations quickly. Note, however, that players are more vulnerable to attack after eating a Buffalo Steak Sandvich due to having Mini-Crits inflicted on them.
- A particularly effective tactic is to use the Buffalo Steak Sandvich at the start of Arena mode's setup time; the now-faster Heavy will be able to reach the front lines faster and the effect will wear off as combat begins, allowing players to make surprising offensive rushes and ambushes against lighter classes.
- The speed boost can also be used to gain access to places that were previous inaccessible to Heavies. Some jumps that would normally only be accessible to most other classes can be done by a Heavy under the effects of the Buffalo Steak Sandvich.

If an enemy is chasing at a distance, turn a corner and use the Buffalo Steak Sandvich. Using the third-person camera, it is possible to spot the enemy whist eating and, with good timing, pop out again with a surprise melee attack.

Make sure not to charge at enemies because they can still use their projectile weapons at range, which can result in swift death when combined with Mini-Crits.

The Fists of Steel can be combined with the Buffalo Steak Sandvich for soaking up the Mini-crit damage caused by the Buffalo Steak Sandvich's side-effect.
- However, be especially wary when using the Fists of Steel in combination with the Buffalo Steak Sandvich, as all melee attacks by the enemy will inflict double damage on top of Mini-Crits.

Family Business

Weapon	Kill Icon	Ammo		Damage
Weapon	Kill Icon	Loaded	Carried	Point Blank	Medium Range	Long Range	Critical
Craft Family Business		8	32	74-76	20-52	3-22	102

The Family Business is a craftable secondary weapon for the Heavy. It has a 40% increase in magazine size over the Shotgun, but deals 15% less damage per shot. Because of the extra ammo, it also takes about a second longer to fully reload.

The Family Business does best at longer ranges compared to the Shotgun, where its ammo count gives it a notable damage advantage per-mag over the Shotgun. At closer ranges, the difference is much smaller, though the Family Business still does more damage per-magazine than the Shotgun.

Though the decreased damage makes it less useful in direct combat and as an ambush weapon, the increased magazine size makes it useful for picking off distant or wounded targets that are unsuitable for being targeted by a Minigun due to distance or the Minigun's slowdown.
- The Family Business is particularly useful for Snipers and Engineers; against the former, it can push Snipers around and mess up their aim from afar, whilst against the latter, the spray of ammo makes it more likely you can damage an Engineer trying to hide behind its sentry when attacking the Sentry itself is unfeasible. It can also help throw off the aim of Wrangler-using Engineers.

The added ammo of the Family Business makes it possible to destroy a Mini-Sentry or Level 1 Sentry from just outside its maximum targetting range. This is technically also possible with the Shotgun, but is considerably harder to pull off, as all the shots need to hit for it to happen, whereas with the Family Business, it's a lot more likely to due to the extra ammo eclipsing the lowered damage.

The added ammo of the Family Business makes it a superior "Run and Gun" weapon for the Heavy - it lacks the spin-up time of a Minigun, and when running forward, accuracy is often secondary in necessity compared to volume of fire. In this situation, the Family Business makes for a great weapon for running between objectives, and a little better than the Shotgun for this purpose. It also is quite handy, in the same vein, for chasing down enemies trying to flee, especially faster classes like Spies and Scouts, since - again - volume of fire helps a lot more than raw punch in such a situation.

The lack of the Tomislav's firing noise means that the Family Business is a great backup weapon for it - enemies won't have any clue what you're going to use until you start firing, making the Tomislav and Family Business a good ambush combo. While the Shotgun can be used the same way, the Family Business' larger clip size means less reloads in the face of enemy aggression and more overall damage dealt per-clip, so, in general, it's a bit more reliable.

There's a number of situations where the Shotgun's a better choice than the Family Business, so fight accordingly. The higher damage of the Shotgun means that it's much better when it comes to ambushing foes, medium-and-close-range combat (where the Shotgun will typically win a damage race against the Family Business), and for dissuading mobile melee attackers, such as Demomen.

The Family Business pairs well with the K.G.B.'s Crit-boost, as the increased ammo clip means you can deal more critical damage than with the Shotgun.

