Why Demoman?
Why do I enjoy playing Demoman?
Well, I just really, really enjoy hitting pipes.
While the Stickybomb Launcher is the Demoman’s de facto primary weapon and his best damage dealer, the grenade launchers always have this strange allure for me. Sure, they probably aren’t as powerful as the Winbomb Launcher, but there is just something really satisfying about lobbing a grenade and having it hit a Scout right in his face, carving a whole chunk of health out of that Bostonian loudmouth. The greater skill needed to directly hit a grenade, the beautiful arc the pills traced as they flew through the battlefield, the explosions, and the 100 HP damage per direct hit made me fell in love with the stock Grenade Launcher once I got a bit more confident in the game. Bouncing pills around corners to take out Sentries is pretty fun too.
The Loch-n-Load is the one grenade launcher that I didn’t used as much. At its peak it was pretty OP, so it felt kind of dirty using it. And now, I just don’t really feel like using it. Sure, it’s a bit easier to aim, but losing one grenade for that really hurts.
My current go-to grenade launcher is the Iron Bomber. One fun thing that I like to do is to chuck a pill somewhere behind my enemy in a duel, then try to get him to run to it as it explodes. For some reason, that really amuses me. The firing sound of the Iron Bomber bugs me a little though, it sounds exactly like someone bouncing a basketball on a concrete floor. I remember being rather taken aback when I first heard its firing sound.
But none of them brought me as much joy as the Loose Cannon. I quit playing anything but Demo when I first got it just to learn how to hit the Double Donk properly. There is nothing quite as satisfying as smacking someone right in the face with a cannonball, then have said cannonball blow up right before their mangled nose. I am pretty damn sure that I was less effective as a Demoman when I had the Cannon out, but I didn’t really care since I had way more fun with it.
Unfortunately, the need to blow things up means that, as much as I like playing explosive marksman, I need to bring out the Stickybomb Launcher. I did tried using the Scottish Resistance and the Quickiebomb Launcher, but those never stuck with me. The stock Stickybomb Launcher is just far too versatile and powerful. I never used the Quickiebomb Launcher after that brief trial, and the Scottish Resistance is reserved for MvM.
The Stickybomb Launcher is the one weapon that I think I can never hit its skill ceiling. I had a taste of it, long ago, when I was facing a Demoman who airbursts stickybombs so well it is practically a sniper rifle. The prediction, aim, and timing on that guy was so perfect, I was just awestruck the whole game. I never seemed to move far beyond the “blow as many things up as possible and hope your enemies are one of them” approach to using the Stickybomb Launcher, which sucks. I mean, I can somewhat aim those spiky balls, but I always missed by just a bit.
As for the Sticky Jumper, I used to use them on 2Fort, before they got nerfed. Being the idiot that I am, I always used all eight to jump from one balcony to another. What ended up happening is that I’ll jump over them, and smacked head-first into the skybox the moment I detonated all eight jumper bombs.
From this, I learned two things. Firstly, a single bomb is enough to jump from one Sniper balcony to the other, two is a safe bet, and all eight is way overdoing it. Secondly, with the pre-nerf Jumper and the B.A.S.E. Jumper, Demoman can be the best courier service provider in all of Badlands.
As for Demoknighting, I can’t say that I’m a fan. I mean, I used to rock the Persian Persuader, Ali Baba’s Wee Booties and the Splendid Screen, and I stopped using it for … reasons.
And besides, when it comes down to it, I play Demoman for one reason and one reason only: to blow things up.
I mean, why bother with sharpened pieces of metal when you can have at least ten bombs at your disposal?
The last thing I really like about Demoman is his character. He’s this loud, barely sober guy chucking bombs around and laughing like a hyena. Out of all nine mercenaries he’s definitely my favourite, character-wise. His guffawing laugh, drunken slurring, and crude insults is just so funny and endearing. Though I probably can’t stand actually interacting and conversing with him unless alcohol is involved.
But yeah, Demoman’s great.
