List of official tips

“

Let me give you some advice, son: Do not be a ghost!

Click to listen

— The Soldier

”

Tips are official suggestions that appear on the screen as a player connects to a server. They can also be randomly cycled through in the Stats tab of the Manage Items screen. Smaller tips also appear while selecting a class. Mann vs. Machine tips appear while visiting an Upgrade Station under the UI. Below is a list of all currently viewable tips.

The following tips have been transcribed exactly as presented in the original source. All keys shown are the default keys and may differ depending on player configuration.

Scout

You capture points faster than other classes!
Double jump while in the air!
As a Scout, jump while in mid-air to change direction and avoid enemy fire.
As a Scout, you capture Control Points and push Payload carts twice as fast as other classes.
As a Scout, you're most effective when you stay moving and use your speed to your advantage.
As a Scout, your Pistol is great for picking off enemies at a distance.
As a Scout, your Scattergun deals high-damage at point-blank range, killing most classes with 2 hits.
As a Scout, firing the Force-A-Nature in mid-air will knock you back away from the direction you're aiming; you can use this to extend the range of your jumps.
As a Scout, take advantage of alternative routes to flank enemies for surprise attacks.
As a Scout, when wielding the Sandman, use MOUSE2 to launch a baseball at distant enemies to slow them.
As a Scout, equipping the Sandman will reduce your maximum health. Stick with your bat if survival is a top priority.
As a Scout, hitting nearby foes with the Force-A-Nature will push them away from you.
As a Scout, the further your Sandman baseball travels, the longer it will slow any enemy it hits - up to a maximum of 7 seconds.
As a Scout, the Sandman's baseball cannot stun foes at close range, but it will completely stun an enemy at max range.
As a Scout, use the Bonk! Atomic Punch energy drink to traverse dangerous terrain and absorb Sentry Gun fire for teammates.
As a Scout, use Mad Milk to douse flames on yourself and on your teammates.
As a Scout, the Shortstop deals more damage than the Scattergun at mid-range.
As a Scout, if you have the Candy Cane equipped, killed foes will always drop free health kits, regardless of which weapon you used.
As a Scout, be careful when using Crit-a-Cola. Saving it for surprise attacks and taking advantage of your speed can help you avoid taking extra damage.
As a Scout, you and your teammates regain lost health when hitting enemies drenched in Mad Milk. Initiate fights with it to improve your team's survivability.
As a Scout, the Boston Basher causes foes to bleed when struck, but missing will cause self-inflicted bleeding. Bleeding can be quickly cured with health kits.
As a Scout, the Sun-on-a-Stick deals critical damage to burning foes, but is otherwise weaker than the Bat. Work with friendly Pyros to make full use of it.
As a Scout, a Fan O'War hit turns subsequent attacks against the target into Mini-Crits. Use teammates and other weapons to get the most from the damage boost.
As a Scout, deploying the Atomizer will allow you to Mini-Crit enemies while airborne.
As a Scout, you can utilize both the Force-A-Nature's knockback and Atomizer's triple jump for a quadruple jump combination!
As a Scout, the Atomizer will allow you to perform a triple jump! Use it to outmaneuver enemies and access hard-to-reach areas!
As a Scout, the Winger inflicts more damage than the Pistol, but this is offset by its reduced magazine size. Use the Winger at close range in order to ensure that you hit your target!
As a Scout, the Shortstop is very effective at medium to long range, allowing you to maintain your distance from dangerous enemies. You can also hit MOUSE2 to push enemies away!
As a Scout, the Wrap Assassin's secondary attack (MOUSE2) can be used to inflict bleeding damage on enemies! Use it to damage enemies from a distance.

