Community VS Saxton Hale (custom game mode) strategy

Saxton Hale as he appears in the mod.

“

What's the matter, girls? Don't you wanna live FOREVER? Click to listen — Saxton Hale on strategies

”

This article is about community VS Saxton Hale Mode strategy for the custom-made VS Saxton Hale Mode mod.

General

• As this is a modified version of Arena Mode, Arena tactics also apply here.
• Stick together! Teamwork here is vital.
  • Communicate! Alert your teammates of Saxton's whereabouts at all times.
• Try to attack the enemy from afar. He can only use melee weapons.
• Saxton's punch does about 174-220 damage. A critical hit does 585. This means that only the Heavy and possibly the Soldier can survive a hit without overheal. Pyros and Demomen may be lucky to stay alive with one hitpoint left. If you manage to survive, search for a Medic, or find a Dispenser or Health pack.
• With the exception of the Spy's knives, all melee weapons have crits forced upon them. Some weapons that normally would not be granted critical hits have this disability negated because of this.
• Taunts only do 500-600 damage. Because of this, taunt kills are rarely seen as a legitimate tactic.
• Momentum is Saxton's worst enemy. Air blasts, Sentry Guns, and other knock back inducing attacks are always good ideas to consider.
• Some servers give you critical hits after successfully taunting. Be cautious, however - taunt only if you know that Saxton is far away and/or you have someone to watch your back.
• Never let your guard down. Saxton Hale may sneak up behind you and quickly kill you.
• Against the Horseless Headless Horsemann Jr., try to stay in one big group or go around in a few strong groups. If you are caught alone in the HHHJ's teleport, it almost certainly means death.
• When fighting Vagineer, be sure to have at least one Pyro with the Flamethrower or Degreaser equipped. An airblasting Pyro is possibly Vagineer's worst nightmare.
• When fighting Christian Brutal Sniper, be careful no matter how far you are from him, as his arrows can easily take you down at a distance.

Classes

Scout

• Despite being as fast as Saxton, be careful when running away from him or running around him. He might get a lucky hit in.
  • Saxton Hale is faster than you while you run backwards. If he is following you, run for a bit, turn around and shoot a few times once you have some distance between you and Saxton, then run some more to regain the distance lost.
• Always stay at long range. Your job isn't to deal major amount of damage to Saxton, but to harass and annoy him.
• A Scout will always die in one hit from Saxton unless fully Overheal:

Primary Weapons

• The Scattergun is useful for hit and run attacks against hale. The large clip size allows more direct combat before reloading.
• Using the Force-A-Nature will usually knock back Saxton at close range; this can be effective for escaping, especially if you become the last man standing and you get even more knockback from crits.
• The Shortstop is useful for dealing good amounts of damage at range.
• The Soda Popper's mini-crits can be activated any time you want to- try to sneak behind him when he's not aware and blast him.

Secondary Weapons

• Your Pistol has mini-crits hits forced upon it, therefore it has a higher damage output than any of your primary weapons.
• Crit-a-Cola gives critical hits instead of mini-crits, allowing you to quickly deal high amounts of damage to Hale.
  • The Mini-Crit vulnerability is pointless as Hale will kill you in one punch anyways.
• As an emergency weapon, Bonk! Atomic Punch can help you get away from close encounters. Get some distance between you and Saxton before drinking Bonk as, while drinking, you are completely vulnerable.
• On a team without Medics, Mad Milk will help your team get much needed health back from close encounters with Saxton Hale.

Melee Weapons

• The Atomizer is an upgrade in terms of evasion. Watch out for your health in that case, though.
• The Boston Basher or Three-Rune Blade can be useful if you dart in and out, whacking him when he's not paying attention. Since this is an Arena-like mode, however, aim carefully.
• The Candy Cane is very useful in this mode; if injured, quickly smack Saxton a few times and flee with the health pickups while he's not watching you.
• The Sandman is a direct upgrade from the Bat in terms of attack. However, be aware that even when fully overhealed, you will not survive a hit from Saxton Hale.
• The Fan O'War is a support weapon; each hit decreases Hale's rage meter by 5%. This can be used to delay his rage in critical situations.
• The Wrap Assassin can be used to inflict bleed damage on Hale from long distances. However, be aware that melee damage is greatly reduced with this weapon.
  • Be sure to use both bobbles at once, as the cooldown timer only starts once both are thrown.

