Sniper Guide – Courtesy of Protect My Balls
Class Type: Support 
Health: 125
(185 when buffed by a Medic) 
Speed: 100%
(27% with rifle zoomed)
(45% with Huntsman drawn) 

Tools of the Professional*
Sniper Rifle (Primary) 
Ammo Loaded: 25 
Ammo Carried: N/A 
Damage Range:
Bodyshot: 43-57 (0% charge), 128-172 (100% charge) 
Headshot: 150 (0% charge), 450 (100% charge) 

Submachine Gun (Secondary) 
Ammo Loaded: 25 
Ammo Carried: 75 
Damage Range: 8-12 per bullet at 10/sec = 80-120/sec (24 Crit)

Kukri (Melee) 
Ammo Loaded: N/A 
Ammo Carried: N/A
Damage Range: 43-87 (195 Crit) at a rate of a little more than 1 hit per second

Unlockable Weapons
Huntsman (Primary) 
Ammo Loaded: 1
Ammo Carried: 12
Damage Range: Bodyshot: 44-58 (0% charge), 103-137 (100% charge) 
Headshot: 153 (0% charge), 360 (100% charge) 
Special Ability: Instant crit on headshot 

Razorback (Secondary)
Ammo Loaded: 1
Ammo Carried: N/A
Damage Range: N/A
Special Ability: Can nullify backstabs, stunning the attacking Spy 

Jarate (Secondary)
Ammo Loaded: 1
Ammo Carried: ∞
Damage Range: N/A
Special Ability: +35% Damage, douses fire (when used on allies). 
Jarate Recharge: 20secs
Jarate 'Effects' Duration: 10secs

Taunt
Arrow (Primary) 
Ammo Loaded: N/A (Must have ammo in Huntsman)
Ammo Carried: N/A (Must have ammo in Huntsman)
Damage: 500 (375 with 25% damage reduction from initial "stab" stun) 


*Data Source – http://tf2wiki.net/wiki/Sniper



The Professional

After many years of playing as this class on a variety of different servers, it occurs to me that this class gets a really bad rap and I can see why. Often referred to as a “point and click” adventure game class, the sniper class is often the typical choice for people coming straight from CS or people who just don’t care about helping achieve team objectives and purely want to stand still and get points. A professional this person is not, they are a coward with a gun, the best way to learn TF2 and the maps is to get straight into the action as an offensive class, and the best way to help your team if you are new to the game. Having 5 player slots filled with people just standing in the back constantly zoomed in and getting the occasional headshot is not helpful. I’m not condemning anyone learning to be a sniper; by all means that is the intention of this guide, to make you a better sniper, never-the-less I have seen so many teams fail because they have too many snipers not helping the team. If you have no intention of becoming a professional team supportive sniper please stop reading this guide and relocate your AWP. 

The sniper was designed as a support class but his role can be incredible defensive for holding large choke points and CP’s; alternatively be amazingly offensive when taking out enemy snipers, sentry guns and heavy/medic combos. But at the end of the day it is a support class and you are there to help the team. You are the eyes for your team, whilst everyone is in the heat of battle, you and the spy are the only classes that can really take a moment to just over see everything and know what kind of support your team needs. They perhaps might not need any sniper assistance what so ever, and in that case, change class and be useful. Having a microphone headset can be very useful to let your team know of things you spot; like hidden sentry guns, de-cloaking spies, disguised spies and general reinforcements which they might not be prepared for or aware of. 

Best of luck on your road to becoming a professional mate!


Be Polite

There have been so many incidences I can remember of snipers who just cannot follow this simple premise. I consider myself to be polite and respectful as a sniper most of time, unless I get snubbed by a colleague. So, here are some simple tips to help you be recognised by your team as a considerate professional and not just some unskilled amateur, stealing everyone's kills and not caring if the team progress with an objective. 

