Engineer tips?
- Thread starter JonYak
- Start date
Carry a Wrangler around. It makes your Sentry harder to destroy and can be a large annoyance for the enemy team.
If on Defense, build a teleporter at spawn at the start of the round and make sure you put the exit in a spot where your team can get to the front line easily without getting de_stroyed by the enemy team.
Dispensers are good. If ammopacks/HP packs are not there, its always nice to see a Dispenser built up for that quick stop.
On PL and CTF Defense, focus on leveling your Sentry first. The higher the level of your Sentry, the more damage it can take, especially if it is Wrangled.
On PL Offense, you need to be with the Cart when you can. Have a Mini-Sentry sitting a couple feet in front of the cart and watch behind you as you are pushing. This way, you have two ways defended and you would need to trust your teammates to help at that point.
Don't worry about kills primarily if you go "Battle Engie". As long as you do damage and be a distraction with your mini-sentries, you're doing just fine.
If on Defense, build a teleporter at spawn at the start of the round and make sure you put the exit in a spot where your team can get to the front line easily without getting de_stroyed by the enemy team.
Dispensers are good. If ammopacks/HP packs are not there, its always nice to see a Dispenser built up for that quick stop.
On PL and CTF Defense, focus on leveling your Sentry first. The higher the level of your Sentry, the more damage it can take, especially if it is Wrangled.
On PL Offense, you need to be with the Cart when you can. Have a Mini-Sentry sitting a couple feet in front of the cart and watch behind you as you are pushing. This way, you have two ways defended and you would need to trust your teammates to help at that point.
Don't worry about kills primarily if you go "Battle Engie". As long as you do damage and be a distraction with your mini-sentries, you're doing just fine.
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I normally set up a sentry in heavy trafficked areas and then simply ensure the sentry stays safe.
Also, I build a dispenser near me as well to help heal my team and myself in case a spy comes.
Other than that I just mess around. Best way to learn how to play a character. Plus, you'll learn better tactics that work for you.
Also, I build a dispenser near me as well to help heal my team and myself in case a spy comes.
Other than that I just mess around. Best way to learn how to play a character. Plus, you'll learn better tactics that work for you.
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It really depends on the situation, people are going to ultimately tell you "Engineer is easy" or something stupid like that. In all seriousness, if you want just basic tips then use the Gunslinger for attacking and use a normal wrench for defense.
I could easily teach you everything my 285.1 hrs as an Engineer has to offer, just add me on steam.
It'll range from various sentry spots on various maps to what weapons to use when, hell we could even go over competitive HL Engineer play.
http://steamcommunity.com/id/tbbCold (Did I forget to mention that I covered for Shiznoe during the Engineer training event awhile back?
)
I could easily teach you everything my 285.1 hrs as an Engineer has to offer, just add me on steam.
It'll range from various sentry spots on various maps to what weapons to use when, hell we could even go over competitive HL Engineer play.
http://steamcommunity.com/id/tbbCold (Did I forget to mention that I covered for Shiznoe during the Engineer training event awhile back?
)
Last edited:
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- 1,552
Add me on steam? I'm the engineer on our highlander team, so I do know somethings about the engineer. Also check my latest video on my youtube channel, link in the sig if you want it.
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- Jun 18, 2012
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If you think there is an uber heavy coming after you see a medic with him. Get behind your sentry and start tanking is what I do, Keep your dispenser close so when you have to tank your gear you got constant metal coming in until it runs out, always have a sentry's field of vision unblocked to where it can see, Example 2fort, I put mine near the far stairs in the court yard cause it can see the strait, court yard, hay room, and first floor enterence to court yard, Watch out if they get under the steps though they can pick off your sentry
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Also adding on, Find spots where stuff like pipe bombs won't hit in Dustbowl, theres a spot I always put my sentry and it takes a good spy to get it down. Add me on steam I can show you what I do sometimes
[I don't know how much experience you have, so I'll just throw even the basic stuff I can think of in here. I'm not trying to sound patronizing, I promise.]
Anti-sabotage stuff first (cuz I main Spy, so that's what I know best):
Greet EVERYONE walking toward your sentry with a wrench to the face. For safety.
