HANDS ON GUIDE

Support #3 - The Spy

Spy: 125 HP

The Spy is probably the most demanding class to play, and when controlled by an experienced player he’s also the game’s most devastating opponent. The Spy’s primary task is to use his espionage skills to remove the Engineer’s structures, and create mayhem and suspicion in the enemy team. A good Spy can distract the enemy enough to allow his own team though a hotly contested chokepoint.

The cloaking device - activated by clicking the second mouse button - is the best way for a Spy to get behind enemy lines. It lasts for ten seconds, and takes ten seconds to recharge. While cloaked a Spy is almost entirely invisible, apart from a slight Predator-esque shimmer. You can’t do anything other than move, though: you can’t capture a point, pick up the intelligence, or use your weapon. Keep an eye on the cloaking device’s timer, and find a quiet place to uncloak. Sidle into the enemy team, and they will find it very hard to notice you.

Primary Weapon: Revolver

The Revolver only holds six shots, and the spy only carries 18 extra bullets. The low ammo is offset by the high damage and accuracy of the pistol, especially when the Spy is moving. This gives you an even chance of getting out of a hot situation, as long as you can get outside the range of your attacker’s primary weapons. A steady hand and steely cool demeanour are required, but a headshot from the revolver is normally deadly. Keep your head and it’s possible to keep the enemy at bay until your cloak recharges.

Secondary Weapon: Electro Sapper

The Electro Sapper is the Spy’s most effective weapon to wreak havoc in the enemy ranks. The sapper can be attached to any of the Engineer’s structures, and it will instantly shut them down. As soon as you do this, the Engineer who constructed the structure will shout a warning. The sapper itself is very obvious too, and people will be looking both for the sapper and the Spy who planted it. If you’re the only one there you’ll be easy to spot, even if disguised. A good spy can find anonymity in a crowd, laying one sapper after the next, dancing through the melee until they can cloak and escape.

The likelihood is that the Engineer will be guarding or upgrading their Sentry gun. As soon as you disable the Sentry you must either draw the Engineer away from the gun, or swiftly kill them. It only takes the Engineer a couple of Wrench hits to remove the Sapper and reactivate the gun. A ploy that has a reasonable chance of success is to cloak, run up behind them and wait to uncloak. As soon as you uncloak, hop on the Engineer’s head, switch quickly to knife then backstab them. With the Engineer down, you can disguise, place the Sapper and escape, back into the melee to kill again.

Melee Weapon: Butterfly Knife

Although you may be running about and alive, the Butterfly Knife isn’t going to save your life. In a face-to-face fight it’s no match for an axe, or even a baseball bat. However, when you’re back in disguise, the Butterfly Knife is a deadly weapon. If you can get around the rear of your enemy, a clear stab to their back will instantly kill them, no matter what their current health. The skill is to avoid their interest, before you have the chance to plunge the knife into their heart.

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