Cloak

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A Spy cloaking
Peek-a-boo!
The Spy

Cloak, or cloaking, is an inherent ability of the Spy. Embodied in a watch worn or held by his hand, cloaking allows the Spy to become invisible for short periods of time, allowing him to move unnoticed through enemy lines or make a quick escape when attacked.

General attributes

First, it should be noted that the Spy is unable to use his weapons or taunt while cloaked, but the player can still use the Disguise Kit. Disguising while cloaked will remove the team tinted smoke particle effect, allowing seamless disguise changing to fit certain situations.

Second, the Spy is completely invisible to all enemies when cloaked, although teammates will be able to see the class as a semi-transparent silhouette tinted in the team color. This will allow players to determine if an area is being surveyed by a friendly Spy and to structure future movements around him.

File:User Z Overlord cloak bump.jpg
A cloaked Spy bumping into a RED Sniper

Furthermore, regardless of what type of watch used, bumping into enemy players or being damaged results in the Cloak malfunctioning, producing a temporary outline that is visible to all players regardless of team (although with the Dead Ringer this is only shown after a certain time). A Spy therefore cannot simply charge through an enemy offensive with the Cloak.

Should the Spy be hit with weapons that produce visual effects, such as Jarate, Bleeding and fire, the Cloak will be rendered useless; the effects will make the Spy clearly visible to all. Similarly, emerging from water will cause the Spy to drip water droplets even when cloaked. Falling from a certain height will also produce a blood particle effect, and an audible crack. Spy players should avoid these weapons and their carriers if they wish to remain incognito in the field.

Upon decloaking, the Spy will make a unique noise and briefly appear in a team colored sillouette, regardless of disguise, before becoming visible. Because of this, care should be taken to decloak out of sight of enemies.

Each watch will display its Cloak meter on the model viewed by the player. The meter is also visible in the HUD.

Strategy

The Invisibility Watch is the Spy's default watch.
See also: Spy strategy

The nature and strategy for cloaking depends on the type of watch the Spy uses in battle. Additionally, the enemy team may alter their behavior in order to protect themselves against a certain type of watch. A Spy should therefore be proficient in all Cloak types to be able to adapt to any opposing force.

Invisibility Watch

Main article: Invisibility Watch

With the default watch, players can Cloak for a maximum of 9 seconds, during which they can move through enemy lines, across Sentry Gun paths, or away from attackers while being completely invisible. Picking up ammo in the form of boxes or dropped weapons will replenish the Cloak at the default rate. Map layout and location of various ammo points, therefore, are important to players who wish to remain cloaked for a longer period of time. Dispensers on either team can also fill the Cloak meter even when the Spy is cloaked. Be advised, however, that using an enemy Dispenser will require the correct disguise, and that the Spy may be discovered if bumped into by Engineers collecting their metal.

Uncloaking will produce a quiet 'whooshing' sound that can be heard by other players in the immediate vicinity. Experienced Spies should therefore uncloak in a lone location, preferably with the correct disguise, in order to avoid enemies who may start searching the area upon hearing the noise.

The direct counter of the Cloak is the Pyro. If set on fire while cloaked, the Spy will be rendered visible and will burn with a team-colored ambiance if set on fire. Spies should avoid Pyros when cloaked; if bumped into, a Pyro may begin to Spycheck the vicinity.

Dead Ringer

File:Dead Ringer 1st person blu cropped.png
The Dead Ringer allows the Spy to fake his own death.
Main article: Dead Ringer

The Dead Ringer watch is unique in terms of cloaking. The watch does not produce a Cloak when the correct bound key is pressed, but rather it will be held up in the player's view in a ready position. Subsequently, the next time the Spy is dealt damage, either by enemies or falling, he will drop a fake corpse and immediately become cloaked for a total of 6.5 seconds. During this time the player will have damage against them reduced by 90%, and will not shimmer if attacked or bumped into by enemies.

The corpse dropped is dependent on the disguise the player was using at the time. Dropping a friendly disguise as a corpse, therefore, may allow the Spy to move into enemy territory without arousing suspicion. It should be noted however that the dropping of the corpse ragdolls is somewhat bugged and noticeable to experienced players, who may alert their team of a Dead Ringer Spy being present. Furthermore, activating the Dead Ringer upon being attacked once will almost immediately be suspicious to the enemy. Players should therefore wait a couple of seconds if under continuous fire before cloaking to provide a more convincing fake death. This should not apply to competent Snipers, Sticky Bomb traps or forms of critical attacks.

