Sniper (Highlander)
As that Highlander is a format with 1 of each class, both teams will have one Sniper at all times.
Contents
Gameplay
Getting picks
It's usually up to the Sniper or one of the other pick classes such as Scout, Spy, or Soldier to initiate a fight. The Sniper can be used to help either begin a push or make sure that a push doesn't begin by securing an important kill such as the Medic, Heavy or Demoman. This key pick helps reduce the resistance or offensive capabilities of the enemy team during a push or hold. This is the biggest responsibility of a Sniper, and most of the Sniper's other responsibilities are directly tied to this.
Countersniping
Snipers tend to have the longest sight-lines due to their ability to utilise these positions to create an advantage based on their long-range capabilities; these sight lines mean that the two Snipers can usually see each other. Typically, Snipers attempt to shoot each other in order to become the dominant force between the two, because killing the other Sniper opens up an opportunity to safely pick without risk of being headshotted.
The Sniper versus Sniper fight is a very detailed one, with many servers hosted that are solely dedicated to letting Snipers fight each other at long range to help people refine their Sniper killing strategies. Some Snipers prefer to strafe around quickly left and right while out of scope and wait for the other Sniper to scope in before taking a shot. This is due to a few factors such as the extremely slow speed at which the Sniper moves while scoped in; he is unable to dodge a shot and is a standstill target while scoped in, meaning that the Sniper who scopes last will have the upper hand in a fight. Another reason why a Sniper may elect to shoot second is the fact that scoping in shows the enemy where you will be standing to take a shot - the enemy Sniper has an advantage here because he can choose where he stops and retains a small element of surprise due to being able to relocate himself. Other Snipers decide to disregard the "second scoping" tactic and decide to shoot first every time. This can be a hindrance to Snipers due to the difficulty of hitting shots on a randomly strafing target.
Area denial
The Sniper can effectively shut down entire attack routes with his innate ability to kill nearly anything in the game in one shot, given proper preparations and steady aim. Snipers can ensure cart lanes and control points are clear, and can also help make sure flanking classes are kept away from important core classes.
Areas of interest on most maps are important areas for Snipers to focus on; for example, Snipers should focus on shooting near the cart on Payload maps as it is usually an area saturated with easy kills in the form of light classes who are pushing the cart to help their team advance. This is one way that the Sniper can contribute to his team easily, by slowing down the enemy team's objective taking power.
