An Addiction To Heads: A Sniper Guide

A in-depth guide on how to play the Sniper class starting from the basics and progressing towards advanced. The guide will cover weapon statistics, loadout recommendations, tips & tricks, and matchups against various classes. Also includes a MvM sniper section.

Intended for beginners up to above-average level of skill.

Introduction

This guide will discuss the various aspects of the Sniper class and its uses and strategies. The guide will be discussing weapons, loadouts, matchups against classes and some tips and tricks.

This guide is intended for snipers of all skill levels from beginner to above-average level.
I created this guide off my own experience, friends and other guides/articles.

Enjoy.

Configuring Your Settings

Can't aim very well?
Framerate issues?

These are the common problems that plague new players who don't know how to configure their game correctly therefore posing problems when playing sniper. If you don't then you may skip this part or continue reading.

Mouse Sensitivity
Good aim is a must when playing sniper and when you can't aim very well you might just as well play another class that doesn't require a lot of aiming. Changing mouse sensitivity often won't give you better aim instead it will just mess you up. My tip is to pick a sensitivity and practice on it until you master it. Or you can copy what the pro's sensitivities are because its obviously the perfect one

Here are some mouse configs (You type these in your tf2 launch options. You can access this by going to your "Library" and right click tf2 and click properties and then "set launch options".)

-console
Opens up console upon starting tf2

-noforcemaccel
Disables mouse acceleration

Frames per second
If you're having a problem on this then the only thing you could do is by lowering your graphics settings or go get a new graphics card or a new computer if needed.

-dxlevel 81
Lowers your Direct X level to 8.1. Those for whose computers cannot handle the high-end graphics of Team Fortress 2.

Or you can use Chris' TF2 configs here[fakkelbrigade.eu]
The configs are designed to max out, heighten your framerate while making the game look like minecraft. I use an edited Chris' Maxframes fyi.

Viewmodels
On or Off?
It's more of a personal preference. I like to have viewmodels off if the weapon is taking up quite a bit of space on my screen. There are a lot of scripts out there for removing viewmodels, go check them out.

FOV
Field of View. A higher value lets you see more of everything. images soon.

Crosshair and HUD
I suggest a dot or something like a + for the crosshair. The best color to use is probably lime as there aren't a lot of lime colored things in tf2 unless it's mario kart or someone who is obsessed with lime cosmetics. I like to use the windows cursor for my crosshair because it gives me the feel of clicking on heads like .exes.

As for the HUD I suggest something that doesn't obstruct your view that much. Good HUDs out there are broeselhud or pvhud. Default HUD isn't that bad though so why change? If one should ask, I use rayshud[teamfortress.tv].

Primary Weapons

Sniper Rifle
The default sniper rifle and its reskins. Takes roughly 3 seconds to fully charge and can deal up to 450 damage. Deals an average of 50 damage when uncharged.


Huntsman
This primary removes your rifle and replaces it with a bow and arrow. This weapon fires arrows that deal a minimum of ~40 damage bodyshots and 120 damage headshots uncharged but when fully charged, it deals a maximum of ~120 damage and up to 360 for headshots. The time it takes to fully charge this is just a second but if you're still charging it after 5 seconds, your hands will start to shake and you will probably miss when you fire it. The arrows can be lit by friendly Pyros or by torches in Degroot Keep and deal additional afterburn damage. Remember that your arrows are projectiles, that means your arrows take time to travel and can be reflected by enemy Pyros. Effective when spammed in narrow corridors where there is little chance of evading the arrows.


Sydney Sleeper
The dreaded "pee rifle". This primary weapon cannot headshot but compensates for its inability to headshot for a 25% faster charge rate and its ability to cover targets in Jarate on hit only when scoped in with the duration in respect to how long you've charged the shot. The minimum duration of 2 seconds is enough time for your team to kill the player you shot at.


Bazaar Bargain
Has a -50% charge rate at the start but gains 25% faster charge on each headshot kill, capping out at 200% charge. Pretty bad weapon when you die too often that you don't even get to utilize the charge bonus, but when you get decent enough charge you'll be getting full charge shots in a matter of seconds. Perfect for charged bodyshotting and destroying pocket combos.


