Team Fortress 2 - Spy Strategy Guide
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------------Team Fortress 2 Spy Strategy Guide-----------------
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Version: 2.9
Last Update: July 02, 2008
This guide is subject to change, as it will continually be
updated as seen fit.
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Authors: nodforlife & Delkin525 (aka sR + Orca)
Email: (Delkin525) - delkin525@gmail.com
(nodforlife) - nodforlife@yahoo.com
We appreciate E-mails!!!
Steam IDs: nodforlife, Delkin525
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- Version History -
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Version 2.9 / 07-02-2008 -
-Huge Updates to the General Outline Section, incorporating -
Speed charts, and other such charts. -
-Updated Disguise section: Added Intro and other info -
throughout -
-Added Pat to the reader comments section. -
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Version 2.8 / 06-19-2008 -
Largest update since the launch of the guide! -
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The following have been updated: -
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-Fixed some major issues with the index. All of the sections -
and codes now correspond to one another accurately. -
-General Do's and Don'ts (#10, #18, and other various points) -
-The 'How to handle Engineer' section (revised here and there)-
-Quick Tips: #29 has been edited; a few others have been -
added or changed as well. -
-General Outline: Now more of a one-stop place, contains -
specific information regarding each of the Spy's weapons and -
tools. I've incorporated some robust changes here. -
-New Section: Why Spy? (Section 0) -
-Updated Accredited Suggestions to thank more people: AlcyOne,-
johnie102, and Insolence. -
-Moved 'Version History' section to the top of the guide -
-In general, we've modified nearly every section of the guide -
in one way or another... -
-Flipped the Disguise section. Moved the best disguises before-
the bad ones. -
-Also added 'Reader Comments' to Closing section... -
-Added to the Map Strategy section namely: 2Fort strategies, -
and strats for the new map: CTF_Turbine -
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Version 2.7 / 02-15-2008 -
-Rectified some typos -
-Slight changes throughout -
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Version 2.6 / 01-15-2008 -
-Added two more sections: Spy Checking / Quick Tips -
-Fixed typos -
-Added information, and edited randomly throughout -
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Version 2.5 / 01-08-2008 -
-Fixed typos -
-Added a slew of content throughout the guide -
-Added to map strategies, namely Hydro specific information -
-Revised information throughout -
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Version 2.4 / 12-27-2007 -
-Fixed some typos (I'll always find more) -
-Other various changes -
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Version 2.3 / 12-18-2007 -
-Again with the grammatical/spelling errors -
-Map Specific Strategies updated: CP_Well update -
-Revised guide layout -
-Added updates throughout -
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Version 2.2 / 12-15-2007 -
-Reformatted Entire Guide -
-Added New Sections -
-Many grammatical/spelling errors have been fixed -
-Refined initial work, added to sections -
-Spy disguise officially deemed poor disguise -
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Intro:
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The spy is considered by many to be the most difficult of the
classes, and for good reason; he is. Of all the classes he
demands the most micro (or coordination that is acquired over
time with experience). The Spy is unique in the fact that he's
not your typical first-person-shooter experience. You're goal is
not to out-gun the enemy, in fact it's the exact opposite;
you're striving to out-smart them, which makes it all the more
satisfying. The Spy is the weakest of the classes physically,
yet he makes up for it with a slew of cunning tricks that can be
essential for the victory of your team. A well timed sapper can
provide just enough of a lull in the opponents defenses to
allow your team to bust through and capture a point. Flanking
the entire teams rush and stabbing their medics can end their
offensive before its even had time to reach your front lines.
Pesky heavies and camping Snipers frequently fall victim to a
capable Spys blade. And, really, theres nothing more
satisfying in TF2 than backstabbing a Medic/Heavy combo and
taking down their 600 combined health with two deft mouse
clicks. The Spy is our favorite class for these reasons, and
despite his obvious deficiencies he can easily dominate the
scoreboards and lead his team to victory. This guide will
provide for you a vast understanding of the Spy, and how he
works, through the eyes of two very Spy-obsessed individuals.
We'll explain in detail in-game scenarios you'll face, how to
deal with specific classes, how to think like a spy, how to move
like a spy, and so much more. By the end of this guide, you'll
be that much closer to turning yourself into a very capable Spy.
The next step is taking what you learn here to heart, and thus
executing your newly acquired knowledge in-game.
Some of you are without doubt hardcore players, and pride
yourselves on clan-related matches, and or league matches. Yet,
I'm sure even a larger number of you will spend the majority of
your time playing in public servers, which is fine. The true
difference between the two isn't really a measure of skill. Just
because you play in cal, or other such league events doesn't
mean you can't be owned by someone in a pub. The difference lies
in team coordination. Teamwork is immensely more coordinated in
league and clan matches, and as such, the match is more
difficult, much more difficult than the sparse coordination
displayed in pub matches. In addition, being that league/clan
players are experienced, playing with them means that you will
have to utilize your Spy strategies to the utmost of precision.
There can't be error, however, don't fret. There's a learning
curve to the Spy and we're more than willing to start you on
that curve. Essentially, league matches are void of noobs; the
majority of players there have a fair degree of skill. If you
take part in league matches, then you're probably treating the
game more as a sport than a simple instrument of fun.
What you'll find in public servers is a vast-array of skill,
from very good players, to the most horrid. I've said that
teamwork is sparse in public matches, this is because each team
usually has a handful of people coordinating (usually via mic)
to accomplish a task. The other players either go along with
their direction, or wander around on their own one-man missions.
With that said, in a pub match if your team isn't winning, or
can't push through a chokepoint, please realize the fact that
this is largely because your team isn't functioning as a single
body; which is a key role to TF2 gameplay.
In conclusion, this guide will provide for you details,
hints, do's and don'ts, strategies, all formed around one of the
most unique classes of any first-person-shooter out there; the
Spy. It's truly a gaming experience like no other! The
information within the premise of this guide will prove
beneficial to any and all players, weather you're hardcore or
just playing for the pure fun of it.
Good luck!
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Index:
=======
This guide is divided into 11 sections. They are as follows:
To skip directly to a section, click ctrl+F (the find command),
then copy and paste the section code into the space provided,
make sure to include the brackets []. Then hit search...
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Section 0) Why Spy? (code: [A0])
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:A Pros/Cons list for the Spy, designed to help if you are
questioning whether or not to play Spy.
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Section 1) General Outline (code: [A1])
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:A general outline of the Spys weapons and statistics. This
section also includes a speed chart, depicting the speed of
each class with relations to the Spy. This comes in handy when
chosing a disguise.
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Section 2) Disguises (code: [A2])
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:An in-depth take on which disguises to use and which not to
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Section 3) General Do's and Donts (code: [A3])
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:A collection of random tips, strategies, and hints applicable
to every map
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Section 4) Targets (code: [A4])
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:A detailed list of the best classes to backstab and the worst
classes to stab; a class by class assessment.
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Section 5) How to Handle Engineers (code: [A5])
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:Detailed section telling everything a Spy needs to know, and
master when dealing with Engineers.
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Section 6) Map Specific Strategies (code: [A6])
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:Detailed write-up of how to handle each of the 6 original maps
as a Spy. If the map has attack/defensive sides then each side
is discussed with a fair degree of accuracy.
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Section 7) Spy Checking (code: [A7])
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:Detailed section that states everything you need to know when
Spy checking.
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Section 8) Quick Tips (code: [A8])
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:The "Sparknotes" of the guide. Contains many tips, facts, and
tricks, in a very brief 1-2 sentence description. Ideal for
those of you who don't want to read page after page of this
guide-- though I highly recommend that you do
Note: Much of this section is already revealed throughout the
guide in great depth. As I've said it is for those of you
that are daunted by the thought of reading... Hence the
"sparknotes" reference.
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Section 9) Closing (code: [A9])
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:Closing comments, and a place where we thank those who
contribute. In additon, this is a place where one can
fine reader comments (comments that we've recieevd via
E-mail regarding our guide).
Please E-mail us if you've found this guide helpful! :D
Thanks
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Section 10) Copyright (code: [A10])
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:Standard copyright for our faq...
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- Enjoy the Guide! -
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-Section 0) Why Spy? [A0]
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This section is designed to reveal the pros and cons of the
Spy. If you're pondering whether or not to play Spy, hopefully
this section will be insightful, thus leading to a more
concise decision.