Soldier

Shoot your rocket launcher at enemy's feet!
Use your rocket launcher to rocket jump!
As a Soldier, you can rocket jump to great heights or distances by simultaneously jumping and firing a rocket on nearby surfaces; crouching as you jump will increase the momentum you gain from the rocket.
As a Soldier, aim rockets at an enemy's feet in order to ensure that they can't avoid the explosion damage.
As a Soldier, make sure you keep your Rocket Launcher loaded. Press R to reload manually or enable auto-reloading in Advanced Multiplayer Options.
As a Soldier, you risk taking splash damage when firing rockets at nearby enemies. Try switching weapons to avoid hurting yourself.
As a Soldier, consider damaging yourself in safe situations if a Medic is healing you. ÜberCharge builds slower while you're overhealed (except during setup time).
As a Soldier, your rockets have strong knock back. Use this to jostle enemies or knock them airborne.
As a Soldier, use your Shotgun to conserve rockets and avoid waiting for your Rocket Launcher to reload in the middle of combat.
As a Soldier, the Direct Hit's rockets have a very small blast radius. Aim directly at your enemies to maximize damage!
As a Soldier, the Buff Banner's rage meter will reset if you die. Don't be afraid to use it for yourself if you need to make a push or escape!
As a Soldier, activating the Buff Banner provides Mini-Crits to you and nearby teammates, which can swiftly turn the tide of a difficult battle.
As a Soldier, the Escape Plan provides a speed bonus when your health is low. Use it to escape dangerous areas and dodge enemy fire!
As a Soldier, the Equalizer does a lot of damage when you're at very low health, but it deals less than the Shovel when you're at high health.
As a Soldier, Medics heal you at a significantly reduced rate while you actively wield the Equalizer or Escape Plan.
As a Soldier, remember that the Half-Zatoichi attacks instantly kill any enemy that is also wielding one!
As a Soldier, the Black Box heals you whenever you damage an enemy with a rocket. Use it when friendly Medics and health kits are scarce.
As a Soldier, the Gunboats greatly reduce health loss from rocket jumps. Use them when positioning and mobility are especially important.
As a Soldier, activating the Battalion's Backup provides damage reduction and Crit immunity to yourself and nearby teammates. Be mindful of the effect radius when protecting teammates!
As a Soldier, activating the Concheror lets you and your teammates heal themselves by damaging enemies. Use it to improve your team's survivability in fights.
As a Soldier, the Frying Pan does identical damage as the Shovel, but is a lot louder. Don't use it when you are trying to stay hidden, as the distinct sound will give your position away!
As a Soldier, hitting a teammate with the Disciplinary Action will increase both your and your teammate's speed dramatically for a few seconds! Use it on slower classes like other Soldiers and Heavies in order to reach the front lines faster!
As a Soldier, you can use MOUSE2 when wielding the Cow Mangler 5000 to fire a charged shot, dealing additional damage and setting the enemy briefly on fire. Be careful however, as a charged shot entirely depletes the Cow Mangler 5000's ammunition.
As a Soldier, the Mantreads dramatically reduce weapon knock back. Use them in order to avoid being pushed back by the Force-A-Nature, explosives or Sentry Guns!
As a Soldier, the Black Box only loads three rockets at any time. Be sure to make each shot count, or you may be left vulnerable.
As a Soldier, rocket jump to quickly close the distance between you and your enemies, and then use the Market Gardener to finish them off as you land.
As a Soldier, consider using your Shotgun against enemy Pyros that are reflecting your rockets.
As a Soldier, the Righteous Bison can hit the same enemy multiple times, and will hit the most times on enemies who are moving away from the projectile. Use it to punish retreating enemies!

