Knockback

“

Hey, I'm flyin'! Click to listen — The Scout

”

Knock back is a side effect of some weapons that pushes a player away from the source of the knock back. In Team Fortress 2, knock back varies from very slight (only preventing you from moving forward temporarily), to extreme (launching you several feet into the air). Knock back can be useful strategically, such as when juggling opponents.

Knock back can also be used to interrupt taunting animations (especially taunt kills) and item uses (knocking back a Scout before he finishes drinking a Bonk! will prematurely stop him from drinking).

Sources of Knock Back

There are several sources of knock back in the game ranging from weapons and buildings, to the environment itself.

Weapons with knock back	Severity of knock back
Rocket Launcher rockets	Causes players to be launched through the air.
Sticky bombs	Causes players to be launched through the air.
Grenade Launcher grenades	Causes players to be launched through the air.
Scattergun fire	Pushes players back a bit if the shot was fired point blank.
Force-A-Nature fire	Causes enemies to be launched through the air, launches an airborne wielder in the opposite direction.
Sentry Gun automatic fire	Pushes players away from the Sentry Gun, can pin airborne targets to the skybox or send them flying at high speeds.
Sentry Gun rockets	Causes players to be knocked backwards a few feet.
Compression blast ability	Causes players to be launched aerially backwards for several feet.
Sniper Rifle fire	Pushes players back a bit if they're in the air.
Huntsman arrow	Pushes players back a bit if they're in the air.
Non-lethal Melee weapon Critical hits	Launches players with greater force than rockets, but the strike must be on an airborne opponent or focused upwards from a crouching position.
Pumpkin bombs	Pushes players back. Sends them flying if they are caught in the explosion while airborne.
Natascha	Focus fire pushes players back at point blank.
Instant kill attacks	ÜberCharged enemies are invulnerable to nearly all sources of damage, but substantially powerful attacks such as taunt attacks and backstabs which would kill all normal players, can send invincible players great distances.

See also

• Juggling
• Compression blast