TF2 Newbs (Team Fortress 2) Blog

Click here to see the winners of the June 2fort Stats and Server Starting Giveaway!

Below is a discussion of recent changes to both the base classes and specific TF2 weapons. Included are changes that were made in previous patches, in case it has been awhile since you haven’t played, or if you may have missed a significant change and haven’t adjusted your play.

Also, see the bottom of the blogpost for the July 8th and 9th patch notes.

This won’t cover ALL of the changes, just the more important ones. For the complete patch notes, click or scroll down to the previous blogpost. Now, let’s discuss the Scout first:

Scout

July 7 patch notes for Scout:

• Crit-A-Cola
  • Added Marked-for-Death debuff for 2 seconds after the buff effect expires
• The Soda Popper
  • Added “On hit: build Hype”
  • Removed “build hype by running around”
  • Fixed: You can’t damage yourself to increase your Hype meter
• Shortstop
  • Added an Alt-fire attack — reach out and shove someone!
  • Removed +healing bonus
  • Reduced pushback vuln to +20% (from +40%)
• Sun on a Stick
  • Take 25% less damage from fire while deployed

When using the secondary Crit-A-Cola, all damage you deal (and receive) become mini-crits for the duration of the buff. It’s great for sneaking up or flanking a target or two, but you better finish them off and then hide: the moment the buff wears off, you’ll continue to take mini-crits for the next 2 seconds as you’re Marked-for-Death. Go hide or grab a powerup in the meantime.

The Soda Popper’s in-game text was wrong: You gain Hype by dealing damage, not as you run. You have to deal a total of 350 damage to fill your Hype gauge. When full, you can press Alt-Fire to engage the buff, allowing you to jump up to five times without touching the ground, which is often necessary to getaway and survive until you can get to a powerup.

The primary Shortstop has become more popular since random damage spread was defaulted to OFF on Valve servers, causing the weapon to deal more consistent damage. Now, you gain the ability to shove: press Alt-Fire for a melee attack that pushes a nearby enemy back a short distance, similar to a flamethrower’s airblast but maybe not as far (and it definitely won’t reflect a projectile). However, the Shortstop loses the extra healing it used to grant, and forced movement (like from airblasts) now pushes you slightly more than standard (previous the pushback was nearly doubled). Now you can pushback an enemy, throw a Mad Milk or cleaver at the enemy, and then engage once more!

(Note: The Gun Mettle patch allowed the Shortstop to use its own primary ammo, so that it wouldn’t share with a pistol secondary.)

The Sun on a Stick melee weapon wasn’t very popular: all it used to granted critical hits against burning players (which required you to work together with a pyro teammate, as well as to engage in melee), but otherwise dealt 25% less damage than the standard Bat. Now it has a unique bonus: you take a little less fire damage while it is deployed. So if you’re running past a Pyro–or running away and suffering from afterburn–switch to the Sun on a Stick to help you survive long enough to find a powerup or a bath of water. Equip it whenever your server seems overrun with Pyros, but you still want to play Scout.

Soldier

July 7 patch notes for the Solly:

• The Righteous Bison
  • Fixed a bug causing players to be hit by the same projectile multiple times, causing the damage dealt to vary wildly
  • Per-shot damage has been increased to compensate, resulting in slightly more damage on average ^[1]
    • Point-blank deals 54 damage (previously 20-80)
    • Maximum range deals 24 damage (previously 14-56)
  • Slowed projectile by 30%
  • Projectile damage reduced by 25% for each enemy penetrated
  • Updated projectile impact sound
• The Disciplinary Action
  • Reduced duration of speed bonus on teammates to 2 seconds (from 3)
• The Rocket Jumper
  • Updated model/materials and sound

So the secondary Righteous Bison wasn’t actually supposed to hit a target multiple times! The laser projectile pierces its target, but now it only hits once–and its damage has also been slightly increased. However, the projectile is much easier to dodge, and deals less damage for each target it hits.

That said, it is still an effective weapon for long range harassment (then again, your primary weapons are also), and can deal safe, consistent damage at close range without needing ammo. It also can’t be deflected by airblasts.

Observations: The Concheror secondary has become more popular in pubs, as it now grants increased health regeneration (+4 health per second, which is temporarily slowed after taking damage) since the Tough Break update. In the same patch, the primary Liberty Launcher received a 5-rocket clip, and it has seen more play as well.

Don’t Forget: Soldiers with the Equalizer or Escape Plan can now be healed/ubercharged by Medics, however the healing rate is slowed to 10% normal as of the Tough Break update, so feel free to uber them.

Sniper

July 7 patch notes for the schnoiper:

• Cozy Camper
  • Now requires a full charge to gain flinch resistance
• The Sydney Sleeper
  • When fully charged, or when making a headshot, now applies Jarate in a radius
  • Scoped shots now extinguish teammates
• The Cleaner’s Carbine
  • Removed hidden +10% damage taken multiplier while under the effects

Let’s go for a deep analysis on the “Piss Rifle”, the retooled Sydney Sleeper:

1. It’s main drawback is that it does not inflict a critical hit with a headshot. Losing this threat makes you rely on teamwork more, but then again you role is support, not attack or defense.
2. The Sydney’s main advantage is that it inflicts the Jarate debuff, causing mini-crits to the affected target. The effect lasts from 2-8 seconds, so you can give a short debuff if you bodyshot them as soon as you scope in.
3. Now that random damage spread defaults to OFF on Valve servers, the Piss Rifle deals 50-150 dmg, and from 68-203 dmg mini crit (Jarate) dmg. Most enemies from medium range will die if you can bodyshot them twice in close succession.
4. But now, the Sydney Sleeper applies Jarate in an area around your target when you successfully hit with a fully charged shot! If you Jarate multiple enemies, you have 8 seconds to choose your next target(s). This has already shown to be very effective when defending a cart or dropped flag. Landing a fully-scoped shot in a tight pack of enemies can help one of your allies take out the entire group with ease.
5. Moreover, you can extinguish targets from range with a scoped Sydney shot of any duration, lending more ability to your Support role to help your teammates.

Don’t forget that Snipers can still perfectly aim for a headshot when equipped with the backpack-looking Cozy Camper secondary. Now they only gain flinch resistance when their Charge gauge is full, so a Charging sniper will only wait a moment anyway to gain the steadiness needed. Harassing a Sniper with flames or bleeding is much less effective when they’re equipped with the steadying, health regenerating Cozy Camper.

The Cleaner’s Carbine removed a slight damage buff that wasn’t mentioned in the gun’s description. It should now work as described.

Heavy

Here’s the recent changes for the Heavy:

• Natascha and Brass Beast
  • 20% damage resistance now only applies when spun up and below 50% max health
• Huo-Long Heater
  • Added -10% damage
  • Added +25% increased damage vs. burning players
  • Reduced ammo drain to -4/sec (from -6)
  • Reduced pulse damage from Ring of Fire to 12 (from 15) due to increased damage vs. burning
• Buffalo Steak Sandvich
  • Fixed “damage taken” multiplier accidentally being +10%, instead of the listed +25%

Pubbing players have dusted off their Nataschas and brought them to battle, enjoying both a slowing effect on enemies they hit, and some damage resistance while firing. That damage resistance now only applies after they’ve lost half their health, but it is often still enough to just barely outlast a single attacking enemy.