Pyro

Ambush enemies at corners!
Your flamethrower is more effective the closer you are to your target!
As a Pyro, your Flamethrower does more damage the closer you are to the enemy.
As a Pyro, ambush enemies in order to ensure that you engage them at close range so that your Flamethrower will inflict maximum damage. Use corners and alcoves to your advantage.
As a Pyro, your Flamethrower chews up a lot of ammo. Pick up fallen ammo pickups to refill your supply.
As a Pyro, switch to your Shotgun or Flare Gun if enemies retreat beyond the short range of your Flamethrower.
As a Pyro, you can often set enemies on fire and retreat, leaving them to die from the burning.
As a Pyro, your Flamethrower can ignite an enemy Spy if he is cloaked, or is disguised as a member of your team. Spy check teammates that look or act suspicious!
As a Pyro, utilize the bonus damage on the Axtinguisher by igniting your foes before attacking.
As a Pyro, help protect an Engineer's Sentry Gun by using the Flamethrower's compression blast (MOUSE2) to reflect explosive projectiles and check for enemy Spies.
As a Pyro, you can neutralize an ÜberCharge by pushing the Medic and his heal target away from each other by using the Flamethrower's compression blast (MOUSE2).
As a Pyro, push enemies out of your way using the Flamethrower's compression blast with MOUSE2.
As a Pyro, the Flamethrower's compression blast (MOUSE2) can extinguish burning teammates.
As a Pyro, you cannot be ignited by fire-based weapons. Use your Shotgun or melee weapons against enemy Pyros in order to counter this.
As a Pyro, the Backburner is very effective when ambushing the enemy as it inflicts Critical hits when attacking from behind.
As a Pyro, the Flare Gun can cause Critical hits if fired at enemies who are already burning.
As a Pyro, your Flamethrower or Flare Gun will not work underwater, so rely upon your Shotgun or melee weapon.
As a Pyro, use MOUSE2 when using the Flamethrower in order to let out a blast of compressed air. Use it to reflect incoming projectiles, put out burning teammates, or push enemies back!
As a Pyro, use your Flamethrower on friendly Snipers in order to light their Huntsman arrows on fire. Flaming arrows can ignite the enemy and inflict additional damage.
As a Pyro, use MOUSE2 to reflect projectiles back at the enemy team! This includes rockets, grenades, Huntsman arrows, Jarate and more!
As a Pyro, remember that the Flamethrower's compression blast (MOUSE2) can use up a lot of ammo. Use it only when you need to!
As a Pyro, utilize the Flamethrower's compression blast (MOUSE2) to push Stickybombs out of the way. Help out your Engineers or clear a Control Point!
As a Pyro, the Homewrecker, Maul, and Neon Annihilator can be used to remove enemy Sappers from buildings.
As a Pyro, your Sharpened Volcano Fragment sets enemies on fire upon a successful hit. Use in combination with the Flare Gun in order to inflict substantial damage!
As a Pyro, you can use the Back Scratcher in order to help a Medic build their ÜberCharge more quickly.
As a Pyro, the Flamethrower's compression blast (MOUSE2) is a very useful tool. Use it to push enemies, even invulnerable Medics and their buddies, off cliffs or into other environmental hazards.
As a Pyro, the Degreaser inflicts less afterburn damage but allows you to switch weapons almost instantly. This allows you to more easily perform deadly combination attacks, such as setting the enemy on fire and then using the Axtinguisher in order to inflict a Critical hit!
As a Pyro, the Backscratcher inflicts additional damage, but Medics and Dispensers will heal you more slowly. Healthpacks will provide you with more health than normal however, so note their locations on the map!
As a Pyro, the Flamethrower's compression blast can be used to counter Demomen using the Chargin' Targe! Time your compression blast correctly, and you can push the Demoman back before he can strike, and then counter-attack!
As a Pyro, the Detonator's flares can be detonated at any time using MOUSE2. Use the blast radius to hit enemies behind cover, or to set multiple enemies on fire!
As a Pyro, inflicting damage with the Phlogistinator fills the 'Mmmph' meter. Once it is full, activate it using your secondary attack (MOUSE2) in order to inflict Crits for a short time!
As a Pyro, you can use the Manmelter's secondary fire (MOUSE2) to extinguish teammates that are on fire. For each teammate extinguished you store a Critical hit, so save the Crits until the opportune moment!

Demoman

Remote detonate your stickybombs when enemies are near them!
Stickybomb jump by standing on a stickybomb and jumping as you detonate it!
As a Demoman, when using the Stickybomb Launcher hit MOUSE1 to fire Stickybombs and then use MOUSE2 to detonate them later.
As a Demoman, when you use the Stickybomb Launcher or Scottish Resistance, note that the longer you hold down the fire button the further the shot will go.
As a Demoman, time the detonation of your Stickybombs as you jump over them to propel yourself in the desired direction!
As a Demoman, shoot Stickybombs onto walls and ceilings where they're hard to spot.
As a Demoman, you can detonate Stickybombs with MOUSE2 at any time, regardless of which weapon you're currently using.
As a Demoman, crouch when preparing for a Stickybomb jump in order to achieve maximum height.
As a Demoman, use your Grenade Launcher for direct combat. Grenades detonate upon impact with an enemy unless they touch the ground first.
As a Demoman, your Bottle does the same amount of damage whether it is smashed open or not.
As a Demoman, the Scottish Resistance is great for defense. Place multiple groups of Stickybombs in order to defend a lot of territory. Your Stickybombs can also destroy enemy Stickybombs!
As a Demoman, when using the Scottish Resistance keep a line of sight to your Stickybombs so you can detonate them when needed.
As a Demoman, the Chargin' Targe's explosive and fire damage resistance in addition to its charge ability complement the Eyelander's lower max health and inability to cause random Critical hits.
As a Demoman, the Chargin' Targe's charge ability doesn't grant a Critical hit until near the end of the charge. Your weapon will glow when the time is right!
As a Demoman, when using the Chargin' Targe you can't change direction during a charge. Try to line charges up with where an enemy will be rather than where an enemy is.
As a Demoman, the Chargin' Targe's charge ability is also perfect for quick getaways!
As a Demoman, your Bottle has no negative attributes when compared to the health reduction penalty of the Eyelander. Use your Bottle if survival is a priority.
As a Demoman, collect heads by killing enemies with the Eyelander. Each head increases your maximum health and also gives you a speed boost!
As a Demoman, the only way to recharge your Ullapool Caber is to visit a resupply locker. Make every hit with it count!
As a Demoman, when using the Scottish Resistance remember that you can see your Stickybombs through walls and floors and can detonate them from any range. Use this to your advantage.
As a Demoman, remember that a successful hit with Half-Zatoichi on any enemy wielding the same weapon will result in an instant kill.
As a Demoman, use the Loch-n-Load to inflict additional damage against slower moving classes and buildings. Aim carefully however! You only have three shots before you must reload, and you will only inflict damage on a direct hit.
As a Demoman, use the Ullapool Caber when surrounded by enemies. The resulting explosion will inflict heavy damage on all nearby opponents.
As a Demoman, if you're paired with a Medic, take advantage of safe opportunities to damage yourself in order to build an ÜberCharge faster.
As a Demoman, your Eyelander will collect the stored heads from a slain enemy Demoman.
As a Demoman, you can use the Chargin' Targe, Splendid Screen, or Tide Turner to launch off small ramps and go flying! Use it to surprise enemies by charging over their heads.
As a Demoman, the amount of heads you collect with your Eyelander will increase the damage your shield bash does.
As a Demoman, you can use the Sticky Jumper to get to the front lines quickly. Be careful! It inflicts no damage at all, requiring you to rely on your primary and melee weapons!
As a Demoman, the Scotsman's Skullcutter will reduce your speed. Consider pairing it with the Chargin' Targe, Splendid Screen, or Tide Turner in order to offset the speed reduction.

