Thread: Balance: A Guide to making smarter class choices

Team Fortress 2 is a class based game where each class serves a particular purpose. Each one excels in areas that others do not, and for this reason, you should be careful when choosing a class to use. This little article will help decide which class to use based on the team you're on and what needs to be done. Note, this is based purely on observation and trends I've noticed on the server. You may find a lot of the things I say to be objectionable, but when your team winning is what matters, you need to make smart choices to achieve success.

First, let's start by splitting the classes into genres or areas of use.

Brawlers (Demos, Soldiers, and Heavies)

These classes are designed to take abuse, their main job is to kill, kill, and kill some more. Every team needs these classes in order to be successful, no amount of Scouts or Pyros can match the raw firepower of these 3. So if your team is lacking any of these, pick one, your team needs all the stopping power it can get.

Soldiers - The jack of all trades sort of class, they can handle just about anything. A total of two soldiers on any team is usually a smart idea.

Heavies - These guys are tanks, they take more abuse than any other class and coupled with a Medic, they can wreck an entire team, sometimes in less than a minute. One heavy alone is enough to deter enemies from approaching. So try to have at least one on your team.

Demos - These guys are the kings of mid range combat, their sticky bombs deal a lot of damage in a very short time and can be very useful on defense and even better on offense. Like Heavy, it's best to have at least one.


Controllers* (Pyros, Medics, and Engineers)

* This name sucks, help me decide something better. I was going for a sort of mage like name or something close to it.

These classes are by far the most useful, to say they are utility classes is a bit of understatement. Each of these 3 greatly benefit their team in some way and typically, you can not win without at least one of these on your side. They aren't about getting kills, these guys are more about watching their team and keeping everything in check. They are support classes yes, but it's hard to generalize them as they all carry the team in their own special way.

Pyros - This class is very versatile, they can set a whole crowd of enemies ablaze, which in turns makes the fight easier for Brawlers. They can nullify projectiles, either killing enemies or protecting their allies from spam. They are the best at Spychecking and masters of ambushing enemies and ruining their day. Overall, this class is a teamplayer, and should be on every team.

Medics - Without a doubt the most important class in Team Fortress 2. No team can win without at least one or two decent Medics healing them and keeping them on their feet. Ubercharges and Kritzkriegs are also useful as in most cases it's the only way to break an enemy's defenses or destroy a push for the objective. There should ALWAYS be a Medic on the team, no exceptions.

Engineers - These crafty Texans are all about convenience, a good Sentry Gun can make a great line of defense or give allies a safe place to retreat to. Engineers can instantly and easily deny the enemy access to any area, provided they have a good setup and a team to lend a hand. An Engineer can not handle everything by himself, but once he gets all of his buildings up, your team is pretty much set. On defense, it's recommend to have at least one or more, on offense, one Engineer is usually enough.


Assassins (Spies, Snipers, and Scouts)

These classes are about about killing MVPs. Their job is to cripple a push or a hold on an area so that their team can make a push or hold of their own. Each of these are special in their own way, but for the sake of the team, these classes should kept to minimum. A team full of Snipers or Spies for instance will not accomplish anything. These classes are not designed for direct combat like the Brawlers are, however, they can get to places where Brawlers can not.

Spies - In my opinion the best assassin by far, he can get in unseen and kill a good amount of enemies before making an escape. He can also cripple buildings by destroying them completely, or simply disabling them and having his team mop up the rest. Overall, they are very useful, but against a good team that is communicating and keeping eyes on each other, the Spy is very vulnerable. He'll need distractions from allies to do his job against more paranoid opponents.

Snipers - Very much like the Spy, but less risk and more dependent on aim. If you can not aim with Sniper, you won't be able to do much for your team. Snipers need to constantly kill as many targets as possible to give his team the advantage. In this case, it's all about numbers, if a team loses 3 key players, it's enough room for the enemy to push an overtake an area. In situations where a Spy simply can not get in to do his job, a Sniper is a better option as he can safely kill enemies from a distance.