Ineffective Weapons

• The Holy Mackerel or Unarmed Combat are not recommended, as they alert Saxton Hale to every melee hit.
• The Sun-on-a-Stick is a downgrade from the Sandman, since it deals 25% less damage, and all melee weapons are granted critical hits anyway.
• The Winger's extra damage doesn't quite make up for the smaller clip size in terms of Damage per Second. The stock Pistol is a better choice.

Sets

• The Special Delivery Allows you a greater margin for surviving Hale's attacks when overhealed. The Shortstop provides adequate mid rage damage, while Mad Milk allows teammates to recover much needed health.
• The #1 Fan set (or the incomplete set using normal Pistol) encourages hit-and-run tactics, as the Scout can charge up on Soda Popper, switch to the Winger or Pistol for critical hits, and escape with speed and the Atomizer if needed.

Soldier

• After the Scout, you're the class with most mobility, especially with the Gunboats or Mantreads equipped. Try to stay away from your teammates and act as a sort of backup if your teammates are in danger. Just shoot some critical rockets in their way and hope that they'll push Saxton back.
• Shooting rockets at Saxton's feet is a great way to throw him off path and buy yourself time. It can also be used to force him into traps (Like Sentry Guns, Stickybombs, large groups of teammates etc.)
• Unless they are critical, your rockets don't do much damage, although they provide significant knock back.
• If Saxton is too close, you can rocket jump to escape.

Primary weapons

• The Direct Hit can be good for people with expert aim; hitting Saxton as he superjumps can launch him even higher than usual, as well as dealing significant damage.
• The Black Box is very useful on a team without Medics as it will heal you when you hit Saxton.
  • Coupled with the Battalion's Backup, you can potentially survive a large amount of damage from Hale.
• The Liberty Launcher can be a substitute for the Direct Hit for people with average aim; however, the splash radius is also useful to juggle Saxton.
• The Cow Mangler 5000, though does not have much in the way of damage, makes a good escape-oriented weapon thanks to the infinite ammo and the bigger clip size. The charged shot, when done in long distance, can help teammates to identify Saxton by lighting him up.

Secondary weapons

• Your Shotgun can be used to pepper hale from a distance, or inflict more damage to him if you run out of rockets in a close encounter. As with all Soldier weapons, it mini-crits hale in the air.
• If you have a lot of teammates, consider equipping the Buff Banner to help deal some extra damage to the stronger Hale.
  • Under the Buff Banner's effect, all Engineers revive mini-crits with their Sentry Guns. This can push Saxton away in a pinch.
• The Battalion's Backup blocks a massive amount of damage from Hale when used. Due to Hale's high damage, it is filled with two hits.
• The Concheror can be used to heal yourself and your teammates. If your team has either a Medic or a Dispenser, however, it won't be of much use.
• Against bosses that can superjump, the Reserve Shooter can deal large amounts of damage to him when he's in mid-jump, and help you switch weapons even faster than usual.

Melee

• In this mod, the Equalizer's purpose becomes more for escaping than dealing high amounts of damage.
• The Pain Train is a direct upgrade from the Shovel since Saxton uses his bare hands. However, capturing the point is generally discouraged in this mode.
• The Half-Zatoichi may be useful for health gains if you get close enough to him while he's unaware; try rocket-jumping away upon his noticing you.
• The Disciplinary Action can be an invaluable method of escape for both you and another teammate.

Ineffective Weapons

• The Righteous Bison isn't much use; while the weapon's infinite ammo is helpful, the penetrating projectiles and inability to be deflected isn't much help and the smaller clip size may hinder you.
• There isn't much of a difference in the Market Gardener and the Shovel, as the Market Gardener has crits forced upon it.

Sets

• The Tank Buster set cannot be used.
• The Airborne Armaments set is very useful for juggling Hale and keeping him away from your teammates. While the Reserve Shooter's capabilities are increased, the Market Gardener isn't beneficial or detrimental, seeing as all melee weapons deal critical hits.
• The General's Formals is useful for surviving and being a team player; help others and yourself get away from Saxton! The Mantreads will also reduce fall damage, so use it for that and rocket-jump to high areas.
• Dr. Grordbort's Victory Pack is somewhat neutral. On one hand, The Cow Mangler won't be as useful seeing that the charged shot won't be very powerful against Saxton. While the Righteous Bison's infinite ammo is also helpful, the projectiles' main property of penetration won't be as useful. On the other hand, the charged shot can help assist in lighting Saxton up, and the infinite ammo allow Soldier more chance of rocket jump and minimize need to resupply ammo. This set is map oriented, as small arena maps will make this set not recommended, while large open maps (such as Watchtower and Nucleus) allow the Soldier to take a position and conduct long distance support all by himself.

