[N] Obey here. This FAQ isn’t 100% complete, but there’s enough useful information here to share now. I’ve put a lot of time into it, so I hope it helps. The intent is to cover as many Halloween Items as possible in a single blogpost. Check back later for more content and info! (Links Coming Later)

Table of Contents:

Items are listed in chronological order. Items in strikethrough can no longer be earned the usual way; some may be marketable and/or giftable, and some are available as a Merasmission reward or via transmuting.

1. Get Halloween Items by Transmuting
2. The Gibus Family of Hats
3. The Mildly Disturbing Halloween Mask
4. The Nine Halloween Class Masks
   • Saxton Hale Mask
5. The Haunted Scrap
   • HHH Headtaker
   • Spine-[Chilling] Skulls
6. MONOCULUS! and the Bombinomicon
7. Voodoo-Cursed Souls
   • Voodoo-Cursed Items
   • Piles of Ash
   • Halloween Spells
8. The Skull Island Topper
   • Fancy Spellbook & Spellbook Pages
9. Halloween Gift Cauldron
10. Necro Smasher
11. Antique Halloween Goodie Cauldron
12. Taunt Unusualifier
13. Halloween Costumes 2011*
14. Halloween Costumes 2012*
15. Halloween Costumes 2013*
16. Halloween Costumes 2014
17. Halloween Costumes 2015
18. Halloween Costumes 2016
19. Haunted Halloween Gift

*Parts of these Halloween Costume sets could drop as rewards for completing the pop-up Merasmissions during the Scream Fortress 2016 event.

1. Get Halloween Items By Transmuting

(Coming Soon)

2. The Ghastly/ier/iest Gibus

The Gibuses are a series of hats awarded to players that earn a domination against a player who is currently wearing a Gibus.

• Unlike most Halloween items, a Gibus can be worn at any time. It is all-class: it can be worn by any character.
• A Gibus can be painted, changing the color of the entire hat.
• A player can only ever earn one Gibus, and they cannot be traded or sold.
• Players that have the Ghastlier Gibus or the Ghastlierest Gibus earned them before the 2011 Halloween event.
  • They cannot be earned anymore.
• Players that earned a Gibus during the 2012 Halloween event received the Ghostly Gibus instead.
  • All Gibuses earned before the 2012 Halloween event have a Ghostlier style that can be chosen.

The Galvanized Gibus isn’t a Gibus in the above sense; it’s a hat available from the Robo Community Crate #58. It also doesn’t have any Halloween restrictions. To earn: Dominate a player wearing a Ghastly Gibus to earn your own. This can be done at anytime, but only once per Steam account. The others cannot be earned, since you had to earn them during specific windows of time.

A Strange Gibus?!

Yeah, these exist. You would need a Strangifier, a tool item (very rarely dropped from the item drop system) that changes an item’s quality to Strange. And yes, they exist for each kind of Gibus in existence, as well as virtually any other cosmetic item, as well as some weapons. Strangifying a Gibus won’t make it marketable on the Steam Market, like most Strange items. The Strangifier tool items themselves are themselves marketable, and certain ones are worth plenty. But a few of the first Gibuses to exist were accidently untradeable; these are the ones available for sale on the Market, after being strangified.

3. The Mildly Disturbing Halloween Mask

Ever wanted to run around with a paper bag on your head? Not out of shame, but a strange sense of pride? Well then, do I have a hat for you! The MDHM has nine different appearances depending on which character class equips it at the time. It is untradeable and unpaintable. To earn: Collect 20 Halloween Pumpkins, which drop from killed players on any Halloween Event map, to unlock this mask. The pumpkins are a temporary powerup that refills ammo and grant a crit boost for 3.4 seconds. (NOTE: On some Halloween maps, you’ll find yourself frequently running out of ammo, such as when you’re trying to kill a boss. So keep an eye on your ammo, and take advantage of the crit boost as soon as you pick these up.) Collecting 20 pumpkins will earn you the “Candy Coroner” Scarechievement as well.