Heavy

Spin your minigun without firing to be ready for approaching enemies!
As a Heavy, hold MOUSE2 in order to keep your Minigun spinning, ready for approaching enemies.
As a Heavy, you're a great Medic buddy. Keep a clear line of sight to your Medic to keep the Medi Gun on you.
As a Heavy, your Minigun chews up a lot of ammo. Pick up fallen ammo pickups to refill your supply.
As a Heavy, your Sandvich can be a lifesaver. Try to find a safe place before eating your Sandvich or you may be rudely interrupted.
As a Heavy, you have more health than any other class on your team. Use this to your advantage by drawing enemy fire and allowing the other classes to flank the enemy.
As a Heavy, you don't lose momentum while spinning up your Minigun in the air. Use this to surprise enemies around corners!
As a Heavy, use your Sandvich to heal up! Use MOUSE2 to throw it on the ground for friendly players to pick up as health. Don't worry, it comes with a plate to keep it clean.
As a Heavy, your fists swing faster than the Killing Gloves of Boxing. Equip them with the Sandvich to quickly dispatch lunchtime attackers.
As a Heavy, the Sandvich can be dropped by hitting MOUSE2. A dropped Sandvich can heal a teammate similarly to a health kit.
As a Heavy, be sure to get another Sandvich if you drop yours. Sandviches can be replenished from health kits, but only if your current health is full.
As a Heavy, your Minigun's spin-up time can waste the Killing Gloves of Boxing's five-second critical buff. Carry your Shotgun with the K.G.B. in order to maximize the critical boost!
As a Heavy, the Sandvich and the Buffalo Steak Sandvich can be dropped by hitting MOUSE2 and can extinguish burning teammates. Use this to save your Medic.
As a Heavy, the Gloves of Running Urgently increase your speed dramatically but your maximum health decreases over time. Use the speed bonus to quickly reach the frontlines or to ambush enemies.
As a Heavy, the Brass Beast inflicts additional damage but decreases your mobility while in use. Use it when playing defensively, as you will find it more difficult to successfully pursue fleeing enemies.
As a Heavy, the Dalokohs Bar's temporary health increase can be a powerful advantage in battle.
As a Heavy, the Fists of Steel's ranged weapon damage reduction helps to counter the threat of enemy Snipers. Use them to protect yourself while moving through open areas!
As a Heavy, the Fists of Steel will dramatically reduce the amount of damage taken from ranged sources while increasing the amount of damage from melee weapons. Use them to push through enemy lines or to close the distance with the enemy.
As a Heavy, the Tomislav not only spins up more quickly than the Minigun, it does so silently! Use it to ambush enemies and take them by surprise!
As a Heavy, the Natascha will slow down enemies it hits. Use it to support your teammates and increase their damage output.
As a Heavy, the Eviction Notice increases your melee attack speed and gives you a speed boost when you hit an enemy. Use them for more opportunities to hit faster moving classes!
As a Heavy, the Holiday Punch's Critical hits will cause the enemy to burst into laughter, thereby leaving them defenseless! Use them in order to incapacitate enemies and assist your team to eliminate key threats.

