So It Begins

Team Fortress 2 is a complex game with numberous choices. But there are some weapons that, when used in a certain situation or in conjunction with another weapon, it seems overpowered. But the weapon has it's weaknesses, and defeating the user of said weapon requires you to take advantage of the weapon's weaknesses while trying your best to deny the advantages.

If you want to know how to counter a weapon, let me know in the comments!

The Scout Class:

Information
The Scout is a the fastest class in the game, running at 400 Hammer Units/sec. This makes him harder to hit than the other classes and makes it hard for a Spy to backstab him. He is also the only class able to double jump, increasing his mobility further. But his big weakness is his health. It only takes two hits from an Melee that doesn't belong to a Spy or another Scout to take him down.

Weapons

The Sandman:

+Alt Fire(Mouse 2) to launch a baseball
-15 Max Health

Information
This bat is an achievment item for the Scout after getting 16 of his achievements. The bat deals the same amount of damage as the stock bat and swings the same speed. What makes this weapon OP to some is it's special ability. By Pressing the Alt Fire(Mouse 2 by default) The Scout will launch a fast moving baseball that will stun enemy players upon striking them after the ball travels a short distance. As the Scout lands a hit from further and further away, the stun duration gets longer and longer. At maximum range(approx the distance between the two sniper levels on 2Fort) the ball will render the enemy completely immobile for 8 seconds.

Countering

Sandman Only:
If you think a Sandman Scout is trying to Stun you, move erraticaly to make aiming the ball difficult for the Scout while you take advantage of the Scout's reduced health.

With Flying Guilotine:
This combo makes avoiding the ball even more critical, as the Guiliotine inflicts Garunteed Critical Hits on stunned targets for 150 Damage. Which will instanly level Scouts, Spies, Snipers, Engineers, Medics, and Demomen armed with the Eyelander or one of it's reskins. The subsequent bleed damage will also be critical while stunned for 12hp/sec. Which will finish off Pyros, Demomen, and Soldiers relatively quickly. Even the Heavy will be vulnerable to being finished off by the Scout's Primary or one of his teammates.

The Baby Face's Blaster

+Damage builds boost, which increases the Scout's Speed
-10% Base Speed
-34% Clip Size
-Air Jumping reduces the boost
-Being hit reduces the boost

Information
This weapon's boost mechanic allows the Scout to zip around the map at even higher speeds, which in turn, makes him harder to hit. After dealing about 100 hp of damage, the Scout will be moving significantly faster. From 360 Hammer Units/sec when he just spawns, to 520 Hammer Units/sec after dishing out 100 hp of damage with any weapon. A meatshot from the BFB or a Critical melee attack will fill his bar completely. When the Scout uses a midair jump, he will lose a portion of his boost, requiring him to deal more damage to get back to the previous level of speed. He also will lose boost when damaged. The Scout is also only able to fire the weapon four times before having to reload.

Countering
Projectile reliant classes will have to lead their shots more to score direct hits on a boosted Scout. It is also a good idea to force the Scout to use a midair jump so they will lose some of their boost and make it easier to hit them. Another good idea is to get a Sniper with decent skill to try and land either a headshot or a fully charged bodyshot. Natascha Heavies may also prove useful, but they will need to be wary due to their longer spinup time.

The Force-A-Nature

+50% RoF
+On Hit, deals knockback perportional to the damage done
+On Fire, If user is airborne, they will be knocked back in the opposite direction they are aiming.
+20% bullets per shot
-10% Damage
-66% Clip Size

Information
The Force-A-Nature is another one of the Scout's achievement weapons. Earned after 10 achievements. At first glance, it looks like the FaN deals less damage than the stock scattergun. But after you do the math, the FaN actually deals a little less than 10% more damage than the stock, for meatshots dealing around 110 damage plus sending the unfortunate player flying across the map.

Countering
As someone who has played a lot of FaN Scout, the majority of times I was killed were during my frequest reload sessions. It take around 1.652 seconds to reload after expending both shots. Nail the Scout while he is reloading and don't let him get close. Be wary of the FaN's knockback on the user, as it effectively grants the Scout a third jump.

The Soldier Class:

Information
The Soldier is the Jack of All Stats in TF2. He is the go-to class for all beginning players(F2P or otherwise). His Rocket Launcher packs a mighty wallop and his Shotgun has a good bit of kick(pun intended) as well. He does move slower than average at 240 Hammer Units/sec, making it easier for enemy Spies to catch up with and backstab him. But the Soldier can increase his mobility(usually at the expense of health) with the rocket jump. This manuver also allows him to take the high ground and rain rockets down from above.

Weapons

The Black Box

+20 HP on hit
-25% Clip Ammo

Information
The Black Box is a unique weaon in TF2 because it heals the user on a successful hit. A feature that only the Medic's Blutsauger shares with it. However the Soldier will find himself reloading more often due to only 3 rockets per clip instead of 4. This also makes it less practical to rocket jump and rain rockets from above due to only having 2 to use. The amount of health the Soldier gains is now relative to the damage he dealt in the attack, capping at the advertised 20 hp. The Soldier has to deal at least 90 damage to regain 20 hp. Any less will result in less healing.

Countering
Soldier often use the Black Box when there are no Medics(or one Medic that always follows the Heavies) so they won't have to hunt down health kits as often. Make every effort to catch the Soldier in the open and on the lower ground. Then move erratically so he'll have a harder time hitting you. Then take advantage of his more frequent reload sessions and kill him.

