Heavy (competitive)

This article is for competitive play, based on the standard community competitive format. For the generic article on this topic, see: Heavy.
The community competitive scene changes frequently. Some or all info may be outdated.

The Heavy is a situational pocket and utility class sometimes used in the standard competitive lineup, valued for his tanking capacity and sustained damage output.

Information

Health

Health State	Max Health	Overheal Max	Pill Bottle	First Aid Tin
Normal	300 hit points	450 hit points	+61 hit points	+150 hit points
Dalokohs-Buffed	350 hit points		+71 hit points	+175 hit points
With the Warrior's Spirit equipped	280 hit points	420 hit points	+57 hit points	+146 hit points

Speed

Movement State	Running	Backpedaling	Swimming	Crouching
Normal	76.67% (230 u/s)	69% (207 u/s)	61.33% (184 u/s)	25.56% (76.67 u/s)
Revved	36.67% (110 u/s)	36.67% (110 u/s)	33% (99 u/s)	0% (0 u/s)
G.R.U. active	99.67% (299 u/s)	90% (269.10 u/s)	79.93% (239.20 u/s)	33.2% (99.67 u/s)
When buffed by the Buffalo Steak Sandvich	103.5% (310.4 u/s)	94% (281.9 u/s)	83.8% (251.4 u/s)	36.97% (110.8 u/s)

Speeds written in "u/s" refer to in-game units per second. When running in a certain direction causes slowness, rapidly switching between diagonals usually improves speed.

Weapons

Main article: Heavy weapons (competitive)

#	Weapon	Damage	Critical Damage	Function Times	Special
1	Minigun	Point-blank: 13/hit (avg 54) 512u: 9/hit 1024u+: 5/hit	Critical: 27/hit (P-B avg 108) Point-blank mini-crit: 18/hit (avg 73) 512u+ Mini-crit: 12/hit	Attack: 0.1s Windup: 0.84s Winddown: 1.13s	Fires 4 bullets for every use of 1 ammo. If unfired in the past 1.25 seconds, 1 bullet has perfect accuracy.
	Natascha	Point-blank: 10/hit (avg 40) 512u: 7/hit 1024u+: 4/hit	Critical: 20/hit (P-B avg 80) Point-blank mini-crit: 14/hit (avg 54) 512u+ Mini-crit: 9/hit	Attack: 0.1s Windup: 1.16s Winddown: 1.13s	Banned or restricted in most leagues. Slows on hit. 30% slower spin up time. Fires 4 bullets for every use of 1 ammo. If unfired in the past 1.25 seconds, 1 bullet has perfect accuracy.
	Brass Beast	Point-blank: 16.2/hit (avg 65) 512u: 10.8/hit 1024u+: 5.4/hit	Critical: 32.4/hit (P-B avg 129.6) Point-blank mini-crit: 22/hit (avg 87.6) 512u+ Mini-crit: 14.6/hit	Attack: 0.1s Windup: 1.305s Winddown: 1.13s	Banned or restricted in most leagues. +20% damage done 50% slower spin up time -60% slower move speed while deployed
2	Shotgun	Point-Blank: 90 512u: 6/hit, avg 6 hits 1024u+: 3/hit	Critical: 18/hit (max 180) Point-blank mini-crit: 121 512u+ Mini-crit: 8/hit	Attack: 0.625s Reload start: 1.0s Reload more: 0.5s	Affected by fixed weapon spread (1 extra pellet at center).
	Sandvich	None. Eating: +300 health Sharing: +50% of max hp	N/A	Eating time: 4.3s Shared Sandvich expire: 30s	Eaten with Mouse1, shared with Mouse2, and dropped on death. Eating Sandvich heals the heavy in 4 chunks of +75 health. Grabbing shared Sandvich heals 50% max health. Taking dropped Sandvich heals +50 health (+75 for Scout). Restocked by picking up health while already at full (or resupply). Sharing removes your old shared Sandvich on ground. Cannot be eaten underwater (can be shared/grabbed).
	Dalokohs Bar	None. Eating: +60 health	N/A	Eating time: 4.3s Health boost duration: 30s	Increases non-overhealed max health to 350 (overheal max still 450). Eating heals the heavy in 4 chunks of +15 health. Taking dropped bar heals +50 health (+75 for Scout). Cannot be shared. Unusable underwater.
	Buffalo Steak Sandvich	None. Mini-crit effect:15s Sharing: +50% of max hp	N/A	Eating time: 4.3s Shared Sandvich expire: 30s	Banned or restricted in some leagues. Eaten with Mouse1, shared with Mouse2, and dropped on death. While active, causes Heavy to deal and receive mini-crits on all attacks, and the player may only use melee weapons. Grabbing shared Buffalo Steak Sandvich heals 50% max health. Taking dropped Sandvich heals +50 health (+75 for Scout). Restocked by picking up health while already at full (or resupply). Sharing removes your old shared Buffalo Steak Sandvich on ground. Cannot be eaten underwater (can be shared/grabbed). Useless underwater.
	Fishcake	None. Eating: +60 health	N/A	Eating time: 4.3s Health boost duration: 30s	Restores 60 health points over about 4 seconds. Raises maximum health by 50 points for 30 seconds.
3	Fists	Melee: 65	Critical: 195 Mini-crit: 88	Attack: 0.8s	Completely standard melee weapon.
	K.G.B.	Melee: 65	Critical: 195 Mini-crit: 88	Attack: 0.92s Crit effect: 5s	Killing blows give heavy crits for 5 seconds. Crits stay even on weapon switch.
	G.R.U.	Melee: 33 User damage: 6	Critical: 98 Mini-crit: 44	Attack: 0.8s User damage: 1.0s	Banned in most leagues for acquisition time. Increases move speed while active (see above). Damages user while active.
	Warrior's Spirit	Melee: 85	Critical: 250 Mini-crit: 112	Attack: 0.8s	Banned in most leagues for acquisition time. +30% damage done -20 max health on wearer.
	Fists of Steel	Melee: 65	Critical: 195 Mini-crit: 88	Attack: 0.8s	Banned in most leagues for acquisition time. While active:-40% damage from ranged sources while active While active:+100% damage from melee sources while active.

