How to not be Noob: Payload

If you are asking youself about how to play Payload, here is your guide. Here, I will cover the basics of Payload, some class strategies, and other basic stuffs to get yourself a little more familiar with this gamemode. This is the first guide in the How to not be Noob series that covers gamemodes. So come on in!

Basics

Now you are probably wondering, "What do I do in this gamemode?". Well to put it in short, one team (BLU) has a cart, and their goal is to push it into the other team's base (RED) to blow it up. The BLU team wins when they have successfully pushed the cart through enemie territory, passing checkpoints, and ending it off by blowing the RED base up. The RED team wins when the timer on the top of your screen runs out to 0 minutes and 0 seconds, and when the BLU team is not on the cart. The game starts out with a 1:30 to set up, get some uber built up, and for the engineer to set up his buildings. When the setup timer reaches 0:00, then the BLU gates open. Then BLU team has 5 minutes to get the cart to the checkpoint. When a cart reaches a checkpoint, the BLU team gets awarded with more time. The max time a game can have at one time is 9:59, and no more. When the BLU team is not on the cart for more than 30 seconds, then the cart will slowly roll back to the last captured checkpoint. On certain parts of the track, the cart will roll back when the BLU team is not pushing it. You will know that its that part of the track when the track has yellow and black stripes on it, and the Payload progress bar will have moving chevorons going to the left, depending on your HUD. Some maps, like Gold Rush or Thunder Mountain, have multiple stages like Dustbowl, while maps like Upward have all of the checkpoints on 1 stage. Thats all I have for basics, but it doesnt end there.

Variations of Payload

Currently, there are 2 official versions of Payload, and they are:

• Payload
  
• Payload Race

There is also another variation of Payload, called Tug-o-War Payload. This mode is community made, and until Valve adds one map with this variation, this is not an offical Payload version. I will not be talking about it in this guide.

Class Strategy

Here is some strategy to the basic Payload mode for all 9 classes.

-Scout: Having 1 or 2 Scouts on your BLU team is good to have, as Scout count as 2 people when they push the cart. Get behind the RED's front lines and shoot away. Although Scout is good to have on BLU, he is terrible on RED.

-Soldier: It's always good to have some Sollys on your team, both on RED and BLU. He is a powerful class that can shell out large bursts of damage. He is the jack of all trades, master of none, so the Soldier can cover a wide variety of jobs, like taking out Sentries that cover checkpoints

-Pyro: Another jack of all trades class. Good for rushing down classes and, if in the right places at the right time, can shell out large amounts of damage. On some maps, you can use your airblast (Right-Click on default) to push the people off the cart if you are on RED, or into pits or hazards.

-Demoman: A great class to have on your team, especially on RED. Indirect fire is great for bouncing gernades around corners. If you have the Stickybomb Launcher on you, you can put stickes on the cart to instantly blow up any unforturnate BLU member that doesn't see it. He is also good on BLU for taking out Sentries and pushing the cart.

-Heavy: "Heavy is dedicated to pushing cart!" Heavy is kind of like a mobile Sentry. You can put him on the checkpoint if you are on RED and he will cover it, until someone gets the memo to become Spy and backstab him. Heavy is only really good if you have a Medic or Pyro around you to check for Spies. Like what I said at the start of this, Heavy is a dedicated cart pusher. His speed is just right to push it, and he can jump on top of it and crouch down and shoot any people that come near, until a Snoipah does a 420 headshot on yo a$$.

-Engineer: Engi is a great class to have on RED and BLU, for different reasons. On RED, he is good for his LvL 3 Sentry covering the checkpoint. If you really want to, you can go Ninjaneer and hide somewhere near BLU spawn, and when BLU gets far enough ahead where they move to a new spawn room, you can set up base near their spawn to annoy the hell out of them. On BLU, he is useful for his Teleporter, bringing people near the front lines. If you don't put up teleporters, you can just be a Combat Engie with his Gunslinger.

-Medic: Great on BLU, for destroying Sentries and clearing out choke points with the standard uber from the Medi Gun. Stay near the front lines to heal hurt people. On RED, equip the Kritzkreig to clear out the BLU team on the cart. If you are a secondary Medic, go equip the Quick-Fix or Standard Medi Gun. Quick-Fix is only for people being a support support Medic (that wasn't a typo, I ment to say it twice).

-Sniper: Only good if you stay in your perch on RED, and other temporary perches on BLU. Sniper count should never exceed 1, ether on RED or BLU.

