Team Fortress 2 Sniping Guide By: ZapYourChannel Email: [email protected] SteamID : derp de doo Table of Contents============================================================ Purpose- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -[ii] Version History- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -[vv] I. Introduction- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -[i3] a. The Role of a Sniper- - - - - - - - - - - - - -[r0] II. The Sniper Rifle - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -[n9] a. The Uncharged Bodyshot (noscope)- - - - - - - -[b2] b. The Fully Charged Bodyshot- - - - - - - - - - -[h5] c. The Uncharged Headshot (quickscope) - - - - - -[u8] d. The Fully Charged Headshot- - - - - - - - - - -[y6] III. The Huntsman- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -[k1] a. Differences - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -[q3] b. The Quick Shot- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -[u4] c. The Charged Shot- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -[r6] IV. Some Important Notes - - - - - - - - - - - - -[o9] a. Latency - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -[uu] b. Brightness- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -[xx] V. Bad Habits and Common Pitfalls- - - - - - - - -[bb] a. Sniper Wars - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -[hh] b. Peek-a-Boo- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -[rr] VI. Class Matchups (Snipers vs. X) - - - - - - - -[a6] a. Fighting Medics - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -[h4] b. Fighting Snipers- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -[t5] c. Fighting Spies- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -[c3] d. Fighting Engineers- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -[v8] e. Fighting Scouts - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -[r4] f. Fighting Demomen- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -[s2] g. Fighting Pyros- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -[b7] h. Fighting Soldiers - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -[d5] i. Fighting Heavies- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -[y0] VII. Frequently Asked Questions- - - - - - - - - -[p2] VIII. Credits- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -[cc] ============================================================================= "My only trace is a body where a man once stood." _____________________________________________________________________________ Purpose [ii] _____________________________________________________________________________ The purpose of this guide is to discuss the sniper class and its gameplay in Team Fortress 2. This guide will focus on the unique strategies that separate sniping in TF2 from sniping in other games. It will focus heavily on the sniper's primary weapons, the sniper rifle and huntsman, because unlike the other classes that use their secondary weapons extremely frequently, snipers rely almost exclusively on their primaries to kill. This guide is mainly for people who want to improve in sniping by reviewing solid tactics and tips gathered from experienced snipers. This guide was mainly constructed with public server gameplay in mind- the tips for clan or league matches may vary a lot, especially with the difference in standards. This guide will not contain information on sniping positions. This is because I believe that a skilled sniper should be able to shoot from anywhere, at any time, and not limit themselves to certain spots that EVERYBODY knows by now. Plus, there's just way too many maps and points to keep track. The sniper's secondary weapons are rather simple, so they will not be covered (unless I decide to add small sections of them at a later date), but some tips for them appear in the class matchups section. _____________________________________________________________________________ Version History [vv] _____________________________________________________________________________ Version 1.0, 08/03/09 - Sniper guide uploaded. Huntsman section not yet completed. _____________________________________________________________________________ Introduction [i3] _____________________________________________________________________________ The sniper rifle in TF2 is one of a kind. In some ways it's a technological masterpiece capable of firing bullets that travel practically at the speed of light; instantaneously reaching their target hundreds of feet away completely unchanged by wind or gravity. Already firing bullets exceeding ultra- supersonic speeds, the sniper rifle has the ability to add even more power to its shots, by either increasing the mass of the bullet or firing it at even more mind boggling impossibly fast speeds, through a strange process known as "charging" However on the other hand, the TF2 sniper rifle is a strange, somewhat outdated piece of antiquity in its odd weaknesses. Upon hitting anything, from a human head to a slab of wood not even a centimeter thick, the bullet will be stopped completely. The sniper rifle also becomes extremely heavy or hard to hold when it senses you're looking through its scope, perhaps as a practical joke by the manufacturers. In a day and age(in the Team Fortress 2 world, at least) where teleportation and mediguns exist, the sniper rifle still uses bolt action to reload, meaning it will take a significant pause between shots to eject a spent cartridge. There also seems to be a bright laser of some sort attached to the end that will project a colored dot where you aim, almost broadcasting your presence to the enemy. With a weapon as unique and complex as the sniper rifle, the sniping experience in TF2 is also very unique. In exchange for its strengths, you will have to use your skills as a Sniper to compensate for its weaknesses. You will have to become accustomed to your enemies and targets and learn their behavior before embarking on a hunt. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Role of a Sniper [r0] "Dad, I'm a... not a crazed gunman Dad, I'm an assassin." ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unlike a crazed gunman, often you will not have the ability (or obligation, for that matter) to shoot at everything you see. Granted, if someone crosses your path, you should take your shots with the goal of killing him. But say you peek around the corner and you are bombarded with the following sights: 1. An enemy Medic/Pyro combo close to an uber 2. A disguised enemy Spy that is dominating a lot of your teammates 3. An enemy heavy who is about to notice you 4. An enemy Engineer starting to erect a level 1 sentry Unfortunately as a Sniper, you cannot possibly neutralize all four (six, if you count total targets) threats. Your gun is one of the slowest firing weapons in the game and every shot is crucial. If you misjudge the situation here and focus on the wrong priorities, your team will suffer. If you lack courage and panic and decide to retreat, your team will suffer. This is the difference between an assassin and a gunman. You peer through your scope and pick your targets in the blink of an eye. You shatter the foundations of your enemy team, crippling their assault. You play mind games with your targets, like predator and prey. You nail the medic and send him toppling off a ledge with a surprise: he was fully charged. You take out the engineer with a second shot, leaving his sentry abandoned and weak. You calmly retreat as the heavy begins to pepper you with bullets. A few moments later you throw a Jarate against a nearby wall. The cloud of urine that appears cannot uncloak in time as you bring your kukri down with both hands onto its skull and hear a spy's dying scream, amidst the sounds of trumpets celebrating your domination. You are not categorized as "Offense" or "Defense." You are "Support." You are an assassin. _____________________________________________________________________________ The Sniper Rifle [n9] _____________________________________________________________________________ There are four kinds of shots you can fire with the sniper rifle. 1. Unscoped body shot 2. Charged body shot 3. Uncharged headshot (AKA the "quickscope") 4. Charged headshot The sniper rifle is not affected by distance; thus the maximum damages of each shot are more or less set in stone. Respectively, they are: 1. Unscoped body shot: approx. 50, 70 with minicrit 2. Charged body shot: approx 150, 200 with minicrit 3. Quickscope: 150 4. Charged headshot: 450 Let's go over each shot in detail. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Unscoped Bodyshot (noscoping) [b2] "Nothing personal, mate. I'm just better." ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- This is the fastest of all the shots. Without scoping, you simply line the enemy on your crosshair and pull the trigger. However, this is the weakest shot as well, so it is only used under specific circumstances. When you are certain the enemy has very low health, this is a great way to kill them from an incredible distance. Is the target calling for medic? Are they on fire? Did you just headshot them and they're still standing? Scoping not only throws off your vision for a few milliseconds, but also potentially allows the target to escape. Instead, trust your aim and take them down quickly. A second situation is if you are retreating but still want to do some damage. This is against units that are charging towards you but are at a distance that is too far for your melee, but too close for scoping in that they will catch up. Trust your aim and never stop backpedaling. If they catch up, either use your melee and switch to the offensive, or turn around and focus on escaping. A third situation is against enemies that have been hit by Jarate and are susceptible to minicrits. Instead of scoping and trying to score regular crits (which do not stack with minicrits), it is often more effective to kill them with minicrit bodyshots. The best way to practice the unscoped bodyshot is to play Spy and practice with the revolver, which is the most similar to this type of shooting. Keeping in mind that the Spy's revolver has a larger rate of fire and more damage, try to avoid missing. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Fully Charged Bodyshot [h5] "How's that bullet feel? Feel good? Huh? Huh?" ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Four classes who have not been overhealed by a medic will die instantly when shot with this. They are the Scout, Engineer, Spy, and Sniper. However, it takes four seconds to charge, severely reduces your movement speed, and gives you tunnel vision for the entire charge. When is this worth it? Normally, it's not good to scope and charge with the intention of aiming for a body shot. The reason is that as long as there is a medic on the enemy team, there is no guarantee that the target will die. With the dependability that the sniper rifle offers you (guaranteed crits on headshots), doing this is wasting the rifle's ability. Many times you are relying on your teammates to weaken the enemy so that you can kill them, which is the exact opposite of what should happen. The four second charge time is also a severe hindrance. Your movements become extremely sluggish, allowing skilled enemy snipers to pick you off with a single headshot as you shuffle back and forth. You gradually become unaware of what is happening around you, in that you cannot see anything but a very small fraction of your screen through your scope. Even if you manage to get a kill, in the four seconds you could have killed twice that many through quickscope headshots. However, there are exceptions. When an enemy that you would like to kill is stationary (normally engineers or unskilled snipers) and there is a small portion of their body sticking out from cover, a charged bodyshot is occasionally the only way to go. Try not to fall under the habit of doing this when the target's head is plainly in view. The best way to think about a charged bodyshot is as a "Plan B." Whenever you charge you should initially focus on getting a headshot. But if something happens (No way! You MISSED?) landing a shot on their neck is always better than missing their head and body completely. Another example I can think of is if another irresistible target (like a medic) suddenly appears as you target a heavy. No one will blame you for playing it safe and aiming for the medic's chest if you want to be sure to kill him. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Quickscope (Uncharged Headshot) [u8] "Here's some advice. Next time...shoot first." ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- This is by far the single biggest sign of a skilled sniper. This is the shot that separates a simple sharpshooter from a god of death, a "level 4 sentry". 1. Strafe and find a target 2. Scope and fire IMMEDIATELY 3. Unscope, strafe and repeat Why is this so important? Because more than half of the classes in the game will die instantly from possibly over a hundred feet away in less than a second. Talk about a credit to team. This kind of shot is also instrumental to pulling off a combo involving quickscope headshot, and then a plain body shot. This kind of one-two punch will deal a maximum of 210 damage in a matter of seconds, increasing your lethality to eight out of nine classes in the game. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Fully Charged Headshot [y6] "I'm great. You're dead. I think we're done here." ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- This is certain death. A fully charged headshot will kill any unit that isn't invincible, taunting, or lagging, guaranteed. There is really only one target you must use this on, the overhealed Heavy. Knocking off 450 health is going to take three consecutive shots (possibly four if a Medic is healing the Heavy) to kill. It's often safer and reliable to charge from hiding and peeking out to quickly click on the Heavy's massive head. Overhealed soldiers, demomen, and pyros tend to move around a lot. Remember that if you miss trying to charge a headshot for one of these classes, you've just wasted four seconds of your time (eight if you opt to try again). Try to reserve this shot for heavies, who are slower. _____________________________________________________________________________ The Huntsman [k1] _____________________________________________________________________________ Coming soon... _____________________________________________________________________________ Some Important Notes [o9] _____________________________________________________________________________ Your beautiful career as a sniper may very well be cut short by some extremely simple problems. Take a note of these problems and make sure that they won't cause problems when you're already on your way to 2fort or Dustbowl. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Latency [uu] "Crikey!" ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Latency is just a fancy term for "lag". But how does it affect your sniping? If you have high latency (usually anything above 100 ms is considered high) you may experience slight lag. This will manifest itself in occasional hiccups in movement, everyone will appear to suddenly teleport a couple feet in front of them. What is actually happening is your computer is waiting for a response from the server that will tell you where everybody is. If there is a delay in that response, your computer won't know where anybody is and will assume everyone just "froze" in place. To others, you will appear to have frozen in place. Any movements or actions you try to perform will not reach the server, thus no one will know what you are doing. It's a double edged sword. If you are lagging you are a harder target to hit, but in exchange everyone else is harder to hit for you. There is no real way to use this to your advantage and for the most effective sniping it would be best for you to try and minimize your lag as much as possible. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Brightness [xx] "Oh my god, you've been shot. Did you get a look at the handsome rouge that did it?" ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Good vision is essential for a sniper, especially when counter sniping or sniping into dark areas. It wouldn't be a bad idea to raise your brightness a little higher than you're used to for other classes, as it can help significantly when spotting targets. Raising it too high can the reverse effect however, so be careful. _____________________________________________________________________________ Bad Habits and Common Pitfalls [bb] _____________________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sniper Wars [hh] "How's about you call it a day." ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: How many snipers does it take to get the intel? A: One to shoot the sniper who shot the sniper who shot the sniper who shot the sniper who shot the sniper who...wait, what intel? If your team has three snipers, don't be a sniper. Etiquette and common sense aside, there's a technical reason for this too. With less players at the front lines, there's little holding the enemy team back from charging in your base and plowing through the line of defense you relied on as a sniper. With more snipers come more spies and scouts on the enemy team, the sniper's natural weaknesses. Snipers aren't known for completing objectives, so there's a higher chance of your team losing as well. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Peek-a-Boo [rr] "You call that sniping?" ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- How to get like a million kills: Face a wall and charge your shot. When you're fully charged, creep out a millimeter and bodyshot a lagging heavy. Then hide immediately. Do this for the entire round until you are credit to team. There seems to be a phobia of getting shot that prevents many beginner snipers from doing anything but playing peek-a-boo the entire round. This kind of technique is acceptable against overhealed heavies and soldiers, but doing this all the time will do nothing but cause you to rely on cowering and hiding rather than aiming. If you want to improve at sniping, you need to put yourself in danger and aim for headshots. If you don't want to get shot, you shouldn't cower in one location, shuffling back and forth, you should strafe, dodge, and evade. Doing so will put you on the offensive and give you many more opportunities for amazing shots that will occasionally surprise you. Trust yourself and you will improve. Rely on peek-a-boo tactics as a crutch, and you won't. _____________________________________________________________________________ Class Matchups (Sniper Vs. X) [a6] _____________________________________________________________________________ You can find the class quicker by [ctrl+F] the code in brackets next to each class's name. I should note that there are two different kinds of targets, high priority targets for snipers and regular targets. As a sniper, you should know automatically which targets should be shot at first, in order to help your team. High priority targets: 1. Medics [h4] 2. Snipers [t5] 3. Spies [c3] 4. Engineers [v8] Other targets: Scouts [r4] Demomen [s2] Pyros [b7] Soldiers [d5] Heavies [y0] "Tips to Remember" contains brief facts and strategies you should familiarize yourself with. They deal with psychology, enemy behavior, common habits, and general strategies that work. It's not just point and click. "Special Tricks" contains more advanced strategies for skilled snipers. They often pertain to specific situations that may be tricky or require a moment's thought in order to maximize a sniper's effectiveness. If you have any information to add, or things to correct, feel free to email me and I will consider adding them. My email is ([email protected]) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fighting Medics [h4] "Sorry there, nurse! I mistook you for an actual threat!" ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Here is the golden rule for medics: Kill them without mercy or exception. Even at the cost of your own life, killing a medic who is fully charged will grant you the appreciation of your team. Tips to Remember \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ 1. Try not to let the medic see you. Medics are aware of their own fragility and a panicked doctor can be very hard to hit. 2. Killing the patient will scare the medic away. Aim for the medic first. 3. A fully charged bodyshot is also an alternative, but is best used on a medic that has not seen you and is not dodging. 4. If you see a medic, chances are many enemies in the vicinity are overhealed. Revise your strategy and charge your shots more. 5. If a medic has an ubercharge ready and has not seen you, take the time to make sure you kill him in one shot. If he is overhealed and survives, he may deploy his charge and you will lose your chance. Special Tricks \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ If the patient is rather far in front of the medic, the medic will often travel in a straight line to catch up as quickly as possible. If you kill the medic's patient the medic will, again, run in a straight line to escape as quickly as possible. Use these habits to your advantage- in both situations, let the medic run into your crosshair for a reliable and effective kill. