Spy

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Spy
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Basic Info
Class: Spy
Type: Support
Health: 125
Speed: 100%


Contents

Information

The Spy is the stealth class in Team Fortress 2, using his Cloak and Disguises to blend in and sneak behind enemy lines. A Spy can get behind his foes and silence them in one smooth swipe with the Knife. This is not instantaneous so if an opponent moves out of range after the Backstab is initiated, it can miss. The Spy cannot use weaponry at all while Cloaked, and will lose any active Disguise if a weapon is used except for the Electro Sapper. In addition to being able to eliminate enemies quickly, the Spy is a great anti-Engineer measure. The Spy can place an Electro Sapper on an Engineer's building, disabling it and slowly draining its Health until it is destroyed. However, the Electro Sapper is easily removed by an Engineer with two swings from his Wrench. A common strategy is to Sap a structure and then immediately Backstab the Engineer. Remember, if you can see the Disguise on a Spy, then he is friendly.

The Spy uncloaking behind a Sniper in Trailer 2
The Spy uncloaking behind a Sniper in Trailer 2

Bio

Voice actor: Dennis Bateman

AKA: 'You Yellow Bellied Gutless Coward' (to the enemy Engineer), 'Fancy Bloody Wuss' (to the enemy Sniper) (They don't get along)

Country of Origin: Undetermined Area of Western Europe

Job: Uncloak & Dagger

Motto: "..."

A master of disguise, misdirection, and the byzantine details of who really runs things, the Spy is a double reverse quadruple agent whose reflexive suspicion is entirely justified.