The Huo-Long Heater now does a slightly less damage per hit (4-12 dmg per bullet as opposed to 4.5-13.5), and a little less damage with its Ring of Fire. That said, the Chinese Fire Dragon Gun was more buffed than nerfed with these changes, because not only does the gun burn up ammo less quickly, but it will deal more damage to burning players (5-15 dmg per bullet, or 50-600 dmg per second)!

A point-blank enemy will ignite on fire when you’re spun up, allowing you to mow them down even faster and using less ammo. Pyro allies can assist you in taking down tough enemies like buffed medic targets by burning them from range. Now, the Huo-Long is even more viable in Mann vs. Machine mode, since those robots can burn, so Pyro-Heavy and multiple Heavy teams can further increase damage dealt to take out the bigger robots with ease.

The Buffalo Steak Sandvich, like a few other weapons, had a misprint in the item description, and it was fixed. You only take an extra 10% damage, not an extra 25%, which explains why you seemed harder to kill during a food frenzy than you should have been.

Spy

July 7th patch changes for the schpee:

• Base
  • Max speed increased to 320 (from 300)
• Enforcer
  • Attacks pierce resist and absorb effects from all sources

Spy is now 107% the “base” speed, up from 100%. Here’s how he measures up now in speed:

• Base speed of all classes, before equipment or other modifiers:
  • Scout: 133% speed
  • Spy, Medic: 107% speed
  • Pyro, Engineer, Sniper: 100% speed
  • (old Spy: 100% speed)
  • Demoman: 93% speed
  • Soldier: 80% speed
  • Heavy: 77% speed

So now, the Spy is as fast as a Medic, and only the Scout is faster than you in base speed. Right away, you’ll have an easier time catching up to Pyros, Engineers, and Snipers to backstab them. And you’ll have a slightly better chance of getting away after you’ve been discovered. Since the Big Earner gives a speed boost on kill, you’ll move even faster after a backstab now.

But also, you’ll be more effective disguising as a Medic, since you’ll move as fast as they do, when it was previously obvious that a slower-moving Medic was a disguised Spy.

The Enforcer now gains the ability to “pierce resist and absorb effects”… Here’s what that means:

1. Ignores bullet resistance granted by the Vaccinator, whether by its uber or by its bullet-specific shield.
   • This means the Vaccinator doesn’t protect against your critical hits also! Normally it nullifies all mini-crit and critical hit bonus damage.
   • However, the Enforcer deals no random critical hits.
2. Ignores bullet resistance granted by Heavies firing the Brass Beast or Natascha.
3. Ignores bullet resistance granted by Snipers using the Darwin’s Danger Shield.
4. Ignores resistance granted by Spies’ cloaks such as the Invis Watch, Cloak and Dagger, and Dead Ringer.
   1. Cloaked spies get 20% resistance to all damage. The Enforcer ignores this damage resistance.
   2. A hit will trigger the Dead Ringer’s cloak, but you will deal standard Enforcer damage.
      • Normally, a triggered Feign Death will provide 65% to 20% damage resistance from all sources, scaled gradually over the first 3 seconds, and has no bump shimmer during that time. The Enforcer ignores this as well.
5. Does not pierece invincibility, such as that granted by a Medi Gun ubercharge, or a Scout’s Bonk! Atomic Punch.

So use the Enforcer against specific enemy combinations, like if you’re going against enemy Spies or trying to take out a Vaccinator Medic.

Pyro

July 7th patch notes for the Pyro:

• All Flamethrowers
  • Added: Direct damage reduces Medi Gun healing and resist shield effects by 25%
    • Medics hear a “healing interrupted” sound when this is happening to their heal target
• The Manmelter
  • Removed (hidden) 20% fire rate penalty

All of the Pyro’s primary weapons have gained a new ability: Directly burning the healing target of a Medic reduces healing by 25%! Also, damage reduction granted by the Vaccinator or Demoman Shields is reduced by 25% as well, resulting a slight increase in damage. This doesn’t affect afterburn (if any), nor does it affect damage you deal with secondaries or melees. It also doesn’t pierce the fire immunity granted by the Spy’s Spycicle.

This change will make it slightly easier for a Pyro to kill a Medic’s healing target, although that will still be rather difficult at times. This ability will also help Pyros in MvM destroy the larger Robots with pocket Medics.

The Manmelter change speeds it up to fire at the same rate as the Flare Gun. This text was mistakenly omitted in previous patches, like some other changes, so now the Manmelter fires as it says it does.

Medic

July 7th patch notes for Herr Doktor:

• Base
  • All Mediguns allow the Medic to match the speed of their heal target
    • Previously only available on The Quick Fix
• Quick Fix
  • ÜberCharge rate reduced to +15% (from +25%)^[3]
• Overdose
  • Increased movement speed bonus to +20% (from +10%)
  • Increased damage penalty to -15% (from -10%)
• Dropped Mediguns
  • Stored ÜberCharge begins to decay over time after coming to rest

If you’re using your secondary medigun to heal a target, your move speed now matches your heal target’s current speed. You will gain and lose speed buffs and debuffs as they do, such as given by the Concheror. However, you do not gain the ability to leap ahead with a stickyjumping Demoman or a rocketjumping Soldier; that ability is still confined to the Quick Fix. As a Medic, only the Scout’s base speed is faster than yours; all this change serves to do is to grant you any movement speed bonus that your heal target gets, so that you can keep up with your patient so as to not break your healing beam.

The Overdose now does very slightly less damage (5-11 dmg per hit), and grants double the move speed bonus as before. It grants +2% move speed for each 10% of Uber gauge filled, up to a maximum of 20% (which will make you slightly faster than a Scout). However, the Overdose must be deployed (the active weapon) for you to gain this speed bonus. Switch to it to run away or to catch up with a heal target.

In case you didn’t know, dropped mediguns still contain the ubercharge that they had when they were dropped! If you know that a Medic had a full Ubercharge saved when they die, regardless of which side, let your team know the location of the dropped weapon, so that one of your Medics can come and pick up the weapon and its filled gauge! However, the Ubercharge gauge will now drain over time, so be quick about retrieving it.  If you drop a fully charged medigun, you might be able to salvage some of its charge if you get can quickly retrieve the weapon.

Demoman

July 7th patch notes for the Black One Eyed Scotsman:

• Base
  • All boots now require a shield to activate any move speed bonus listed on the item
• The Iron Bomber
  • Decreased the fuse time to 1.4 seconds (from 2.0)
• The Quickiebomb Launcher
  • Increased charge time reduction to -70% (from -50%)
  • Increased damage bonus for (max) charged shots to +35% (from +25%)
  • Increased clip size penalty to -50% (from -25%)
  • Removed “Stickybombs fizzle 4 seconds after landing”
• The Sticky Jumper
  • Updated model/materials and sound

The change to the Demo’s Bootlegger/Ali Baba’s Wee Booties regards the 10% move speed bonus they grant. This bonus is disabled unless the Demoman’s loadout also includes a shield, such as the Chargin’ Targe. This is to prevent a Demo wielding stickybomb launcher (or its variants) from being granted additional move speed, as well as further increasing their stickyjumping range.

