Anti-Engineer strategy

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The Engineer is a defensive support class who primarily helps his team by constructing various buildings. The bulk of his firepower comes from his Sentry Gun, which is capable of taking on almost any enemy head-on when fully upgraded. For utility, his Dispenser keeps his team replenished, while a Teleporter system saves travel time from spawn to the front lines. Generally, an Engineer will build a "base", consisting of a Sentry Gun, Dispenser, and Teleporter Exit, that acts as a rallying point for his team. His buildings are extremely useful for either helping his team advance or holding a strategic position. By himself, the Engineer has mediocre weapons and little health, although he has a few loadout options that drastically enhance his solo combat capabilities.

General

Attributes	Anti-Engineer strategy
Role	A smart Engineer will construct his buildings so that your team needs to destroy them to advance. If you can't take out his buildings, try killing the Engineer himself to prevent any repairs.
Health	The Engineer has little health compared to other classes. If away from his Sentry Gun, he's easy to defeat. The Gunslinger will give the Engineer an extra 25 health and access to the instant Mini-Sentry, making him significantly tougher when fighting solo.
Speed	The Engineer runs at an average speed, same as the Pyro, Sniper, and Spy. Most importantly, this lets him quickly reach ammo pickups for emergency building construction or repairs. The Engineer moves very slowly while hauling pre-constructed buildings, leaving him very vulnerable if you have the element of surprise.
Power	The Engineer's firepower comes primarily from his Sentry Gun. It has several limitations, such as detection range and turning speed, that can be taken advantage of. Additionally, the Sentry Gun must be repaired by the Engineer, which exposes him to danger. If equipped with the Gunslinger, the Engineer has enough firepower to decisively defeat the more fragile classes.

Weapon-specific

Main article: Engineer weapons

Primary weapons

Weapon	Anti-Engineer strategy
Shotgun	The Shotgun is the Engineer's strongest weapon. For a strength comparison, the Shotgun is merely the secondary weapon for classes like the Soldier and Heavy The Shotgun is only effective at close to medium range. Move erratically to reduce its accuracy.
Frontier Justice + reskins	The Frontier Justice gains a number of guaranteed critical hits after the Engineer's Sentry Gun is destroyed, depending on accumulated kills and assists. Not dying to his Sentry Gun denies him this bonus. After destroying an Engineer's Sentry Gun, he may seek vengeance with the Frontier Justice. He is still a relatively weak combatant if you stay prepared and defeat him before he gets the chance to shoot. Consider killing the Engineer before his Sentry Gun; the Frontier Justice cannot store revenge crits while he is dead. In combat, treat the Frontier Justice like the Shotgun, but with the potential for a bit more damage. It has a low clip size of three, giving the Engineer very little room for error.
Widowmaker	The Widowmaker drains the Engineer's metal supply for each shot, but replenishes it when successfully dealing damage. Dodging his shots will drain his metal and force him to switch weapons, this strategy will also prevent him from resorting to buildings. Staying at a range will cause the Widowmaker to give diminishing returns, so make sure you stay in open areas as to keep this range. Collect all nearby ammo pickups first to ensure the Engineer can't refill his metal supply.
Pomson 6000	The Pomson 6000's projectiles are weak and easy to avoid, making an Engineer with this an easier solo kill. The Pomson 6000's projectiles are accurate at long range and affect abilities that are effective against his buildings, draining the Medic's ÜberCharge and Spy's Cloak. Medics and Spies should take special care not to expose themselves to Pomson 6000 fire.
Rescue Ranger	The Rescue Ranger is meant to support the Engineer's buildings from afar; its bolts are weak but can repair buildings at long range. He will typically use it if he can't approach his Sentry Gun with his Wrench. The Rescue Ranger can be used to teleport buildings to the Engineer if he maintains line of sight. Doing so marks him for death, giving you an opportunity to take him and his building out. Harass the Engineer to force him to take cover, preventing long range repairs or haulings.