"u" stands for "units of distance." "+" stands for "or more." "s" stands for "seconds." "Reload Start" refers to how long it takes for 1 ammo to be reloaded after beginning to reload, and "Reload More" refers to how long it takes for each additional ammo to reload after the first. Damages and times are approximate and determined by community testing.

Usage

The Heavy, due to his slow speed, is a situational utility. However, the Heavy's large amount of health and absurd close-range damage output make him ideal for holding crucial Control Points, especially the final Control points of 5-CP maps like Badlands. A team will generally switch out a Scout for a Heavy, though substituting a Soldier for a Heavy is a common tactic as well.

Common Tactics

Usually, a team's Medic will pay great attention to the team's Heavy, as a 450 HP meatshield that shreds Scouts at close range is a great asset in keeping the Medic alive (therefore often replacing the Pocket Soldier, or turning both Soldiers into Roamers). Competitive players playing as Heavies should learn when to spin up and spin down their Minigun, allowing them to balance mobility with protection for their Medic. Heavies often get used defending the last Point on 5 CP-maps, or A/D maps such as Gravelpit. Since the Mann-Conomy Update, the Heavy has the ability to run with 299 Units per Second when he has the G.R.U. equipped, making him faster than a Demoman without the Eyelander's speed boost, and therefore very valuable even in the Middlepoint of 5 CP-maps. However, it is banned from most Competitions in America and Europe.

5-CP Push Strategies

A team should almost never run a Heavy at the start of a 5-CP map. His slow speed means that a team starting off with one will attack the mid point with one less player than the other team, which may make the difference between capturing and losing the mid fight. If a team uses a Heavy on the final point of a 5-CP map, the Heavy should try to stay on or near the point itself. His high health is what makes him a useful defender, allowing him to take punishment and buy time for his team. Heavies should pay attention to the enemy Demoman, however, as a slow target standing on a small area dies very quickly to grenades and sticky bombs, even if that target has 450 health.

As with most of the other utilities, a team will generally avoid starting off a round on a 5-CP map with a Heavy. Due to his extreme lack of mobility, a Heavy will force his team to fight the mid fight at a numerical disadvantage until he finally catches up to them, which can easily mean the loss of the middle point early on. The exception to this rule is on Gullywash due to the short distance to the middle point. A Heavy can be run all the time on Gullywash which is unusual seeing as normally a Scout will temporarily switch to a Heavy to defend a point. When a Heavy is going to be used for the entire match, normally a Soldier will switch out, this means that the Medic still have a manageable amount of health that he can heal easily.

If a team needs to defend a relatively open area where there is little cover, a Heavy may be useful in buying time for the rest of the team to organize and repel a push.

Attack-Defend Strategies

When defending on an Attack/Defend map, Heavies' pathetic mobility is mitigated somewhat, as enemies will come to him instead of the other way around. This allows him to keep his Minigun spun up more often without worrying as much about needing to move around. As in 5-CP maps, when defending a point, Heavies should try to stay on or very close to the point itself, using their large amount of health to block captures. Heavies are still very vulnerable to spam sent towards the point, as their large frame and inability to dodge makes them more easily killed by stray grenades than Soldiers. A classic example of when the Heavy is useful is on point C of Gravelpit, when a heavy is on the point he can stop the enemy Soldiers from jumping up. The only downside of this is if the enemy team are running a Sniper.

Capture-the-Flag Strategies

The Heavy can be a great asset when defending the Intelligence room in Turbine, due to the lack of cover in Turbine's hallways. A heavy buffed to 450 HP can halt an enemy advance and repel attackers, assisting the team's Engineer in a defense of the Intelligence room. While the Heavy's inability to chase down attackers who are escaping with the intelligence is difficult to overlook, and his slow speed makes him a poor choice for escaping with the enemy intelligence himself, the open hallways of Turbine make the Heavy less vulnerable to Soldiers. If a team that is attacking the enemy intelligence chooses to use a Heavy, a possibly useful strategy may be to have him to let his teammates pick up the enemy intelligence, and cover their backs with Minigun fire as they make their escape. If the Heavy can lay down enough damage and be a big enough distraction, a Heavy can ensure that his team's flag carrier won't be harassed on his way back to his team's Intelligence room.

See also

• Heavy weapons (competitive)
• Defense (competitive)
• Heavy
• Classes (competitive)
• Standard competitive lineup