Pyro

General

• Never charge at Saxton. Your weapons do little damage, and your primary requires you to stay close to him. Even with criticals, your Flamethrower/Degreaser deals very small amount of damage compared to the other weapons.
• Stay close to ammo resources, such as Dispensers and Ammo boxes, as you will lose ammo very quickly when firing or airblasting.
• Beware of maps with water. Saxton can easily drop in and extinguish fire and afterburn damage.
• An easy way to alert your teammates of Saxton's presence is to light him on fire and make him more noticeable. This is especially useful on some of the darker maps such as Sawmill.
• You are Vagineer's worst nightmare. With a nearby Dispenser and a Medic healing you, you'll become an obstacle he can't avoid.
• Stick near any current prime target: not just Engineer areas but also the more stationary class such as the Sniper or Soldier. If you have a good source of ammo, such as an Engineer's nest or boxes nearby, and you are locked on to the boss, you can generally keep them off any target.

Primary

• Your air blast can prove to be invaluable. Blasting Saxton Hale around can disorient him, allowing your team to get some easy shots in. In addition, try airblasting him into environmental hazards such as the saw blades in Sawmill or off a cliff such as the cliff in Lumberyard.
• The Degreaser´s faster weapon switch time proves invaluable when in a pinch, and more so with the Reserve Shooter. However, afterburn damage is reduced with this weapon.

Secondary

• The Flare Gun's purpose is to light Saxton on fire, not to deal major damage to him.
• The Detonator's effect will be slightly reduced by the fact there is only one enemy to aim for, not a large group. If you are a good shot, stick to the Flare Gun for critical flare hits; if not, use this.
• The Reserve Shooter is very useful if aiming with a Flare Gun is difficult. Since Hale will be airborne constantly, this can be an effective way to damage him at a distance with mini-crits. It pairs very well with the Degreaser, reducing weapon switch time to near zero.

Melee

• Use of the Back Scratcher is based off of many different factors. Are there any Medics/Engineers on your team? Are there health packs on the given map?
• The Sharpened Volcano Fragment is marginally useful here, if you dart in and out hitting him randomly.
• The Powerjack is a high-risk high-payoff weapon. Should you manage to hit Hale, you get extra health. Beware if Hale tries to hit you as the increased melee vulnerability makes you easier to kill.
• The HHHJ's Superjump is actually an instant Teleport. Keep this in mind the next time you airblast HHHJ into a Death Pit or Sawblade as he can teleport to you and kill you instantly.

Sets

• The Gas Jockey's Gear's speed boost may prove to be useful in escapes.

Inadvisable Weapons

• Consider not using the Backburner, since +10% damage bonus won't make a difference, and you'll only be able to use the airblast four times(Though it is a viable Flamethrower if you manage to get behind Saxton & completely unload all of your ammo onto him).
• The Phlogistinator is not suggested as of the critical hits from the 'Mmmph' won't make a difference, and not having the ability to airblast is a strong downside.
• Using the Axtinguisher or the Postal Pummeler will be just like the Fire Axe, which gives you no positive attributes.
• The Homewrecker and Maul are completely useless in this mode. There are no Sappers to destroy, nor buildings, and the damage penalty isn't worth it.

Demoman

General

• Always stay in high places and away from your teammates, so you will be unaffected by Saxton's stun. Your purpose is to use stickybombs to protect teammates if they're in danger, not engage in direct combat.
• You can deal huge damage in a single hit, so you will be one of Saxton's prime targets.
• With a shield and the Loch-n-Load equipped, you are unable to Stickybomb and Grenade jump. Consider this when fighting Saxton.

Primary

• Ali Baba's Wee Booties will give you an extra 25 health, which can help you survive a hit from Saxton, but you will lose the capabilities of your Grenade Launcher.
• Because of the knock back provided by grenades when they come into contact with Saxton, it may be difficult to hit him with all four. Consider using the Loch-n-Load for a higher damage output.

Secondary

• Plant stickies near an Engineer's nest. If Saxton gets near, detonate them.
• If you have the Scottish Resistance equipped, place one sticky near you, so you may escape when Saxton comes after you.
• Set plenty of stickytraps along map routes used by Saxton. Use the Scottish Resistance or plan it out with fellow Demomen.
  • Alternatively, place a concentrated amount of stickybombs where Saxton will come from. The Scottish Resistance's extra 6 bombs will help.
• If you are cornered but you have some time before you die, as a last ditch attempt, place sticky bombs near you and detonate them just before you get hit by Saxton. This will kill you, but will deal damage to Saxton at the same time.