Machina
The weapon that only mlgpro snipers use. This sniper rifle is unable to fire a shot while unscoped, reducing your ability to fight at close range. Charging this weapon gives your shots a 15% increase in damage which may kill classes with 175 health with a fully charged bodyshot. It also fires team colored tracers that can be spotted by enemy players therefore exposing your position. The best thing about this rifle is its ability to penetrate enemy players, making it possible to kill multiple enemies in a single shot. A special cheering sound is heard all over the server so you can feel good about yourself.


Hitman's Heatmaker
With its -20% damage on bodyshot, you'll only dream of oneshot bodyshot full health light classes. The ability gives you a Focus boost. Upon getting a certain amount kills or assists, you can activate the boost and give yourself a 25% faster charge rate and giving you Machina-like tracer bullets. Personally, I don't like using this weapon due to the fact it gives away your position akin to the Machina, but the Machina is much better all around. The only thing I could find a use for this is when you get the boost then whip out your SMG then fire away. You'll be firing LASERS! and everyone would be confused at first thinking its a legion of Machina snipers or whatever


The Classic
This terrible attempt to re-integrate the Team Fortress Classic sniper rifle is a straight up failure. In short, it combines aspects of the Huntsman with the default Sniper Rifle, making it so instead of charging your shot automatically while scoped, you have to hold down your fire button, which you can also do while unscoped, and has the same charge time as the Sniper Rifle. The downside to this is that it will deal -10% damage on bodyshot, and will NOT headshot unless fully charged, making it deal 45 damage with no charge and 135 on a fully charged bodyshot, while keeping the 450 damage on a full charged headshot. To put it simply, you will always do less damage, or sometimes the same. While the Huntsman is good a close range, and the Sniper Rifle is good at long range, the Classic is bad at close and bad at far.

Secondary Weapons

SMG
Your stock secondary. Useful when your opponent is too close for you to deal enough damage with your primary. Very accurate, it can be deadly if used correctly.


Jarate
Gives you a jar of lemonade that when thrown upon an enemy, forces them to receive damage as mini-crits for a duration. Useful for extinguishing teammates and exposing cloaked or disguised spies.


Razorback
This secondary grants you a shield on your back. It prevents ONE backstab and it makes a LOUD noise when broken. Spies see you with the Razorback and will try to shoot you instead. Useful when you're around your team so spies will hesitate shooting you and risk dying.

My favorite secondary cause it removes the spy's only way of one hit killing you. Gives you a moment to quickscope that spy who is shooting at you.


Darwin's Danger Shield
A shield that gives you +25 health and 15% bullet damage resistance but making you 20% more vulnerable to explosives. It increases your chances to survive bodyshots and meatshots. Wear it if the enemy team has a lot of hitscan classes and few explosive classes. If you face another sniper with this on, try quickscoping him for 143 damage and bodyshot/headshot/smgshot him next if he doesn't run away for health.


Cozy Camper
A backpack that gives you 1 HP regen per second. It prevents flinching so being under fire or set on fire won't jerk your crosshair when scoped in. Gives a 20% reduction to knockback so Pyros or explosives can't knock you around that much. The only downside to this is that you take 20% more damage from everything.


Cleaner's Carbine
Unable to deal random crits, but grants 8 seconds of mini-crits when you gain a kill and can be effectively chained when you gain successive kills with it as the 8 second minicrit boost resets after a kill. The minicrit boost also transfers to all your weapons making your primary and melee deal minicrits for the duration. -20% clip ammo and -35% firing speed makes this weapon bad at killing enemies quickly.
Tip: Get a quick headshot and switch to the Carbine to finish them off and get the crits. Works well with the huntsman too if the arrow didn't kill them first.

Melee Weapons

Kukri
This and its reskins deals 65 average up to 195 on crit.


Tribalman's Shiv
Due to its massive damage penalty, you would be hitting like a kitten so its best to hit them once or twice then finish them off with your other weapons. Good with jarate and against spies.


