Halloween mode

“

Oh hohoho. I love Halloween! Click to listen — The Medic

”

Halloween mode is a Holiday mode that enables various cosmetic changes when enabled. Halloween mode is automatically enabled in association with yearly Halloween events that takes place within October and early November, as well as during Full Moons.

This mode can manually be enabled by server operators with the server variable tf_forced_holiday 2. Note that manually activating the mode on a server only allows players to see Full Moon/Halloween restricted items and effects of Halloween Spells, perform the Thriller taunt, and replaces health kits with Halloween-themed versions. All other changes mentioned below are active only if the Full Moon/Halloween event is active game-wide.

It can also be enabled on a server for two hours by using the Enchantment: Eternaween item, which will start a vote to temporarily enable the spirit of Halloween.

Changes

During Full Moon

• The main menu background becomes a full-color image of Double Cross.
• The menu class portrait sometimes wears their Halloween Costumes.
• Equipped Full Moon/Halloween restricted items become visible to all players.
• Applied Halloween Spell effects become active.
• When a player performs a weapon taunt, they may do the Thriller taunt with a 40% chance.
• Strange weapons equipped with Strange Part: Full Moon Kills count kills performed during this timespan.
• The default message of the day states "Welcome and Enjoy the Full Moon!".
• Health pickups are replaced with Halloween-themed versions.

During Halloween event

Additionally to all changes mentioned above, during Halloween event:

• In Casual Mode, "Halloween" tab appears in "Special Events" category, allowing to play on Halloween maps.
• The start up theme changes to one of 2 Halloween-themed tracks.
• The main menu background changes to one of the backgrounds used during 2011-2017 Halloween events.
• Strange weapons equipped with Strange Part: Halloween Kills count kills performed during this timespan.
• The default message of the day states "Welcome and Happy Halloween!".

Update history

October 29, 2009 Patch (Haunted Hallowe'en Special)

• Added a Halloween edition called Harvest Event
  • Contains a variety of Halloween related features: New hats, achievements, exploding pumpkins, ghosts, and more!

October 27, 2010 Patch (Scream Fortress Update)

• Mann Manor is haunted by the Horseless Headless Horsemann.
• Random gift drop in Mann Manor.
• 4 new Halloween achievements.
• Added new Halloween hats. (Halloween Masks, Saxton Hale Mask, Ghastlier Gibus, Voodoo Juju, Spine-Chilling Skull, Horrific Headsplitter, Horseless Headless Horsemann's Head, Cadaver's Cranium)

October 27, 2011 Patch (Very Scary Halloween Special)

• Viaduct has been haunted and is now... Eyeaduct!
• One full multi-piece costume set has been added for each class
• Random gifts containing costume pieces drop in Eyeaduct on registered servers
• 2 new Halloween 2011 achievements
• Any unusual hats uncrated during the event will be Halloween-themed
• New Halloween-themed items are available in the Mann Co. store, but only for a limited time!

October 26, 2012 Patch (Spectral Halloween Special)

• Mann vs. Machine
  • Added the map Mvm_coaltown_event (Ghost Town) with a special Halloween mission.

October 29, 2013 Patch (Scream Fortress 2013)

• On Hightower Help settle the score in one of the longest running feuds in Mann history on the new hellish map Helltower!
• Added Enchantment: Eternaween
• Granting Spellbook Magazine to all players who launch TF2 during Scream Fortress
• Added Spooky Crate and Spooky Key to drop list and Mann co. Store respectively
• Added over 100 Halloween tagged items from the TF2 Steam workshop
• Added class Transmogrifier's to covert Scream Fortress 2013 items of one type to another
• Haunted Quality Items can now be listed on the Steam Market place

October 29, 2014 Patch (Scream Fortress 2014)

• Help Merasmus with his carnival on the new map Carnival of Carnage
• 50 new Halloween-themed cosmetics from the Steam workshop
• Added 6 new achievements
• All Unusual hats and taunts that are unboxed during the event will receive Halloween-themed Unusual effects
• Added Halloween crates to the Mann Co. Store. These crates do not require a key to open
• Added a new comic to the Team Fortress 2 website

October 28, 2015 Patch (Scream Fortress 2015)

