Mastering the Jarate

G'day lads
With this guide i will show you how to become a great jarate master

Introduction

G'day mates,
today i will show you how to use jarate and how to become a true grandmaster of the jarate+bushwacka technique.

Playing a jarate+bushwacka sniper is one of my favorite playstyles in TF2, and i think that I'm able to say that I'm quite good at it. My goal with this guide is to make more of you players use jarate.
It pains me to see that sniper with really awesome skills use the SMG or the Razorback, so if you think, SMG ♥♥♥♥ yeah, or I love mah good ol' Razorback, this guide is the right thing for you.
I will show you some reasons why these items are toys against a load of urine and a knife.

Since my last guide failed a bit due to it's arguably content, this guide will be focused on actual gameplay. You may still hate it if you think jarate is ♥♥♥♥.

So let me thank you first for reading this guide.

Thanks to my parents, who are germans, I'm born and I live in germany, which means that I'm not an english native speaker, so please accept my apologies for the mistakes i will make writing this guide.

If you think, ♥♥♥♥ reading i want helpful vids and pics,
this should pretty sum the entire guide up for you:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MtT4c8v8IU



So let's go for it.
lets transform you into a piss-throwing rambo that kills everything that gets in his way.

Part One: The Jarate and me

In this part I'll explain how I discovered the true might of the Jarate and what i think of the other secondaries of the sniper.
If you think thats boring and want actual infos on how to crush your enemies in no time,
then skip this part and head over two part two.
Approximately 1000 TF2 hours ago, I was a typical newbie sniper. I used to wear a ghastly gibus,
i spammed Medic like a maniac and thought that the SMG might save me from threats like spies and scouts. Sometimes I used the Razorback, becaus i thought it could defend my life against attacking spies. Let me interrupt this story for a short time to show you some of the reasons why these items are total ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥.


SMG: Well, i would like to use Upsilons line that a bad item only makes great scrapmetal on this weapon, but sadly its a stock weapon, so that wouldn't make sense.

The reason why this item is bad and should be replaced by Jarate as soon as its available to you is the ridiculously low damage of the smg. Many new players like this weapon, because it's one of the few items in TF2 that reminds them of the weapons from modern military shooters like Battlefied and CoD, which they are accustomed to.

The SMG is just a toy, a baby gun like the heavy would say,because a good spy will have killed you with his revolver, which is an even smaller weapon, way before you could even do serious damage to him with this garbage item.
That does mean that you dont stand a chance against ANY other class with this item in direct combat.

The Cleaners Carbine however is a little bit better due to it's crits, but it's also not recommendable to use, if you could use the jarate instead.


Razorback: Ok, this is like the most useless item in all of TF2, as an item it's unmatched in it's crappyness. Why waste an entire slot for this piece of ♥♥♥♥. My point is that it can protect you from ONE backstab for sure, but you could just push your back against a wall to achieve this defense, without having an entire slot blocked. To all you Razorback fanboys, have you ever thought that a spy could just use his revolver to kill you before you can even react?

Ok lets continue:
One day i found out that i just needed one more achievement for the sniper milestone 3, so i decided to go for the 10 kills kukri achievement. So I discovered the awesomeness of melee combat in TF2,(this was way before Gaben nerfed the range for melee weapons, nevermind that). Melee combat adds a whole new level of tension into TF2, because its even more direct and much more competetive than the normal gun gameplay, but the thing that made me fall in love with melee combat is that its just a hell lot of fun.

Now as you already may know, the sniper isn't the class with the biggest duration in intensive close-range combat, so I needed something that give me a huge damage boost. I needed jarate.
I added the minicrits of the jarate to the awesome effect of the bushwacka, which guarantees you a full critical hit instead of minicrits, and my TF2 experience just got 20% cooler.
And yes this reference was necessary.

Part 2: The Jarate and You

What is Jarate? http://wiki.teamfortress.com/wiki/Jarate
How to use it? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQoiE-hfqFY

SEE?