Melee Weapons

Fists/Saxxy

Weapon	Kill Icon	Attack Interval	Damage
Weapon	Kill Icon	Attack Interval	Point Blank	Critical
Stock Fists		0.8 seconds	65	195
Promotional Saxxy		0.8 seconds	65	195

The Fists are a fallback weapon, and are the Heavy's only fallback weapon if the Sandvich is equipped. It is also good against any class that is cornered or not expecting a Heavy to engage in melee combat.

Showdown

	Kill Icon	Weapon	Damage	Duration	Details
High Noon		Fists, Saxxy	500	3 seconds	The Heavy mimics a quick-draw Pistol Showdown, resulting in instant death for any enemy in the way.

Keep in mind the attack speed for this taunt. If it can be timed right, it is a perfect revenge tool during humiliation. It also can be used against either distracted Heavies or scoped Snipers, saving ammo for other classes.

Unlike other taunts, the Showdown taunt must be manually aimed. This allows players to hit targets from above or below, as long as the target is within the player's line of fire when the "lethal" portion of the taunt is executed.

The Showdown acts as a short ranged but very wide hitting Pistol, making it the only kill taunt with range. In melee-only Sudden Death, this can provide a considerable advantage.

In Attack/Defend and Payload maps, it is possible to achieve a kill with this. Stand in front of the gates, and taunt when there is a second left on the Setup clock.

The taunt attacks in a straight line, so it is possible to aim it through tight spaces and surprise unaware targets. It is possible to do a "Pinshot" by aiming the taunt through a thin crack that leads to another part of the map. For example, a crack under a bridge can be exploited to hit someone under or above the bridge.

The Showdown is maybe the only tauntkill that can be used for serious playing, for example, if there is above you a window, and an Enemy is shooting out there, the Minigun and Shotgun wouldn't do much damage and the Enemy would maybe notice you and either run or use his highground advantage. While the Showdown is 100% silent til the execution and can kill them in a single hit without much problems, no matter off the class or temporary buff (-except for the Ubercharge).

Killing Gloves of Boxing

Weapon	Kill Icon	Attack Interval	Damage	Effect
Weapon	Kill Icon	Attack Interval	Point Blank	Critical	Critical Boost
Unlock Killing Gloves of Boxing		0.97 seconds	35	105	5 seconds

The Killing Gloves of Boxing (shortened to K.G.B.) are unlockable melee weapons for the Heavy. Upon killing an enemy, players are guaranteed Critical hits for the next 5 seconds, and can kill additional enemies using the K.G.B to continually reset the boost time. However, the K.G.B. has a 20% slower swinging speed.

The guaranteed Critical hits can be transferred to other weapons as well. Therefore, it is possible to kill an enemy, then quickly switch to another weapon to kill enemies beyond melee range. However, switching weapons wastes precious time, and spinning up the Minigun wastes even more; in addition, the Shotgun's Criticals are less powerful than those of the K.G.B. If possible, get multiple kills (2 or more) with the K.G.B. before switching to another weapon.

The slow swing speed coupled with the Heavy's slow movement speed makes using the K.G.B. a risky prospect. It is best to use them when facing a cornered enemy, or have a Medic to provide constant healing.
- However, if the Crit-boost can be achieved in tight corridors, keep using the K.G.B. while there are still enemies around; a Critical hit with the K.G.B. will kill all non-overhealed classes with a single hit except Soldiers, Demomen (with the Eyelander and with 4 or more heads) and Heavies, who will fall if a second hit is landed.

Using the Buffalo Steak Sandvich can assist in getting the first melee kill, as players will be able to move faster and deal Mini-Crits. However, beware that all damage taken will be Mini-Crits for the duration of the Buffalo Steak Sandvich's buff, so try to time an attack so that the Buffalo Steak Sandvich's effects run out as soon as a melee kill is achieved.
- This strategy is even more effective in Medieval Mode, as most other enemy classes will not be carrying long-range weapons.

Gloves of Running Urgently

Weapon	Kill Icon	Attack Interval	Damage	Effect
Weapon	Kill Icon	Attack Interval	Point Blank	Self-Damage	Critical	Speed Boost
Craft Gloves of Running Urgently		0.8 seconds	33	6 per second	98	299 Hammer units/sec

The Gloves of Running Urgently (shortened to G.R.U.) are craftable melee weapons for the Heavy. While equipped, the Heavy's movement speed is increased by 30%, but players lose 6 HP/sec. Furthermore, all melee damage dealt is reduced by 50%.