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fighting Snipers [t5] "One sniper to another mate: GIVE. UP." ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fighting against other snipers is a duel of precision. You're the class who can deal with enemy snipers the quickest, yet the same goes for the enemy. This kind of battle is mainly practice, but if you ever see an enemy sniper, it is always good to take them out as they pose a direct threat to your life. Tips to Remember \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ 1. Assume that if you miss your shot you will be killed. This is because against higher level snipers, scoping is the near equivalent of standing still. 2. Aim for the head. What better way to blind an enemy sniper than to plant a bullet in between his eyes? 3. If you kill a sniper with a bodyshot, ignore any trashtalking or complaining from them. Remind them that they're dead, and you're not. 4. Strafe and move CONSTANTLY. This is extremely important- you cannot afford to make yourself an easy target. 5. Suddenly crouching also helps and makes you a trickier target against snipers that keep their sights at head level. 6. Do your best to avoid arrows and sniper dots if you can see them- they are the signs of huntsman snipers and bodyshotters, both of which have a strong chance of killing you. 7. If you have the Huntsman, you are at a distinct disadvantage against rifles. Try firing when you think they will appear- if you fire when you see them, you may be too late. 8. It's a good idea to ask your medics for an overheal, as it may save your life against a headshot. Special Tricks \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ Many skilled snipers will wait until their target scopes before scoping themselves and firing. This is because in relation to their normal movement, scoping is pretty much like standing still. You can take advantage of this by pulling a feint, or "fake scoping." Scope like you're about to take a shot, but unscope immediately and move a bit to the side before taking your shot for real. This is also useful for just taking quick glimpses of the enemy without putting yourself in danger. A Huntsman sniper may seem to be extremely difficult to take down from close range with a rifle, but with patience and practice, it's possible. They have a predictable movement pattern: Move out from cover slowly, fire, retreat quickly. It's a little easier to get them while they are retreating, as its obvious where they'll run, whereas when they come out, it may be hard to know when they change direction. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fighting Spies [c3] "Well I was never on YOUR side either! ...wanker!" ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Except for the engineer, the sniper is probably one of the least mobile classes, making it an easy target for spies. Your fight with spies will be a defensive one, your fate will be decided by how you react when they appear. Your attitude towards spies is actually determined by your choice of secondary weapon. If you choose The Razorback, you are completely giving up on fighting the spy. In certain cases this can be a good thing as the spy will often give up on you. If you choose the Jarate, you are given a very effective weapon in exposing spies and putting them at a disadvantage with minicrits. The SMG is a balance between these two attitudes. Tips to Remember \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ 1. The Razorback does not make you spy-proof. Three revolver shots or two ambassador shots from close range will kill you. The only way to prevent this is to put yourself in view of a sentry or your teammates. 2. Jarate is useful in exposing a spy, but bringing the urine-covered frenchman down can be tricky. You have two options: to close the distance with your kukri, or stay back and pick them off with your rifle/huntsman. Choose whichever method you are more confident with. 3. The SMG is effective in revealing spies. Spray a wide area and keep your eyes peeled. Once you see the spy, shoot in bursts and focus your aim. 4. Turn up your volume, turn down voice chat, and turn off any music you have playing. If you want an effective fighting chance against spies, keep your ears alert for the decloaking sound. Get the jump on any nearby spies you hear. 5. It's a good habit to look behind you every couple shots. Keep an eye on your HUD to see if your teammates are getting backstabbed. Stay alert. 6. Spies that have drawn their revolver or ambassador on you can be dangerous. If it's an ambassador, jump around, a headshot is nearly fatal for you. If it's a revolver, take advantage of the fact that the spy has damage fall off and your primary doesn't. Backpedal while shooting with your primary or SMG. It's dangerous to try and approach with the kukri. (Don't bring a knife to a gun fight, you know.) 7. Spies with the Dead Ringer do not fall with a single headshot. Remember this. 8. Spies with the Cloak and Dagger are among the most troublesome as they occasionally camp popular sniping locations. Check the areas and corners to the best of your ability before sniping. 