Sniper
The Sniper is a long-ranged class with the ability to one-shot any enemy in the game (except an overhealed heavy with the Fists of Steel active, any ubercharged player, a spy with Dead Ringer active, and Bonked scouts). They are valued for their ability to get key picks without directly engaging the enemy team. In a typical 6v6 format, the sniper is considered an offclass, played only when a situation presents itself, most often when a team is at an uber disadvantage, or holding the last point. The main downfall for teams running a sniper, however, is that during an uber fight snipers are practically useless, and that they have very low direct combat abilities. Snipers primarily target the enemy Demoman and Medic, due to the ability to change the direction of a game through key picks.
Contents
6v6
Main Article: Sniper (6v6)
In 6v6, the Sniper is considered an offclass, and is one of the most common offclasses to be used in a match. Snipers rely on map sightlines, and tend to lay behind the front lines while attempting to pick off enemy players from afar. Snipers, having low health and poor close-combat abilities, are susceptible to Scouts and roaming Soldiers. Teams should work together to protect their sniper as he attempts to get a pick. Most of the time, Snipers are used to defend or attack the last point of a map. When attacking a last point, a Sniper attempts to pick any player available to give his team a number advantage with which to push into last. When defending a last point, Snipers are essential in either picking off random players to delay a push or sniping the attacking medic to negate the impending Ubercharge.
Highlander
Main Article: Sniper (Highlander)
The Sniper is considered a pick class in highlander, used to support his teammates while sitting back away from the battle. The Sniper's main job is to kill the enemy combo and the other sniper, while taking out unsuspecting enemies in the process. He is very important for holding positions and denying area from enemies; a skilled sniper can pick off any careless players venturing into his sights, and thus can hold a team back from pushing. However, he does need protection, which usually comes in the form of a Pyro or Gunslinger Engineer. The Sniper can also use Jarate to assist in pushes, or to force pushing enemies to retreat. The sniper is often a target for the enemy team's Spy.
Primary
The standard Sniper Rifle. The Sniper Rifle deals 150 damage on a 0 charge headshot, or on a fully charged bodyshot. The longer the rifle remains scoped, the higher the amount of damage, up to a maximum 450 (with no modifiers) for a fully charged headshot. | ||
ESEA 6s legal? | Yes | |
UGC HL legal? | Yes | |
ETF2L 6s legal? | Yes | |
ETF2L HL legal? | Yes |
The Huntsman fires arrows instead of bullets, and is the only Sniper primary that is not hitscan. Its projectiles are affected by gravity. It is often used on narrow maps in competitive play, where it can be easily spammed into choke points. However, most snipers do not use it due to its lack of precision, and the degree to which it is difficult to predict the enemies' movement. | ||
ESEA 6s legal? | Yes | |
UGC HL legal? | Yes | |
ETF2L 6s legal? | No | |
ETF2L HL legal? | Yes |
The Sydney Sleeper does not headshot, but charges 25% faster than the stock rifle. When the rifle is more than 50% charged, it applies Jarate to the targeted player. It is often used in highlander to apply a Jarate effect to a key target, such as the heavy or demo, to force them to retreat. | ||
ESEA 6s legal? | No | |
UGC HL legal? | Yes | |
ETF2L 6s legal? | No | |
ETF2L HL legal? | Yes |
The Bazaar Bargain starts off with a slower base charge rate than the Sniper Rifle, but its charge rate is increased for every consecutive headshot. All shots which do not hit the head decrease the charge rate. The weapon was banned in most leagues after the 'Bazaar Bargain glitch' was discovered, whereby shots that missed also built up the charge rate. | ||
ESEA 6s legal? | Yes | |
UGC HL legal? | No | |
ETF2L 6s legal? | No | |
ETF2L HL legal? | Yes |
The Machina does 15% more damage than the stock rifle, and its rounds penetrate players, allowing for multiple kills with one shot. However, it is not able to fire no-scope shots, and its tracer rounds mean that the Sniper's position is easily visible to the other team. This becomes a significant disadvantage against a well-co-ordinated team, as they can avoid walking into the sniper's sight line, but if the sniper is able to position himself where he can be defended by his team and deal damage to the other team, he is able to utilize the extra damage to the fullest extent. | ||
ESEA 6s legal? | No | |
UGC HL legal? | Yes | |