Secondary weapons

Weapon	Anti-Engineer strategy
Pistol + reskins	An Engineer will typically use the Pistol for long range harassment. It is a relatively weak weapon, so shrug off the bullets as you make your way towards his buildings. Unlike the Scout, the Engineer has a lot of Pistol ammunition; don't expect him to ever run out.
Wrangler + reskins	The Wrangler lets the Engineer take manual control of his Sentry Gun, shielding it and allowing it to attack outside of its normal range. Note the appearance of any team-colored laser guides. If the Engineer is manually controlling his Sentry Gun, it will not target you automatically. You can enter a formerly dangerous area to take out the Engineer, then retreat. Attack the Engineer to force him to switch weapons, deactivating the Sentry Gun for a few seconds and leaving it susceptible to attack. Although uncommon, take care for Sentry nests in unexpected places; an Engineer can propel himself skyward using a Level 3 Sentry Gun's rockets.
Short Circuit	The Engineer will typically use the Short Circuit to destroy projectiles (usually rockets, grenades, and Stickybombs) that threaten his buildings. Consider targeting the Engineer with bullets or your melee weapon. The Short Circuit consumes more metal when it successfully stops a projectile; have your team bombard the Engineer with projectiles to quickly drain his metal supply. Collect all nearby ammo pickups first to ensure the Engineer can't refill his metal supply. Destroy his Dispenser, too. The Short Circuit only eliminates projectiles in front of the user. Attack from the sides and the back, outside of the Engineer's vision.

Melee weapons

Weapon	Anti-Engineer strategy
Wrench + reskins	An Engineer will use his Wrench to build and repair buildings, destroy Sappers, or as a last resort when attacked. The Engineer's poor health pool makes him weak in melee combat.
Gunslinger	The Gunslinger grants the Engineer 25 additional health, making him more durable in combat. Avoid being struck consecutively to prevent the Gunslinger's triple-hit combo. The Gunslinger replaces the Sentry Gun with the Combat Mini-Sentry Gun, making the Engineer's area denial capabilities much weaker. Expect to find a Gunslinger Engineer near the front lines, away from his other buildings. If you know where his Dispenser and Teleporter are, they may be easier to take out. Expect the usual Gunslinger Engineer to pack a Frontier Justice or a Widowmaker, and will use the Mini-Sentry's disposability to distract you, take the Mini-Sentry out from a distance before it constructs first to minimize the damage from the potentially flanking Engineer, then take out the now fragile Engineer. You can also score some extra potentially fatal strikes on the Engineer as he selects the Mini-Sentry.
Southern Hospitality	The Southern Hospitality inflicts bleed on hit, making him slightly stronger in melee combat. As a Spy, avoid being struck with this weapon if the Engineer checks for Spies or pursues you, as the bleed effect will negate your Cloak and disguise. Pyros, with their fiery weaponry, can kill an Engineer with the Southern Hospitality quickly.
Jag	The Jag allows an Engineer to construct his buildings at a faster rate when hitting them. If he sticks around his buildings as they are deployed, consider that their construction might be faster. An Engineer with the Jag must remain hitting his buildings to speed up their construction. This leaves him vulnerable, especially if he is still constructing his Sentry Gun. The Jag is a weak weapon; the Engineer should not be attacking you with it.
Eureka Effect	An Engineer with the Eureka Effect can freely teleport to his spawn and Teleporter Exit, allowing him to quickly restock his metal supply. Taking out his Teleporter Exit denies him this ability. The Eureka Effect has a heavily reduced repair and upgrade rate for buildings. Keeping continuous pressure on the Engineer's nest of buildings will ensure that they go down eventually.

Buildings

Be aware that buildings are unaffected by critical hits; Medics should not use the Kritzkrieg in an area filled with more buildings than players.