Use the G.R.U. to reach the front lines faster and keep up with teammates, but make sure to know the location of health kits on the map, have a Medic to negate the health loss, or have a lunchbox item equipped, so as not to begin a fight with insufficient HP.
- The G.R.U. can also be used to escape losing combat situations. This can allow players to survive and rendezvous with teammates to continue the fight, rather than be killed and forced to respawn.
- Dodging enemy fire is also more effective when using the G.R.U., since players can use the increased maneuverability to actively dodge explosives as well as arrows fired by the Huntsman and Crusader's Crossbow.

With a Medic tagging along, the -6 HP/sec penalty can be nullified, which can also help to build the Medic's ÜberCharge meter as well. A Sandvich can also be used to sustain health where necessary. The Dalakohs Bar works as well, but the lower health regained and the need to stop and eat, rather than a quick throw, makes it less effective compared to the Sandvich. The Buffalo Steak Sandvich, like the normal Sandvich, can be dropped as well.
- Remember that the Buffalo Steak Sandvich's speed boost does not stack with that of the G.R.U. A Heavy under the effects of both will still only move at a maximum speed of 311 HU/sec.

As with the Buffalo Steak Sandvich, players can use trick jumps that the faster classes can do, like jumping onto the bridge awning on 2Fort.
- The damage penalty also adds a very slight amount of knockback while airborne. It is possible to time the damage intervals so that one in the middle of a jump will propel the Heavy slightly further, thus allowing players to reach even more previously inaccessible places (such as point E in Steel).

Remember that the G.R.U. do much less damage than standard melee weapons, so it may not be wise to get into a melee fight unless at an advantage (such as a nearby health kit, a friendly Medic, or if the enemy has been previously damaged).

When under the effects of an ÜberCharge, use the G.R.U. to push in closer to a Sentry Gun until close enough to nullify its knockback. The extra acceleration allows players go straight up to a Sentry Gun and use the Minigun's full damage potential, rather than at longer ranges where the spread makes a Heavy ineffective.

Beware of running out of ammo on all other weapons. Remember that when a weapon runs out of ammo, the Heavy will automatically switch to an alternate weapon, and then the melee weapons as the final resort; situations may arise where players will be forced to equip the GRU against their wishes, and taking damage.

If you have the Sandvich equipped, and you are about to enter contested territory after a long G.R.U dash. use the Sandvich it to replace lost health before proceeding. As a rule of thumb, try not to let your health drop below 150 when doing this, as you might be forced to choose between finding a health pack, entering combat at less than maximum health or wasting time to eat.

Consider using the G.R.U. with the Dalokohs Bar, as the +50 maximum HP buff can be used to reach the front lines faster, with less base health lost.

Warrior's Spirit

Weapon	Kill Icon	Attack Interval	Damage
Weapon	Kill Icon	Attack Interval	Point Blank	Critical
Craft Warrior's Spirit		0.8 seconds	85	254

The Warrior's Spirit is a craftable melee weapon for the Heavy. The Warrior's Spirit does 30% more base damage, but reduces the Heavy's maximum HP to 280.

The Warrior's Spirit can be used to give players an edge in melee fights. As the Heavy already has a significant amount of HP, being able to deal more damage allows players to kill their enemies before they take too much damage.

Due to the health penalty, the maximum amount of health that a Medic can overheal the Heavy to is 420, rather than 450.
- The Dalokohs Bar can be used to partially negate the health penalty. However, the Dalokohs Bar's buff does not increase the maximum overheal health.

Fists of Steel

Weapon	Kill Icon	Attack Interval	Damage
Weapon	Kill Icon	Attack Interval	Point Blank	Critical
Craft Fists of Steel		0.8 seconds	65	195

The Fists of Steel are craftable melee weapons for the Heavy. While equipped, the Heavy takes 40% less damage from ranged weapons. However, players will take double damage from melee attacks.

