The (Brief) GM Guide to the Classes of TF2 Okay guys after a lengthy and very creative discussion with Th after the last Highlander we have decided to create a topic in General Chat, with the same title as this one, which will allow Community members/Clan members/random passers by to read a little about the various classes of the game - their abilities, vulnerabilities, tricks and tips - and how they work both individually and as part of a team in both public and competitive play. This will also server partly as a creative outlet for Th, myself and anyone else interedted in indulging a passion the workings of the game and the people who play it However, in order to complete this we need YOUR help - if the specialists in the various classes could suggest ideas/ways of writing their guides, or even write a complete guide themselves, then we would greatly appreciate it Please post here if you want to help to make sure we don't end up with 3 epic guides on how to play heavy all written by different people Now we all know there are really 10 classes in TF2 but I am reserving the Sandvich guide for Overdrive. Any thoughts, questions or comments are welcomed
Re: The (Brief) GM Guide to the Classes of TF2 Master the arts of shooting your pipe bombs with highly calibrated precision over a ledge from a corner as demoman and your set in pubs :lol: but on a more serious note, i can help with most class basics
Re: The (Brief) GM Guide to the Classes of TF2 The Sniper Well I´m gona talk about the sniper it takes about 5 secs to get full charged when u are zooming in, and if a medic is healing a heavy u need full charged, to kill sniper, scout or medic u just need to aim at theyr head then u get critical hit. Allways aim at theyr head. If a medic is healing a sniper and u are not getting healed then wait about 2-3 secs and aim for his head. If u are against 2 snipers then just try to be quick,I zoom allways at my left side if they are up each other. In close range weapon the sniper got smg but it kinda sucks so i allways use just meelee.
Re: The (Brief) GM Guide to the Classes of TF2 Sandman's Comprehensive Guide To POW! Go heavy, select melee fists (not boxing gloves) Aim at an enemy within 8m of you Taunt, and watch with hilarity as the enemy receives roughly 440hp of damage instantly Say POW! HAHA! and mock them mercilessly for falling for POW! Repeat. POW!
Re: The (Brief) GM Guide to the Classes of TF2 ditto to sandman... but... BOINK! jump on a heavys head and boink him repeatedly, enjoy the watching the heavy confused as he is, spinning his punny little gun 360 all over the place. as the heavy collapses to his knees, be sure to type in chat 'BOINK!' steal sandvich eat sandvich run away like with your bat in hand just to aggrovate him that much more deathcam shot guess i can help out with scout/spy if needed
Re: The (Brief) GM Guide to the Classes of TF2 FYI POW scouts sitting on my head fly upwards in a dramatic style *Really.... really bad grammar..*
Re: The (Brief) GM Guide to the Classes of TF2 A Nice Guide i found on the net for The Heavy - (I realise this is quite comprehensive but I feel this relates mainly to pub playing and will write my own comments on 6v6 tactics in due course) Class Description To put it simply, the Heavy is the master of the mid-range. It doesn’t matter what he’s up against, the Heavy will dominate any class at mid range as long as he is able to have them in his sights for a few seconds. I say this, because the Heavy’s main weapon, the Minigun, is a powerful tool that allows him to deal an uninterrupted flow of damage in any direction around him at any time. The Heavy is technically a defensive class. It provides the best cover fire in the game and also adds an amazing amount of standing power to any defense, (especially when paired with an engineer’s dispenser for infinite ammo and gradual regeneration.) Even though the Heavy is officially labeled as a defensive class, he can also do some serious damage while on offense. He can push himself even further when accompanied by other offensive classes and with a medic backing him up. Even though the Heavy is considered to be a very simple and uncomplicated class to play, player skill can still be applied while playing one in order to multiply the standing power of the Heavy through a display of fast reflexes and TF2 combat experience. The class itself and its potential damage dealing capabilities is balanced by particular weaknesses and limitations. It’s worth mentioning that even though the Heavy has the highest amount of top HP and potential HP (300 max HP, 450 when being healed) compared to any class in the game, he is also the slowest and least maneuverable class in the game. The Heavy usually can’t switch to his shotgun quickly in most situations, and also the Heavy moves even slower, cannot jump, and cannot swim properly when firing or “warming-up” his minigun. The Heavy is… - The master of the mid-range, yet also very powerful at close range. - A class with the most HP’s, yet the least speed and maneuverability. - Officially a defensive class, because of his defensive standing power. - Great when paired with an engineer or a medic. - The most prepared class on offense when played properly. - Able to compliment even the most diversified of offenses, by making up for deficiencies of the scout, soldier, pyro and even the demoman. Class Purpose There’s no use in sugar coating the Heavy's purpose in TF2. He’s made to mow enemies down like nobody’s business. He also provides the best damn cover fire in the game. A Heavy focusing his minigun on a chokepoint can arguably be better than a demoman lathering a passageway with his sticky mines. Heavies can start and stop their damage very easily when focused