4. The Nine Halloween Class Masks

Not enough paper bags to wear? Collect the nine Halloween Masks, where there’s one for each class. Any class can wear any mask, so you can put a Pyro Mask on a Soldier if you want. They’re tradable, but not paintable, and they can only be worn during Halloween/Full Moon periods. But that’s not all! Collect all nine, and you can go to your Crafting Menu and craft the Saxton Hale Mask! Run around doing Saxton Hale things as any class. The Saxton Hale Mask is unpaintable, but it is tradable and it can be worn at any time. Wearing the Saxton Hale Mask makes you immune to the Headless Horseless Horsemann’s BOO! Taunt, which stuns players. It doesn’t affect the fear effect from touching ghosts or other bosses’ abilities. Previously, you had to join the Mann Manor event during the annual Halloween Event and find the Haunted Halloween Gift, but the Gift no longer spawns. To earn: Now the Masks are rarely found when turning in a Merasmission during the Halloween Event, or transmuting.

5. The Haunted Scrap

The Haunted Metal Scrap is a special tool item that you can only earn once, and can use it to craft one of four items. It is not tradable or marketable, but it is giftable. To earn: At any time of year, go to any map where the Headless Horseless Horsemann spawns, and deal the killing blow to him to earn the “Gored!” Ghostchievement and unlock the Scrap. But then, what will you do with it? Here are your crafting possibilities (you can only choose one):

• Haunted Scrap + Scotsman’s Skullcutter + 2 refined => The HHH’s Headtaker
• Haunted Scrap + 4 refined => one of three Spine-Chilling Skulls*

Like all crafting, your choice is permanent and cannot be reversed, nor can you ever earn another Haunted Scrap. The Horseless Headless Horseman’s Headtaker is an Unusual weapon that is only available by crafting in the above manner. It functions identically to the Eyelander (even though it may appear larger, it’s not), but emits its own sounds. And it is not an Unusual item in the traditional sense… so yes, you could say that it is an unusual Unusual. The Spine-Chilling Skull is actually one of three similar, but different hats. Each hat has since been modified by Valve to have all three styles available to each hat. The hats are Unique, Limited quality, and are tradable and paintable.

6. MONOCULUS! and the Bombinomicon

If you’ve seen some players running around with a big eyeball for a head, they’re wearing the MONOCULUS!, a cosmetic that replaces their entire head for the Demoman’s missing eye. It is an all-class cosmetic that isn’t paintable or tradable, since you unlock it as an achievement. You have to earn it by fighting the eye-boss itself, Monoculus! It angrily shoots damaging eyeballs at you like rockets. The Bombinomicon is an all-class cosmetic item that you wear on your chest. Wearing it overwrites the usual animation caused by your death, so that you violently explode when you die. The Bombinomicon even overrides special death animations of other weapons such as the Spy-cicle or a Golden Wrench, but not for feign deaths from the Dead Ringer. As an achievement item, it is untradeable and unpaintable. To earn both cosmetic items:

1. Go to the Eyeaduct map, at any time, where Monoculus can spawn.
2. Deal damage to Monoculus just before it dies to earn the “Optical Defusion” Eye-chievement and the MONOCULUS! cosmetic.
3. When Monoculus dies, jump into the portal that appears in the air when he dies, to travel to Loot Island.
4. Climb the stairs of Loot Island, and touch the Bombinomicon after its cage lowers.
   • This will teleport you back to the original server, temporarily invulnerable with boosts to your health, speed, and crits.
   • Move quickly, as you will be killed if you take too long.
   • You must also avoid being killed by your enemies and the hazardous terrain. If you die, you will have to return to Loot Island in the future to try again.
5. This unlocks the “Dive Into a Good Book” Eye-chievement and the Bombinomicon cosmetic.

 

7. Voodoo-Cursed Souls

How come some of the players you’re fighting against look like zombies? It’s because they have equipped a Voodoo-Cursed Soul!This accessory does exactly that: it reskins the entire character to look like an animated zombie. Since it reskins the entire body, it allows pairing with most cosmetics, but with some weird effects such as missing hands or clipping materials. The Haunted Halloween Gift no longer drops on Ghost Fort, so these Souls (and the items need to craft them) can no longer be collected. The old process used to be:

1. Go to the Ghost Fort map (koth_lakeside_event) during the annual Halloween Event days.
2. Collect the Haunted Halloween Gift, a yellow giftbox, that spawns every five minutes when there are at least 10 players on the server.
   • Each will have a random Voodoo-Cursed Item inside.
3. Collect seven Voodoo-Cursed Items to create a Pile of Curses tool item.
4. Use the Pile of Curses to “uncrate” one of the nine random Voodoo-Cursed Souls.
   • The Souls have a chance of being Haunted quality, which are also marketable.
   • They currently sell for about US$1 on the Steam Market.
   • At one time, Halloween Spells would sometimes drop from the Piles of Curses also.

