Getting Started

Competitive team fortress 2 can be a really rewarding and enriching experience, but if a player is starting from scratch it can be also a bit difficult to grasp the amount of information you will come across. This page aims to help you being integrated into the competitive community and knowing the basics of the game.

What do you want to play

First of all, consider choosing a primary competitive format or class you want to start learning. While it is not obligatory to stick to one format or class, and there are numerous players that play different classes and formats, it is advised for a beginner to stick with one until you grasp the basics of the game.

The basics

It is recommended to be familiar with the metagame, how it works, what you should do why you should do it, you can consult our Mechanics page which has a very comprehensive explanation of these.

Our glossary page also has a very comprehensive compendium of expressions used commonly in the game.

Watching competitive

Competitive matches at the top level are often casted by organizations such as TeamFortressTV or VanillaTV, etc.

These casts provide a valuable resource for newbies eager to learn the game, so it is also recommended you watch VODs or casts of high level games.

Some popular channels that cover matches are:

VanillaTV

TeamFortress.TV

BlackOut TV

Leagues and Tournaments

Depending on your area, there are various different leagues, even for the different formats. Some areas even have as much as 2 or 3 leagues, with choices between free to play or pay to play leagues, as well as community leagues (ie: ETF2L) or professional leagues (ie: ESEA).

Europe

• ETF2L - 6v6 / Highlander
• Wireplay - 6v6 / Highlander
• ESEA - 6v6
• UGC - Highlander / 6v6
• The Round Robin - Highlander
• ESA - 6v6

North America

• ESEA - 6v6
• UGC - Highlander / 6v6
• The Round Robin - Highlander
• CEVO - 6v6 / Highlander
• IGL - 6v6 / Highlander

Asia

• AsiaFortress - 6v6

Oceania

• Ozfortress - 6v6 / Highlander
• NZFortress - 6v6