Demoman

Demoman is the fourth class of Team Fortress 2. While officially a "Defense" class, his sheer power makes him highly versatile, able to both lead offensive pushes or to defend a given area. His main roles are area denial, choke spamming and crowd control. The area-of-effect nature of his weapons makes him ideal for forcing enemies off an objective, and his massive damage is a ready counter to Engineer's buildings. However, he has no bullet-based weapons, which makes him incredibly vulnerable at close range, where he cannot attack without risking heavy self-damage. As such, he is at a significant disadvantage when confronted by close-combat classes such as Scout or Pyro, and relies on his team to protect him. When defending, a good Demoman can hold off most of the enemy team with well-timed and well-placed spam. On 5CP and KOTH maps, he is most often the first to arrive at the midfight due to the use of Stickybomb Jumps, which allow for a high mobility over long distances, effectively negating his below-average speed during rollouts. He possesses both the highest DPS in the game (using the Stickybomb Launcher) and the third-highest health cap.

6v6

Main article: Demoman (6v6)

In the standard 6v6 format, Demoman is the core of his team's combo, along with Medic. He holds the primary role of dealing initial damage and crowd control, and must prevent the enemy from gaining ground. His stellar spamming abilities can greatly weaken the enemy team so they can be cleaned up by his teammates. He is also essential for defending as his sticky traps can get him easy kills and force the enemy to retreat, and his grenades can easily take a chunk off the enemy's health if they are careless with their positioning. However, Demoman is often one of the harder roles in 6v6 due to his weakness at close-range and slow movement speed. While Demoman is extremely mobile in rollouts, sticky-jumping in combat is not feasible, as it deals him heavy damage. He must consider his positioning carefully in order to deal heavy damage but stay out of danger. Thanks to his massive damage potential, Demoman is often targeted by more mobile enemies, such as Scouts or Roaming Soldiers, and must constantly be prepared to fight them off. On many maps such as Sunshine, Process, Gullywash and Metalworks, the Demoman may be assigned the task of "main caller," and be asked to direct his team throughout the game.

Highlander

Main article: Demoman (Highlander)

In Highlander, Demoman's main job is dealing damage to as many enemies as possible. His weapons are great at dishing out large amounts of damage to groups of enemies and slow, high-health targets, such as Heavy and Sentry Guns. However he lacks the ability to reliably protect himself from close range threats (most often from Scout), so he is often paired up with the Heavy and Medic to form the main combo of a Highlander team. He serves a similar role to his 6v6 counterpart of dealing damage and leading Ubercharge pushes, but he is also required to deal with sentry nests.