Melee

• The Chargin' Targe and Splendid Screen are more for defensive purposes, as they allow you to survive one hit. Do not charge toward Saxton Hale as he can easily notice and hit you. Instead, use the shields as escaping weapons as Saxton cannot keep up with the charge speed.
  • Note, however, the Splendid Screen is much better than the Chargin' Targe in this mode because of Saxton's inability to use explosives or fire, and of its charge impact damage.
• The Eyelander, Headless Horseless Horsemann's Headtaker, and Nessie's Nine Iron will give you heads upon hit. Try attacking Saxton with your blade, then when he notices you, run off with your additional speed bonus from your heads. The health bonus will help as well in escaping.
• The Scotsman's Skullcutter will deal more damage, but escaping from Saxton will be harder. Consider using a shield to accompany it.
• The Ullapool Caber is best used as a very last resort. Since all melee weapons have crits forced upon them, the Caber will deal 410 damage and propel you upward, possibly saving your life. Use this extra chance to escape and find a better spot. Note also that since this is a variation of Arena Mode, you cannot receive another Caber and it may be best to save it until last resort.
• The Half-Zatoichi is similar to the Eyelander in this mode, however you gain more health but it is in the form of an overheal and you cannot get a speed boost.
• The Persian Persuader converts all ammo into health. This can be useful if you are low on health, but you cannot get ammo for any weapons from Dispensers so ammo cannot be refilled until the end of the round.
• The Persian Persuader will build up your charge more quickly, allowing you to escape from Saxton more easily.

Sets

• The Expert's Ordnance can be used well by people seeking to deal as much damage as possible. Try to fire a few powerful grenades at him, and when he gets close, make a getaway by hitting him with the Ullapool Caber.
• The One Thousand and One Demoknights pack is very useful here. You will survive one hit from Saxton, and your Persian Persuader negative attribute is nullified. The 200 health will also give you a higher chance to survive if you didn't have it. Beware that you are limited to melee weapons with this set.

Heavy

General

• Always have a Medic with you. You will be Saxton's main priority.
• You are the ultimate gunner in your team. Try not to go anywhere alone.
• Don't rely on your high health to survive. Saxton can beat you down in two well-placed hits.
• Stay close to a Dispenser; your guns will chew through ammunition easily and most fallen weapons will be taken accidentally by teammates.
• If you get lucky, you may jam Saxton in a corner via your Minigun's knock back. At this stage, simply go to town with your guns until Saxton recovers. Don't go too near Hale as his rage will stun you and you will be unable to use your Minigun, giving Hale an opportunity to get unstuck

Primary

• If you plan to just stick to one place, consider using the Brass Beast. Aside from the higher damage output, if you're constantly firing at Saxton Hale and you have a refillable ammo source, he will also be knocked back.
• Tomislav provides fast enough spin up and spin down times needed for a shoot-and-pray strategy: shoot a few rounds, then hide away.

Secondary

• On a team without Medics, consider using the lunchbox items for the Heavy, as health becomes a scarcity in this mode. Even with Medics, nutritious food will help your buddies survive.
• The Sandvich and Buffalo Steak Sandvich can be dropped. Try to aim them at very wounded teammates.
• Using the Buffalo Steak Sandvich as an escape weapon can be risky as you need about 4 seconds to consume it.
  • The Steak is not recommended for your own consumption. Saxton will be able to kill you in one hit if he deals mini-crits.
• The Dalokohs Bar or Fishcake isn't much use in this mode because Saxton will still kill you in two hits regardless. The chance he will kill you in three is highly unlikely.

Melee

• The G.R.U or K.G.B is often useful with a Medic; you can hit Saxton once or twice, and flee when he approaches.
• The Warrior's Spirit health loss will not matter much; Saxton will still be unable to kill you in one hit. The damage bonus will be useful stacking with the crits.
• The Eviction Notice is useful for brawling with Saxton; the forced crits will make up for the weaker attacks, and the attack speed is useful.

Sets

• The Hibernating Bear set is for dealing heavy damage to Saxton. While your Steak won't be of much help as Saxton will kill you in one hit while using it, the Brass Beast and Warrior's Spirit will let you crush him. Try to stay near a constant source of healing/ammo so you don't end up defenseless. A Medic is recommended.
• The Black Market Business isn't as effective because Tomislav will mainly be used for hit-and-runs, not really for direct combat, while the Family Business deprives you of food pickups. Try to memorize where the health pickups are on your stage so you can be healed; Dispensers would be helpful.