The Direct Hit

+25% Damage
+80% Projectile Speed
+Mini-crits target launched airborne by an explosion
-70% explosion radius

Information
The Direct Hit is the weapon for Soldiers who have mastered the art of shooting at their targets insead of vaguely near them. And this weapon rewards that by dealing enough damage to one-shot classes with less that 140 hp at maximum damage. It also deals mini-crit damage to enemies launched by an explosion. This includes Soldiers and Demomen who are explosive jumping under their own power. The faster projectiles make it easier for the Soldier to hit Scouts as well.

Countering
Move as erratically as possible to make it hard for the Soldier to aim, then shoot him to skew his aim further. The blast radius of the rocket is equal to the active radius of a teleporter! If he misses or hit in your general area, usually you wont get hurt, but if he manages to pop you into the air, airstrafe to avoid being hit for a mini-crit and usually, a 1 hit kill.

The Pyro Class:

Information
The Pyro is the close-quarters and ambush class. It has powerful, but short ranged weapons and a decent amount of health. It runs and the normal speed of 300 Hammer Units/sec and is capable of weeding out Spies and reflecting projectiles from Soldiers and Demomen. The most dangerous aspect of the Pyro is the inflicted afterbun, which drains 6 hp/sec for 10 seconds.

Weapons

The Phlogistinator

+Fire damage builds "Mmmph" which when full, can be activated and grants 10 seconds of garunteed critical hits on the Phlog only
-No random crits
-No Airblast

Information
This is an interesting flamethrower due to it's unique mechanics and futuristic design. But the biggest feature is the 10 seconds of critical hits after dealing 300 hp of fire based damage. Fire damage includes the afterburn from the Phlog itself, any of the Flare secondaries and the Volcano Fragment. But the garunteed crits only effect the Phlog. The Mmmph when activated it will grant him an ubercharge for the duration of his taunt.

Countering
The most exploitable weakness of a Phlog Pyro is his inability to airblast, which means that he cannot extinguish burning teammates(unless he has the Manmelter) and more importantly, reflect projectiles. Which means that Soldiers and Demos will have an easier time taking care of the Pyro. If you see a phlog Pyro activating the crits, try to lead him into an ambush while he is in W+M1 mode or take care of him yourself if you know he is low on health.

The Flare Gun

+Deals critical hits on burning players

Information
The Flare gun is one of the Pyro's acheivement weapons. Earned after getting 10 of them. Instead of the hitscan Shotgun, the Flare Gun uses a fast moving projectile that travels in an arc, requiring Pyros to aim high of their target when firing from longer distances.

Countering
If you are ignited by a Pyro and manage to retreat beyond his Flamerthrower range, chances are he may pull the Flare Gun on you, face the Pyro and dodge the Flare to prevent a 90 damage crit. Break the Pyro's line of sight and find a health kit or a friendly Medic to remove the afterburn. Turning your back on the Pyro and running in a straight line is the worst thing you can do.

The Axtinguisher

+100% Critical hits on burning players
-33% Damage Penalty
-20% Slower Attack Speed
-75% Slower Switch to Speed.

Information
The Pyro is the ambush and eliminate class. And this weapon complements that playstyle by hastening the departure of enemy players the Pyro ignites. The full crits on hit deals a large amount of damage

Countering
If the Pyro is close enough to push you around with the airblast and hit you with the axe, the chances of you surviving are slim, even if the Pyro was not using the Axtinguisher. But remember, every hp you knock off the Pyro before he kills you is one less hp a teammate needs to remove to kill the Pyro. If you get ignited, try to make distance between you and the Pyro by cutting corners and using weapons that deal knockback. Always try to face the pyro to minimize the damage you take from his axe and always return fire. DO NOT try to attack the Pyro with your melee. Even if he kills you, any damage you did to him may make it easier for a teammate to finish him off. Traveling in groups will also make it harder for the Pyro to live since the Axtinguisher is designed for concentrating on single targets, ganging up on the Pyro will overwhelm him and force him to retreat or kill him.

The Degreaser

+60% Faster Switch to Speed
+30% Faster Switch from Speed
-Airblast consumes 25 Ammo
-66% afterburn damage

Information
At first glance, this weapon looks inferior to the Stock. But the weapon switch speed bonus is what made the Axtinguisher so infamous. The Pyro can light you on fire and then before you can react, nail you with his Secondary or Melee. The afterburn nerf causes burning players to take only 2 hp/sec.

Countering
Degreaser Alone:
If you see this, consider yourself lucky. rarely will you see a Pyro using only the Degreaser. Counter him as you would with a normal Pyro, except you will be able to survive the afterburn longer.

With the Flare Gun:
Pyros will often airblast you skyborne to make avoiding the 90 damage crit harder. The Degreaser allows the Pyro to Puff'n'Flare. Almost instanly, you're down 90 hp.

With the Reserve Shooter:
This is the most annoying loadout besides the Axtinguisher. Being airblasted into the sky and nailed with a mini-crit shotgun burst is easier and more effective than the Flare.

With the Axtinguisher:
The Pyro will often airblast you into the corner and then hit you with the Crit. Kill or severly damage the Pyro before he lights you.

The Demoman Class:
Information
The Demoman is the explosives expert of the team and is also the only class not to have access to a hitscan weapon. He has a decent amount of health, but he moves slower than the other classes except for the Heavy and the Soldier, at 279 Hammer Units/sec. He is also the deadliest melee class in the game.

Weapons

The Stickybomb Launcher

(Stock Weapon)

Information
The Demoman's Stock Secondary weapon and an excellect area denial and defensive weapon, but also a powerful offensive weapon as well. Airburst stickies can deal heavy damage to enemy players, even more so if the sticky is a crit.