on a specific spot to conserve ammo. They can also fire without stopping at all if a dispenser is sitting right next to them. When he’s out fighting on the field, he is still able to mow through his enemies while walking at a very slow pace, but he will “run out of gas” relatively quickly without anyone escorting him forwards. If a medic is paired with him to keep him healthy, his reflexes can help him mow through enemies by simply overpowering them at mid range and protect his buddies at close range by making fast 180 and 90 degree turns when needed. The keys to pulling this off are patience, reflexes, and some caution as well. The Heavy is able to stand strong on his own, only because he is the most prepared for combat and doing damage when his minigun is warmed up and ready to shoot at any time. Offense and Defense Offense- Your job on offense is to kill, but you need kill with discipline. By checking your back and the backs of teammates, you can rail down enemies gunning for your allies and allow them to focus all of their attention forwards at all times. You can also clear rooms and quickly move to various alternate mid-range targets, dishing out enough firepower to crush each enemy one after another. It’s always a good move to focus on one target until he’s dead for good, then aim at the next closest target to you or the target of greatest importance. Heavies can do well against SG’s, expecially when being healed or ubered by a medic. You are also the biggest model in the game, meaning that you can not only turn to slay sneaky enemies and defend your medic, but you can allow him to sit behind you while your body acts as a human shield for him while he’s healing you. If you had to ask me when a Heavy is needed on offense, it’s when the enemies and their SG’s are spread out in a somewhat open area where you can cover most of it within the mid range of your minigun. Pyros can have trouble getting to several spots at once to flamethrow, and are sometimes knocked around in various directions. Scouts are too fragile to jump straight into the fray, and are only able to strafe along the front line to try and focus on single living targets. Soldiers can only really actually kill enemies with non-crit rockets by focusing on one target at a time (which usually happens to be a well repaired SG or a medic that can be healed by another medic, WHILE they heal targets that are attacking you.) Demoman can only focus on one area at a time during frantic situations, and they need some time to get their stickies in various locations and also some peace to aim their grenades properly while not getting knocked around. A heavy CAN deal with a situation like this far better than his comrades. He can take a beating with his high HP and use his ability to rail down targets at any angle one by one, thus slowly cleaning out the area. Don’t forget, in situations where you want to move forward at a jogging pace while doing some damage, whip out your shotgun to give yourself some needed mobility. Defense- Defense is easy as a Heavy. When the time is right, or when there is a convenient dispenser nearby, there’s absolutely no shame in kicking the enemy’s butts by defending a position with your minigun. Your offensive buddies will love you for providing cover fire. Your engineers will also love you, because you’ll give them time and enough space to breathe to further reinforce the area. Your medic will be happy that big bubba is there to protect him and your enemies will even curse your name. Get used to holding down that right mouse button, because you’re going to push against it long and hard to make sure you can fire at will at any moment. Just as the demoman can act like a portable defense station that can decide where the front line is, you’re like your own kind of mobile defense station, adding even more standing power to your defense where it needs it most. Class Weapons The Minigun- There’s one thing that the Heavy didn’t have in TFC that it now has in TF2, and that’s the ability to warm up his Minigun for firing whenever he wants. This ability is the linchpin of your offensive playstyle, especially since you are no longer stocked to the teeth with frag and MIRV grenades to nuke an entire room in one fel swoop. The key to using this weapon is patience, and I say this because when you are in enemy territory, you will need to make a habit of warming up your Minigun and keeping it warm while you turn around entire corners. This way, if an enemy appears, you can start firing at him, and when he disappears, you can immediately stop. You can also jump around a corner while warming up your gun in midair to edge around the corner faster. The key is to not waste bullets and slowly move forward around corners. When you think the coast is clear, you can lower your Minigun and run, or even pull out your shotgun while jogging. Just remember… you CANNOT switch to your shotgun while warming up or firing your Minigun. This will give you trouble when you want to stop with the Minigun and quickly switch to your shotgun and fire at far range targets. As for Minigun etiquette, closer does mean better. It means better damage and better accuracy. More of your stray bullets will land in the enemy’s flesh at close range. The only reason why I say the flamethrower is slightly more powerful than the minigun is because circle strafing with the flamethrower is possible with the pyro's faster movement speed, while it’s just not possible with the minigun. You really are a sitting duck while firing this monster, so make up for it by focusing on your targets until they are dead. Trailing fleeing or strafing targets is important as well. When facing off with any enemy class, make sure to aim your circle around the