Shahanshah
Gives a 25% damage bonus when your health has been brought down to below 50%, but while above 50% it gives -25% damage penalty. Very useful cause the only time you would ever think to pull out your melee is when someone is trying to kill you within reach. Or when you pretend you can run faster like in CS


Bushwacka
Paired with the Jarate, this melee is extremely effective in dispatching foes instantly. The only downside is its 20% vulnerability to everything when active so don't have this out all the time. You do a quickscope with the Sydney Sleeper then hit em with this, but thats usually a stupid strategy which always works in pubs so why not.
Shown below is the proper use of this weapon.

RIP Croc-O-Style Kit

Yes, this item set deserves a section of its own because lemonade.

This set, in order to work, needs the following: Sydney Sleeper, Darwin's Danger Shield, Bushwacka, and the hat Ol' Snaggletooth. Getting headshotted will take your HP to 1, call for a medic or just grab the nearest health pack to get your HP at least above 1.

Strategy
-Effective on defense as you will be usually be staying in one area and charging your shots.
-Have a medic pocket you the whole time, so you will never have 1 HP.
-Assist your team by taking down snipers and covering targets in Jarate with your Sleeper.
-Taunt after every kill.

How to counter
-Headshot them to bring them down to 1 HP and finish them from afar with one bullet from your SMG and then press G.
-Bodyshot them back.
-Disconnect from server.

09/30/10 - 07/10/13 rip in pees :'(((((((((

Weapon Loadouts

Here are some loadouts that I frequently use.

Any Rifle+Jarate+Bushwacka

The commonly used loadout for sniper. Provides decent support and self-defense.
+Helps you instakill most classes at close range with Jarate+Bushwacka
+Able to extinguish and assist the team with Jarate
+Spychecking
-Reduced effectiveness when facing foes who stay away from your melee
-Fire weapons can be a threat

Any Rifle+SMG+Shahanshah

+Can deal with scouts/spies easily with the SMG
+Shahanshah because you will be receiving more damage often
-SMG is not effective as the Jarate in assisting the team

Huntsman+Cleaner's Carbine+Any Kukri

+Getting crits with the Huntsman after kills with the Carbine
+Spam arrows yay
-Unable to deal with far away enemies (unless you're really good at leading your arrows)

Any Rifle+Danger Shield/Razorback+Tribalman's Shiv

My standard loadout.
+Survivability
+WILL prevent a full-charge bodyshot with the DDshield
+Spychecking with the Shiv as you don't have any anti-spy secondary
+/- Spies will likely shoot you down with the Razorback
-Can't fight decently at close range (unless you're good at point blank/close headshots)
-Sacrifices your secondary for your own selfish purposes

Sydney Sleeper+Danger Shield+Bushwacka+Ol' Snaggletooth

Need I say more?
+Jarate
+Enemies questioning your skill
-Noscopes and melee are your only defense close-mid range
+Graves
-RIP

Hitman's Heatmaker+Jarate+Any Kukri
+Able to gain Focus faster with assists from the Jarate

What Sniper are you?

There are two styles: Quickscoping and Hardscoping. It's good to practice both and use them depending which you like or on the situation.

Quickscoping

usually requires aiming with the crosshair before zooming in and this requires more skill than hardscoping. You only spend a second in the scope when quickscoping and then you fire. Quickscopers tend to move forward more often, hopefully not exposing themselves too much and shoot at anything they see. Now if only there were a weapon that has full charge when zoomed in for the first few seconds and decreases while scoped in longer.

Hardscoping

is the opposite of quickscoping. You spend more time aiming while zoomed in and unleashing that charged shot. Hardscopers are for those people who like to stay behind the team and away from the sights of enemies. Charging and peeking out of corners is where this is best utilized, also try to pre-aim (aiming at spots you know where the enemy would be / would go). Hardscoping is usually necessary for killing the overhealed pocket and that Sentry gun.

Tracking and Twitching/Flicking

Twitch/Flick

It's when you move your mouse so fast and click because you know when the crosshair will be when you click and results in a headshot. This is effective against scouts who have predictable jump patterns and short-mid range snipers.

Tracking

You follow the head with your crosshair. It's hard to do tracking but if you practice, you'll get the hang of it. This style is perfect against rocket jumping soldiers/demos or far away snipers and other moving targets. Tip: strafe to mimic their movements so you can easily get your crosshair on their head. (They move left, you move right)

I've been asked about strafe aiming and I think its a horrible style to get into. You are making your keyboard hand to do the work that your mouse hand should be doing. Sacrificing strafe movement for the sake of aim is terribad and you should get out of this habit.