Countering
There are two ways to deal with a "stickyspamming" Demoman.

• Run Away from the Demo
  
• Run Toward the Demo

Running away from the Demo forces him to charge the stickybombs in order for them to get close enough to do reasonable damage, which lowers the rate at which he can send them toward you. break line of sight and collect health kits or find a friendly Medic to heal off any damage you took and prepare for the next encounter.

Running toward the Demo will force him to switch to his Melee weapon or risk damaging himself with the Stickies, then either retreat out of melee range or pull out your own melee and kill the Demo.

The Eyelander + reskins

+On kill HP is increased by 15 and speed is increased by 8%
+On kill shield bash damage is increased by 20%
+Longer attack range
-25 HP
-No random crits

Information
After getting 11 of the Demoman's achivements, the player will be awarded with this claymore. Killing an opponent decapitates them add adds a head to your counter and grants you a 8% speed boost, a 15 max HP bonus(effects overheal), and increases your damage done by the shield base by 20%. These effects cap after 4 heads, leaving the Demo with 210 hp, 370 Hammer Units/sec speed, and a 80% boost to his shield bash damage, allowing the Splendid Screen to 1 shot weaker classes.

Countering
If you know there is an Eyelander Demo on the enemy team, kill him before he kills anyone and guage his strength when confronting him. Hit eyepatch will start glowing after he kills someone with the Eyelander, with the glow getting brighter the more heads he takes. If the Demo's eye is glowing at maximum brightness, only the Scout or an Escape Plan Soldier at <40 hp can outrun him. Create distance between the two of you with knockback and force him to use a ranged weapon. If he had boots and a shield, shoot him, the sword is all he has.

The Splendid Screen

+20% fire resistance
+20% explosive resistance
+50% Charge Recharge rate
+70% charge impact damage

Information
The Splendid Screen is a popular shield choice. It deals 85 damage upon impact with a player and this damage gets higher as the user take heads with the Eyelander or one of it's reskins, capping at 153. If the Demo attacks with his melee at the end of a charge or right after slamming into someone, he deals a critical hit. The demoman moves at 750 Hammer Units/sec in a straight line while charging unless he is using the Scotsman's Skullcutter, which slows him to 637.5 Hammer Units/sec. However, to equipt the Shield, the Demo must sacrifice one of his more effective weapons, the Stickybomb Launcher.

Countering
You can interrupt the Demo mid-charge by using knockback or landing a critical hit. The latter means that an aware Sniper can shut down a demo with a single headshot, if it doesn't kill him, it'll halt his charge. When a Demo charges you, strafe to the side to keep from getting hit by the shield or the subsequent melee hit.

The Chargin' Targe

+50% Fire resistance.
+30% Explosive resistance.

Information
This shield replaces the Demoman's secondary Stickybomb Launcher. But allows him to charge towards his enemies and potentially force his melee to deal Crit or Mini Crit hits. It also allows him to tank Soldiers, other Demos, and Pyros due to resistance to their signature weapons. But he doesn't resist bullets any better.

Countering
Avoid the Demo's charge by strafing sideways and use bullet or melee weapons for maximum damage. If he slams into you, he can still kill or severely damage you with the followup swing.

The Tide Turner

+15% Fire resistance.
+15% Explosive resistance.
+Full turning control while charging.
+On Kill while Charging, Refils 75% of the charge meter.
-Melee cannot deal full crits after a shield bash.
-Being damaged by an enemy while charging will reduce the charge.

Information
The Tide Turner is one of the new weapons introduced in the Love & War update. Unlike the Chargin' Targe and Splendid Screen, The Tide Turner allows the Demo to turn on a dime while moving at 750/637.5 Hammer Units/sec. This makes avoiding him very hard. If he kills someone with either his melee or the shield itself while charging, he can almost instantly charge again.

Countering
Prevent the Demo from landing his melee crit by using a crit of your own or knockback. The Pyro's airblast being the most reliable. Damage him to reduce his charge meter so he'll stop sooner. If you see a Tide Turner Demo kill a teammate, prepare for him to charge for you. Sidestepping doesn't work for the Tide Turner.

The Heavy Class:

Information
The Heavy is literally a tank. He moves very slowly, 231 Hammer Units/sec to be exact. He also has a massive 300 hp of health to use, allowing him to block shots that would kill weaker classes. However, his already slow speed become even slower when he starts spinning his primary Minigun.

Weapons

The Brass Beast

+20% Damage.
+50% Spin up time.
+20% Damage Resistance while spun up.
-60% slower movement speed while deployed.

Information
The Brass Beast is a special weapon for the Heavy, intended for defensive purposes. It has a significanty slower spin up time and hinders the Heavy's already slow movement speed to be practically immobile. 45 Hammer Units/sec.

Countering
Getting near the Heavy while he is spun up is suicide, try to ambush him to take advantage of his longer time to retaliate. Also, headshoting the Heavy as Sniper is a joke when he's reved. There is no excuse for bodyshoting a Brass Beast Heavy. However, a fully charged shot on a spun up Heavy with this weapon will only deal 360 damage. Not even the Machina can OHKO an overhealed Brass Beast Heavy.

Sandvich

+Heals you back to full health over the duration of 4 seconds.
+Alt-Fire to drop the Sandvich as a Medium Health Pack for other players.
-Heavy is immobile while eating

Informarion:
The Sandvich is arguably one of the Heavy's best secondary weapons. It allows him to tank enourmous amounts of damage if he uses it correctly. But it also can be a team helping item as well. Imagine that you and your Medic just punched through a defensive line and the Medic took a few scrapes. You can pull out your Sandvich and throw it at him, returning him to a reasonable level of health. You can also use it to put out the Medic or other teammates that are on fire. Medics will be more likely to stick around you if you give them your Sandvich. Also, killing a Heavy with a Sandvich in his hand will cause him to drop it. The dropped Sandvich will restore 50 Health to everyone except for the Scout, who gets 75 Health.