Engineer

General

• Stay hidden in the initial few minutes until you have your Dispenser and Sentry Gun up, mainly because you will be one of Saxton's top priority targets.
• Be careful when camping against Christian Brutal Sniper. His Huntsman can easily kill you outside of your Sentry Gun's range.
• Be careful when building a sentry nest against the Headless Horseless Headmann Junior. His teleport ability may allow him to wreak chaos in the nest.
• Try getting a Pyro with you so he can airblast Saxton if he gets too close to your Sentry nest.
• Alternatively, get a Demoman to lay a sticky trap to send Hale flying should he get close.

Primary

• The Frontier Justice is very useful in this mode if you have placed an aggressive Sentry Gun; fire Saxton full of criticals upon hearing your sentry firing.
• The Widowmaker's abilities are limited due to the lack of ammo in Arena. However, it is possible, but risky, to gain metal by getting close to Hale and shooting. However, do not rely too much on this tactic, since if you run out, you will be completely vulnerable if there are no Dispensers and/or Sentry Guns nearby.

Secondary

• The Wrangler is useful in dealing a high damage output and for stalling Saxton if your sentry is put in a small tunnel or doorway.
• You have an (almost) infinite supply of Pistol bullets, so if the Wrangler isn´t availabe, use this to pepper Hale at a distance.

Melee

• The Southern Hospitality is a direct upgrade to the regular Wrench, since Saxton doesn't use fire and it makes Saxton bleed - although you probably won't often be engaging in a melee battle with him.
• The Gunslinger gives you the ability to build Mini-Sentry Guns that takes less metal. Use them as a temporary defense or as an alert to see where Saxton is. This can also be used as an assault weapon to distract him with, and even though it is weak, left undealtwith it can still be an effective foe. It can also be used to defend your set up spot before you build a Dispenser.
• Consider using the Jag for the faster build rate. You'll probably die if he gets to melee range anyway.

Buildings

• Build your Dispenser first. Your team needs lots of ammo and health, and you cannot find any larger ammo packs.
• Your Sentry will stay stunned longer than players. If your sentry gets stunned, it is usually a good idea to bail out and rebuild your buildings from scratch.
• After building a Sentry Gun and Dispenser, you can build a Teleporter to use as an emergency escape route if Saxton gets too close. Beware, however, as it takes some time to teleport when you are on the teleporter entrance.
• Sentry Guns provide significant knock back. With enough Engineers, you may provide enough force to relocate Saxton.
  • This is especially useful against the Vagineer as his taunt merely ÜberCharges him and is still affected by knock back.
• If your Sentry gets stunned by Saxton's taunt, it will lose about half of its health and you will not be able to repair it unless you haul and redeploy it. When doing so, hitting the sentry while it is upgrading itself will make you lose metal as if you're repairing it, but the health of it will not increase.
• If you die, your Sentry Gun will be destroyed but not your Dispenser or Teleporters. Keep this in mind when fighting Saxton.
• If there is a HHHJ present, consider Sentry Jumping to places where the Horsemann can't reach you without teleporting and getting some teammates with you to protect you.
• Inadvisable Weapons
• The Short Circuit is not really helpful because there are no projectiles to destroy and it has pitiful damage. However, if fighting Christian Brutal Sniper you may be able to destroy his arrows.
• The Pomson 6000 like the Righteous Bison is not much useful as of the penetrating projectiles and not able to be deflected has no help.

Medic

Primary

• ÜberCharge gains from the Syringe Gun can build your ÜberCharge extremely quickly as you gain 5 percent ÜberCharge on each successful hit. Firing needles whilst backing away from Hale can quickly build a full ÜberCharge.
• The Crusader's Crossbow is useful if played on a large map, such as Watchtower. The extra damage and critical hits can allow you to effectively snipe him. You should still be using this weapon for quick healing, however.

Healing/ÜberCharge

• Remember that you will be one of Saxton's priority targets, due to the fact that you can heal and ÜberCharge.
• Heal everyone. Do not prioritize one class. With the exception of a Scout using a Sandman and a Spy using a Conniver's Kunai or Big Earner, any class fully buffed can survive a hit from Hale.
• Do not hesitate to deploy your ÜberCharge on a teammate in danger. One extra person could mean the result of the round.
• Hale's stun is your largest threat. However you are immune to it whilst ÜberCharged. Try to stay behind your team mates to avoid being stunned and be prepared to use your ÜberCharge to save teammates when they are stunned.

