This guide will be directed to new players that have just started playing Team Fortress 2 and are interested in finding a class to play most often (main class) and how to contribute to their team while playing as their class.
General Game Knowledge:First things first, always have fun, everyone wants to win but you can win em all. No one cares about your Kill to Death ratio, they only care about what you did to help out the team and if you were having fun while doing it. Our servers have all talk so both sides can talk to each other and have a good time. Next, work together as a team. The result of a team working together is often far greater that one person trying to do everything.
Things I Wish I Knew Earlier: You can only walk through your own teammates, if they look to be on your team and they don't pass through you, they are a spy. LOTS OF SNIPERS AND SPIES DO NOT WIN GAMES! Even if you played 3000 hours of CoD as a sniper, we still don't need a 4th sniper on the team. Soldiers, Heavies, Medics, And Demomen win games, learn to play them. Teleporters are one of the best buildings in the game, make sure you use them. Every game contains a lesson, try to learn something every game.
Next, I will be breaking down classes based on difficulty in a public server setting.
Beginner Classes(recommended): Soldier, Pyro, Heavy, Medic. These classes are easy to pick up by most players and offer a lot to almost any team as long as you can aim and press Mouse 1. Even tho the Medic class may not be able to fight other classes, it can help you understand how other people play the game by observing how your team reacts to certain situations. Remember, There is NO SUCH THING as too many medics on a team.
Intermediate Classes: Engineer, Demoman. These classes require a little bit of game knowledge and somewhat higher skill to play. It is not impossible to play these classes correct off the start, but they are harder to learn correctly compared to the beginner classes.
Hardcore Classes: Scout, Sniper, Spy. The reason these classes are considered High level is because they are essentially utility classes to the team. These classes, while often fun to play, require a high level of skill and game knowledge to play. The spy is especially hard to play because as players get better, the spy's job becomes harder. If you have more than 2 of each of these classes on any team chances are you will NOT be winning the rounds. Try to avoid them unless you KNOW what you are doing.
What other players expect of each class:
Once again, i will keep this area broken down according to class difficulty. Each class in Team Fortress 2 is unique has has its own play style, Try them all at some point but always be willing to switch for the good of the team.
Soldier:Generally, you will be the front line of your team. The soldier's Rocket Launcher is a great weapon and its splash damage can cause a lot of trouble to player on the opposing team. The Rocket Launcher also has the ability to knock players back if they get hit. Other players will expect you to be able to fight most other classes and put out a lot of rocket spam when needed.
Pyro: The Pyro has 1 main job for the team, finding enemy spies. Use your flamethrower all the time, even against your own teammates. If they burst into flames, keep burning them. "Your team is Golden, Your enemies will be Golden Brown" -Razer. Also as the Pyro you have the ability to airblast with your flamethrower (Mouse 2), this has many uses: Putting out burning teammates, pushing back ubercharges, reflecting projectiles and many more, be creative with it.
Heavy:As a Heavy, you job is similar to the Soldier, maintain the front line of you team. If on defense, don't be afraid to push out on occasion. Contrary to popular belief, the minigun is a CLOSE RANGE WEAPON. Therefore, you must close the distance on the enemy to deal the most damage. More often than not you will have a Medic on you that will help keep you alive, NOT MAKE YOU IMMORTAL. Know your limits and know when to fall back.
Medic:General rule of the medic, HEAL EVERYONE! Not just that big Heavy that is standing beside the dispenser doing nothing for the team. As a Medic you can overheal you teammates (healing them to 150% HP) so they can get into the fight. You also have access to the best ability in the game, The UberCharge! (Mouse 2 when at 100% charge) This ability allows you and one teammate that you are healing to become invulnerable of up to 10 Seconds!While you are Ubercharged you are Invincible, SO ACT LIKE IT, run out in front of your team and protect them from sentry guns and other players, If communicated well with the team, you can crush any defense in your way. This ability is often used on the Demoman, the Soldier, or on the Heavy. Ubercharge is built up by healing your team, therefore the more you heal, the faster you can use the charge. Always take the safe path as a medic unless you are at 100% charge. Always keep an eye out for yourself as well, as most players (if they have any experience) will go for the Medic above all other classes. Spies and Snipers are your worst enemies.
Engineer:This class is a bit harder to play because your role becomes harder as players get better. Your main role is to provide a safe area for your team to fall back to in case something goes wrong. On defense, your role is to protect the current objective with your sentry gun. A good engineer can make or break a game very quickly, simply due to the utility they can give to their team. Teleporters while on offense can help your team get to the front line faster and get your stronger classes (Heavy, Soldier, Demoman) back into the fight quickly. Remember, even tho your buildings are what make you strong, try not to sacrifice yourself to make your buildings last one 1.5 seconds longer. YOU CAN REBUILD. Trial and error is often the best way to learn engineer, and never build next to other engineers just in case of an ubercharge.
