In Team Fortress 2, you can damage enemies directly and indirectly. If you want all-out assault, you can play as the heavy-hitting poster boy of Team Fortress 2, Heavy. If you prefer an up-close and personal style, you can play as the Flamethrower-carrying Pyro. And if you want to indirectly damage enemies using elaborate traps, you can use Demoman and his Stickybomb army.
However, if you really want a different approach, there’s no better character to play as than the Engineer. The Engineer is arguably the most unique character in Team Fortress 2, and it’s all thanks to one ability: building construction. No, not the skyscraper kind of building. We mean Sentry Guns, Dispensers, which hand out Health and Ammo, and Teleporters. Playing as the Engineer can be tricky, especially if you’re used to engaging in firefights. But with practice and a beginner’s guide like this one by your side, you’ll do fine.
- Let’s get this out of the way first: the Engineer can use “normal” weapons. But he’s only limited to the most basic ones: a Shotgun, a Pistol, and a standard melee weapon. You could use the Engineer as a frontline combatant, but you’ll be at a disadvantage right from the get-go. So it’s best to just stick to where he’s great: buildings.
- Before you dream about deploying a wall of Sentry Guns, remember that constructing buildings require metal, which you can pick up around the map or take out from a Dispenser. Metals are also needed if you want to repair and upgrade your works of art (more on this later).
- The Engineer, as mentioned above, can construct three types of buildings: Sentry Gun, Dispenser, and Teleporter. Let’s talk about them one by one. The Sentry Gun is the one you’ll construct most of the time. It’s great for defending areas and is particularly dangerous out in the open where it has free reign on its targets. The downside is that it will be similarly vulnerable. You can place a Sentry in a more concealed place, like in corners. But the tradeoff is that its firing range and angle will be limited.
However, if you want a more offense-oriented gun, you can construct a Combat Mini-Sentry Gun instead, which is faster to build than the regular Sentry Gun. This means you can go to the front line and plant a Combat Mini-Sentry Gun alongside your allies to help them out. Its small size also allows it to be strategically placed in areas where it can surprise enemies with a rain of bullets. Of course, being the smaller variety, it’s easier to take out.
- The Dispenser is the “support” building. It can feed your allies with a supply of Health and Ammo, as well as metal for your building construction needs. The Dispenser takes a while to put up, so it’s recommended that you construct one at the start and then move on to other buildings while it crawls to completion. Because the Dispenser takes a long time, it’s best to deploy it in a very safe location. In case you find yourself defending it against enemies, remember that you can actually jump onto the Dispenser for a higher ground.
- Last but not the least is the Teleporter. It’s pretty much straightforward. You build an “Entrance” and then an “Exit” separate from each other. But be sure that the Exit Teleporter isn’t facing a wall; otherwise, your allies will be at an immediate disadvantage as soon as they come out. Use right-click to re-position the Exit Teleporter. Teleporters are a great way to ferry slow-moving allies to far-off places very quickly. Heavy comes to mind.
- Contrary to real life, the Engineer can actually carry his buildings to new locations if necessary. Yes, he can carry that huge Sentry Gun anywhere, although his movement speed suffers. Also, while carrying a building, the Engineer is very vulnerable, not to mention his building will be destroyed if he bites the dust while carrying it. So be very careful when hauling your buildings to new locations. Ask your allies for support.
- You can use your Wrench not only to bash an enemy’s skull but to also repair and upgrade your buildings. If you’re constructing a building, whack away at it using the Wrench to speed up the process. It’s like you’re whipping a horse to go faster. And as for upgrading, your building can go as high as Level 3, with the metal requirements incrementing. Obviously, the higher the Level, the more effective the buildings become. For example, the Dispenser hands out more items the higher the Level.
If you have another Engineer on your team, keep in mind that you can also repair and upgrade their buildings. Your Wrench is not exclusive to just your buildings, in other words. The Spy is an Engineer’s worst enemy, no thanks to Electro Sappers and the fact that he can enter your Teleporters. So if an “ally” is approaching your Sentry Gun in a suspicious manner, switch out your trusty Shotgun and fire away. If the Spy has already planted Electro Sappers, take him out first before removing the Electro Sappers using your Wrench.
