Spy for Dummies

This is a basic guide for beginners new to Team Fortress 2. There will be many tips and tricks featured into this guide ranging from the basics to advanced loadout suggestions and gameplay techniques. I am also open to suggestions so feel free to comment and i will do my best to fix anything I messed up on

Introduction

Spy for Dummies
Welcome to the "Spy for Dummies" guide for Team Fortress 2. This guide is designed for players who are new to the game or just want to get better at using the spy. For those of you who know the basics of the class and want to get more in-depth please visit the advanced section of this guide. There will be many tips and tricks throughout and the occasional video walk-through.

Character Bio

• Location: France
  
• Job: Assassin, Sabateur
  
• Kit: Knife, Revolver, Sapper, Disguise Kit, and the Invisible Watch

Please keep in mind that the guide is constantly being edited and I will be constantly be adding more content and features into the guide

Basics

Basic information
The spy is one of the more unique class in the game of team fortress 2. On default he is armed with a knife, a invisibility watch, a disguise kit, and a sapper. Once you combine all for of his items he can become very deadly and if played right help the team win. Below I listed the names of the default items and their basic functionalities.

Knife: The knife is the Spy's most deadly weapon and is guaranteed to be a one hit kill if stabbed from the back. The spy must get close to the adversary and stab him in the back in order to automatically kill him. The knife can also be used to attack from the side or the front but isn't as deadly and is not the best choice to pick.

Sapper: The sapper is used mostly as a support weapon and can disrupt buildings created by engineers. It can be used when under disguise and when used it will render the building unusable until the Engineer removes the sapper. If the sapper is not removed within a limited amount of time the building will be destroyed and the Spy will gain a point.

Invisibility watch: The invisibility watch is used to cloak the spy if he wants to sneak in behind enemy lines. There is always a timer on the watch that shows how much cloak the spy has left. If he runs out he will become uncloaked. While a spy is clocked he will not be able to attack or sap until the clock either ends or the Spy manually uncloaks himself.

Disguise kit: The disguise kit is used by the Spy to disguise himself as one of the enemy players. When looked at from a friendly player there is a mask on the spy with a picture of the class he is disguised as. If the spy comes into physical contact with the enemy team they will be blocked instead of walking through teammates and therefore realize that you are a Spy.

Revolver/Pistol: This weapon is the spy's only ranged weapon and can be very effective if used properly. It is one of the harder weapons to use and can potentially deal a lot of damage. For some users it may be used as a last resort weapon but if used correctly it can deal crits with headshots and therefore kill the enemy.

Basic gameplay tips

Becoming the enemy Typically when you spawn as a spy the first thing you will want to do is disguise yourself as the enemy. It is recommended that you disguise yourself as one of the faster characters because that WILL affect your movement speed while under disguise. Try not do disguise as a spy though cause that typically gives you away unless you're invisible. Depending on the situation you may want to go into cloak. After getting behind the enemy lines you will probably want to hide and switch your disguise into that of a sniper and stand in an open area and be still until you find your next target.

Finding your target Depending on the situation you are in sometimes it may be a good idea to just stay back and watch your teamates and see what they seem to need help with. In certain cases if you see a sentry gun without a engineer camping next to it you will probably want to sap it even if there are other players nearby. A destroyed sentry is worth losing your life for because it will definately help your team out resulting in a increased likelyhood of a victory. If there is a medic charging up a heavy definately try to eliminate the medic as soon as possible because if a Heavy gets Ubered he will cause a lot of damage and become a very big problem. Other times you may just want to search for snipers and take them out because it can be pretty fun and satisfying at the same time.

What to avoid Typically when you're playing as the spy there will be certain classes that you will want to avoid. The main one is definately the pyro, if he sets you on fire you are basically screwed unless you have a certain set weapons and equipment. You will want to avoid scouts to because they are very hard to kill expecially as Spys and can constantly circle and beat you with a bat. Also as long as you are disguised you will be safe from sentries but the moment you uncloak the sentry will automatically fire at you. Try not to face your enemies when going towards them as it is always a better idea to walk backwards. Do not ever walk straight into your enemies unless you want to give your self away because you WILL block them and they'll know your a enemy spy.

This section is still under editing and revision and i will continue to add more information as i go

Weapon Tips

Knife: The knife is in most people's opinions the most effective weapon for the Spy. In order to use this weapon effectively you must be able to identify your target from a distance and sneak up behind him without being detected and stab him in the back for the kill. It is not recommended to use the knife in a regular fight as it deals fairly low damage and must be used at close range. Once you play the game more and depending on your play style you may want to use something other than the default knife. In general you will want to keep your knife in one of you main slots so you can instantly switch to it by pressing Q *default for a quick and easy kill.

Sapper: The sapper is used as a support tool and wouldn't excactly be considered a weapon either. It is most effectively used while the spy is disguised and when there aren't any enemies near the buildings. The sapper can be used in many ways sometimes as a diversion or to temporarily disable buildings. Sappers CAN destroy buildings but at certain times it may be more effective to constantly disable an engineers camp buildings back and forth until they all get destroyed. One really effective method is to stand on the other side of the building facing towards the engineer who owns it and sapping it then walking back and once the engineer unsaps it to run back and sap it again until the building eventually gets destroyed. This method typically takes about 4-5 sappers to successfully destroy the buildings.