Countering:
Heavies that don't have a Medic will stop to eat the Sandvich if they think it's safe. If you hear the telltale "nom nom nom" of a Heavy, nail him while he's eating and can't retaliate. If your class has a quick enough tauntkill, an eating Heavy is a prime target for the manuver. Just remember how long it takes for your hit to come out and about how much longer it'll take the Heavy to finish. If the Heavy does have a Medic, assume he will throw the Sandvich for the Medic when they have some breathing room or when things are desperate. Take advantage of the time it takes for him to change weapons and kill the Medic before he can take the Sandvich.

The Engineer Class:

Information
The Engineer is the most essential class to have if you want to defend a Control Point or the Intelligence. His Sentry Gun will automatically attack any enemy player that gets in it's line of sight(with the obvious exception of a disguised or cloaked Spy), His Dispenser will give health and ammo to his teammates(And disguised Spies), And his Teleporter can transport teammates (Or enemy Spies) to another location. On his own, the Engineer is target practice. With 125 hp and running at 300 Hammer Units/sec, any class can knock out a solo Engie with little effort. But a crafty Engineer can lead an enemy into his sentry, scoring an easy kill.

Weapons

The Gunslinger + Mini Sentry


+25 HP
-No random crits
-replaces Sentry with Mini Sentry

Information
Because this is an Engineer melee, there are two threats associated with this weapon, the weapon itself, and the sentry. The Gunslinger itself doesn't seem imposing, but in the right hands, it can be downright lethal. Instead of rolling for random crits, the Engineer needs to strike an enemy three times in a row without lifting their finger from the attack button to receive a garunteed crit on the third hit. The Sentry is also not very imposing as well, but it's chip damage, high rate of fire, and disperportionate knockback makes it an annoyance to Scouts, Pyros, Sollybirds, and Demokites everywhere.

Countering
Mini Sentry:
The Mini Sentry is annoying, but it is weaker than even a level 1 sentry. circle strafe the sentry and load it with bullets and it'll go down quickly due to only having 100 hp. Which means a well aimed Loch-and-Load or Direct Hit can level it in 1 shot. If your weapon can kill a Big Earner Spy in 1 hit, it can destroy a Mini Sentry in 1 hit. Be sure to go after the Engineer after destroying the sentry and kill him before he puts down another Sentry or comes after you with his Revenge Crits. The Engie cannot pick up the gibs from a broken Mini for metal.

Gunslinger itself:
Do everything you can to make sure that the Engineer misses his first swing with the weapon, as he may be storing the garunteed crit. He does this by hitting a teammate twice and holding down the Alt Fire until he takes his swing (EDIT: The crit store glitch has been patched). If the Engie comes after you with the Gunslinger, be sure he doesn't hit you three times in a row, as a single combo can kill a Heavy instantly (65 + 65 + 195 = 325).

The Pomson 6000

+No ammo required
+Projectile cannot be reflected
+On hit, victim loses 10% Ubercharge
+On hit, Victim loses 20% Cloak

Information
Medics and Spies everywhere complain about this weapon on a daily basis. A "lucky" shot with this either renders the Dead Ringer(provided the Spy didn't feign to the shot) unusable and reduces time the other watchse can cloak for, making escape hard for the Spy, or completely halts an otherwise successful Uber push by hitting the Medic before he deploys. The big reason they complain is the "truck sized" hitbox. Like the Huntsman, the hitbox of a Pomson shot is significantly larged than the projectile's model. The weapon makes a unique sound if you drain a cloak or Uber(Unless the Spy is invisible/disguised).

Countering
As Spy: Do not let the Engineer see you. If there is more than one Pomson Engie, consider changing to one of the other anti-sentry classes, such as Demo or Soldier. If you use the Dead Ringer and the Engie manages to Pomson you, change over to your revolver and shoot him back while retreating. Remember, The Stock Revolver takes three shots minimum and the Ambassador/Enforcer take two provided one of the shots is a headshot for the Amby. Also, don't attack until you are a safe distance away from the sentry. Also try to create distance between you and the Engineer, as distance reduces the amount of cloak drained.

As Medic: Communicate with your patient and ask if he sees a Pomson Engie in the nest ahead. If he returns yes, wait until you've popped Uber to push into the room. If a Pomson shot narrowly misses or hits you, find the Engineer and break line of sight to preserve Uber. Keep your distance as much as possible to reduce the Uber drain from being hit.

The Widowmaker

+Does not require reloading
+Damage done is returned as ammo
-30 ammo on fire
-Uses metal for ammo

Information:
The Widowmaker is an interesting shotgun. Instead of using that standard buckshot shells like other shotguns, it fires a spray of metal. Its damage is identical to the standard shotgun though. The damage an Engineer does with this weapon gives him metal. e.g. If he hits you for 32 damage, then he will get 32 ammo, minus the 30 he used to take the shot. This means if the Engineer is a good enough shot, he can shoot indefinatly. The bonus damage from crits and mini-crits also effect the ammo he gets. A crit meatshot deals 180 damage, which means the Engie can almost completely refill his metal supply with one and it makes a Widowmaker Engie a viable last resort Kritz target.