• Featured 4 community maps: Gorge Event, Sinshine, Moonshine Event, and Hellstone
• Added the Gargoyle Case
• Added two new community-made taunts to the Mann Co. Store: Soldier's Requiem and Zoomin' Broom
• All players who launch the game during this event received a Gargoyle

October 21, 2016 Patch (Scream Fortress 2016)

• Featured 3 new community maps: Brimstone, Pit of Death, and Maple Ridge Event
• Added the Creepy Crawly Case
• Added a taunt Unusualifier
• Added two new taunts to the Mann Co. Store, The Victory Lap, and Second Rate Sorcery
• Added 8 new community-created Unusual effects

October 26, 2017 Patch (Scream Fortress 2017)

• Free Halloween contracts and rewards added to the ConTracker

October 19, 2018 Patch (Scream Fortress 2018)

• Featured 5 new community maps: Cauldron, Gravestone, Monster Bash, Slasher, and Cursed Cove
• Added the Violet Vermin Case and Scream Fortress X War Paint Case
• Added two new official taunts to the Mann Co. Store: Panzer Pants, and The Scooty Scoot
• Added 17 new community-created Unusual effects
• Added 5 new Contracts to the ConTracker
• All players who launch the game will receive a Soul Gargoyle if they don't already have one

October 10, 2019 Patch (Scream Fortress 2019)

• Featured 2 new community maps: Laughter and Precipice
• Added the Spooky Spoils Case
• Added 20 new community-created Unusual effects
• All players who launch the game will receive a Soul Gargoyle if they don't already have one

October 1, 2020 Patch (Scream Fortress 2020)

• Featured 4 new community maps: Megalo, Bloodwater, Hassle Castle and Moldergrove
• Added the Wicked Windfall Case with 22 new community-created items and 6 Halloween-restricted items, along with Scream Fortress XII War Paint Case that has 15 new war-paints
• Added 19 new community-created Unusual effects
• All players who launch the game will receive a Soul Gargoyle if they don't already have one
• 4 new contracts were added into the ConTracker

October 5, 2021 Patch (Scream Fortress 2021)

• Featured 6 new community maps: Erebus, Farmageddon, Graveyard, Los Muertos, Sinthetic and Terror
• Added the Crimson Cache Case with 19 new community-created items and 6 Halloween-restricted items, along with Scream Fortress XIII War Paint Case that has 13 new war-paints
• Added 5 new community-created Taunts
• Added 28 new community-created Unusual effects
• All players who launch the game will receive a Soul Gargoyle if they don't already have one
• 6 new contracts were added into the ConTracker

October 5, 2022 Patch (Scream Fortress 2022)

• Featured 6 new community maps: Bonesaw, Crasher, Ghoulpit, Helltrain, Soul-Mill and Spookeyridge
• Added the Ghoulish Gains Case with 22 new community-created items and 5 Halloween-restricted items, along with Scream Fortress XIV War Paint Case that has 11 new war-paints
• Added 5 new community-created Taunts
• Added 25 new community-created Unusual effects
• All players who launch the game will receive a Soul Gargoyle if they don't already have one
• 6 new contracts were added into the ConTracker

October 9, 2023 Patch (Scream Fortress 2023)

• Featured 12 new community maps: Perks, Slime, Lava Pit, Mannsylvania, Sandcastle, Spineyard, Corruption, Murky, Atoll, Woods, Sanitarium, and Devastation
• Added the Bone-Chilling Bonanza Case with 25 new community-created items and 4 Halloween-restricted items
• Added 4 new community-created Taunts
• Added 20 new community-created Unusual effects
• All players who launch the game will receive a Soul Gargoyle if they don't already have one
• 12 new contracts were added into the ConTracker

Notes

• For the Halloween mode to function in maps other than Halloween-themed ones, the server variable tf_forced_holiday should be set to 2. It is recommended to set the variable before changing to a non-Halloween-themed map, because enabling the mode whilst a map is running may cause the server to crash from a non-preloaded model.

Gallery

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  Small Health Pickup

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  Medium Health Pickup

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  Large Health Pickup

See also

• Birthday mode
• Haunted Hallowe'en Special
• Scream Fortress Update
• Very Scary Halloween Special