To earn: They rarely drop from as a Merasmission reward, or by transmuting item. Or you can buy a Haunted one from the Market, because you can’t earn them anymore. They currently sell for about US$1 on the Steam Market. Piles of Curses, Voodoo-Cursed Items, and Halloween Spells are no longer available.

8. The Skull Island Topper

The Skull Island Topper is an all-class hat you can unlock by playing on Ghost Fort (a haunted cp_lakeside_event map) at any time. It’s the same hat that the wizard Merasmus is wearing while he throws bombs everywhere. It also tracks the highest level of Merasmus you have helped defeat. It is not tradable or paintable.

Unfilled Fancy Spellbook

A spellbook is necessary to be able to use spell powerups that are found on some Halloween Event maps such as Helltower and Hellstone. To earn the Skull Island Topper and the Unfilled Fancy Spellbook:

1. Go to any Ghost Fort server, at any time.
2. When Merasmus dies, jump into the portal that appears in the air when he dies, to travel to Skull Island.
3. Climb the stairs of Skull Island, and touch the caged Skull Island Topper.
   • This will teleport you back to the original server, temporarily invulnerable with boosts to your health, speed, and crits.
   • Move quickly, as you will be killed if you take too long.
   • You must also avoid being killed by your enemies and the hazardous terrain.
4. This unlocks the “A Lovely Vacation Spot” Necromannchievement, your new hat, and an Unfilled Fancy Spellbook!

Spellbook Pages (fix!)

The Unfilled Fancy Spellbook is an action-slot item that doesn’t do anything… yet. You need to collect at least three Spellbook Pages before it becomes fully functional. To earn Spellbook Pages:

• Pick up Haunted Halloween Gifts on the Helltower map (plr_hightower_event).
  • The Gifts also contain a random 2013 Halloween Costume Part or a Costume Transmogrifier.
• Complete four Bereavements to unlock the “Mann-tastic Four” achievement and its unique Spellbook Page.

Once you have at least 3 pages, it becomes a Fancy Spellbook. Now you can use magic spell powerups on Helltower on Carnival of Carnage. Wait… don’t want to go through all of that? Look in your inventory… you should have a Spellbook Magazine as a Stock action-slot item. Equip it, and you can start slinging spells right away! (This was added during the 2014 Halloween Event, so players no longer have to complete the Fancy Spellbook to use spell powerups on newer maps.) If you join a map that has magic spell powerups, and your loadout doesn’t have a spellbook equipped, you will be prompted upon joining the server whether you want to equip the Spellbook Magazine. If you don’t equip it, you won’t be able to use magic spells. NOTE: A third spellbook, the Fireproof Secret Diary, is no longer available.

9. Halloween Gift Cauldron

The Halloween Gift Cauldron was given away to every player who logged in to TF2 during the 2014 Halloween Event. Opening the cauldron will grant you three random cosmetic items from the 2014 Halloween season; one of the items will be Strange and Haunted quality, and the other two will be Unique quality. All three items (and the cauldron itself) are untradeable, unmarketable and uncraftable. To earn: It is still possible to earn a second Halloween Gift Cauldron, if you haven’t already! Complete the “Carnival of Carnage: Bumper to Bumper to Bumper” Merasmachievement by winning each of the three bumper car mini-games at the end of the Carnival of Carnage rounds (bumper car soccer, duck grabbing on a figure eight, and falling floors).

10. Necro Smasher

The Necro Smasher is an all-class-except-Spy melee weapon that functions identically to your class’s default melee weapon, without any change in range or damage. In the hands of an Engineer, it repairs buildings as normal. To earn: Complete the “Step Right Up” Merasmachievement by completing 4 of the other 6 achievements related to the Carnival of Carnage map (sd_doomsday_event). Be patient, as completing these achievements may require you to play that map quite a bit.