Melee

• Don't use your Übersaw to build up your ÜberCharge unless Saxton is very distracted or if you are trying to stun him with the Spinal Tap taunt. However it is a conceivable tactic while being ÜberCharged by another Medic.
• The Amputator may be useful for healing an entire party of people effectively if there isn't a nearby Dispenser.
• The use of Quick-Fix over a Medi Gun or Amputator is two-fold. First, sometimes it is not recommended for the Medic to stay in place, as the entire group may be moving together toward/retreat from Saxton Hale. In this light, the ability to heal numerous players may be more beneficial than overheal, as Saxton Hale's firing speed and damage delimit the benefit of overheal. The lack of uber is the only detrimental point.
• Ineffective Weapons
  • Surprisingly, Medic does not true ineffective weapons, as many of his weapons are either a sidegrade or straight upgrade.
  • The Vita-Saw has no valuable attributes. Since this is a modification of Arena Mode, you will not respawn. However, Saxton will kill you with one hit anyway, so it's not a negative weapon either.

Sets

• The Medieval Medic set can be useful for sniping Saxton from far away. You'll ÜberCharge far less, though, and your Amputator will be essential for healing people, just as important as your Kritzkrieg.
• The Clinical Trial set can be used to help the Medic run away from Saxton and heal numerous teammates on the go.

Sniper

General

• Stay well away from Saxton. None of your weapons receive damage falloff meaning you can deal large amounts of damage to him at long ranges.

Primary

• Your critical un-zoomed shot (or uncharged in the case of Huntsman) can deliver 150 damage alone. Considering the speed of Saxton Hale, it is in generally preferable to shoot him unscoped/uncharged, or go for body shots.
• A possible, but risky tactic is to use the Sniper's Skewer taunt. The taunts initial thrust is coupled with a stun on the target, meaning you can quickly take down Saxton with the help of another Huntsman Sniper if both players lock him in a taunt chain. Beware, however, of Saxton's Rage taunt.
• The Huntsman does 50% more damage than your Sniper Rifle, so if you can use it effectively, this is a good alternative to the Sniper Rifle.
• The faster charge rate of the Sydney Sleeper can be useful, but note the lack of Jarate and headshots.

Secondary

• Since all of your weapons have a critical boost, your SMG will have a higher damage output compared to a Heavy's Minigun. However, it has a low amount of ammo so be careful if trying to shoot Saxton to death.
• Jarate can be used as a support weapon to reduce Hale´s Rage meter. However, you will lose the damage output of your SMG. Also, this debuff does not apply to the Sydney Sleeper.

Melee

• The Tribalman's Shiv is useful so other people can track Hale down and to remove Hale's element of surprise. The constant criticals will negate the damage penalty.
• Since Hale can kill you in one shot, the Shahanshah's damage bonus can only be activated by self damage. This can be achieved through fall damage or non-lethal environmental damage

Inadvisable Weapons

• The Machina is terrible in this mode: 15% damage isn't very much compared to the restriction that you must be scoped in to fire, and there is nothing to penetrate. Tracer rounds will also help Saxton locate you, especially on large maps. Also, the inability to shoot un-scoped will hinder you a lot while escaping.
• The Bushwacka is the same as the Kukri in this mode as crits are forced upon it anyways. The fire damage penalty is nonexistent here.

Spy

General

• Saxton's rage taunt can reveal cloaked Spies. Cloaked Spies will remain invisible but a ring of ghosts will still float on top of their heads.

Primary

• Using L'Etranger is recommended as it allows the Spy to recharge his Dead Ringer faster and potentially survive an extra hit. The mini-crits may negate the damage penalty, although you're not likely to kill Saxton with your Revolver.
• Using the Enforcer is helpful as most players use the Dead Ringer in this mode, which does not suffer from the negative effects of the Enforcer. The higher damage allows you to quickly make Saxton retreat for cover if he has lost enough health.
• The Ambassador should only be reserved for a true marksman, since its damage and firing speed is slower.