Spies with the Dead Ringer can collect ammo and use Dispensers to replenish the Cloak, albeit at a reduced amount compared to the Invisibility Watch. Once cloaked for longer than 6.5 seconds, however, the Spy will shimmer upon damage or contact with the enemy as with any other watch. Making a run through the map with the Dead Ringer, therefore, is just as risky as with the default watch.

The main disadvantage of the watch is the loud and distinctive uncloaking sound. Players should therefore utilize cover or remote locations to uncloak. Should the Dead Ringer be heard, enemies may begin searching the area for the Spy culprit. Due to the Cloak taking a long time to recharge without nearby ammo, uncloaking far from enemies is a priority if the player wishes to remain alive.

While the Dead Ringer cloak is activated, the Spy can still be set on fire by a Pyro. The damage reduction, however, may allow the player to seek out water and extinguish themselves where otherwise they would have died. Many Pyros will continue to chase the Spy once alight, making escape more difficult. Should the Pyro prowl the area outside the water, players may consider hiding in the water for as long as the Cloak permits until the Pyro leaves. Shooting at the Pyro from the water is also a viable option, as his Flamethrower is ineffective underwater. On the other hand, leading the Pyro into a friendly Sentry Gun or experienced teammate may prove successful.

Aside from providing normal Cloak espionage, the Dead Ringer can serve as a paranoia tool. Making an obvious fake death can lead to enemies spending more time spychecking, possibly even causing Medics to deploy their ÜberCharge early in anticipation of being backstabbed. This can allow teammates an opportunity to advance on an objective under the Spy's command, or wait for the enemy ÜberCharge to end before activating their own.

Cloak and Dagger

The meter on the Cloak and Dagger can only be recharged by remaining still.
Main article: Cloak and Dagger

The Cloak and Dagger watch serves as a sidegrade for the default watch. The Cloak will last for 6.6 seconds when the Spy is running, and cannot be replenished by ammo crates. On the other hand, should the player remain perfectly still while cloaked, the meter will recharge by itself at a slow rate.

Due to the nature of the recharge, a Cloak and Dagger Spy will mostly conduct his espionage standing still. Objects in the map such as boxes or corners will therefore provide strategic points from which to crouch and relay enemy movement to the team through chat or microphone. Additionally, these areas provide points from which players can backstab slow moving classes or sap buildings. Once the Spy performs these quick assassinations, they can return to their vantage point for the next unsuspecting victim. This can effectively cut off high traffic areas, as the enemy will become wary of using the route. Alternatively, they may send in a Pyro to flush out the Spy; should this happen, the player may want to seek a different place to hide.

Once the Cloak meter is drained, the Spy will have a clear visible outline, similar to being bumped into by an enemy. Coming to a halt will resume full invisibility, but this may be risky if enemies are close by. A crouch-walking Spy will drain the Cloak at a slower rate, but will move more slowly.

A possibly strategy could be for the player to move slowly (often crouched) in poorly lit areas to maintain the Cloak. This is a risky maneuver however, as most players may still be able to locate the Spy, particularly if they are aware of his presence in the vicinity. Camouflage may also apply to team colored areas, such as RED Spies against rocky walls, but is a hit and miss tactic.

Related Achievements

Main article: Achievements

Pyro

Spontaneous combustion.png Spontaneous Combustion

Ignite 10 cloaked Spies.

Demoman

Tf demoman decapitate cloaked spy.png Shorn Connery

Decapitate a cloaked Spy.

Heavy

Spyalectical Materialism.png Spyalectical Materialism

Kill or Assist in Killing 10 cloaked Spies.

Engineer

Search engine.jpg Search Engine

Kill 3 cloaked Spies with a Sentry Gun under control of your Wrangler.

Sniper

Tf sniper jarring transition.png Jarring Transition

Use Jarate to reveal a cloaked Spy.

Tf sniper shoot the breeze.png Shoot the Breeze

Kill a fully invisible Spy in a single hit.

Spy

Tf spy burn notice.png Burn Notice

Survive 30 seconds after being ignited while cloaked.

Tf spy spies like us.png Spies Like Us

While cloaked, bump into an enemy cloaked Spy.

See also