Defense

From TF2 Wiki

A Defense is earned when a player somehow impedes an enemy from accomplishing an objective. There are various ways to achieve this:

• Killing the only enemy capturing a control point or pushing the payload. If there are multiple enemies doing this then you must kill them all to receive the Defense.
• Standing in range of the enemy payload whilst an enemy is pushing it. Doing so will also stop the progress of the payload. (There is a time delay before you can be awarded another defense for doing this again)
• Standing on one of your control points which is being captured by the enemy. This will stop the capture progress, but you will only be awarded the defense if the point was more than half captured before you stopped on it.
• Killing the enemy Intelligence carrier.

It is possible to block captures whilst invulnerable from a medic's ÜberCharge but not whilst under the effects of Bonk! Atomic Punch.

Defense Strategy

Defense is also a tactic employed in Team Fortress 2. It usually encompasses denying the enemy from reaching a specific point or completing their objective. A good defense is crucial to virtually every team, otherwise it will most likely fall.

Here are a few defense strategies:

Class-Specific

• Scout,

A Scout's Defensive strategy basically boils down to harassing the stronger classes and picking off the weak and injured ones. Also, your speed allows you to deny the enemy valuable resources (Health and Ammo) by taking them for yourself.

• Soldier,

Good as an "every-man"; he can fill most roles well, from forward base smasher to camper. Aside from the Heavy, the Soldier is probably the most feared class to go up against single-handed. A Soldier's presence can be enough to force enemies to retreat and find another way in.

• Pyro,

A Pyro's role on defense is mostly to give the Engineers on your team an extra hand in area denial. Spy-checking is the job you're best at, so give every teammate you see a puff of flames to keep Spy encounters to a very minimum. Pyros with the Flamethrower can also use their air-compression blast to clear fields of sticky bombs, with a dispenser giving them all the ammo they need. If encounters from enemy Spies are running thin, the Pyro can do his normal job in a defensive manner - Flanking. Taking an alternate route to get behind the enemy team, and flaming like crazy can rank up a few kills, leaving the burning enemies to be dealt with by your team. You may even get the Medics to pop an Uber early, stalling them from taking out your team's Sentry Guns. The other thing that the Pyro does on defense is to "light up" enemies making them more visible and therefore easier targets to spot for the other classes (especially the sniper).

Also, enemies on fire are far more likely to retreat and heal rather than to continue a push, especially without nearby medics.

• Demoman,

Very obvious choice, his stickies work great on Control Points and choked hallways. Also good at forward base smashing.

• Heavy.

Makes a great "Anvil" for a defense. Have him (and a Medic) prop down next to a dispenser; will be able to take rushes of up to 5 enemies. (More or less, depending on class)

• Engineer,

The bread of a defender's Sandvich. He is usually the one to hold off wave after waves of opponents, but only if his team will help. With a Spy-Checker and Heavy-Medic combo, an Engineer can be the deadliest class ever.

• Medic,

Both a Medic & Patient combo and a "Combat Medic" (Runs through all the defenders over-healing them, whilst gunning down enemies) are good choices for a Defense. A Kritzkrieg may also be more valuable for a defense role than the Medigun. While an ÜberCharge will put a temporal stop to an enemy offensive, wise opponents will retreat from the ÜberCharged team to regroup. A well-placed ambush Kritzkrieg will, however, quickly decimate the majority of an assault.

• Sniper,

A Sniper's role on defense is obvious: Sniping. If you see an enemy force heading towards your base, try and get as many headshots as possible, diminishing the amount of support the enemy team has in their attack. Heavies are a devastating offensive force, but your rifle can lay them to waste. Also go for Medics, especially if they are close to an ÜberCharge. A single headshot to an enemy medic can sometimes mean the difference between success and failure.

• Spy,

While the Spy is made for support, he does well on defense. Sneaking behind an attacking mob of enemies and backstabbing like crazy can sometimes save your team. Like the Sniper, backstabbing Medics close to an ÜberCharge can literally cripple an opposing team's offense. Heavies and Soldiers are also good front-liners, whom both you can easily demolition with your knife. Stabbing Demomen while they are focused on destroying sentries can also be an effective way to save your Engineers.

General Defense

• Watch every entrance. Almost always there's a way into the your base that your team isn't going to watch, making it easy for Spies and Pyro/Medics to get in and tear your team to bits. Keeping an equal defense at every area is the key to success.

• Every map has points at which open spaces narrow down into passages. These 'choke-points' can be camped to effectively shut the enemy team out.

• Ambushing is another good Defense tactic. Crouching next to a doorway or behind a corner on the way to an Objective is an effective way to take down classes with more Firepower than you. (For example, a Heavy caught by surprise is almost invariably doomed)

• Flanking also works just as well on Defense as on Offense. While the enemy team pushes against the team's defense, a small strike-force can come around behind them and cripple, or even kill the entire Offensive push.