The snipers in the tall grass of route TF2

Scrub Sniper. Most common of them all, they probably don't play the class way too often or this game in general. Expect them to do stuff like standing still or dying.

Seizure Sniper. These snipers move like they're always having seizure.They will most always quickscope and jump around frantically. cocky whiny little kids that don't care about their lives and would put themselves in the line of fire to show people how good they are in school

Autism-Aim. You may mistake these players for cheating because their shots rarely or never miss. They are quickscopers or hard to hit hardscopers or an impressive combination of both. Get to unexpected places to kill them, outplay them, or just avoid them. Forever.

Lag Compensation and Hitboxes

i hit u in the hed how r u not ded???!
scrub shot me thru a wall

You could write a dictionary about lag compensation so I'm just going to have to explain this short and sweet.

High ping or Low ping?

High ping means that you see things far later than others, giving you less reaction time if any projectiles come your way. This can also be a pain for low ping snipers because even if the 50 ping sniper has already hidden himself behind a wall, the 300 ping sniper can still see his model going for cover and still be able to shoot at it. This gives the saying "You shot me through a wall".

When going against enemy snipers that have over 190 ping. You should change your style to quickscoping to be able to kill them.

There are a lot of sites that explain lag compensation, interpolation, extrapolation, polation, poland, whatever. Google them up if you feel like it: tf2 lag compensation, cl_interp, tf netcode settings.

The Hitbox

These boxes move with you and the model, but sometimes with varying pings they behave differently. They may lag behind you or just be weird[video-games.elliottback.com]. As a sniper you would always be going for the head hitbox. Only weapons that can deal headshot damage such as Ambassador and all sniper rifles can use the head hitbox. Explosives will use the biggest hitbox you have. The spy when disguised as a class still keeps the spy hitbox and not the class disguised as. The hitboxes of every class and the spy disguise is shown here.

*I'm not an expert on this so forgive me if I explained this wrong.
This video reveals the secret to winning the game

Sniper vs

The matchups are listed in a kill priority order.
Sniper > Medic > Heavy > Demo > Everything else
But really, nobody cares who you kill in a pub. Unless it's an admin and you feed off of admins rage and then they ban you for aimbotting and killing children.

vs Sniper
The biggest threat to you and your team is the class you're playing right now, and that is the Sniper. I feel more comfortable when there are no snipers on the enemy team because I know that nobody will try and countersnipe me. Always look out for the sniper laser dots on surfaces of walls, this means that a sniper is looking at that area. In sniper vs sniper, whoever scopes in second wins but if you're going to go for it and attempt to headshot him first make sure that you spend less than a second in scope so he won't have the reaction time to secondscope you back. This shot is quite risky but highly rewarding if you manage to kill him.


vs Medic
Enemy medics can heal their team therefore making it harder to kill them all. A team without a medic will surely lose and it is your job to kill the medic. A single bodyshot on a medic with probably kill him. Remember that they can regenerate health so expect them to be back if your shot didn't kill them. They are usually behind Heavies, Soldiers or Demos.


vs Heavy
Slow moving but dangerous when up close. A fully charged headshot will kill them instantly even while overhealed. 2 quick successive headshots will do if they're not overhealed.


vs Demoman
They will usually sticky jump to your location and kill you so don't hesitate to shoot them in the air. They are the highest damage dealer of all the classes with their explosives. Eliminating them can help your team push as the absence of someone who can completely deny areas is dead. The caber can oneshot you so hide when you know he's comin.


vs Soldier
Like Demomen, they can jump to your location and probably kill you. They will spam rockets at you so you would have to take cover most of the time. Shoot them before they can even get close. Or hide and abuse opening spawn doors to shoot him.


vs Engineer
You can easily snipe their buildings from afar so if you spot one then go for it. If the engineer is visible, try going for him instead because buildings without someone repairing them will be destroyed more easily. Engineers may use a wrangler which can extend the sentry gun attack range and attack you with it.