_______________________________________________________________
| Why Spy? |
|_______________________________________________________________|
| Pros ] [ Cons |
|---------------------------------------------------------------|
| |-| |
|Backstab is an instant kill | |Takes a wealth of experience |
| |-| to truly be successful, due |
|The revolver is effective at | | to Steeper learning curve. |
| long ranges. |-| |
| | |Extremely vulnerable to |
|Can cloak to bypass enemy |-| fire. |
| lines. | | |
| |-|Poor against scouts. |
|Far more versatile than most | | |
| classes. |-|The knife when used to |
| | | attack the front is weaker |
|Can disable Engineer |-| than every other melee |
| structures. | | weapon. |
| |-| |
|Can use tele without the glow| |Oftentimes get caught in |
| at his feet when disguised as|-| enemy crossfire. Depending |
| an enemy. No other class can | | on the scenario and map. |
| avoid this. |-| |
| | |Oftentimes forced to take |
|Fairly quick in movement, |-| the roundabout way. |
| faster than Demoman, Soldier,| | |
| and the Heavy. Tied with many|-|Low health. |
| others for the same speed. | | |
| |-| |
|Only class that has the | | |
| option of playing |-| |
| independently from the team. | | |
| |-| |
|Can gain health from enemy | | |
| Medics, Dispensers, and mine |-| |
| carts. | | |
| |-| |
|Looks amazing in a Tux! | | |
|______________________________|-|______________________________|
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-Section 1) General Outline [A1]
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The Spy is tied with the Scout, Engineer, and the Sniper for
the lowest health available in TF2; placing them at 125 health
points each. However, don't let his low health fool you, he's a
cunning fellow. Overhealed by a Medic, said classes rise to 185
HP (health points). The Spy has a slew of weapons and gizmos at
his disposal, five in all: the revolver, the sapper, the
butterfly knife, the disguise kit, and the cloaking device. A
competent Spy must utilize each of these tools effectively. As
such, due to the importance of the tools new Spies must work to
familiarize themselves with them. You've got to practice
everything at hand, it's essential.
** Below is a write up of said weapons, gizmos, and tools.
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The Revolver:
Clip size: 6 | Reserved: 24 | Total Bullets: 30
Damage Chart:
________ ______
|Distance| |Damage|
|________|____________________________|______|_________________
| | |
| Close Range | 50-60 Damage |
| | |
|_____________________________________|________________________|
| | |
| Medium Range | 35-45 Damage |
| | |
|_____________________________________|________________________|
| | |
| Long Range | 20-25 Damage |
| | |
|_____________________________________|________________________|
| | |
|*Critial Hit (Regardless of Range) | *120 Damage |
| | |
|_____________________________________|________________________|
The above chart shows that the Revolver does experience damage
drop-off as the range increases. This however does not apply
to critical hits.
The Spys primary weapon. It holds six bullets before reload,
and the reload time is fairly quick, which comes in handy during
the frequent battles you will be having with the shotgun-toting
Engineers, who have a very slow reload time in comparison.
Generally speaking, the Revolver is only good at taking out
weaker classes such as Engineers, Scouts, Medics, and other
Spies, and retreating wounded enemies. When engaged in a fire-
fight with the pistol, its best to retreat as you fire, since
the Spys bullets do the same damage from any range, while the
shotgun toting classes have their damage limited by distance,
and you will be out of range of the Pyros flamethrower.
It's also worth noting that the revolver has a very
distinctive sound, to the experienced ear, it's a dead give-
away. For example anytime that I hear the revolver being fired
off, I immediately recognize it, then hunt for and kill the
enemy Spy. Usually he is fire fighting a teammate of mine, but
now that I too am aware of him, I may as well kill him.
Lastly, the Revolver is a surprisingly accurate weapon. At a
distance, it can be used to 'snipe' the enemy, as it really is
nearly that accurate. You can fair well against classes such
as Heavy, Soldier, and even Demoman from afar, due to the fact
that their weapons decrease in effectiveness with distance. For
example, a barrage of bullets from a trigger happy Heavy spread
out with distance. They spread out enough where at a distance,
it is nearly a useless weapon. Though, even with this knowledge
of the Revolver, it should still primarily be a last resort, as
stabbing and sapping are far more crucial to the success of a
Spy. This knowledge gives some basis to the idea that if you're
caught, you should retreat whilst shooting the enemy with your
Revolver. It's accurate, and moving away from the enemy makes
them less accurate.
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The Sapper:
Ammo: Infinite
Can be knocked off structure with two wrench hits
For destroying buildings. If you have this selected and
approach an enemy building, a white outline of the sapper will
appear on top of the nearest one. Clicking applies the sapper,
but does not blow your disguise. It does, however, tip off
everyone nearby since they will see a supposed friendly unit
and a sapped building. Planting and running is the best
strategy, unless theres a nosey Engineer around (we'll talk
about how to deal with them in the next section.) Sappers will
disable the operation of whatever they are applied to for the
duration of the sap, eventually causing the building to blow
up. The sappers slowly suck the life from their buildings and
they kill teleports and dispensers fairly quickly. Fully powered
up sentries take a while and the sappers will usually be
destroyed by an Engineer, since most Engineers consider a Tier 3
sentry too valuable a prize to leave undefended. In this case,
just reapply the sapper until the sentry dies. The sapper takes
health faster than the engineer can repair it, and even if hes
pounding on it with his wrench the whole time youre sapping it,
youll kill it eventually.
Sapping Times:
Below is a list of approximately how long it will take for
the sapper to destroy the structure it's attached to. This
approximation only considers straight sapping, with no
interference.
* Sentry Gun
o Level 1: 6 seconds
o Level 2: 7 seconds
o Level 3: 9 seconds
* Dispenser / teleporter entrance and exit: 6 seconds
To destroy the structure more quickly, once sapped, you can
can shoot it with your revolver. Though, typically, to finish
off a tier three sentry it will take northward of six bullets.
Originally, before more current patches, a Spy could easily
destroy a tier three sentry by shooting it once sapped. Now
they've made it a slight bit more resistant to revolver fire,
particularly while it's sapped.
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The Butterfly Knife:
Side stabs (nearer the back), stabs from above, below, and the
back register as backstabs. Note that above and below are
special cases. I actually had a Heavy jump over a stair
railing and land ontop of me-- I quickly looked up, stabbed,
and his body crashed to the ground in a thunderous heap!
This is where most of your points will come from. The knife
kills most classes in about four stabs from the front, but from
the back, side, or even above in some cases its a one hit
kill. Youre rewarded with two points for a backstab instead of
the one for a front stab. Since most of your kills come from
backstabs, this can lead to some pretty lofty scores, and a good
Spy can dominate the scoreboards by double-digit points if he
can knife properly. Obviously, the slower classes like Heavies
and Soldiers are easier to stab since they dont dart around
and prevent you from a clear path to their backs, like Medics
and Scouts tend to do.
Much like the Revolver, backstabbing someone makes a noise
that is easily identifiable. It makes the enemy scream in a way
that they wouldn't typically do at any point during the game.
When I'm a class other than Spy, and I recognize the scream as a
teammate behind me gets a knife thrust through his back, I
immediately recognize a Spy without thinking twice. As such I
quickly turn, and kill said Spy.
In general, paying attention to your surroundings helps
immensely especially when dealing with enemy Spies.
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The Cloak:
This is key. Knowing when to cloak is the difference between
a skilled Spy and an amateur. Right-clicking the mouse will
begin the cloak. It takes a moment before youre completely
transparent and enemies can still bump into you. If they do, you
will shimmer for a moment and your location will be revealed.
This also happens if you take damage, so staying out of the path
of the Heavys mini-gun or the Pyros flames is recommended. The
cloak lasts about 10 seconds before the meter is empty and it
recharges to full as long as youre not using it. When
invisible, sentries will not shoot at you and changing disguises
does not reveal you, so disguising while cloaked is advised.
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The Disguise Kit:
Does what the name implies. You can disguise as either an
enemy or friendly class and you will appear to the enemy as
such. It takes a moment for a disguise to take effect and a
small cloud will appear around you for the duration of the
change. Once disguised, using the revolver or knife will take
off the disguise, exposing you to sentries or other defenders,
so only go for the kill if you a) are spotted and have to fight
or b) have an easy backstab. Also, you will appear to the enemy
as whichever class youve selected carrying its primary weapon
(e.g. if youre a Pyro youll have the flamethrower, a Heavy
youll have the mini-gun, etc). There are essentially a few
primary disguises, ones that you will find more useful in more
situations. Among these disguises is Pyro, Demoman, Engineer,
and Sniper. If you play the part well, even Medic can work...
though it's a risky disguise, especially for the inexperienced
Spy.
As a rule of thumb, anytime you are amongst your team, you
should be in a friendly disguise. The point of the Spy is to
sneak around unnoticed, it's hard to do this when you've given
yourself away early. I suggest that you disguise yourself as a
friendly Pyro to deter enemy Spies each time you spawn, then
traverse the map as far as you can with a friendly disguise.
Once you get to the point where you'll be nearing enemies,
cloak, re-disguise as an enemy, then let the mayhem begin.