9. Be ready to spy check your teammates from across the map- you should get used to headshotting "friendly" units as a means of spy check. Special Tricks \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ If you think there's a spy around, you may want to try this. Stand still. Don't scope or look around. Listen for the sound of footsteps or decloaking. The spy may think you have gone AFK. Draw your kukri, do a 180 and give him a surprise. This is especially useful for flushing out Cloak and Dagger spies as their decloaking takes longer than normal. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fighting Engineers [v8] "Here's a gadget you should build: one that stops my bullets!" ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- There's really nothing to say about this- in fact, engineers are arguably among the easiest targets for snipers. Which is good, because it's always good to kill engineers to stop them from building or repairing machinery. Unfortunately, engineers are probably among the least common classes you will come across. Tips to Remember \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ 1. If an engineer is behind a sentry, see if his foot is sticking out for a chance at a fully charged bodyshot. 2. A fully charged shot will destroy level 1 buildings. 3. If your teammates are trying to bring a sentry down, time your fully charged shot so that it lands right after a severe hit from a rocket. This is better than just firing on your own since you have little chance of bringing down a level 3 sentry even with fully charged shots. 4. Always aim for the head. 5. Keep away from sentries. Don't forget you only have 125 health. Special Tricks \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ Shoot an engineer's building with a regular shot. The engineer has no way of telling -what- damaged the building; when he comes to repair it, take him down. This works on buildings where the engineer is nowhere in sight. If you see an operational enemy teleporter exit, hold your fire. Check which direction the enemy comes out of it facing. See if you can get into a blind spot and start camping it. To avoid giving away your position, you may have the leisure to choose which targets you want a shot at- it wouldn't be worth it to miss and attract the attention of a soldier or heavy. It would also be wise not to shoot at scouts- due to the deathcam which reveals your position, from your first kill your days are numbered as the scout will try and find you without using the teleporter. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fighting Scouts [r4] "That'll slow you down, ya twitchy hooligan!" ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scouts are just as dangerous as spies. They move quickly and will close the gap between themselves and you in a blink of an eye, ending with a scattergun or Force-a-Nature to the face. Until you improve at sniping, seeing them may very well mean death (although there's really no greater satisfaction than headshotting a scout in midair) Tips to Remember \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ 1. A scout is not impossible to hit. It is human, meaning they are incapable of moving -completely- randomly. Try to judge where the scout will move and aim for the head. If the scout is jumping, follow his trajectory. 2. Sometimes cheeky little scouts will draw their bat on you when they think they've got you finished. Draw your kukri and remind them that the bat is the weakest melee weapon in the game. 3. A higher sensitivity is better for shooting scouts. 4. Beware if you see a scout using Bonk! as he may be trying to slip past your frontlines to fight weaker classes like you. He poses a direct threat to you if your teammates do not pursue. 5. The scout is fast, so charged bodyshots may not always land. Quickscoping is your best friend as it allows the maximum amount of attempts to kill the scouts. Special Tricks \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ In general, you should try to keep the distance between you and a scout as far as possible. If you can't kill the scout, he will inevitably catch up to you and probably kill you. What do you do? Backpedal until the last possible moment, then charge forward with your kukri. This takes courage and a bit of luck. However, he's a skinny white guy just like you; your kukri will kill him in two hits. Timing when to attack this way is difficult and is a last resort, however it may be your only option. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fighting Demomen [s2] "Ace reflexes, you bomb-chuckin' waste o' good scotch!" ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fights against demomen are pretty standard. Neither of you have a real advantage to begin with, but your advantage is proportional to your distance. (it's reverse for the Demoman) Tips to Remember \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ 1. A demoman will try to bombard your position with his pipe bombs. Remember that as they land, they roll backwards- in this case you can easily evade damage by moving forward. 