ubercharged.net

Hello there. You’re on a defensive team and picked the engineer eh?  Yeah it’s a great class for defence due to the sentry.

Looking good there

But honestly, while you’re standing there whacking the gun the whole round waiting for some action, let me tell you that there is more to the engineer than building stuff, WAY more. I am gonna teach you all about what you can potentially do with him. I tell you that once you’ve nailed everything here; you’re gonna see more points, your team will love you and most importantly, you’re gonna have much more fun with that class.
Keep in mind though that all information here is from how I look at the class (and not necessarily the best one). There are several different playstyles as engineer and I am just covering how i play this class.

The shotgun and the pistol:

Now before you start taking that buildomatic up, i want you to take a good look at your shotgun and your pistol. It may not seem like it at first look, but those 2 weapons are what that can make the engineer himself a big threat to the enemy if used right. Many players really underestimate the engineers own combat potential and get suprised when he is handing their asses back to them.

The shotgun is the weapon you should have up at all times when not engaged in combat, since you never know when there is an enemy coming right out of the corner. It’s your (obviously) best option in close combat and can really dish it out if you aim well. 3-5 well aimed shots is all that’s needed to take down any class. In addition it’s a good tool when sneaking up on a foe who is pressured by your teammates, get a few shots in and he is pretty much dead (in most cases).
One thing to understand though is that you should never reload the shotgun during combat. It takes far too long, your better off switching to your pistol and finish your opponent off with that weapon.

Speaking of the pistol, this thing of beauty is your best option at medium range, long range  and when your enemy is retreating. One full clip is usually enough to down any light class at medium range. 2 clips for the healthier classes minus the heavy. However you’re better off using it as a tool to wind down the enemy while you close in, pull out the shotgun, fire of the 6 shots, then get out and finish him off with the pistol (however, if the one you’re fighting is a soldier or a heavy, just stay away from them in that case unless your going in for a sneak kill).

Actually if you take a close look at the engineer, you realise that he is very similar to the scout. Minus the speed, extra jump and scattergun. The scout would obviously fare better than the engineer if your just going to use those 2 weapons. What the engie lacks in those areas however, he makes it up with his own personal computer contolled assist device of death.

Now we’re talking!

The sentry gun:

What makes the engineer unique is that he is the only class that can give the enemy 2 threats alone; the engineer himself and the sentry. As a key rule, always try to make your foe fight those 2 threats at the same time, since this will really pressure him. As for how to use the sentry, there are 3 different sentry strategies to use; ambushing, flanking (those 2 are also known as ninjaneering) and area denial.

Ambushing is done by hiding the sentry near a common route. Both a good offensive and defensive strategy. It’s all about waiting for the prey to come, jump in as soon as the sentry starts shooting and make him fight both you and your gun. In most cases you will end up as the victor, since the sentry have (hopefully) winded him down enough for you to finish him off with a couple of shots. This tactic is pretty dangerous if you’re far from your teammates however, since you’re pretty powerless if your enemy are coming in great numbers and/or a medic is accompanying him/them. Still, the nice thing about ambushing is that this is a good strategy to make sure your enemy is where you want him; stuck at one place and fully concentrated on your sentry. An opportunity to get in from behind and fire the shotgun point-blank.
Now, if you’re expecting slightly larger opposition while metal is in ambundance as well as having the time to do it, then you may want to upgrade your sentry to level 2 and have more firepower against the incoming forces. However in most cases this isn’t the scenario. I mean you’re better off switching your sentry position to keep your foes constantly guessing. As in, actually using that detonator and find another place to put down your sentry.
Pull that off and your enemy will look around evey corner due to fear off ninja sentries, way to go!

Is it there? Or isn’t it there? That is the question.

Flanking is different from ambushing in that you’re already engaged in combat togheter with your team. What you want to do here is to sneak around the enemy and erect a sentry up behind the enemy lines, facing your opponents directly while they are busy with your teammates. Very risky, but also very rewarding if you manage to do that. This will pretty much win the fight for your team as this will scatter your opponents, letting your teammates take them out easily.
This is also a game of chance though. You never know when an opponent might suddenly look at your direction and immediatly notify the rest of the team. Also the 5 seconds that takes to get the sentry up can feel excruciating while there is a huge rocket fight in front of you. It’s next to impossible to pull this off if this takes place in a enclosed area though.
Your sentry is very vulnerable when getting it out, one shot is pretty much enough to blow it up. In a situation where getting a sentry up can be the difference between winning or losing the battle, you should try using yourself as a meatshield while whacking it since your unable to repair it during setup time. 125 health may be little, but putting yourself in harms way could be the difference of getting the sentry up or not!

