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A Comparison of Scout Secondaries

aabicus 0 Comments , , , , , ,

If you were to ask me what I thought the most versatile weapon slot in TF2 is, I’d say Scout secondary. Unlocks in that section vary from pistols to drinkables, to throwables that either deal damage or leave status effects. (If Valve ever releases the Scout and Medic Grordbort sets, that’ll add a laser weapon to the list). Of all the classes, scout is the one I have the most different loadouts for. Most classes it’s more like “Every so often my Pain Train isn’t needed, so I equip Caber,” or “If I’m using the Quick-Fix, I might as well… [Continue Reading]

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Minuscule asymmetries in official maps that make a difference

aabicus 4 Comments , , , , , , , ,

Last time I wrote, I mentioned that the ramps on cp_orange_x3 were unevenly spaced apart from the spawn rooms, allowing BLU team to jump back into spawn from the railing but not RED team. Well, I’ve since learned about a number of other extremely small differences between sides of supposedly symmetrical maps that favor one team over the other. Let’s go over some.

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Why you really, really should not be a Battle Medic.

Medic 0 Comments , , , , , , ,

For everyone who plays Team Fortress 2 and is at least not a potato, it’s clear as day why Battle Medics are never a good idea. Although Medics have that little speed boost and regenerating health, their weaponry simply isn’t built for fighting. This, on top of a lack of heavy-class health and no true, reliable advanced mobility, is a recipe for disaster. Plus, it annoys your team mates, who are probably on fire right now. But just how bad is a Medic’s weaponry when it comes to fighting? Let’s start with the basics. We’ll concentrate on primary weapons, because… [Continue Reading]

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How to think like a spy: The Art of War from behind the cloak and dagger

Kaiga 1 Comment , , ,

Note: This applies less to playing the spy in small-sided competitive games, as there are different mechanics in play all together, this is a piece on the spy in regular format TF2 play. Battle is not a concrete, straightforward thing. Many people believe that winning games is all about numbers; kills, deaths. Victory is not merely a body count. In TF2 you can fight battles all day long, and slay hundreds of enemy combatants, and unless that’s your explicit goal (such as in arena mode), they will always return to fight that same battle over the same point or the… [Continue Reading]

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Is Scout really a “Generalist” class?

aabicus 0 Comments , , , , ,

The Team Fortress classes are often listed as “Generalists” or “Specialists”. Generalists, as their name would suggest, are useful in almost any situation, are infinitely adaptable, and are cornerstones of team play. Scout is frequently listed as a generalist, along with Soldier, Medic and Demoman. But after thinking about it, I’m not so sure that’s accurate. Again, a “Generalist” is supposed to be useful in most situations. That includes offense, defense, different game modes, etc. No matter what’s happening on the field, there is usually a role for a generalist class to play. Then why can I think of several… [Continue Reading]

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Arena mode: why it failed

u-moon xytwo 0 Comments , , ,

Arena. We all know it’s a dead mode. Sure, there have been other modes that Valve dropped, like Special Delivery or Territory Control. But Arena was the only one with a considerable push behind it, starting with not just one map, but five: Lumberyard, Badlands, Ravine, Granary, and Well. It even received four more maps after its initial push. But despite this key difference, the mode still died. Why? Well, in short, it’s not very good. Why? There are a few reasons.

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The best pyro loadout in the game

aabicus 0 Comments , , , ,

Ah, pyro. Pyro pyro pyro. How SPUF can’t seem to make up its mind about you. On one hand, even pyro mains think he needs a buff. His weapons are all incredibly close-range save the flare guns, his primary only seems good at inconveniencing the enemy, to the extent that the Degreaser is far more popular because it allows combos with afterburn (often touted as the only thing afterburn is good for.) If it’s not that, its the ability to remove sappers from friendly buildings, or the ability to gain full health+crits with Phlog, or the ability to…basically do anything.… [Continue Reading]

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“Taunt Kills!” + Why the new Chemistry Sets are good for the economy

aabicus 0 Comments , , , ,

Literally the day I write a blog post mentioning a desire for a “taunt kills” strange part, Valve releases one! And that’s not all; some very interesting changes have been made to the trading metagame. You can now use “Chemistry Sets” to make strange cosmetics items which track points scored. On one hand, I question the use of such things when nobody will see a cosmetic in a deathcam, plus points are largely irrelevant, but on the other hand Strange Genuine Archimedes. This is actually very, very good for the economy, and here’s why: Step 1: A player obtains a… [Continue Reading]

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