Countering:
The damage of a shotgun decreases as the distance increases, run away from the Engineer while returning fire to reduce the metal he gets from hits. Once his metal drops below 30, he'll have to retreat or use his Secondary. Be careful chasing him, as he may lead your right into his sentry. Gunslinger Engineers will also be unable to drop Minisentries if they exhaust their metal supply with the Widowmaker.

The Medic Class:

Information:
The Medic is by far the most important class in the game. He allows otherwise doomed teams a shot at getting past the massive Sentry Nest that no Spy, Demo, or Heavy could alone. But this high status, combined with his low health makes him one of the hardest classes to play well.

Weapons:

The Medigun

(Stock Weapon)

Information:
This device allows the Medic to serve his primary purpose, heal people. And while doing so, he builds an Ubercharge, rendering himself and, if he has one, his heal target invulnerable to damage. This allows them to wade into sentry nests and other defenses without taking a scratch.

Countering:
Pardon the medical pun, but an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Killing the Medic before he has a chance to use, or even build up his Uber will take a bit of weight off your team. No Medic means no heals. No heals means the enemies are easier to defeat. Don't forget the Pomson if you happen to be an Engie. If you cannot prevent the Medic from "popping" his Uber, exploit the Ubercharge's primary weakness. Knockback. The Pyro's airblast and explosives work best. If you can get the Medic airborne and in the line of fire of a friendly sentry, the sentry will either pin the Medic down or send him far into the distance. It's nearly impossible to perform, but a Melee Critical hit on an airborne target also sends them flying. But only the Spy can readily exploit this.

The Kritzkrieg

+25% Faster Uber build rate

Information:
This Medigun can pop more Ubers in the same amount of time than the Standard Medigun. However, the Kritzkrieg grants a 100% chance of critical hits to the Medic and his heal target. Anyone Who has their weapon glowing their team color and a Medic who's Medigun is also glowing following him, you have at most, eight seconds before the boost wears off. This is more than enough time for, even a Spy, to level you.

Countering:
The standard pre-Uber Medigun counters apply here as well. Killing the Medic before he can pop Uber nullifies this problem. After the Uber is popped, You have more options. The Uber grants 100% Critical Hits(Kritz in the text chat) but leaves the Medic vulnerable. A good Sniper, Spy, or Scout can kill the Medic, ending the Uber prematurely. But be especially careful of the Medic's patient. 3x damage is serious. even the weakest of weapons can kill you VERY quickly.

The Quick-fix

+25% faster Uber build rate
+40% healing rate
+When the heal target rocket or stickyjumps, the Medic is thrown with the same force and direction
+If healing a faster target, the Medic will move at their speed
+If healing a Demoman who charges with the Chargin' Targe, Splendid Screen, or Tide Turner, the Medic will charge forward as well.
-50% maximum overheal

Information:
The Quick-fix is a fast healing Medigun good for keeping mass numbers of teammates alive, but not good for pushing into a sentry nest or a well defended area. The Quick-fix's Ubercharge increases the heal rate by 300% and grants immunity to movement imparing effects like airblasts and explosive knockback. The Medic will also be healed and immune to knockback. The Uber also indirectly spychecks, as the aura around a player's feet will show their true allignment.

Countering:
The faster heal rate is somewhat countered by the Quick-fix only being able to overheal to 125% of a class' maximum health instead of the 150% overheal granted by the other Mediguns. And even with the 300% boost to healing, a Level 3 Sentry will still outdamage the healing. The airblast counter is nullified by the Uber, so kill the Medic before he pops to keep the healing boost from quickly restoring every enemy in the Medic's reach. One-Hit-Kill attacks like a Headshot, Backstab, or Stickybomb carpet explosion will kill the Medic as well.

The Vaccinator

+67% Uber build rate
+Press reload ('r' by default) to cycle through resistances
+While healing, you and your heal target have a passive 10% resistance to the selected type of damage
+While healing, if the incoming damage to your heal target matches the resistance, your Uber bar is filled slightly
+Uber bar is split into four, allowing for four, 2 second Ubercharges
-33% Uber build rate on overhealed targets
-66% overheal build rate

Information:
The Vaccinator is an interesting Medigun. It takes noticibly longer to build overheal(but it still can buff to 150%) but healing provides a passive 10% resistance to one of three types of damage, Bullet, Explosive, and Fire. Although the Uber build rate is reduced on Overhealed targets. The selected type is shown over the Medic and his target's heads. Attacking the heal target with attacks that match the type selected(e.g. Scout's Scattergun on the Bullet Resistance) will give the Medic some Uber. The Ubercharge uses an entire 25% of the Uber bar and surrounds the Medic and his target if he has one in a bubble that resists 75% of the selected damage type and nullifies crits and mini-crits of that type that lasts for 2.5 seconds. If the Medic has more than one charge ready, he can apply multiple resistances to the same target. However any progess made on a charge that isn't ready will be lost upon using a charge.

Countering:
If possible, attack with the type of damage that isn't being resisted. Bolts from the Crusader's Crossbow and Arrows from the Huntsman/Fortified Compound are treaded as bullet damage. The Pyro's airblast is excellent for seperating the Medic and his patient, removing the passive resistance and a source of Uber for the enemy Medic. Melee attacks, the projectiles from the Sandman and Wrap Assassin, The Flying Guilotine, and shots from the Pomson 6000 and Righteous Bison can never be resisted. The Ubercharge builds 67% faster and can be released at a mere 25%. This means the Medic can pop Uber a lot earlier that with the other Mediguns. Unlike other Ubercharges, you cannot nullify the charge by seperating or killing the Medic, but the charge lasts for a lot less time that other charges.