Don't get caught with your back open while you bang on your buildings. You will get stabbed. Pop up every few seconds. Tune your ears in to the various uncloaking noises. They're quiet (except the DR), and if you learn to listen for them you can save yourself a lot of grief... and anger a lot of spies.
Don't be afraid to request Pyro assistance if your sents are getting Sapped all the time. Sometimes they will be. Your buildings are nearly always in the top-3 of our assassination list.
If you are trying to save your buildings from a stock-sapper-spamming Spy, but cannot kill the Spy, you're gonna have a bad time. Sappers have no CD and will damage your buildings faster than you can knock the sappers off and repair. Even if you are on one end of a Tele and the Spy is sapping the other end, unless that Spy dies, the tele will go boom. Against a full nest, it's worse-- we'll just strafe and spam sappers on everything, and laugh with glee.
The rest:
Building priority will change depending on the situation. Don't forget to build Teles, even if you can't upgrade them right off. Especially on PL maps (not so much on 5cp maps, since spawn can change so often). A Dispenser is an awesome thing to have as a fallback point/staging area. Even if it's just Level 1.
Jag isn't worth it. You should be beating on your buildings to help them construct faster anyway, and the stock wrench hits much harder. That being said, when you put a building down, don't just stand there and stare at it. Hitting it with your wrench makes it go up faster, for 0 metal.
If you're an accurate shot, the Widowmaker is boss. Widowmaker + Gunslinger = battle engi. I'm not much for the Wrangler, but used correctly it's very very powerful, even with a mini-sent. Also, Widowmaker + Kritz = infinite ammo.
Widowmaker is a decent (but expensive) spy-checking tool. If you shoot someone who is acting suspicious, and you get metal back, he is a spy. Kill him.
Oh, apparently the Gunslinger crits every third punch. Don't be afraid to melee with it if you must.
Mini-sents are awesome. They're annoying, they sting, and if you place them well you can severely change the shape of the map. It's not the hard wall that a Level 3 sent is, but it's fast to build and it hurts. Also, they are awesome against scouts.
That being said, when you run Slinger, learn when to place your minis aggressively, and when to use them behind the front line as support.
Final note:
If you're ever in a game with me (XAE), during setup I will switch to Engi and help you upgrade your buildings at spawn. So drop a Tele Entrance and run off to place your Sent.
ps- the Pomson is lame and makes baby ducks cry.
Anti-sabotage stuff first (cuz I main Spy, so that's what I know best):
Greet EVERYONE walking toward your sentry with a wrench to the face. For safety.
Don't get caught with your back open while you bang on your buildings. You will get stabbed. Pop up every few seconds. Tune your ears in to the various uncloaking noises. They're quiet (except the DR), and if you learn to listen for them you can save yourself a lot of grief... and anger a lot of spies.
Don't be afraid to request Pyro assistance if your sents are getting Sapped all the time. Sometimes they will be. Your buildings are nearly always in the top-3 of our assassination list.
If you are trying to save your buildings from a stock-sapper-spamming Spy, but cannot kill the Spy, you're gonna have a bad time. Sappers have no CD and will damage your buildings faster than you can knock the sappers off and repair. Even if you are on one end of a Tele and the Spy is sapping the other end, unless that Spy dies, the tele will go boom. Against a full nest, it's worse-- we'll just strafe and spam sappers on everything, and laugh with glee.
The rest:
Building priority will change depending on the situation. Don't forget to build Teles, even if you can't upgrade them right off. Especially on PL maps (not so much on 5cp maps, since spawn can change so often). A Dispenser is an awesome thing to have as a fallback point/staging area. Even if it's just Level 1.
Jag isn't worth it. You should be beating on your buildings to help them construct faster anyway, and the stock wrench hits much harder. That being said, when you put a building down, don't just stand there and stare at it. Hitting it with your wrench makes it go up faster, for 0 metal.
If you're an accurate shot, the Widowmaker is boss. Widowmaker + Gunslinger = battle engi. I'm not much for the Wrangler, but used correctly it's very very powerful, even with a mini-sent. Also, Widowmaker + Kritz = infinite ammo.
Widowmaker is a decent (but expensive) spy-checking tool. If you shoot someone who is acting suspicious, and you get metal back, he is a spy. Kill him.