target’s upper body, including his head. This means the top of the circle should be curving above his scalp. This should allow for the most bullets to hit your target’s body, which means more damage and quicker kills. The most important thing you should do with your minigun is conserve ammo and pick up fallen ammo from enemy dead enemies. The second most important thing you should do while warming/firing your minigun is spin around frequently and check your six for incoming enemies. If you turn around in time, you can destroy the approaching enemy at close range and make him sorry that he even tried. The Heavy may be slow, but his turn speed and his aim speed is just as fast as any other class in the game, and that’s as fast as you want them to be. The heavy class is the most dependent on having higher mouse sensitivity, so if you need to react and turn faster, jack it up higher! The Minigun is MUCH less effective at far ranges and is not usually worth firing in the distance most of the time. The only time you might consider keeping the Minigun going is when your stray bullets hit distant snipers to mess with their aim, but even then this makes you slow and that makes you an easy headshot. The only other time you should keep your Minigun running is when you start firing crit bullets for a good 3 seconds. Crits deal the same damage at all ranges, which means you can aim for a distant sniper across the level and actually kill him. If you can kill a sniper like that, you sure can kill any other class at any distance for those 3 seconds as well. Shotgun- The Heavy has a normal TF2 shotgun, and should be used only for a handful of situations. When you run out of ammo with your minigun, use your shotgun. When you want to deal damage to those at far range, use your shotgun. In certain situations where you want to move forward a short distance while dealing some damage, use your shotgun. One situation where this might be necessary is when you want to hop onto a nearby capture point as soon as possible, while still doing some damage to the enemy. Another situation where you might perfer your shotgun is for when you encounter a class that tries to hide from you or when your fighting an evasive class in general. By stopping you warm up your minigun, you might be too late to catch him before he runs or hides. In a scenario like that, you can just shoot him down while pursuing him while firing your shotgun rounds at him. Because of this, the shotgun is a very good weapon to take out lighter classes that will try to run and hide to dodge your attacks, such as nearby snipers, engineers, medics and some scouts. Fists- The Heavy’s fists do deal some serious damage, but the Heavy is a slow moving class, and your minigun is already a beast to begin with. That goes without saying that the shotgun deals respectable damageat close range as well. Because of this, using fists can be similar to using your Fireaxe when playing a pyro, you will rarely have a good reason to use them unless you’re completely out of ammo or if you just want to embarrass someone that’s not paying attention. The only real payoff is the chance of getting a fist attack crit, which will do 195 damage in one hit. That's crazy damage even though fists have a slow melee attack speed. A crit punch can oneshot any class other than a non-buffed soldier or heavy. Class Concepts & Tactics -Focus and Execute! (When you pick a good target, keep railing him down till he’s dead, unless a dangerous threat is coming directly at you at close range.) -Warm Up Around Corners and Ledges! (Hold down your right mouse button when passing around corners or when approaching ramps and ledges. If an enemy rears his ugly head, left click to fire at him until he’s dead or goes out of sight. If he goes out of your sight, keep your Minigun warm so you can shoot a few more bullets at him if he pops out again.) -Closer Means More Damage! (Enemies that are closer to you will get hit by more of your Minigun’s bullets, and this means they eat more damage.) -Check Your Six and Provide Cover Fire! (Focus your minigun on choke points to fend the enemies back and always keep turning to be aware of your surroundings.) -Team Up with a Medic or an Engineer! (Medics will keep you going by keeping you healthy during your slow advance. Engineer dispensers can give you infinite bullets that will let you fire to your heart’s content.) -Shotgun while Sprinting! (Use your shotgun when you want to jog forward a short distance or when fighting distant enemies.) VS. Other Classes VS. Scout- Scouts will rarely give you any problems unless they get the jump on you and hit you with three really hard scattershots up close. Just mow him down at close to mid ranges. He will fall fast at mid and close range, because of his super low HP’s. If the scout desperately tries to pick you off at a distance, shotgun him as accurate as possible. He may be able to hurt you a little at max range, but you have a whopping 300 HP, so don’t worry one bit and just keep shooting at him. VS. Soldier- You will always overpower the soldier at mid range unless he has some nearby cover to pop in and out of. Either keep your gun warmed up and fire at him when he pops out to rocket you or move around with him while firing your shotgun. I prefer to use the minigun while edging around. He might end up hitting you with a rocket or two, but you will be able to match his damage by shooting your Minigun at him. You can also shotgun him down while trying to dodge his rockets with your very limited speed. Jumping up and down while using your shotgun will give you a sligth edge because the splash damage will hit you for less. You have a 100 hp over this guy, so don’t fret. VS. Pyro- As long as your aim is steady, you