User:Lolimsogreat21/Sandbox2

General strategy

Offense

This strategy section will be told from the Blu's point of view

Stage 1

Checkpoint A

• Capturing the Checkpoint A shouldn't be too much of a problem for the Blu team. Its lack of any good defensive positions or chokepoints allow them to swiftly overcome the enemy, and achieve victory.
• But despite the low difficulty of capturing this specific point, there are still some locations the attackers need to watch out for in order to secure the objective as fast as possible. A good example of this would be the Raised Tracks up on the Blu's left side. This particular location offers excellent height advantage to the defenders, who'll be able to bombard the Blu as they're in the process of leaving their spawn. However, even this position is filled with numerous flaws, such as a severe lack of any health or ammo packs, or meaningful cover for that matter. Due to this, a couple of Blu Soldiers or Demomen, which left the spawn via the right most exit, can quite easily spam out the defenders up there from a far. Once the Raised Tracks have been defeated, the Blu team should be able to capture the Cliffs and move onto the next defensive position, the Hut
• Luckly for the attackers, the Hut is actually very easy to secure. Simply surrounding it and then spamming out the defenders inside with explosives will usually do the trick. If that isn't enough, then an Übercharged pair going through the building and systematically destroying everything in it will surely take care of this last Red holdout. Although, this is is basically a waste of a good Über, as taking over the Hut can be accomplished relatively easily even without one.

Checkpoint B

• The key to winning over the Checkpoint B lies in one single building, the Attic. This wooden structure is so important simply because of the fact that its placed almost directly above the cart's tracks. As a result of such an excellent position, Red members situated up there can comfortably bombard poor attackers attempting to push the cart below them. Thus making it impossible for the Blu to even think about capturing the point until the Attic is secured.
• There really is only one route for the Blu team to use when attempting to reach the Attic. They can either go through the Tunnel (Not recommended) or climb up a set of stairs and drop down into the Attic's ground floor. Once there, capturing the first floor of the Attic should be a relatively easy task to do, considering the large health pack at the Blu's disposal. The second floor, on the other hand, is a another story. If the Red team has enough time at their hands, they are more then likely to set up layers of Sentry Nests, Demomen and Soldiers up there. All of them making it impossible for any Blu members to climb up to the upper floor. Due to this, an ÜberCharge is usually the attacking team's only hope of clearing out the Attic and taking it for themselves.
• If the Blu team manages to conquer the Attic, then they have practically won already. Assuming there is still time left, capturing the second checkpoint is basically a piece of cake, as the people pushing the cart don't have to worry about being attacked from above.

Stage 2

Checkpoint A

• Capturing the first checkpoint on this stage is a lot harder. The Blu team will start with a severe height disadvantage and will only have two ways to push out of their spawn; the left exit and the right exit. The left exits leads to a path under the house - useful for flanking classes. Meanwhile the remainder of the team should use the right exit, since it brings them directly to the cart.
• As the Blu team is pushing out of the right most exit, they should be looking to take over the Watchtower, a group of elevated structures located on the map's right side with a watchtower in their middle. Due to the high ground it offers, Watchtower is often the central defensive position from which Red members can closely monitor the cart and anyone attempting to push it. Because of this, it's imperative that the the offensive seizes control of the Watchtower in order to take over the first checkpoint.
• Capturing Watchtower can be achieved in two steps. Firstly, the attacking team needs to use an ÜberCharge in order to take out common Sentry positions found on it. After the Sentries have been destroyed and the Über fades away, classes which can blast jump should get on top of the Watchtower and clean up any remaining enemies.
• With the Watchtower firmly in Blu's hands, Red defenders will retreat back to the House in order to attempt a last stand. However, just like the Hut on the previous stage, the House can be easily encircled and spammed out with explosives. As a result, the Blu should be able to easily destroy it and capture the first point.

Checkpoint B

• In order to secure the checkpoint B, Blu team will first need to take control of the two major areas leading up to it. Those would be the Choke area and the Final Area. The Choke area is located right outside the Tunnel through which the cart runs. It is defined by the walls of the Battlements on its left side, and the Main Buildings on its right. The Final area, on other hand, is the place where the second checkpoint resides. It's located between the Main Buildings and the last Red spawn. Since the Choke area precedes the Final one, it obviously needs to be captured first.
• There are two routes leading to the said Choke area. You can access it either by going through the Tunnel, or via the Battlements. The Tunnel is by far the fastest and the most direct path to the Choke, but due to its cramped spaces and tight corridors, it's also the most dangerous one. If the Red team manages to set up a strong defense on the other side, an ÜberCharge is basically required in order to to safely traverse it. Meanwhile the Battlements are a lot safer path and also provide high vantage points overlooking the majority of the Choke area, but they are a bit longer and time costlier. Overall, attacking Red defenses from the Battlements is your safest bet if you don't have an Über. If however, the opposite is true. Then using that Über to launch an assault from both the Battlements and the Tunnel is the best course of action.
• After the Choke area has been secured, the Blu team now needs to capture Final area. The quickest and simplest way this can be achieved is to, once again, use an ÜberCharge in order to jump out of the Main Buildings and land directly into the Final Area. Doing this will result in the Übercharged pair landing practically right on top of the two most common Sentry spots, allowing them to swiftly destroy those Sentries and then mow down the rest of the team. But if the attakcers don't have an Über once again, then the other way of capturing the Final area is to use a giant flank route on the right side. When enough Blu members use this flank, they'll probably overrun the Red defenses and capture the point.

Stage 3

Checkpoint A

• The entire area of the first checkpoint revolves around two, very important locations, those being the Truck House, and the Platform. These two places are positioned on both sides of the Cart's tracks, sandwiching the Cart in between them. Due to the Cart beginning the round on the low ground, players standing on top of the two aforementioned locations will not only have a direct line of sight to the payload, but also a significant height advantage over the attackers attempting to push it. Because of all the advantages the said two positions give, Blu team is required to capture them first, before going after the checkpoint itself.
• Capturing the Platform isn't as hard as some may think. The left exit leading out of the Blu's spawn grants access to an elevated area just in front of the Platform. This unnamed position is quite useful, as the slight height advantage it provides can be used to flush out the defenders on the Platform by spamming them out. Once the Platform is occupied, the Blu team now needs to move onto the Truck House before it's safe to push the Cart up the Basin.
• However, clearing out the Truck house is certainly a lot more difficult then doing the same to the Platform. Other then the flank route provided by the left exit, there are no direct paths available to the Blu which lead to the Truck House. The only way to reach it is to either jump from the Platform and across the Basin (Hence the reason for capturing the Platform first) or to blast jump from the middle exit and directly to the it. Once there, be prepared to meet a Sentry nest and the angry Red team attempting to take the Truck House back.
• After a round of fierce fighting, the Blu team should finally have both the Truck house and the Platform under its thumb. With those two important locations secured, capturing the checkpoint A should practically be a "walk in the park" for the Blu.

Checkpoint B

• In order to reach the checkpoint B, the attackers will first need to push the payload through a long and narrow hallway. Unfortunately for the offensive team, there are no flank routes leading around this hallway. No way to circumnavigate it. You simply have to go through it in order to reach the next checkpoint.
• Due to the lack of any alternative paths, the Blu team will have to brute force their way through the Hallway. Doing this will often require an ÜberCharge, since the Hallways is usually very well defended by multiple Sentry Guns and Red teammates.

Checkpoint C

• Lets first discuss all the possible ways an attacker could potentially enter the area of the final checkpoint. There are three paths at the Blu team's disposal: they can either enter through the House on the right, traverse the Chokepoint in the middle, or sneak through the Sniper's Deck up on the left side. All three of these paths have their own set of advantages and disadvantages, and all of them offer different opportunities.
• The Chokepoint is by far the shortest and the quickest avenue leading to the final point, but it's also the hardest one to go through in one piece. As the name implies, this route is in fact a Chokepoint, meaning that it's constantly getting spammed out by explosives and is very movement restricting. As a result of these reasons, it's highly recommend to avoid the Chokepoint unless you have an ÜberCharge ready or the enemy hasn't had time to set up a resilient defense.
• The route leading through the House is a bit more sneakier then the previous one, since using it will land you in a relatively concealed area over on the right side of the Red Yard. This position is also quite safe, due to there being a big truck which you can retreat behind after launching attacks at the defenders. In addition to that, the House is the prime place to Über out of, as you can surprise many Red teammates by suddenly emerging from behind the aforementioned truck, thus leaving them no time to escape.
• Another flank route which can be utilized by the Blu is the Sniper's deck up on the Red's left side. This avenue is a lot more bigger and spacious, while still providing out-of-range sightlines to common Red Sentry positions and the Engineers repairing them. Because of these numerous advantages, the Sniper's Deck is arguably the best route at the attacking's team disposal, especially if they don't have an Übercharge at hand. It's so good that even a Blu Engineer can safely set up an offensive Sentry position on it, giving the attackers a friendly place to retreat after a long day of harassing the Red team.