The Fists of Steel can significantly reduce the Heavy's vulnerability if ambushed or when attacked while traversing areas. As the Heavy has effectively 500 HP, it is possible to survive fully-charged headshots under certain conditions.

When retreating, equipping the Fists of Steel can increase the chances of a successful escape. Enemy players trying to finish such a fleeing Heavy will not be able to deal enough damage to get a kill before the Heavy can retreat behind cover or find some health.

The Fists of Steel are extremely valuable for accomplishing objectives such as capturing points, pushing the Payload cart or capturing the Intelligence. As most players will often try to protect objectives from a distance, using the Fists of Steel can give the Heavy a much greater chance of success at accomplishing such objectives.
- A Heavy with the Fists of Steel pushing the Payload cart can be especially hard to defeat. As the cart still heals the Heavy at the normal rate and the Heavy takes reduced damage, a Heavy pushing the cart can last for a long time.

Make sure not to get into a melee battle, due to the double damage enemies can deal with their melee weapons.
- Because of this, it's generally a bad idea to equip the Fists of Steel in Medieval Mode, unless there's a large amount of Snipers using the Huntsman or Medics using the Crusader's Crossbow on the opposing team.

A Heavy using the Fists of Steel can be an enticing target for classes that would otherwise use ranged weapons. Baiting an enemy into chasing you with a melee weapon, then switching to your Minigun, can be a very effective technique.

A Heavy with the Fists of Steel equipped can effectively shield a Sentry Gun from a barrage of rockets with ease, and soak up quite a bit of Minigun damage, which makes it ideal for protecting friendly Sentry Gun nests against an enemy ÜberCharge. Using the Fists of Steel can turn a Heavy into a mobile shield that can protect teammates and friendly buildings against damage.

The Dalokohs Bar can be a useful lunchbox item to take with the Fists of Steel. As Medics will generally avoid pocket healing a Heavy that only has melee weapons equipped, the Dalokohs Bar can give players an additional 50 HP edge, which translates to an extra 83 HP worth of projectile damage.

The Tomislav is a good weapon to pair with the Fists of Steel, as you can quickly spin the Tomislav up to take out faster enemies wielding melee weapons trying to take advantage of the double damage melee weapons will inflict on you.

If you are in an open area, it may be a good idea to bring out your Fists of Steel, depending on the level of gun-fire in the area.

Eviction Notice

Weapon	Kill Icon	Attack Interval	Damage
Weapon	Kill Icon	Attack Interval	Point Blank	Critical
Craft Eviction Notice		0.4 seconds	26	78

The Eviction Notice is a craftable melee weapon for the Heavy. The Eviction Notice has a 50% faster attack speed at the cost of reducing damage by 60%.

The Eviction Notice's improved attack rate makes the Heavy's melee attack faster than even most of the Scout's melee weapons, while dealing roughly equivalent damage.
While this is only about 80% of the damage the Heavy normally deals, Damage-per-second-wise, the chance of Critical hits paired with the high attack rate means this is considerably more effective for beating down an opponent, especially with the Buffalo Steak Sandvich's Mini-Crits and speed buffs.

The Eviction Notice is used to great effect when used to corner, panic, or ambush enemies. Because the Eviction Notice will get off 4 punches in the time it takes the K.G.B. to attack twice, it is extremely effective at taking enemies down quickly, provided you get the element of surprise.

The higher melee speed paired with the Heavy's natural punch means this weapon can also be effective in "Bull Rushing" players off of cliffs and off ledges, for much the same reason the Scout can - the first instinct of many players when melee attacked is to clear some distance, and the Eviction Notice's rapid punch rate means players will be in that much more of a panic when they try to escape.

The Eviction Notice does, however, do less overall damage than the standard fists, making it somewhat less effective than the fists if the user has some experience. Players wanting high single-hit damage should go for the Killing Gloves of Boxing, Fists of Steel, or Warrior's Spirit instead.

Item sets

The Hibernating Bear

Main article: Item sets

The Hibernating Bear
	Brass Beast Buffalo Steak Sandvich Warrior's Spirit Big Chief
Effect	No effect

With critical damage resistance players can counter Crit-boosted enemies. Combined, it's excellent for defense purposes, with a moderate to good performance in direct, well planned assault.