Engineer

Collect metal from fallen weapons to build with!
Build sentry guns to defend your base! Upgrade them to level 3!
Build teleporters to help teammates get to the front lines!
As an Engineer, use the build tool to place Sentry Guns, Dispensers, and Teleporters.
As an Engineer, you need metal to build, repair, and upgrade your buildings. Collect fallen ammo pickups to replenish your supply.
As an Engineer, hit your Sentry Gun with your Wrench in order to upgrade it with metal. Each level adds more health and firepower.
As an Engineer, build Dispensers to provide your teammates with health and ammo. They also generate metal for you to use.
As an Engineer, build Teleporters to help your team reach the frontlines faster.
As an Engineer, keep an eye out for enemy Spies attaching Electro Sappers to your buildings. Use your Wrench to remove Sappers.
As an Engineer, help your fellow Engineers! Your Wrench can upgrade or repair their buildings as well as your own.
As an Engineer, hit your buildings with your Wrench while they are constructing in order to make them build faster.
As an Engineer, it can be useful to move your buildings forward in order to support your team. Use MOUSE2 to pick up your buildings and carry them.
As an Engineer, remember to upgrade your buildings. Level 3 Teleporters recharge much faster, allowing your team to keep the pressure on.
As an Engineer, hit either the entrance or the exit of your Teleporter with your Wrench in order to repair and upgrade both sides.
As an Engineer, hit MOUSE2 to rotate building blueprints before you hit MOUSE1 to build. Use this in order to orient Teleporters away from walls.
As an Engineer, you can do more than just maintain your buildings. Use your Shotgun and your Pistol to assist in fights and to defend your buildings.
As an Engineer, Sentry Guns aren't restricted to just defensive measures. Deploy them quickly in hidden locations in order to aid in an offensive push.
As an Engineer, remember that disguised enemy Spies can use your Teleporter. Try not to stand on top of your Teleporter exit, especially when upgrading or repairing it.
As an Engineer, check for Spies with your weapons if someone suspicious approaches.
As an Engineer, the Short Circuit lets you protect your buildings by eliminating incoming enemy projectiles.
As an Engineer, the Gunslinger's Combat Mini-Sentry Guns build much faster than normal Sentry Guns and require less metal to build. This makes Combat Mini-Sentry Guns the perfect offensive tool.
As an Engineer, your Wrangler can be used to greatly extend the range of your Sentry Gun.
As an Engineer, try to keep your metal reserves full - it can help to save your buildings later on.
As an Engineer, the Southern Hospitality can be very useful for Spy checking. If you hit an enemy and they start bleeding, you have discovered an enemy Spy.
As an Engineer, the Jag allows you to construct buildings considerably faster if you hit them while they are under construction. Use the Jag when you need to construct buildings quickly in order to close a hole in your team's defensive line.
As an Engineer, the Frontier Justice will gain revenge Crits for every assist and every enemy killed by your Sentry Gun. Use it to quickly deal with enemies when your Sentry Gun has been destroyed.
As an Engineer, if you perform three hits successive hits with the Gunslinger, the final blow will be an automatic Critical hit. Use this technique to ambush and eliminate stronger classes when you lack support from your team or your Sentry Gun.
As an Engineer, you can use MOUSE2 in order to pick up your buildings and carry them. Remember that you will move more slowly and be unable to attack when carrying a building however, so be careful!
As an Engineer, be aware that your building will be destroyed if you are killed while carrying it. Only move your buildings when you are guarded by your team, or it is safe to do so!
As an Engineer, consider defensive locations that are hard to assault, and use them as staging areas when constructing buildings. Sentry Guns in particular are most effective when placed in the right location.
As an Engineer, the Widowmaker draws from your limited metal reserves for each shot. Make sure that you take note of ammo box locations and friendly Dispensers to quickly resupply when you need to; also consider equipping the Pistol to be able to deal damage when you can't.
As an Engineer, the Pomson 6000's projectiles drain the ÜberCharge meter of enemy Medics and the Cloak meter of enemy Spies.