Oh, apparently the Gunslinger crits every third punch. Don't be afraid to melee with it if you must.
Mini-sents are awesome. They're annoying, they sting, and if you place them well you can severely change the shape of the map. It's not the hard wall that a Level 3 sent is, but it's fast to build and it hurts. Also, they are awesome against scouts.
That being said, when you run Slinger, learn when to place your minis aggressively, and when to use them behind the front line as support.
Final note:
If you're ever in a game with me (XAE), during setup I will switch to Engi and help you upgrade your buildings at spawn. So drop a Tele Entrance and run off to place your Sent.
ps- the Pomson is lame and makes baby ducks cry.
I'll be sure to.
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- Jun 15, 2011
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(1) build sentry
(2) sit on top of it
(3) taunt after every kill
(4) actually, ignore #3
(5) always taunt all the time
(6) profit
- Joined
- May 2, 2012
- Messages
- 631
As an Engineer who mains the gunslinger here is what I know about how to be an efficient battle engie and some general thoughts to aid with your level 3.
Gear
Primary: Shotgun
Six shells of 60 damage each and potently 180 if crits. You have enough damage in this gun to take out a lone heavy at close range. Use it when going through tight corners areas where an potential enemy will not be able to maneuver as easily out of its max damage range. Otherwise only use it at close range when your pistol it out of ammo and you need to bring on the pain to finish someone off or quickly take down a heavy and medic with your mini backing you up.
Though I don?t use these guns as much they do have their uses which I will mention.
Frontier Justice
It has half the clip of the stock shotgun and does less damage at a distance then the stock shotgun but it is guaranteed crits from your sentry gun kills. You get 2 crits for every kill and 1 for every assist your sentry gets you. So if your running it with the gunslinger that?s one kill and one assist to give you an assured full clip of crits.
Many engineers tent to get trigger happy once they gain a few crits and run out to the front lines like ranbow. Don?t do this. Instead see these crits as means of keeping you alive when you mini is down and there is no metal around to build a new one. Pull it out and just threated anyone who comes close to you of a different color as you make your way to the nearest ammo crate.
Remember a full clip could save you from a overhealed heavy before you have to deal with his medic.
Widowmaker
This is the gun I recommend if you have good aim with the shotgun and can keep track of your metal and the metal on the field. In a pinch it could easily save you from a heavy, demo and even solly but the trade off is if you miss a shot that?s 32 metal you just lost that usually means one less mini you could have built to cover your retreat or distract the opposing team long enough for you to escape.
Useful for spy checking as disguised spies will still give you metal but you have to play smart with it. And if you have the luck to get a medic to uber or kritze you that almost a full charge going to work as the no reload effect shines the most during those rare moments.
Pomson 6000
Don?t use this gun. It has its nitch uses of annoying medics, spys and spamming the battlefield but it can?t be counted on to save you in a pinch. If your going to use it do so with a level 3 behind you and blast for spys but it lessens your effectiveness as a battle engie.
Key Tip: Sentry down, pistol first, shot gun second. You can reload a pistol faster than your shotgun unless running widowmaker.
Secondary: Pistol/Lugermorph
This should be your primary weapon. You have 212 shots fully stocked with this babby that deals 22 damage point blank, 45 with crits, 20 with mini crits and covers 13-17 damage medium range as well as 8-10 long range. With a firing speed of .17 seconds a full clip of 12 could potently deal 264 damage in under 3.24 seconds with a full clip reload time of 1.36 seconds.
Use it to pepper enemies just outside of your mini?s range, take out opposing engies buildings at a distance or combine this deadly damage output with your mini to truly bring out the power combo it holds.
Wrangler
Useful for using the mini to bullet jump to places you normally can?t reach or to pester and with more precision take out your enemies at a distance. Down side is it tends to leave you potentially open for a spy to backstab you and relies on you having a mini up right next to you to use. With the trade off I rather keep my pistol on hand then this as this limits my weapons to just a shotgun and a mini.
Short Circuit
Don?t use this by yourself. Maybe if your team has another engineer and you stick by him to help guard his level 3 movements and protect it from stickies and rockets. Other than that it has limited use and makes for a terrible spychecker .