See, a loadout of Bootlegger + Eyelander would make for an incredibly fast non-charging Demoknight. Before this change, the Demoman could achieve a 136% base move speed after 4+ heads are collected, which is faster than a Scout’s base speed. Coupled with either a Sticky Jumper (for more maneuverability) or a stickybomb launcher… well, it’d be like a one-jump Scout with more health and a stickybomb launcher of their choice! So now you have to grab a shield and lose the launcher if you want speed free of Charging (pun intentional). This is a necessary nerf.

The Quickiebomb Launcher now does more damage, faster, but you have to reload more often. Its stickies now arm in 0.5 seconds, making them more useful than ever for detonating in midair: if you’re at even elevation that your opponent and you’re aiming at their head height, trying detonating them about even with their knees. (0.5 seconds is the tick-time of afterburn, by the way, so imagine that for timing.)

You can also long-range “snipe” more effectively: It only takes one second (instead of 4 seconds for the stock Stickybomb Launcher) to fill the charge gauge by holding the primary fire button down. Release the button as soon as the weapon reaches its target for an effective harassment tool against snipers or tight groups of enemies from range.

Better yet, the Quickiebomb Launcher’s projectiles no longer fizzle away, so you can use them for effective area denial traps just like the other secondaries! Just watch your clip: you can only load 4 stickies at a time, at it takes three full seconds to reload it. They’re still -15% less damaging that stock stickies, but at 51-122 base damage (as opposed to 60-144), they’re still very effective at killing.

Engineer

July 7th patch notes for the man with 8 hard science Ph.Ds.:

• Base
  • Level 1 teleporters now cost 50 metal (previously 125)
• Widowmaker
  • Damage increased +10% when attacking the same target as your sentry
• Eureka Effect
  • Reduced “50% less metal from Dispensers and Pickups” to 20%
  • Added “Teleporters cost 50% less metal”
• The Short Circuit
  • Base projectile attack is -10 metal (hit or miss) and then add -5 metal for each projectile destroyed (sometimes a buff, sometimes a nerf)
• The Pomson^(sic)
  • Fixed an exploit with shooting through your own buildings
  • Increased close-range damage to 72 (from 62)
  • Reduced long-range damage to 32 (from 42)
  • Updated projectile impact sound

That’s right: a teleport now costs only 50 metal to build (or only 25 metal with an Eureka Effect)!. A sentry can also be built (at 130 metal) before having to go fetch more metal, allowing an Engineer to get a nest up and running faster. It also means a level 1 Dispenser’s first dispensation of metal is all you need to build an teleporter exit. Building teleporters quickly helps allies get back to the battlefield sooner, giving you a numbers advantage in combat.

Note: The metal gibs of destroyed teleporters are now worth less metal, to compensate for their reduced cost. Going back to the Gun Mettle update, mini-sentry gibs no longer provide metal.

The Pomson got a slight rework. First of all, it turns out that the laser projectile was not intended to hit multiple times, and has been changed to compensate. Also, you can no longer hide behind your dispenser or sentry to shoot enemies.

Now it deals 32-72 damage, and that 32 damage is excellent for long range harassment (much better than the 22 damage of your Pistol). It still erases up to 10% of a Medic’s ubercharge gauge when hit, or up to 20% of a Spy’s cloak gauge when hit, with less meter erasure over distance. And the Pomson projectile can’t be deflected. Did you know you can use it to light allied Sniper arrows on fire?

Full Patch Notes: July 9, 2016

• Fixed the Strange Filter: Competitive tool not describing itself properly after being applied to an item
• Fixed the Jackpot! PASS Time achievement not tracking wins
• Updated Mannpower Mode to use 7 captures per round on matchmaking servers (was 3)
• Updated ConVar zoom_sensitivity_ratio so its value is saved across sessions and it can be adjusted in Competitive Mode

Full Patch Notes: July 8, 2016

• Removed the abandonment penalty for Competitive Mode
• Players are only required to have a single mode selected before queuing
• Fixed a dedicated server crash caused by projectiles from the Pomson 6000 and the Righteous Bison
• Fixed being able to damage yourself to gain Hype while using The Soda Popper
• Changed how much metal destroyed objects drop and fixed destroyed teleporters dropping more metal than intended
• Fixed the Bonesaw not working properly while using viewmodel minmode
• Fixed the Spy and Engineer not being able to equip the Prinny Machete

Expect another major update to be in the middle of December, if not before! Valve has been consistently providing game rebalances in early July and mid December.

Also, TF2 Birthday Mode is every August 23rd, so see you then!

[N] Obey

News Bits

• The Gun Mettle Campaign Pass has been removed from the Mann Co. Store. The Gun Mettle Season ends September 30th.
• Have you read TF2 Comics #5 yet? Published on Aug 31, it follows Miss Pauling as she continues to recruit the nine mercenaries, following the orders of the Administrator in its typical nonsensical fashion.
• I neglected to mention earlier that The Saxxy Awards are coming. Submission rules are here.

TF2 Item Prices

Metal

Keys

Market: $2.35 to $2.45 (was $2.40 to $2.50)

Backpack: 16 ref

Keys had been trading for around 19 ref until the Gun Mettle update launched in mid-July. Since then, the price dropped and has been slowly rebounding.

Buds

Market: $8 to $9 (was $9 to $10)

Backpack: 3.5 keys and falling (was 4 keys)

With the rise of the Steam Market to facilitate currency trading, perhaps fewer users bother to trade for buds, although plenty of users still desire the accessory. Be aware of this, if you’ve have a standing sell price for an unusual valued in buds.

Gun Mettle Keys

Market: $2.75 and up (was $2.50)

Backpack: 1.1 keys or 1 key + 2 ref

With each patch, the price will spike into the $2.90 ranged on the Market, then slowly fall back toward $2.50 once more. Users without Steam Funds generally trading with a key plus some metal. Also, Powerhouse cases are trading for about $0.15, and Concealed Killer cases for $0.06.