Scouts- This class is about harassment, he'll swoop in, deal damage, and get out before the enemy has a chance to pick him off. His agility is what makes him unstoppable in most cases, but when the Engineer is around, he's instantly countered. For this reason, the Scout is usually not recommended on Payload or 2 point cp maps, however, on 5 point cp, koth, ctf, or plr maps, that Scout excels at flanking and killing key targets.





So, what makes a good team?

In a typical 12 v 12 game, the team should compose of the following.

45% Brawlers
35% Controllers
20% Assassins

The reason for this is that Brawlers are the main sweepers. They deal more damage than the other classes and can also take said damage fairly regularly. Controllers however must be there to support them, otherwise they won't last long without healing or a safe place to retreat. Assassins are good to have, but do little in terms of capturing and holding objectives. Scouts do capture 2x faster than the other classes, but they're like paper and can die to Brawlers fairly quickly.

Based on what I've seen, here's the ideal team setup for each game mode.

Payload and 2 Point CP

Offense

2 Heavies
2 Soldiers
2 Demos
1 Pyro
1 Engineer
2 Medics
1 Sniper
1 Spy


Defense

2 Heavies
2 Soldiers
2 Demos
1 Pyro
2 Engineers
1 Medic
1 Sniper
1 Spy


5 Point CP, KOTH, and CTF

6 Brawlers (interchangeable, class rushes are effective, however, no less and no more than 6 total, you need firepower in these game modes.)
1 Pyro
1 Engineer
2 Medics
2 Assassins (Interchangeable between the 3 designated classes, but no more than 2 total in this category.)




Class Rushes

Every once in a while, a team will need to pull out a trump card to overtake the enemy. This where class rushes come in, when done right, a class rush can devastate and surprise most enemy teams. Below are some of the more effective options.

Heavy Rush

4 Heavies
4 Medics
2 Pyros
1 Engineer

1 Sniper

This is probably the most effective options on offense. 4 Medic/Heavy combos with one Engineer with a gun to build for creating an area for retreat, while the Pyros Spycheck and keep enemy spam and ubers at bay. As for the Sniper, it's up to him to pick off enemy Medics, Buff Banners, and pick off the enemy Snipers that will try to counter your team's Heavies. As well as throw out the occasional Jarate for Spies. He won't need a Razorback as the Sentry Gun will protect him, and he will not be needed up front with the SMG or Huntsman. He will need to pick off enemies from a distance.

Scout Rush

4 Scouts
2 Medics
2 Soldiers
2 Demos
2 Heavies

The Scout rush is very popular, but it's mainly on 5 point cp where it really shines. The Scouts' job is to capture points, back cap enemies often and push on to the point when possible. The idea is that the point is capped so fast the enemy has no chance to react. Victory will typically come quickly and without too much casualties.

Engineer Rush

5 Engineers
3 Pyros
1 Medic

1 Spy
2 Demos

Probably the most iron clad defense available. The Engineers should all have Level 3 Guns up and ready to go, Pyros will need to reflect projectiles, keep ubers at bay, and check around for Spies. Demos will need to place traps in spots where the guns are most vulnerable, any spots where the gun can't reach, a sticky trap needs to be there. The objective for Demos is keep the enemy from gaining an advantage. As for the Spy and Medic, Medic needs to keep people alive and the Spy should try to cripple pushes as much as possbile. Spies, kill the Medics, make sure they never get an uber up.

Soldier/Demo Rush

4 Soldiers (one with Buff Banner preferably)
3 Demos
3 Medics
1 Engineer
1 Spy or Sniper

This is pretty much a spam fest, there will be so many projectiles that the enemy will have no where to hide. The Engineer will help make up for their lack of mobility by building teleporters, and keep a constant supply of ammo and health available. The Medics should be ready with Kritzkriegs as the more damage you can deal, the better, however, you'll need at least 1 uber. The Spy and Sniper are there to pick off key targets that could cause problems.





Unlocks

This is important part of Team Fortress 2, unlock other games where unlocks are upgrades, most of the unlocks in Team Fortress 2 are side grades and are stronger in certain situations. I'm going to go over some of the options available and offer input as to when each unlock is usually more beneficial.