Melee: Gunslinger
The sign of your dedication as an engineer. You have lobed off your arm and traded in your wrench in for an extra +25 to your health, guaranteed crit on your third consecutive strike on an opponent, a taunt attack and the ability to birth little aimbots of doom.
When using the gunslinger be sure to bind the keys 5+1, 4+1 so you can destroy and then quickly deploy your mini scentry with ease as you move around the battlefield.
Strategy and Tips
Teleporter
Now as a battle engie your main job should be to get a teleporter up near the front lines or even better behind the enemy lines. Once you?re team has control over an area be sure to go back and set up an entrance so any other engineers could use it to move their level 3?s and other buildings to the new point faster.
Dispenser
With a link from spawn to the front lines established now you need to set up dispenser. A level 3 dispenser heals at a rate of 24hp per second, 3hp shy of a standard medic gun. Try to always have a dispenser just shy of the front lines or behind cover so your team has something to fall back to for a quick heal.
Mini Sentry?s
First be sure to have a key bind as 5+1 for quick sentry destruction and 4+1 for quick sentry build.
Next always have a sentry out. Someone destroys it, place one out in front of you. That gets destroyed, place another one. Always have the mindset that mini?s exist like an extension of yourself. Your opponents have to choose between you and your mini on who to destroy and it?s your job to then show them that the only choice they could make that ends in their survival is to run away and leave your contraptions alone. I recommend using the pistol alongside the mini and dancing around inside its range of attack when you get good at dodging and bating opponents into death?s range.
Placement
Rule of thumb is to place an entrance right out of spawn. If you?re lucky a friendly engineer will build it up for you. The exit is up to you from what you make of the battle but please remember to click m2 to rotate the exit so it faces away from a wall.
Placement of minis should be just about any high hard to see place that takes an enemy a few seconds to figure out where it is located. Hopefully finding out only from their deathcam.
Crouch jump
Try and bind your shift key with crouch (space + shift)
This will allow you to jump on top of your buildings as well as reach areas that you normally could not traverse without that extra bit of jump. It also helps for when a solly fires a rocket at you as some times you could ride the blast away to safety.
Know where the metal is
Know the map you are playing on. A good engineer could tell exactly where each ammo pack is on the map and lead someone to it blind folded.
And last but not least communicate with your team
You?re the engineer, your role is to provide strategic support with health robots, fast transportation and little aim bots. Let your team know when you have a tele up and where it goes. Ask them where they want a dispenser and have them help you keep the tele alive and spy free.
You?re an Engineer, you solve practical problems and with all these tools and more at your disposal there should not be any problem out there you can?t solve with your guns and your team.
Gear
Primary: Shotgun
Six shells of 60 damage each and potently 180 if crits. You have enough damage in this gun to take out a lone heavy at close range. Use it when going through tight corners areas where an potential enemy will not be able to maneuver as easily out of its max damage range. Otherwise only use it at close range when your pistol it out of ammo and you need to bring on the pain to finish someone off or quickly take down a heavy and medic with your mini backing you up.
Though I don?t use these guns as much they do have their uses which I will mention.
Frontier Justice
It has half the clip of the stock shotgun and does less damage at a distance then the stock shotgun but it is guaranteed crits from your sentry gun kills. You get 2 crits for every kill and 1 for every assist your sentry gets you. So if your running it with the gunslinger that?s one kill and one assist to give you an assured full clip of crits.
Many engineers tent to get trigger happy once they gain a few crits and run out to the front lines like ranbow. Don?t do this. Instead see these crits as means of keeping you alive when you mini is down and there is no metal around to build a new one. Pull it out and just threated anyone who comes close to you of a different color as you make your way to the nearest ammo crate.
Remember a full clip could save you from a overhealed heavy before you have to deal with his medic.
Widowmaker
This is the gun I recommend if you have good aim with the shotgun and can keep track of your metal and the metal on the field. In a pinch it could easily save you from a heavy, demo and even solly but the trade off is if you miss a shot that?s 32 metal you just lost that usually means one less mini you could have built to cover your retreat or distract the opposing team long enough for you to escape.
Useful for spy checking as disguised spies will still give you metal but you have to play smart with it. And if you have the luck to get a medic to uber or kritze you that almost a full charge going to work as the no reload effect shines the most during those rare moments.
