Like other shooter games, Team Fortress 2 has a resident Sniper. And for the most part, playing as one is very similar in other shooter games. If you main an AWP in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive or have a lot of experience taking out enemies from afar in other first-person shooters, then you will have no problem with the Sniper in Team Fortress 2.
The mechanics are basically the same: zoom-in, fire, reload and repeat. Bite on a cookie or two in between if you must. But for those of you who rarely touched a sniper rifle in other games, don’t worry; we’re here to walk you through the basic gameplay of the Sniper in Team Fortress 2.
- Snipers in other shooter games have a reputation for being “campers,” a term thrown at players who just sit their butts in one particular location and wait for victims to arrive in their line of sight. They live and die in their position. In Team Fortress 2, campers are easily punished for, well, camping. See, whenever you die in the game, the “deathcam” reveals where you’re camped at, effectively compromising your spot. It would be wise to be always on the move (but not like the frontline players).
- A Sniper Rifle’s shot charges whenever you zoom in via right-click. The longer you are zoomed in, the more powerful the shot becomes. Think of Mega Man and his Buster Shots, which grow in size the longer you charge them. Of course, this also leaves you open to sneak attacks if your position isn’t the most thought out.
- Aim for headshots as much as possible. This is easier said than done, but the rewards are well worth it. Yes, rewards. Plural. Because a headshot has two incentives for you. 1) A headshot is a guaranteed critical hit, except for special occasions, and 2) a fully charged headshot can take out almost all characters with just a single shot. Even a Heavy with boosted Health. Scary, no?
- As a Sniper, your main targets are the most important characters on the opposing team. This generally includes the Medic, the Engineer, the Scout, and of course, the bad boy himself, Heavy. Heavy is the easiest to hit of them all, thanks to his burly physique and slow movement.
- The Sniper is the opposite of Pyro, who excels in close-range combat. In fact, if a Sniper is cornered in his spot, it’s most likely death for him. The Sniper Rifle, while still capable in shorter ranges, isn’t exactly made for targets right in your face. To counter this, you can opt to roll with a Submachine Gun as a secondary. It’s the best one you can have. Alternatively, you can go with the Razorback, which is a one-time foil to a backstabbing Spy.
If you want to be more than just a long-range asset, you can choose the Jarate as your secondary instead. The item, upon contact, causes enemies to become vulnerable to mini-crits. But be careful when throwing them at Pyros – their compression blast can deflect a Jarato back to your face. Overall, the Sniper in Team Fortress 2 is perhaps the least fun to play as only because the unit is already prevalent in most shooter games.