One might ask, why would you use a friendly disguise if the
enemy will kill you when they find you, as you are still an
enemy to them? Well, it's simple really. If you use a friendly
disguise while amongst your team, like a Pyro, when the enemy
sees you, they will have intent to kill you, but at the same
time, they must consider the risk of your teammates around
you. They won't charge in to go after a Pyro because the Heavies
and Medics are probably better targets. If however, you were
wearing an enemy disguise, and they spotted you running with
your team, they'd notify their team of your whereabouts, where
you're headed, and what you're disguised as. You've already
lessened your chances of success exponentially based on the
fact that the enemy is aware of you.
Conversely if you had just stuck to the friendly disguise,
you could have made a disappearing act, and once you reappeared
you'd already be disguised as a new class, even the enemy.
Another useful purpose in using friendly disguises is that the
enemy won't suspect you as being a Spy, they will believe your
disguise. If you're disguised as a friendly Pyro, enemy Spies
will likely avoid you, given the threat that Pyros pose to
Spies. On that same note, if the enemy was trying to kill you,
and you were disguised as a friendly class, say a Pyro, you
could round a corner, and cloak. If they didn't see you cloak,
they will have no idea that you cloaked, and they will still be
looking for a Pyro. This works because cloaking is not a
property of a Pyro, so the enemy wouldn't expect one to do so.
Once they've realized that you may have cloaked, that you were
actually a Spy, assuming they realized at all, it's too late
for them, because you are either far from them, or have already
backstabbed them.
Seeing as how the golden rule of Spying is staying hidden
from the enemy, setup-time is no exception. Some Spies will go
to the enemy's gates during setup-time, and start taunting. I
find this to be ridiculously foolish, because now the enemy is
aware of said Spy. They will anticipate him, and could counter
him. If the enemy is aware of the Spy, they will anticipate his
antics. He may not prove as successful to a knowing enemy. For
example, the enemy may attempt countering you with Pyro, waiting
for you to make your move, then burning you alive. However, if
you were disguised as a friendly Pyro, then you would be no
different than the countless teammates around you who are
waiting for the gates to open. Once the time nears zero, you
can easily hide behind any number of things, cloak, re-disguise,
then de-cloak in a more opportune position so that you're well
placed for the opening doors. The underlying idea here is that
you don't want the enemy to be aware of your presence at any
point in time as a Spy.
In the end, a Spy must master coordination between both his
cloaking, and his disguises. Mastering these two tools truly
sets the bar for an amateur Spy and a skilled Spy. Knowing when
to cloak is as we've stated before "key." Furthering that,
using disguises effectively out of cloak, is equally as
important.
**The following are unique properties regarding the Disguise Kit:
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Every single time a disguise is deployed, so to does the Spy's
health change to the enemy. The health that the enemy can see
is not his actual health. Typically, this random, fake health
status is anywhere from half-health to full-health, it's not
always half-health like many once believed. If you disguise as
a Pyro, you may appear to have half-health to the enemy. In
that same life, one could disguise as a Demoman, as such, your
health shown would once again randomize. This time, you may
have three quarters health to the enemy. Though a Spy never
knows how much health he is displaying, it's important to know
that it changes each time the disguise does. That way, people
may be thrown off when chasing a Spy disguised as a Demoman
with half-health, when they find the same Spy newly disguised
as a Pyro with near full health. It's a subtlety but changing
your disguise frequently, especially once spotted, is hugely
important to the success of a Spy.
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While in an enemy disguise, one can gain health from
dispensers, mine carts, and potentially enemy Medics.
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While in an enemy disguise, sentries will not target you. As
they will recognize you as a member of their team.
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It takes a few seconds for a new disguise to take effect,
during this time, a cloud is visible around you. This "cloud"
can easily give you away to the enemy, as it draws attention
to the eye. It is best to disguise while cloaked, as it avoids
the "cloud" like effect. Here's another subtley that will help
one know when the disguise has taken full effect. When one
deploys a disguise, a white outline of the Spy shrinks to the
lower left hand corner of the screen, shrinking to the HUD.
Once this has happened, and the two pictures in the bottom are
the Spy, and which ever class you disguised as; you're good to
go.
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Once disguised, bumping into the enemy is an immediate
indication to them that you arent one of them. So avoid
being "bumped" into at all costs.
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When taking on a disguise, the Spy's actual speed changes to
reflect the class he's disguising as. This means, that if you
disguised as a Heavy, not only would you look like one to the
enemy, but you'd move as slowly as one too. However, if you
disguise yourself as a class that's faster than the Spy, such
as a Scout, your speed won't increase. If one disguised as a
Scout, to the enemy, they'd look like a really slow moving
Scout, which is a dead give away.
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Spies do not show pain. If an enemy was to shoot you, your
health would not change to reflect that, at least, not from
their point-of-view. If you continued with what you were
doing, there is no way for them to tell if you've been
injured. Sometimes pretending that you haven't been shot will
make the enemy believe your disguise.
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While disguised as a friendly class, one can still assist in
capturing a point, without letting onto the enemies that
they're a Spy.
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If disguised as an enemy class while using a teleporter the
glow is not visible at the Spy's feet. However, if you used
a friendly disguise you could negate the "pixie" like effect
when you initate your cloaking. It dissapears fully once
you've become fully invisible.
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**More on disguise specifics in Section 2**
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Speed Comparisons:
This section shows the speed of each class, with relations to
the Spy. It's important to note that if a Spy was to disguise as
one of the faster classes his speed doesn't increase. Conversely,
if the Spy was to disguise as a slow class, a Heavy for example,
his speed would lessen to match that of a
real Heavy.
This chart is arranged from fastest classes to slowest:
_____ _____________________
|Class| |Speed Relative to Spy|
|_____|_______________________________|_____________________|__
| | |
| Scout | 133% |
| | |
|_____________________________________|________________________|
| | |
| Medic | 107% |
| | |
|_____________________________________|________________________|
| | |
| Pyro, Engineer, Sniper, & Spy | 100% (BASELINE) |
| | |
|_____________________________________|________________________|
| | |
| Demoman | 90% |
| | |
|_____________________________________|________________________|
| | |
| | |
| Soldier | 80% |
| | |
|_____________________________________|________________________|
| | |
| Heavy | 76.6% |
| | |
|_____________________________________|________________________|
| | |
| Heavy (revved), Sniper (in zoom) | 26.6% |
| | |
|_____________________________________|________________________|
This chart indicates that a Spy is slower than both the Scout
(obviously) and the Medic. Conversely, he's tied with the Pyro,
Enineer, and Sniper, for the same baseline speed. Yet he's
faster than the Demoman, Soldier, and Heavy. Then as seen at the
bottom the Heavy and Sniper are tied for the slowest when
executing their secondary functions; revving, and zooming.
All classes move 10% slower whilst moving backwards.
-This does not include crouching, as it's a new fixed speed,
which is the same in any direction.
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-Section 2) Disguises [A2]
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-----------------------------------------------------------------
Disguises play an important role for the Spy. The correct
disguise could very well be the difference between life and
death. Generally speaking, no disguise, not even the best ones
will truly trick the enemy, especially smart, alert ones. They
are powerful at a glance, as at-a-glance, the enemy might not
think anything of you. Thankfully, due to the fast paced nature
of the game, there will be many times that the enemy fails to
notice you at-a-glance. A disguise alone will not make the Spy,
as, managing his cloak is the true key to a Spy's success.
Acting is also important, as it is the next step in making
your disguise believable. You should, while in disguise, appear
to be concerned with your team, as if they were threatening to
you. You could look in their direction, jump and "dodge" their
fire, as if to fear being hit. Also, you may find scenarios
where backing from said ally fire and calling an enemy Medic
will benefit you, as even smart Medics mess up on occasion.
You can also use certain disguises to lure Medics, especially
foolish ones. One way to do this is to take on the role of a
more offensive class, such as a Heavy or Soldier, and head to
your side of the map. I might do this if I see a lone Medic on
the frontlines. Luring him to me via the Cry-for-help voice
command, I'd then proceed towards my base, and he would more
than likely follow within a safe distance behind. If you aren't
able to take him out via your Revolver or stab, as in attempting
may result in death, continue to lure him towards your team so
that your team can kill him. He may very well stick by you
thinking that he's helping you out, and you're going to protect
him. This isn't the most concrete strategy, as it's incredibly
risky, but if it works, it's hilarious.
=========[Your best disguise options are as follows]=============
-Pyro
The Pyro is probably the single best disguise ever. Why?