Medic

Fill your ÜberCharge by healing your teammates!
Use a full ÜberCharge to gain invulnerability for you and your Medi Gun target!
As a Medic, use your Medi Gun to heal teammates, and buff them up to 150% of their normal health.
As a Medic, fill your ÜberCharge by healing teammates and then hit MOUSE2 to become invulnerable for a short time.
As a Medic, your ÜberCharge makes both you and your Medi Gun target invulnerable for a short time.
As a Medic, you can fill your ÜberCharge faster by healing teammates who are more injured.
As a Medic, keep alert for teammates calling for your help. Use the Medic arrows onscreen to find them.
As a Medic, your ÜberCharge will build much faster during setup time.
As a Medic, you cannot capture a Control Point or pick up the Intelligence while invulnerable.
As a Medic, heal Soldiers and Demomen at the beginning of a round in order that they can use the extra health to rocket or sticky jump across the map.
As a Medic, you can ÜberCharge without a heal target in order to save yourself in dire situations.
As a Medic, it's better to use an ÜberCharge too early than lose it by being killed.
As a Medic, fool the enemy by using the \ÜberCharge ready!\ voice command in order to pretend you have an ÜberCharge prepared.
As a Medic, you can keep multiple targets overhealed allowing them to absorb more damage.
As a Medic, your Bonesaw swings 20% faster than the Übersaw^(sic). Use the Bonesaw in defensive situations in which an ÜberCharge isn't as important.
As a Medic, remember that syringes travel in arcs and have a travel time. Lead your targets and aim higher in order to land successful hits.
As a Medic, remember that Critical hits have no effect on Sentry Guns. Use the Kritzkrieg in areas full of players instead.
As a Medic, the Übersaw^(sic) will still increase your ÜberCharge meter if the enemy being hit is a Scout phasing with Bonk! Atomic Punch.
As a Medic, using ÜberCharge to be invulnerable to damage does not mean you are free from harm. Watch out for the Pyro's compression blast and explosive knock back.
As a Medic, when attacking with an ÜberCharge, try to get Sentry Guns to target you so that your teammates can get close enough to destroy them.
As a Medic, your default Syringe Gun automatically heals you over time by 3 health per second compared to the Blutsauger's 1 health per second. Use the Syringe Gun when playing defensively, as the passive healing rate will provide you with an advantage.
As a Medic, the Übersaw^(sic) will not increase your ÜberCharge meter if the enemy being hit is a disguised Spy.
As a Medic, the Kritzkrieg's taunt heals your health. Use it when there are no health kits or other Medics nearby.
As a Medic, pay attention to other Medics on your team. Keeping multiple Medics alive will help keep the rest of the team alive, too.
As a Medic, taunting with the Amputator will heal all nearby teammates.
As a Medic, your Crusader's Crossbow does damage to enemies or heals teammates upon a successful hit.
As a Medic, timing is everything. If it is safe to do so, withhold your ÜberCharge until just the right moment in order to maximize its effectiveness.
As a Medic, a successful hit with the Blutsauger will restore three health as well as damage the enemy. Use it when injured, when retreating, when on fire or when playing offensively.
As a Medic, the Vita-Saw will retain up to 60% of your ÜberCharge meter if you die before activating it. This can be very useful when attempting to assault a strongly-fortified position with only a small amount of time remaining.
As a Medic, the Solemn Vow allows you to see the health of enemies; use this information to identify weakened enemies to your team.
As a Medic, the Quick-Fix heals damage rapidly, making it useful for healing multiple teammates quickly.
As a Medic, if you have been separated from your team, call out for a Medic yourself by pressing E to alert nearby teammates to your position.
As a Medic, the Overdose increases your speed proportionally to the amount in your ÜberCharge meter! Equip the Overdose when you need to reach the front lines or make a quick escape!

Sniper

Your sniper rifle will power up to do more damage while you are zoomed in!
Aim for the head to do Critical hits!
As a Sniper, the longer you spend zoomed while scoped, the more damage the shot will do.
As a Sniper, aim for the head in order to inflict critical damage.
As a Sniper, zoom with the Sniper Rifle by hitting MOUSE2.
As a Sniper, use your secondary Submachine Gun to deal with nearby enemies.
As a Sniper, a fully charged Sniper Rifle head shot can kill most classes instantly.
As a Sniper, your shot will usually miss if the Huntsman is pulled back longer than five seconds. Reset it by hitting MOUSE2.
As a Sniper, Jarate can reveal hidden Spies.
As a Sniper, the Razorback breaks after being stabbed. Grab a new one from a resupply locker.
As a Sniper, your Razorback emits a loud electric sound when a Spy attempts to backstab you. Listen for it!
As a Sniper, use Jarate to douse flames on yourself and on teammates.
As a Sniper, all hits on enemies who have been doused with Jarate are Mini-Crits.
As a Sniper, the Tribalman's Shiv causes your target to bleed when hit. This can be useful for tracking down Spies.
As a Sniper, the Sydney Sleeper applies Jarate to enemies and causes a Jarate explosion with headshots and fully charged body shots. It can also extinguish burning teammates.
As a Sniper, your Jarate and Bushwacka make the perfect combo. Soak the enemy in Jarate and hit them with the Bushwacka for an automatic Critical hit.
As a Sniper, the Sydney Sleeper can kill most classes in one shot at 100% charge.
As a Sniper, the Huntsman is very effective at short to medium range despite its inability to zoom in.
As a Sniper, the Sydney Sleeper will apply a Jarate effect to an enemy based on how long you've been scoped, so take your time when shooting.
As a Sniper, the Sydney Sleeper can coat an enemy with Jarate upon a successful hit. This makes it an effective weapon when supporting your team from afar even if you do not kill the enemy with your first shot.
As a Sniper, the Bazaar Bargain's charge rate is initially lower, but you can increase it by collecting heads. To collect heads, get a scoped headshot kill.
As a Sniper with the Machina, consider equipping the Submachine Gun to handle enemies in situations where scoping in for a shot is too difficult.
As a Sniper, the Shahanshah has increased damage when your health is below 50%. Use it to counter enemies harassing you once you've taken damage.

