One Scott to Rule Them All - Demoknight MvM Guide

Tired of everyone saying you couldn't carry a sword if it was stuck in your gut? Well, not any longer! This is a quick, simple guide on how to get the most out of your blade when battling those pesky robots.

Weapons!

The loadout you choose for your demoknight is key to how well you do.

Primary: One of the boots, either the Wee Booties or the Bootlegger. The extra health will help out in the long run. Also, if you decide to use one of the Eyelander variants, it'll balance out the health penalty.

Secondary: A shield, of course. Some people like using the Splendid Screen, but I honestly prefer the Chargin' Targe, simply for the resistances. Also, the kills you get with the Screen's charge won't proc your crits, so it ends up stealing your kills and preventing you from wrecking face.

Melee: Basically any melee weapon you prefer, minus the Pain Train and Caber. The Eyelander variants are very useful, because you end up racking the headcounter up and becoming lightning fast with amazing health buffs. The Skullcutter's speed reduction can be countered with a few upgrades, and that extra damage will make you a powerhouse when fighting things like the giant robots and tanks, as well as getting that initial kill to get your 'crit chain' started. (I'll explain more on the crit chain in the next segment.) The Persian Persuader is alright, since it buffs your charge recharge, but enemy weapons do not heal you, therefor erasing that cool ability it has.

Upgrades!

The upgrades you choose are going to be focused around your melee weapon. When a shield is equipped on your loadout, it allows you to increase the damage of your melee weapon, which is essential to the demoknight.

First: Crits on Kills. You NEED this ASAP. Once you get a kill, it'll give you 100% crits for two seconds on the first upgrade. This will allow you to pop enemies one by one, racking up the kills. This is how you start your Crit Chains.

Second: Health on Kills. This will ensure your survival when running around in the mob of robots. Paired with the Crits, you will easily heal up damage you take and eventually buff your health.

Third: Attack Speed. The faster you swing your melee weapon, the more damage you can lay down. The more damage you can lay down, the better of a Demoknight you become!

Fourth: Damage. Well, duh. Damage. The higher the damage, the more you do. Also, the higher the damage, the easier you can get that initial kill.

Fifth: Recharge Speed. This upgrade for your shield will allow you to traverse the battlefield quickly and launch your seiges against the robots with increased celarity.

Sixth: Resistances. This one is situational. Sometimes, you may need fire or crit resistance. Sometimes explosive. Sometimes even just bullet. It just depends on which tour you are playing and what enemies you are currently battling.

Tactics!

Knowing what to strike, when to strike it, is a big part of being a Demoknight.

For example, a Giant Deflector Heavy has just dropped down into Coal Town with 5 Quick-fix medics on him. Should you just run straight up to the Heavy and chop him?

No.

No you shouldn't.

Instead, try to ambush the team from behind. Chop a medic down. Once you get that first doc killed, you activate your crits. You may then wipe out all of the enemy medics very quickly before the heavy turns around and sprays you down. Once all the medics are down, use up the rest of your crits on the heavy. If you upgraded your weapons like I listed, you'll do some nasty damage before he kills you.

If there is ever a giant walking around, try to kill a lesser robot to activate your crits before attacking the big guy. This will ensure the most damage on the behemoth. Scouts are very good targets to aim for.

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Stick to ambush tactics. Even with resistances maxed, you aren't invincible. Head-on assaults with most classes is just asking to be killed. Attack from behind; get those crits; repeat.

Try to avoid Pyros as much as possible. It's hard to ambush one who is a master ambusher. Let the ranged classes handle the flameheads.

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While battling tanks, you can't do much but chop away. If you are lucky, support robots will drop down. In this instance, kill one to get the crits going, then lay down the damage on the tank. Wash, rinse, repeat. Increased Damage and Attack Speed, coupled with full crit capabilities will eat that tank up like Taco Bell.

Maps!

The Demoknight is a fun class variant to play, but depending on the map, your tactics may change.

My favorite map to fight on is Decoy when using the Demoknight. The walkway perched above the robot's drop zone is a great place to ambush your enemies from behind. I learned this tactic from using my Pyro, and found that Demoknight also benefits from the surprise attack. When that wave is done, head back up to the walkway and avait more victimes.

Coaltown is also really kind to Demoknights, forcing all the enemies to drop down into one area. I normally wait either on top of the closest building to the drop zone, or behind that one shack where the snipers like to drop down from. Those locations will allow the robots to pass by unbeknownst to you.

Bigrock is okay for Demoknights, but it can be kind of tricky. The Engineers who inhabit Bigrock often need deomlitions to destroy their buildings, so the lack of the Demoman's demolitions may inhibit your effectivity. However, if you are experienced enough as a Demoknight, you'll still be able to contibute by wrecking the Engie before he can lift a mechanical finger.

Mannworks is my least favorite map for Demoknight. The seperated drop zones make it difficult to maintain crit chains, so you need to rely on base damage more to get that initial kill. However, if you take post mid-map, you will still be able to effectively rock the robots. Most players frown upon 'Non-front liners', though.

Conclusion!

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this guide. All of these tactics I have derived from my own experiences. You may tweak your own demoknight in ways I did not list, which is fine. Team Fortress 2 isn't about cookie-cutter tactics. Everyone has their own style of gameplay.

I hope my guide has helped you out in one way or another, and have fun knocking the bolts out some dumb robots!

-Deth

[Triste]

The Claidheamh Mor also works wonders, but with Gun Mettle, the Persian is one of the best Demoknight weapons.

[DethRaptor]

This guide was actually made before the Tide Turner was released. Lol But I, too, have tried that combo out and it works beautifully.

[Triste]

I Demopirate with the Persian Persuader and Tide Turner.

[DethRaptor]

Thanks, buddy. :) I'm happy I'm getting all this positive feedback. I may write more Guides on my other class strategies. I focused on Demoknight because I felt a proper one hadn't been made yet.

[Manog]

love this guide

[Revival]

true.

[DethRaptor]

It's a strecth asking for 1, let alone 3. Lol Who knows what Valve is gonna do. They love their surprises.

[Revival]

I wish they added 3 more classes though. 1 for demoknighting. one for scavenging items to power up a machine and another one

[DethRaptor]

I don't think there will ever be a 10th class. It would break the pattern they have for each position. 3 Offense, 3 Defense, 3 Support. Having a 10th class would make one of those roles uneven.

[Huntsman]

@ Mr,Saturn (Post Before Last)
In a certain map, used in server's such as Beerhead's Pub Server, there actually is a gravestone saying: "RIP The 10th Class"