The moment when the blue players go “WTF?!”

Area denial is the most common engie strat that is used due to its ease to pull off and how tough it can be to break through it. While it’s generally a defensive one it can also be used offensively. It’s all about denying your opponent access to a area, limiting their mobility or downright refusing them access through a bottleneck.
Since your sentry is facing the oppostion directly (in most situations), your better off getting it up to level 3 as fast as you possible can to meet the incoming threat (when defending). Know where the metal is, always try to pick up scraps from dead opponents. If metal is short then get a dispenser up after the sentry and stay alive while you wait for enough metal.
However, this may not always be the best option. When whacking your sentry you should ask yourself questions like; “Should I get up there and help my teammates instead?”, “Maybe I should get more metal before continuing” and “Was that a spy that just passed me?”. Always analyse your situation. Maybe there are better things to do than getting a level 3 up fast.
Doing this offensively though is different, especially if it’s a normal CP map (as in not a attack/defend one). Trying to stay mobile and togheter with your team is your best option, since battle lines here can swiftly shift. Here you either want to get a sentry up in the middle of a firefight or near the front to give your team a safe spot as well as denying your enemy that particular area. Pulling the former off though is all about luck, but at least you’re giving the enemy a distraction/threat to take down when setting it up. Valuable seconds that your team can exploit to it’s fullest.
The latter is more favorable though, espeically if your team has a medic. The sentry can give the medic much needed cover for him (especially when against scouts) while healing retreating teammates, so that they can go back up and continue the fight. Kind of a “base” of some sorts.

Now here is a good spot

When finding a place to put down your sentry, it’s preffered you place it next to a wall facing away from it (as in the screenshot above). That way the sentry cannot be so easily dispatched from the rear. In addition the enemy you’re ambushing will be farther away from the corner/doorway he came from before the sentry engages him, meaning he will spend more time out in the open exposed to the sentry before he gets back.
Also lower and higher elevations are usually good places to hide your sentry as well, but whether they are good postions or not is map dependant. Oh and don’t be afraid to put it in the middle of an open field sometimes. It’s that place where the enemy least expects to find a sentry.

!!!

Working with other engineers:

Being among the most played classes of all in TF2, there is a high chance that you will encounter other fellow engineers. Particullary on the defending team in attack/defence maps and near your own base protecting the intel in CTF maps.
As a prime rule when working with more engineers; having a higher level sentry is better than having several small ones. This is because the firepower from a level 2/3 is better than 2/3 level 1’s, as well as being easier to maintain due to it’s larger health. So if you see that your engineer buddy have already started getting a sentry gun up, then make sure that you help him maintaining it and level it up to 3 before considering building your own. Also do not hesitate to help maintain allied buildings under attack or clear sappers from it. Your engineer buddy will thank you.
There are exceptions from that rule though.

If there is a place where the engineer population are drastically less, it’s out in the front line together with the assaulting team. However if you do see an engineer here then make sure you co-operate. 2 engineers working together are always better than 2 working alone.
While getting a high level sentry as fast as possible is the best solution for area denial, this isn’t always the case when ambushing or flanking.
When ambushing, you and your buddy should consider your options. Either you want to hide a high level sentry near a common route or you want to play mindgames with the opposition and hide 2 level 1’s instead in different areas. Neither of them is more favourable than the other, so analyse your situation and take the one you consider the best option to go with. However, if you did go with the latter and are still waiting for your opponent to come then by all means go ahead and upgrade one of them.
If your are going to flank, then level 2 and 3 simply isn’t an option. Time is a huge issue here and setting up 2 level 1’s is faster than a single level 2. Flanking is all about disturbing the enemy lines and scatter them, something that a level 1 does well enough. So here just work to get the first sentry up as fast as possible, then immediatly get the 2nd one up a few meters/several feets away. If the first sentry is under attack then don’t hesitate to jump back to the first and maintain it.

Also, when co-operating with engineers on normal CP maps, there is a chance your engineer buddy doesn’t want you to upgrade his sentry. The reason is that battle lines here constantly switch and he is planning on moving his sentry forward. Metal used on a sentry that is going to be detonated anyway is wasted metal. So if he is shouting the “no” command or telling you to stop upgrading it, then do that. Just work on your own sentry instead if your planning to defend the point.

Oh and by the way, do not under any circumstances build the sentries next to each other. You will just make it easier for the enemy to destroy them.

Teamwork is golden!