Building	Anti-Engineer strategy
Sentry Gun	Of all Buildings, destroying a Sentry Gun takes highest priority. An Engineer behind his Sentry Gun is protected from splash damage at the front, but can easily be damaged by splash damage from the sides, or from behind. Sentry Guns can be damaged from around corners without giving them a chance to fully lock onto and fire at the attacker. Engineers that switch to their Shotgun or Pistol to dispose of Stickybombs placed at the base of their Buildings are vulnerable to damage from other sources. Sentry Guns are slow to turn, especially at Level 1. If approaching one from a blind spot, you can run around it and damage it without it being able to lock on and fire at you. A full-health, level 3 Sentry Gun cannot be destroyed in one hit by anything other than a cluster of Stickybombs. Coordinate your attacks with your teammates to damage the Sentry Gun faster than it can be repaired. Don't assume you know where a Sentry Gun is, even if you've encountered one previously. With their ability to haul buildings, Engineers can repeatedly move a single Sentry Gun between numerous key points. Try to ambush Engineers hauling or deploying one. A Sentry Gun can damage the Engineer who built it. If fired upon by a Sentry Gun, try to use its Engineer as cover. As a Spy, disguise as an enemy Engineer as you approach enemy buildings to reduce suspicion. Place a Sapper onto the Engineer's Sentry Gun. The Engineer will most likely be trying to remove the Sapper instead of killing you, so backstab him before he does. As a Sniper, camp at locations far from a Sentry Gun's targeting range so you can kill any unaware Engineer, and then destroy his Sentry Gun.
Dispenser	Dispensers are easier to destroy than other buildings, as Engineers are often more preoccupied with repairing their Sentry Gun. If destroying a Sentry Gun isn't possible, destroy a Dispenser instead, making it more difficult for an Engineer to maintain his Sentry Gun. Dispensers have the second highest priority when destroying an Engineer nest that's nearby the enemy base. Teleporters aren't as useful due to their proximity to the spawn, especially when the other team is on defense. You can use an enemy Dispenser as cover from an enemy Sentry Gun; Sentry Guns cannot see through Dispensers. A Spy disguised as a member of the opposing team can freely use that team's Dispensers, even while cloaked.
Teleporter	Teleporters have the second highest priority when destroying an Engineer nest far from their spawn (e.g. offensive forward bases on maps such as Gold Rush or Badwater Basin), as this will severely limit the opposing team's reinforcements; any Dispensers can then be destroyed with little resistance. Teleporters that won't go down are most likely being repaired from the other side. Out-damage the repair rate to successfully destroy them. A Spy that continuously places Sappers on an unguarded Teleporter that's being repaired from the other side will eventually destroy both ends. Try not to stand on a functioning Teleporter Exit as you damage it; you risk dying by telefrag. On some maps, Engineers like to use "dummy" Teleporters as an early warning system. If you see a teleporter in an unusual place (especially if it is inactive), you may want to leave it alone to avoid losing the element of surprise.
Combat Mini-Sentry Gun	Do not underestimate Combat Mini-Sentry Guns; they have less health and power than the standard Sentry Gun, but have a faster build time and a higher rate of fire than one. Deployed strategically, they can be used to either finish you off or distract you from incoming attacks. When you see one, destroy it as soon as possible. Combat Mini-Sentry Guns are deployed with full health; this can make destroying them as they are being built problematic. It may be better to finish off the Engineer building them before eliminating the Sentry Gun; after all, he can quickly deploy another if the previous one is lost. If an Engineer is deploying a Combat Mini-Sentry Gun in a place where his teammates frequent and/or where ammo supplies exist, destroying it may be pointless; he can easily replace it, and may even be doing this deliberately to distract you. Focus on the Engineer and/or his teammates until your own arrive and drive them back. If you are attacked by a Mini-Sentry in an unexpected place, it's best to quickly destroy the sentry and then check everywhere to prevent the Engineer from ambushing you with his Shotgun or Frontier Justice.

See also

• Sentry Gun
• Team strategy