11. Antique Halloween Goodie Cauldron

The Antique Halloween Goodie Cauldron, when used in the backpack, will give you a Seal Mask (see below) and one random costume set cosmetic from the 2011 Halloween season. Note that the 2011 Halloween cosmetics are tradable. To earn: You probably have already earned it. Each player that logs in to TF2 during any Halloween Event season will earn this Goodie Cauldron. Only one can ever be earned, and they aren’t tradable or marketable.

Seal Mask

The Seal Mask is an all-class hat: a visor that covers most of the character’s face. It is not tradable or paintable. Like most Halloween cosmetics, the Seal Mask can only be worn during Halloween/Full Moon. Ever notice that when the Demoman wears the Seal Mask, one of the eyes is taped out?

12. Taunt Unusualifier

Valve has released Unusualifiers that are keyed to a specific taunt. It works just like a strangifier: use the tool item to give the taunt a random unusual effect! For example, you may have the taunt “The Director’s Vision“, and an unusualifier for The Director’s Vision. Using the unusualifier on the taunt, your Director’s Vision receives a random Unusual effect: Spectral Swirl! To earn: Rarely appears as a bonus drop when opening a Creepy Crawly Case (Crate #104), perhaps a 1-2% chance. Note that the Creepy Crawly Case and its special keys do not expire. Note also that there is crates currently double their chances of dropping an unusual item… perhaps that includes the chances of Unusualifiers! Like Unusual hats, they are rare and currently worth a lot of money on the Steam Market…. Click here if you’re curious how much a Conga Unusualifier is being sold for.

13. Halloween Costumes 2011

The first year to offer Halloween Costumes, Scream Fortress 2011 had players competing to grab a Haunted Halloween Gift every 5-10 minutes. This caused players to stop playing the objective and start hunting for the gift. Unintentionally distracting from the match, Valve changed the format slightly the next year. Unlike the later costumes, the 27 accessories that make up the 2011 Halloween costumes are all tradable, so it is possible for you to trade other players for them–or you can buy them outright in the Mann Co. Store (but not on the Market unless they’re Haunted). The Tin Soldier specifically has extra voice lines and a special taunt when the entire costume is worn. Halloween Costumes 2011 cosmetic parts can drop from completed Merasmissions, otherwise you’ll have to buy them from the in-game store.

 

Curse-A-Nature / Tin Soldier

 

Infernal Imp / Highland Hound

 

FrankenHeavy / Brundle Bundle

 

Mad Doktor / Camper Van Helsing

Invisible Rogue

 

14. Halloween Costumes 2012

Only one costume set was released in 2012: the Grand Duchess! The set’s parts were formerly available as drops from Eerie Crate #51; now you can only get them by buying them straight from the Mann Co. Store, or buying their Haunted versions from the Market, which would run about US$6 for the entire set.

12. Halloween Costumes 2013

This year introduced a lot of new Halloween Costumes, and had also made them available in the now-retired Spooky Crate #74, as well as by finding the Haunted Halloween Gift. Currently, they can be bought off of the Steam Market in Haunted quality only. They can also be bought directly from the Mann Co. Store, and be found as rewards for completing Merasmissions during the 2016 Scream Fortress event. Depending on the method you receive the item, they may also be tradable.

• Scout
  • Boston Bulldog
• Soldier
  • Terracotta Trooper
• Pyro
  • Burny the Pyrosaur
  • Malice in Pyroland
  • Murky Lurker
• Demoman
  • Count Tavish
  • The Cursed Captain
• Medic
  • Doctor Galactic
  • The Sun King
• Spy
  • The Gravelpit Emperor

 

 

 