The reduced Critical damage extends to Mini-Crits as well. This makes the Heavy more effective in the face of Jarate and the Buff Banner.

While it may seem the tradeoff of health (-20 HP) for Crit protection make the item set bonus moot, note that Crits are highly damaging. If facing an enemy that deals Critical hits and Mini-Crits on a consistent basis, the overall damage resistance can negate the health tradeoff.

Note that a Heavy using this item set cannot survive a fully charged headshot even when fully overhealed, as a headshot will still do 428 damage, while the Heavy's maximum HP when overhealed is 420.

Another strategy is to eat the Buffalo Steak Sandvich, and sneak behind an unaware opponent, taking him out in approximately two hits. The full set will give you a higher survival chance if the opponent notices you, as it weakens the Buffalo Steak Sandvich's self Mini-Crit effect.

The combination of the Warrior's Spirit with the Buffalo Steak Sandvich is one of the best loadouts for Medieval Mode. Since almost all damage will come in form of melee, the health penalty of the Warrior's Spirit is somewhat negligible. The damage bonus, combined with the Mini-Crits offered by the Buffalo Steak Sandvich allows you to defeat most classes in melee combat.

Black Market Business

Main article: Item sets

Black Market Business
	Tomislav Family Business Eviction Notice Capo's Capper
Effect	No effect

As opposed to the Hibernating Bear, which focuses on improved damage output, the Black Market Business set focuses entirely on ambushing targets and on striking from surprise. Its components work very well both together and apart, which means players have greater freedom to experiment.

Most of the Black Market Business set's items deal less damage in exchange for speed, ease of use, and finesse. The Tomislav, for example, deploys and undeploys faster and has a quiet spinup, the Family Business has a larger ammo capacity, and the Eviction Notice attacks considerably faster. All of these advantages are gained at the cost of damage, however, so the Heavy will have trouble winning damage races against enemy Heavies using more conventional fare when using this set.

All three of the Black Market Business weapons play into one another's strengths. The Tomislav, for example, has a silent spin-up, which means players will need to be extra careful regarding a potentially-lurking Heavy. The lack of a spin-up sound means that the Family Business becomes that much better, since players often won't know what a player is using at standoff range until they start shooting. The Eviction Notice is an excellent melee ambush weapon and can be absolutely brutalizing to enemies trapped in a corner. In general, this means all three weapons lend themselves towards surprise attacks and providing mobile combat options to the heavy, who normally lacks this sort of ability.