Gun Mettle Cosmetic Cases

Market: $0.80 steady

Backpack: 4 ref

Gun Mettle Weps

Battle-Tested

Factory New*  or Well-Worn*

any G1 Civilian wpn:                             $0.15 – $0.25   $0.05 – $0.07

Shot in the Dark G2 sniper rifle:           $1.40 – $1.80  $0.15 – $0.20

Country Crusher G2 scattergun:            $0.70 – $1      $0.10 – $0.15

other Grade 2 Freelance wpn:              $0.40 -$0.65  $0.08 – $0.10

Bogtrotter G3 sniper rifle:                           $2.50             $0.40

Night Owl G3 sniper rifle:                             $4                 $0.25

Homemade Heater G3 pistol                        $4                $0.25

Barn Burner G3 flame thrower                    $3                $0.20

other Grade 3 Mercenary wpns: $0.50 – $1.50; $0.12 – $0.15

 Strange Grade 3 wpns                           $0.75 and up

War Room G4 minigun                                $12             $0.80

Bovine Blazemaker G4 flame thrower      $11             $0.90

Lumber F D U G4 rocket launcher            $9                  $1

Night Terror G4 scattergun                         $6              $0.65

Tartan Torpedo G4 scattergun                  $11                 $1

other Grade 4 Commando wpns    $2.00 – $4.50   $0.40 – $0.50

Strange Grade 4 wpns                                 $3 and up

Sudden Flurry G5 stickybomb launcher       $6.50          $2

Pink Elephant G5 stickybomb launcher      $8.50           $1.80

Psychedelic Slugger G5 revolver                      $10              $2

Current Event G5 scattergun                           $20             $3.50

Purple Range G5 sniper rifle                           $21           $2.75 rising

Shell Shocker G5 rocket launcher                  $25                $2

Liquid Asset G6 stickybomb launcher          $23             $3.50

Red Rock Roscoe G6 pistol                             $26                $4

Sand Cannon G6 rocket launcher                  $50               $6

Thunderbolt G6 sniper rifle                            $55              $7.50

*Average Market sale price in the last two weeks 

As I observed before: Factory New is worth five to ten times as much as other grades, and is what collectors are keeping.

Since Gun Mettle ends September 30th, these weapons will be Limited and no longer obtainable afterward. It is not known whether the cases can be opened, or if the weapons can still Traded Up afterward. Trade Ups have removed a lot of weapons from the Market; few Grade 5 or Grade 6 weps are even for sale on the Market.

P.S. Previous TF2 Prices Blogpost: Aug 8

[N] Obey

The “Gun Mettle” optional campaign is still going, but TF2 has elected to inject more items and item options. Here’s the summary:

1. You can now Trade Up 10 Gun Mettle weapons of the same tier for a random weapon of the next highest tier.
   • Many mid-tier weapons are now increasing in Market price: see below.
2. Gun Mettle Cosmetic Cases can now drop for players with a Campaign Coin.
   • Apparently drops once per week, so there’s a random chance you’ll get one per week.
   • Requires a Gun Mettle Cosmetic Key to open.
   • Items from this case are marketable. Chance of items to be Strange (or an Unusual Hat).
3. PASS Time and Server Browser bugfixes.
   • Servers running a Beta PASS Time map now longer need to utilize sv_cheats to access many console features now.
4. 8/28/15 Patch: Mostly bugfixes and item model updates.

Here is a link to the relevant blogpost.

Some prices in this guide were updated on August 30th.

1. Gun Mettle Trade Up

Oh, great. You finally finished a frustrating contract of a class you’ve not very skilled at, and earned another low-tier weapon you already have. That’s no fun. (Look at the top image of this blogpost–Scout has way too many Backcountry Blasters!)

Now, you can do something with your extra, unwanted Gun Mettle weapons. You can take ten Gun Mettle weapons of the same tier, and convert them to one random weapon of the next highest tier. Right-click a Gun Mettle weapon from your backpack and choose “Mann Co. Trade Up”.

A postcard pop-up will appear. The first weapon locks in what tier of weapons you can then conveniently choose from to fill out the remainder of the “coupon”.

Click on “Mail In”, click on the “Stamp” button, and then Mann Co.’s super shipping service will drop you a random weapon of the next tier. (If you need to see this process in more detail, see this post on Imgur.)

As a reminder, here is a list of the six weapon tiers, from my previous Gun Mettle blog post:

1. Civilian–contracts only
2. Freelance–contracts only
3. Mercenary–contracts or weapons cases
4. Commando–contracts or weapons cases
5. Assassin–weapons cases only
6. Elite–weapons cases only

Regardless of whether you mix weapons of different paint styles (Teufort, Craftsmann, Concealed Killer, Powerhouse), the weapon output *should* be random. Trading in ten tier 4 Teufort weapons (or any other combination) should output either a Tier 5 CK or Tier 5 PH weapon.

Trade Up’s Effect on the Market

Three weeks before this writing, I blogged in this space about the current prices of various TF2 items. Well, being able to trade in Gun Mettle weapons should surely have an effect on their value in the Market. In the 24 hours since the launch of this patch, here is what I have observed regarding Gun Mettle weapons:

• Tier 1 “Civilian” weapon prices are staying the same.

Each weapon has over 200 copies of each wear grade for sale, and the upgrade of ten $0.05 items to potentially another $0.10 item hasn’t yet affected the prices of Tier 1 weapons.

• Tier 2 “Freelance” and Tier 3 “Mercenary” weapons are spiking up.

Users are buying up the cheapest Tier 2, Tier 3, Tier 4, and Tier 5 weapons they can find, ostensibly to combine with their own extras and convert them to a higher-tier weapon. There are now fewer Battle-Scarred and Well-Worn versions of these weapons left for sale on the Market than before, since those had been the cheapest.

For example, a non-Strange “Forest Fire” Tier 3 flamethrower had been trading for roughly $0.06 to $0.35, depending on its wear. Forest Fire is now selling from $0.15 to $0.55, or effectively double what it cost before (see image above). Also, there are only dozens left on the Market, instead of hundreds previously. This tells us:

• Some Tier 4 and Tier 5 weapons have also spiked, and some versions are becoming rare.

(Updated Aug 30) For a couple of days after this patch, you couldn’t buy a Tier 5 “Sudden Flurry” stickiebomb launcher for less than US$2, whereas three weeks ago the higher-wear varieties for selling for well under $1. Now, the value has fallen back to about $1 in most cases. (Remember, previously Tier 5s and Tier 6s were only available by unlocking Cases by key.) Users are buying them up to trade in for a Tier 6 weapon. Meanwhile, the Factory New version are staying roughly the same price, since those are the versions that people want to buy and keep. As a result:

• (Updated Aug 30) Some Tier 5 and Tier 6 weapons are gently falling in price.

“Factory New” weapons, as well as the other grades, are becoming more commonplace on the Market as users are selling weapons they received while trying to earn something else. Some higher-wear Tier 5s are increasing in price as a few users craft a Tier 6, while some are slowly falling as supply increases.

Now, you should consider whether you want to sell a mid-tier item–while demand is increasing for those buying them up, and while the supply is still there for players to trade up items–or keep it in the chance of it being rare later.  Or ignore all of this, and go kill some fools on 2Fort with your fancy weapons :p

TL;DR version: Keep your Factory New and Minimal Wear weapons. Consider selling or Trading Up the others, unless you simply love the looks of your Battle-Scarred Forest Fire.

Remember: All Gun Mettle weapons are Limited, and they will no longer drop after September 30, 2015. Meanwhile, the TF2 community continues to grow–especially with new players–so the demand for many of these weapons could rise after Gun Mettle ends.