Defense

Stage 1

This strategy section will be told from the Red's point of view

Checkpoint A

• The Red strategy on the first point of Stage 1 is fairly simple, don't overcommit and don't be afraid to retreat. Due to the way this section of the map is structured, trying to protect the objective is immensely difficult. Even if the Red team tries their best to hold onto it, an average offensive team with any kind of a problem-solving capabilities will more then likely be able to capture the checkpoint in question. However, all of this doesn't mean that the point should be abandoned right away. There are still some decent locations the defenders can occupy in hopes of protecting the objective. Or at the very least, delaying its capture till the very last moment.
• A good example of this are the Raised Tracks up on the map's right side. While they certainly aren't without flaws, the high ground they offer can be used against the attackers quite effectively. In addition, they are bound to attract a lot of attention, allowing the Red members who are positioned else where to organize ambushes against the preoccupied Blu.
• Unfortunately for the Red, the Raised Tracks are among the few, actually viable defensive positions on this point. Meaning that once they fall, there really isn't any where left to go. All what remains is the Hut, which at first glance might seem as an impenetrable stronghold, capable of repelling any assault thrown at it. But the ease at which it can be encircled, and its vulnerability to being spammed out makes it more of a hazard then an effective defensive holdout. It's better to stay near the Tunnel and be ready to retreat, then to die a worthless death in order to attempt a futile last stand.

Checkpoint B

• Unlike its predecessor, the second checkpoint is a lot more friendlier towards the Reds, making it possible to organize a lot more successful defense which actually stands a chance against the Blu. Of course, this is only possible if the Red team managed to play its cards right and didn't get completely killed off on the previous point.
• The center of the Red's defenses should clearly be the Attic, as the advantages it provides are simply too good to ignore. The Attic's high vantage point overlooking the Cart and its path, can be used to great effect by the defenders, who can destroy anyone attempting to push the payload below them. In addition, there is only one route which grants access to the Attic, making it an easily defendable position as there is only one angle from which an attack can be expected. In fact, a single Sentry nest is usually all what it takes to prevent the Attic from falling into wrong hands.
• Attic's only downside is the fact that it's quite vulnerable to an ÜberCharge, as its cramped nature makes it relatively easy for any Übered Demoman or Soldier to quickly wreck havoc on anything inside it. For this specific reason, a group of Red players should head towards the Large Health Pack Room in hopes of intercepting any incoming Medics and their pockets. If those defenders present a big enough threat, they might just force the Blu Medic to use his precious Über in order to clear them out, instead of using it for the intended purpose of capturing the Attic.

Stage 2

Checkpoint A

• The key to a successful defense of this checkpoint lies within two buildings: The Watchtower and the House. The Watchtower's importance stems from the fact that it is a valuable piece of high ground, thus providing a crucial advantage to the Red team. It also has a direct line of sight to the Cart and its tracks, allowing the Red members who are positioned on top of it to easily spot anyone attempting to push the Cart below them. All of these desirable traits make the Watchtower a supreme defensive position, capable of withstanding many attacks thrown at it.
• However, the Watchtower isn't perfect, since it has one fatal flaw: the Blu team can simply flank around it. This is when the House comes into play. The House is important, because of the fact that it nearly perfectly covers the Watchtower's weakness by being positioned almost right on top of the aforementioned flank route. A couple of defenders accompanied by a Sentry nest located here, will surely stop any Blu flankers from attempting something sneaky.
• Another strategy the attacking team may employ is to use an ÜberCharge in order to destroy common Sentry positions around the first point. Once those Sentries are gone, Blu Soldiers and Demomen will often blast jump onto the Watchtower and attempt to push off any remaining defenders up there. To counteract this, Sentry guns should be temporarily moved back during the Blu's ÜberCharge. So that those unaware Soldiers taking up an aggressive position get greeted by Sentries they expected to be already dead.
• If the Watchtower is taken over, the Red team should simply start retreating back to the next point. While the House does its intended role of watching the flanks relatively well, it isn't a viable defensive position in any other regard. It's prone to getting surrounded and spammed out.

Checkpoint B

• When defending point B, the Red team should do their best to hold onto the Choke area, as it acts as a buffer zone between the two checkpoints and is much easier to defend then Final. This can be accomplished by placing a couple of Sentry Guns in the Main Buildings, which will be able to overview the entirety of Choke area at once. In addition, Red team can send a couple of their Soldiers or Demomen to blast jump up to the Battlements and disrupt any Blu Engineers and/or other Blu members from setting up a base over there. Defenders should also make good use of the Tunnel, since the Blu team needs to push the payload through it, leaving them vulnerable in the process. Red Medics can Über a Pyro or Kritz a Soldier to quickly wipe out the attackers stuck in there.
• If the Choke area is lost and the Red team is pushed back to the Final area, defending will become exponentially more difficult. First major threat that the defenders have to face is the possibility of Übered combos jumping out of the Main Buildings and landing right on top of the common defensive entrenchments, usually resulting in the swift destruction of Red's defenses. For this reason, there should always be a Pyro ready to airblast away any possible Übers coming from that direction. Red team also has to worry about a large flank route on the right, which the attackers may use to overwhelm and overrun the defenders. This flank is very open, meaning that classes such as the: Scout, Heavy or Sniper perform the best over there.

Stage 3

Checkpoint A

• The Red strategy for this checkpoint is simple, hold control over the Platform and the Truck House, thus denying the attackers from pushing the cart up the Basin. Doing this, however, is easier said then done.
• While holding onto the Truck House shouldn't be too difficult, considering that the Blu only has one route leading up to it, the Platform is very easy to lose. Red players standing on top of it will have to deal with an onslaught of attackers emerging from the Blu's left spawn exit, who'll be able to quickly overwhelm and defeat them. Only way the Platform can be protected is if the Red members positioned near the Truck House also provide support to those on the Platform, creating a sort of a crossfire in process.
• However, if the Blu team does capture the Platform, then they'll be in a prime position to quickly invade and take over the Truck House as well. Once this happens, it would be a good idea to start retreating.

Checkpoint B

• Defending this checkpoint should be pretty straight forward, as there isn't much to be said about it. The entire area leading up the point itself is just one huge hallway, with no flank routes which could circumnavigate it. Just positioning a couple of Sentry Guns on the Main decks and spamming down the Hallway will effectively make it impassable, requiring the Blu to use an ÜberCharge if they wish to go through it in one piece. Once that happens, a single Red Pyro can quickly turn the corner and airblast away the Übered pair with ease. If the Blu team does manage to successfully traverse the Hallway, it usually has to so with all of the defenders getting killed off on the previous point, leaving them unable to organize a proper defense.

Checkpoint C

• If the Blu managed to push the Red team all the way back to the final point, then the defenders better get ready, because they have a formidable opponent to deal with. One who will exploit any weakness, flank or opportunity given to him.
• Unlike some other checkpoints on this map, the final point has a multitude of different ways to reach it, making defending it a bit more difficult. The Red team will need to keep an eye on the following routes: "Choke entrance, House entrance and the Sniper's Deck."
• Choke entrance should be the easiest route to defend out of the three available. As the name implies, this path is a chokepoint, meaning that it'ss very confined and movement restricting. In addition, the Cart has to pass through here, forcing Blu members who'll be pushing the Cart to all clump up together in one spot, leaving them vulnerable to explosives. A couple of Soldiers and Demomen spamming down this chokepoint will usually deter anyone from going through it.
• Once the attackers realize that they can't simply push through the Choke, they'll turn their attention to the two flank routes, one of them being the House. The House sits on the left side of this map and has proven to be quite dangerous, since any Blu teammates exiting it will find themselves in a relatively concealed area where they can hide for a while before being found out. Only "cure" for this is to constantly check the House and the area around it, in order to prematurely destroy any Blu bases which may arise.
• And the last route the Red team needs to keep a lookout for is the Sniper's deck, probably the most dangerous one of them all. The reason for this is quite simple; the Sniper's deck is pretty concealed building with a lot of ammo boxes around it, a perfect position for setting up a sneaky Sentry nest. In addition, there are a fare few windows sticking out of building, which provide a direct line of sight to the most common Red Sentry positions and other defensive entrenchments. This combined with the fact that Blu Engineers love to set up forward teleporters here, means that the Sniper's deck can be a starting point for many last-minute pushes which quickly overwhelm the defenders and win games. Once again, the solution to this is simple awareness. Periodically checking the Sniper's deck in order to ensure that there aren't any Blu bases being set up there will do the trick most of the time. This is best done by Soldiers and Demomen, who can quickly obliterate any attackers in the Sniper's deck's tight corridors.

Class-specific strategy

 Scout

Unfortunately, a Scout is usually going to have a pretty tough time on Gold Rush. Numerous Chokepoints, corridors and other tight spaces will severely restrict your Mobility. Meanwhile, the few open areas available will probably be covered by enemy Sentry Guns. Due to these shortcomings, a Scout will need to play smartly and patiently, if he wishes to achieve good results against a formidable team.