2. The demoman's projectiles travel in an arc. If you are scoped, there is a high chance you will not be able to see stickies or pipe bombs fired at you until they explode. Try to minimize time time you spend scoped to avoid tunnel vision. 3. If you have the rifle, you can pick off a demoman's stickies easily. Remember that you are part of a team: do this whenever you are not busy, even if the stickies are not a threat to you. 4. If you are close enough and have the courage, you can force the demoman into a panic by attacking with your kukri up close. The demoman is pretty bad at ultra close range combat, but he may score a lucky pipe hit. Perhaps a last resort tactic. Special Tricks \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ If a demoman sees you retreat behind a wall or corner, many times they will shoot pipe bombs to try and keep you at bay. A careless demoman will fire his four pipes one after another with no pause. Stay back and count them as they come. After the fourth one you have a small window to jump back out and take another shot at them as they reload. After that, their pipes will come much slower and you have a higher chance of killing them. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fighting Pyros [b2] "That snuffed your fire, ya filthy arsonist!" ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fire is a dangerous weapon. Not only does it do incredible damage up close, but it is especially harmful to the rifle-wielding sniper as it can render aiming useless. Out in the open, pyros are wild game. In close quarters however, it becomes a very dangerous game of cat and mouse. Tips to Remember \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ 1. If you are using the rifle, fire is your worst enemy. You will not be able to aim (you CAN get headshots while on fire, though it's pretty much luck), and your already small amount of health will just get smaller. Retreat from the moment you ignite or douse yourself with Jarate. 2. Do not let Pyros get near you. Out of all of your enemies, you should be ready to retreat from the Pyro the most. 3. It is not a good idea to attack pyros with your melee, despite what you may have heard. Not only does the flamethrower outclass melee weapons in close range combat, but a pyro with airblast can render you completely helpless. 4. The Huntsman is better at fighting pyros than the rifle. Fire arrows where you predict the pyro will go. 5. It can be difficult to see through the flames a pyro is shooting. If aiming is impossible and the pyro is getting close, switch to your Jarate or SMG and gradually retreat. 6. It's not hard to dodge flares, but you should find a balance between dodging them and trying to kill the pyro as they will probably be slowly decreasing the gap as they fire. Special Tricks \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ The easiest way I've found to kill pyros is to quickscope and headshot, then landing a single body shot. This can be done with any of the mid-health classes, but I'm only saying it here because I can't really think of any unique ways to deal with pyros. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fighting Soldiers [d5] "All rockets no brains, eh mate?" ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fighting soldiers is a pretty straight forward affair. Both of your weapons fire relatively slowly, and neither is better than the other. You're going to need at least a headshot in order to kill a soldier, as they have quite a lot of health. (200 normally, 300 overhealed) Tips to Remember \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ 1. Steel your nerves when under attack. Rockets are much slower than bullets and you are not completely outclassed. Concentrate. 2. It would actually be to your advantage not to have your back to a wall, to avoid splash damage. 3. A rocket jumping soldier travels slower than a sticky jumping demo, thus making it possible to land a shot while he's in midair. Track his trajectory either on the way up or the way down and you may end up killing him when he falls to the ground. Special Tricks \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ If a soldier sees you retreat behind a wall or corner, many times they will shoot rockets to try and keep you at bay. A careless soldier will fire his four rockets one after another with no pause. Stay back and count the rockets as they come. After the fourth one you have a small window to jump back out and take another shot at them as they reload. After that, their rockets will come much slower and you have a higher chance of killing them. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fighting Heavy [y0] "I just bagged the world's fattest man!" ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- A heavy is a very attractive target for snipers, but unlike spies, snipers have to work for it. With 300 health and the forehead of a coffee table, heavies are perfect headshot targets, when attacked carefully (and relentlessly) Tips to Remember \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ 1. Headshots, headshots, headshots. With 300-450 health, there is no alternative. 2. A heavy can mess up your aiming by peppering you with bullets, but it is not rare for you to be able to kill him anyway. If you are at a good distance, try to get a headshot. 