Demoman:The job of the demoman is ever changing. They can be strong at both offense and defense on almost any team. Most of the time on offense, your job will be to destroy the engineers buildings and keep pressure on the enemy team. On Defense, you role is to lock down choke points and force the enemy team back away from the rest of your team. The Demoman's Sticky Bomb Launcher is perfect for these scenarios, its a great weapon and will get you a lot of kills. You will often be the target of Ubercharges from your teams Medic, so learn to utilize them the best that you can. The Demoman rivals the heavy in damage output so get in there and kill some people.
Scout: The role of the Scout is vast and is often hard to execute due to the low hp of the Scout. The Scout's main roles is to flank and eliminate high priority targets or to capture objectives behind the enemy team (Back Capping). The scout can be good at front line fighting, but to do so requires the player to be able to dodge as much damage as possible while attacking. The Scout does cap at x2 speed so he is able to capture points much faster than other classes, in a public setting however, he is almost useless due to spam from the enemy team and sentry guns.
Sniper: I know a lot of you are thinking "oh Sniper, Perfect Class for me as I have great aim." Well Snipers don't win games, you can have 50+ kills in one round as a sniper and still lose horribly. The Sniper is a Utility Class, reason being is that he can't fight on the front lines, so someone else has to for him. Too many Snipers means there is no front line and you team just gets mowed down in no time flat. If you are one of the few Snipers on your team you have a few roles to keep in mind. First, eliminating any high priority targets, this may include: An enemy Heavy, a Medic, an Engineer, or any other targets giving your team trouble.Do not forget to counter snipe!!! Other Snipers are your biggest enemy, apart from yourself if you can't snipe at all. Try to have no more than 2 snipers on a team at any given time.
Spy:The Spy is arguably the hardest class to play in Team fortress 2. The reason behind this is because as players get better, you job becomes very hard to do. The role of the spy is simple, Sabotage. Getting behind the enemy is only the first step, once behind them you want to cause as much damage as possible. This can include: Sapping Teleporters, Back stabbing Medic/ Heavies. Also don't be afraid to help your team out by sapping a sentry gun as they are about to push. Try to keep no more then 2 Spies on a team at any given time. If you know someone is a better Spy than you, please let them have the role and be credit to the team.
Now that you have read about the classes and what people expect from you, its time to go out there and practice.
No one has ever played a class perfect from the start, there are always little tricks and tips for every class that can help improve you game play. Ask if you have questions or just observe those that are on top of the score board every round. Remember this is a team based game, So go out there and have some fun.
General Game Knowledge:First things first, always have fun, everyone wants to win but you can win em all. No one cares about your Kill to Death ratio, they only care about what you did to help out the team and if you were having fun while doing it. Our servers have all talk so both sides can talk to each other and have a good time. Next, work together as a team. The result of a team working together is often far greater that one person trying to do everything.
Things I Wish I Knew Earlier: You can only walk through your own teammates, if they look to be on your team and they don't pass through you, they are a spy. LOTS OF SNIPERS AND SPIES DO NOT WIN GAMES! Even if you played 3000 hours of CoD as a sniper, we still don't need a 4th sniper on the team. Soldiers, Heavies, Medics, And Demomen win games, learn to play them. Teleporters are one of the best buildings in the game, make sure you use them. Every game contains a lesson, try to learn something every game.
Next, I will be breaking down classes based on difficulty in a public server setting.
Beginner Classes(recommended): Soldier, Pyro, Heavy, Medic. These classes are easy to pick up by most players and offer a lot to almost any team as long as you can aim and press Mouse 1. Even tho the Medic class may not be able to fight other classes, it can help you understand how other people play the game by observing how your team reacts to certain situations. Remember, There is NO SUCH THING as too many medics on a team.
Intermediate Classes: Engineer, Demoman. These classes require a little bit of game knowledge and somewhat higher skill to play. It is not impossible to play these classes correct off the start, but they are harder to learn correctly compared to the beginner classes.
Hardcore Classes: Scout, Sniper, Spy. The reason these classes are considered High level is because they are essentially utility classes to the team. These classes, while often fun to play, require a high level of skill and game knowledge to play. The spy is especially hard to play because as players get better, the spy's job becomes harder. If you have more than 2 of each of these classes on any team chances are you will NOT be winning the rounds. Try to avoid them unless you KNOW what you are doing.
What other players expect of each class:
Once again, i will keep this area broken down according to class difficulty. Each class in Team Fortress 2 is unique has has its own play style, Try them all at some point but always be willing to switch for the good of the team.
Soldier:Generally, you will be the front line of your team. The soldier's Rocket Launcher is a great weapon and its splash damage can cause a lot of trouble to player on the opposing team. The Rocket Launcher also has the ability to knock players back if they get hit. Other players will expect you to be able to fight most other classes and put out a lot of rocket spam when needed.