Weapon combinations

Example Combinations
Combo			Usage
Minigun	or Dalokohs Bar or Sandvich	Fists of Steel	This setup is good for an all-rounded, objective oriented Heavy. As most enemies generally attack with ranged weapons, the Fists of Steel can provide 40% damage reduction from player and Sentry Gun fire, allowing the Heavy to walk right into heavily defended objectives; this increased damage resistance can also allow particularly aggressive players to use melee attacks to successfully kill players or destroy Sentry Guns. In a Payload map, the Heavy can even use the bomb cart as an additional shield, as well as health replenishment, allowing players to escort the cart with ease. The Minigun provides a modest amount of damage, while the short spin-up time allows Heavy players to switch from the Fists of Steel directly with minimal penalties. As the Minigun does not suffer any spin-up penalties compared to the Heavy's other two unlockable primary weapons. Due to the obstacles a Heavy with this loadout faces, a lunchbox item is preferred over the Shotgun. The Dalokohs Bar is useful by giving the Heavy extra health in the event that there are no Medics nearby to give a buff, or to heal 60 HP when injured. The Sandvich is useful for healing a supporting Medic to guarantee longer survivability for both.
Natascha	Sandvich	G.R.U.	A good offensive-support setup for when facing non-Heavies in close-quarter combat, and when paired with a Medic constantly. Natascha's slow effect can be used to help teammates finish off any particularly fast enemies, and a Pocket Medic allows players to sustain fire even in the face of overwhelming force. While replenishing health with the Sandvich will not always be necessary due to having a Medic along, the Sandvich can be dropped both to keep the Medic alive as well as keep other teammates in the fight if the Medic is too busy. The GRU gives players a significant maneuverability advantage, allowing them to quickly respond to enemy movements or to reach objectives more quickly, and the self-damage while equipped will build up the Medic's ÜberCharge meter faster.
Brass Beast	Shotgun	or K.G.B or Fists of Steel	This set-up is for a strictly defensive Heavy whose main goal is to mow down enemy offensive pushes and stop them from advancing. The Brass Beast's increased damage allows players to counter Sasha-wielding Heavies, but its increased spin-up time and slow movement speed means that strategic positioning is required, preferably next to a Dispenser. The Shotgun can provide vital secondary fire in the event of an ambush where players cannot spin up the Brass Beast in time. Which melee weapon to use will depend on the type of defense needed: The K.G.B. can be used to quickly give players a temporary boost in firepower to deal with offensive pushes decisively. Due to the long spin-up time of the Brass Beast, the Shotgun is incredibly useful for utilising the 5 second Crit boost. Furthermore, the K.G.B can be used to decisively deal with any Heavies on the other team who attempt to use the Fists of Steel's sheer defensive potential to accomplish objectives, due to being able to kill such Heavies quickly with melee attacks without worrying about receiving double melee damage in return. The Fists of Steel can be used to physically prevent enemies from accomplishing an objective by using the high ranged weapon damage reduction, but beware of Scouts or Fists of Steel-equipped Heavies.
Brass Beast	Buffalo Steak Sandvich	Warrior's Spirit	The Hibernating Bear Having 5% Crits protection in exchange of having max health of 280hp, this Polycount set is geared toward strategic positioning, high-damage attacks, with provisions against Crits – especially useful due to the stationary nature of a deployed Brass Beast. The Brass Beast's increased damage potential makes it a good direct assault weapon, but its slower movement speed and higher spin up time requires careful positioning on the player's part. Alternatively, it can be used for defense, especially if friendly Engineers have not had the time to properly deploy their Sentry Guns yet; the Crit protection will force opponents to be more skillful instead of relying on the random roll. In Medieval Mode, the Warrior's Spirit's higher base damage and a relatively fast swing can provide much-needed offensive potential when fighting against Demomen using the Chargin' Targe and melee weapon combination. The Buffalo Steak Sandvich can either be eaten normally to increase the melee damage and speed of the Heavy, or thrown on the ground for quick healing; combined with the increased resistance against Critical hits, this set makes the Heavy a good class for assault in Medieval Mode.
Tomislav	Sandvich	G.R.U.	One of the best setup for the offensive lonewolf. The G.R.U. allow the heavy to quickly arrive the battle, while the quick spin-up of Tomislav eliminates the need of the Shotgun, and allows the heavy to use covers, shoot a few rounds, and then retreat behind covers to heal with the Sandvich. Do note that the slower firing speed made it a bad choice against other Heavies, so if Minigun/Brass Beast Heavies are encountered, the Tomislav-wielding heavy should quickly retreat or attempt to take advantage of their longer spin-up time.

Class combat strategies

Scout

As Scouts cannot take Heavies on in direct confrontations, most Scout players will rely on flanking and ambushing their targets and retreating before they can counterattack. As such, make sure to be careful of being ambushed whenever pushing forward, and always be aware of possible side paths that Scouts may use to try to perform flanks.
- While the Minigun is capable of killing Scouts almost immediately upon targeting them, good Scout players will only attack moving Heavies and retreat before they can spin up. Using the Shotgun can provide some measure of self-defense against Scouts when on the move.
- Scouts using the Force-A-Nature are particularly deadly, as they can land two shots inside of one second and retreat before the Heavy can react, on top of the knockback preventing players from pursuing. Always be ready for the Scout to follow up with another attack from a different direction.
Be especially careful when using a lunchbox item. Unlike other classes, Scouts can easily pursue Heavies and attack from unexpected directions. It is usually better to simply drop a lunchbox item while moving rather than stopping to eat if the enemy team has Scouts.

Because a spun-up Heavy is an easy target, Scouts using the Sandman can easily stun Heavies over long distances, leaving them vulnerable to subsequent attacks. Try to minimize this by fighting at close ranges, where a Sandman stun will only last for a short duration.

A Scout using the Fan O'War can mark inattentive Heavies for death, allowing their teammates to deal Mini-Crit damage. If marked for death, it is usually wise to retreat away from enemy fire until the effects disappear.