13. Halloween Costumes 2014

14. Halloween Costumes 2015

15. Halloween Costumes 2016

16. Haunted Halloween Gift

The Haunted Halloween Gift no longer drops on any Halloween map. During past Scream Fortress events, you could  find the Haunted Halloween Gift on four different maps: Mann Manor, Eyeaduct, Ghost Fort, and Helltower. The Gift used to spawn at one of several predetermined spawn locations, and will last for 3 minutes after informing you that a Gift has spawned for you. If you fail to find it in time, you then have a 5-10 minute cooldown timer before another Gift respawns for you to try to find once more. (Often, when you join a new eligible server, you will receive a Gift spawn notification within a minute of joining, since your old cooldown timer will have expired.) However, the Gift will not spawn if there are not at least ten players (not bots) playing on the server at the same time. Also, the Gift will only spawn during the Annual Halloween Event (from late October to early November each year). When you pick up a Gift, you then had a three-hour cooldown (real time, not playing time) before you become eligible to pick up another Gift on any server.

• Mann Manor Gifts contain one of nine Halloween Masks.
• Eyeaduct Gifts contain one of 27 Halloween Costume Parts from the Halloween 2011 collection.
  • Gifts found in the Underworld are Haunted quality.
• Ghost Fort Gifts are no longer available. They would contain Voodoo-Cursed Items and/or a Halloween Spell, or rarely Halloween constume parts or other items.
• Helltower Gifts contain a Spellbook Page, plus either one of many Halloween 2013 items OR a Costume Transmogrifier.

 

NOTE: The Haunted Halloween Gift no longer spawns, ever. It was removed by Valve and replaced by the Gargoyle transmute and the Merasmus Contract systems.   [N] Obey

Here’s the pertinent stuff:

• This year’s Halloween event has been extend to Wednesday, November 16th (three weeks from today).
• Removed ctf_turbine from the Comp map rotation.
• Merasmissions have been fixed:
  • Each player will get one map-specific mission per day to complete, for a total of 26 missions.
  • Missions from previous days will add up; join a server to load up to two missions at a time.
• Your Soul Gargoyle ranks up on 666, 1337, 2000, and then every additional 2000 points, up to a maximum of 36,000 (“Merasmus’s Own”).
  • It tracks points earned on Halloween Event maps during the annual event only.
  • The Soul Gargoyle also tracks the number of transmutations and Merasmissions you complete.
  • It also is a tool item that lets you transmute almost any three items into a nontradable, random Halloween cosmetic.
  • Ranking up the Soul Gargoyle doesn’t do anything.
• Bugfixes to Brimstone and Pit of Death event.

 

[N] Obey is working on a comprehensive Halloween Item & Costume Part FAQ. Look for it to be posted on this blog before Halloween!

 

Patch 1

• Extended Scream Fortress VIII to run through November 16th, 2016
• Fixed a problem causing some players to receive the incorrect number of Merasmissions
  • Players should receive one Scream Fortress VIII Merasmission per day of the event, for a maximum possible of seven as of today
  • Players who received too few Merasmissions will be able to quickly catch up to the intended amount
  • A small number of players who received too many Merasmissions will not receive any for the next few days
• Fixed the Tome of Merasmissions displaying an erroneous maximum number
  • All players will have the opportunity to receive twenty-six Merasmissions during this year’s event, regardless of number of Merasmissions completed in previous years
• Fixed a small number of unusuals that did not have the proper displayed quality (unique (golden name) instead of unusual (purple name))
• Updated the model/materials for The El Paso Poncho
• Fixed not seeing the correct display name for featured community maps (example: pl_fifthcurve_event vs. Brimstone)
• Updated the localization files
• Updated mvm_ghost_town to fix error models in the spawn rooms
• Updated pl_fifthcurve_event (Brimstone)
  • Fixed RED players getting inside BLU‘s 2nd forward spawn
  • Fixed skull’s teeth in hell being non-solid
  • Fixed hell’s coffin tune and tiny spell song sometimes playing to the next round from previous round
  • Fixed some players dropping into hell’s lava in rare cases
  • Fixed big pumpkin in RED 2nd base being non-solid
• Updated pd_pit_of_death_event
  • Fixed an exploit which allowed players to enter the enemy spawn
  • Fixed enemy players teleported to the Underworld spawning in one another
  • Fixed finale particles not being drawn from certain distances
  • Fixed certain overlays not rendering
  • Increased damage over time dealt in the Underworld
  • Added climbable props to the platforms near mid
  • Added a nobuild to the area surrounding the portal
  • Added signs in spawns to make the second door more obvious
  • Adjusted respawn times so that the losing team will respawn faster
  • Adjusted health, ammo, and spellbooks around the map
  • Changed the Underworld buff to use the Purgatory buff from Eyeaduct
  • Players killed during the finale will now turn into ghosts
  • Decreased score limit from 5 to 4 points per player

Undocumented changes

• Added new ranks for the Soul Gargoyle.

