MvM for complete idiots

It’s been a while since I’ve played non Mann VS Machine Team Fortress 2 and I felt I ought to write something about the one game mode that can essentially become pay-to-play, just like the game used to be. But since I’m cheap as chips, I won’t be talking much about Mann Up, mostly chatting about Boot Camp. In this article, I’ll go over a few general tips that will help all newer players so you don’t end up begging for mercy at the knees of a swarm of Heavy bots.

1. Upgrade after every wave.
This is obvious but not everyone does this. While it can be amusing playing on a 10-man server seeing if you can survive without purchasing a single upgrade, it’s best not to do this and to spend that money. Choose your upgrade wisely, taking into account what you currently have, how much money you have and what you’ll be fighting in the next wave. Don’t forget things like power ups, health on kill and increases in ammo pools. It’s all well and good throwing all your money into more damage when you’ve only got a clip of 4 and are constantly running out of ammo.

And another thing! Don’t bother spending it all on jump boosts as my sister does. Yes, it’s funny, but you might as well not have bought anything at all.

2. Buy resistances.
When you’re in the Upgrades menu, you may overlook the class image. That’s clickable and takes you to yet another upgrades page, this time containing various classless upgrades. The most important ones here are the Resistances: Explosive, Bullet, Fire and Critical Resistance. Explosive and Bullet are the big ones, as you’ll often be fighting hordes of Soldiers, Demomen and Heavies, and these resistances often help with keeping you alive. Do not ever ignore Critical Resistance though. At only 150 credits, if you’re about to face multiple enemies with crits, get some resistance for it. Even one level increases your chance of surviving a crocket to the face.

3. Target the bomb carriers first.
While that one Spy can be a nuisance and those bat Scouts are a pain, if you focus on the little guys, you won’t have a chance to kill off the ones carrying the bomb. The HUD at the bottom of the screen has a compass which points to where the bomb currently is and whether it’s being carried by a robot or not. Keep an eye on this and be ready to fall back and kill whoever dares touch that bomb.

4. Don’t let giant Scouts get the bomb.
That being said, very very often the main reason a team loses is because they let a giant Scout pick up the bomb. Unlike other giants, who move rather slowly and lumber around the map in a huff, Giant Scouts all run insanely fast and can take quite a lot of damage. They also seem to deploy the bomb faster than most. If there is a Giant Scout somewhere on the map, kill it before you kill the current bomb carriers.

5. The Mantreads are stupid.
Remember what you’re doing here: you’re fighting lots of robots. That means you want to do lots of damage. Don’t equip weapons that will severely limit you in battle. Unlike normal game play, there’s six of you and up to 24 of them at a time, so you want to kill things as quickly as possible. Pick weapons that will help you but no one is going to like you if you’re going to be an SMG Sniper or a Sapper-less Spy. Demoknights MAY work but only if you’ve got every other base covered.

6. Don’t play a class if you are not very good at it.
Thus one should be obvious. All classes can be used in MvM, but if you’re not very good at said class, don’t play it. Everyone hates a Sniper who can’t reliably headshot things and people tend to dislike a Spy who spends more time dead than alive. But the same goes for more generalist classes. If you’re not a very good Medic, play as Soldier with the Concheror instead. Or if you’re a poor Engineer, play Heavy and get more stuff done.

7. DOSH!
Let’s face it, we’re all playing this for the money. Literally. While it’s silly to kick that Scout for missing 5 credits (remember, everyone’s human!) you want to make sure you find as much of that cash as possible. Collecting all the money in a round gives you a nice big bonus at the end, allowing you to buy even more upgrades. Scouts are the best at collecting money as it is attracted to them and they gain health from picking money up, but if you see a stray bit of cash, do your team a favour and pick it up.

8. Listen to your team and be willing to compromise.
A comment you often hear is that people get kicked a lot. But very often though they have a valid reason to be kicked, especially in Mann Up, where people are paying to play and win prizes. Someone on your team asks you to change class because it’s not needed, look around you and see if he’s right. When there are only 6 players, you don’t need two Scouts or three Heavies. If you’re still not convinced, like for example you are playing an unusual loadout for Soldier, explain to your team why your loadout is good. Or better yet, say “if we have problems, I’ll change.” MvM, like the rest of Team Fortress, is all about team work and listening to your allies. Plus, some of them might be MvM pros who know what they’re talking about.

Anyway, that’s it for now. While these tips are glaringly obvious to pros, they’re worth noting if you’re a newbie.