Soldier

The Soldier's Rocket Launcher is extremely damaging, but so is your Minigun. Because you have more health, a Heavy will usually win the resulting damage race at close range.
The Soldier is one of the classes that is often best fought with a Shotgun. Using a Shotgun will allow you to move around and avoid his rockets, while still keeping up the damage.
When shooting your Minigun at the Soldier, remember that you are extremely slow, so the Soldier's Rocket Launcher will almost always hit you. If you are part of a Medic-Heavy pair, however, they cannot deal damage to you faster then the Medic can heal you, because of the time it takes to reload the launcher; use this to your advantage.
With a Shotgun, if the Soldier is attacking and not retreating, fire at the Soldier, duck behind cover to reload, and then pop out again to fire again. It is difficult to time rockets to hit you in the short frame of time, forcing them to move foward more or retreat. Conversly, a Soldier may use the same technique on you, usually with a Rocket Launcher.
In the event of a Shotgun battle, you will generally win, as you have far more health.
Of all the Soldier's rocket launchers, the Direct Hit is the most dangerous. The Direct Hit deals souped up damage, but only if it hits directly; you are a large target to the extremely fast-moving rockets, which makes them hitting you almost inevitable. When dealing with a Direct Hit user, you need to either close the distance or get behind cover; it's not a good idea to try and kill them with your Minigun.
A Soldier wielding the Equalizer at low health moves at about the speed of a Scout, and can kill you in two or three hits, making him incredibly dangerous if he gets the drop on you. If you see one, make him your first priority. As they rely on closing the distance to kill you, it is often effective to switch to a Shotgun, especially if you are using one of the slower miniguns (the Natascha or Brass Beast). A melee weapon is also very useful - you can usually down them in one hit if you can catch them.

Pyro

Regard Pyros with the same kind of caution you would Scouts. Pyros will adopt similar tactics like ambushing, but can do it with the added effects of Afterburn and more health. Unless you have seen the Pyro outside of close range and can spin up your Minigun before closing in, keep your Shotgun handy. This is imperative for Brass Beast users, whose primary of choice takes especially long to spin up.

The Compression Blast of a Pyro's primary weapon can be an especially great nuisance to a Heavy, particularly a Heavy under the effects of an ÜberCharge. Even if the Pyro is killed while repelling a Heavy on the move in this manner, the Heavy's slow foot speed and reliance on prior positioning make it time-consuming to return to the fore, especially when on the front lines and in the middle of combat. If opposing Pyros are using these tactics, consider countering by advancing with teammates who can engage the Pyros quickly, allowing you to cover ground lost to a Pyro playing keep-away using Compression Blasts.

If you engage a Pyro one-on-one, keep your opponent at arm's length. You have the advantage of at least one extremely powerful midrange weapon in the form of your primary, and have a 125 Health advantage to outlast damage from Shotguns or ignition from a Flare Gun. Keep the Pyro in sight at all times: Pyros run faster than Heavies, and if the Pyro gets out of your sight that may be all that is needed to get within Flamethrower range.

Demoman

Demomen rely on their grenade launchers for indirect attacks and laying "traps" for enemies. While your greater health will provide some protection against their attacks, a competent Demoman can down a Heavy in many situations
When facing an enemy Demoman, try to force them into the open. At close range your Minigun can shred even the most accurate grenade-shooting Demoman, but only if your view of them is unobstructed. In the open and up close you have a distinct advantage over Demomen.
At medium ranges, the Grenade Launcher is extremely damaging. The Demoman will often shoot shells at you, retreat to cover to reload, and then come back out and empty more shells on you, limiting the time he spends in your firing line without limiting the amount of damage he can do. In these situations it is best, if possible, to close the distance quickly so you can engage him head-on, where you have the advantage.
Demomen love corners and obstructions. They will often run away, round a corner, and set a stickybomb trap for you. When persuing an enemy Demoman, be extremely careful of any doorframes, corners, or other objects that could potentially harbor stickybombs.
If you are being hit by grenades that are being angled off of corners you need to retreat. Although Demomen can hit you around corners, they cannot see where their grenades are going, so you can move away and find another way to attack them.
At long ranges your Minigun can hit enemy Demomen but they will be hard-pressed to do the same. This allows you to pick off damaged enemies, but the Minigun's damage dropoff is too high to kill a healthy Demoman.
When dealing with enemy Demoknights (Demomen carrying swords and shields), treat them like you would Pyros. Demoknights are very similar in many respects - like Pyros they deal damage primarily at extremely close range, and also like Pyros they can be shredded with the Minigun if you are healthy and aware of them.
- Natascha's slowdown can stop a Demoknight charge in its tracks and prevent him from running away, making the gun highly lethal against Demoknights.
- The Tomislav's faster spin-up allows you to set to killing Demoknights more quickly.
- Of all the miniguns, the Brass Beast is most hampered when fighting Demoknights, as by the time it takes to lower the weapon the enemy Demoknight can whittle down as much as two thirds of your health.