Patch 2

• Removed ctf_turbine from the Competitive maps list
• Updated Mann vs. Machine to use the new ping information system already in use for Casual and Competitive matchmaking
  • In particular, parties with members from differing regions should now have a better queue experience

Correction from the Scream Fortress VIII release notes:

• Added a taunt Unusualifier
  • A new tool that will Unusualify a specific taunt with a random Unusual effect when the tool is applied to the taunt

[N] Obey

Scream Fortress runs thru November 9th! Complete missions to earn… uhh, stuff.

[UPDATE: Oct 23, 7PM EST] Halloween contracts are working properly. Go get ‘em!

The short version:

• Three new community maps: Brimstone, Pit of Death, Maple Ridge Event
• Added the Creepy Crawly Case
  • It hasa 21 community-made items
  • Chance to give one of 3 community-created Halloween-restricted items as a bonus
  • Chance to give a taunt Unusualifier tool as a bonus item
• All crates have a doubled chance to drop an Unusual (typical to that crate) during the event (now 2%, up from 1%)
  • All Unusual cosmetics that drop during this event will have a 2016 Unusual Effect instead of the usual possible effects
• Maps changed in TF2 Competitive rotation:
  • Added pl_badwater and ctf_turbine
  • Removed cp_granary and cp_badlands
• You can now save/load your preferred maps in the Casual Mode
• During Scream Fortress, choose Halloween to jump into a Halloween Event game
• Fixed the MvM votekick bug (hopefully)

 

Come back for more details later…

Look up info on past Halloween Events on my TF2Newbs Halloween FAQ!

 

Patch 1:

As always, these patch notes courtesy of the Official TF2 Wiki.

Scream Fortress VIII has arrived!

• Featuring 3 new community maps: Brimstone, Pit of Death, and Maple Ridge Event
• Added the Creepy Crawly Case
  • Contains 21 new community-created items that make-up the Creepy Crawly Collection^[1]
  • Has a chance to give one of 3 community-created Halloween-restricted items as a bonus item^[2]
  • Has a chance to give a taunt Unusualifier as a bonus item
• Added a taunt Unusualifier
  • A new tool that will Unusualify the specified taunt with the Unusual effect listed in the tool’s description
  • Can be found as a random bonus item when opening a Creepy Crawly Case
• Added two new taunts to the Mann Co. Store
  • Taunt: The Victory Lap
  • Taunt: Second Rate Sorcery (community-created)
• Added 8 new community-created Unusual effects
  • 4 new effects for Unusual hats
  • 4 new effects for Unusual taunts
• Continue last year’s event by collecting the souls of dead players for your Soul Gargoyle by killing enemies, doing map objectives, or collecting the Soul Gargoyles that spawn in the maps
• Join Halloween matches by selecting the “Halloween” category in Casual
• Scream Fortress VIII runs through November 9th, 2016

During Scream Fortress VIII

• All players who launch the game will receive a Soul Gargoyle if they don’t already have one from last year’s event
  • Grants access to Merasmissions and Halloween item transmutations
  • Tracks Merasmissions completed and souls collected
• Added 3 new Merasmissions for the featured maps
  • Completing a Merasmission will give players a classic Halloween item and the chance for a Creepy Crawly Case
• The chance to receive an Unusual item from a case opening has been increased during the event
• All cases and Mann Co. Supply Crates will grant Halloween 2016 Unusual effects instead of their normal Unusual effects