Melee

• Always go for backstabs, as the knives do not deal Critical hits.
• A successful backstab will decrease the health of the boss by 10%. Meaning, if the boss has around 1000 health, you will deal 100 damage to Saxton. It takes only a few backstabs to deal a devastating amount of damage to Saxton.
• If you manage to successfully backstab Saxton, you will automatically switch to your primary weapon, and a notification of the backstab will show up on both your screen and Saxton's. Also, the 'Last Weapon Used' quick key won't let you switch to your knife, therefore if you want to quickly stab Hale again, you have to switch to your knife by pressing 3.
• Because Saxton Hale is always moving, using the Invisibility Watch to uncloak behind him is difficult to pull off. Instead, use the Dead Ringer to ensure you survive most of his attacks.
• Using the Conniver's Kunai will add 60 health, which may help you repeatedly survive with your Dead Ringer as you gradually gain more and more health.
• Use Your Eternal Reward; Saxton generally won't be fooled by disguises unless they are friendly, and instantly disguising upon backstab can be useful.
• The Big Earner should generally be used if you want to Cloak often; since Saxton will kill you instantly anyway, the health penalty is negligible. Note, however, that you will be left less health after activating your Dead Ringer.
• If you are the last surviving member on your team, going invisible will be pointless. Some servers make the "Last Man Standing" have a glowing ring around them, which won't go away when you go invisible. The Dead Ringer can still be used to survive a close encounter with Hale, but don't expect to elude him with invisibility.

Watches

• The Cloak and Dagger will be replaced by the default Invis Watch.
• Generally, the Dead Ringer will be more useful for both distracting Saxton and surviving a hit or two from him. Beware as feigning death will not decrease the player counter.

Disguise Kit

• As Saxton is the only member on his team, your Disguise Kit will be useless against a Saxton who is paying attention. However, disguising as a friendly teammate with the Dead Ringer may fool Saxton into believing he killed a player when you are still alive.

Inadvisable Weapons

• The Diamondback is absolutely inferior in this mode; you cannot sap anything and get crits.
• Do not ever take out your Electro Sapper accidentally; you've wasted time and there is nothing to sap.

Sets

• The Saharan Spy set works well with your Dead Ringer. Upon backstabbing him, you'll disguise and switch to your Revolver. If you don't have a full Cloak meter, try to attack him with your Revolver to gain some. The silent Cloak will work relatively well, and the Cloak blinking is trivial in this situation.
• The Man of Honor set also works well with the Dead Ringer. Try to shoot him from afar, and then get close and stab him. Ask a Medic to overheal you to compensate for your lack of health.

Strategy: Playing as the Bosses

General

• General etiquette is not to cap the point(s) as one of the bosses unless the situation is desperate. Generally, this is when one or more of the following occur:
  • Your health drops under 2000
  • Opponents be heavily entrenched, especially with a sentry farm.
  • When there are only Scouts on the other team left who are running away.
• On a server with large amount of players, feel free to use a brute-force approach against the enemy. Chances are more probable that you will catch one or two easily.

Health

• Remember that you are not invincible, especially when playing with a small amount of opponents, e.g. if you only have one opponent your health is about 500. If you cannot charge forward, find another route toward their stronghold.
• Be careful of chasms such as the pits in Nucleus as they are easy to fall into, difficult to get out of them and, if you do escape, will take a big chunk out of your health.
• Another thing to be wary of are the other environmental dangers in the map such as getting trapped in a lift door or getting hit by a train. Some of these cannot be escaped from and you become more or less at your enemy's mercy.
• Fire is useful, especially if you have high enough health,as you can use it to charge your rage meter.
• Knock back will be your worst enemy. Deal with Pyros, Force-A-Nature Scouts, Heavies, and Engineers/Sentry Guns first before you go after other classes. However, do not be unwilling to go with the flow; you might just get knocked back in the direction of another enemy.

Class specific

Scout

• Unless you get a lucky hit in, you may find that killing a Scout is one of the hardest things to do. Your best option is to do a rage taunt on him or, if he is the last man standing, simply ignore him and cap the point. Beware, however, that capping the point is discouraged in this mode.

Soldier

• The Soldier is slow, but his ability to knock you back and Rocket Jump away from you makes him a formidable opponent.

Pyro

• Try to herd Pyros away from ammo packs so that their airblast capabilities are slowly drained.
• Sometimes, the Pyro airblast can help you as they grant a rage boost.

Demoman

• Beware of sticky traps as not only will they hurt you, they will also send you flying if in an open space.
• Be prepared to go after a Demoman after you break his shield.

Heavy

• Being the slowest, the Heavy can easily be caught up to and killed if alone.
• Most of the time, however, he is surrounded by teammates. Pick off his team bit by bit until you can reach him or use your rage taunt.

Engineer

• If the Engineer dies, his Sentry Gun is also destroyed. If both an Engineer and his Sentry Gun are stunned, go after the Engineer.
  • However, it may sometimes be better to destroy the Engineer's buildings as it forces the Engineer to rebuild his defences with less metal.
• If you find a teleporter, break it. It will either force the Engineer to go and replace it or deny said Engineer an escape route.
• Using the Superjump to reach a Sentry nest and then instantly deploying your rage taunt before the Sentry Guns can respond will allow you to catch anyone up there off-guard without being sent flying.
• It's best if you find and kill Engineers early on in the round, before they can set up adequate defences.