Offense

Stage 1

• The first checkpoint is surprisingly open and almost absent of Red Sentry Guns, allowing you to operate a lot more freely then on the rest of the map.
• Make heavy use of the Cliffs, whose spacious nature turns them into perfect dueling grounds.
• Once Cliffs have been captured, you will have two options:
  • Either proceed to the Hut for the purpose of harassing enemy Snipers.
  • Or make your way to the Tunnel, thus blocking off the entire Red team's escape route.
• It is recommended that you take up a more supportive role on checkpoint B, as unlike on the previous point, your Scouting capabilities here are limited.
  • Because of the Attic's cramped nature, fighting in it will put you at a big disadvantage.
  • Your other option, which involves playing around the Ditch area, is also denied due to an array of Sentries overlooking the said Ditch.
    • In this case, you might be able to use the Bonk! Atomic Punch in order to safely flank around and reach the Red spawn.

Stage 2

• You should primarily choose the left spawn exit at the beginning of a round, since it allows you to flank under the House and subsequently reach the Sniper's ledge.
  • Just be wary of the Sentry Gun often situated in the House, which can easily prevent you from doing such a maneuver. Unless you are using the Bonk! Atomic Punch.
• Once in the Red's backline, you can either focus on directly harassing the defenders, or making your way to their spawn and taking out their Teleporters.
• Avoid travelling through the Tunnel when attempting to reach checkpoint B.
  • Instead, you should make your way up to the Battlements and drop down from its left side. This way, you don't have to traverse a chokepoint, and can avoid most of the Sentries.
• There is a group of rocks in the Final Area, on which you can jump on and gain a big High ground advantage.
• Prematurely harassing Red Engineers trying to setup in the Final area will make your team's life easier in the future.

Stage 3

• If the coast is clear, you can attempt to flank under the Truck House and into the Red's rear.
  • However, due to a common Sentry spot located on top of the Truck, this may not always be possible.
• Aiding your team in clearing out the Platform will open up another avenue of approach. Both for you and your teammates.
• Checkpoint B is very unfriendly to Blu Scouts, since its basically just one long hallway with no alternate paths to speak off.
  • Only way to break through it is to use the Bonk! Atomic Punch, or to rush it down before the Red has had time to setup a proper defense.
• Although the final checkpoint has multiple routes, only one is worthwhile to the Scout. That being the House flank, which can bring you to the wide open area of Red Yard.
  • The other two paths, those being the Choke and the Sniper's ledge, are either too dangerous or require long-ranged weaponry to effectively utilize.

Defense

Stage 1

• On checkpoint A, focus on playing around the Cliffs, where there is plenty of space for your excellent mobility to shine.
• When the Cliffs get inevitably captured, you can run along the Raised Tracks, peppering at the enemies below in hopes of further delaying their push.
• Even if the situation is dire, you should still stay and defend checkpoint A to the bitter end, relying on your speed to get you out before its too late.
• On checkpoint B, you should primarily play around the Ditch area, since it is one of the few pieces of open ground present.
  • Avoid engaging in the Tunnel at all costs. Any fight in that claustrophobic corridor will rarely end in your favour.
  • Although you can occasionally venture into the Attic to score a couple of kilsl, it is not recommended that you stay in there for any prolonged periods of time.
• You can use the Scout's jump-extending weapons, such as the Soda Popper or the Boston Basher, to reach the Imperial Building even from the Ditch.
  • It is also possible to reach the Imperial Building by flanking around through the Tunnel, but this is highly risky.

Stage 2

• A very risky, but also rewarding tactic is too flank through the Blu's left (From your perspective right) exit in an attempt to reach their spawn.
• The Mad Milk is particularly effective inside the Tunnel, where its area of effect can douse multiple enemies.
  • However, although you can throw the Mad Milk into the Tunnel, you yourself should not venture inside the said Tunnel.
• Use one of your ranged weapons, such as the Flying Guillotine or Wrap Assassin, to harass Snipers up on the Battlements.

Stage 3

• The Scout's double jump ability is useful when it comes to moving between the Truck House and the Platform in a swift fashion.
• If the stars align, an opportunity for you to flank through the Blu's left (right from your perspective) exit might open up.
• Due to the Basin's long hallway, weapons like the Wrap Assassin or the Sandman are quite effective.
• Although other classes will do the job of defending checkpoint B much better then a Scout, you are far from useless.
  • Tasks such as throwing Mad Milks and Spy checking are still equally important.
• Flanking through the House on Checkpoint C will allow you to surprise the Blu from their side. But you are going to need a jump-extending weapon in order to reach that position.
• Acting as a second line of defense by cleaning up any attackers which managed to get past your team's defenses is a viable strategy on the final point.

 Soldier

• A Soldier is an important aspect to any team on Goldrush. His explosive primary makes him quite good when it comes to taking out Engineer nests, while his ability to Rocket jump allows him to capture and hold vital position.

Offense

Stage 1

• Make sure to target the Raised Tracks when exiting your spawn, since they often house Red defenses.
• Use the Cliffs' height advantage to destroy anything below you, thus clearing out a path for the Cart to go through.
• The Red Sentry nest located in the Hut can be relatively easily neutralized by rocket jumping onto the Hut's balcony and targeting it from there.
• Try to help out your team in the Attic, since it is a vital position that also has many cramped spaces, making it a perfect combat environment for you.
• Once the Attic has been captured, you can use it to spam out the usual Sentry Guns on top of the Red Decks from a safe distance.
  • With the Sentries gone, you will be able to rocket jump onto the Red Decks and gain a vantage point directly over the Red spawn, enabling an effortless spawn camp.

Stage 2

• Your primary objective on checkpoint A should be to capture the Watchtower as soon as possible. Considering the strategic importance that place has.
  • To do this, you will first need to destroy the Sentries guarding it, before directly rocket jumping on it and pushing off the remaining defenders.
    • The aforementioned Sentries can either be spammed out from the Blu's left spawn exit, or taken out via an ÜberCharge.
• If you have managed to successfully secure the Watchtower, you can use its vantage point to bombard any Red position in sight, whether that be: The House, the Bridge or the Ledge.
• The Battalion's Backup comes in handy when attempting to push through the Tunnel.
• The Battlements offer a great overview of the Choke area, which can be used to destroy key targets in it from a far.
• Assuming no enemy Snipers are present, you should be able to safely spam out the Sentry deck from within the Left flank.

Stage 3

• Both the Platform and the Truck House are immensely valuable positions for the Blu team. So you should prioritize your efforts on them.
  • The Platform can be taken out by heading to the right spawn exit and using its slight height advantage to flush out the defenders.
  • The Truck House can be easily accessed via your rocket jump. Once you are on it, beware of the common Sentry nest located on top of the Truck itself.
• The defensive buff provided by the Battalion's Backup is very useful when attempting to push through the long and narrow checkpoint B.
• On checkpoint C, you can occupy the Sniper's Deck and use its powerful position to safely harass the defenders inside the Narrow Building.

Defense

Stage 1

• The Raised Tracks offer a good defensive position for a Soldier, due to the height advantage they provide.
  • However, they do not contain any Healthpacks, so being on them is quite risky. Use the Blackbox if you wish to mitigate this drawback.
• The Attic's strategic importance makes it a prime target for the Blu team. But its cramped corridors also make it very Soldier-friendly. Due to this, it is your main concern.
• Occasionally, you can rocket jump into the Imperial Building to kill off any Blu Snipers or Engineers camping in it.
• The Red Decks allow you to overview the last stretch of Cart's tracks, in addition to acting as a "springboard" for the potential retaking of the Attic.

Stage 2

• It is advised that you hold on to the Watchtower at all costs, as it is yours, and generally the Red team's biggest advantage on checkpoint A.
  • In the event that it falls into Blu's hands, employ your rocket jump ability to quickly retake it back.
• You can exploit the fact that the Blu team has to push the Cart through the tight and narrow Tunnel by using your explosives, which excel in such an environment.
  • And if you manage to find the entire enemy team clumped up together, you can do devastating damage, especially if using the Buff Banner or being Kritzkrieged.
• Since you are one of the few classes which can realistically reach the Battlements, it should be your duty to occasionally head in there, just to disrupt any Blu's plans.
  • There is also a nice ambush spot right above the doorway which leads to the Battlement's left side.

Stage 3

• There are a couple of standable ledges right above the Blu's middle spawn exit, which serve as very nice ambush spots.
• The Truck House and the Platform both offer great height advantage. Pick one as your main position and get to bombarding.
• Unlike many other classes, you can take advantage of both the House's dropdown and the Valley's dropdown with your rocket jump capability.

 Pyro

Pyros will quickly find that this map suits them well. Generally tight and narrow spaces, which are present nearly everywhere, allow the Pyro to close the distance between him and his target. Meanwhile, the numerous concealed nook and crannies open up an opportunity for a more passive playstyle with their ambush potential.