2. Gun Mettle Cosmetic Cases (aka Crate #95)

The Gun Mettle Cosmetic Case is a special crate that will drop only for Campaign Coin holders and, according to the TF2 Blog, will only drop once a week (and a random chance of it doing so). Just assume that it is a rare crate, but you still have to buy a Gun Mettle Cosmetic Key to open it.

(As of August 30th, the cases are selling for about US$2 on the Market, and I expect that price to fall this week.)

There are 16 possible items in a #95 Gun Mettle Cosmetic Case. All of these items, as well as the Cases themselves, are Marketable and tradable. They are not yet craftable or dropping in the Item Drop system.

Commissar’s Coat		7 .14%
Flak Jack		7 .14%
Lurker’s Leathers		7 .14%
Rotation Sensation		7 .14%
Support Spurs		7 .14%
Vascular Vestment		7 .14%
Wild West Waistcoat		7 .14%
Fortunate Son		6 .25%
Outta’ Sight		6 .25%
Physician’s Protector		6 .25%
White Russian		6 .25%
Bruce’s Bonnet		5 .33%
El Duderino		5 .33%
Sheriff’s Stetson		5 .33%
Captain Cardbeard Cutthroat		4 .00%
Potassium Bonnett		4 .00%
or an Exceedingly Rare Special Item!		1 .00%

That White Russian, tho. The Heavy abides:

3. More Gun Mettle Minutiae

• You can now buy Map Stamps and Strange Filters for the maps Powerhouse, Suijin, Snowplow, and Borneo.
• The new Gun Mettle Cosmetic Cases is tabbed Crate #95.
• Concealed Killer Cases are now tabbed as Crate #93.
• Powerhouse Cases are now tabbed as Crate #94.

For your convenience, here are the #93 and #94 drop lists. Note that the listed percentage chances may not be correct; they were lifted from the Official TF2 Wiki.

Powerhouse Case

Crate Series #94
Drops		No
Items
Thunderbolt		6 .60%
Liquid Asset		6 .60%
Shell Shocker		6 .60%
Current Event		6 .60%
Pink Elephant		6 .60%
Flash Fryer		6 .60%
Spark of Life		6 .60%
Dead Reckoner		6 .60%
Black Dahlia		6 .60%
Sandstone Special		6 .60%
Lightning Rod		6 .60%
Brick House		6 .60%
Aqua Marine		6 .60%
Low Profile		6 .60%
Turbine Torcher		6 .60%
or an Exceedingly Rare Unusual Weapon!		1 .00%

Concealed Killer Cases have been tabbed as Crate #93.

Crate Series #93
Drops		No
Items
Red Rock Roscoe		6 .60%
Sand Cannon		6 .60%
Sudden Flurry		6 .60%
Psychedelic Slugger		6 .60%
Purple Range		6 .60%
Night Terror		6 .60%
Carpet Bomber		6 .60%
Woodland Warrior		6 .60%
Wrapped Reviver		6 .60%
Forest Fire		6 .60%
Night Owl		6 .60%
Woodsy Widowmaker		6 .60%
Backwoods Boomstick		6 .60%
King of the Jungle		6 .60%
Masked Mender		6 .60%
or an Exceedingly Rare Unusual Weapon!		1 .00%

Full Patch Notes: Aug 27, 2015

• Added Collection Trade-Ups!
  • Check out the blog post for more information
• Added Map Stamps and Strange Filters for the featured maps in the Gun Mettle Campaign
• Added the Gun Mettle Cosmetic Case which contains new community cosmetic items^[1]
  • Gun Mettle Cosmetic Case can only be found by players with a campaign coin
  • Cosmetics in a collection can be listed on the Steam Community Market
• All Strange items now have a visible icon in backpack panels
• Added an option button to display paints and/or styles options for items in the Mann Co. Store preview page and the Steam Workshop item import tool
• Added the OWL 14 tournament medals
• Added a Steam Community Profile option to the player right-click context menu in the scoreboard
• Fixed a buffer overflow exploit (thanks to Didrole for this report)
• Fixed a Mann vs. Machine exploit related to purchasing upgrades while not at an upgrade station
• Fixed a Mann vs. Machine exploit related to the Medigun shield
• Fixed the Gun Mettle Coin not displaying its proper level in the Steam Community view
• Fixed the Enforcer getting a damage bonus as the Spy was disguising and not fully disguised
• Fixed the cvarlist command truncating some cvar/command descriptions
• Fixed hitting ‘Enter’ while in the backpack menu triggering buttons in the main menu
• Fixed invalid map names in nextlevel convar or the map cycle causing the server to fail to change level after displaying the score panel
• Fixed the Engineer losing revenge crits and picked-up weapons after using The Eureka Effect to teleport back to base
• The Dalokohs Bar can now accept Ally Healing Done strange parts
• Updated several HUD elements to include the name of the weapon’s owner when a player is carrying a weapon they picked-up
• Updated the materials for the Stickybomb Launcher
• Updated Mann Co. Store prices for foreign currencies to current USD equivalents
• Updated the localization files
• PASS Time update
  • Fixed scoring in your own goal if you change teams while the jack is in flight
  • Fixed disguised and cloaked enemy Spies having a shield drawn for them in the HUD
  • Fixed players sometimes not being able to throw the jack
  • Fixed another case where players could teleport the jack with The Eureka Effect
  • Fixed The Dead Ringer making it impossible to throw the jack or deactivate the Dead Ringer
  • All global special abilities that are activated with alt-fire are now available while carrying the jack, unless you’re actively aiming the jack
  • Unlocked console variables for community servers to experiment with without requiring sv_cheats
  • Fixed Scouts being able to pick up the jack while drinking
  • Fixed disguised Spies being able to carry the jack in some situations
  • Made weapon switch faster after throwing the jack
  • Fixed not getting a speed boost if you score and then get the jack after it respawns
  • Fixed a crash if mp_tournament was enabled and someone scored during pre-game
  • Improved the way blocking works
  • Fixed being able to cancel enemy taunts by hitting them with the ball
  • Fixed seeing a phantom jack in your hand if you threw the jack and couldn’t switch back to your previous weapon (jars, cleavers, etc.)
  • Updated pass_warehouse
    • Fixed issue with jack getting stuck behind props
    • Fixed exploit of jack getting stuck in dropper
    • Fixed issue with unbalanced ammo and health kits
    • Moved resupply closets further from the doors
    • Added plank walkway to central warehouses on top of the containers
• Server Browser
  • Fixed the history tab of the server browser failing to record servers
  • Fixed the spectate tab of the server browser not working at all
  • Fixed the game info dialog for SourceTV master servers improperly showing the server as not responding
  • Fixed connecting to SourceTV servers via the Favorites tab in the server browser
  • Fixed SourceTV relay servers not properly registering on the server list in some situations
  • Fixed the game info dialog for SourceTV relay servers not allowing connection despite open slots
  • Fixed SourceTV relay servers appearing to have negative max players
• Maps Workshop Beta
  • Fixed map cycle files specified before the initial map load not properly tracking workshop maps
  • Fixed game servers using registered accounts via sv_setsteamaccount being unable to access workshop content
  • Fixed servers getting stuck in a loop when the nextlevel convar contains a un-loadable workshop map