The rest:

One weapon i haven’t talked about yet is the wrench. Generally i prefer using the shotgun as i find the wrench not as reliable. However, if your opponent constantly try to get in your face and you feel like meleeing then go ahead.

The dispenser is a pretty situational tool in the engineers arsenal. Sometimes there is no use for it at all. Other times it’s the most crucial piece of hardware to set up, even before the sentry (very rare occasions!). But always remember that when setting up a dispenser, you do it for the team and almost never for yourself! You don’t need the dispenser right behind you when maintaining your sentry.  100-150 metal is usually enough to maintain the sentry for one attack because before you exhaust your resources, the enemy have either retreated, been killed or overpowered by your gun.

As mentioned the dispenser is situational, so deciding when to get one up or not, well that is up to you. However, there are some situations when you should really consider getting one up.

When capping or defending points. You usually don’t have much room to manoeuvre around when dodging bullets and explosives. Your options here are either A; continue capping/defending and take the hits or B; stop capping/defending and dodge the incoming bullets/rockets. In many occasions B isn’t an option. A dispenser on the point here would be a welcome relief for your teammates here, since they don’t need to abandon the point for health and/or ammo (usually). Yeah, I know it gets easily destroyed standing there in the middle of everything, but any seconds spent targeting the dispenser are seconds spent NOT aiming at the player capping/defending. In addition, the dispenser is a great way to get a player and particularly a heavy on the point as well.

Many times during a normal CP game, the 2 teams have created fronts and as such, the players will be fighting for every meter. During such fights they usually have to retreat for health.  Having a dispenser at the back supporting the team would certainly help them out and make them come back to the fight quicker, since the medic(s) can’t be everywhere and he usually has to join the assault for the big push. In addition medpacks/ammo isn’t always around when you need it. Either there are too few of them and/or too far behind.

Other situations when to consider a dispenser are:
(1) In arena (in most cases a must).
(2) When your team really REALLY needs health.
(3) When there is little metal in the surrounding area.
(4) To use as a platform, a shield and/or  a blockade.
(5) When your teammates are really pressured and can’t afford going back to heal/refill their weapons.

The teleporter is an important building when the frontline moves slowly. Getting your teammates up there faster can be what that’s needed to win the battle. This one is a must in attack/defence maps.
Also, it’s a very good flanking tool. Getting a teleporter exit behind the enemy lines gives your team another way to attack from.
Using it on normal CP maps though is a different story. The battle lines and the respawn rooms constantly switch all the time here and your just better off sticking to your team, your sentry and fight it out in the front. However always make a teleporter entrance when you have respawned. You never know when you need it. The exception here is during setup time. Since capping the middle point means you will be using your 2nd respawn rooms, then maybe you’re better off putting it near there than at start.
A rewarding way to use teleporters here is ninja capping. Hide a teleporter exit far behind the enemy lines, return back to your team (in most cases the enemy will spot you and blast you to bits, but hopefully you at least succeed at getting the exit up), get an entrance up nearby and continue the fight. Once it’s obvious that your team will get the point,  get enough metal for a sentry and warp in. Build the sentry close to the point and start capping. This is all about luck though as your enemy may already be there preparing their defences.

If the frontline really has stagnated, then getting a forward base may be the best option. This is having the sentry, dispenser and the teleporter together at a close proximity, where the sentry keeps the enemy off, where the teleporter gets teammates up to the front fast and where the dispenser lets teammates have a position to fall back and heal to, before getting back in the fight. The maps where you run into this kind of situation is on attack/defence maps and Hydro.
Don’t build them too close together though, this just makes it easier for spies to sap it and demomen to stickybomb it to bits.

D’oh!

When the situation looks hopeless and the enemy is going to blow your stuff up then don’t stand there, RETREAT! It’s better off to just run away and start over if it’s obvious that your building(s) is doomed. However if you want the last laugh, then detonate it before it gets destroyed. At least your opponent isn’t gonna get that point.

Always look around before placing the sentry and when getting it up. There is always a chance that an enemy might pop up and disturb you (especially a spy), so always look behind you between each whack. If your in a big open field and the enemy could come from every direction (or your paranoid), then circle around your sentry while whacking it or perform sentry gymnastics (constantly jumping over the gun while whacking, tough to pull off though).

And finally, it’s important that YOU stay alive, as you can always get a new sentry up in a few seconds if it gets destroyed. But there is nothing that can revive you and if you die, then there is a high chance that your equipment gets destroyed before you are back in action. Your life will always come before the sentry. The only exception is the one I mentioned on the flanking part.

Now of course, going against different classes in different situation require different reactions. But that will be for another time.

Credit to Toakal for the gmodded screenshots.