Offense

Stage 1

• It might be wise to hold off from immediately rushing out of your spawn and wait for the usual Sentry Gun on top of the Raised Tracks to get destroyed first.
• Take care to Spy check the common Spy hiding spots on checkpoint A, which include: The Raised Tracks, The right side boxes and ledge, between the Cliffs and a rock.
• Your Compression blast can be used to shield friendly teammates from Projectiles coming from the: Hut, Red Decks or Attic.
  • The aforementioned positions offer valuable High ground advantage to the Red team. As such, it is no wonder that many projectiles originate from there.
• Try to stick with your teammates on checkpoint B. They are probably going to be fighting inside the Attic, where your offensive capabilities can shine.
• If the Snipers camping on top of the Red Decks are giving your team a rough time, you can then employ one of your Flare Guns to fend them off.
• The Mine Shaft can be used to sneakily reach the Red spawn, at which point the Backburner becomes very effective.

Stage 2

• Immediately exiting the spawn, or more specifically the right spawn exit is usually quite dangerous, due to the heavily fortified Red positions on top of the neighbouring Watchtower.
  • If you do not posses the patience required for waiting out until the said positions are neutralized, you can always attempt to flank under the House and avoid them entirely.
• The Detonator can be used to swiftly reach the Watchtower and give yourself an advantage.
• Protecting your teammates with your Compression blast while they are traversing the Tunnel is a must, as they will be very vulnerable to explosives and ÜberCharges during that phase.
• Make sure to regularly Spy-check the battlefield. A nook near the Blu's right exit, a fence near the Watchtower, under the House and the Bridge are all possible Spy hiding spots.
• Assuming one of your team's Medics decides to Über you, you can jump out of the Main Buildings and into the Final area, landing practically right on top of the Red defenses.
  • But without a Medic, this is not possible. Leaving your area of operations confined to the Left flank.

Stage 3

• After entering the Basin, you will be able to use the Thermal Thruster in order to launch yourself upwards and land on the Truck House.
  • If you plan on doing this, then it is recommended that you equip the Back Scratcher, as there is only one small Healthpack in the Truck House.
• Due to the sheer volume of fire and Sentry Guns present on checkpoint B, your offensive capabilities there are unfortunately limited.
  • As such, the best thing you can do in this situation would be to support your team via extinguishing, Spy-checking and denying enemy Übers.
• By going through the House you will be able to either ambush the defenders in their Yard, or to climb up to the Battlements and take out the Red Snipers.
• The Sniper's deck offers an overview of the final checkpoint, allowing you to cause severe harassment with any one of your Flare Guns, or major damage with the Scorch Shot.

Defense

Stage 1

• Checkpoint A contains many ambush spots in which you can await for the attackers, such as: behind the left side boxes, under the Raised Tracks, up on the ledge etc.
  • In addition, there is also a section of the roof in between the Blu's middle and right exits. It requires the Thermal Thruster too be accessed, but is extremely well concealed.
• Once the attackers reach the Cliffs, they will use the newly gained height advantage to start bombarding your team, making your Compression blast a necessity.
• The narrowness of the Tunnel allows your flames to spread like wild fire. This advantage can be utilized when the attackers start to push the Cart through the said Tunnel.
• The Attic's claustrophobic space gives you a big advantage when fighting against Blu members, who often venture in there.
• If the Attic has been captured, you can use the Detonator to quickly reach it and flush out the attackers.
• Red's last line of defense are usually Sentry nests on top of the Red Decks. So it is very important that you keep those Guns alive by reflecting incoming projectiles.

Stage 2

• Due to the structure of Blu spawn, that being of a very cramped dugout accompanied by two even tighter Tunnels, your damage potential starts to exceed all logic.
  • Assuming you can get a Medic to Über you, you can carelessly walk right into one of the Blu's two tunnels, trap and burn anyone inside it, before moving on to the next tunnel.
    • Even better results can be accomplished by using the Phlogistinator, whose Critical hits will melt through the attackers even faster.
• On checkpoint B, you can wait outside the Tunnel for enough Blu members to gather in it, before asking a Medic to Über you and proceeding to run inside, burning everything in sight.
• You can aid your Soldiers defending the Battlements by using either the Detonator, or the Thermal Thruster to reach them.
• Because of the two large Ammo packs in them, Spies love to hang around the Main Buildings. Take note of that.

Stage 3

• The Detonator is an extremely useful weapon on checkpoint A, as its vertical mobility comes in handy when traversing the numerous platforms and differing elevations.
  • For example, it can be used to reach the Blu's left exit, to position oneself above the middle exit, to swiftly exchange positions in between the Platform and the Truck House etc.
• Keep an eye out on Blu snipers, as they can be quite devastating on this section of Gold Rush.
• When defending the second checkpoint, your only task should be to push away Blu ÜberCharges, due to the fact that an Über is Blu's only means of breaking through the B's defenses.
• Spies will often attempt to sneak into the Red Yard via the dropdown. Because of this, make sure to consistently Spy-check the stairs leading out of the Valley.
• That same Dropdown can also be utilized by you. But unlike a Spy who will drop down through it, you will need the Thermal Thruster in order to ascend up it.
  • But doing this is not advised, as you are likely to end up in an unfavourable position.

 Demoman

Gold Rush is essentially Demoman heaven. With plenty of Chokepoints, confined spaces and other explosive-friendly terrain, a single good Demoman can completely obliterate the enemy team.

Offense

Stage 1

• Take the right most exit when leaving your spawn, as that will bring you into a prime position for destroying the Raised Tracks' defenses.
• Hut is usually the Red's main defensive hold out. However, due to its compact structure, it can be quite easily spammed out.
  • Alternatively, you can Sticky jump to its balcony and use the newly gained High ground to your advantage.
• By sticky trapping the Tunnel, you will essentially block the Red teams' only escape route. Thus preventing them from retreating back to point B and setting up a defense there.
• Assuming a Medic is willing to Über you, you can head up to the Attic in order to take out the key fortifications commonly found there.
  • If, however, you do not have access to a Medic. You can still spam out the Attic from within the Imperial building.
• The advantageous position of the Attic can be used to bombard Red Sentry Guns on top of the appropriately named Red Decks.
  • However, enemy Snipers can and will put a stop to this. In that case, you can launch your Projectiles through a hole in the fence of the Large Healthpack Room.

Stage 2

• Focus on taking out the defenders on top of the Watchtower, as that location is extremely valuable to your team.
  • This can be done by asking a friendly Medic for an ÜberCharge before proceeding through the right spawn exit, which will bring you directly to the Watchtower.
• The Red team has only one escape route from checkpoint A, that being the Tunnel. If you can sticky trap, they will not be able to safely evacuate.
• Due to the openness and high Skyboxes found on checkpoint B, using the Base Jumper to float high above the ground is a viable strategy.
• The Sentry Ledge can be safely targeted from the left side flank.

Stage 3

• Use your explosives' Knockback in order to push off defenders from the Platform.
• You can utilize the arc of Demoman's projectiles to bypass the wooden wall shielding the Sentry Nests behind it.
• Because of point B's long nature, the Quickiebomb Launcher's fast travelling stickies can be used to target the Red Sniper sitting all the way at the back of the map.
• Your primary concern on the Final point should be to neutralize the Sentries situated inside the Narrow Building, as they pose a great threat to your team.
  • Their destruction can be accomplished by approaching them from the Sniper's ledge, which is out of their range.

Defense

Stage 1

• Unlike other classes, you can stay behind the Cliffs and fire upon the advancing Blu members, thus making use of your projectiles' arc.
• The Tunnel connecting the two checkpoints can be taken great advantage of, as its acts as chokepoint which the Blu has to traverse.
• The Attic is not only the Blu's prime target, but also a favourable position to Demomen, due to its cramped spaces and chokey nature.
• You can lob continues waves of grenades and stickies from within the Ditch. However, be wary of any attackers which may drop on your head from the Imperial Building.
• Sticky jumping can be used to reach the Imperial Building in a swift fashion.

Stage 2

• Since the Blu team only has two exits leading out of their spawn, trapping them inside it is not too difficult, especially with the Scottish Resistance.
• The Watchtower and the House offer a safe place to retreat to when you run out of ammo.
• Just like your Blu counter part, you can employ the unorthodox strategy of gliding high above Choke and Final area via the Base Jumper.
• Repeatedly bombarding the two opening in the Battlements will prevent the offensive team from pushing through them.

Stage 3

• You can use your Sticky jump ability in order to reach the Blu's upper left exit and setup a sneaky Sticky trap in there.
  • This will surprise many opponents, as they were not expecting action so early.
• Since the Red team starts out with height advantage, shelling the Blu members attempting to push through the Basin is not particularly difficult.
• Defending checkpoint B is quite easy. Simply spam down the Hallway and ensure that no attacker gets through in one piece.

 Heavy

Due to a general lack of alternative flank routes, every stage has at least one position from which a Heavy can completely control the map.

Offense

Stage 1

• Make sure to take the left spawn exit at the beginning of a round, as that puts you behind the Cliffs and out of the Sniper's sightlines.
• Enemies often hide on top of the Raised Tracks, which can easily be cleared out with your large DPS (Damage per second).
• If you are fast enough, you might be able to catch out the Red team as it is retreating through the Tunnel.
• An unusual tactic of yours involves heading up to the Imperial Building and acting as a Sniper, by using your Tomislav to lay heavy but accurate fire on anyone below.