   

Full Patch Notes: Aug 28, 2015

• Fixed a security issue related to map loading (thanks to Nathaniel Theis for this report)
• Fixed a client crash related to custom HUDs
• Fixed a client crash related to the material system
• Fixed Gun Mettle weapons not always displaying their wear level in the tool tip
• Fixed the Lurker’s Leathers not using the correct Blue team material
• Fixed a bug in Mann vs. Machine that allowed players to refund credits without losing their upgrades
• Fixed a bug in Mann vs. Machine related to the Medigun shield
• The Dalokohs Bar can now accept Allies Extinguished strange parts
• Updated the materials and model for the Outta’ Sight
• Updated the The Crosslinker’s Coil, The Brütal Bouffant, and The Wilson Weave to add a ‘No Headphones’ style
• Updated the localization files

[N] Obey

P.S. I’ll probably do another price guide in about 2-3 weeks, once the Market stabilizes from the changes in this patch.

Contents of this post:

1. Gun Mettle market prices and trends
2. Keys and Metal price trends
3. Item Quality price trends

Useful Links:

• Trade.tf and Backpack.tf
• “Gun Mettle” Update blogpost
• Previous TF2 Prices Blogpost:  Jan 26
• A TF2Newbs Guide to Items
• A TF2Newbs Guide to MvM Item Hunting

1. “Gun Mettle” Prices and Trends

NOTE: Most recent observations of GM weps here.

“Gun Mettle” Season runs through September 30th, 2015.

As you may recall, the Team Fortress 2 has been busy completing contracts and earning rewards by participating in the Gun Mettle event. There are several dozen Decorated (a quality reserved for reskinned stock) weapons that can be earned, and many of the most common weapons can be had very cheaply. I’ve observed the following:

• “Factory New” weapons are preferred, and “Minimal Wear” less so.

There are five grades of wear: Factory New, Minimal Wear, Field-Tested, Well-Worn, and Battle Scarred. Each grade determines how much of the weapon’s reskin design is displaced by an appearance of wear and tear, and each quality seems just as common as the others. Collectors clearly prefer the least amount of wear.

In all cases, the Factory New sells for three to ten times as much as its Well-Worn and Battle Scarred counterparts. A Minimal Wear weapon sells for two to three times as much as Well-Worn and Battle Scarred weapons also. This is likely because the design is much crisper and not missing many visual effects. Note the price difference in the above rocket launchers, which have the same item quality but different grades (and thus different visual effects).

• This means you can buy many of the more common Gun Mettle weapons very cheaply by choosing weapons with higher wear.

Also, weapons do NOT wear as you use them. They simply spawn with one of five permanent levels of decorative wear.

• You can’t smelt them into metal or use them for any crafting recipes.

• You can’t put a killstreaker kit or strangifier on a Gun Mettle weapon at this time.

A few weapons exist that have one, but that’s because bugged killstreak kits dropped for a short time as an MvM tour reward for each kind of weapon. Such weapons are rare to very rare, and those kits were removed in a quick patch. (Possibly something intended for a later TF2 patch?)

• Cases aren’t worth much anymore.

At first, cases sold for above US$5, but as supply increased, prices fell. Now there are thousands for sale on the market; Concealed Killer cases are going about $0.15, and Powerhouse cases are about $0.40 each. Remember: these cases require a Gun Mettle Key to open.

• Scatterguns and sniper rifles have the highest demand.  Secondary weapons and Heavy miniguns have the lowest demand.

This simply follows the increased demand for Scout and Sniper rares, similar to the demand for Stranges and Aussies.

• Strange and Unusual Decorated Weapons are only available from Cases.

There are currently no Strange or Unusual Teufort or Craftsmann weapons. Strange Gun Mettle weapons are selling for roughly fifteen times the price standard weapon of the same wear. All Unusual and Strange Factory New Gun Mettle weapons are selling for well north of US$50; only several dozen have successfully sold on the Market, however. There are too few of these being sold to provide a reliable price range.

• There are exactly four Unusual Effects for Concealed Killer and Powerhouse Unusual Weapons.

These are Isotope, Hot, Cool, and Energy Orb. They either animate at the end of the weapon, or along the length of the weapon.

Steam Market Listings for All Gun Mettle Weps

Please note that I’m simply listing the lowest current sale price for these items.

CRAFTSMANN COLLECTION

Craftsmann Decorated weapons are earned as contract rewards only.

I’ve included the Steam Market’s current* lowest selling prices below. Factory New weapons command the high range, and the Battle Scarred or Well-Worn usually sell for the cheapest. The lowest Market price will vary, and vary a lot in the case of Stranges.

*Aug 9, 2015

• Civilian (Grade 1)
  • Reclaimed Reanimator medi gun ($0.04 to $0.40)
  • American Pastoral rocket launcher ($0.04 to $0.20)
  • Old Country revolver ($0.04 to $0.20)
  • Antique Annihilator minigun ($0.04 to $0.10)
  • Backcountry Blaster scattergun ($0.05 to $0.25)
• Freelance (Grade 2)
  • Blasted Bombardier stickybomb launcher ($0.10 to $1)
  • Shot in the Dark sniper rifle ($0.32 to $2.25)
  • Iron Wood minigun ($0.08 to $1.70)
  • Country Crusher scattergun ($0.12 to $1.20)
  • Plaid Potshotter submachine gun ($0.08 to $0.75)
• Mercenary (Grade 3)
  • Homemade Heater pistol ($0.20 to $3.50)
  • Barn Burner flame thrower ($0.15 to $3.50)
  • Rustic Ruiner shotgun ($0.40 to $1)
• Commando (Grade 4)
  • Lumber From Down Under sniper rifle ($1.80 to $15)
  • Tartan Torpedo scattergun ($1 to $15)

TEUFORT COLLECTION

Teufort Decorated weapons are earned as contract rewards only.

• Civilian (Grade 1)
  • Citizen Pain minigun ($0.04 to $0.30)
  • Smalltown Bringdown rocket launcher ($0.04 to $1.50)
  • Mayor revolver ($0.04 to $0.20)
  • Local Hero pistol ($0.06 to $0.25)
  • Civil Servant medi gun ($0.04 to $0.15)
  • Civic Duty shotgun ($0.06 to $0.40)
• Freelance (Grade 2)
  • Rooftop Wrangler stickybomb launcher ($0.10 to $0.40)
  • Hickory Hole-Puncher pistol ($0.06 to $0.45)
  • Spruce Deuce scattergun ($0.10 to $0.90)
  • Team Sprayer submachine gun ($0.05 to $0.90)
• Mercenary (Grade 3)
  • Earth, Sky and Fire flame thrower ($0.15 to $1.10)
  • Bogtrotter sniper rifle ($0.45 to $3)
  • Treadplate Tormenter submachine gun ($0.08 to $0.50)
• Commando (Grade 4)
  • War Room minigun ($1 to $14)
  • Bovine Blazemaker flame thrower ($1 to $18)

CONCEALED KILLER COLLECTION

Concealed Killer weapons are dropped from Concealed Killer cases only.

