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 fighting almost any enemy head-on when fully upgraded. For utility, his Dispenser keeps his team supplied, 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. If the Engineer is caught alone or without his Sentry Gun, he has below-average direct combat and mediocre health, although there are a few loadout options that drastically enhance his solo combat, such as the Gunslinger and Southern Hospitality.

General

Attributes	Anti-Engineer strategy
Role	A competent Engineer will construct his buildings so that your team needs to destroy them to advance. However, it takes some time for him to fully build or move his structures; catch him before he can set up. You can kill the Engineer first to prevent him from repairing his buildings, but generally he will be hiding behind them for safety. Try using splash damage to deal with him.
Health	The Engineer has the lowest base health along with the Scout, Sniper and Spy. When away from his Sentry Gun, he's easy to defeat. The Gunslinger will give the Engineer an extra 25 health and access to the Combat Mini-Sentry Gun, making him significantly tougher when fighting on his own.
Speed	The Engineer runs at an average speed equivalent to that of the Pyro and Sniper. Most importantly, this lets him quickly reach ammo pickups for emergency building construction or repairs. The Engineer moves relatively 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. Destroying the Sentry Gun frees up significant breathing room. The Engineer typically must stand near his Sentry Gun to repair it, which exposes him to danger. If he uses the Rescue Ranger, he can repair buildings from long ranges. If the Engineer equips the Gunslinger and uses the Combat Mini-Sentry Gun, he has enough firepower in a direct fight to decisively defeat the frailer classes.

Weapon-specific

Main article: Engineer weapons

Primary weapons

Weapon	Anti-Engineer strategy
Shotgun + reskins	An Engineer typically uses the Shotgun to go on the offensive, or for self-defense when he or his buildings are threatened. As a frail combatant with only moderate speed, he generally focuses on one enemy at a time from a safe distance. The Shotgun, while powerful at close range, is not as powerful as the primary weapons of other classes. For comparison, the Shotgun is merely the secondary weapon for the Soldier, Pyro, 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 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 frail combatant and can be defeated before he shoots you. 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. It has a low clip size of three, harshly punishing the Engineer for missing.
Widowmaker	The Widowmaker drains the Engineer's metal supply for each shot, but replenishes it when he deals damage. Close range shots net positive metal, so move away and dodge his shots to force him to switch weapons. Collect all nearby ammo pickups and destroy the Engineer's Dispenser to deny his metal supply. The Widowmaker gains a 10% damage bonus if you are his Sentry Gun's target. Avoid taking on him and his Sentry Gun at once.
Pomson 6000	The Pomson 6000 is a weak weapon if you can catch the Engineer alone. The weapon must be reloaded often and its projectiles are slow and weak. The Pomson 6000's projectiles drain abilities that are effective against his buildings, draining the Medic's ÜberCharge and Spy's Cloak. Take care not to have your abilities drained before a crucial push. At longer distances, the Pomson 6000's projectiles drain less ÜberCharge or Cloak. The Engineer has to put himself in your firing range to drain a significant amount.
Rescue Ranger	The Rescue Ranger is meant to support the Engineer's buildings from afar; its bolts deal weak damage but can repair buildings at long range. He will typically use it if he can't approach his Sentry Gun with his Wrench. The Engineer can teleport his buildings towards him using his Rescue Ranger if he maintains a line of sight. Carrying a building by any means will mark him for death, giving you an opportunity to kill him and destroy his building. Harass the Engineer to force him to take cover, preventing long range repairs or haulings. You can potentially outdamage the Rescue Ranger's repair rate, especially once the Engineer needs to reload. The Engineer cannot save or repair a Sapped building with the Rescue Ranger, forcing him to either remove the Sapper in your view or let it be destroyed.
Panic Attack	The Panic Attack deploys quickly but suffers from massive bullet spread with consecutive shots. Keeping a distance forces the Engineer to switch to his Pistol.

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 nearly unlimited Pistol ammunition; don't expect him to run out. After the Engineer uses up his Shotgun's clip, he may switch to his Pistol to finish you off. Stay vigilant even after he fires his final shot.
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 you can either retreat or attack the Sentry Gun while remaining behind it - it will not rotate fast enough to shoot you. 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. Sapping the Sentry Gun renders the Wrangler useless and forces the Engineer to fight with his primary weapon instead.
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 hitscan or melee weapons (if his Sentry Gun is out of the way). The Short Circuit's energy ball costs 65 metal of an Engineer's 200. If he is without the support of his Dispenser or teammates, you can keep firing to eventually wear out his supply. If you can, destroy the Dispenser to force him to run away for a source of metal. The Engineer has to have a line of sight to your projectiles to properly aim his energy balls. 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	Equipping the Gunslinger gives the Engineer an additional 25 base health in exchange for weaker but quicker deploying Combat Mini-Sentry Guns. Expect a Gunslinger Engineer to approach the front lines. A Gunslinger Engineer on the offensive is more likely to leave his Dispenser and Teleporter undefended. Combat Mini-Sentry Guns are much weaker at area-denial, but the Engineer can deploy them quickly at close range. When combined with the Shotgun, the Engineer becomes a respectable duelist. When fighting a Gunslinger Engineer, you are forced to choose between two targets. Take out the Engineer first, if you take out the Mini-Sentry and die, the Engineer will make another. Killing the Engineer ensures your team can easily take out the Mini-Sentry, and not worry about more popping up for a while. Using only Combat Mini-Sentry Guns means the Engineer has a much harder time defending an area from multiple enemies at once.
Southern Hospitality	The Southern Hospitality inflicts bleed on hit, making the Engineer slightly stronger in melee combat. As a Spy, avoid being struck with this weapon, as the bleed effect will negate your Cloak and disguise. The Southern Hospitality increases the Engineer's fire vulnerability by 20%, making him easier prey for the Pyro.
Jag	The Jag allows an Engineer to construct his buildings faster. If he sticks around his buildings as they are deployed, consider that he can build and upgrade them quickly. If the Engineer manages to escape, he can quickly reconstruct his buildings to continue providing support for his team. The Engineer must keep hitting his buildings to speed up their construction. This leaves him vulnerable, especially if his Sentry Gun is not yet constructed. The Jag has a significantly reduced repair rate and requires 3 hits to remove a Sapper. Constant pressure will eventually destroy his base.
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 the ability to teleport back to the front lines, delaying the time it takes for him to get back to his buildings. The Eureka Effect is less effective at speeding up building construction. It will be much easier to take out buildings before they are finished deploying. The Eureka Effect gives the Engineer 20% less metal from Dispensers and ammo pickups. Steal nearby pickups to force the Engineer to teleport away to restock his metal supply, then destroy his buildings.