Stage 2

• For the first checkpoint, simply push the Cart and help your team capture the Watchtower.
• Due to your large Healthpool, you are arguably the best candidate for pushing the Cart through the Tunnel.
  • It might just be a wise idea to ask a Medic to accompany you while doing this. Since even 300 health sometimes is not enough.
• If a Medic is willing to Über you, you can jump out of the Main Buildings and land directly in the Final area, causing unbridled chaos and disorder among Red lines.

Stage 3

• Going straight for the Cart immediately after exiting the Spawn is not recommended. Instead, focus on capturing the surrounding area, that being the Platform first.
• During the battle for the final checkpoint, defenders usually do not expect a Heavy to suddenly emerge on their left flank. As such, flanking through the House is a viable option.

Defense

Stage 1

• Since the Heavy has so much health, you can afford to stay right on top of the Cliffs, where you will attract the most attention and be able to deal the most damage.
  • Then, when your health is depleted, you can retreat behind the said Cliffs and heal up there, before returning back to your original position.
• You can also position yourself on top of the Raised Track, which is a less aggressive position then that of the Cliffs.
  • However, doing this will put you among your teammates, ensuring that they also get hit by projectiles aimed at you.
• By positioning yourself right at the Tunnel's exit, you are essentially blocking the three available routes to Checkpoint B.
  • Of course, this will make you a big target for the Blu team, so its recommended that you have a Medic buddy accompanying you in this endeavor.
    • If a Medic is not available, you can always retreat into the Ditch and heal up there using one of your Lunchbox items.
• The Mine Shaft offers an excellent ambush position spot in the event that the Cart has nearly reached the Point B.

Stage 2

• Try to position yourself forward of the House, where you will be able to monitor the two spawn exits at Blu's disposal.
  • If you get pushed back, you should relocate into the House, from which you can support the Watchtower and the Sniper's Ledge.
• By using the Tomislav's silent rev and quickly jumping around the corner, you will be able to surprise the Attackers just as they are pushing through the Tunnel.
  • And if you are Kritzkrieged or Übered during this, there is a potential to completely wipe off the enemy team.

Stage 3

• On checkpoint A, you can utilize the Height advantage provided by the Platform in order to unexpectedly dropdown onto the Blu members below.
  • But doing this is risky without Overheal or an ÜberCharge.
• If you are positioned on top of the Truck House, make sure to watch out for Spies and other classes approaching you from the rear.

Engineer

Offense

Stage 1

• On stage 1, you can use either the Jag or the Gunslinger to quickly construct a simple Sentry immediately after exiting the spawn.
• The Wrangler can be used to pester defenders on top of the Raised Tracks and in the Hut.
• Once the Raised Tracks have been cleared off, an opportunity for you to move up your Sentry onto the Cliffs will open up.
• There are two possible nesting positions on checkpoint B. You can either setup a Sentry nest in the Imperial Building, or in the Attic.
  • While the Imperial Building does seem like a superior position, it is not of much use other then to fellow Snipers.
  • The Attic, on the other hand, is much more important to the overall progress of the Bu team.

Stage 2

• Unlike on the previous stage, now you have an entire area in front of Blu's spawn at disposal, allowing you to construct an entire Sentry nest before the round even begins.
• Moving up your gear before the Watchtower is captured usually does not end well. Unless you have the Jag and can quickly redeploy your nest.
• The Wrangler can be used to harass Red Snipers on the Sniper Ledge.
• Once the House has been captured, you should be able to move up your Sentry onto the Bridge, where it can directly monitor the checkpoint A.
• If your teammates are struggling in the Tunnel, you should setup a Teleporter inside the Battlements, which can bring your team directly to an advantageous position.
• If the defenders inside the Final Area get distracted enough, it might be possible to advance your Gun onto the bridge connecting the Main Building, thus securing victory.

Stage 3

• Immediately at the beginning of a round, you should direct your efforts onto establishing a forward base on the Platform.
• An unorthodox strategy involves Sentry jumping to the Truck House and maintaining a nest there. But this is quite risky.
• Considering that the Blu team has no forward spawns, Teleporters are of utmost priority here. Especially when attacking the Checkpoint C which is very distant.
  • Consider equipping the Eureka Effect in order to maintain these vital buildings more easily.
• Assuming the coast is clear, you can try sneaking a Sentry into the Sniper's deck, from where it can attack the Red's right flank.
  • Even better, you can setup an entire nest here, as well as Teleporters. So that your team can together organize an attack from the sides.

Defense

Stage 1

• For the first checkpoint, you can setup your Sentry on top the Raised Tracks, where it will be able to significantly delay the attackers, albeit at a cost to its life span.
• For a more passive position, the Sentry can be placed behind the Cliffs, alongside the Dispenser.
• When the Cliffs get captured, you will have to make a choice:
  • Risk being encircled and destroyed by setting up in the Hut in hopes of preventing Point A's demise.
  • Or safely retreat through the Tunnel and organize a more successful defense of checkpoint B, at a cost of giving up point A.
• Assuming you have managed to successfully evacuate from Point A, you should setup a nest in the Attic, as it is an immensely important position to the Red team.
  • If there is already another Engineer setting up there, you can move your gear down into the Ditch, where it can support Reds in the Tunnel.

Stage 2

• There are two viable Sentry nest positions on checkpoint A. They are: the Watchtower and the House.
  • Since the House is prone to being surrounded, it might be wise to equip the Eureka Effect if you plan on staying in it.
• If you have the Wrangler, you can sentry jump onto the Battlements.
• The Main Buildings offer an excellent position for defending the Choke Area.

Stage 3

• There is a sneaky little Sentry spot directly on top of the Truck. It is hard to see and even more harder to destroy once detected, so it is great at holding of the attackers.
• Alternatively, a relatively common, and subsequently easy-to-take-out Sentry position can be found on the Platform.
• On the Final checkpoint, you have a number of options where choosing where do you want to organize a defense.
  • First and the most common Sentry spot would be the Narrow Building. It is an overall good position, but has the fatal flow of being severely exposed from the Sniper's Deck.
  • Second location is a tiny room directly under the Battlements. It does not offer much visibility, but is extremely well protected due to it essentially being a bunker.
  • In contrast, placing your beloved Gun on top of the Yard's Truck will allow it to overview the entire area of Point C, while leaving it exposed from multiple directions.

Medic

Offense

• A Medic is simply an irreplaceable asset to the Blu team. And not because of his ability to heal, but due to his immensely powerful ÜberCharge. This unique ability is especially important on this map, where there are certain checkpoints whose defenses are literally impenetrable without the help of a Medic and his invulnerability.

Stage 1

Checkpoint A

• • The vast majority of your team will probably go through the left spawn exit, so you should go there as well. Once you've exited the spawn, focus on healing Demoman and Heavies, as those classes are best at taking down defenses on top of the Raised Tracks. If the enemy up there proves to be tougher then expected, you might need to use an ÜberCharge in order to clear them out, but this usually isn't necessary. Also, make sure to watch tout for Snipers in the Hut, and occasional Spies behind. Once you're team secured the Raised Tracks and pushed up to Cliffs, you'll want to prioritize Soldiers, as they can rocket jump up to Hut and quickly clear it out. If that doesn't happen, you and your team can just encircle the Hut and slowly spam it out, no ÜberCharge needed.

Checkpoint B

• • After securing the previous checkpoint, quickly move into the Attic alongside your team. Here, the Medic's supportive abilities are simply invaluable when it comes to capturing this vital position. Your heals can negate the downside of there being only one healthpack, while your ÜberCharge plays a big role in cracking the Attic's tough defense. After successfully taking the Attic, there isn't much left for you to do. Perhaps you can overheal a couple Soldiers in order to help them rocket jump over to the Red Decks, or continuously fire Crossbow bolts into the players pushing the Cart. But other then that, you can simll step back and wait for your teammates to achieve victory on their own.

Stage 2

Checkpoint A

• • At the start of the round, your best choice of action would be to leave your spawn via the right exit, thus putting yourself right in front of the Watchtower. From there, you can Über a Heavy or a Demoman to quickly wipe out any Sentry Guns present. Once the Sentries are destroyed and the Über fades away, you should overheal a Soldier who's about to rocket jump towards the Watchtower, as that will increase his longevity and allow him to defeat any remaining opponents. You also don't want to neglect the teammates pushing the payload, since they'll be under a lot of fire. While doing all of these tasks, you should primarily be behind cover in order to avoid the Snipers commonly located on top the Sniper's ledge, as well any incoming spam. If you've managed to build another ÜberCharge, it's recommened to save it, since your team should have captured the Watchtower by now and be on their way to winning over this checkpoint.