3. Kill ubered heavies right after their uber runs out, as you have plenty of time to aim and they will most likely be gunning to the end. 4. A heavy without a medic will often run away after being headshotted once. If you have the intent to kill, you should charge a bit before firing. Special Tricks \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ This is a trick that many heavies will fall for. If you see a heavy approaching, scope, but do not fire. What the heavy SHOULD do is switch to shotgun and fight back. What often happens though is the heavy will begin to spin up his minigun, leaving him wide open for a split second for the headshot you were charging. With patience, encounters with heavies will end before they even start. _____________________________________________________________________________ Frequently Asked Questions [p2] _____________________________________________________________________________ There is a triple-jumping enemy scout bouncing around your screen erratically like a 12 year old hopped up on caffeine. He's asking for a dispenser and hasn't noticed you. He's also kind of lagging. After a couple missed shots, you begin to ask yourself some fundamental questions of sniping. "Do I bring the crosshair to the enemy? Or do I wait for the enemy to come into my crosshair?" Typically, aiming for the enemy is an aggressive tactic used by offensive snipers while sit and wait is used by defensive snipers. However, I will point out that it is offensive snipers that become credits to team and that an offensive sniper will win sniper duels 9 out of 10 times. If you sit and wait for the enemy, you are not controlling the situation, the enemy is. You should decide when you want to go for a kill instead of leaving it up to the enemy. Granted, this kind of technique is significantly more dangerous as you may end up in a situation where you cannot survive, but the rewards are much greater. "What kind of sensitivity should I use?" Start low. It is better to have a firm control over the distance that you move your crosshair at the beginning as you begin to adjust to aiming. As you improve, you will start to miss against faster moving targets. If you are beginning to constantly think "If only I had moved a little faster I could have shot him," increase your sensitivity. This will become crucial to taking down fast targets like scouts. "What kind of a crosshair should I use?" Above all, use one that is visible. Different people like different shapes, but the two most important would be size and color. Your crosshair should not be large at all, as it should reflect the precision that the rifle or huntsman offers. Also, it would certainly help if you change your cross hair color to a visible one that is not normally found on maps, like bright lime green. I personally use a green crosshair 3 sized to the second tick mark from the left. "Should I use the Huntsman or Sniper Rifle?" The Huntsman is good at medium and short range, whereas the Sniper Rifle is better at medium and long range. Both are acceptable weapons with different strengths and weaknesses, but there are important things to remember. You will not get better at aiming by using the Huntsman. If your goal is to become a sniper who can headshot a scout from across the map, using the Huntsman will make you worse. You become reactionary, shooting where the enemy ISN'T rather than where the enemy is. However, if your goal is to get kills from a medium range, the huntsman may be better. It can penetrate friendly targets and is very powerful. "How should I practice aiming?" There are three ways: Playing on sniping maps, playing on training maps, or just playing. I'm personally fond of the third one, but there is no better practice for sniping purists than duking against six other snipers, where everyone's improving. As for training maps, there are a few such as tr_aim that spawn bots that move randomly. However, there is ongoing debate on whether randomly moving bots helps or not. It is extremely hard to shoot a scout that is computerized to move randomly to an inhuman extent. Some argue that it isn't realistic to think you can or have to shoot something that is moving irrationally, and they are right to some extent. I consider myself a pretty good sniper and I can't hit the scouts on tr_aim more than half the time because their movements are complete nonsense, and are impossible to predict. Or maybe I'm just not good enough. :O _____________________________________________________________________________ Credits/Copyright [cc] _____________________________________________________________________________ I'd like to thank the following sites/people for their help in making this. TF2wiki.net for damage information Fpsbanana.com for information on tr_aim Let's All Be Friends, Kalpy, [AH] Nebula, [AH] Dexter for inspiring me to write this /v/ for discussion and input on various strategies Valve for making this awesome game Copyright 2009 ZapYourChannel This guide may not be reproduced under any circumstances except for personal, private use. It may not be placed on any web site or otherwise distributed publicly without advance written permission. Contact me if you want to use any portion of this guide on another site. ([email protected])
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