Spy

Disguise yourself as a enemy and infiltrate the enemy base!
Cloak yourself to avoid being seen!
Backstab your enemies with your knife for an instant kill!
Plant sappers on enemy sentry guns to destroy them!
As a Spy, use your Knife to backstab enemies from behind, killing them instantly.
As a Spy, disguise yourself as an enemy with your Disguise Kit. Beware, attacking will remove your disguise.
As a Spy, hit MOUSE2 to Cloak and become fully invisible for a short period of time.
As a Spy, use your Cloak to get behind enemy lines, and your disguise to move around amongst them.
As a Spy, try to act like an enemy while disguised. Observe where enemy team members are, and disguise as one of them.
As a Spy, place your Electro Sappers on enemy Sentry Guns in order to destroy them. Note that disguises aren't lost when placing Sappers.
As a Spy, your Electro Sappers disable Sentry Guns before destroying them. Sap a Sentry Gun before attacking the Engineer.
As a Spy, call for enemy Medics by hitting E while disguised.
As a Spy, be careful when using voice commands while disguised. The enemy team will see them said in the text chat by whomever you're disguised as.
As a Spy, the Ambassador does not inflict critical headshots when cooling down. Make each shot precise and timed in order to inflict maximum damage.
As a Spy, try not to be hit by flames when arming the Dead Ringer, or else the flames may hit you again and reveal your location.
As a Spy, cloaked with the Dead Ringer, your silhouette won't appear when colliding with enemies for the first few seconds after cloaking.
As a Spy, pick up ammo to recharge your Cloak. You can even pick up ammo while cloaked with the default Invisibility Watch!
As a Spy, the Cloak and Dagger will only drain if you are moving. Stand still or uncloak in order to regain lost charge.
As a Spy, your silhouette can be seen if you move around while cloaked with the Cloak and Dagger for too long. Find a safe spot to sit and recharge.
As a Spy, the Dead Ringer makes a very loud noise when uncloaking. Find a safe place away from enemies to uncloak.
As a Spy, disguise as your own team by hitting the - key. Use this in friendly areas or with the Dead Ringer in order to hide your presence from the enemy.
As a Spy, hit B while already disguised to change the weapon your disguise is holding.
As a Spy, hit B in order to automatically assume the last disguise you previously used.
As a Spy, you can take enemy Teleporters while disguised. Surprise!
As a Spy, bumping into enemies while cloaked makes you slightly visible to everyone.
As a Spy, if you're set on fire while cloaked, the enemy can see you!
As a Spy, use your Revolver to pick off targets that are low on health, or to deal with classes that are dangerous to get near, such as Pyros.
As a Spy, if you are quick, you can stab an Engineer and then sap his Sentry Gun before it turns around and shoots you.
As a Spy, the Dead Ringer significantly reduces the amount of damage taken from all attacks while you are invisible.
As a Spy, avoid taking fall damage while cloaked as it will give away your location!
As a Spy, your Electro Sappers sap both ends of a Teleporter. Try sapping the end that the Engineer isn't guarding.
As a Spy, your Dead Ringer can be used to fake your own death. Try to use it when you're weak, otherwise it may be wasted or too obvious.
As a Spy, reloading your Revolver will mimic the reload action of the weapon carried by your current disguise.
As a Spy, if you're too slow to sap a Sentry Gun after backstabbing an Engineer, you can Cloak or hide behind his Dispenser.
As a Spy, Your Eternal Reward automatically disguises you as the person you most recently backstabbed. Be aware that you will lose your disguise upon death or when attacking, however.
As a Spy, you can see enemies' health. Use this information to target weakened enemies with your Revolver.
As a Spy, the L'Etranger passively increases your maximum cloak battery and recharges it when you successfully hit an enemy.
As a Spy, your Electro Sappers disable Sentry Guns before destroying them. Communicate with your team, and sap a Sentry Gun just before your teammates attack. This will prevent the Sentry from firing, and also make it more difficult for an Engineer to repair it.
As a Spy, the Conniver's Kunai allows you to absorb the current health of your victim upon a successful backstab. Be wary however, as your base health will be drastically reduced when using this weapon, so be sure to remain undetected!
As a Spy, a good technique is to backstab enemies that are alone or are otherwise vulnerable. Always check your surroundings before backstabbing an enemy in order to ensure that you remain undetected.
As a Spy, you can activate your Dead Ringer with fall damage. Feign a careless death!
As a Spy, Bleeding, Jarate, Mad Milk, and emerging from water will reveal you while you're cloaked.
As a Spy, the Diamondback inflicts less damage, but will store a guaranteed Critical hit for every building destroyed by your Electro Sappers. Destroy an Engineer's buildings before confronting him, and you will have a significant advantage!
As a Spy, taking any fire damage when using the Spy-cicle will melt the weapon, requiring you to wait before you can use it again.