• Mercenary (Grade 3)
  • Forest Fire flame thrower ($0.06 to $0.35, $0.85 to $4.50 Strange)
  • Night Owl sniper rifle ($0.30 to $1.70, $3.50 to $22)
  • Woodsy Widowmaker submachine gun ($0.06 to $0.25, $0.60 to $4.50)
  • Backwoods Boomstick shotgun ($0.13 to $1, $2 to $15)
  • King of the Jungle minigun ($0.06 to $0.50, $1 to $7)
  • Masked Mender medi gun ($0.04 to $0.50, $1.30 to $11)
• Commando (Grade 4)
  • Night Terror scattergun ($0.50 to $5, $10 to $48)
  • Carpet Bomber stickybomb launcher ($0.25 to $2, $3.50 to $24)
  • Woodland Warrior rocket launcher ($0.40 to $4.30, $6.75 to $40)
  • Wrapped Reviver medi gun ($0.08 to $1.50, $3 to $19)
• Assassin (Grade 5)
  • Sudden Flurry stickybomb launcher ($0.70 to $5.50, $8.50 and up)
  • Psychedelic Slugger revolver ($0.85 to $11.50, $7 and up)
  • Purple Range sniper rifle ($3.25 to $31, $29 and up)
• Elite (Grade 6)
  • Red Rock Roscoe pistol ($5.25 to $30, $21 and up)
  • Sand Cannon rocket launcher ($6 to $42, $42 and up)

POWERHOUSE COLLECTION

Powerhouse weapons are dropped from Powerhouse cases only.

• Mercenary (Grade 3)
  • Lightning Rod shotgun ($0.08 to $1, $1.75 to $12 Strange)
  • Brick House minigun ($0.04 to $0.20, $1 to $4.50)
  • Aqua Marine rocket launcher ($0.05 to $0.40, $1.75 to $9)
  • Low Profile submachine gun ($0.05 to $0.25, $0.50 to $3.50)
  • Turbine Torcher flame thrower ($0.05 to $0.35, $0.50 to $4)
• Commando (Grade 4)
  • Flash Fryer flame thrower ($0.55 to $4.25, $5.25 to $35)
  • Spark of Life medi gun ($0.10 to $3.25, $2.90 to $10.50)
  • Dead Reckoner revolver ($0.40 to $3, $3.75 to $29)
  • Black Dahlia pistol ($0.40 to $5, $8 to $15)
  • Sandstone Special pistol ($0.15 to $1.50, $4 to $18)
• Assassin (Grade 5)
  • Shell Shocker rocket launcher ($1.75 to $24, $20 and up)
  • Current Event scattergun ($3 to $21, $18 and up)
  • Pink Elephant stickybomb launcher ($1.50 to $7, $4 and up)
• Elite (Grade 6)
  • Thunderbolt sniper rifle ($10 to $51, $48 and up)
  • Liquid Asset stickybomb launcher ($3.75to $22, $14 and up)

2. Keys and Metal Price Trends

As of Aug 9 2015:

Refined Metal

1 key = about 16 ref

about US$0.15 = 1 ref

Backpack.tf says that, after staying at a stable 19 ref since May, keys fell to 16 ref, yet that 16 ref is worth only $2 there.

On Trade.tf, keys fell from 19 ref to 15 ref during the month of July before finally stabilizing at about 15.5 ref. (Strangely, I’m only getting data thru July 18th >.< )

Mann Co. Keys

In the Steam Market, Mann Co. Keys have been steady between $2.40 and $2.50.

Gun Mettle Keys

In the Steam Market, Gun Mettle Keys have slid down to about US$2.50 (they had been about $2.70 at the start of August).

Other Keys

• Most Summer Cooler Keys are trading around $3.
• Other usable keys are staying in the $2.50 to $2.60 range, or equivalent with other typical keys.

Earbuds = 4 keys

Over the month of July, buds have fallen about a dollar to the $9 to $10 range in the Steam Market. On Trade.tf, earbuds stabilized at 4 keys this past week, climbing from 3.2 keys in the second half of July. Likewise, backpack.tf lists about 4 keys.

Bill’s Hat = 2.2 keys

The price of a Bill’s in the Steam Market has stablized to a $6 to $7 range, after having fallen under $5 in the month of June. At the start of 2015, they had been nearly $9 but had been steadily falling.

Backpack.tf agrees, listing Bill’s Hat at 2.2 to 2.3 keys as well and Trade.tf listing at about 2 keys.

3. Other Item Qualities

Most non-Botkiller Strange weapons can be bought between $0.08 and $0.50.  However, Aussie Stranges differ depending on where you trade them:

• On the Steam Market, Aussies (without Killstreak Kits) run between $23 for an Axtinguisher or SMG, to $85-$90 for a Scattergun. [That's the recently sold prices, not the current lowest selling price.]
• On Backpack.tf, Axtinguishers and SMGs are worth about 8 keys/$20, and Eyelanders, Sniper Rifles and Scatterguns are 32-33 keys/$80.
• Aussie Rocket Launchers are selling on the Market for $135 to $150 consistently, but trading for about 50 keys/$100 on Backpack.tf (partly because keys are valued at $2 there).

Most Collector’s weapons can be bought on the Steam Market for $6 to $20 depending. Applying a Professional Killstreak Kit increases the price as well. They don’t sell very often, however.

The cheapest Unusual hats can be bought on the Steam Market for $23 to $25, including many cancer Heavy hats with effects such as Flies.

Thanks for reading! I intend to update in about two months.

[N] Obey

P.S. Previous TF2 Prices Blogpost:  Jan 26

Subsequent patch notes at bottom of post; latest patch July 6th.

Here we go! A MAJOR TF2 UPDATE lands Friday, July 2nd! As always, here is the short version:

1. Here is the original TF2 blogpost announcing the update.
2. Here is the TF2 comic that will attempt to explain the background story up until now.
3. Here is the Page One splash page: The Gun Mettle Update!
4. Here is the Page Two splash page: Describing the 3 new maps and the extensive weapon changes.
   • You will want to scroll down to the heading “Gameplay Changes”; TF2 gameplay has been changed considerably!
   • Some spies can gain a speed boost (on trigger with Dead Ringer; on kill with Big Earner).
   • Spies take 20% less damage when cloaked.
   • Sentries take more damage when sapped than before.
   • Most Engineers build faster and move buildings faster.
   • Repairing a wrangled sentry is less effective than before.
   • Mini-sentries can be repaired, but don’t drop metal when destroyed.
   • Soldiers deploying Equalizer/Escape Plan can be healed by a medic, but at 10% normal heal rate.
   • Soldier’s Liberty Launcher is now a five-clip!
   • Ullapool Caber does less damage than before.
   • Charging Demomen now gain charge gauge on melee kills, not charging kills.
   • Scorch Shot deals more damage, more knockback, and has larger area-of-effect.
   • Vaccinator Ubers now always use just one ubercharge bar.
   • Sydney Sleeper now applies Jarate with non-fully charged shots, but with a duration from 2 to 8 seconds.
   • Bazaar Bargain charges much slower, but a missed shot doesn’t lose counted heads.
   • Heavy miniguns are more effective at damaging sentries.
   • Natasha and Brass Beast grant 20% damage resistance while spun-up or firing.
   • Tomislav now spins up faster, fires 20% smaller bullet spread.
   • Eviction Notice grants Heavy a 3-second speed boost on hit.
   • Dalokohs Bar now overheals to 400 hp (previously 350), cooldown reduced to 10 seconds, can be thrown like a sandvich.
   • Panic Attack shotgun now weapons switches faster, fires and reloads even faster than before.
5. And here is a FAQ about some of the changes.