will always have an edge against the pyro. If he tries to shotgun you at far range, shotgun him back. The moment he get relatively close, gun him down with your minigun. The Pyro will only overpower you if he is strafing around you and is literally breathing down your neck. Just twist and trail him while he eats your bullets at close range. VS. Demoman- Be cautious while fighting a demoman if he has cover. He will try to pop out and grenade/sticky you to wear you down. Use your Minigun to push his stickies back and away from you. If you need to stay mobile, use your shotgun and try to juke him. He’s slow, and you’re slower, but you have 125 Hp’s over him and you also have two guns. Trail him when he’s visible and take him down fast. VS. Other Heavies- If you always keep your gun warm and ready (and your reflexes keen,) you will win most of the time by getting your minigun going on him faster than he can get his going on you. As always, aim your target circle at his upper body (including his head) and keep your aim steady. If it looks like he’s beating you in the race for damage, edge towards nearby cover or edge behind a corner WHILE keeping your target circle out in the open. The best way to get an advantage in his fight is to cover as much of your body as possible. If all of your bullets are nailing him, but half of his are hitting the geometry that you’re partially hiding behind, you will win big. Some Heavy players like to crouch, thinking that they will take up less space and eat more bullets. I advise against doing this, especially since most of the time you might just fit perfectly inside his target reticule and end up eating all of his bullets anyways. Taking partial cover is way to go, and getting the first few hits in can also mean an easy win. The only random factor in this fight is whether or not one of the Heavies starts critting. This will be bad news for the guy eating the crit bullets, because they will deal some savage burst damage and rip him apart. VS. Engineer- It’s possible to edge around a corner and completely destroy an SG if it’s just around the corner. The Minigun will shred through an SG, but you should try to have a medic with you because of your very slow speed. The SG gun shooting at you will push you back some, despite you being the heaviest class (weight-wise) in the game. The Heavy having the most weight of any class in the game only means that rockets and stickies will not push him around as much as other classes, but while firing, the Heavy’s snail speed will be reduced to a halt anyways. If you get ubered, run inwards if possible until you get close enough to the SG and start then shooting to rip it apart with most of your bullets hitting it. If you are too far, you will not do enough damage to catch up with an engineer repairing it. If this is the case, bring in a demoman or a soldier instead. VS. Medic- Try to gun these guys down first, as always. You have a huge advantage over him weapon-wise, but just remember that you will be an incredibly easy needle gun target and that he might try to strafe around to dodge your fire. If you trail him well enough, he will take a dirt nap way before you can die from his nasty needles. VS. Sniper- The sniper is a very strong natural counter to you. You are slow, and your head is unique in shape and sticks up and out of your large body. You are pretty much the easiest headshot in the game, especially when you are crawling around at minigun speed. Your one and only hope is to start shooting your shotgun towards him as quickly as possible. Each bullet that hits him will mess with his aim, regardless of how little damage it deals. At close range, a sniper will fall like a ragdoll to the wrath of your minigun. At other ranges, mess with him as much as possible to avoid taking critical damage to your head from his sniper bullets. VS. Spy- Heavies can and will mow down spies on a regular basis, but they must be aware of them. You are the slowest class in the game, and your body is huge and REALLY easy to nail with a lethal backstab. Because of this, you will need to check your six often if you think a spy is around. The more often you check, the better. All other things considered, if you are aware of the spy’s presence and you don’t let him go around for a backstab, he has no chance of killing you. The smartest thing he can try and do is cloak immediately if you see him. If he tries to cloak, trail your gun to where you think he might be escaping and mow him down before he can get away. Also, it's always helpful to push your back up against walls, especially when firing your minigun. This will prevent nearby spies from waltzing in and backstabbing you with ease. Closing Thoughts There is always a time and a place to go Heavy and win it for the team. Even with all of the other offensive options in the game, there always comes a situation where you can’t win against the enemy unless you save the game by becoming one. Unlike some other classes, the Heavy can always be a good choice on any map. Heavies are usually even more powerful on most custom maps where the general map design philosophy always lacks intelligently placed geometry. Because of this, Heavies can really mow guys down unless they get regulated by good snipers. What I’m trying to say is that even though some consider the Heavy a simple class to play, it does have a role in TF2 and sometimes having no heavies will directly translate to a loss for your team. Even though they are not as crucial as medics, you should try to have at least one on the team in order to make up for the offensive deficiencies of the other classes. This all goes without saying that a good heavy can own and own hard, while still being a very balanced class to play.