-Spy: Spy is only good on BLU. Get behind the enemie lines, destroy their teles and sentries, and kill the Medics. Nothing else.

Also, some other all class stategy, use the cart as cover. If there is a Sentry that your team can't destroy, but the cart is far enough back to get to without getting killed, get behind it and use it as cover.

List of Payload Maps

Here I'm going to show you all of the offical Payload maps. I will also put down any other important things, like how many stages is in that map. If it is made by the community, the map name will be in italics.

• Badwater Basin. Stages: 1. Map file name: pl_badwater.
  
  
• Frontier. Stages:1. Map file name: pl_frontier_final
  
  This map also has a custom cart. It's called the Chew-Chew Train. The reason why its called that is pretty obvious.
  
  
  
• Gold Rush. Stages: 3. Map file name: pl_goldrush
  
  Note: This is also the first Payload map, released in 2008 in the Gold Rush update!
  
  
• Hoodoo Stages: 3. Map file name: pl_hoodoo_final
  
  This map also has a custom cart, and its name is the Dirty Bomb. When you get close to it, it ticks, which adds an extra layer of creativeness.
  
  
  
• Thunder Mountain. Stages: 3. Map file name: pl_thundermountain
  
  Note: This is one of my favorite official maps!
  
  
• Upward. Stages: 1. Map file name: pl_upward
  
  
  
• Barnblitz. Stages: 1. Map file name: pl_barnblitz.
  
  Note: There is another version of this map, with the map file called pl_barnblitz_pro. It removes all of the snow, and aditional places to fight are also available in that map.
  
  
• Borneo.
  Stages: 1
  File name: pl_borneo
  
  Note: The name of this map is the name of a real island in Southeast Asia, and the 3rd largest in the world, hence the Asian Rainforest design.

Payload Race

There is another mode, called Payload Race. It is the same as the original Payload, but instead of BLU having a cart, RED also has one. The teams have to push the cart, and defend the other team's cart. There is no time limit, no checkpoints, and the carts don't move backwards. At times, the games can be hectic, but moastly boring. I almost guarentee you that you have played Payload Race at least once in your TF2 career. I will show you the maps next.

List of Payload Race Maps

I will show you all 4, yes, 4 maps that have Payload Race, with the most popular first.

• Hightower. Stages: 1. Map file name: plr_hightower
  
  Note: For the love of God, please, please don't cap Hightower. Just...no!
  
  
• Nightfall. Stages: 3. Map file name: plr_nightfall_final
  
  
  
• Pipeline. Stages: 3. Map file name: plr_pipeline.
  
  Note: This is the very first Payload Race map, released in the Sniper vs. Spy update in 2009!
  
  
• Helltower. Stages: 2. Map file name: plr_hightower_event
  
  Note: This is a Halloween themed map released in the Scream Fortress 2013 update. Both teams have a cart filled with gravel with the opposing brother in the cart (Blutarch for RED, Redmond for BLU). When any team caps the point, everyone gets transported to Hell, and then it turns into an Arena match. The people that capped the point get a health buff. The objective when you get to Hell is to get to Skull Island, where you can get the Fancy Spellbook. If you die in Hell, then you turn into a Ghost.
  

Tips

Here are some tips, and hidden stuff!

-The cart acts like a Level 1 Dispenser, with ammo served in the back, and health when you are near it.

-If you go searching around in the files of TF2, you will find files for 2 different models of rideable carts.

-The light model on the cart is the same one on the Engineer's Mini-Sentry, but larger.

Conclusion

Thanks for reading my guide on how to not be a noob in Payload. Hopefully you have learned something, and maybe, just maybe, have your mind blown. All of my guides can be found in my guide portal. Check them out when you have time. I am still continuing on the class side of How to not be Noob until all 9 classes are done. I am also continuing on the gamemode side of things as well. I hope you liked this guide, and I will see you next time, ether in a guide, or in a server. See you later!

All pictures belong to their respective owners.

[TomBoi]

*NOTE* Guide updated on July 8th to add Borneo from the Gun Mettle update.

[[ATG]Snowdude]

np great guide by the way as are your other guides

[TomBoi]

No, it's Mega Blocks. Lol, just kidding. Thank you for that feedback, yo.

[[ATG]Snowdude]

is that a picture at the end with a lego tf2 payload match? BEST GUIDE EVER