vs Scout
Scouts can double-jump, making it harder for you to hit them. They are the fastest class and will probably slip past your team and come after you. Hope that they move in a straight line so you can easily headshot them otherwise noscope or use your SMG and kukri.


vs Spy
The job of the spy is to take you out so watch out for them. They will be always cloaked and going to sneak up on you. Listen for footsteps, decloak sounds and Dead Ringer spy decloaking. Jarate+Bushwacka, Razorback and Tribalman's Shiv are anti-spy weapons and can help you survive an encounter with one.


vs Pyro
They will likely spam you with flares and set you on fire making your crosshair jerk around. Extinguish yourself with Jarate if this happens. They will also airblast you so they can corner you and finish you off with their melee or secondary or just burn you to death. Jarate+Bushwacka can be an excellent pyro killer, but you will die most of the time from afterburn after you kill one anyway.

Sniper vs Machine

"We got a sniper wave 1 GG"
"Why sniper?"
"Sniper sucks in mvm"

Oh please, sniper is as useful as Soldier in Mann vs Machine.

Before going out on your MvM adventure, here are some loadouts.

Machina+Jarate+Bushwacka/Kukri

- Since you won't really be doing a lot of noscoping in MvM, Machina is the way to go. (You won't even need to buy the penetration upgrade and nobody would criticise your bodyshotting)

- The Jarate is THE BEST secondary for this game mode. Providing your team with mini-crits will be extremely helpful against large groups and giant robots. Upgrading the recharge time should be your first priority upgrade.

- Bushwacka or Kukri?
Use the Bushwacka there aren't a lot of pyros or giant flare gun bots. The bushwacka is excellent if you feel the wave will include spies, otherwise use the kukri.

Huntsman+Jarate+Bushwacka/Kukri

- Basically the same as the loadout above, but the Huntsman will bring you closer to the front. You easily guard narrow chokepoints if you've bought the penetration upgrade already.

Your Job:
Elimination of Robot Medics before they pop their ubers
Elimination of Giant Robots or Engineers and their buildings
Provide your team with mini-crits with the Jarate

*Spies will shoot you if you have covered them in Jarate

More things to come.

Tips & Tricks

Here are some tips and tricks when playing as sniper.

• Stay behind your team. You are not suited for front line combat so just chill in the back while you take out valuable targets from afar.
  
  
• Facing a sniper at close range? Always try to scope in last, this makes them a slower target for you while making you a harder target to hit.
  
  
• Hide your laser dot by looking somewhere in the background not visible to the enemy while still being close to where you're going to snipe.
  
  
• Jarate can help your team win fights. Don't hesitate to use it.
  
  
• Don't stay scoped in for long. Charge your shots only if you know or feel someone is going to walk into your scope.
  
  
• When scoped in, it's always good to strafe when facing an enemy sniper or an Ambassador spy. This makes it harder to for them to headshot you.
  
  
• There are sometimes where strafing isn't necessary and that is only when you're not facing enemy snipers or Ambassador spies.
  
  
• Don't move in a linear pattern. Make your movements unpredictable as possible, this can help throw off enemy aim.
  
  
• Change your position constantly. Make 2-3 shots and get out of there, who knows that scout you've recently killed might come after you.
  
  
• Charge your shots behind walls or corners so when you pop out you can already deal maximum damage.
  
  
• Crouching does nothing to your crosshair, but it does allow you to find cover and minimize your hitboxes.
  
  
• When aiming, try to aim ahead of your target. Then wait a millisecond until they're right in your crosshairs.
  
  
• You are an excellent building destroyer if it can't attack you. Level 3s have 216 HP (648 shielded) 1 full-charge shot and a half-charge shot will take it out. Level 2s have 180 HP (540 shielded) and will take a full-charge and a no-charge shot to take out. Level 1s have 150 HP (450 shielded) a single full-charge shot will surely take it out. Engineers will be usually guarding and repairing their buildings so if you time your shots with allied explosives you can destroy it successfully.
  
  
• Look out for overhealed players (+ particles hovering over them). They will require more shots to kill because of the health buff. 185 HP for spies, snipers, scouts and engineers, 225 for medics. 260 for demomen and pyros, 300 for soldiers and 450 HP for Heavies.
  