Matchmaking

• The Competitive maps list has been updated
  • Added pl_badwater and ctf_turbine
  • Disabled cp_granary and cp_badlands
  • Maps will continue to enter and exit this list over time
• Added “Load Saved Settings” and “Save Current Settings” buttons to the Casual Mode Map Selection menu
  • Search criteria is now manually saved to give players more control over the default settings when the game is launched
• XP earned in Casual matches has been adjusted to reward players more for their personal contribution to the match
  • XP per point has returned to 6.5 XP per point
  • XP earned for match completion and objective completion now scales based on your score relative to total amount of points scored by everyone in the match
• Increased the matchmaker’s priority of matches with imbalanced teams
  • This should reduce the occurrence of extended imbalanced matches when multiple players leave

General

• Added the AsiaFortress Cup Season 10 tournament medals
• Added LBTF2 6v6 Season 13 tournament medals
• Improved several aspects of texture handling for OS X and Linux clients
  • This should reduce the rate of “Out of memory” errors for players on high texture settings, especially on level change
  • Players still encountering this error can reduce texture quality to medium or lower to greatly improve stability pending further improvements
• Fixed a missing material issue on cp_sunshine
• Fixed players not taking damage when exploding as a bombhead without stunning Merasmus
• Fixed Mann vs. Machine zombies not using the correct skin in Ghost Town outside of the Halloween event
• Fixed a bug with the vote-kick timer in Mann vs. Machine mode
• Fixed taunts not restoring the proper weapon when the taunts are finished
• Fixed the Pomson 6000 playing the shotgun reload sound
• Updated the sounds made when the Scout shoves someone while using the Shortstop
• Updated some Merasmus audio files that weren’t playing properly
• Updated the localization files

Undocumented changes

• Updated the description for the Soul Gargoyle.

Patch 2

• Fixed spooky OS X crash upon joining a server
• Fixed not being able to gain progress on Merasmissions

Notes

1. ↑ Combustible Cutie, Class Crown, Burly Beast, Pestering Jester, Mo’Horn, Toadstool Topper, Big Topper, Heavy Tourism, Corpus Christi Cranium, Spirit of the Bombing Past, Lil’ Bitey, Colossal Cranium, Showstopper, Cranial Carcharodon, Spooktacles, El Paso Poncho, Wide-Brimmed Bandito, Nasty Norsemann, Surgeon’s Sidearms, Mad Mask, Wing Mann
2. ↑ Aerobatics Demonstrator, Final Frontier Freighter, Hovering Hotshot

[N] Obey

Wow… there’s a lot of new content in TF2 right now! A new Halloween Event with multiple new maps, revival of all of the old Halloween Events, new Halloween contracts, plus the Invasion event that started earlier in the month… Mannpower is now out of beta… Here’s a running timeline of TF2 events:

• The previous six Halloween Events are live from now until November 11th.
  • TF2Newbs Halloween Event FAQ: http://www.tf2newbs.com/newbs_blog/2014/10/22/a-tf2-newbs-guide-to-halloween-event-maps/
• The new Halloween Event, Scream Fortress VII, is also live until November 11th.
  • http://www.teamfortress.com/screamfortress7/
• Invasion ends on November 5th!
  • Blogpost: http://www.tf2newbs.com/newbs_blog/2015/10/08/tf2-invasion-community-update/
• A major TF2 patch is dated for late December, that should coincide with the semi-annual Steam Sale.

 

PLEASE NOTE: Sorry about the lack of clickable hotlinks. Something’s wonky with WordPress this morning, and the TF2 Wiki is not responding. Check back later, as I’ll be updating this page over the next several days with images, links, and more specific info.

 

The TF2 Story So Far….

• Scream Fortress VII comic, “Gargoyles and Gravel” (just released
  • http://www.teamfortress.com/gargoyles_and_gravel/
• Invasion Update video (Oct 6, 2015)
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=-yQlDnIAR14
• TF2 comic, “Old Wounds” (Aug 31, 2015)
  • http://www.teamfortress.com/tf05_old_wounds/

 

New Maps!

