Community Hydro strategy

Community Hydro strategy
Basic Information
Developer(s):	Unknown
Map Info
Environment:	Industrial
Setting:	Daylight, sunny
Hazards:	Pits
Map Photos

This article is about Community Hydro strategy.

General Strategy (All Classes)

• One of the keys with Hydro is understanding just how a Territorial control map works and which parts of Hydro are currently in play. At the start of each round you will emerge from your spawn area and will be connected to one of the enemy territories. A key to good play is working this out quickly and getting your assault underway.

• There is always more than one route to the opposition's control point.

• As with all other maps familiarize yourself with all these various routes.
  • For defending the Dish CP Demomen should place their sticky bombs on the ceiling to hide them from the enemy.
  • Engineers can defend the Dish CP well by placing Sentry Guns on the metal catwalks adjacent to the three exits - the mountain ramp leading from the Turbine CP, the walkway nearest the spawn, which covers the paths diverging from the Bridge CP, and the walkway leftmost of the spawn, which can prevent entrance into the point from the Flood Area tunnels.

• On most sections of Hydro, it is a long trip between the spawn room and the enemy's Capture Point. Engineers would do well to construct a Teleporter early in the round to help their teammates move forward.

• Always keep an eye on your own Control Point, and be near enough to defend it if necessary. A hard fought battle for the enemy CP can be lost by just a few seconds inattentiveness.

Class-specific strategy

 Scout

General

• There are a lot of long, open vistas on this map, so you will often be fighting opponents from a distance. This is where the Pistol or the Shortstop comes in handy.

• The various vents and tunnels in this map provide good flanking spots for getting to the enemy point another way, and may help in distracting the enemy team so your teammates can make a big push.

 Soldier

General

• Ambush techniques work well as there are different paths that you can take, most of which end at a choke point. Many of these routes have potential for Soldiers to rocket jump to, taking the enemy by surprise.

• Hydro is very prone to 'camp wars' wherein both teams will play very defensively, and guard their own team's Control Point. Firing rockets at choke points and firing around corners may help your team eliminate defensive players such as Engineers and Snipers.

• The vents are your friends, as you can often use them to drop down behind enemy lines while avoiding most head-on confrontations. When traveling in the vents, be careful not to kill yourself when firing rockets in such close quarters.

• The control points in Hydro have a very short capture time, and because of this, killing enemies who are on the point may not be the most effective way to defend it. Try to aim rockets at your enemies' feet, so as to launch them off of the control point. Once the risk of capture has been removed, you can then finish them off with your Rocket Launcher or Shotgun as necessary.

 Pyro

General

• Whenever possible, try to attack through indoors areas or the narrow canyons. As with Gravel Pit, use the structures and rocks for cover when moving through wide-open areas.

• A particularly useful spot is underneath stairs, as flames can go through the gaps between the steps.

• A good tactic when you are on a point is to use the compression blast. If you compression blast from a point that's far up you may be able to kill attackers and defenders.

 Demoman

General

• The key to proper Demoman play on Hydro is staying alive. The maps are small, and keeping your Control point defended with a carpet of Sticky bombs is essential.

• When the sewer entrances are open, placing Sticky bombs immediately around the corner (on the wall by the health pack) will allow you to kill attackers, while also preventing them from healing.

• Place Sticky bombs on the catwalks and other high locations. These can launch people into the air, making them easy targets for others or leading to death by falling.

• Another good place for stickies are on the ceiling of the radar dish control point.

 Heavy

General

• Against strong defenses, an Übered Heavy can clear a way for the rest of the team to take the Control Points. Just watch out for Snipers at the more open Control Points, as they can end a Medic-Heavy rush quite easily.

• Attacking either of the last points through the vents can be a useful tactic for surprise and will work especially with other distractions going on, but be sure to use an ÜberCharge and not a Kritzkrieg when pushing, as there will likely be at least one Sentry Gun to destroy and once you drop out of the vents, you will not be able to escape without going through the main areas.

 Engineer

General

• Due to its changing nature and layout, Hydro has no 'perfect' Sentry Gun locations. There are however, a few very good ones, which are listed below:
  • On the metal landing at the flooded Control point (the one with the Control point on the raised area, with water all around).
  • Behind the truck at the outside Control point (the one with the raised Control point on the little bridge).
  • Under the stairs at the radar dish.
  • At the end of the raised platform at the Control point inside the base.
  • Under the Control point inside the base, at the back on the ground floor where the turbines are. If you position the Sentry Gun on the corner of the alcove and a Dispenser behind you, you will be saved from most of the splash damage while using the Metal from your Dispenser to repair your Sentry Gun. You wouldn't think it but the Sentry Gun range does cover the Control point and the stairs. This is quite difficult for the enemy to take down if someone is covering you from the top rails, if they aren't, a Demoman or Soldier can take it out from above.

• It is always a good idea to have at least one sentry by your Control point to avoid back capping.

 Medic

General

• Engineers will usually set up many Sentry Guns near and around their Control point. Use an ÜberCharge on an appropriate Medic buddy to break through their defenses.

 Sniper

General

• With its many configurations, Hydro is a very good Sniper map due to the long open spaces and sufficient cover (such as inside buildings, behind rocks, etc.)
  • However, playing Sniper at the very beginning of a round is not advised as Snipers suffer from new unknown map variations; pick Sniper only when you are familiar with the current Hydro layout.

• Sit at the back of your area and scope to the entrances. Most of the good spots are near spawn points.

• On offense, a Sniper can sit in the entrances to the enemy areas and take down Sentry Guns with fully charged shots.

• Try to find the more unusual and hard to reach areas to avoid Spies. After taking down enemy Snipers, change positions.

 Spy

General

• More often than not, enemy Sentry Guns will be put in spots which can be shot at from afar with the Ambassador. In this case, try to snipe the Engineer so that you will have a clear shot at sapping his Sentry Gun (this should take only 2 shots if you headshot him first then follow up with a bodyshot while he tries to see where the shot came from, or less if he was already damaged enough).

• When defending either of the last points, you can hide behind the ramps that jut out of the ground as entrances to the underground cap area, both to recharge Cloak with the Invisibility Watch or the Dead Ringer or to pick targets for ambushing and call out attacking Spies with the Cloak and Dagger.

• Due to the open ended nature of the map, it is very hard for a Spy to backstab or sap without being spotted by the enemy. Once you are at the enemies' stronghold or base, take your time to carefully observe who can be stabbed without consequences. Repeat this process and/or try to work your way from their point/base to the heat of the battle.
  • One could also consider using Your Eternal Reward, so that you can continue backstabbing without losing a disguise.