• Only choose sniper class if the team can handle having that many snipers in the roster. A team with 8 snipers is not a team and will not succeed. 
• If the Control point is being capped or the cart is being pushed or the intel is on the move, don’t just stand there continuing to stare pointlessly down the same bit of environment you have been looking at all game, run in with your team mates and help stop the attackers, those few seconds might allow more backup to arrive and help keep you in the round, sure you might die, we all might die, but you would die knowing you did your part to prevent failure.
• Teleporters are designed to get your offensive classes to the front line as quickly as possible. If you are primarily going to be finding a nice shady spot to just try and shoot some random from the back then you don’t really need to use the teleporter ahead of an offensive class. By all means, if its level 3 and no one is around then use it, but if there is a line of offensive classes waiting, then sorry, professionals walk. 
• Usually most teams will have two snipers. Here is some instruction on how to act professionally around your fellow trigger jockeys. Never share the same sniper vantage point, this makes the both of you more visible to spies and other enemies; you are wasting time by both aiming at the same target. Close proximity will result in bumping and nudging, which results in sloppy shots. Having snipers take up different vantage points allows a wider target area and ultimately is more efficient when attacking or defending a wider area. I once had a very unpleasant experience with a female sniper who consistently would turn up at my spot that I had arrived at much earlier and nudge me around, stand behind me, stand in front of me and basically display no common professional courtesy, this my friends is what we like to call in the trade, a sloppy amateur. So rule of thumb if you turn up to your favourite spot and another sniper is already setup there with his coffee pot and empty jars, find a new position, even if they are useless, you are not helping anyone by hanging around them.
• If you are going to put out any teammate whom is engulfed in flames with your Jarate, make sure the medic is top priority; he can regain health and heal others including you. N.B. Make sure you drink plenty of coffee beforehand.

Be Efficient

General Rule of Thumb: Pick your shots. Conserve your ammo. Make every bullet count. 

Pick your targets carefully, but quickly. Being a sniper gives you the advantage of keeping your distance from your attackers so you have to judge which targets are worth killing first. These parameters can include; distance, speed, number of targets and or their awareness of your position. Professionals should remove all enemy snipers first if possible, then judge which incoming threat is closest to you then work back from that; making sure to spy check regularly.

Medics first. When it comes to enemy combos, always go for the medic first before targeting the class they were supporting. Sometimes you can’t get a bead on the medic as he may be hidden etc, in that case, get full power and try and take the offensive class being healed instead. This might take two shots as they may have more health when buffed up by a medic, and the Rifle can sometimes not do enough damage to be fatal. In this case, be patient and wait for the medic to quickly help out another enemy, leaving the target exposed for a limited window. 

Kill the Engineer before you shoot the Sentry Gun. There is no point wasting time and ammo shooting a LV3 Sentry Gun when the engineers just going to sit there still fixing it (which he can do a hell of a lot faster than you can fire). Wait for the engineer to leave cover, take him out then take out his toys. LV1 Sentry Guns usually just need one or two full powered rifle or huntsman shots to destroy it. Also when your team are taking on a sentry gun, you shooting at it too can only speed up the process, so focus your fire power and help the team. TIP: If you can’t see the engineer around the sentry gun, give it a high powered shot and it might reveal him from hiding.

Use your ears. Try to work out which direction footsteps behind you are coming from. Get familiar to the different sounds of spies uncloaking. Obviously, some spies will not be dumb enough to uncloak behind you and will just run up behind you disguised and not cloaked (allowing instant back stab). In any case you should not be fully zoomed in all the time, make sure you move around keep on toes and be suspicious of everyone. Spy check everyone. 

Push the cart if it is safe to do so. The addition of you with the team-mates pushing the cart could mean the difference between victory and failure. 

The Huntsman. This is by no doubt one of the most fun and satisfying weapons in the game (in this player’s opinion), but some maps or areas of a map just require the rifle; you will get more kills, and help the team out more. Now fair warning, you may get some abuse from other players for using this weapon. Don’t listen to them as they clearly don’t understand basic game design. The misunderstanding comes from the fact that when using the huntsman, enemies will have a larger hit box around the head than if you were using any other weapon. There is a reason for this, and also reason behind why valve hasn’t fixed it yet or bowed to the sad steam forum pressure. The huntsman does not have a scope and also has an arched shot. So getting headshots if the character hit box was so small would be incredibly difficult, not fun and not TF2. This weapon has an equal balance of skill and luck (arguably – which gun hasn’t?) but by all means do not assume it has an easy learning curve. 

