A kill assist occurs when one player is not directly responsible for killing an enemy, but has contributed significantly towards a teammate's kill. An assist shows up in the killfeed as "[Killer's name] + [Assister's name]" and is highlighted for both the killer and the assister. Multiple players may help in killing but only one player at a time can receive a kill assist, with different actions having a different priority. Kill assists award the assister half half a point and only give the player a point once they get two of them. They may also sometimes produce a special class-specific audio response.
Outside of killing players, building destruction can also award assists. If a building with a Sapper attached is destroyed by another player, the Spy gains an assist. Medics who are healing a player that destroys a building also receives an assist. A Spy sapping a building has priority over a Medic healing the building's destroyer when it comes to gaining assists, if a Medic heals a Soldier that destroys a sapped Dispenser it shows up in the killfeed as the Soldier being assisted by the Spy that placed the Sapper rather than the Medic.
Assists function identically to kills when it to comes to dominations; a kill assist counts towards the four kills required for a domination, and a kill assist count as getting revenge on a nemesis. A kill assist also counts towards a kill during a duel.
Example
In the example image, the situation plays out as follows:
- A BLU Pyro called "Assister" is using a Flame Thrower on a RED Scout called "Target".
- Assister stops attacking. Target has suffered direct damage from the Flame Thrower and is now on fire.
- A BLU Demoman called "Killer" places stickybombs underneath Target and detonates them.
- The Stickybombs kill Target.
In this situation Killer is awarded a kill because the stickybombs dealt the last damage to Target. Assister is awarded a kill assist for damaging Target prior to Killer rather than having dealt the final blow.
Gaining kill assists
Only one player can assist in a kill. The game determines the identity of that player based on a list of priorities:
- Debuffs
- Stunning the victim.
- Soaking the victim in Jarate.
- Soaking the victim in Mad Milk.
- Marking the victim for death with the Fan O'War.
- Soaking the victim with the Gas Passer.
- Healing/Repairing
- Healing the killer at the time of the kill (this includes healing disguised enemy Spies, even if the healing beam breaks upon kill). If two Medics are healing a target, the first to have healed the target gets the assist. If the second Medic deploys any type of ÜberCharge to their target, all the assists still go to the first Medic. Healing via Dispenser does not count.
- Repairing the killer's Sentry Gun that gets a kill within the past 3 seconds (this includes upgrades and ammo refills, even if the assister is out of metal). The Engineer who repaired the Sentry Gun most recently gets the assist.
- Buffs
- Boosting the killer with the Buff Banner.
- Boosting the killer with the Battalion's Backup.
- Boosting the killer with the Concheror.
- Other
- Wounding the victim within the past 3 seconds. The player who dealt damage most recently gets the assist.
- Provided that none of the above have happened, a kill assist is awarded to select cosmetic items for any users in Pyroland. If the killer has more than one applicable items equipped, one is picked at random for the killfeed notice.
A Medic only receives a kill assist if the player is being actively healed. Overheal, at any stage of decay, does not count towards an assist. A suicide due to self-action or environmental damage has no effect on kill assists. Status effects such as bleeding or being on fire, as well as airblasts and the Holiday Punch's Crit-induced laughter have no additional priority beyond damage.
Related achievements
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Strike Zone Kill or assist kill 50 enemies while they are stunned or slowed.
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Brothers in Harms Kill 10 enemies while assisting or being assisted by another Soldier.
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Second Degree Burn Kill a burning enemy who was ignited by another Pyro.
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Well Plaid! Kill 10 enemies while assisting or being assisted by another Demoman.
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Division of Labor Kill 10 enemies with a Medic assisting you, where neither of you die.
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Soviet Union Get 25 enemy kills where you either assist or are assisted by another Heavy.
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Spyalectical Materialism Kill or assist in killing 10 cloaked Spies.
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Deputized Get 10 assists with another Engineer where a sentry gun was involved in the kill.
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Big Pharma Assist a Heavy in killing 10 enemies, where neither of you die.
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Blunt Trauma Assist in punching 2 enemies with a single ÜberCharge on a Heavy.
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Consultation Assist a fellow Medic in killing 3 enemies in a single life.
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Ubi concordia, ibi victoria Assist in killing 3 enemies on an enemy control point, in a single life.
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Number One Assistant Score 5 Assists with the Jarate in a single round.
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Update history
September 15, 2011 Patch
- Fixed a rare server crash related to assists.
January 8, 2013 Patch
- Fixed being able to score assists with yourself in certain situations.
Notes
- Medics cannot receive a kill assist if the player kills using a Sentry Gun.
- The console only displays the name of the killer, showing "[Killer] killed [target] with [weapon]" instead of "[Killer] + [assister] killed [target] with [weapon]".
Bugs
- Sometimes assists fail to register.
- This tends to happen very often for assisters who set an enemy player on fire.
- An assist via debuffs fails to register if the killer uses debuffs with a higher priority.
- An assist via Medic healing fails to register if the killer is being healed by a Dispenser first.
- Assisting an Engineer as Medic who kills a player with a Sentry Gun's rockets shows up in the killfeed as an assist, but does not actually count as an assist when it comes to dominations or getting points.
- The opposite happens when an Engineer repairs another Engineer's Sentry Gun which then kills another player with the rockets; no assist is shown in the killfeed, but the Engineer repairing the Sentry Gun gets the points and revenge/domination if applicable.
- Weapons that have hit counters on the killfeed (such as the Holy Mackerel and the Hot Hand) are not highlighted for who assisted on the final blow.
- A Medic can assist with killing himself, his teammates, or destroying a friendly building if he is healing a disguised enemy Spy.