Knife
| Knife | |
|---|---|
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| Kill Icons | |
| Basic Information | |
| Used by: | Spy |
| Slot: | Melee |
| Availability: | Stock |
| Nameable: | Yes |
| Medieval: | Yes |
| Available Qualities | |
| Loadout Stats | |
 Knife |
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| “ | Let's settle this like gentlemen!
Click to listen
— The Spy
|
” |
The Knife, also known as Butterfly Knife or Balisong, is the default melee weapon for the Spy. It is a foldable Butterfly Knife with a handle clip and drop point blade.
Arguably the most recognisable and important weapon of the class, the Knife is responsible for the majority of kills made by efficient Spies. Should the player equip the weapon while within a 180° radius behind an enemy, an animation will play wherein the Spy holds the Knife aloft in a striking position. Attacking at that point will cause the player to stab the enemy in the back, killing them in one hit. Uniquely, critical hits do not occur randomly with the Knife, but they do during humiliation and when the player is boosted by the Kritzkrieg.
In any other instance such as when used from the side or front, the Knife is the fourth weakest melee weapon in the game, behind the Axtinguisher, GRU, and the Equalizer at 200 Health or more. From this angle, each hit is roughly as weak as the Scout's Bat, but attacks at a slower rate. Players would therefore be well-advised to use the Knife primarily for its backstabbing feature.
Taunting with the Knife equipped makes the Spy perform a deadly Fencing manoeuvre.
Contents
Damage
- Base: 40 (28-54 damage)
- Mini-Crit: 54
- Critical hit: 120, but only during Humiliation, charged via Kritzkrieg or during crit boost given after capturing the Intelligence.
- Backstab: 600% of the enemy's current health resulting in an instant kill. This does not apply to the Horseless Headless Horsemann, where the weapon deals 1000 damage.
Note: Damages are approximate and determined by community testing.
Function times
- Attack Interval: 0.8
All times are in seconds. Times are approximate and determined by community testing.
Demonstration
Related Achievements
Soldier
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Sniper
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Spy
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Update history
- Fixed a case where a Spy stabbing from the front of a player would score a backstab.
- Fixed a couple of issues with the way critboosts affected the Knife.
Bugs
- If a player raises the knife to stab and then switches their view to any world geometry, the knife will remain raised.
Trivia
- The original drawing animation for this weapon featured a much more elaborate spin with the knife. It was cut however, for being too long and complicated. Valve feared that this would draw the player's eye away from his target in a fight. The knife animation can still be seen on the teaser trailer of Team Fortress 2 however.
Gallery
RED first-person view.
RED first-person view, ready to Backstab.
BLU first-person view.
BLU first-person view, ready to Backstab.
See also