Checkpoint B

• • Amusing you have an Über to spare, you can push directly through the Tunnel and straight into Choke area, destroying anything along your way. This is the quickest and most straight forward path to a swift victory. However, if you don't have an ÜberCharge and there is a strong defense waiting for you on the other side of that tunnel, it would be a better idea to head towards the Battlements instead. From there, you'll be able to calmly build an Über while supporting your teammates through heals. After taking over the Choke area, you'll need to first clear out the Final area before being able to capture the point. The easiest way to accomplish would be to, once again, use an ÜberCharge in order jump right out of the Main Buildings and directly into the defenders, thus allowing your patient to quickly cause massive destruction. In the case that this isn't possible, you can head over to the left flank and provide heals to your teammates there.

Stage 3

Checkpoint A

• • If you want to quickly secure this checkpoint, you should take the left exit alongside your teammates. From there, you'll be able to Über onto the Platform and clear it out. Once the ÜbeCharge is complete and the Platform in Blu's hands, you should focus your healing on Soldiers and the Scouts, as they can jump over to the Truck House and take that position as well. Also, make sure to watch out for the Sniper's in the distance, since they'll be in a prime position to headshot you. When you've built another Über, you can attempt one final push at the checkpoint with either a Heavy or a Demoman along your side. If the assault was successful, you would have knocked out the last of enemy defenses and gotten the point. If not, retreat back to the Platform and try again.

Checkpoint B

• • It's absolutely crucial that you have an ÜberCharge when attacking the checkpoint B, since the defenses here are extremely tough to breakthrough without one. So if you don't have an Über yet, play safely until you get it, at which point a simple Demoman should do the job. Remember, conquering a well defended checkpoint B is near impossible without a Medic, so don't throw your life away.

Checkpoint C

• • Many Medic's make a mistake of Übering through the Choke, thinking that it's the quickest route to the final checkpoint. And while this is true, it still isn't recommend to take your ÜberCharge through here, since the enemies will see you coming from miles away and be ready to fall back. Plus, you won't have a safe escape route once the Über fades away, meaning that you'll die unless your Medic buddy mamaged to anihilate everything which could pose a threat. So instead of going through the Choke, you might want to take a look at the other options avialable. One of them is the House, in which you can safely build an ÜberCharge before exiting it and ending up on the Red's left flank, thus surprising the defenders and leaving them no time to escape. Alternatively, you can head over to Sniper's deck, which is a nice location considering that you don't need an ÜberCharge to make use of it. Simply healing your teammates can turn the tides of a battle.

Defense

• On the Red team, you won't be as important or crucial when compared to your Blu counterpart. This is understandable, since there aren't any dangerous chockepoints to push through or lack of Dispensers to worry about. But despite all of this, a Medic is still something the Red team really wants. Your kritzkriegs and Übers can completely wipe out the enemy team during their push, while your healing can allow your teammates to stand their ground in the face of even the biggest dangers.

Stage 1

Checkpoint A

• • At the beginning of the round, the best position for you to be in would be right behind the Cliffs. From here, you'll be able to heal your teammates on top of the Cliffs and the Raised Tracks, while still being in a relatively safe location. However, when the Cliffs inevetably get captured, this safety will become compromised due to the enemy now holding the high ground. In this case, you should retreat all the way back to the Hut. And if there are Snipers present, you might aswell evacuate to the next checkpoint and organize a defense there. While this may seem selfish and cowardly, remember that the first checkpoint is extremely easy to lose, due to it being heavily skewed in the attacker's favor. So instead of dying a useless death and potentially losing your ÜberCharge, you're far better of retreating back and saving your precious life.

Checkpoint B

• • In order for the attackers to reach the second checkpoint, they'll first have to go through the Tunnel, an extremly tight and claustrophobic location. You can take advantage of this by popping an ÜberCharge on a Pyro or a Demoman, which can use their excellent CQC (close-quarters-combat) abilities to quickly annihilate the enemy team during their push. After the Über finishes, quickly retreat back behind your Heavies and Soldiers, which can cleanup any remaining enemies. Also, make sure to watch out for the Imperial Building, since enemies can sneak up on you from there. If the Attic falls into Blu hands, you need to focus all your attention on getting it back. This can be achieved by either Übering a Pyro/Heavy and letting them clear out the Attic, or by overhealing a couple of Soldiers and Demomen, thus giving them the health necessary to rocket/sticky jump over to the Attic's top.

Stage 2

Checkpoint A

• • Defending this checkpoint should be relatively easy. All you have to do is to stay on top of the Watchtower, one of the best locations on this map, and simply support your teammates up there. Other then some Snipers at the Blu's left spawn exit, you won't have to worry about many other threats, if any at all! And if things don't go to plan, you have an easy escape route to the next checkpoint. It's just recommended that you bring the Crussader's Crossbow if you plan on staying on top of the Watchtower the entire round, since you can use it to heal teammates outside the Medigun's reach. When you build an ÜberCharge, you should use it on a Pyro or a Heavy, as they are very effective at spawn camping the enemy.

Checkpoint B

• • Once again, the Attackers will have to traverse a dangerous tunnel in order to reach the checkpoint B. You can exploit this by Übering a Pyro or a Demoman and letting them loose inside the aforementioned tunnel, giving the Blu members inside something equivalent to a death sentence. When the Attackers finally realize that they can't just brute force their way through the Tunnel, they will try using alternative routes, one of them being Battlements. But once again, you can put a stop to this by overhealing and buffing up some Soldiers or Demomen, and then sending them off to the Battlements in order to deal with the attackers. If any of those defenders need health, they can stand in the Battlements's window and wait for your crossbow arrow to arrive. In the case that an enemy manages to push you of the Choke area, despite your best efforts, you should quickly equip the Quick-Fix and prepare for trouble. Because there'll be a lot of spam incoming at your teammates now holding out in the Final area.

Stage 3

Checkpoint A

• • There are two, very important positions on this checkpoint which you should stick to, those being the Truck House and the Platform. Both of these locations are excellent for a Medic, since they offer significant height advantage and easy access to health and ammo, thus increasing the Medic'a survivability drastically. The Truck House is a bit better in this regard, since it has a lot more cover to shield against Snipers and other threats. While the Platform is your team's primary defensive entrenchment, meaning that you're more needed over there. In general, both positions are great and can be used to launch multiple ÜberCharges against the enemies, severely delaying their advance.

Checkpoint B

• • Like most players, you won't have to do much when defending this checkpoint. Simply staying behind and healing your explosive classes so that they can continue spamming down the Hallway is enough in most cases. Occasionally, you can Über a Demoman, Soldier or a Heavy to push out of the Hallway and retake some captured land. But Übering a Pyro works too, as he can airblast away the enemy Übers, thus completely preventing the attackers from ever capturing this point.

Checkpoint C

• • Firstly, you should focus all your healing power on to the teammates which are defending the Choke entrance, as that is, most likely, the first route through which the attackers are going attempt a breakthrough. If you don't do this, your team might not be able to repel the Blu's assault, resulting in a loss before the battle even begins. So make sure to prioritize that area first, before moving onto other tasks. One of those tasks would be to use an ÜberCharge to push through the Choke yourself, hopefully setting the enemies back and undoing all of their progress. Another way to disrupt the attackers would be to overheal your Soldiers and Scouts, before sending them into the House. Once there, they'll be able to harass Blu Snipers and Engineers, as well as anyone else traversing the House. Meanwhile, buffing up your Demomen and letting them go through the dropdown near the Sniper's deck can be potentially catastrophic for the enemy Engineers, who'll have to deal with multiple explosive classes behind their lines.

Sniper

Offense

• On Blu, your main job would be to slowly move alongside your team and take out key enemy targets. This shouldn't be too difficult, considering the Goldrush's linear map design opens up some rather large sightlines. And the general lack of flank routes prevents the enemies from sneaking up on you, allowing for a more relaxed game play.

Stage 1

Checkpoint A

• • When the round begins, you should first take care of Blu Snipers before doing anything else. You can espect those australians to be on the Hut's second floor, near the Tunnel and occasionally on top of the Raised Tracks. Once you've dealt with them, you should push out of the left spawn exit and target the defenders on the Raised Tracks, before moving up to the Cliffs. The Cliffs are a very nice positions, since they offer sightlines which cover the entirety of checkpoint A. From them, you be able to target the enemies below the Cliffs, in the Hut, evacuating from the Hut, and the ones in the Tunnel.

Checkpoint B

• • After your team successfully captures the checkpoint A, a gate on the left will open up leading to the Imperial Building. This locations is just excellent for you, as it grants sightlines overviewing the entirety of Ditch and the area around it, allowing you to kill of key targets hanging around these places. Plus, the Imperial Building also provides both health and ammo, making it a relatively sustainable position. Only downside to it is the fact that classes which can blast jump will be able to easily reach, so keep an eye out on them and retreat back when necessary. Once your team secures the Attic, you can choose to remain where you are or move over to the newly captured land. From the Attic, you have eyes on the entire Red decks and a path leading out of Red spawn, but will lose vision of the Ditch.