Taunts

Strategy

Main article: Spy strategy
The Knife's Backstab is a deadly technique
The Knife's Backstab is a deadly technique
  • Your Cloak and Disguises take one second to become fully effective. A common error is to step into an enemy's line of sight before the change is complete, and immediately getting shot down. You can tell when the change is complete by watching the picture in the bottom left of your screen. Because of this you cannot stab an engineer and then cloak straight away to avoid sentry fire, this was fixed in the July 1, 2008 Patch.
  • After de-Cloaking, there is a three second cooldown period where you cannot use any equipment at all. This means you cannot attack or use the Sappers. Always take this into consideration before starting a sap or attack.
  • Use blind spots (areas where the player's view is cut off, this is normally a 90 degree angle) to recharge the Cloak. An example of this is in 2Fort, in the corner next to the enemy entrances. Most people will run past without even looking in the corners, allowing you to recharge the Cloak time or surprise a group running across the bridge. 12.12.2008 Valve released a new TF2 update, which added the possibility for spies to recharge their cloak with ammo packs and dispensers.
  • Only your Cloak keeps you safe. Disguises are only temporary - never count on them because Spy-checking is so easy and everyone does it constantly. Only use Disguises when you are Sapping buildings or facing away from the enemy base. Also, to reduce the chances of being Spy-checked, Disguise as a class that would be where you are anyway, and try to act like that class.
  • Avoid broadcasting the obvious signs of an enemy spy, e.g. running against the crowd, or a Demoman standing nowhere near Sticky bombs, or an Engineer standing nowhere near buildings, or anyone standing around doing nothing. If someone does start shooting you, you can try to take him down with your Revolver, or Cloak and make a quick turn to escape (but don't forget the one second delay before your cloak is fully active).
  • When disguised, enemy Sentries will not attack you and you can use enemy Dispensers. Enemy Medics can heal you if you fool them into thinking you are friendly. Note that you can still be harmed and killed by an enemy Sentry if it accidentally hits you while shooting at other targets.
  • Your most dangerous counter-class is the Pyro. Avoid them at all costs. They are as fast as you, their flames make your Cloak useless, and the Spy's suit seems to be extra-flammable. Pyros puff flames everywhere as Spy-checks, and if you bump into one he will immediately light you up. Plus they especially love to chase down and roast Spies.
  • If you are on fire, immediately drop your now useless Cloak and run for healing (e.g. Health packs or enemy Dispensers). Hopefully you can escape or get lost in a crowd, although due to the spy's low health, finding a health pack and cloaking to regroup should be your primary concern.
  • Always go for your opponent's back with your Knife. Not only are Backstabs instant kills, your Knife is weak otherwise. Note that that you can perform a successful backstab while striking the side or top of your opponent even if you are just barely behind them. If you have to go toe-to-toe, get the Revolver out; every other weapon in the game is stronger than the Knife. However, the Revolver is loud and distinctive, so you may want to stick with the knife if you don't want to attract more attention.
Slow moving foes such as the soldier make the easiest targets for your backstab
Slow moving foes such as the soldier make the easiest targets for your backstab
  • Don't underestimate the power of the Revolver. If you're being chased, run backwards side-strafing and firing into your opponent.
  • Use the Revolver for sniping. A Spy makes a decent sniper; at long range, damage is low but he has a good rate of fire and excellent accuracy. At long range, the Revolver can out-damage a Shotgun, and even a Heavy's Minigun if there is healing and some cover if the Heavy is dumb enough to stand there and keep shooting from a distance. A Spy with steady aim can also pick off fleeing Scouts.
  • When targeting an enemy engineer nest
    • The engineer is behind his sentry: Stab the engineer, sap the sentry before it turns around. Stand a little farther back before stabbing to perform a quicker stab.
    • The engineer is away: Sap the sentry, stab the engineer as he comes back. Another alternative is to immediately start firing your revolver at a sapped building to destroy it faster. For Sentry guns, this worked better before the December 20, 2007 Patch; with the new Sapper change, this doesn't work as well - even after a Sap and six rounds from a revolver, the Engineer still has time to remove the Sapper and while the sentry kills you, since your disguise is gone.
    • It is best not to take on an engineer nest alone if you cannot reach the engineer's back or avoid his or his teammates' eyes.
  • One of the best ways to stop an enemy rush is to backstab the Medics, especially if they are close to a full Ubercharge. Quick suicide runs against enemy Medics can shut down an attacking team.
  • If you happen to run into a Heavy and Medic duo, try for the Medic first. The Heavy will fall soon after the Medic, be it from you, or your team. However, if the Medic is strafing all over the place you will probably miss and then get taken out by the Heavy. In that case, consider attacking the Heavy first because he is slow, big, and if he's firing, practically motionless. Then you can take your chances with the Medic, or Cloak and escape.
  • If your team is moving into the enemy base, sap any Sentry guns with your Electro sapper beforehand so your team's offensive goes smoothly. While sapped, buildings immediately stop working. This is especially effective since an Engineer cannot repair the Sentry while removing the Sapper, so while under fire from team-mates the Sentry will go down extremely quickly.
  • Snipers, and solo heavies are usually easy targets for newer Spies, due to their low speed and movement when concentrating/firing. Also, eliminating Snipers makes it easier for your team to move into the enemy base. Repeatedly killing skilled Snipers when they are not protected by their team is a good way to make them change class!
  • You can perform an offensive strike when the action is intense and packed in a single area. Give yourself a Disguise and then Cloak yourself. Dodge around the pack of enemies, being extremely careful not to run into anyone, then de-cloak and turn around. Pick your targets and start backstabbing, starting with the one farthest back and moving up. You can chain several kills before the enemies turn their attention to you. There is a delay after every backstab before you can backstab again, so be careful not to overrun the last enemy.
  • Disguising as someone on your side can be a good way to approach an enemy base. If you approach in an enemy disguise it is obvious you are a Spy, and if you approach cloaked, you are using up valuable Cloak time. Also, approaching as a fast and dangerous class such as Pyro can be used to scare enemy Spies and Scouts into avoiding you.
  • When you disguise or change disguise, your body will be covered by smoke puffs visible to anyone (including enemies). If you are cloaked, this smoke can only be seen by teammates.
  • If you step onto the enemy Intelligence, you will immediately pick it up and lose your disguise and/or cloak. This can get you instantly mowed down by enemy Sentries, so watch where you step when operating near the enemy Intelligence.
  • When you disguise, your disguised health level (what the enemy sees) will appear to be between 50% and 100%. You can increase this fake health level by being healed by a medic. Carts, dispensers and medkits only increase this fake health level if your real health is injured, so try not to use them around enemies unless wounded as it may look suspicious that your health isn't rising. Also note you cannot pickup a medkit unless your real health is injured, so it's best to avoid walking over them while around enemy players as well.
  • The name you appear under to the enemy while disguised, is the name of an enemy player that is playing the same class as the one you chose. If the enemy does not have the class you disguised as, it randomly picks any opposing players name (note this happens every time you change disguises).
  • Be aware of what you look and sound like, a scout doing half the speed they should be doing is an obvious sign of a spy, as is the firing of the revolver and decloaking. Remember that everything, including the sapper, makes a loud and a very identifiable noise that most skilled players will be able to recognize and locate. So try and avoid making overt spy moves until you can cause significant damage to an enemies offense/defense.
  • As of December 11, 2008, any source of ammunition (building destruction, bomb cart dispenser, etc) will recharge the cloak. The cloak refilling occurs even if the spy is cloaked. Level 1 dispensers will maintain the amount of cloak while cloaked, Level 2 dispensers will slightly increase the amount of cloak while cloaked, and Level 3 dispensers will increase the amount even more (you must be using a friendly disguise to use friendly dispensers, and an enemy disguise to use enemy dispensers). The bomb cart dispenser on payload maps will NOT refill your cloak meter while cloaked, regardless of disguise used. Using the aforementioned sources of ammo for cloak refills can greatly aid you in an escaping enemy territory after you've done your job.
  • If nearby players are suspicious of you and try to shoot you (usually with a secondary weapon such as the SMG or pistol, as not to waste primary ammo), they usually base their decision on your reaction. Try to pay them no mind, as turning around or panicing is a good way to blow your cover, simply keep walking. They will usually back off if you don't react or die within two or three seconds. (If it is a Pyro, ignore the above; run and shoot)

Weapons

Note: Weapon damage is approximate and measured at point blank range. See individual weapon pages for details.

Categorization Name Clip size Carry capacity Damage
Primary Revolver 6 24 55-60 (120 crit) [fast reload]
Secondary Electro sapper N/A Unlimited N/A
Melee Knife N/A N/A 28-54 (No random crit, but an instant kill if you backstab a target while standing in a 180° area behind them.)

Sapping Times

All times listed are approximately how long it will take for a Sapper to destroy a structure that is at full health with no disturbances.

See also

External Links

Languages Language: 

English • Suomi • Français • Русский

Classes
Offensive Defensive Support
Scout • Soldier • Pyro Demoman • Heavy • Engineer Medic • Sniper • Spy
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