Heavy

Heavy vs Heavy fights usually boils down to a handful of simple factors.
- Who attacks first.
- Whose weapon has a higher damage output. (Brass Beast > Minigun > Tomislav > Natascha)
- Who has more health.
- Who has a Medic healing them.
- Whether one begins dealing critical hits.
If you believe you have the disadvantage, do not engage the enemy Heavy first; whenever possible let your teammates distract or soften him up before you attack.

Engineer

While a lone Engineer is a small threat to a Heavy, even a low-level Sentry Gun can pose a serious threat to an unprepared Heavy. Heavies lack the speed and maneuverability needed to dodge low-level Sentry Guns, and the Heavies substantial health is rarely enough to withstand the rapid fire and missile capabilities of a level three Sentry Gun. It is best to attack these threats with a partner, where the Heavy can serve to provide suppressing fire or absorb damage while a second party takes out the Sentry nest.
- With a Medic in tow, a skilled duo can make up for the concentrated fire of a powerful Sentry Gun, and the Heavy's wide spread from his gatling gun can simultaneously damage both the Engineer and his Sentry Gun.
- Using good communication, a Spy can set an Electro Sapper on an Engineer's buildings moments before a Heavy comes upon the nest. While the buildings are disabled by the Electro Sapper is a great time to help take them down, and a Heavy's fire is a great opportunity for a Spy to survive should they be discovered in the attempt.

Medic

Although a lone Medic is no problem at all to take out as a heavy, Medics are usually accompanied by a formidable combat class that could kill you under the healing support of a Medic.

Sniper

With his large size, slow speed, and lack of reliable long range weaponry, there is little a Heavy can do against a skilled Sniper in long-range combat. The Heavy would do best to avoid open spaces where Snipers can get clear shots, and to stay in motion at all times. However, a Heavy is a very tempting target and a perfect distraction to keep a Sniper occupied while other classes neutralize the threat or complete objectives.

When encountered one-on-one at close-mid range, however, a Sniper is easily dispatched, though beware... a good Sniper can still get a headshot in if you're not careful, even at close range.

Spy

Spies prey on vulnerable classes, and Heavy is more vulnerable to Spies than any other class. Being a slow and large class, Spies will be fast and will be gone faster. Watch your back, and Spy check with your Minigun. The Minigun has the strength to almost instantly kill a disguised or cloaked Spy. However, spinning the Minigun will make you even slower, so unless you're Spy checking, the Shotgun or Fists will work just as good.

In a Heavy-Medic pair, the Medic will most likely be taken out first, as he is the source of mainly, Ubercharging and protecting the Heavy. Protect your Medic, make sure they never leave your sight. If you are backstabbed, leaving a defenseless Medic could mean a lot for your team, Although in teamwork, he can switch to pocket another class, in enemy territory, a Medic cannot stop Spies as efficiently as Heavies. Use communication, albeit voice or text, to secure your Medic if you are dead. Considering Spies disguise fast after killing, you should be able to see who they disguise as in your freezecam. Tell your team-mates this, and make sure they are aware of the Spies presence.

Although it gives you health, eating a Sandvich or Dalokohs Bar leaves you extremely vulnerable to being backstabbed. Find a wall or corner to push your back up against while eating. The health you gain during eating will usually heal damage done with stabs or shots from the front.

Cooperative class strategies