Stage 2

Checkpoint A

• • You won't be able to do much right at the beginning of the round, as the enemy will blow your fragile body apart as soon as you step out of spawn. So, you should be patient and wait for your team to clear out the way and cause a distraction. Then, you may finally leave the spawn through the left exit, putting yourself in a relatively concealed position in front of the House. From here, you'll be able to target the defenders on top of the Watchtower, as well as the ones in the House. If you want a more riskier but straight forward route, you can slowly peek out of the right exit and attack the Snipers on top the Sniper's deck, while constantly being ready to retreat back if you encounter anyone. When your team captures the Watchtower, you can go out of the right exit without fear.

Checkpoint B

• • The best location for you to occupy is pretty obvious, it's clearly the Battlements. Depending of which window you look through, the Battlements can offer you an overview of the entire Choke area, as well as a part of the Main Buildings. Plus, they also grant significant height advantage, meaning that only a handful of enemies will be able to reach you when up there. All in all, if you want to score a lot of kills, this is where you want to be positioned. Once your teammates take control of the Choke area, you can stay in the Battlements's left side and support your teammates on the left flank. Alternatively, you can decent down and relocate yourself right outside the Tunnel, where a sightline stretching all the way to checkpoint B itself awaits you.

Stage 3

Checkpoint A

• • As soon as the game starts, make your way through the right spawn exit and occupy a small ledge located there. From this ledge, you'll be able to oversee the entirety of the Platform, an extremely important position your team would really like to have. Because of this reason, you should obviously focus on taking out the enemies which are defending it. Once the Platform is captured, you should re divert your attention onto the Truck House, which is also a vital position for the Blu. And when that is dealt with, you can focus on picking of the defenders trying to retreat to the next point.

Checkpoint B

• • This checkpoint is basically one long, narrow hallway, making it a perfect heaven for Snipers like yourself. If you play your cards right on this point, you can absolutely demolish the enemy team, and make them in able to effectively stop the Cart. All you have to do is to position yourself on a set of stairs up against a wall, and you'll have access to a sightline passing through out the entire Hallway. From here, just snipe anyone who crosses your path, forcing the remainder of the Red team back into cover.

Checkpoint C

• • Right behind the Choke, there is a small bunker with a medium healthpack inside it. This bunker is quite important, since it offers a sightline which passes through the entirety of Choke and stretches all the way down to the Red spawn, encapsulating a part of the Battlements in the process. If you're fast enough, you can reach this position before any of the Red members do and take it for yourself, granting you a lot of influence to the outcome of the battle. However, if you aren't quick enough to occupy it, then there are other sniping spots also available. One of them which is equally as good, if not better, is inside the Sniper's deck. Managing to sneak up to this position will grant you an overview of the Red Yard and the Narrow Building, two locations which are vital to the Red team. As a trade off however, you won't be able to see the Battlements or the Red spawn exits. And the nearest healthpack is all the way down in the Valley.

Defense

• Being a Red Sniper should be a pretty straight forward job. Simply stand on advantageous positions which allow you to overview the battlefield and fire away. The liner map desing and an absence of alternative routes makes this job even easier, as enemies are guaranteed to cross your sightlines eventually.

Stage 1

Checkpoint A

• • The best location for a Sniper, on this checkpoint, should be quite obvious, it's clearly the Hut. Or more specifically, the Hut's second floor. From this position, you'll be able to oversee nearly the entire battlefield, as well as parts of the Blu spawn. Plus, there are a couple of health and ammo packs nearby, making you relatively self-sustainable. Only problem with the Hut is the fact that you'll under a lot of fire coming from multiple directions when inside it. You can commonly expect Soldiers and Demomen constantly bombing you, Scouts and Spies sneaking from behind while Blu Snipers scope in on your head from the safety of their spawn. So it might be a better idea to relocaze into the Tunnel when things get to heated. You won't have access to such massive sightlines as you would when in the Hut, but a quick escape route seems like a good trade off for that downside.

Checkpoint B

• • There is really only one sniping spot worth occupying on checkpoint B, and that would be the Red Decks. This position is simply incredible, as it gives you eyes on the Tunnel, Attic, Ditch and it even encapsulates a part of the Imperial Building. In addition to the that, the Red Decks are often a spot for many Sentry nests, which can protect you from flankers and grant you infinite access to health and ammo. In return, you can help out those Sentries and their Engineers by taking out the attackers bombarding them from long range. If, however, you don't want to position yourself on top of the Red decks for some reason, then there is one more position which you can occupy. It's right outside the Mine Shaft, and it's mediocre at best. Only thing you can see from this position which you couldn't from the Red Decks are the entire Imperial Building and a small part of the Ditch. Other then that, you lose vision of the Attic and a good part of the Tunnel, while being vulnerable to Spies and having absolutely zero health or ammo packs in near vicinity.

Stage 2

Checkpoint A

• • This point has a couple of good locations you can choose from when deciding where to position yourself, and all of them have their own advantages and disadvantages. The first location on the list would be the Watchtower, a towering structure on the map's left side. From this spot, you'll be able to overview the entire route of the payload, and will have a significant height advantage over your nemesis. The Watchtower is also the main defensive entrenchment for the defenders, which is a good thing since you won't be isolated and vulnerable to flankers when standing on it. However, those same teammates which will protect you can also accidentally get in your way, messing up your aim. Not to mention the fact that there is only one medium healthpack on the entire Watchtower, which you'll have to share with 5 other people. Because of this, you might want to prefer the Sniper's deck as your sniping spot. It's far away at the back of the map, safe from accidental teammate interference. And there is also a medium healtpack present there, which you don't need worry about getting stolen. The drawback to these benefits, however, is the fact that you're quite far away from the rest of team, leaving you without any support in case someone flanks around and attacks you. The middle ground between the two aforementioned extremes can be found in the House. The House doesn't offer a particularly glamouruse view, but it does grant relative safety, as you'll be close to your team without felling overcrowded. And while it doesn't contain a healthpack, you can often find an Engineer nest being setup there, usually containing a dispenser.

Checkpoint B

• • Unlike on the previous checkpoint, you won't have many good sniping spots you can occupy when defending this particular point. If the attackers haven't captured the Choke area yet, you are best of positioning yourself within the Main Buildings. They have plenty of health and ammo and offer you a full view of the Tunnel, including some parts of the Choke area and the Battlements. Occasionally, you might need to temporarily relocate yourself to another position, in order to get a better angle on Battlement's left side where Blu Snipers often reside. Once the enemy takes over the Choke Area, it's recommended that you retreat back to the Final area and position yourself right up against the Red Spawn. From here, you have a long sightline stretching all the way down to the Tunnel.

Stage 1

Checkpoint A

• • On this stage, the best position for for a Sniper to be in is right around the area where the Basin ends and a wooden wall begins. This location is simply superb in every way imaginable, as it allows you to see nearly every important area of checkpoint A, simultaneously. It doesn't matter if a Blu member is on the Platform, inside the Basin, under the House or is just leaving his spawn through the left and middle spawn exit, his fragile head will be visible to you at all times, no matter where he goes. However, being able to see everyone also means that everyone can see you. So the downside to this supreme position happens to be the fact that you're going to become enemy's number one target. You'll have to watch out for Blu Snipers scoping at you from the Blu's left spawn exit, Soldiers bombarding you from the Platform, Heavies slowly creeping up the Basin and Scouts flanking you through the left tunnel. If you determine that this is too much to handle, it's recommended that you retreat back to a safer location.

Checkpoint B

• • Not much needs to be said when defending this checkpoint. If you want win, simply run all the way to other end of the Hallway and camp out at a set of stairs located there. This particular position will grant you a ridiculously long sightline stretching down the entire Hallway, ensuring that every enemy enters your sights at least once.

Checkpoint C

• • While there are multiple positions you can occupy on the final checkpoint, there is one which stands out among the rest, that being the Battlements. At certain moments, the Battlements can feel as if they were made specifically for you, simply due to how perfect they are. They offer you ridiculous height advantage, thus granting you full overview of almost the entire area around the checkpoint C, including two of the most prominent entrances. They are also located right up against the Red spawn room, putting you in near vicinity to the room containing infinite health and ammo. And to top all of this off, the Battlements are very hard to reach for anyone who doesn't have access to the Red spawn, making you effectively immune to Spies and different flankers.

Spy

Offense

• • A Spy's job on offense should be pretty straight forward: sneak behind the enemy lines and attempt sneak attacks. In addition to that, you'll also want to specifically target enemy Engineers and Snipers, as the Goldrush's long and linear nature makes Teleporters twice as important, and Snipers twice as powerful.

Stage 1

Checkpoint A

• • When the round finally starts, quickly cloak up and make your way out of spawn. You'll primarily want to use the left spawn exit when doing this, as it leads out to a relatively calm part of the Cliffs, ensuring that you don't get hit by random spam when traversing the battlefield. Once you've reached the enemy lines, you should pick up a large ammo pack beneath the Hut and use it to replenish your precious cloak meter, before moving on. At this point, you'll need to make a crucial decision; do you stay withing the area of checkpoint A and help out your team there, or is it better to sneak through the Tunnel and start harrasing enemies travelling through point B. If you choose the first option, make your way to the Hut where you'll find Snipers and Engineers camping out. Swiftly take them out before jumping out of the Hut's second floor and dropping down on the defenders fighting for the Cliffs below. If, however, you picked the other option instead, then your path will be a bit different. Firstly, you're going traverse the aforementioned Tunnel before taking down Red's Teleporters, thus forcing the defenders to travel on foot. After accomplishing that, you should position yourself on top of the Red Decks and us their height advantage to drop down on enemies exiting their spawn.