Medic

• The Medic is weak, but is usually protected by his team.
• Get him away from his team and killing him is a matter of dodging his Über-granting needles and getting close enough to him.
• The faster you get to the Medic, the less time he has to build up an Übercharge.

Sniper

• His SMG will greatly hurt you, but he has a small ammo count.
• Move erratically to avoid his shots.
• Beware of the Tribalman's Shiv as it can reveal your location, removing the element of surprise.

Spy

• If you manage to hit a Spy, chances are that they're using the Dead Ringer. If you suspect a Dead Ringer Spy, you can use your taunt to locate him or smash likely hiding spots.
• If there are Spies around, resist the urge to do a superjump. Your speed will descrease significantly and it will give Spies the perfect chance to backstab you.

Abilities

• Superjumping may have disadvantages in some situations; a cluster of well placed Sentry Guns and Heavies can easily send you hovering above ground, making you a floating target, possibly until you die. You are also a sitting duck for a backstab during the countdown. Keep this in mind.
• If you fall on top of an enemy, they will be crushed to death. However, don't rely on this to eliminate the other team and only rely on it for unsuspecting enemies below you and the lucky kill now and again.
• Remember to use your taunt! (G). Despite being a taunt, you can still move around and beat enemies to death. However, don't spam the taunt button as it will cause you to do a normal taunt after your stun taunt. You should use your taunt when you encounter:
  • A Scout, as he is the only class that can outrun you.
  • Knock back clusters, e.g. Pyro and Scouts (espicially those using the Force-A-Nature). Although they might be a small group, they are your worst opponents as they prevent you from approaching.
  • A cluster of opponents, as well as Sentry nests. The taunt, aside from allowing the boss to quickly dispatch a bunch of opponents, also deactivates Sentry Guns.
  • The last player(s) on the other team that you just can't catch up to.

Horseless Headless Horsemann Junior

• Use teleport to surprise your enemies before either giving your opponent a quick chop or stunning them with your taunt. All players need to do is hit you with a melee weapon and then you will pop out of them, so it would be a good idea not to have anyone looking at you while you are teleporting so that they do not get their melee weapon out.
• Right before letting go of the crouch button before teleporting, press your attack button, as this will cause you to chop the person you teleport in to.
• Remember that you cannot Superjump, so high places (such as the boxes on Granary) are relatively unaccessible, especially if there are Sentry Guns or Pyros that will knock you back if you try walking there. In order to counter this, make sure you have a teleport charge ready, and hope that you will end up in the high place you were planning to go while simultaneously taunting to make sure no one can escape.
• The Horseless Headless Horsemann Junior's superduperjump is actually just an instant teleport, like a normal HHHJ teleport, but without the charge time.
• You can perform the Decapitation taunt. Use it if you get stunned by the Sandman or locked in a taunt-chain.

Vagineer

• Your taunt will only stun players a small distance away, but it provides a lengthy ÜberCharge. When taunting, go after more damaging targets such as Heavies or Sentry Guns.
• If you deploy the Übercharge whilst pinned by Sentry Guns, the Charge will protect you from them and allow you to land so you can take them out. Watch out for Pyros though, as their airblast is the Übercharge's only weakness.
• Remember that your scare taunt has an extremely limited range. Only go for the scare taunt when you are very close to an enemy.
• Be sure to take out Pyros who can easily air blast you into a corner for the duration of your ÜberCharge, as it does not protect you from pushback by weapons.
• Sentry Guns are the most difficult enemies for a Vagineer to deal with. Due to the fact that your scare taunt has a limited range, and because you cannot effectively disable Sentry Guns, always go for Engineers first, especially in maps such as Granary where Engineers can build on top of the boxes.
• Superjump can also be used when you run, but only as a leap.

Christian Brutal Sniper

• The Huntsman gives you the ability to pick off difficult targets. Aim for Engineers while out of range of their Sentry Guns.
• Players often feel safe when they're farther away from you, and may stop dodging. Use this opportunity to snipe distant targets, like Soldiers or Snipers.
• You should not use all of your arrows immediately. Conserve ammo and switch back to melee if the opportunity presents itself.
• While your scare taunt range is limited, it is sufficient enough to take out sizable sentry nests. Taunt, then switch back to melee to destroy the sentry quickly. It will take several arrows to kill a Sentry Gun.
• Avoid using the Huntsman on Spies, as they will most likely be using the Dead Ringer.