Sniper Rifle vs Huntsman

This is a common problem and I will say this. In indoor maps, the Huntsman is generally better, on open maps, the Rifle is better. However, if the enemy team has a Sniper, you should ALWAYS choose the Rifle. As a Sniper you need to Counter Snipe, otherwise your team is a shooting gallery for expert marksmen. The Huntsman should never be a direct replacement for the Rifle, it should only be used in areas where the Rifle is difficult to use, like the Roof on Badwater or the inside area of Badlands.

Kritzkrieg vs Uber

This is problem that I see somewhat often, and needs a little discussion. The Krtizkrieg is NOT an upgrade, when your Kritz, you are very vulnerable. For your team, this is bad as you need to stay alive to keep the team afloat. So your first choice should always be uber, if there's more than one Medic, then Kritz is ok, but you need to know when to switch. Two ubers is always better than one.

Dead Ringer vs Invisibility Watch and Cloak and Dagger

This is another issue, The Dead Ringer has a lot of advantages, but YOU NEED TO USE THE OTHER WATCHES TOO! The Dead Ringer is a shield, nothing more, it can not get you in easily as most smart players don't fall for the instant kill on a fully healed Pyro or Scout. And on certain maps, the IW is best as you can get in easily and get the job done. The watch choice should be based on what's best for the team, not your K D ratio.

Bonk vs Pistol

Situational, if you need to get behind the enemy unphased, the Bonk will do that and more. This unlock is away for Scouts to counter Engineers and their guns.

Direct Hit vs Rocket Launcher

This is based purely on what type of Soldier you want to play, Roaming or Pocket. If you're Pocketing, use the Rocket Launcher. The Splash damage will help you protect the Medic better, and if you're running Buff Banner, it will make building rage easier as well. Roaming Soldier who can aim well will love the Direct Hit as it deals out more damage and rewards you for aerials. However it's lack of splash damage makes you a bad choice for Pocketing, unless your aim is just that Godly.

Scottish Resistance vs Sticky Bomb Launcher

Purely based on team and task, if you're focused on defense, the SR is best as you can lay more traps. On offense, the Sticky Bomb Launcher is generally better unless you're able to aim well with the Grenade Launcher.

Eyelander vs Sticky Bomb Launcher

Same as Direct Hit vs Rocket Launcher, Roaming Demos will enjoy the Eyelander, but Pocket Demos needs Stickies for Ubers and Kritzkriegs.

Frontier Justice vs Shotgun

This is an interesting topic as the Frontier Justice can be useful on defense or offense. But generally, here's the deal, if you're good with placement and getting kills with your sentry, you can make good use of the Frontier Justice. Otherwise, you might want to stick with the Shotgun.

Wrangler vs Pistol

This is a matter of whether you're on a good team or not. If your team is willing to provide protection and cooperation, the Wrangler is devastating. If not, you may be better off using the Pistol.


Team Fortress 2 is a game based on teamwork, and because of this, you need to make smart choices when selecting a class. You should not choose a class based on what you want to play, it should be about what your team needs the most. And hopefully after reading all this, I have helped you in making better choices. Now get out there and play!

This is a rough draft for a possible article, any input or suggestions to make this better are welcome. Hopefully this article will benefit the servers and we'll see less issues with class balance and team stackage.

I like and appreciate this write-up but I have an even simpler rule...

If we have 3 of X and 0 medics, one of the X should go medic.

Ooh, I liked this a lot! Everything makes good sense! *thumbs up*

And hey, if you wanted new names for your 'Controllers', what do you think of 'Backbones' or 'Foundations' ?

Originally Posted by Xanthur34

And hey, if you wanted new names for your 'Controllers', what do you think of 'Backbones' or 'Foundations' ?

Close, but we need a little more. Something that when people see it the know it's importance.

I usually call your "Controllers" support classes. I know it does not really fit with how important they are, but it does represent the fact that without a solid "Brawler" they are useless. They support, but they are pretty worthless on their own.