Before i explain how to master the jarate-based melee combat, I will show you how to use the Jarate alternatively.
Jarate is able to fit to a great variation of playstyles, whether it's the long range marksman killing enemy key targets like medics and heavies or the melee maniac just messing around in the sniper areas of the other team.
Sometimes you see allied players burning to death, trying to reach the resupply locker, but you see he won't make it. Since you're also near the resupply room, just throw your Jarate at him, it will extinguish him. This you may already have known, cause it's one of the most basic ways to use the jarate.

Now we all know now that jarate grants minicrits on the enemies which are covered in it.
We can use this ability to aid our team in many different ways.
Now think of a battle RED heavy medic against BLU heavy medic. This is one of the key moments in the game, the winning heavy medic team will be able to quickly rush through the enemies' defenses, since the most powerful weapon of the team, the enemy heavy medic, has been taken out.
If you witness and upcoming heavy medic battle, just cover the enemy heavy medic in jarate, it will make the job of your heavy medic team to a lot easier.

Always throw jarate at spies, because even if you can't fight them directly, they can't hide now, because their cloak will fail due to your jarate, which means your team can take them out in no time.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzYjNXpo8Fs#t=25s
These snipers are doing it right, despite they wear a razorback

But wait, theres more:
We all know these moments when like the entire enemy teams pushes forward in your base to steal your intel. Thanks to the splash effect of the jarate, you can cover an entire enemy group in piss, which makes it easier for your defending teammates to stop them. If you're team is prepared with sentries and demospams, the attempt of your foes will result in a short but bloody massacre, thanks to the minicrits.

So you just transformed from a lone wolf into a credit to teem. Awesome.

Part 3: The Bushwacka and You

Alright, let's get to a key part of being a good jarate sniper: The combination of the jarate's minicrits with the cool ability of the bushwacka to turn every minicrit into a guarantee full critical hit.
This tranforms you into one of the deadliest melee classes in the game, it will make demoknights your poor helpless victims, they won't stand a chance against you, cause you can kill them with one hit.

This Video should show you the deadly effects of this playstyle:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUBPJxHR67s

Theres only one class with one special style of gameplay which will own the Jarate Sniper nearly every time these two collide. I'm talking about the opposite of the m1+w pyro, the airblasting axtinguisher pyro. Don't waste your Jarate on him because he will A) try to airblast it back on you, which means that you're double ♥♥♥♥♥♥ when he succeedes with that, and B) airblast you away every time you try to attack him with your bushwacka. The deadliest technique of this playertype is that the pyro gains a guaranteed crit with his axtinguisher on burning players, which is quite similar to your Jarate effect, with the addition that he can use it every time he wants.

Note: You may think, what the heck, just throw jarate at him, noscope and get da critz.
Do it if you want, it's an advantage for sure, but i think noscoping is a cheap and cowardish tactic. Time for a heavy quote: "Guns are for Babies"

Now you're asking yourself, why play Jarate Sniper at all, if the pyro is better suited for it, with more healthpoints, fire resistance and this axtinguisher thing?
Well, i think what makes me more successful when i play as Jarate Sniper than as an Axe Pyro is the fact, that no one expects you. No Sniper will expect to get jarated and killed by an enemy sniper in his own base. No Spy will expect that he suddenly gets the one hunted. With a little skill in timing and ambushing, you will even be able to take out a heavy medic pair without breaking a sweat.

The Jarate Sniper plays alot like a mixture of Spy and demoknight, he comes from the shadows and once seen fights like a man.
Despite i don't think you can increase your melee skill in gerneral by reading instead of playing the game, here are some tips and tricks that may help:

1. Use the Maps for your advantage
This is a good method to stay alive and get some kills. By knowing the map well you can pick where you want to fight. For example you can stay on the tower on hightower and see an enemy demo spamming some stickies around. Just jump off the tower, the falling damage isn't that high, throw your jarate mid air and kill him fast. He didn't see it coming.

2. Watch out for Spies
Melee combat against spies can be harder than you think. With the revolver the spy has an excellent close range fire weapon, which means that you have to get in melee range as soon as possible. Don't run straight up him, always run like a scout, dodging his fire. And watch out for stairs, pro spies use these for a trick called "stair stab". The Spy makes you follow him on the stairs, then he jumps over your head and backstabs you. Its a pretty cool trick, but kinda easy to counter if you expect the spy to perform it. Just move backwards when he jumps at you, he will land directly in your face, which means that you can kill him with your bushwacka.