Pomson 6000
Don?t use this gun. It has its nitch uses of annoying medics, spys and spamming the battlefield but it can?t be counted on to save you in a pinch. If your going to use it do so with a level 3 behind you and blast for spys but it lessens your effectiveness as a battle engie.
Key Tip: Sentry down, pistol first, shot gun second. You can reload a pistol faster than your shotgun unless running widowmaker.
Secondary: Pistol/Lugermorph
This should be your primary weapon. You have 212 shots fully stocked with this babby that deals 22 damage point blank, 45 with crits, 20 with mini crits and covers 13-17 damage medium range as well as 8-10 long range. With a firing speed of .17 seconds a full clip of 12 could potently deal 264 damage in under 3.24 seconds with a full clip reload time of 1.36 seconds.
Use it to pepper enemies just outside of your mini?s range, take out opposing engies buildings at a distance or combine this deadly damage output with your mini to truly bring out the power combo it holds.
Wrangler
Useful for using the mini to bullet jump to places you normally can?t reach or to pester and with more precision take out your enemies at a distance. Down side is it tends to leave you potentially open for a spy to backstab you and relies on you having a mini up right next to you to use. With the trade off I rather keep my pistol on hand then this as this limits my weapons to just a shotgun and a mini.
Short Circuit
Don?t use this by yourself. Maybe if your team has another engineer and you stick by him to help guard his level 3 movements and protect it from stickies and rockets. Other than that it has limited use and makes for a terrible spychecker .
Melee: Gunslinger
The sign of your dedication as an engineer. You have lobed off your arm and traded in your wrench in for an extra +25 to your health, guaranteed crit on your third consecutive strike on an opponent, a taunt attack and the ability to birth little aimbots of doom.
When using the gunslinger be sure to bind the keys 5+1, 4+1 so you can destroy and then quickly deploy your mini scentry with ease as you move around the battlefield.
Strategy and Tips
Teleporter
Now as a battle engie your main job should be to get a teleporter up near the front lines or even better behind the enemy lines. Once you?re team has control over an area be sure to go back and set up an entrance so any other engineers could use it to move their level 3?s and other buildings to the new point faster.
Dispenser
With a link from spawn to the front lines established now you need to set up dispenser. A level 3 dispenser heals at a rate of 24hp per second, 3hp shy of a standard medic gun. Try to always have a dispenser just shy of the front lines or behind cover so your team has something to fall back to for a quick heal.
Mini Sentry?s
First be sure to have a key bind as 5+1 for quick sentry destruction and 4+1 for quick sentry build.
Next always have a sentry out. Someone destroys it, place one out in front of you. That gets destroyed, place another one. Always have the mindset that mini?s exist like an extension of yourself. Your opponents have to choose between you and your mini on who to destroy and it?s your job to then show them that the only choice they could make that ends in their survival is to run away and leave your contraptions alone. I recommend using the pistol alongside the mini and dancing around inside its range of attack when you get good at dodging and bating opponents into death?s range.
Placement
Rule of thumb is to place an entrance right out of spawn. If you?re lucky a friendly engineer will build it up for you. The exit is up to you from what you make of the battle but please remember to click m2 to rotate the exit so it faces away from a wall.
Placement of minis should be just about any high hard to see place that takes an enemy a few seconds to figure out where it is located. Hopefully finding out only from their deathcam.
Crouch jump
Try and bind your shift key with crouch (space + shift)
This will allow you to jump on top of your buildings as well as reach areas that you normally could not traverse without that extra bit of jump. It also helps for when a solly fires a rocket at you as some times you could ride the blast away to safety.
Know where the metal is
Know the map you are playing on. A good engineer could tell exactly where each ammo pack is on the map and lead someone to it blind folded.
And last but not least communicate with your team
You?re the engineer, your role is to provide strategic support with health robots, fast transportation and little aim bots. Let your team know when you have a tele up and where it goes. Ask them where they want a dispenser and have them help you keep the tele alive and spy free.
You?re an Engineer, you solve practical problems and with all these tools and more at your disposal there should not be any problem out there you can?t solve with your guns and your team.
Last edited:
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