Weapons

Primary

			Weapon				4v4	6v6		Highlander
							UGC	Global Whitelist	RGL	UGC	RGL	ETF2L
			Grenade Launcher				Always	Always	Always	Always	Always	Always
							The Grenade Launcher is recommended for medium to close range. A single grenade (often referred to as a "pill" or "pipe") does 100 damage on a direct hit, and is unaffected by damage falloff. If it does not hit an enemy directly, it will roll across the ground (often called a "roller"), detonating 2 seconds after being fired, dealing 30-60 damage to nearby enemies. It is often used to spam choke points when Demoman already has a sticky trap set up, or for self-defense when confronted at close range.
			Ali Baba's Wee Booties				Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed
							The Ali Baba's Wee Booties increase Demoman's health from 175 to 200, allowing him to take more damage and survive for longer, at the cost of his Grenade Launcher. While not a common choice, Demoman may opt to use this weapon when adequately protected by his team, or to survive longer during a Kritzkrieg Ubercharge.
			Loch-n-Load				Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed
							The Loch n' Load only holds 3 pipes in its clip, but its grenades deal 20% more damage to buildings and move 25% faster. The pipes have a reduced explosion radius and will not turn into rollers upon hitting a surface - they will shatter and disappear. While Loch n' Load pipes are easier to aim, the weapon's main use is to quickly destroy a Sentry Gun in two hits before its Engineer can react. Outside of this niche, it sees little use, as it cannot be spammed, preventing Demoman from using his primary to ward off enemies as easily.
			Loose Cannon				Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed
							The Loose Cannon fires cannonballs that explode after one second, and can be "cooked" by holding down the fire button to make them explode sooner after firing. They don't explode on contact with the target, and instead knock the target back. If the cannonball hits a target and then explodes within half a second, the explosion will mini-crit (known as a "Double-Donk"), usually killing light classes instantly. However, when not dealing Double-Donks, it deals only 50 damage on a direct hit, and less for splash damage. Its "cooking" mechanic also slows its effective fire rate; even with Double-Donks, it deals less damage-per-second than Demoman's other grenade launchers While occasionally useful in denying Über pushes or dealing high burst-damage, it is rarely superior to the stock launcher, and sees little usage in competitive games.
			B.A.S.E. Jumper				Allowed	Banned	Banned	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed
							The B.A.S.E. Jumper deploys a parachute upon a second tap of the jump button, allowing the user to slowly glide to the ground. This weapon is banned in most 6v6 leagues, as it allows Demoman to sticky-jump high into the air and rain stickybombs down onto his enemies with little risk of retaliation.
			Iron Bomber				Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed
							The Iron Bomber is a community-created primary weapon, which functions nearly identical to the stock Launcher. The grenades fired by the Iron Bomber do not bounce or roll much at all, leaving them to explode near where they land. They have a 15% smaller blast radius (except for the Demoman who fired it) and explode after 1.4 seconds.