Checkpoint B

• • Amusing you managed to already reach checkpoint B by the time your team captured the previous point, you can simply continue on with your usual business, that being camping on the Red decks amd harassing Red Snipers and Engineers which you find, occasionally droping down to attack another target or to use an enemy Teleporter and disable a Sentry nest in the Attic. But if you still haven't reached the Red's backline, you should take the following steps; Go to the Imperial Building, jump down from the Imperial Building and into the Ditch, leave the Ditch and make your war over to the Red Decks, where a small and a medium ammopack await you. Note that these two ammopacks are going to be your only two sources of cloak during your stay here (Excluding an occasional Dispenser), so it's best advised that you equip the L'etrange if you're struggling with cloak.

Stage 2

Checkpoint A

• • As soon as the round starts, quickly go through the left spawn exit, before it gets overwhelmed by spam, and make your way towards the Sniper's deck. Over there, multiple Snipers are probably located, which you should be able to silently murder before moving onto the next step. That next step being yet another decision which needs to be made. This time, you'll have to decide whether you should stay on this point and try to disturb the Sentry nests in the House and on top of the Watchtower, or cut deeper into the Red's backline and reach their spawn. The first option can yield more results, but it's also more dangerous since you'll be surrounded by hostile defenders a lot of the time. Meanwhile, the other tactic quite a lot safer, as it only involves taking out the enemy's teleporter, and then backstabbing the defenders trying to reach the checkpoint A on foot.

Checkpoint B

• • When assaulting the checkpoint B, you should first approach it from the Battlements, as that is the safest way to discretely sneak into the second point. Once you drop down from the Battlements and into the Choke area, the first location you should pay a visit are the Main Buildings. That location contains two large ammo packs to refill your cloak, and whole lot of Sentry nests which need to be taken down. In fact, the whole second checkpoint is infested with Red Sentry Guns, so it might be a good idea to bring the Your eternal reward if you plan on targeting Enginers. After taking care of the Main Buildings, you can either stay in the Choke area attack the defenders protecting the Tunnel, or head to the Final area where clueless Snipers usually await.

Stage 3

Checkpoint A

• • In almost every case, you'll want to exclusively take the left spawn exit, as it's the most concealed one of the three and usually left out of action. Once you've left the spawn, you can either attempt to sneak up on the defenders in the Truck House and take them out, or wrap around the tracks and proceed towards the Platform. Since the Platform is a lot more important for your team's success, and its narrow nature ensures that enemies back straight in to you, it's usually beneficial that you go there first, before dealing with the Truck House. Just make sure that you take out the Snipers commonly situated behind the Platform, so that they don't headshot you from the rear.

Checkpoint B

• • Depending on your previous actions, accomplishing favorable results on this checkpoint can either be a breeze, or damn near impossible. If you traverse the Hallway before it becomes an active battlefield, you should be able to easily slip into enemy lines. At which you simply need to take out their teleporter before starting to feist on preoccupied enemies. However, if you arrived to the Hallway at the same time as your teammates, you'll quickly find out that trying to go through a tight path while both teams are lobbing shells down it is quite hard indeed. Because of this, the Dead Ringer is heavily recommended on this point.

Checkpoint C

• • If your fast enough, you can enter the area of the last point via the Choke, before it becomes a litteral slugfest and completely impassable. If, however, you aren't so luckily or skilled, you'll need go through a small dropdown in front of the Choke in order to reach enemy lines. Once you've passed that dropdown, you'll continue forward and instead of going to the Sniper's deck like usual, you'll take a sharp right turn straight into the Valley. There, you should pickup a large ammopack to refill your cloak meter, before continuing up a set of stairs and into the Red Yard. At this point, you should have already reached the enemy's backline in a safe manner, and can start with the process of silently picking off the defenders. First take out the Snipers in the back, before moving onto the enemies fighting for the Choke.

Defense

• Not much needs to be said about a defensive spy. Just like your counter part, you should sneak behind the Blu lines in an attempt to disrupt the enemy's progress. And as usual, pay special attention to Teleporters and Snipers, since they're especially important on this map.

Stage 1

Checkpoint A

• • At the beginning of the round, there are two positions you can stand in and wait for the attackers to step out of their spawn. One of them is right under the Raised Tracks, while the other is on top of a small cliff hanging off the map's left side. Both of these locations are relatively concealed and out of sight, allowing you to safely stand in them even when not clocked, and wait for the right opportunity to strike. When you get the stab off, you should quickly retreat towards the Hut where health and ammo wait. After stocking up on supplies, you can either climb up the Hut in order to reach that position on the cliff, or head towards the Raised Tracks, allowing you to repeat the cycle.

Checkpoint B

• • As the attackers are pushing the cart through the Tunnel, you can hide inside a minuscule crannies just where the ladder leading out of the Ditch is located. In here, you'll be fairly hidden and concealed, allowing you to patiently wait for the enemies to come out of the Tunnel and show their precious backs to you. Once the Tunnel has been cleared out, you should be able to pass it and reach the area of checkpoint A. There, quickly take out the Blu's teleporter, thus forcing them to travel on foot and be susceptible to your stabs along the way. You should primarily stay in the Hut while you're in the enemy's backline, as it has more then enough ammo and offers high ground which can be used to drop down on unaware attackers. Occasionally, you should pay the Imepiral Building a visit, since Blu Snipers often cluster there.

Stage 2

Checkpoint A

• • There is small indent in the wall next to the Blu's left spawn exit. Just like before, you can hide in here and wait for your opponents to slowly step out of their spawn and show you their vulnerable backs. Although, many people already know about the existence of this hiding spot, so you may occasionally get caught out by someone with a bit of map knowledge. If you don't want to risk this, you can head towards the Blu's right spawn exit and hide in a corner there. Hopefully, enemies exiting from there will be preoccupied with your teammates in the House, and won't remember to check the aforementioned corner. If the right exit is empty, you can sneak through it and end up in the spawn yard, where enemy Sentry nests are commonly located.

Checkpoint B

• • Once again, the attackers are going to have to escort the payload through yet another Tunnel, giving you plenty of opportunity to ambush them. This can be achieved by either staying on the previous checkpoint and following the enemies inside, or by hiding on a stack of planks and waiting for them to come outside. The aforementioned stack of planks is also a good hiding spot if you're awaiting the opponents dropping down from the Battlements, although it's a lot more effective to simply travel to the Battlements yourself then to wait for its occupants to come to you. Another tactic you can employ while defending this point would be to take out the Blu's Teleporters, and then camp out in the Watchtower while attacking the Blu members passing on foot.

Stage 1

Checkpoint A

• • Once again, there are a couple of positions you can occupy while waiting for the attackers to step out of their spawn. The most prominent one of them being on top of a small ledge located right above the middle exit. Although this positions isn't particularly well hidden, it should still do the trick considering that Blu members exiting their spawn should be completely distracted by your teammates. If, however, this isn't the case and you end up getting caught. You should then quickly retreat back to the Truck House, where you can drop down on enemies pushing the Cart up the Basin. Assuming the conditions are right, you might be able to flank through the Blu's right spawn exit, thus putting you in a prime position to attack hostile Engineers in the Blu's spawn yard.

Checkpoint B

• • The Spy's job consists on sneaking into the enemy's backline and disrupting it. And on this checkpoint, you're going to have a very hard time doing exactly that. Simply because only the way to reach the Blu backlines is to go through the Hallway, an extremely tight and narrow corridor which serves as a main battleground for both teams. For this reason, equipping the Dead Ringer is imperative, unless you want to play a dangerous game of slowly trying to avoid all the attackers and spam in your way.

Checkpoint C

• • On this checkpoint, you'll need to play very safely and carefully, doing everything in one's power to stay alive as long as possible. This kind of play-style should be adopted due to the fact that once you respawn, there is almost no way to reach the enemy's backline again. Out of the three routes leading out of the final point, two of them are completely inaccessible to a Spy, leaving the Choke as your only option. And if you thought that trying to sneak through the Hallway on the previous checkpoint was hard enough, then you've clearly never attempted the same in the Choke while both teams were furiously fighting over it. You'll come face to face with so much spam that not even the Dead Ringer will be able to save you in certain situations. Only way to safely traverse the Choke is to patiently wait for the fierce battle raging around it to calm down, allowing you to squeeze through and finally reach the Blu's backline. Since the situation which allows this to happen is in fact quite rare, it's imperative that you don't waste your precious life while deep inside the enemy territory. The best thing you can do for your team which only puts you in moderate danger would be to constantly take out the Blu's teleporters. Teleporters on this stage are simply invaluable to the offensive team, which don't get any forward spawns and need to walk a ridiculously long route to the final checkpoint. So if you ensure that those teleporters are always down, there is no way for the Blu team to win this stage.