Beginner's Guide [translation]
Part One
Now [Team Fortress 2](/games?search=Team Fortress 2) is free, and anyone with a Steam account can acquire it. If you haven't played this game before, it may feel like a scary 'hat game mystery' to you. Therefore, it would be helpful to know what to do to enjoy the game. This marathon will last throughout the weekend, but now let’s talk about how to start playing, what modes are available, and which classes you can start with first.
What game modes can I start playing?
To begin, practice in the offline training mode, as it's excellent for learning the basics. When you’re ready to jump into online play, click 'Play Now,' and you can choose your game mode. The first mode, 'Escort,' is not suitable for us right now. Select another option by clicking the arrow to the right, and you'll see the 'King of the Hill' mode. It features only one control point for contention, and the team that holds it for a certain amount of time wins. This mode is quite simple, so it will be a great place to familiarize yourself with the classes.
If nothing happens when you click 'Play Game,' go back to the main menu and select 'Find Servers.' This is a large and dreadful list. Once all servers are loaded, choose one where your latency is below 100. If the servers are not sorted, correct this by clicking the 'Ping' icon.
You can narrow down the list by adjusting the settings. For example, if you don't want to play on full, empty, or password-protected servers.
Which class should I choose?
If you're in the game, choose any team. Typically, you cannot join the team with more players. After selecting, you can take a class.
A good choice to start with is the Medic. You heal your allies by directing a special beam at them, the utility of which will not go unnoticed by your teammates. For now, that’s all you need to know about the Medic. Plus, playing this class lets you observe how your partners operate, who wins in fights, and learn what each weapon available in TF2 can do.
When you want to switch classes, take the Heavy. He is slow, and his gun takes time to spin up, but once the Heavy starts shooting, someone will certainly be dead by the time the gun quiets down. Moreover, the Heavy is the main person for the Medic. After playing as him, you'll understand that it’s always good to have an experienced patient on hand and to keep him protected.
Now you can make your own choices. The Soldier is an alternative option for beginners. However, don’t stick to one class for too long without trying to play all nine: each character helps you understand the purpose of another. The Spy will likely be the most challenging class, but it’s definitely worth playing.
For some characters, particularly the Spy and the Demoman, gameplay changes after they unlock certain items. Describing all the variants would be tedious and foolish. But remember: if a black Scottish cyclops is charging at you with a giant sword, it's best to run. And if you hear an electric crackle after you kill the Spy, know that he is still alive, and he's behind you.
Tired of 'King of the Hill', how do the other modes work?
'Escort': The attacking team must deliver a cart to the target by 'pushing' it along the tracks. The more players are near it, the faster it moves. The defenders' task is to prevent the enemy from completing their objective. Thus, you can stop the cart by killing attacking enemies or simply standing next to it.
'Payload Race': Works on the same principle as 'Escort,' but here both teams have carts. You are free to decide whether to focus on pushing your cart or hinder the enemy dragging theirs. The team that delivers its payload to the target first wins.
'Capturing Control Points': Similar to 'King of the Hill,' but here players have five control points at their disposal. Initially, you fight for the central point. Once captured, the capturing team can move further. A team cannot capture the next point if the previous one belongs to the enemy.
'Capture/Hold Points': The same as the previous mode, except that the red team starts with five points right away. Once a point is captured, it remains with the blue team for the entirety of the remaining time. The defending team wins if they hold the points for the allotted time.
'Capture the Flag': Each team has a briefcase containing secret documents at their base. Each team must capture the enemy's briefcase and then deliver it to their base. If their own documents have already been stolen, they cannot score until they return their documents or the enemy delivers them to their base. The team with the most points at the end of the round wins.
In the next part: How can I obtain items? How can I get hats?
Part Two
In the previous part of the guide, we discussed which classes are best to start playing and also talked about game modes. Today, we aim to tell you about the dude with the octopus on his head and how you can unlock the Sandwich.
How can I obtain items?
While playing, you might randomly be rewarded with a new item every couple of hours.
Each class has its own set of weapons that can be unlocked after completing a certain number of achievements, which is the fastest way to obtain items for your character. Achievements can be viewed by pressing the corresponding button in the main menu. A list will appear, sortable by class. It doesn't matter which achievements you complete; items will unlock after you've completed a certain number of tasks.
Eventually, you'll start finding items that you already have or don’t need anymore. They can be scrapped into metal, which can then be crafted into the needed weaponry. Hundreds of recipes have already been discovered, and the best place where they’re all gathered is TF2Items.com.
To get this sword, spend fifteen years of your life developing Team Fortress games.
You can purchase items for real money. Almost all of them are available for purchase in the Mann Co. Store. To buy, you need to add a certain amount of money to your Steam wallet. The cheapest item available costs 49 cents; however, note that the minimum amount you can add to your virtual wallet is 5 dollars.
If you’ve bought at least one item in the store, you automatically become a premium player. Now you can find and craft rare items. If you are still worried about remaining money, spend it on games priced up to 5 dollars. Once you become a premium player, you can trade items with other players through the main menu of TF2 by selecting the appropriate option. Trading is only possible if both people are online and in the same game.
No, I meant, how can I get hats?
Oh well. You cannot unlock most hats by completing achievements, but by being a full subscriber, you can undertake various actions. Hats are much, much rarer, crafted much, much harder, and cost much, much more.