The Vita-Saw

+On death, up to 20% of your Ubercharge is retained
-10 Max Health

Information:
At first glance, this may seem like a poor weapon. It makes the already squishy Medic even easier to kill. But the true power of the weapon is the 20% Uber that is kept after dying. When healing a teammate that is lower than 142.5% health, the standard Medigun builds Uber at a rate of 2.5% per second. This means it takes 40 seconds minimum to get a full Ubercharge from 0%. The Uber Rate when healing a teammate with more that 142.5% health drops to 1.25% per second. This means the maximum time it takes to produce an Ubercharge is 80 seconds. But if you start with 20% Ubercharge, this reduces the time by 8-16 seconds. Meaning it only takes 32-64 seconds to build an Ubercharge. In a middle of an intense Attack/Defend match, those eight seconds could decide the match.

Countering:
As a result of the Uber retention, dropping the Uber isn't as terrible as normal. However killing the Medic still delays his Ubercharge, and the Vita-Saw's Health Reduction makes killing the Medic easier. But you should still be wary of the Medic's patient and nearby teammates. Remember that this weapon still does the same amount of Damage as the Bonesaw, so the Medic can still level 7 of the 9 classes in one Critical swing.

The Sniper Class:

Information
The Sniper is the long range, hang back from the fight guy. And for good reasons too. Running at 300 Hammer Unit/sec and possessing a meager 125 hp makes him an easy target if you surprise him. But if he has the high ground and a large distance between him and his target, there is a good chance his target will drop dead with a bullet in their skull.

Weapons

The Huntsman

+18% faster speed when drawn compared to the Sniper Rifle
+0.5 points on headshot kill
-20% damage

Information
The Huntsman or "Lucksman" as some player call it, is a bow and arrow designed for midrange combat. The arc of the arrow projectiles forces the Sniper to get closer to his target than he would with the other Rifles. But it charges to full strength faster and allows the Sniper himself to move faster while preparing to fire compared to the rifle. When scoped with the rifle, the Sniper moves a sluggish 81 Hammer Units/sec. The Huntsman allows him to move at 135 Hammer Units/sec. The damage nerf unfortunatly means the Sniper is unable to kill a fully overhealed Heavy in 1 shot. The arrows also possess a massive hitbox compared to the arrow, which makes ambushing a Huntsman Sniper difficult at best. This weapon also has a dangerous taunt kill. It is the fastest taunt kill in the game and is capable of and has completly shut down a standard Ubercharge!

Countering
Follow the exact opposite of what you would do with a Rifle Sniper. Run away from the Huntsman Sniper. This creates distance between you and the Sniper, making it harder for the Sniper to aim and gives you more time to react. Moving erratically is not as effective due to the arrow's huge hitbox. Wait for the Sniper to release the arrow and then move out of the way, or if you are a very skilled Pyro, airblast it back at him. Be wary of the taunt kill as well and kill a huntsman Sniper that tries to run up to you while you are under the effects of a standard Ubercharge.

Darwin's Danger Shield
+25 HP
+15% bullet resistance
+20% explosive vulnerability

Information
This "weapon" is the bane of my Sniping existence. Many a Sniper battle I have lost due to getting killed by the other Sniper despise being a faster shot due to the resistance and health bonus only causing my shot to do 143 damage. You'll often find this weapon on Sydney Sleeper Snipers so they can avoid being quickscoped.

Countering
If a DDS Sniper is giving your teammates trouble, send a Soldier, Demoman, or Spy after said Sniper. The Danger Shield forces him to use uncharged rifle shots or his melee to hit Spies and the Danger Shield increases explosive damage, making him more vulnerable to the Soldier and Demoman's signature weapons.

The Razorback

+Prevents 1 backstab from a Spy and shocks said Spy
-Breaks after 1 use.

Information
This is probably the most underpowered weapon in the game. It blocks a single attack from a single class that can just use a different weapon. It's only a real problem to YER Spies since they cannot backstab the Sniper for a disguise.

Countering
As Spy:
Shoot him. You have a gun, use it. The Stock revolver takes 3 shots and the Enforcer and Ambassador take two(if one is a headshot in the case of the latter). Same result, just through a different way.

As Everyone else: A Razorback Sniper means he has to use no-scope rifle shots or his melee to attack. He has no bonuses or drawbacks. This weapon makes him easier to kill.

The Machina

+On Full Charge, +15% Damage.
+On Full Charge, Shots penetrate enemies.
-Must be scoped to fire.
-Fires tracer rounds.

Information
The Machina is infamous for it’s usage by sub-par Snipers to bodyshot their enemies to death. However, in the hands of a good player, you may hear the special fanfare that plays when a penetration kill is made!

Countering
Move erratically(see a theme here?) and approach the Sniper while shooting him to skew his aim. Once you get close enough, scoping to shoot you with the rifle becomes very difficult, forcing him to use his Secondary or Melee. If he has the Razorback, Danger Shield, or Cozy Camper, his Melee is his only option.

The Spy Class:

Information
The Spy is easily the most complex class in the game. In the hands of a new player, the Spy is a waste of a player slot, but a skilled Spy can shut down an entire team on his own. He is the only class able to turn invisible and disguise as an enemy player. Unless he is disguised as a slower class, the Spy runs at 300 Hammer Units/sec. But a Spy who's cover has been blown is generally easy prey, but be wary of his revolver, as it packs a surprising wallop.

Weapons

The Dead Ringer

+50% cloak regen rate.
+40% cloak duration.
+On Feign, gain a 3 second speed boost.
-50% cloak when feign is triggered.
-No recharge from ammo while invisible.
-Max of 35% cloak from ammo boxes.