Disguise kit: The disguise it is one of the Spy's most useful tools and can be used to disguise himself as a adversary. It is usually recommended for you to disguise yourself as one of the faster classes due to the fact that your disguise affects your movement speed. One class that you NEVER want to disguise yourself as is the Pyro because he/she is the one unit that you want to avoid at all costs. It is also not recommended to disguise as the Heavy due to his slow movement tip. One fairly effective method is to disguise as a sniper and camp near the enemy spawn and stand still until you find a target you want to kill. Be wary of other snipers in the area cause you might just be disguised as the same sniper that sees you and automatically realizes that you're a spy.

Invisibility Watch: The invisibility watch can render the spy to become invisible for a short amount of time. Be aware that when a Spy uncloaks people are able to see your sillouette and your teams color for a short amount of time and that will most likely give you away. Also be wary that when a Spy uncloaks it makes a loud distinguished sound that will alert all the enemy players that there is a Spy nearby. Personally I do not reccomend that players use the default invisible watch but to attempt to acquire a "Cloak and Dagger" or a "Dead Ringer" The invisibily watch has a fairly short timer and really isn't that great in my opinion. It is effective when used right as you can sneak behind enemies without having to worry about Pyros spy checking.

Revolver: The revolver is by far a really hard weapon to use with the spy and can take a while to master.The gun is highly accurate but it should be fired slowly and typically you can just aim for the body as the default pistol with not deal extra damage to headshots. Certain weapons such as "The Ambassador" will deal crits to headshots and therefore making the Spy a very powerful class. At certain times the weapon can be used efficiently to deal with snipers from a distance range due to the accuracy and damage of the weapon.

My Personal Loadouts

Aggresive Spy: He is for players who prefer to go head on and play aggresively. Recommended for levels with narrow areas with lots of fighting going on at once. The Spy-cilcle allows him to be fireproof and therefore not have to worry as much about pyros.


Sneak Assassin: This loadout is in my opinion the most satisfying way to play as the Spy. The Wanga-Pick/Eternal Reward allows the player to become the target that they killed and if played right can get multiple kills in a short amount of time. But be sure to stay hidden with the watch since the knife will not allow you to use a disguise.


Saboteur: The sabateur loadout is used primarily for stealthy players and those who are patient. The cloak and dagger allows the spy to hide for an infinite amount of time as long as hes still. This loadout is useful against engineers due to the fact that you can wait near one for him to go away and then sabotage his buildings. It is recommended to use the default knife or similar stats.

Random Tips and Tricks

• While under disguise it may help you blend in by occasionally pressing B which changes the weapon that your disguise is carrying.
  
• If you want to use the disguise that you were previously using press B when your not disguised.
  
• Its not always about the kill, sometimes you just want to have fun, its never a bad idea to use the Cloak and Dagger and just sneak into the enemy base and watch they're movements until you find the perfect moment to sap and destroy.
  
• You CAN disguise as one of your teamates and it may lead to a lower chance of an enemy trying to hunt you down for being a spy.

[Malicious Toes]

You should also add that disguising as a teammate hides your position from dead enemy players; they can see you while waiting to respawn, and can ambush you while you're camping their spawn or hiding.

[Kim Gaming]

you should add in tips that disguising as scout is good for stealth, even though its obvious u r spy(becasue of speed) snipers will aim for scout head and try headshot you but scout is short so its actually a body shot

[Frahd Chikun]

This guide doesn't do shit thanks to the unpredictable movements of the opposing players. They always know I'm a spy. I'll never be good.

[Aaries0330]

thanks it helps

[The Shiny Metagross]

Funny spy story: Pyro attacks enemy spy, spy escapes. I'm sitting in the corner waiting to strike. enemy spy backs into me, thinks I'm the wall, and uncloaks. Then I kill the dumbass and achieve, "Godlike," killstreak status with my sharp dresser.

[ShotgunCheetos]

*four

[Tetrax]

C&D is mainly for doing recon ie: Medic's Uber perecent, sentry spots/levels etc. Stock watch is amazing when used correct and has THE longest cloak time.

[merkmywords]

As for the note on the cloak and dagger, I wouldn't suggest that too much. It's not very fun gameplay, and isn't very promising. I you get found, you can't really get out. Instead, do your stuff, and then break the line of sight between you and your enemy, then cloak. Because it doesn't run out if you're still, they'll follow you and then when the enter the door way, they won't see you. Then escape and regroup. Or you can cloak in the corner and wait for a stupid sniper.

[gukingofheart]

I disagree with your one advice.
If you leave your spawn as the enemy, you'll be instantly spotted.
Either leave invisible or leave it discuised as one of your own teammates.

[Tommyrod]

I highly recommend this guide. I'm fairly new to this game. After reading everything I started some games with Spy. It was a really big difference. I CONSIDERABLY better. But I gotta say that you really need "The Cloak And Dagger" most of the time.