Pyro: The Pyro has 1 main job for the team, finding enemy spies. Use your flamethrower all the time, even against your own teammates. If they burst into flames, keep burning them. "Your team is Golden, Your enemies will be Golden Brown" -Razer. Also as the Pyro you have the ability to airblast with your flamethrower (Mouse 2), this has many uses: Putting out burning teammates, pushing back ubercharges, reflecting projectiles and many more, be creative with it.
Heavy:As a Heavy, you job is similar to the Soldier, maintain the front line of you team. If on defense, don't be afraid to push out on occasion. Contrary to popular belief, the minigun is a CLOSE RANGE WEAPON. Therefore, you must close the distance on the enemy to deal the most damage. More often than not you will have a Medic on you that will help keep you alive, NOT MAKE YOU IMMORTAL. Know your limits and know when to fall back.
Medic:General rule of the medic, HEAL EVERYONE! Not just that big Heavy that is standing beside the dispenser doing nothing for the team. As a Medic you can overheal you teammates (healing them to 150% HP) so they can get into the fight. You also have access to the best ability in the game, The UberCharge! (Mouse 2 when at 100% charge) This ability allows you and one teammate that you are healing to become invulnerable of up to 10 Seconds!While you are Ubercharged you are Invincible, SO ACT LIKE IT, run out in front of your team and protect them from sentry guns and other players, If communicated well with the team, you can crush any defense in your way. This ability is often used on the Demoman, the Soldier, or on the Heavy. Ubercharge is built up by healing your team, therefore the more you heal, the faster you can use the charge. Always take the safe path as a medic unless you are at 100% charge. Always keep an eye out for yourself as well, as most players (if they have any experience) will go for the Medic above all other classes. Spies and Snipers are your worst enemies.
Engineer:This class is a bit harder to play because your role becomes harder as players get better. Your main role is to provide a safe area for your team to fall back to in case something goes wrong. On defense, your role is to protect the current objective with your sentry gun. A good engineer can make or break a game very quickly, simply due to the utility they can give to their team. Teleporters while on offense can help your team get to the front line faster and get your stronger classes (Heavy, Soldier, Demoman) back into the fight quickly. Remember, even tho your buildings are what make you strong, try not to sacrifice yourself to make your buildings last one 1.5 seconds longer. YOU CAN REBUILD. Trial and error is often the best way to learn engineer, and never build next to other engineers just in case of an ubercharge.
Demoman:The job of the demoman is ever changing. They can be strong at both offense and defense on almost any team. Most of the time on offense, your job will be to destroy the engineers buildings and keep pressure on the enemy team. On Defense, you role is to lock down choke points and force the enemy team back away from the rest of your team. The Demoman's Sticky Bomb Launcher is perfect for these scenarios, its a great weapon and will get you a lot of kills. You will often be the target of Ubercharges from your teams Medic, so learn to utilize them the best that you can. The Demoman rivals the heavy in damage output so get in there and kill some people.
Scout: The role of the Scout is vast and is often hard to execute due to the low hp of the Scout. The Scout's main roles is to flank and eliminate high priority targets or to capture objectives behind the enemy team (Back Capping). The scout can be good at front line fighting, but to do so requires the player to be able to dodge as much damage as possible while attacking. The Scout does cap at x2 speed so he is able to capture points much faster than other classes, in a public setting however, he is almost useless due to spam from the enemy team and sentry guns.
Sniper: I know a lot of you are thinking "oh Sniper, Perfect Class for me as I have great aim." Well Snipers don't win games, you can have 50+ kills in one round as a sniper and still lose horribly. The Sniper is a Utility Class, reason being is that he can't fight on the front lines, so someone else has to for him. Too many Snipers means there is no front line and you team just gets mowed down in no time flat. If you are one of the few Snipers on your team you have a few roles to keep in mind. First, eliminating any high priority targets, this may include: An enemy Heavy, a Medic, an Engineer, or any other targets giving your team trouble.Do not forget to counter snipe!!! Other Snipers are your biggest enemy, apart from yourself if you can't snipe at all. Try to have no more than 2 snipers on a team at any given time.
Spy:The Spy is arguably the hardest class to play in Team fortress 2. The reason behind this is because as players get better, you job becomes very hard to do. The role of the spy is simple, Sabotage. Getting behind the enemy is only the first step, once behind them you want to cause as much damage as possible. This can include: Sapping Teleporters, Back stabbing Medic/ Heavies. Also don't be afraid to help your team out by sapping a sentry gun as they are about to push. Try to keep no more then 2 Spies on a team at any given time. If you know someone is a better Spy than you, please let them have the role and be credit to the team.
Now that you have read about the classes and what people expect from you, its time to go out there and practice.
No one has ever played a class perfect from the start, there are always little tricks and tips for every class that can help improve you game play. Ask if you have questions or just observe those that are on top of the score board every round. Remember this is a team based game, So go out there and have some fun.
