Anti-Heavy strategy

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How could this happen?

The Heavy is the sturdiest but least maneuverable class. He easily soaks up damage and still poses a threat thanks to his Minigun, which can mow down anyone who dares face him head-on. The Heavy will almost always be found at the frontlines, often supported by a Medic. Because his direct combat capabilities are so powerful, taking him down will require smart play or additional firepower from teammates. The Heavy's weakness lies in his size and lack of speed, which makes him an easy target for sneak attacks or ranged weapons. Additionally, his unpredictability is limited by less diverse loadout options than other classes; any weapon that provides utility usually comes with heavy drawbacks in combat.

General

Attributes Anti-Heavy strategy
Heavy emblem RED.png Role
  • The Heavy's large size and firepower often places him at the center of any fight.
  • He is a natural shield for his allies - taking him out can often cause the enemy team to hesitate or fall back.
Leaderboard class medic.png Health
  • The Heavy has the largest health pool of all nine classes and can use his large size to take damage meant for frailer teammates. Defeating him will usually require focused fire from multiple allies, especially if he is being healed.
Leaderboard class scout.png Speed
  • The Heavy's slow movement speed is his main weakness - it limits his ability to pursue you or dodge attacks. If you can't take him by surprise, take potshots from behind cover to get free hits in.
  • As a slow, easily distracted class with a lot of health, the Heavy is especially vulnerable to Snipers and Spies.
Leaderboard class soldier.png Power
  • The Heavy possesses the most powerful weapons in the game. This means that fighting him head-on without backup is usually a bad idea.
  • While the Heavy is formidable at close range, his weapons are not very accurate. Snipers can easily pick him off while taking minimal damage.

Weapon-specific

Main article: Heavy weapons

Primary weapons

Weapon Anti-Heavy strategy
Minigun
Minigun + reskins
  • The Minigun rapidly fires rounds that deal immense damage at close range, but is inaccurate over distances. Use cover and don't charge directly at him.
  • The Heavy must spin-up his Minigun for about a second before he can begin firing. This makes him vulnerable to ambushes and coordinated attacks from different directions.
  • When firing the Minigun, the Heavy's movement speed slows to a crawl, making him a very easy target.
  • After any Minigun is spun up, there is a one-second interval where it deals only half damage and is half as accurate. If you catch a Heavy without his gun spun up, he will be at a significant disadvantage. End the encounter quickly, however - once this interval is over, the Heavy will deal full damage!
Natascha
Natascha
  • Natascha has a longer spin-up than the default Minigun, but slows targets it hits. This makes hit-and-run tactics easier to begin, but harder to run away from should you be caught in its fire.
  • Natascha grants 20% damage resistance to the Heavy when he's below 50% health. The Heavy will need to be focused by your team if he is suppressing an important area.
  • Due to Natascha's significantly reduced damage, the more bulky classes can face its user head-on with proper positioning.
  • At long distances, this weapon's slow down has little effect.
Brass Beast
Brass Beast
  • The Brass Beast deals increased damage, making it near impossible to face directly.
  • The Brass Beast takes even longer to spin up than Natascha and brings the Heavy's speed to a crawl. It becomes nearly impossible for him to avoid oncoming fire, especially from the Demoman or Sniper.
  • The Brass Beast grants 20% damage resistance to the Heavy when he's below 50% health. The Heavy will need to be focused by your team if he is suppressing an important area.
  • The Heavy's decreased movement speed encourages him to linger in defensive locations longer. When fighting in enemy territory, take care to not run straight into a Heavy, no matter what weapon he wields.
Tomislav
Tomislav
  • The Tomislav spins up quickly and quietly, making it excel at ambushing.
  • Listen for a rattling noise when approaching corners, which may indicate that a Heavy with the Tomislav lies in wait.
  • Forcing the Heavy to fight in the open will lower his effectiveness, as the Tomislav fires 20% slower than the Minigun.
Huo-Long Heater
Huo-Long Heater
  • When the Heavy spins up the Huo-Long Heater, it consumes 4 ammo per second to deploy a ring of flames. If he is away from the Payload cart or enemy Dispenser, get his attention and stay behind nearby cover to force him to keep his gun spun up, wasting ammunition.
  • Spies can jump over the ring of flames deployed by the Huo-Long Heater, making it possible for them backstab the Heavy without being set on fire or losing their Spy-cicle.

Secondary weapons

Armaments

Weapon Anti-Heavy strategy
Shotgun
Shotgun + reskins
  • A Heavy may switch to the Shotgun when he is moving between areas or his Minigun runs out of ammunition. Take him down before he can prepare his other weapon.
  • The Shotgun is a point-blank-to-medium range weapon and will be ineffective at long range.
  • The Shotgun only has six shots. If the Heavy runs out of shots, keep the pressure up to deter him from switching to his Minigun.
Family Business
Family Business
  • The Family Business has a 33% increased ammo clip compared to the Shotgun (for a total of eight shots), at the cost of doing 15% less damage per shot. This makes constantly pressuring him less effective, but will also make combat beyond close-range less dangerous.
Panic Attack
Panic Attack
  • The Panic Attack deals less damage from a distance and has a bigger dispersion with consecutive shots, but is not affected by random spread, shoots more pellets at once and deploys 50% faster. Keep your distance and force him to keep firing and increase his weapon spread - after a few shots, he will be helpless against medium-distance attacks and be forced to switch to his Minigun, allowing you to finish him off.