Information
The Dead Ringer allows the Spy to fake his own death and cause enemies to lower their guard or waste time trying to find him. It will also remove damaging effects when activate(Fire or Bleeding). However, covering inflicting weapons(Jarate, Mad Milk, emerging from water) will still have effect, rendering the Spy visable. The initial attack will have a 75% resistance, then the resistance goes to 65% and drops slowly to the standard 20% over 3 seconds, After 3 seconds, the spy will start to flicker when bumped. The Dead Ringer is awarded to player who get 17 Spy achievements.

Countering
Pay attention to the manner in which the Spy "dies." If he dies to a weak hit, assume he used the Dead Ringer and keep a sharp eye and ear out. If you are a Pyro, keep burning the immediate area to re-ignite the Spy and render the feign usless, then airblast him around to keep him from escaping. But in general, if you suspect the Spy used the Dead Ringer, spray your shots where you think he will go. Also, try and Jarate/Mad Milk the Spy before attacking him, as activating the Dead Ringer will not remove those effects. Two good ways to be sure the Spy is really dead is to turn on hitsounds. If the Spy dies with a 'ping,' he's really dead. If not he most likely used the Dead Ringer. Also, pay attention to what the ragdoll looks like. If it looks smushed up and his head looks like it's in his chest, he's used the Dead Ringer.

The Spy-cicle

+On Hit by fire while active weapon, the Spy-cicle melts, extinguishes the flames, makes you fireproof for 1 second, and immune to afterburn for 10 seconds.
-After melting, the Spy-cicle is unusable for 15 sec, can be shortened with ammo boxes.
-Leaves an ice statue of the player you just backstabbed.

Information
One of the weaons that allows the Spy to escape after having his cover blown, the Spy-cicle will extinnguish the Spy if he is hit with a fire based attack while the weapon nis in his hand. It will also cancel afterburn if the Spy is set on fire with another weapon out and he switches to the Spy-cicle. The 1 second of fireproof and 10 seconds of afterburn immunity means he cannot be reignited for a short time, giving him an opprotunity to escape or kill the Pyro that found him.

Countering
When a Spy uses the Spy-cicle to put himself out, there will be a loud melting noise and the "Fire!" shout from the Spy(or the class he is disguised as). Listen very closely for that noise if you a Pyro doing routine spychecks. If you do find a Spy and he uses the Spy-cicle, use your Shotgun or melee weapon to hurt him while he is fireproof or notify a nearby teammate. Often the Spy will have the Dead Ringer as well, so be prepared for him to feign death while you are trying to Shotgun him or igniting him after the fireproof wears off. Also, while the Spy is fireproof, the game counts him as wet, causing the Neon Annihilator to deal full crits.

Your Eternal Reward

+Silent Killer
+Instantly disguise as the player you just backstabbed
-Cannot disguise at will

Information
The Your Eternal reward is the most difficult, but the most rewarding Spy knife to use. It removes the Spy's ability to disguise, but when the Spy backstabs someone, he disguises as them almost instanly. the transition is so quick, that Sentries wont notice their Engie has been killed and healing beams from Medics aren't broken, allowing the Spy to hijack an Uber push and steal the Ubercharge, nullifying the push. Of course, he can only backstab before the Uber is used.

Countering
Simply identifying the last class the Spy backstabbed can allow you to track him down quickly. He is also undisguised before his first stab. But when he does kill someone, the body dissapears and the kill message is hidden from the dead player's team, hiding the Spy's presence. The victim also dies silently. If you get "bodysnatched," the moment you respawn, notify your team via teamchat("u" by default) or via mic("v" by default if alltalk isn't enabled). Be clear as to what class the Spy stabbed. e.g. You are a Sniper and you get backstabbed, say in the teamchat "Spy disguised as me playing Sniper." avoid using the all chat ("y" by default) or the mic on alltalk servers, as the Spy my remove the disguise or actively try to stab someone else.

The Red-Tape Recorder

+Disassembles buildings by removing their levels, then reverting them to toolbox state.
-100% sapping damage.

Information
This is the only sapper that isn't a reskin of the stock one. Instead of outright destroying a building, it dissassembles the building by removing it's levels, then reverting it to toolbox state. However this process take longer than outright destroying the building, but it jarates off Engineers(myself included) when they kill the spy and remove that sapper from their level 2 sentry and level 1 dispenser when both were level 3 before the spy came in.

Countering
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Prevent the Spy from reaching your buildings by killing him before he gets there or employing the help of a friendly Pyro. If the Spy manages to get to the buildings, kill him so he can't replace the sappers after you remove them or worse, backstab you while you try. Be extra careful of RTR Spies when redeploying your building after moving them, as the Recorder can remove the building very quickly, since the building has to relevel after redeployment.

The Ambassador

+Crits on Headshot
+20% slower RoF
-15% Damage
-No Random Crits

Information
The Ambassador is one of the Spy's other achievement weapons, earned after getting 5 of them. This gun is viewed as the Spy gun of the pros. The effectivness of this weapon is dependant on the Spy holding it. It's a downgrade if the Spy cannot hit the head, but if the Spy has experience or has played a lot of Sniper, this revolver makes him a huge threat.

Countering
Ambassador Spies counter similarly to a Sniper, move erratically to make it hard for the Spy to hit your head and shoot while moving toward him to skew his aim further. The Spy is a weak class, meaning it should be easy to kill him if he can't land that crit.

The Diamondback

+On backstab, +1 garanteed crit.
+On building destroyed with sapper attached, +1 garanteed crit.
-15% Damage.
-No random crits.