Arena

Keep an eye on the player count at the top of the screen in order to tell if your team has an advantage.
There are very few sources of replenishing your health in Arena, so be sure to protect your Medics and Engineers!
The capture point in the middle of the map will become active after 60 seconds have elapsed once the round begins.
You don't respawn in Arena, so don't die!
No single class is the most important in Arena. Focus on countering the other team's entire composition.
You can only change your class at the start of an Arena match before the gates open.
As an Engineer, make sure you're building Dispensers in order to heal your teammates.
As a Medic, your ÜberCharge will not carry over between lives while using the Vita-Saw.
As a Pyro, Spy check teammates vigorously in order to prevent Spies from giving the other team a strategic advantage.

Mann vs. Machine

Upgrades are fixed to the class or weapon you apply them to. There are no refunds after the first wave
You will need plenty of upgrades to defend against later waves in a mission
Dropped credits vanish after a short period of time
Bonus credits are awarded if all the credits in a wave are collected
New class abilities are available in Mann vs. Machine. See an overview on the class selection screen!
Holograms show the path that the bomb carrier robot will follow
You can change your class and weapons if necessary. Remember, your upgrades will remain on those weapons and classes!
Robots become more powerful the longer they carry the bomb.
You can respawn quickly be pressing 'H' but beware, it can become expensive over time!
Power-up canteens give you access to instant Crits, Uber, and more. Equip it in your Action slot and buy charges at the Upgrade Station. Activate it with 'H'!
It only takes one bomb to destroy a facility
Bomb carriers can be pushed back. A Pyro's airblast or Heavy's rage can give your team some breathing room!

Scout

You collect credits in a large radius
You gain health from credits
Instantly respawn!
Mad Milk upgrade slows targets
Sandman upgrade allows baseballs to apply Marked-For-Death effect
Scouts have a greatly increased credit collection radius
Upgrade Mad Milk to slow affected enemy robots

Soldier

Upgrade your weapon damage!
Upgrade firing and reload speed
Upgrade ammo and clip capacity
Upgrade your buff banner duration
Upgrade your buff banner to multiply all nearby teammates damage

Pyro

Airblast upgrade helps stop bomb carriers and runners
Upgrade flamethrower's afterburn damage and duration
Upgrade your ammo capacity
Upgrade your flamethrower's direct damage
Upgrade airblast to push bomb carrying robots into pits reseting the bomb or to elongate the path

Demoman

Upgrade your weapon damage!
Upgrade firing and reload speed
Upgrade ammo and clip capacity
Upgrade your Shield Charge cooldown
Upgrade stickybomb damage to instantly destroy high priority targets with powerful sticky traps

Heavy

Upgrade your firing speed
Upgrade your ammo capacity
Upgrade bullets to pass through enemies
Shoot down rockets and grenades!
Gain rage on damage and taunt to add massive knockback to your minigun!
Purchase rage upgrade to push enemies back as you shoot them

Engineer

Upgrade your sentry to shoot faster!
Build multiple sentry guns!
Make your teleporters bi-directional!
Upgrade your dispenser's heal and resupply range
Use Crit power-up canteens to also temporarily boost sentry gun firing speed
Use Uber power-up canteens to also temporarily reduce damage your sentry gun
Upgrade wrench firing speed to quickly repair and upgrade your buildings

Medic

Upgrade your medigun's healing rate
Upgrade your overheal amount and duration
Upgrade your Übercharge charge rate and duration
Share Power Up Canteen effects with your heal target!
Charge and deploy an energy shield to block projectiles
Revive fallen teammates!
Medics can upgrade to share their canteen abilities with the player they are healing

Sniper

Jarate upgrade slows targets
Upgrade your re-scope and charge speed
Upgrade your weapon damage!
Upgrade bullets and arrows to pass through all enemies
Upgrade Jarate to slow down robots and assist in killing higher health enemies

Spy

Sapper upgrade stuns and slows robots in a radius
You make cloaked enemy spies around you visible to your team!
Add Armor Piercing to your knife to help take down Giant Robots!
Upgrade your knife to pierce through giant robot armor
Upgrade your sapper to disable groups of regular robots and slow giant robots
Disguise fools all enemies. Robots may detect a nearby backstab and will always detect a spy on fire

List of official tips

Contents

Scout

Soldier

Pyro

Demoman

Heavy

Engineer

Medic

Sniper

Spy

Arena

Mann vs. Machine

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