The easiest way to get your reward is to buy games that curate promotional items for TF2 or complete achievements. Here’s a list of all promotional items.
In the next part: How do classes work? What the heck is going on here?
Part Three
In the second part, we talked about how to get weapons and hats, and in the very first installment, we discussed classes and game modes. Today, we will explain to readers about the characters in TF2.
How do all classes work?
Since the game's inception, many things have changed, including that class tactics now depend on the equipped items. Let's break down the standard loadouts you will start with.
Scout: The fastest class, capable of capturing control points twice as fast. However, in battle, you may encounter serious problems, as your weapon is better suited for close-range shooting, and the Scout has low health, making it easier for enemies. The Scout can also double jump, allowing him to reach places where no one will expect him.
The only thing you should fear the most is the Engineer's turret. They will rip you to shreds before you can even react. For this reason, the Scout's role is more relevant in defense, where you can help your teammates without exposing yourself to danger.
Soldier: Toughest of all, slower than most, equipped with a Rocket Launcher. Reload while not shooting at some target; aim at enemies more accurately to inflict more damage, but remember to retreat if your health is running low. You are tough enough to survive most dangerous situations, so once you can hold your ground for more than ten seconds, you’ll notice critical hits. A critical hit from the Rocket Launcher is a hell of a thing.
The only ones you should fear are Heavies who will shred you at close range in seconds and Snipers who will headshot you from a distance while dodging your rocket.
Pyro: An aggressive class. Your Flamethrower will make people suffer in agonizing pain and seek the nearest chance to heal quickly. Set someone on fire, then take off — this way, you can stop the advance and survive.
Another important aspect is the alternate fire of your Flamethrower. It allows you to deflect rockets, stickies, and grenades back at the enemy. A great thing for defending your team. You can also use this to extinguish flames that have spread to allies. Engineers love to keep Pyros nearby to defend turrets and find Spies. You can't set allies on fire, so burn everything bright with napalm and don’t worry.
But watch out for Heavies who will kill you faster than you can escape.
Demoman: The ideal class for ambushes. Your Grenade Launcher is great for making corridors a bad place for your enemies. The Stickybomb Launcher is something even more destructive. Place sticky bombs in corners or above doors, and detonate them with a right-click as soon as the target approaches them. You can also throw them at Engineers' buildings to destroy them without taking damage.
Beware of Soldiers and Heavies who will kill you in direct confrontation.
Heavy: The slowest class but absolutely deadly in direct combat. Your gun needs time to spin up, keeping in mind that you will move even slower, but anyone you encounter will either die or run away in fear.
Your main enemies are long-range Snipers and Spies who are right behind you.
Engineer: Can build automatic turrets, dispensers that heal allies and give them ammunition, as well as teleporters that allow teleportation directly onto the battlefield. All these gadgets require metal, which you can obtain by collecting ammunition boxes or picking up weapons from fallen enemies.
You need a lot of metal to build, upgrade, and repair your structures, so it's always good to have a dispenser nearby to give you valuable scrap metal, and it's useful to place turrets next to it. In this way, once you've built and upgraded all your structures, you will become a powerful backbone in defense.
Beware of Demomen who can throw sticky bombs at you and Spies who can disable your buildings and kill you with a single stab to the back.
Medic: Shoot your healing beam at anyone who is hurt, and frequently support Heavies and Soldiers in battle. Always stay behind your patient: enemies will try to kill you first, as you hinder them the most.
You should watch out for Snipers, Soldiers, and Pyros. Don’t hesitate to run to a health pack, as you are invaluable to your team.
Sniper: Find a cozy spot that gives a good view of the battlefield, wait for your rifle to charge up just a little, then shoot enemies in the head. You should aim to build up charge. Try to kill Medics first if possible.
The things you should worry about the most are Spies who can sneak up from behind you.
Spy: Open your disguise kit and, using the number keys, select which member of the enemy team you want to disguise as. Engineer or Sniper would probably be the best picks, until enemies spot a suspicious guy who isn't fighting with everyone. Press the right mouse button to go invisible, sneak up behind an enemy before you uncloak. Your Knife kills instantly when striking from behind; hitting other areas is useless, as the damage isn’t significant. Any attacking action removes your current disguise. Remember, in invisibility, you can only move.
Don’t bump into other people; they will realize you’re a Spy. Stay away from Pyros: their fire will reveal you.
Tom, I played the game for a couple of hours, but I still don’t understand much. What the heck was I slapped with a fish? How did that guy get a guitar? And why am I covered in milk?
Yes. There are many weapons in this game, some of which make you wonder, 'what the heck is going on here?!' The game will show you who killed whom and, importantly, with what; however, if the killing item happens to be something like a golden statue of Saxton Hale, you might have more questions than answers.
Fortunately, answers can be found on the official Wiki, where you can look up everything that confuses you. Save this page in your 'Bookmarks' as it’s not the most popular search query 'tf2wiki' on Google. But it should be, so let me make a note here: 'tf2wiki'.
Now look at the class you enjoy playing, and then look at the class that killed you the most. You should find all the information about the different weapons you have, how to obtain them, and for what situation each is suitable.
Article by: Tom Francis
Translation: Bats
Thanks for proofreading: serick, TesthuGGer