Playing the Sniper Rifle in Team Fortress Classic

Aabicus, don’t you mean “Playing the Sniper”?

No, I mean playing the sniper rifle. Because that is your job. Your life. That gun is a battlefield-stomping menace that boasts more flexibility and versatility than anything in Team Fortress 2.

I know you think you’ve fought sniper rifles in TF2, but you haven’t fought a gun that can:

*Charge and headshot from the hip

*Charge-up damage infinitely

*deal slowdown on bodyshot that never goes away (unless healed by a medic)

*Deal knockback to friendlies, leading to the comical-looking but super useful “Sniper Jumping” technique

*Gib on fully-charged headshot

But believe it or not, gibbing on headshot isn’t its most powerful feature. No, that would be the  alt-mode which turned it into a perfect-accuracy rapidfire machine gun that shredded anyone in seconds. You know how TF2 doesn’t have assault rifles? Well, there’s exactly one in TFC, and the Sniper got it!

Along with the Rocket Launcher, Sentry, and Concussion Grenade, you are holding one of the cornerstones of the TFC metagame, so treat it with respect. You’ve got arguably the largest skill ceiling in the game because your gun is capable of almost anything at any given moment.

Of course, the other reason to practice with it is that every other part of you is pitifully weak. Low health, low armor, and your only other weapons are the ubiquitous crowbar, hand grenade, and nailgun. So the Sniper Rifle is basically your only claim to fame.

If you’ve played or even heard of a sniper in other games, you can guess the optimal gameplay strategy. Stand way in the back and stare at things. If you see someone wearing the wrong color, aim for the head and click. The difference is that your hand grenades and Assault rifle make you pretty powerful at close range in case someone surprises you. Don’t worry as much about spies because hardly anyone played spies in TFC; your real threat is counter-snipers.

And that pretty much sums it up.