Buildings

• Buildings are unaffected by critical hits, including those from sources like the Soldier's Buff Banner and Medic's Kritzkrieg.
• The Spy’s Sapper causes buildings to cease functioning, but can be removed by the Engineer's Wrench. Coordinate with a friendly Spy to take out troublesome buildings.
• A fully charged shot from the Cow Mangler 5000 can temporarily disable a building for 4 seconds. Use this as an alternate strategy if rushing with a Soldier.

Building	Anti-Engineer strategy
Sentry Gun	The Sentry Gun is likely the first building you must attack thanks to its high firepower. An Engineer can hide behind his Sentry Gun while repairing it with his Wrench. Target him first by either using splash damage or repositioning yourself. For example, Soldiers can fire rockets to the side of the Sentry Gun, while Snipers can pick a different vantage point. Sentry Guns turn slowly and takes time to lock on to an enemy. You can peek from around a corner to take free shots at it. Due to their slow turn rate, it is possible to jump on top of a Sentry Gun and completely avoid fire by crouch walking in a circular motion. Don't assume you know where a Sentry Gun is, even if you've already fought it. The Engineer can haul buildings between key points. Listen for the Sentry Gun's signature 'beep' sound. The number of 'beeps' played corresponds to the Sentry Gun's level, which helps you decide whether you can defeat it. A level 3 Sentry Gun at full health that is actively being repaired can be overcome using the Medic's invincibility ÜberCharge, Spy's Sapper, or a cluster of the Demoman's Stickybombs. Coordinate with your teammates to damage the Sentry Gun faster than it can be repaired. Dealing with a nest that has multiple Sentry Guns usually requires a team effort. The Medic can use his invincibility-granting ÜberCharge on a Heavy or Demoman to break a stalemate. If an allied Spy saps the Sentry Gun to disable it, the rest of your team can push in. If there are too many Engineers, the Red-Tape Recorder can quickly downgrade the Sentry Guns, giving you an easier job at destroying them.
Dispenser	The Dispenser can be an easier building to destroy, as an Engineer will usually prioritize repairing his Sentry Gun. If destroying a Sentry Gun isn't possible, target the Dispenser to cut off the Engineer's supply of metal. Destroying a Dispenser will reduce the entire enemy team’s health regeneration, especially if there is no enemy Medic. You can use an enemy Dispenser as cover from an enemy Sentry Gun; Sentry Guns cannot attack you through Dispensers. A Spy disguised as a member of the opposing team can freely use that team's Dispensers, though the Dispenser's beam may reveal cloaked Spies.
Teleporter	Destroying enemy Teleporters slows the rate enemy reinforcements can reach combat. This is especially prevalent when a team spawns far from the action, making Teleporter destruction high priority on maps such as Gold Rush or Badwater Basin. Teleporters that regain health are being repaired from the other side. It's easy to outdamage the repair rate by using strong weapons or the Spy's Sapper. The Teleporter Entrance tends to be less defended than the Exit, if you can get far behind enemy lines. As the Spy, you can take an enemy Teleporter to tell your team where enemies are coming from. Waiting behind a Teleporter Exit and killing enemies that come through can halt their momentum. High burst damage, such as that from Stickybombs or the Knife's backstab, work best. Destroy the Exit eventually, as enemies will likely warn their teammates and tell them to not take the Teleporter. Don't stand on a functioning Teleporter Exit, as you risk dying by telefrag. As the Spy, you can sap a Teleporter Entrance and stand on it, telefragging any enemy who remains on the Exit. If enemies are appearing far too close to your team's spawn point, sweep the area for a hidden Teleporter Exit. Players that have recently exited a Teleporter will emit particles under their feet - a sign that there is a Teleporter nearby.
Combat Mini-Sentry Gun	Do not underestimate Combat Mini-Sentry Guns; while they have less health and power than the standard Sentry Gun, they build almost instantly and still automatically target you. You will often need to decide whether to target the Mini-Sentry Gun or its Engineer. Use good positioning to fight one at a time. If the Engineer places down a Mini-Sentry midcombat, decide whether you have the firepower to fight, then whether to first target the Engineer or Mini-Sentry before it finishes building. The fast build time of Mini-Sentry Guns helps them be placed in unexpected places. After you destroy one, watch out for its builder. If an Engineer is deploying Mini-Sentry Guns near ammo supplies, destroying them may be pointless considering how easily they're replaced. Don't let him distract you from the main fight or high priority targets. Like a normal Sentry Gun, the Mini-Sentry can be sapped by a Spy. The Red-Tape Recorder, with its slower destruction rate, wastes more time before the Engineer can set up a new Mini-Sentry.

See also

• Sentry Gun
• Team strategy