Team Fortress 2 Strategy

Arena is an individual game mode, introduced in the Heavy update, which is fundamentally similar to Sudden Death in that you only get one life; however, there are several other key gameplay points that apply:

• Crits are on as normal. That’s right, that crit rocket no longer forces you to respawn in 10 seconds, but instead forces you to wait for a couple of minutes for the round to be over.
• The First Blood Crit Buff: in an arena game, the person who gets the first blood (ie the first kill) will get 100% crits for 5 seconds. This applies only to the individual and not to the team. NOTE: killing a dead ringer spy still counts as a kill, so your team could give away first blood withought losing any men.
• A capture point in the middle is activated after a couple of minutes to stop stalemates. Therefore it is sensible to stay around the point (unless flanking) as this will allow you to cap the point as soon as it is available and as well as this in many maps (such as Well or Offblast) the point is a tactically sound position, offering high ground and easily-shot-down-upon chokes.
• There is a lack of health packs – whilst in some maps (like Lumberyard or Offblast) there is one small health pack, in most maps there are no health packs, even when normally there should be (for example the medium health pack in Badlands house or the bottles on top of the crates in Granary). Only 1 map, Nucleus, has a medium health pack.

Class Analysis

Scout

Pros: is fast, so can hit-and-run to good effect and also escape well to health packs/medics

Cons: Lack of health means survival is harder

Soldier

Pros: Rocketjumping means height advantage can be taken (eg on the trains on Well or the roofs on Nucleus); lots of health meqans good survivability

Cons:Requres a medic at most times; is slow without a source of health.

Pyro

Pros: Afterburn is more effectiv in arena where med packs are scarce; relativly high speed to health ratio allows for good flanking (which is key in maps like Nucleus or Offblast)

Cons:Lack of ranged weaponry means that a lot of damage is taken before damage can be dealt

Demoman

Pros: High damage output; sticky jumping is effective due to open spaces

Cons: There are fewer choke points to trap/spam and no solid ‘push line’ means that camping is harder (oh nooooes what will we do -Rab )

Heavy

Pros: Lots of health means good survivability – Sandvich makes this more so

Cons: Typical Heavy cons – slow and so sniper/spy bait

Engineer

Pros: Dispenser can somewhat substitute health packs; Sentries can deal damage without the Engineer being put in harms way

Cons: Teleporters nearly useless; Low Health

Medic

Pros:VERY IMPORTANT – Can heal

Cons: Usual medic cons – requires protection

Sniper

Pros: Most maps have good sightlines

Cons: Low health; lots of flanking routes means that sniper will encounter close combat more oftenm, where he is weak

Spy

Pros: Can pick off key targets like Medics; can take down sentries well (as ubers are much rarer

Cons: Lack of firepower after being discovered

Well, thats all folks, now go and enjoy Arena! And word from the wise – do try to find no-crit servers. Rabbit OUT.