The “Gun Mettle” Update

The first splash page says that you can buy-in to a special three-month event (lasting until approximately October 1, 2015) for US$5.99. This will earn you a badge-like Campaign Coin that levels up as you complete contracts.

Contracts are achievement-like “skill-based challenges” that you attempt to complete in a week’s time, such as tanking a lot of damage as a heavy or backstabbing five players of a specific class. Each player is assigned two different contracts to attempt completion each week (assuming that each week begins on Thursday at midnight GMT, like the item drop system).

Completing a contract will earn you Contract Points (CP). Collecting CP levels up your coin (to bronze, silver, and gold) and lets you purchase your choice of either a random “Contract-exclusive weapon” OR an unlockable Weapons Case (that requires a key that you have to buy in the Mann Co. Store, I assume). Weapons Cases also drop a single, random “Contract-exclusive weapon” but with potentially rarer qualities.

Contract Weapons

Weapons are randomly generated with the following:

• Its weapon type, such as Shotgun. (Unknown if only stock weapons, or all available weapon types, can be Contract Weapons.)
• A unique “paint job” that is centered differently on each weapon, so no two are exactly alike
  • Teufort and Craftsmann paint jobs come from completing Contracts only.
  • Concealed Killer (generally camoflage-themed) and Powerhouse (neon/electric-themed) paint jobs come from Weapons Cases only.
  • It is not known if any paint jobs are more/less rare than the others, but it can be assumed that Teufort/Craftsmann paints will eventually become more common than the other two.
• One of five levels of “wear”. Unknown if any level of wear is more/less rare than the others.
  • Factory New
  • Minimal Wear
  • Field-Tested
  • Well-Worn
  • Battle Scarred
  • Note: Weapons DO NOT wear when used. They are a given level of wear when dropped, and do not change later.
• One of six “grades” of rarity. Civilian is most common; Elite is most rare.
  1. Civilian–contracts only
  2. Freelance–contracts only
  3. Mercenary–contracts or weapons cases
  4. Commando–contracts or weapons cases
  5. Assassin–weapons cases only
  6. Elite–weapons cases only
  7. NOTE: The rarity grade should not change appearance whatsoever.
• A weapon’s paint job, wear, and grade is entirely cosmetic and does not change its gameplay whatsoever.
• That’s not all. The weapon will be marked as Limited, and will have a chance of being Strange, Unusual, or even both Strange and Unusual!
  • Will the Unusuals have unusual effects? Ummm…. maybe? These are the first weapons able to have the Unusual quality.
• These weapons will be tradable and marketable. If you wish to trade or sell a weapon, look up its worth on the Market or another site like backpack.tf first, so you don’t get scammed.

For example, a possible outcome for a single contract would be a Strange Freelance Shotgun for the Heavy with a Craftsmann yellow-and-blue paint job and a Minimal Wear grade. You can earn potentially two weapons per week, or perhaps two dozen weapons in all over the three-month event window.

Four New Maps

NOTE: These are all Valve-Official; none of them are Beta maps. See the second splash page for pictures.

Powerhouse (I’m guessing cp_powerhouse) is a smaller, three-point control point map, where you have to cap all three points (yours, the central neutral cap, and theirs) to win a round. This looks like it was created by Valve, not the community.

Borneo (I’m guessing pl_borneo) is an “Alpine-themed, single-stage Payload map” Community map.

Suijin (I’m guessing koth_suijin) is a King of the Hill Community map with Oriental buildings and pink-white cherry blossom trees. Sun Tzu would approve.

Snowplow (cp_snowplow_rc3) is a two-stage attack-defense Control Points map. First stage strewn with wooden buildings, second stage is very snowy, with a cart path throughout (but no payload to push). Yes, this is the Community map from the End of the Line Update that wasn’t approved the first time around.

Gameplay Changes

Weapons Now Drop on Death

Previously: A killed character would drop a weapon gib, which can be touched by your character as a medium ammo pickup (and 100 Engineer metal).

Now: A killed character drops a medium ammo box (identical to the medium ammo powerups on a map) and their weapon. If the weapon is normally equippable by that character (such as a Shotgun dropped by an Engineer and picked up by a Heavy), and you pick up the dropped weapon by pressing the (default) F key, you temporarily drop your normal weapon in that slot and equip that weapon until you die.

It will temporarily replace your usual item in its loadout slot until you die (i.e. a Shotgun would replace a Heavy’s Sandvich). It will have the same looks and effects as the weapon had from the person you just looted (i.e. picking up an Australium Sniper Rifle and carrying it around with its cosmetic features). When you die, the weapon goes away, and you drop one of your weapons (essentially a lookalike copy of a weapon in your current loadout). Weapons that have charge meters, such as the various Medic uberguns, provide the amount of charge they had when dropped; a Medic can pick up a Kritzkrieg to find it fully charged!

Worry not about losing a prized possession; your loadout items are retained in your inventory as usual. Someone may get to kill you and take your purple rocket launcher, then go around shooting people with a purple rocket launcher until they die. And you can kill them, take their weapons, and go do the same. No actual items are lost; however, you can drop a weapon that isn’t working and grab a class-allowed weapon in the heat of battle, CS:GO style.

Weapon Updates and Tweaks

Global Changes

• Weapons and ammo boxes now drop on death. See heading just before this one.
• Inspect Target now inspects your own deployed weapon when you aren’t targeting anything. Necessary for Contract work, and to stare at your own fancy weapon.
• Random Damage Spread now DEFAULTS OFF on Valve servers.
  • This means weapons will consistently deal the same damage with each hit.
  • Previously, weapon damage would vary plus-minus 10% of its base damage. Now, each hit deals identical damage.
• Auto Reload now DEFAULTS ON.
  • This affects new players only, so that they will auto-reload as soon as they stop firing, if able.
  • All existing players have their usual setting, and will have to go into their Options menu and toggle this on/off.

Class and Weapon Changes (from the second splash page’s patch notes)

[N] Obey

P.S. Oh, by the way, there are also three new taunts. See splash page two. At the moment, they are only available by buying them from the Mann Co. Store.