Secondary

			Weapon				4v4	6v6		Highlander
							UGC	Global Whitelist	RGL	UGC	RGL	ETF2L
			Stickybomb Launcher				Always	Always	Always	Always	Always	Always
							The Stickybomb Launcher is Demoman's most versatile weapon, is the go-to Secondary for nearly all competitive players. In combat, it functions best at mid-range, but can be charged by holding the primary-fire button to fire long-range shots, at the cost of attack speed. A single stickybomb (generally referred to as a "sticky") will deal up to 135 damage at close range, but its effectiveness falls off at a distance. This weapon is an exceptionally powerful area denial tool, and is often used to spam down enemies at mid-to-long range, especially those in choke points. Demoman can also use the Stickybomb Launcher to set up "stickytraps" - groups of stickies on walls or ceilings near a choke point that are detonated when unaware enemies attempt to push through. A well-timed detonation deals massive damage to all nearby enemies, and has the potential to instantly halt an enemy push. When fired, stickies spend 5 seconds in "direct combat" mode, where they are affected by damage ramp-up and fall-off. After this point, stickies enter "stickytrap" mode, and will deal full damage to enemies, regardless of Demoman's location. Finally, the Stickybomb Launcher is used for sticky-jumping during rollouts. Demoman can shoot a sticky under his feet and detonate it, launching him at high speeds in the desired direction. While this gives him stellar mobility out of combat, doing so when fighting enemies is not feasible; stickies cannot be detonated for 0.8 seconds after firing. The minimum damage from a successful sticky-jump Demoman will take is 45, but if he fails to time his jump correctly, he may take over 100 damage.
			Sticky Jumper				Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed
							The Sticky Jumper functions identically to the stock Stickybomb Launcher, but deals no damage. The Sticky Jumper changes Demoman from a power class to a pick class much like the Roaming Soldier, allowing him to launch himself into the air at blistering speeds, and then suicide-bomb the enemy Medic or another important target. Usage of this weapon is rare, as Demoman is not an expendable class. He typically is responsible for holding his team's combo together, and his team will often have a hard time defending choke points or spamming down enemies without his Stickybomb Launcher. It is most often used in as a last resort to rush to the objective, to flank the enemy team, or to attempt an important pick, often the Medic.
			Chargin' Targe				Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed
							The Chargin' Targe is a shield that replaces Demoman's Stickybomb Launcher. It grants 50% fire resistance, 30% explosive resistance, and the ability to charge with the Alternate Fire button. Charging launches Demoman forward a medium distance extremely fast (preventing him from changing direction) and deals up to 50 damage at the end of the charge if he collides with an enemy - a shield-bash. At the end of a charge, Demoman is given a brief window during which all melee weapons will deal critical hits, allowing for a pick on an unprepared enemy. Charging also removes any debuffs he may have, such as fire or bleeding, and takes 12 seconds to recharge. Few 6v6 players use this weapon, as it greatly slows Demoman's rollout speed, making it far harder for him to arrive at midfights. Additionally, it has far less damage potential and versatility than the Stickybomb Launcher. However, the Targe is used rarely, mainly in Highlander, for a pick-based playstyle or for early-game Medic picks on Payload.
			Splendid Screen				Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed
							The Splendid Screen functions much like the Chargin' Targe, but recharges in only 8 seconds. It only has 20% fire resistance and 15% explosive resistance. Shield-bashing enemies will deal 70% more damage, allowing Demoman to pick enemies more easily - he can even kill a Heavy instantly with the Scotsman's Skullcutter or Eyelander (with 2 heads). The Splendid Screen sees very little use in competitive play because it doesn't have the damage and versatility of the Stickybomb Launcher or the damage resistance of the Targe - without the resistance, he has difficulty reaching his target before being killed.
			Scottish Resistance				Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed
							The Scottish Resistance fires 25% faster and allows up to 14 stickybombs to be placed at any given moment. When the Alt-Fire button is pressed, Demoman will detonate stickybombs in his line of sight, allowing him to place sticky-traps to block off multiple flank routes. However, stickybombs take 1.6 seconds to arm, compared to the stock Launcher's 0.8 seconds, preventing him from spamming out enemies. This weapon sees fairly little use, as it prevents Demoman from engaging in direct combat with stickies, but is sometimes used to set up traps on Attack/Defend maps.
			Tide Turner				Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed
							The Tide Turner is a community-created shield. It functions like the Chargin' Targe but allows Demoman to change direction freely while charging. Landing a melee kill will replenish 75% of the Tide Turner's charge meter, but being damaged whilst charging reduces the remaining charge time, at a ratio of 1 damage to 1% charge time. It provides a 15% resistance to fire and explosives. Like the other two shields, it does not see much competitive use - it takes away an extremely versatile source of damage. However, Demoman can use the Tide Turner to rollout on certain maps by exploiting terrain to launch himself across the map - this mechanic is known as "trimping."
			Quickiebomb Launcher				Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed
							The Quickiebomb Launcher is a community-created secondary weapon. Its stickybombs arm in only 0.6 seconds, and the launcher charges 333% faster, allowing Demoman to fight more optimally at close and long range. This makes it optimal for direct-combat detonations (or "airbursting"). The reduces charging time also allows long-range "sticky sniping" at a much higher rate of fire. This is complemented by an increase in damage based on a charge by up to 35%. The stickybombs are also able to destroy enemy stickybombs, similar to the Scottish Resistance. However, the Quickiebomb Launcher's mid-range damage output is limited by its far smaller smaller clip size (loading only 4 bombs at a time) and 15% base damage penalty.