Simple
The Pyro is a trademark anti-Spy character, and is also
short-ranged. Because Pyros hunt spies, they are known to
randomly wander about, having no concrete order of gameplay. In
addition, because they are short-ranged, they rarely attempt
attacking enemies at a distance; which means there is little
suspicion of you if you aren't shooting at an enemy that would
otherwise normally by out of reach for a Pyro. Oftentimes you
won't be noticed, being that its not so suspicious of a Pyro
to be anywhere and everywhere. As stated above, the Pyro is
short-ranged, and as such he won't attract as much attention
for not shooting constantly. Conversely, if you imitate a Heavy
or Soldier, it is likely that the enemy can tell that youre a
Spy based on the fact that you arent shooting. Also, you
aren't slowed down at all in this disguise.
Note: Posing as a friendly Pyro (a Pyro of your team color) is
also an incredibly effective way of scaring off, and dealing
with enemy Spies. This is so for a few reasons. One, as you'll
see later in this guide Pyros are the worst target for a Spy,
and should be avoided at all costs. With that said, the enemy
Spy will more than likely try to avoid you, this is good because
if you are looking for an enemy Spy, and you notice that one of
your own is avoiding you, cough, Spy. Now you can have a
revolver duel, alert others, or attempt stabbing him to death.
If you are really daring you could attempt all three at once!
-----------------------------------------------------------------
-Engineer
The engineer is one of the best disguises to take out
sentries, being that it is typical of an engineer to stick near
his sentry and dispenser. Sap first then stab (sapping is
explained in greater depth in the target section). Sadly, the
engineer is a highly suspected disguise; this is thanks to the
fact that too many spies are uncreative and think there's no
other way to deal with sentries than to take on this disguise.
Pyros will constantly check engineer's above all else. This
disguise will not slow down the Spy's movement at all.
Note: You can immediately determine whether or not an Engineer is
an enemy Spy based on whether or not the Engineer is
holding his wrench, or shotty. A Spy as an Engineer would be
holding his primary weapon, the Shotty, where as most every
Engineer wields his wrench as his weapon of choice. At a glance,
if the Engineer has a wrench or pistol in hand, you know for
sure he's not a Spy. This is important because too many noobs
spy-check everyone, pay attention to detail...
-----------------------------------------------------------------
-Demoman
The Demoman is among the best in-between disguises. It's
not highly expected, and it won't slow the movement of the spy.
Still, if the Demoman is seen wandering in a fashion unlike a
Demoman it's obvious to the enemy that you're a Spy so, be
careful. This disguise will slow the Spy's movement by 10%,
which isn't too noticeable.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
-Sniper
The Sniper disguise is good when you are in the appropriate
place. If you are in a particular part of a map in which Snipers
dwell, then props to you. Stab them Snipers! Otherwise this
class is suspicious.
This class also won't slow down the Spy's movement.
Note: When posing as a Sniper, to avoid suspicion be aware of
your surroundings, have a target in mind, and act interested in
your team. Act as though they (your team) are a dynamic worry to
you, strafe back-and-forth looking in the direction of your
team, especially when enemies are present. As soon as a target
is within range, or when the moments right, break from the act
and assassinate.
Note: When posing as a Sniper, you cannot bring the Sniper rifle
to a zoomed state, holding it to your face, because that's a
property that only the Sniping class has. Being that you aren't
a Sniper, don't have a sniper rifle, you can't ever look to be
looking in the scope. As such, you can expect that a Spy
disguised as a Sniper will be holding the sniper rifle lower. It
doesn't make a huge difference, because a good Sniper isn't
always behind his scope, as it narrows his vision.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
=========[Your worst disguise options are as follows]============
-Heavy
You're a huge target. Most people realize whether or not
their team has a Heavy, they are a class that demands attention,
whether they mean to or not. Part of the reason that a Heavy is
a dead give away is the fact that they are so huge. People pay
attention to you more. Not to mention that a Heavy is always
situated on the front line, and is always firing away. Seeing as
how you cant shoot, you'de like grow suspicious in the watchful
eyes of the enemy. Also, its worth noting that disguising as a
Heavy will not help in large when trying to kill Medics, being
that you're slow moving now.
This disguise could potentially be useful for advanced Spy
strategies, like the one listed in the section intro, though
only the most dastardly Spies should attempt it.
Note: Most Medics know exactly how a Heavy (or anyone they are
healing) should act, and deviating from that known way of
acting only causes suspicion. To better act as a Heavy, always
appear to be advancing towards your base which to the Medic
healing you is his enemy's base.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
-Scout
As a Scout your speed doesn't increase. It's obvious to the
enemy that you're not a Scout, because you appear slow moving to
them. In addition, Scouts are frantic bastards and double jump
like theres no tomorrow. Surely a Spy can't perform as such.
Worst disguise in my opinion, as it's blatanlty obvious that
you're a fake because you can't move as fast as a Spy, or
double Jump. This is probably the worst disguise ever.
The only way to even attempt this disguise is to move about
while crouched, though, how often do you see a friendly Scout
crouched and moving along the ground? It's still an eye
catcher to say the least.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
-Soldier
The Soldier is only a slight bit faster than a Heavy, which
isn't saying much for the Soldier's speed. This class is an
easy target for Snipers, thanks to his cumbersome movement. Also
Soldiers are generally seen on the frontlines, as they are a
highly offensive class. As such, this disguise will prove more
effective when executed on the front lines. This disguise is
ill-advised as it slows the Spy's movement a great deal, like
the Heavy. It will make it difficult to catch up with classes,
and at a straight away, it'll be impossible to catch up to most.
This class should only be used for advanced Spy strategies, such
as luring enemy Medics, even then it's quite risky.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
-Medics
Medics are the WORST possible disguise. Why you ask, because
they are constantly being demanded upon by their team, and as
such you will have the enemy following you around, all the
while begging to be healed. Because a real medic is always
healing, and the fact that you can't is a dead give-away. The
point of being a Spy is to bring the least amount of attention
your way, and unfortunately Medics receive an exorbitant
amount.
Note: Another factor that contributes to the downfall of this
disguise is the fact that when the enemy aims at you there is
no ubercharge percentage. Typically, when you look at a medic
that is on your team, youd see an ubercharge percentage.
Yet another indication and dead give away that you're a spy.
Note: An experienced player will know that a Spy's physical
appearance when taking on this disguise includes that he is
holding his primary weapon (which is the case for every
disguise); the syringe-gun. Typically, Medics are seen wielding
their medi-gun, and as such anytime a Medic is seen wandering
about with his syringe-gun it's worth Spy-checking him.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
-Spy
In the beginning, early in TF2's release, the Spy was a good
disguise. At this point in time however, specific details point
out the flaw of this disguise.
Firstly, when disguised as a Spy, you don't have a cardboard
cut-out mask on your face. This means that from the enemy's
point-of-view, they see you, an apparent ally Spy, who has for
whatever reason decided to walk around without a disguise on.
To the trained eye this is an immediate indication that you're
an enemy spy.
Secondly, wandering around the enemy's base, without the cover
of a mask is an immediate suspicion as they'd expect to at least
see you wandering the other teams base (your team), not their
own. After all, how often do you as a Spy wander around your own
base with no mask on? -- Good response, you never do.
Note: When disguised, a cardboard cut-out mask is on your face,
Only visible to your teammates, the mask represents the class
that you are disguised as. However, when you disguise as a spy
the enemy sees you as a spy without the cut-out mask on. It can
be a dead give away to the trained eye.
*****************************************************************
-Section 3) General Do's and Donts [A3]
-----------------------------------------------------------------
While each map has specific strategies that work best, there are
some basic techniques that are applicable to all stages, both
offense and defense. This section lists some Do's and Don'ts and
strategies.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
1) DONT attempt to get into firefights unless absolutely
necessary. You have too little health for that kind of exercise
and most every other gun in the game is more powerful than yours.
The only classes that you have a chance of killing consistently
are Spies, Medics, Scouts (if you can hit them), Demomen (if you
can avoid their splash damaging explosives)and Engineers. Though,
Engineers they are usually guarded by their allies or sentries,
since most Engineers camp nearby their teams spawn points;
especially late game.
Note: Surprisingly a good medic will often times out-gun you,
based on the fact that their Syringe gun has a much better
rate of fire than the Spy's revolver. Though, the revolver
is stronger than the syringe-gun per shot. A Medic will
especially have an advantage over you with the Blutsauger
(the new syringe gun) equipped. It vamps 3 health from you
and gives it to them each and every time you get hit.