3. Don't ragequit your training
Becoming good in any melee combat is a long way (not really),
but it's necessary to practise. At the beginning you will die.ALOT.
But don't let that frustrate you, because you will get better with time.

After this one my guide isn't serious anymore so you can stop reading

4. Always push forward
As a Sniper, people won't expect you to go berserk mode, thats why you will succeed.
Waiting for too long time makes them realize what is going on and they will shoot you with guns, which is not good, because your health-meter isn't the biggest at all. Always blitz em'.
Maybe listen to some kickass music like the matrix soundtrack (as long as it doesn't slow donwn your game) to get you in the right mood for rampaging through the enemy's lines.
Ah yes time for music spam:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohrdJTj_Sfo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUJYID9gZeY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sagjO--UsD0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lujpV8CzVJ8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0CYGs5KnvU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6l6vqPUM_FE

ok thats enough i think


♥♥♥♥ it im not able to write a serious guide.
Now watch this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07kmMKgO5A4
Awesome as ♥♥♥♥

Darn i ♥♥♥♥♥♥ my guide with my spam, this one was supposed to be serious. Well nevermind

I couldn't resist BILLY MAYS

Good Luck with yer new skillz

So now you should know both how to play TF2 and what music i like.
Both are equally worth to know.
Btw, R.I.P. Billy Mays.

So thank you all for reading my guide.

Maybe i spam out some new guides soon.
Yeah.
I will start mah new guide with HI BILLY MAYS HERE FOR...
Yep good idea.
Hi I'm Chris Hansen for dateline nbc,
why don’t you take a seat right over there and get comfortable to learn some new TF2 stuff.

Man thats even better.

Or what about something whit the shamwowguy.
Nope, no one loves you shamwowguy, but hey, he said germans always make good stuff

Source:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwRISkyV_B8

which means that my guide is good.
But i wonder about something, if ShamWow absorbs any liquid, what is the point in throwing it into your washing machine?

Anyway thanks for reading this guide

[Khorps]

My technique for killing spies as a sniper is tribalmans+jarate. If you bump into a spy you can throw jarate down revealing him and then you can wack him with the tribalman making him bleed. Which means constant mini-crits + giving him away for even longer because of the bleeding.

[The_Great_Gavel]

Wonderful guide friend. Well thought out, covers pretty much every scenario with jarate and you put personallity into it making it easier to read. I tip my hat to you AJ.

[10¹⁰⁰ Shrimp]

R.I.P. billy mays, lord of the pitch :[

[President John Henry Eden]

[devious goon]

[devious goon]

LONG LIVE PISS!

[devious goon]

Jarate and KAR-ATE! Invincible combo.

[123]

S.H.A.M.W.O.W. And razorback fails,your better off taking a backstab but helping your team 20 times in the game than taking no backstabs but not helping anywhere near as much.

[meanie]

Quit hating on the reazorback, and any weapon for that matter. Every weapon has it's uses and which one is better is just a matter of opinion.
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=133714610&searchtext=razorback

[vihjrk for real]

"Razorback: Ok, this is like the most useless item in all of TF2, as an item it's unmatched in it's crappyness. Why waste an entire slot for this piece of ♥♥♥♥. My point is that it can protect you from ONE backstab for sure, but you could just push your back against a wall to achieve this defense, without having an entire slot blocked. To all you Razorback fanboys, have you ever thought that a spy could just use his revolver to kill you before you can even react?"

It's purpose isn't really to prevent backstabs, although it does accomplish that -- the fact that it makes the stab really obvious should make the Spy question "should I kill this sniper?" and allow the Spy to spend time on pick targets like Medic, Heavy and Soldier. The Spy could *also* pull out his gun to kill the Sniper, but due to the Revolver's unique sound and noticeable damage output, a GOOD Sniper would be able to descope and kill the Spy.