Edibles

  • A Lunchbox item replaces the Heavy's Shotgun, leaving him with only one ranged weapon to attack you with.
  • If a Heavy retreats from a fight, check if he's trying to eat. The distinct "nom" sound makes him easy to track down.
  • A Heavy is defenseless while eating. If no other enemies are nearby, interrupt his meal and kill him. Many taunt kills are faster than the eating animation and are guaranteed to outdamage the maximum healing of 300.
Weapon Anti-Heavy strategy
Sandvich
Sandvich + reskins
  • The Sandvich quickly restores the Heavy to full health as he eats it, so he may be able to soak up the damage dealt by your attacks. At the very least, harm him enough so that eating the Sandvich was a pointless endeavor. Alternatively, use a taunt kill that is faster than the eating animation.
  • A Heavy can acquire a new Sandvich by picking up a medkit while at full health; take any nearby medkits for yourself or damage him so that he does not receive a new Sandvich.
  • A Heavy can throw his Sandvich on the ground for anyone else to pick up in order to regain 50% of their HP instantly. This is commonly done to heal a friendly Medic. Steal the Sandvich yourself or knock his allies away using knock back.
Dalokohs Bar
Dalokohs Bar + reskins
  • The Dalokohs Bar only heals the Heavy for 100 HP, but has a cooldown timer of only 10 seconds, compared to the Sandvich’s 30 seconds. It increases his maximum Health by 50 for 30 seconds, which can determine the winner of a duel.
  • Compared to the Sandvich, the Dalokohs Bar can be used more often but restores less health.
  • Most significantly, while the Heavy cannot use it to heal his allies for as much as the Sandvich, but he can throw it more often to dispense more total health.
Buffalo Steak Sandvich
Buffalo Steak Sandvich
  • The Buffalo Steak Sandvich increases the Heavy's speed and damage, but locks him into his melee weapon. Keep a distance and take advantage of the 20% damage vulnerability that the buff gives him.
  • Heavies may use the Steak Sandvich to reach the front lines faster. If you catch him off guard as he travels to the front, he will be helpless against your ranged attack.
  • Like the regular Sandvich, a Heavy can toss his Buffalo Steak Sandvich for others to pick up, restoring 50% of their max health. Try to deny his allies this healing by taking it before they can reach it, or knocking them away with rockets or grenades.
Second Banana
Second Banana
  • The Second Banana recharges twice as fast the Sandvich, but only heals 200 health at a time. Counterplay for this item is similar to that of the Sandvich.

Melee weapons

Weapon Anti-Heavy strategy
Fists
Fists + reskins
  • The Heavy's slow speed is a disadvantage that can be exploited by faster classes during a melee fight; strafe around him or back up as you attack.
  • The Heavy is the class with the highest health; it will take more hits to take him down, which gives the Heavy more chances to strike you in turn.
Killing Gloves of Boxing
Killing Gloves of Boxing
  • If a Heavy gains the critical hit boost from the K.G.B., stay back until it wears off. If he kills you with a critical punch, your death will just reset the buff’s duration.
  • The Heavy can also apply the Crit boost to his other weapons when switched. Quickly decide whether to take him down or retreat until his buff wears off.
Gloves of Running Urgently
Gloves of Running Urgently + reskins
  • A Heavy will usually only have the G.R.U. out while running to a battlefield and will switch weapons once he arrives.
  • The G.R.U. take longer to holster and drain health by 10 HP per second while active, so try ambushing him while he travels.
  • A Heavy could use the G.R.U. as a means of pursuit. If you realize this, turn around and fight before he switches to another weapon.
    • He may also use it to flee when at low health. Try to pick him off before he escapes.
Warrior's Spirit
Warrior's Spirit
  • A Heavy using the Warrior's Spirit inflicts and receives 30% more damage, leaving less room for mistakes for both him and you.
  • If a Heavy recently obtained a kill using the Warrior's Spirit, remember that he will have recovered some health. This will be offset by his damage vulnerability, however. Try to jump over his head using any high ground you can find - this can confuse him, allowing you to land a free hit or two.
Fists of Steel
Fists of Steel
  • The Fists of Steel reduce ranged damage, allowing the Heavy to approach the battlefield a bit safer. It increases the time it takes for him to switch weapons, so catching him by surprise is always a good option.
  • The Heavy takes doubled melee damage while the Fists of Steel are active. Consider charging at him with your melee weapon.
    • If you don't think you can reach him before he switches to his Minigun, you can fake an approach to weapon heckle him or attack with both ranged and melee alongside teammates.
Eviction Notice
Eviction Notice
  • Outside of combat, the Eviction Notice acts as a lesser version of the Gloves of Running Urgently; the speed boost is smaller, but the health drain is lower.
  • In combat, treat the Eviction Notice as if dealing with the default Fists; it attacks twice as fast but deals 60% less damage, making it inflict 20% less damage than the Fists overall.
  • The Eviction Notice gives the Heavy a speed boost on-hit. Slower classes might have trouble avoiding him once he manages to land the first hit.
Holiday Punch
Holiday Punch
  • Don't leave your back exposed; if the Heavy manages to hit your back with the Holiday Punch, you will be stuck laughing in place and will probably suffer a humiliating death.
  • You cannot be forced into an animation while airborne. If you're fighting a Heavy with the Holiday Punch, jump whenever he punches.
  • This weapon's forced-laughter effect can pierce through an ÜberCharge, wasting the invulnerability. Again, try to jump while the Heavy punches to avoid this.

See also