Trust me, this syringes come out very quickly, and if the
Medic is good, he'll be able to aim them very well-- even
at exceedingly long distances. Good Medics have been known
to take out Sentries, and Dispensers from afar, even at
angles a Soldier could never dream of, thanks to the arc
of that the Syringe gun provides.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
2) DONT run toward the enemy unless youre cloaked. Even if
you are disguised as them, the fact that a supposed teammate is
running at them is a dead giveaway that you are a Spy and they
will kill you. Cloak, get BEHIND their lines, then stab away.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
3) As an addendum to Number 2, the disguise can be pretty much
worthless for fooling the other team if you fail to act
appropriately. All but beginners have learned to be suspicious
of everyone, and will shoot every teammate enough times to kill
a disguised Spy. Be especially weary of Pyros, since being set
on fire does not disappear when cloaked. In fact, steering clear
of Pyros altogether is a good idea, unless they are set up for
the perfect stab.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
4) You should always be in disguise! If you're spotted, you
should act quickly to either start killing, or cloak/
re-disguise, then scamper off, then return and continue to
harass the enemy.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
5) The best way to get backstabs is to cloak right before you
get to the point in the map where the teams are clashing, then
run back to a safe point behind their lines where you can
de-cloak and join their team for the fight. Often times this
takes agility to avoid the firefight on the front lines, but if
you can juke your way around the flying grenades, rockets, and
Heavy bullets, there can often be bountiful rewards awaiting
your knife-wielding hands. Be careful there are no Engineers
around, since they like to hang out near the rear. Usually, if
you see the Medics run by that means the whole line has passed,
since Medics typically run behind everyone with their beam on a
Heavy or Soldier.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
6) DO stab their Medics first. They are crucial to any
offensive push, especially if they can get their Ubercharge.
Killing them makes a brief retreat/heal or Uber-rush for the
other team impossible, effectively ending their rush and
allowing your team to pick off the attackers. I list the order
of priority to stab at 1) Medics 2) Heavies (since its really
easy) 3) Soldiers 4) Demomen 5) Everyone else. Obviously,
killing Engineers is important, too, but they are rarely on the
front lines and can be dealt with separately.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
7) Accept the fact that as a Spy, YOU WILL DIE A LOT. Spies are
weak, sapping sentries is often a suicide mission, and sometimes
their front line is so full of people and firepower that
sneaking by is impossible. Just suck it up, re-spawn, and go
back at them. Theres a reason you get twice as many points for
a backstab, since you probably die twice as much as other
classes just getting into the position to get one. But oh, how
sweet they are.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
8) Plan proactively. If you can see your team has a capture
well in hand, try to sneak onto the next point for an easy
capture before the enemy can get its defenses up. This works
great on the final points on Granary and Well since they capture
really fast and you can almost always get the point before they
can stop you. Then you can rush into their spawn before your
team can get there and steal all the juicy free kills.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
9) Dont get greedy with sapping. When you put a sapper on
something, be sure you can get away cleanly unless youre just
trying to get a sentry and dying is expected. If there are four
enemies with their backs to you and an enemy teleport nearby,
LEAVE IT ALONE. If the Engineer is nearby, hell announce that
hes being sapped and his team will raise hell looking for you.
Besides, killing the enemy troops is worth more points, and is
usually better for your team, especially if there're Medics in
the bunch.
More on Engineers and Sentries later...
-----------------------------------------------------------------
10) Originally, Spies were unable to use teles due to the fact
that it would leave a glow at their feet-- giving them away
to the entire enemy team. This pixie dust like glow effect
lasted long enough where if the Spy had just walked instead
of using the tele, he'd probably get to the target destination
around the same time the pixie dust effects would have worn off.
This means that it made sense for the Spy to ignore the tele,
thus taking the roundabout path instead.
Thankfully however, Valve has changed tele and Spy properties
in a more current update, changing the "glow" like attributes.
Now a Spy can use a tele safely without the glow at his feet.
The catch is, the Spy must be disguised as the enemy for this to
take effect. If the Spy is disguised as anything aside for the
enemy, he will still show the pixie glow at his feet.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
11) The true skill that comes into play while playing Spy is
speed. The only time you should sit still, if ever, is to
recharge your cloaking, and that's only if you are in a very
secure spot. Otherwise, constantly change your disguise after
being spotted, and while cloaked might I add. Spies are hunters;
sometimes they let their prey come to them.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
12) As a Spy, you have to avoid your own team when passing a
choke point, no not because you are afraid to be seen with your
team in an enemy disguise (giving away the fact that you're a
Spy), as you can easily cloak and sneak away. The problem is
that when you move with your team, even whilst invisible, you'll
likely be shot in the crossfire and often times killed. For
example, if your team goes to point A, go to point B. Or, if
they go to point A go to point B and make your way to point A.
Take the most convoluted way possible, and kill everyone
along the way.
As stated before, while with your team, or on your side of
the map, use a friendly disguise until you get close enough to
the enemy where you cloak, re-disguise, and sneak off.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
13) Don't worry about what classes the enemy team has when it
comes to deciding upon a disguise (unless its a very small
game). The enemy is usually too busy running about and wont
notice what their entire team is comprised of.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
14) Also, be on the lookout for enemy Spies, they are up to the
same things that you are, so expect what they're up to before
they even know what they're doing. There is nothing like out-
spying a Spy. Keep track of enemy Spy movement especially after
having breached the enemys side of the map. Oftentimes youll
see an enemy Spy take on a disguise in plain site. Also, if you
want to hunt enemy Spies who are plaguing your team, one good
strategy is to disguise yourself as a Pyro of your own team.
Spies usually fear Pyros, and dont attempt stabbing them. This
will usually give you an edge over enemy spies. Make sure to
watch for typical de-cloaking areas that you would use as a Spy
to catch their Spies in the act.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
15) If you're chasing down an enemy, and can't catch up, gun them
down. The revolver isn't the most powerful weapon, but if used
correctly (and by all means this is correctly), there are many
scenarios in which it can prove effective. Though, must I
remind you that as a Spy your primary focus should be that of
your knife.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
16) Sometimes youll be caught in a scenario where youll have no
choice but to pass straight by an enemy who will soon hopefully
walk right by you without suspicion. A few tips will aid you in
doing so with little suspicion. Firstly, dont look straight at
them, look straight ahead. Dont act like youre afraid of them,
try to act natural, so in this case no backing off then
proceeding forward again. At the very instant that you're about
to pass by each other, turn to them very quickly and stab their
side. If your stab lands on their side near enough their back,
it's a one-hit-wonder (which will usually be the case in this
scenario). This is such a satisfying way of dealing with the
enemy.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
17) When cloaking/de-cloaking always do so out of enemy site,
and give the cloaking/de-cloaking process time to complete
before you run out of cover. Many Spies dont realize that when
they de-cloak, they appear differently to the enemy, it takes
about two seconds to fully de-cloak for them to look like their
disguise. Otherwise they will be half translucent for a few
moments, and then their cover is blown. The same issue is
involved with cloaking. If you cloak and immediately try to run
by enemies they will see you for a second, shoot in the area
that you were headed, causing you to become slightly visible,
and continue to shoot you. Heavies will do this all the time,
if they are shooting and clip a Spy, they will follow the
invisible Spy based on the translucent figure they saw when they
hit you. Usually a Heavy will finish you like this, which is
very annoying.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
18) Sometimes people like to rely on hard facts to consider how
they might go about playing. For example, many people would say
never get in a fire fight with a Spy because his revolver is
among the weakest weapons in the game, and the Spy also has
little health in comparison to other classes. Though, those
people fail to take into consideration the obvious. Often times
when you use the revolver, the enemy will not expect it. If the
enemy isnt aware of you to begin with youll easily land
multiple hits, (usually enough to kill) before they even have
time to react. So, stats aside, its still a handy weapon, when
used accordingly.
Note: When dealing with the Heavy, Soldier, and any other class
with a considerable amount of health use the revolver as a last-
ditch effort, seeing as how they won't go down easily. In fact,
you're better off fleeing said classes rather than engaging in a
fire-fight with them.
NOTE: Generally speaking, the Revolver should only be used when
a backstab is not possible. Say for example you are chasing
someone. Sometimes you simply can't catch up. As such, pulling
out the revolver and landing a few slugs in their back could
very well kill them, however, if you fail to land the hits,
you've blown your cover. Oftentimes it's better to avoid making
yourself known to the enemy. Simply put, don't blow your cover
if you don't have to.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
19) Furthering #18, in some cases youll be forced to use your
revolver because youve run out of cloak and the enemy has
already fired a few shots at you. Just take your time, and
strafe to avoid their fire. One strategy Ive found to increase
accuracy when the enemy is wildly moving about is actually to
let strafing act as a sort of aiming. Once youve got your
crosshair on the same level as the enemy, for example, on the
same level as the body, strafe in whichever direction the enemy
is moving, to line-up your shot on them. For example, an
Engineer is running back and forth firing off shotty rounds at
you, sometimes simply aiming can work great, but its also easy
to miss, and you only have six shots. Move your crosshair so
that when you strafe to the left or right it will fall upon the
enemy; once you lineup with the enemy; fire. Sounds odd, but it
works incredibly well. Why would you do this? Well, seeing as
how youre adding strafing as a way of lining up your shot,
youre increasing the difficulty for your enemy to hit you. Try
it out, practice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
20) Walking backwards towards your enemy ("retreating to them")
can sometimes be one of the most discrete ways of sneaking
amongst enemy ranks. Though, abusing your option of doing so
could manifest a growing suspicion of you in the eyes of your
enemy. Walking backwards is usually done when you are running
out of cloak in, or amongst enemy ranks, and it's always done
when your team is present so it appears as if you are concerned
with them. For example, one time I was running out of cloak, so
I quickly looked for a spot to de-cloak, which in this case was
on the other side of some rather large crate. After de-cloaking
I quickly left my position joining nearby-by enemy forces (which
were within my relative vicinity). I decided to face where the
choke point was (thus facing my team) and I evasively backed
off. This is effective because moving like the enemy makes you
appear more believable in their eyes.