  
• Pay attention to the scoreboard and kill feed. Know which classes are dead and which enemies are alive.
  
  
• Sound is an important factor in survival. Listen for footsteps, death sounds, nearby explosions and sentry beeps, these sounds can help you know whats coming for you. Spies make a near-silent sound when they uncloak, but if they are equipped with the Dead Ringer, uncloaking will make a loud distinguishable sound and letting you know that he is already visible.
  
  
• Facing against a really good sniper who is levels higher than you in skill? Find unusual spots to snipe from and get the jump on him or snipe him when his attention is occupied.

Ever notice that pesky laser dot that grows in size the more you charge your shot?

The laser can sometimes cover the whole face/upper body of the person you're trying to snipe and this can become a problem if you target is really far away. A simple solution is to download this[tf2.gamebanana.com]. Extract and then copy and paste the Effects folder and not the effects_17 folder to C:\Program Files\USERNAME\steamapps\team fortress 2\tf\materials (The install directory instructions in the link is incorrect). This removes that pesky dot on your scope.

This does not prevent your laser from being seen by enemies though

Some Final Words

It's okay to bodyshot. People may rage at you, calling you a n00b and no skill scrub. I'm not saying bodyshotting is a good practice, just do it when you're not confident enough that you can pull off a headshot. Bodyshotting is normal, nobody always gets 100 kills and all of them are headshots, after all we're only human.Aimbot.

Know your class. YOU are a SUPPORT class, so don't just go on running into the front and yelling YOLO while you attempt melee headshots without other classes to protect you. Your job is to stand somewhere safe while still having a nice view of the map and take out high value targets like other Snipers, Medics and Heavies.

Know your flaws and mistakes. Do try to take note of your mistakes and find a way to get rid of them or at least try to minimize them.

Practice. Practice always makes perfect close to perfect. Always aim for a goal when practicing such as "I'm going to headshot rocket/sticky jumping soldiers/demos/whatever". Practicing without a goal is pointless and defeats your reason for it. MGE servers are good places to practice You don't learn anything from sniper vs sniper MGE besides learning how to secondscope.

Always taunt after killing. Pressing G or H after every kill takes an immense amount of skill. Teach those n00bs/♥♥♥♥♥♥/scrubs/casuals that you are the top sniper ROW and that they should feel bad every time they die and that they should just quit the game.

tl;dr

Shoot faster, aim better, don't get shot yourself and thats all there is to it.

I may come back to edit some stuffs here and there.
If I may have misinterpreted some things please do so by commenting below.

Credits to Lintu for this awesome artwork.
the other guy tindall handles mvm stuffs go ask him
Good Hunting.

[E25O2]

it worked, my friend

[Laserguyman]

for mvm, the bazaar bargain is pretty good cause it allows you to be fully charged almost instantly on max heads with charge speed upg

[Pleikkaperuna PP]

Does sniper eat sandwiches?....

[Resolute Mind Afternoon]

does the sniper dot remover also remove the enemy sniper dots?

[The Cheshire Guy]

I like to go with sniper mostly on KOTH maps (King of The Hill), since there's only one point you're forced to capture. But yeah, I'll try not staying on the same spot all the time.
Thank you very much for this tutorial! :)

[smellyindianimmigrant2009]

raw input on or off

[Cummingham]

Nice guide,played after reading and owned a 7 year old mic spam kid

[Arcadë ¥]

is toon hud fine?

[fent supplier]

I think a fun rework of the hit mans heat maker would be to make it so the enemies can't see the red dot.
I think it would be good cause it makes the gun useable in non mvm and also adds to its Assasin design

[Piratebear]

About MvM:

This might be opinion and you can certainly play differently, but the Heatmaker is the best rifle for MvM. The Machina's small damage bonus pales in comparison to the huge fire rate boost the Heatmaker offers. You can drop giants in seconds. It's way too good.

Remember that you're only going for the head in MvM, using Explosive Headshot. That speed bonus helps you spam headshots. A steady sniper with the correct loadout is a ranged AoE damage dealing killing machine. Do not even think about bodyshotting in MvM except if you're dropping a single enemy sniper or some shit.