The Razorback. This item when equipped will keep you safe from one backstab and thus keep you alive for a bit longer. Sounds good? But you should be made aware that;

• Once that shield is gone, you have one weapon less than everyone else around you. 
• Most spies are smart enough not to fall for the razorback trap and will just use their pistol against you. This type of “sniper” would have normally have found a secluded spot in order to avoid attention, so even though the pistol is the slower, louder option, once the spy has alerted you with one critical headshot, by the time you have turned around to attack the spy, you would be dead on the floor looking like turtle roadkill. The shield is like wearing a massive sign that says “Dear Mr Spy, back stabbing me will not kill me so please feel free to headshot with your pistol instead.” 
• Visually you become a larger target. If people can see you, then you are not going to have a very long career.
• Wearing it makes you look weak, and that you are afraid of spooks, this also suggests you are too lazy to be constantly weary of those around you and using your senses to know that you have company sneaking up behind you. This is a bad habit to get in to and I suggest against it. 
• Only equip this item if you want it to be your mobile tombstone.

Have a plan to kill everyone you meet. 

Kill Cam is the snipers worst enemy. Yes it is very funny to wave at those you have just assassinated for the seventh time but unfortunately you have just shown off your current position. Simple rule of the sniper class, if the enemy knows where you are, don’t be there. Now if it’s some distance away you should be okay when fighting certain classes as they wont have time to come fish you out, but the spy will come for you so you better be ready for him or find a new location, not forgetting other snipers seeking you out. 

Be prepared for close-quarter combat. Make sure you got the right weapon for the job when you can no longer use your ranged weapon. Can you get away with just using melee for that particular class or just pull out your submachine and let them have it? Don’t forget, the sniper rifle now has a reticule when un-scoped so it can still be quite effective at close range, not forgetting the huntsman is deadly short range. 

Class Match-ups

This part of the guide is purely for when your target is no longer at long range and they are instead right on your doorstep. This section of the guide is ignoring the use of the huntsman or razorback.

Sniper vs. Scout – If the scout is equipped with the sandman, he will have less health, a melee hit should end them quickly but this requires a close proximity and leaves you open to a close range shot from a powerful scatter gun. It’s recommend you attempt an unscoped headshot if possible, or try leading the scout round a corner and catch them off guard with a surprise melee hit. Scouts will often be too quick to shoot at with the SMG.

Sniper vs. Soldier – Be careful, soldiers do not worry too much about close range rockets. Try and avoid the blasts and melee them when they are reloading. If in doubt, shoot them with as many bullets as possible. 

Sniper vs. Pyro – You have no chance at close range. Run backwards shooting at them, but never with your back facing them as they may have the back burner and also you need to be shooting at them as much as possible. I suggest un-scoped head shots with your primary. 

Sniper vs. Sniper – Try to know where they maybe hiding, remember where you would go if you were on the opposite team. Be quick. Be confident. Be light on your feet. Try and go for the headshot or a powerful bodyshot. 

Sniper vs. Heavy – At close range, your best bet is to give them everything you got. Surprise them with a combination a Jarate and your Kukri. They have a lot of health so attacking them will be very risky. 

Sniper vs. Engineer – It’s rare for these two classes to meet that often but when it does happen it’s best to make sure you don’t try attacking them around a sentry gun, for obvious reasons. They also have a quite powerful melee weapon and shotgun. In this situation you are pretty much open to using whatever means you have to get the job done. 

Sniper vs. Medic – Don’t bother chasing a medic, he will shoot you with his syringe gun and you will die and he will live. Try and splash them with Jarate and hope they have an encounter with another class. Just try to take them out with whatever primary or secondary weapons you have got. 

Sniper vs. Demoman – These guys do have a nasty tendency to sticky jump up to your position and bash your head in with a cheap bottle of scotch. Not a lot you can do to counter their grenades and bombs. Your best bet is to primarily stop them getting to you in the first place. My favourite thing to do is to body shot them just before they sticky jump and they will just explode on the spot. But if they get up and close, let them have it and try and avoid the bombs. 

Sniper vs. Spy – This guy insulted your mobile accommodation, and is ultimately your worst enemy. He is the games counter balance to your existence. There is not a lot you can do against a disguised spy running up behind you and stabbing you. Ignoring the razorback (as we are resourceful people), try to use your ears, and don’t be fully scoped in all the time, take regular breaks in your sprees to look around your location, spy check the people around you with your kukri. If the spy is not very smart you will hear them cloak/uncloak near by, just learn these sounds and listen out for them. Don’t always frequent the same place or a spy will just end up dominating you. When running around try to move side to side so a chasing spy can’t get you. If you really want a razorback AND not sacrifice a secondary weapon at the same time, pressing your back against a wall, or level 3 sentry gun is often a much more sensible option.