-----------------------------------------------------
Sometimes backing up can be risky, here are a few tips:
-----------------------------------------------------
A. Try to avoid bumping into an enemy while backing-
up. This is an immediate give away to most every
enemy.
-----------------------------------------------------
B. It's also useful to appear as if you are fearful
of your own team. For example, if they are
launching rockets at near-by enemies, you should
dodge your own teams rockets, and other such gun
fire. Again, if the enemy sees you dodging
rockets, and other firepower, they'll be more
likely to believe that you're one of them.
-----------------------------------------------------
C. Don't walk backwards in areas where it wouldn't
make sense to do so. For example, once you are far
from a choke point you'd tend to assume that there
aren't many enemies near-by, so walking backwards
and darting around as if to be afraid of your own
team that is across the map looks incredibly
suspicious. I've seen some foolish Spies do this
before. The outcome is death.
-----------------------------------------------------
D. Getting caught in crossfire is the leading cause
of death. Which for whatever reason is usually a
rocket to your face. Attempt avoiding crossfire
to the best of your ability.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
21) Once you're behind a bunch of enemies who are all facing away
from you, there is a certain way that you should go about
stabbing them. Try to stab each enemy in succession from closest
to furthest enemy from you. That way each enemy that you kill
will be taken out outside the visual scope of the enemies in
front of them, granting you the option of stabbing them next.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
22) This may be a bit obvious, but, generally speaking, it's a
good idea to disguise as a class that you've just killed. For
example, if you kill a Sniper, hide, disguise as a Sniper, then
return the area in which you killed the Sniper.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
*****************************************************************
-Section 4) Targets (Who and who not to stab) [A4]
-----------------------------------------------------------------
=======================[Best Targets]============================
Despite the fact that every enemy is a target, there are
certain classes that should be targeted more so than others,
here is that list, allow me to explain
-----------------------------------------------------------------
-Heavy:
Due to the Heavies slow movement, large figure, and the
fact that he is a huge threat to your team, Heavies are probably
the most satisfying targets to take out with one swift stab to
the back.
Due to the nature of the Heavy, they are almost always firing
their gun when on the front lines. Make sure to avoid being
struck in the crossfire. If you managed to get shot, you're
cloaking will shimmer to the enemy, giving away your position.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
-Medics:
Hunting Medics is often times critical in keeping the enemy from
advancing. Anytime you kill a Medic you are shutting-out the
enemy's opportunity of ubercharging and pushing. With that said,
you can save your team quite a bit of trouble taking them out.
Heres the problem with hunting Medics
A good Medic knows
enough to keep his ass in constant motion while healing, so,
they move randomly, and often times spin around. If you cant
backstab the Medic easily or, you miss, forget it and hurry to
whomever they are healing, which is usually either a Heavy or a
Soldier, and backstab them instead.
As I've stated, you'll oftentimes find a good Medic to be very
difficult to take out, they are o'so aware of spies. Half the
time you attempt to kill one, or, even much of the time that you
manage to kill the person they were healing, they will hunt you
down and slice you with their bonesaw. Talk about terrifying
and if that's not bad, you can expect to die too many times to
a bombardment of syringes. So despite the fact that Medics are
crucial targets, a competent Medic is very difficult.
The verdict:
You're goal should always be to kill enemy Medics, as they are
hugely important to team support. Go for the stabbing if the
opportunity arises. If you miss the Medic while stabbing, you
should either A) Stealth, then retreat. or. B) Back-stab the
next closest enemy, which will typically be the person the enemy
Medic had been healing.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
-Snipers:
What better target than a Sniper? Snipers are usually a
great distance from your team situated in some perch, or, at the
very least, are looking through their scope somewhere far-off
completely unaware of their surroundings. Often times if you
find one Sniper, you find two or three more (which is often
times the case if 2fort), Happy stabbings!
-----------------------------------------------------------------
-Engineers (and all that they create):
*** See the below section; "HOW TO HANDLE ENGINEERS" ***
-----------------------------------------------------------------
-Demoman:
The Demoman can oftentimes be a great target because they
typically play defensively, setting up sticky bombs and waiting
for the helpless to pass by them. As such he'll be waiting
nearby, carefully eyeing his stickies. Waiting comes in a few
ways for a Demoman. Either he will be crouched somewhere eyeing
his stickies, or he'll be frantically moving around an area
within visual range of his stickies (The ladder half being the
more difficult to take out). Because of this, they can be great
targets. The only time they can be a pain is in the above case
where they may move about in a frantic, erratic way.
Also, if they do see you, they can on occasion be easy to deal
with even if they are shooting at you from point-blank range,
this is because they don't rely on sheer impact but explosions
to kill their enemies. Up-close, a smart Demoman will resort to
beating you with his bottle, in which case, good luck!
-----------------------------------------------------------------
-Soldier:
The soldier is another great target, and can easily be
backstabbed due to his cumbersome nature. You better make sure
he doesn't see you coming, if he does, you may be greeted with
a rocket; which Upon impact you will blow you to pieces. It's a
risky class to deal with, because of the fact that their rockets
are so lethal to the Spy. If you fail to backstab a soldier and
thus reveal yourself to him, don't expect to make it away alive.
That point can prove true to most classes, missing a backstab
will usually result in death. Also, another almost comical
situation that you may face when dealing with a Soldier is
getting blown up when he is innocently rocket-jumping somewhere.
It happens, the splash damage is enough to kill the Spy, watch
out!
-----------------------------------------------------------------
-Spy:
Surprisingly, Spy vs. Spy can be quite effective. Though one
must take a different approach in dealing with Spies. Don't go
looking high and low for the enemy Spies, just keep your eyes
open, and check your teammates by attempting to walk through
them. Oftentimes once on the enemy's turf, you'll see their
Spies leave spawn and take on a disguise. You can chase them and
stab them, which can become really easy depending on the
disguise they choose seeing as how some disguises hinder the
Spy's overall speed. If you can't catch up, you may consider
dueling the enemy Spy with your revolver, may the better Spy
win!
For the record, more typically Spies are a class that you kill
when they happen to cross paths with you, you don't go looking
for them. You might see a supposed teammate acting suspicious,
good kill him, stab him in the back he's a spy. You may also
witness that Spy break disguise and start backstabbing your
teammates, again, stab him in the back.
As far as your overall desired targets, enemy Spies should not
be a primary focus, but rather a spur of the moment one. With
that said, if while in the enemy's base you see a Spy take on a
disguise, or if you see a disguised Spy (which is easy to spot
seeing as how they are probably disguised as your team's color,
and aren't getting shot at by your enemy around them) I'd
usually recommend ignoring him, continuing on with bigger,
better things.
Note: It'll become pretty simple to spot enemy Spies once you
learn what to look for. On occasion, your team may cry
out that a particular Spy is giving them a great deal of
trouble, also, said Spy may focus on the same area time
and time again upon re-spawning. In said scenario, it's
always nice to help out your team, this can be done in a
multitude of ways. You could hideout waiting for the Spy
to come to you. You could attempt deterring the enemy
Spy by disguising as a friendly Pyro, as such they will
be more timid upon approach. Also, being that you're goal
is to take out an enemy Spy, think outside the box. Think
about how you would play Spy if you were on the
opposing team. If you know the map, you'll know specific
routes that good Spies will use often, in addition, you'll
be aware of many other map specific tactics that Spies
have at their disposal. There is nothing better than out-
smarting a rival Spy.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Stabbing aside, the following are also key targets that a Spy
must consider...
-Tele-Entrance:
It is worth noting that the easiest target is a tele entrance,
based on the fact that nothing is around to protect it but that
of enemies who re-spawn near them.
-Sentry Gun:
The Spy is unique in that he is the only class in the game
capable of disabling Engineer structures. He is oftentimes key
in handling enemy Sentries. A well placed Sentry, in
combination with a pressuring enemy opposition can more than
cripple your team. Taking out these bad boys will definitely aid
your team immensely.