Information
The Diamondback is only useful for Spies who both use their gun, and can consistently backstab without getting caught. In order to get a crit from a sapped building, the Spy simply needs to have a sapper on the enemy building when said buidling meets it's demise.

Countering
The outcome of attacking a Spy with this weapon is dependant on if he has crits or not. If his weapon has the crit boost glow around it, the Spy has at least one shot he can take that deals 102 damage. Like all hitscan weapons, move erratically and shoot the enemy to minimize the chance of him landing his shot.

The Enforcer

+20% damage while disguised
+24% faster accuracy recovery time
+20% slower RoF
-No random crits

Information
This weapon is for Spies that spend a lot of time behind enemy lines and in disguises. However the Stock Revolver would be a better idea most of the time.

Countering
Dodge the first shot and take advantage of the lower rate of fire. But be wary of Dead Ringer feigns or sudden sidestabs.

L'Etranger

+40% Cloak Duration
+15% Cloak on Hit
-20% Damage

Information:
The L'Etranger is an interesting Revolver. It deals the least damage of them all, having a base damage of 32, but it grants a passive boost to the amount of time the Spy can stay cloaked. The Invis-Watch lasts for 10 seconds. With the L'Etranger, the Spy can remain invisible for 14 seconds. The Cloak and Dagger lasts for 6.2 seconds and the Dead Ringer lasts 6.5 with other revolvers. The L'Etranger boosts them to 8.7 and 9.1 seconds respectively. Also, when the Spy lands a hit with the gun, he regains 15% of his Cloak. This makes L'Etranger Spies particularly elusive, especially if they have the Dead Ringer.

Countering:
All this extra cloaking power is still useless against Pyros. Light him on fire and force him to decloak and fight back with his weaker weapon or flee to find a teammate or health pack. As everyone else, keep spychecking. His extended cloak duration and ability to recover it from shots means he can cloak longer with the Invis-Watch and Cloak and Dagger or fake his death more often with the Dead Ringer. So if the Spy "dies" spray the area with a liberal amount of weapon fire and body-block exits to make it harder for the Spy to escape.

Closing Statements

This guide is incomplete and new weapons and classes will be added based on your input. Leave a comment and help the guide grow!

August 11, 2014.
The Force-A-Nature has been added at the request of Vallinek.
The Phlogistinator has been added at the request of Error 305:Cannot load Username.
The Gunslinger + Mini Sentry has been added at the request of Error 305:Cannot load Username.
The Flare Gun has been added at the request of Error 305:Cannot load Username.
The Dead Ringer has been added at the request of Vallinek.
The Stickybomb Launcher has been added at the request of Vallinek.

August 12, 2014.
The Spy-Cicle has been added at the request of Error 305:Cannot load Username.
Your Eternal Reward has been added at the request of Error 305:Cannot load Username.
The Black Box has been added at the request of Relish_Cow.
The Huntsman has been added at the request of Vallinek.
Darwin's Danger Shield has been added of my own accord.
The Red-Tape Recorder has been added at the request of Canadian_Cactus.

August 13, 2014.
The Axtinguisher has been added at the request of +RM+ Rosey & Dr.Pillz.
The Eyelander + reskins has been added at the request of +RM+ Rosey & Mysterious Nerfer.
The Spendid Screen has been added at the request of Mysterious Nerfer.

August 14, 2014
The Direct Hit has been added at the request of SinancoTheBest with info from Kalanluu.
The Brass Beast has been added at the request of +RM+ Rosey.
The Spycicle has a new counter added.
The Degreaser has been added at the request of <<Schaden>>

August 16, 2014
The Dead Ringer has two new counters added.
The Chargin' Targe has been added.
The Tide Turner has been added.
The Ambassador has been added.

August 17, 2014
The Spy section of the guide has two parts
The Diamondback has been added
The Enforcer has been added.
The Razorback has been added.
The Machina has been added.

August 18, 2014
The Pomson 6000 has been added.

October 31, 2014
The Medigun has (finally) been added.

November 9, 2014
The Kritzkrieg has been added.

January 11, 2015
The Quick-fix has been added.
The Vaccinator has been added.

January 15, 2015
Tide Turner has been updated due to a stat change.
The Widowmaker has been added.

May 8, 2015
Gunslinger has been updated due to a bugfix.
Dead Ringer has been updated due to a glitch.

June 17, 2015
The Vaccinator has been updated with new information from -{A★T}-Matau99.
The Medic section of the guide has two parts.
The Vita-Saw has been added at the request of -{A★T}-Matau99.
The L'Etranger has been added at the request of Error 305:Cannot load Username.
The Sandvich has been added at the request of DatNinjaKid-_-

July 5, 2015
The Baby Face Blaster has been updated due to a stat change.
The Tide Turner has been updated due to a stat change.
The Brass Beast has been updated due to a stat change.
The Mini Sentry has been updated due to a stat change.
The Pomson 6000 has been updated due to a stat change.
The Vaccinator has been updated due to a stat change.
The Dead Ringer has been updated due to a stat change.
The Enforcer has been updated due to a stat change.

September 30, 2015
Added a list of the unresisted weapons to the Vaccinator.

December 19, 2015
The Phlogistinatior has been updated due to a stat change.
The Dead Ringer has been updated due to a stat change.
The Degreaser has been updated due to a stat change.
The Axtinguisher has been updated due to a stat change.
The Vaccinator has been updated due to a stat change.
The Chargin Targe has been updated due to a stat change.
The Splendid Screen has been updated due to a stat change.
The Tide Turner has been updated due to a stat change.

Feburary 1, 2016
The Phlogistinatior has been updated (again) due to a stat change.