Melee

			Weapon				4v4	6v6		Highlander
							UGC	Global Whitelist	RGL	UGC	RGL	ETF2L
			Bottle				Always	Always	Always	Always	Always	Always
							The Bottle is the default melee weapon for the Demoman. While melee combat is rare, Demoman will often equip the Bottle, as he has few utility weapons.
			Pain Train				Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed
							When the Pain Train is equipped, Demoman counts as two players when capturing control points and pushing the payload cart, at the cost of a 10% vulnerability to bullets. In Payload and Attack/Defense, this weapon is often Demoman's go-to melee weapon, as it minimizes capture time. It is also commonly used in 5CP maps.
			Half-Zatoichi				Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed
							The Half-Zatoichi heals Demoman by 50% of his maximum health after a melee kill, and 37% longer melee range. However, it comes with the cost of reduced weapon switch speed. Additionally, when Demoman draws the sword, he is required to land a melee kill with it. If he holsters it without killing an enemy, he will lose 50 health. If he has less than 51 health, the weapon cannot be holstered at all, locking him into melee combat. This "honorbound" mechanic severely limits its viability.
			Ullapool Caber				Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed
							The Ullapool Caber is rarely used due to its immense nerf in the Gun Mettle update. It deals only 55 damage, takes twice as long to deploy, and swings 20% slower. However, the first attack that connects with a surface or enemy will create an explosion that deals up to 83 damage (also damaging Demoman himself). It can be equipped as the Demoman's rarely-used Melee, and can be used to deal extra damage in desperate situations. With a shield, Demoman gains the ability to land a critical explosion on demand, which will kill any player below 280 health instantly (330 if Demoman lands a shield-bash first), and severely damage nearby players. However, the kamikaze nature of the Caber severely limits its utility in Competitive, and competent players can easily outmaneuver a melee-wielding Demoman due to his below-average movement speed and small melee range.
			Eyelander				Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed
							The Eyelander grants Demoman a 37% longer melee range, but reduces his base health by 25 points. Each melee kill grants Demoman a "head," increasing his max health by 15 points and boosting his movement speed by 8%, up to four kills. At 4 heads, Demoman will have 125% movement speed (almost as fast as a Scout) and 210 max health. If he kills another Eyelander-wielding Demoman, he will steal the enemy's heads. While being as hardy as a Soldier and fast as a Scout may be tempting, the health reduction makes Demoman too fragile for competitive play. Melee weapons are also extremely weak, as enemies can easily outmaneuver Demoman's close-range attacks. Thus, it is extremely difficult to gain the two melee kills necessary to offset its downsides. The only way to land melee kills consistently is by equipping a shield, which denies Demoman his incredibly useful Stickybomb Launcher. Even then, Demoman can only use the Eyelander to kill isolated enemies - charging at a group of enemies is suicide.
			Scotsman's Skullcutter				Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed
							The Scotsman's Skullcutter grants Demoman 37% longer melee range and 20% more damage than the stock Bottle. However, its reduced switch speed and 15% slower movement speed makes Demoman considerably less mobile while wielding the weapon, decreasing his already slim chances of landing a melee kill. This weapon is considered one of Demoman's worse melee weapons - a Skullcutter-wielding Demoman moves at a speed comparable to a Heavy, preventing him from attacking or fleeing; enemies will simply stay out of his melee range and shoot him down.
			Claidheamh Mòr				Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed
							The Claidheamh Mòr grants 37% longer melee range and 0.5 seconds longer charge duration at the cost of a 15% damage vulnerability while active. This weapon is essentially a straight downgrade from the stock Bottle unless paired with a shield. With a shield, the Claidheamh Mòr extends Demoman's charge radius by 25%. Like other swords, this weapon sees little to no use in Competitive; its decreased switch speed makes it difficult to land melee kills, and using a shield to compensate requires Demoman to give up his invaluable Stickybomb Launcher.
			Persian Persuader				Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed
							The Persian Persuader grants 37% longer melee range, and restores the Charge Meter by 20% on hit. Additionally, ammo packs also recharge the Charge Meter. However, one stat makes it undoubtedly the worst melee weapon for Demoman: it reduces Demoman's max ammo by 80%. Without a shield, this sword is essentially useless, forcing Demoman to adopt one of two playstyles: a Demoknight (a shield and boots), or a Hybrid-Knight (a shield and grenade launcher). Demoknight is not competitively viable, as Scouts can easily dance out of his reach while counterattacking, while other Demomen and Soldiers can use the knockback from their weapons to stop him in his tracks. A Hybrid-Knight is even worse with the Persuader, as it limits Demo's ammo reserve to 4 grenades and 5 stickybombs. A Persuader-wielding Demoman will constantly have to travel to multiple ammo-packs to restock grenades, preventing him from fighting alongside his team.

See Also

• Demoman (6v6)
• Demoman (Highlander)