-Dispenser:
Taking out dispensers is also very important because they
provide Engineers with more metal with which to repair their
things. In addition, they heal the enemy, and replenish their
ammo supply. It's very important to take these out.
-Tele-Exit:
Oftentimes these are located near an Engineer's dispenser and
sentry. If this is not the case, then they are placed in a
discrete place that is really not to difficult to spot. These
are fairly simple to take out, as the sapper finishes them off
before most Engineers have time to save them.
*Make sure to check out the Engineer specific section later in
the guide.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
=======================[Worst Targets]===========================
-Pyro:
Enemy Pyros are a Spys greatest fear, and will cause the
most aggravation. This is because Pyros tend to spray their fire
randomly, and all too often in that random spraying they will
singe you and catch you ablaze. Once you are on fire, you are
tagged to the entire enemy team. Now they can all see that
you're a Spy. usually, If you walk into a Pyro, even for a
second, they burn you to death, so avoid them above all else.
Also, probably the most aggravating of all is the fact that they
help baby-sit sentry guns and dispensers with the Engineers;
making it very difficult for a Spy to do any real damage,
though, on occasion, a Spy can still be successful in sapping
and destroying things even in the presence of a Pyro. Messing
with an enemy Pyro will almost always result in being burned to
death. If you're on fire, can't escape for health (which stops
you from burning), and can't jump into water, then don't go down
without a fight. Sap stuff, stab people, go out and take the
entire world with you.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
-Scout:
Sure Scouts are typically thought of as weak, and puny, this
maybe so through the eyes of a hulking Heavy, or a psychotic
rocket-wielding Soldier. However, from a Spy's point-of-view,
Scouts can be devastating. Most Spies probably have nightmares
of their rapidly swinging bat. The reason Scouts are so deadly
to Spies is as follows. First of all they are so fast. When you
turn corners while cloaked a Scout might come out of nowhere and
run into you, in this case you are almost always dead. You've
been discovered... They will run around shooting their scatter
gun and pummeling the air with their bat, covering far more area
than you at a much more quicker rate. If you run out of cloak,
forget it, back stabbing, or at the very least, stabbing them to
death is very difficult, and unless you are dead-on with the
revolver, expect to see that bat finding its way to your face!
-----------------------------------------------------------------
*****************************************************************
-Section 5) HOW TO HANDLE ENGINEERS [A5]
-----------------------------------------------------------------
As a Spy, you'll spend a great deal of time taking out both
Engineers, and their establishments. The following is a list of
many of, if not all of the possible scenarios you'll experience
in dealing with them.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Before I begin, I decided to add a few general pointers when
dealing with Engineers.
Generally speaking, in most scenarios, it's safer to stab the
Engineer, then sap his establishment.
If you backstab the Engineer whilst he is behind a tier three
Sentry, you'll actually be able to follow up with a sapper to
the sentry if you move very quickly. However, speed isn't the
only factor at hand. Typically, it's best to move around the
sentry a slight bit, dodging the revolving turret before
sapping. This works very well, you just have to follow the
motion of the turret. You can actually move around the turret
just as fast, if not faster, as it can turn to face you. Which
means so long as you don't mess-up, you'll be able to sap it.
This is probably one of the flashiest things a Spy can do.
Practice.
Another useful tip deals with enemy dispensers. Pay attention
to enemy dispenser location, with relation to that particular
Engineer's Sentry. More often than not, an Engineer will build
both his dispenser and Sentry in close proximity to one
another. You can actually use this to your advantage. In some
scenarios you may stab the Engineer and not have time to deal
with his tier three sentry. You can avoid the sentry entirely
by hiding behind the dispenser. A sentry built by Engineer "A"
can not shoot through a dispenser built by said Engineer. It
acts as sort of barrier, the sentry can't even see you once
you duck behind it. Use this to your advantage. Be careful
though, if the dispenser you hide behind is made by a
different Engineer than the one who made the sentry, the
sentry will target and shoot you through the dispenser.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
1.) Sometimes youll find that an Engineer has left his
establishment unattended, in which case sap everything in sight.
Though, most Engineers are smart enough to baby-sit sit their
sentry gun, dispenser, and usually a tele exit. So, its not
always this simple.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
2.) When they are camping their sentry gun and dispenser take
note of a few things. Firstly, where is the dispenser in
relation to them? Usually they crouch with their sentry gun to
their front and their dispenser to their rear. Secondly, where
are you in relation to your target Engineer? If you come at the
Engineer from the front, and he can see you, even in disguise,
he will suspect that youre a Spy, and will greet you with a
few shotty rounds or a pleasant smack of the wrench to your
face. So its imperative to cloak and get by the target
Engineer, then de-cloak in a safe place. Now, coming from a
natural place, approach the Engineer. Usually, approaching
from behind yields the best results being that you have the
element of surprise on your side. If this is the case, you have
a few options.
-----------------------------------------------------
A. Sap everything near the Engineer and attempt to
stab him.(Sometimes risky because he could repair
the sentry just as you stab him and youll
probably die. Though, sometimes you can get a
clean stab at his back.)
-----------------------------------------------------
B. Backstab the unsuspecting Engineer then
immediately sap the sentry followed by the
dispenser.(which is the most risky thing to do
with a tier 3 sentry as it could turn and kill you
faster than you can sap it). To avoid being shot
by the sentry, as stated above, you can move
around it as it rotates towards you. If you dodge
toe turret effectively enough, you'll be able to
sap it with no problem.
-----------------------------------------------------
C. Sap everything, then strafe like mad re-sapping as
the Engineer knocks off your sappers. keeping the
Engineer as busy as possible is key. During this
sap-fest, if the moment presents itself, backstab
the Engineer. If not, continue to re-sap, while
attempting to kill the Engineer. Overwhelming the
Engineer is always advised. (You might use C when
an Engineer builds his things in such a way that
his back is to a wall and he cant be backstabbed.
Which is often times the case for certain areas of
many maps. Usually in said scenario the Engineer
will be sitting on top of his dispenser, which is
against the corner of a room.)
Conversely, if he is atop his dispenser, and his
back is to the wall you can use his Sentry gun as
a step stool to get on top of the Engineer.
Though, to do this, you must be cloaked, otherwise
the Engineer will be aware of you. Once you get
on top of the engineer, crouch, and stab downwards
nearest his back, this should result in a
backstab.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
3.) The Engineer is building a sentry. Approach him from behind
making sure that his sentry is facing AWAY from you, backstab
him, and then IMMEDIATELY sap the sentry. Its not worth making
it known to the Engineer that you are there. So sometimes
stabbing first is the way to go, and can save you the pain of
being beat to death by an angry wrench-wielding yellow-helmeted
Engineer... Ultimately, I ALWAYS recommend you stab them in the
back first, so long as you are directly behind the sentry--
it is key that the sentry is facing away from you, you'll be
able to stab then sap before it can fully turn to you. This
grows increasingly more risky as the sentry advances in tech
level. Stab-sapping is generally made easier when you strafe
around the turret, attempting to avoid the revolving sentry so
to provide you the opportunity to sap it. You'll find this
useful with tier three sentries, try it out, experiment...
Note: This works on each level sentry, though the risk increases
as the sentry advances. For example, if you backstab the
Engineer then fail to sap his tier 3 sentry before it turns to
shoot you; you're more than likely dead. Speed is everything
here.
Note: This becomes more difficult to pull off when an Engineer
is sandwiched between a dispenser and his sentry, because in
this case, usually you can't situate yourself directly behind
the sentry unless you are sitting atop his dispenser, then
stab, then sap. Try backstabbing the Engineer, then very
quickly back of seeking cover behind his dispenser.
Note: If a sentry turned fast enough to shoot you... you can
take quite a few hits from a tier 1 sentry before you die. So
you have time to approach it and sap, even from the front.
A Tier 2 sentry is more deadly, but still if you get clipped
you'll survive plenty long enough to sap it. Finally, as I've
mentioned, if a tier 3 sentry turns quickly enough to fire at
you the rocket pods will kill you in one strike.
Note: #3 is absolutely the way to go in handling Engineers in
sudden-death mode. It's especially helpful in this scenario
because so long as you backstab the Engineer so to do you
destroy their establishment. So in this case you don't have to
worry about which way the their sentry is facing, but rather
you want to make sure that if you attempt striking them in the
back, don't miss.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
4.) Sometimes you will find a sentry and dispenser off to the
side, with no protection, but you know an Engineer is near
enough that he can get there in time to halt your sapping. The
best thing to do in such a scenario is to shoot whatever it is
that you sapped with your revolver, thus blowing your cover.
