A Truly Random Topic of Conversation

I couldn’t decide what to write about, so I hit “Random Page” on the wiki, and I’m gonna write about whatever pops up. Huh. Okay then. Grockets have by and large exited the public conscience ever since Valve removed them from the maps in which they crashed, but for a time they were the closest thing TF2 had to extraterrestrial contact. Birthed from a collaboration with Weta Workshop and Valve, the first Grockets crashed into 2fort, Badwater and Barnblitz on July 18, 2011. Two days later they were revealed to be teasers for the new Grordbort Victory Pack, which came… [Continue Reading]

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The Amputator: Not Really for Amputating

I was looking over my favorite two loadouts in TF2 and realized I’d dedicated articles to every individual weapon except the Amputator. Well, that’s just weird, so let’s just fix that right now. The Amputator is not an unpopular weapon but it’s certainly not the average Medic’s first choice. I know of far more people who main the Ubersaw, and after that I’m pretty sure the Solemn Vow is second place. I totally get that; the Ubersaw’s reward for landing even a single melee hit is incalculable, and if you’re going to sacrifice that you might as well grab a… [Continue Reading]

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Sniper in Skyrim – Dawnguard Snipin’ Part 1

G’day, mates! Sniper here! I heard that stupid traitorous quack was entering alternate universes and saving them, so I decided to get in on the action! I ain’t letting that wanka take all the glory. So I hopped on to one of Engineer’s teleporters and decided to go to this Skyrim place myself! And unlike Medic, I’m going to actually stay in character. Stupid doctor. Merasmus has left me with some magic and something he called “Thu’um”. No idea what that is, guess I’ll find out later. Ain’t got nothing but my weapons (Sniper Rifle, SMG, Kukri, Huntsman) and a… [Continue Reading]

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Autobalance Hell

Autobalance. It’s something we all hate. Some more than others. Often not as much as we hate random crits. But still, it’s a fucking bastard. And not just to Medics and Engineers, to every single class playing the game. You often don’t get any sympathy from your now former team mates either. Hence why comics like the one above, made by my dear friend Baxcaber, really hit you in the feels. It’s happened to pretty much anyone who’s played Team Fortress 2 for more than 10 hours. Probably less actually. Thing is, it’s a necessary evil. Team Fortress 2 has… [Continue Reading]

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The Wrap Assassin: Christmas at 70 MPH

Yeah, I know it’s not meta but I happen to really like the Wrap Assassin. Most of the people who complain about this weapon either find it annoying or point out that it doesn’t really fill any niches. The Sandman shoots a much more powerful projectile, the Boston Basher deals more consistent bleed damage while serving as a mobility tool, and if you want to go full utility nothing’s going to beat the Atomizer. There’s just not really a reason to use the paper tube. But there’s also no reason not to use it. It’s downside-free. You gain a projectile bleed attack… [Continue Reading]

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Crimefest burns on…

Welp, Crimefest, the yearly big, free, 10-day update for Payday 2, is trundling along, and still on fire. Considering all the grinding that’s gone on, the first four days of Crimefest have pretty much crashed and burned. While Day 2 brought in a bunch of masks and Day 1 brought in crates and cosmetics that affect gameplay, things have quickly gone rather quiet on the Payday front. Day 3 introduced the Aftershock Heist, set in the middle of an earthquake. If you’re thinking of the film 2012 or San Andreas, you’ve got the wrong end of the stick. From gameplay… [Continue Reading]

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Where is the TFC Medic?.. and other TFC Merc thoughts

The Team Fortress Classic mercenaries have long been thought dead, despite the fact that Team Fortress Classic itself is still playable (as is Fortress Forever, but that’s a whole separate thing!) and all that, with a tight knit community that will kick newbies’ asses from here to kingdom come. Point is, they’ve been alive the entire time despite looking like they came from the future. And the TF Comic series, which introduced us to more of the TFC mercs last time and proved that TFC Pyro was female, has been doing a fine job of getting them more time in… [Continue Reading]

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My first time in a first-person shooter!

Medic wrote a very interesting article describing her early experiences with Left 4 Dead and how it shaped her future gaming career. I thought I could talk about my personal background in the same way. Unlike most of you, I did not grow up playing video games. My parents are awesome, but they were not comfortable with ‘brain-rotting activities’, and for that reason I grew up without a computer, internet, or any gaming consoles. This ‘forbidden fruit’ was likely the reason I’ve dived so heavily into all three cultures. (They let me have a TV, which I quickly grew bored of… [Continue Reading]

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The Loose Cannon – OP or simply in need of tweaks?

It’s the start of the new UGC competitive season, and we’ve seen some new weapons come and go. The most prominent weapon though is the Loose Cannon, which has now been banned in Highlander and 4v4, but not in 6v6 in UGC. This is incredibly strange, especially since ETF2L has gone the other way in Highlander, allowing both the Pomson and the Short Circuit. ETF2L seem to have lost their mind, but with how Engineers took a pounding during Gun Mettle and what with the Wrangler, Rescue Ranger and Jag all being so good, perhaps the more insane weapons will… [Continue Reading]

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PAYDAY 2 is burning

Welp, Overkill have lost their minds. After weeks and weeks of grinding on the Road to Crimefest, some of which required grinding for challenges for entire weeks and some of which was only finished at the last minute, Overkill finally announced day 1 of Crimefest. Everything was promised to be free for the entire community. Except, well… it wasn’t. Woo boy what the fuck is going on? It all started off rather simple, with balance changes. Skewed ones which make shotguns shit and pistols amazing. Okay, that isn’t too bad. Then Overkill added weapon skins. Not just any weapon skins,… [Continue Reading]

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