ETF2L 6s legal? | No | |
ETF2L HL legal? | Yes |
The Hitman's Heatmaker does 20% less damage on bodyshots, but gains focus from kills and assists. When the focus meter is full, the sniper rifle charges 25% faster, and stays scoped between shots. This enables the sniper to get a large number of kills very quickly, as he can go from one headshot to the next without rescoping. This tactic should be considered when a large number of enemies is forced to move into an open area of the map. | ||
ESEA 6s legal? | No | |
UGC HL legal? | Yes | |
ETF2L 6s legal? | No | |
ETF2L HL legal? | Yes |
The AWPer Hand is a reskin of the Sniper Rifle based off the popular rifle from Counter-Strike. | ||
ESEA 6s legal? | Yes | |
UGC HL legal? | Yes | |
ETF2L 6s legal? | Yes | |
ETF2L HL legal? | Yes |
Secondary
The Jarate is a secondary weapon that is thrown at the enemy by the sniper. When enemy players are struck by it, all incoming damage they receive will be treated as minicrits. The effect lasts for 10 seconds. The Jarate is a rechargeable item, and it takes 20 seconds to regenerate. It can be used to extinguish allies, and it reveals cloaked spies. It is often used to delay pushes by the other team, and to initiate pushes by one's own. A Jarate throw that covers the enemy team's combo can turn the tide of a push. | ||
ESEA 6s legal? | No | |
UGC HL legal? | Yes | |
ETF2L 6s legal? | No | |
ETF2L HL legal? | Yes |
The Submachine Gun or SMG is the stock secondary weapon for the sniper. It is used for self-defence, or for finishing off hurt enemies. It has 25 rounds in a clip, enabling it to be used for 2.5 seconds of constant fire without reloading. | ||
ESEA 6s legal? | Yes | |
UGC HL legal? | Yes | |
ETF2L 6s legal? | Yes | |
ETF2L HL legal? | Yes |
The Razorback is a shield for the sniper, that negates the effect of one backstab. If a spy backstabs a razorback equipped sniper, a loud electric sound is played, and the spy cannot stab again for a period of time. Once used, the player must visit a supply cabinet to reobtain it. It is often used to counter enemy spies, but it does nothing to prevent the use of the Ambassador to two-shot the sniper. | ||
ESEA 6s legal? | Yes | |
UGC HL legal? | Yes | |
ETF2L 6s legal? | No | |
ETF2L HL legal? | Yes |
The Cleaner's Carbine is a weapon designed to replace the SMG. It fires 33% slower than the SMG, and has only 20 shots, but it rewards the user getting a kill by granting them 3 seconds of 100% crits. It is currently banned by all the major TF2 leagues. | ||
ESEA 6s legal? | No | |
UGC HL legal? | No | |
ETF2L 6s legal? | No | |
ETF2L HL legal? | No |
The Cozy Camper is designed for snipers who intend to stay in one spot. It gives 1 hp per second regeneration, and the sniper does not 'flinch' when he takes damage. However, the sniper moves 80% more slowly when scoped in. It would only be useful if the sniper was to stay in a position where he could easily be defended by his team, and force the enemy to push into him. | ||
ESEA 6s legal? | No | |
UGC HL legal? | Yes | |
ETF2L 6s legal? | No | |
ETF2L HL legal? | Yes |
Darwin's Danger Shield gives the sniper 25 extra health. This extra health means that the sniper's buffed health can be as high as 225. This enables the sniper to be more aggressive than he normally would. | ||
ESEA 6s legal? | No | |
UGC HL legal? | Yes | |
ETF2L 6s legal? | No | |
ETF2L HL legal? | Yes |
Melee
The Kukri is the standard sniper melee weapon. | ||
ESEA 6s legal? | Yes | |
UGC HL legal? | Yes | |
ETF2L 6s legal? | Yes | |
ETF2L HL legal? | Yes |
The Bushwacka is a sniper melee weapon. It trades off a 20% weakness to fire damage with converting all minicrits into crits. This is particularly useful in conjunction with the Jarate, as it gives the Sniper the ability to one-hit most classes. | ||
ESEA 6s legal? | Yes | |
UGC HL legal? | Yes | |
ETF2L 6s legal? | No | |
ETF2L HL legal? | Yes |
The Tribalman's Shiv deals 50% of the base damage of the Kukri, but also causes the target to bleed for 6 seconds. It is particularly useful in revealing spies, both cloaked and disguised. It is useful if the sniper is positioning himself near his own engie, or if he comes under constant pressure from the enemy spy. | ||
ESEA 6s legal? | Yes | |
UGC HL legal? | Yes | |
ETF2L 6s legal? | No | |
ETF2L HL legal? | Yes |
The Shahanshah is designed to protect the sniper while he is at low health. It deals 25% less damage than the Kukri while the user is above 50% health, and 25% more when he is below it. It is more useful when the Sniper is playing aggressively, or the other team is spamming him. | ||
ESEA 6s legal? | Yes | |
UGC HL legal? | Yes | |
ETF2L 6s legal? | No | |
ETF2L HL legal? | Yes |