This is the smartest thing a Spy can do given the situation and
scenario. While something is sapped it is loosing health
rapidly, and sometimes not quickly enough for it to die before
the aid of a near-by Engineer, so shooting the target, while
sapped will surely get the job done. This strategy is usually
done when no one is around to kill you when you come out of your
disguise. Though, it is also sometimes a last-ditch effort to
ensure that a sentry dies before you die.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
5.) The last word of advice I have for you is how to deal with
one of those smartass Engineers who figures out how to get to an
area that is typically out of reach, thus making sapping
impossible. Seeing as how you can get behind enemy lines fairly
easily as a Spy, position yourself in or near the enemies base,
the best place being a somewhat secluded area. Then, shoot the
dispenser with your revolver, it may not seem so accurate, but
you'll soon see the dispenser smoking, and catch ablaze. It
only takes a few shots from even quite a distance to take out a
dispenser; taking out the sentry is next on the list. Fire
away at the sentry, it will take a clip or two, so between 6
and 12 bullets to kill a tier 3 sentry.
Note: Always use #5 when dealing with an Engineer who is too
difficult to take out, for whatever reason (it could be that he
has Pyros protecting him). Make sure to position yourself
outside the sentry's range.
Note: The last thing an Engineer expects from a Spy is that
he'll attack his establishment by simply shooting at it. Most
Engineers take so much care as to how they build their
establishment as to hinder the Spy's chances of succeeding them,
that they overlook the obvious.
-----------------------------
Specific Map Examples of #5:
-----------------------------
Gravel Pit
When on the offensive, you might notice that at point C, some
rather intelligent Engineer has built his stuff on the roof of
the tower at C. Not that platform near the control point, but
the slanted roof on the backend. That Engineer's sentry can do
quite a bit of damage to your team because he is relatively safe
and can easily repair without worry of spies and whatnot. Or is
he?
Position yourself in the far corner of the enemy base, where the
Snipers hang out, more specifically, in the corner near the
enemy's right spawn point door against the wall. From their,
you'll avoid a fair amount of enemies as they may spawn and run
right past you, also you'll have a perfect line-up to that
little roof and the Engineer. Take out the dispenser first,
shooting it wildly. Then destroy as much as you can, Id
recommend taking out the sentry next.
Also nearly every time this map is played an Engineer sets up on
the left side of C, on that ramp just beyond the spawn entrance.
If that Engineer has been giving you trouble, I'd advise
following the above steps in taking out his sentry as well.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Well
In Well, I find it to be necessary on occasion to shoot an
Engineer's set-up from the third floor area above the 2nd
control point (this is the highest area in which there is a
large rectangular gap in the floor).
Assuming you're at the enemies base, and there is no threat up
there with you. You may find that the best way to take out the
Engineer's stuff is crouching, and making sure you are
positioned in such a way that enemy sentry gun(s) can't hit
you, then take out the dispenser, and sentry gun(s) with your
trusty revolver. Sometimes this is more useful than sapping,
because often times you die when sapping because another enemy
intervenes you, like a Pyro or Soldier. If you're quick enough
you can kill off one structure at a time without the Engineer
knowing where you are, and how his stuff is dieing.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
*****************************************************************
Section 6) Map Specific Strategies [A6]
-----------------------------------------------------------------
-Preface:
Most of these strategies utilize the concept of "looping". The
idea of looping, in short, is finding a path in a map that will
easily take you behind the enemy, and in a congested area. Kill
as many of said enemies as possible, then cloak and make your
way to the path that brought you behind the enemy in the first
place. Repeat the slaughter. Hence the "looping." This technique
is usually a sure-fire success. Obviously, it will require some
on-the-fly maneuvering to decrease your predictability to the
enemy. They may catch onto you patterns. However, there are so
many patterns, that your enemy can't possibly track each one.
Just be smart, loop till it no longer works, than change the
pattern, then go back to the original pattern that worked.
Confuse and dismay your enemy.
The following examples are brought to you nearly entirely by
nodforlife. Kudos to him as he has spent quite a bit of time
going over many of the maps in considerable detail. Though don't
worry, Delkin didn't slack here entirely. The only map specific
strategy that he's responsible for is that of CP_Well. In
addition he added to many of the sections, namely the Hydro
additional information and tips, and a brief opening for
Gravel Pit.
We hope this section illustrates the effectiveness of the above
strategies, and ideas.
=================================================================
Hydro
=================================================================
This is probably among the most difficult maps to play Spy on,
since the distance between your base and theirs is usually large
and takes up your entire cloak meter, often causing you to
reveal yourself in the middle of their base and subsequently be
shot. Don't worry, the key here is experience. With practice,
you'll learn where best to cloak, and where best to de-cloak. In
which case you'll find yourself lined up for tons of kills on
this map. There are two ways to play Hydro as a Spy: rush-
stopper or base-sapper. Most variations of Hydro have two paths
to the enemy side, so bottlenecking occurs frequently. If you
decide to be a rush-stopper, find a decent nook in the pathway
between bases to cloak, wait for their rush to go by, then try
to kill their Medics, Heavies, etc. For the Spy on Hydro, the
best defense can really be a good offense, because you will stop
their rushes cold before they can cause any damage to your side.
Your ally Snipers may hate you for stealing their kills before
they are in range, but hey, they should be less cowardly anyway.
The other option is to try to destroy the opponents defenses.
This takes more finesse, since killing a sentry on Hydro is less
important than other maps. Because of the distance between
control points, the Engineers often have time to repair their
destroyed buildings before your team can bust through their
lines and take advantage of the lull in defense. I'd only
recommend trying to sap their defenses if you can time your saps
with your teams rushes, sapping them right before your team
makes a big offensive push. Often, the opponents will become so
preoccupied with trying to kill the Spy they will be caught
off-guard by the rush and your allies can get the point.
----------------------
Additional Hydro Tips
-----------------------------------------------------------------
I've received e-mails from people still experiencing difficulty
on this map, namely the fact that they don't have enough cloak
to maneuver around safely, and as such de-cloak in sight of
enemy forces and die.
As stated above, Hydro is a difficult map to play as Spy for a
few reasons, primarily due-to-the-fact that the map is large,
and rather wide-open. Your cloak meter is just barely enough to
reach the enemy's side, let alone navigating it. Here are some
furthering pointers that will hopefully aid you. Keep in mind
that Hydro is one of the more difficult maps as Spy because you
need to be at the peek of your game to truly do well, as it
demands the utmost of Spy coordination. Sure a newer Spy can
become lucky and do well, but if there are experienced players
lurking, a new Spy can only get so far.
Here are some keynotes to aid in the success of Spying in this
map:
1. Cloak at the last possible second-- though always before
entering enemy sights. (this ensures that you have the max
amount of cloak available when sneaking around the enemy's
base.)
2. Chose disguises quickly, and effectively. Pyro is one of the
best disguises on any map. In addition, this map is a major
Sniping map, and as such executing a Sniper disguise when
in the appropriate area is immensely effective, namely when
taking out snipers. Also, Engineers go nuts on this map,
which again points to the fact that an Engineer disguise
will often prove effective. Beyond said disguises, Demoman
isn't bad either, as it doesn't decrease your speed much.
3. When de-cloaking, obviously de-cloaking behind cover is
essential to the success of a Spy. Though, sometimes things
don't work out so smoothly, at the very least, de-cloak far
out of enemy range or sight (e.g. if you're on the enemy's
side, and are running out of cloak and can't reach cover in
time, try to back as far from the enemy as you can and don't
stop somewhere to replenish cloaking. Just pray that your
sloppy de-cloaking was unseen by the enemy). Keep moving once
on the enemy side. One great place to de-cloak on many
versions of Hydro is under one of the many bridges. I
recommend that you scurry to the furthest bridge in an enemy
base when de-cloaking-- again don't wait under the bridge for
your cloaking to replenish as enemy's will kill you on-
sight, immediately suspecting that you're a Spy. For the
record, once you know the map well, and where and when to
deploy your cloak, finding cover should be no problem. Though
Hydro has some expansive open areas, there are always plenty
of places to hide, I assure you. Be creative, and spontaneous.
4. Always try using the back-way first (try to avoid moving with
your team). Though, sometimes it's not quite that simple, you
may find that every time you attempt to use a back-way, which
tends to be a narrow path, you run into an enemy who also
decided to play it sneaky, as such you could die in a heart-
beat. Though, if you are able to bypass an entrance as such,
it will be far more easy to slip through the enemy's base,
and usually with more cloak at your disposal. If a back-way
continually fails, the primary path(s) can be just as
effective if not more so, it's just a matter of cloaking at
the right moment which in this case, and all cases, is the
last possible second, just before entering enemy sights. Also,
another reason to avoid primary paths is the fact that there's
Amazing Games. Many Cheats. Such Wow.