Gorge Event

A reskinned Gorge attack-defense map

Hellstone

A new, community-made payload map

Moonshine Event

A new, community-made King of the Hill map

Sinshine

A new, community-made control points map

 

 

 

 

Full Patch Notes: Oct 29, 2015

• Comic and additional information available on the website (http://www.teamfortress.com/screamfortress7)
• Featuring 4 community maps: Gorge Event, Sinshine, Moonshine Event, and Hellstone
• Added the Gargoyle Case which contains 19 community made cosmetics
• Added two new community-made taunts to the Mann Co Store: Soldier’s Requiem and Zoomin’ Broom
• Collect the souls of dead players for your Gargoyle by killing enemies, doing map objectives, or collecting the Soul Gargoyles that spawn in the maps
• Scream Fortress VII runs through November 11th, 2015

During Scream Fortress VII

• All players who launch the game will receive a Gargoyle
  • Gives access to Merasmissions and Halloween item transmutations
  • Tracks Merasmissions completed and souls collected
• Added Merasmissions
  • A new Merasmission will be available daily up to a total of 13
  • Completing a Merasmission will give players a classic Halloween item and a chance of the Gargoyle Case
• Added Halloween Transmuting
  • Transmuting can be accessed by clicking the Gargoyle in your backpack and selecting Halloween Transmute from the context menu
  • Players can transmute 3 qualifying items to receive a non-tradable classic Halloween item. A bonus item will be given for every 10th transmute.
• Mann Co Supply Crates will have a chance for a classic Halloween Unusual effect

General

• Added inspect animations for the Batsaber and the Giger Counter
• Fixed an idle animation bug for the Wrangler
• Lowered the speed penalty for getting stunned by a ghost from 50% to 25%
• Lowered damage of the “bats” spell from 60 to 40
• HHH’s axe has dulled a bit and no longer guarantees death, but is still very lethal
• Fixed an exploit related to picking up The Widowmaker
• Fixed the Batsaber not showing the Killstreak sheen
• Fixed a scoreboard stat reset bug in Mann vs. Machine
• Optimized texture memory usage
• Fix some cases of random hitching experienced by some players
• Fixed overhead icons stacking on top of each other and now appear side-by-side
• Added “Sort by Date” to the backpack. Newest acquired or altered items are sorted to the front.
• Cosmetics that have Rarity and are part of a collection no longer show a cosmetic item level
• Fixed the buildcubemaps command failing to update cubemaps for maps that already have cubemaps
• Fixed a case where running the game with -buildcubemaps would generate all black cubemaps
• Updated cp_powerhouse to fix a couple places where players could stand on top of doorways
• Updated The Infernal Impaler, L’homme Burglerre, The Spooky Shoes, The Spooky Sleeves, Cuban Bristle Crisis, The Grimm Hatt, Medi-Mask, The Bearded Bombardier, The Colonel’s Coat, The Killer’s Kit, The Vascular Vestment, The Physician’s Protector, The Cold Killer, The Courtier’s Collar, The Physician’s Procedure Mask, The War Pig, Respectless Robo-Glove, Insulated Inventor, The Dry Gulch Gulp and The Minsk Beef with the latest changes from the authors
• Updated koth_probed
  • Improved optimization of map (especially on mid)
  • Fixed clipping issues (thanks Muselk!)
  • Fixed Engineer imbalance on mid (thanks Uncle Dane!)
  • Added in missing explosion sound effect on aliens
  • Fixed a few prop/ material issues
  • Reduced prop usage

PASS Time update

• Fixed viewmodel/worldmodel when tf_passtime_ball_model is set
• Added convar: tf_passtime_ball_sphere_collision
• Added entity: tf_logic_on_holiday

Mannpower update

• No longer in Beta
• Added new map: Hellfire
• Three new powerups: King, Plague, Supernova
• Grappling hook changes
  • Reduced max rope distance
  • Reduced grapple dismount jump height
  • 30% hook movement speed penalty for Heavyweapons
• Flag rule changes
  • Flags can no longer be returned by touching them
  • When dropped, flags return after a timeout. This timeout does NOT reset if the flag is picked up again before it returns or is captured
  • 25% hook movement speed penalty for powered up flag carriers (with the exception of Agility)
  • Small health regeneration for non-powered up flag carriers
  • Flags and capture zones are disabled for 30 seconds after a capture
• Powerup rule changes
  • When killed, your powerup will drop as the enemy team color. Deliberately dropped powerups are neutral colored
  • You cannot pick up enemy colored powerups
  • Team colored powerups will attempt to respawn in that team’s base if not picked up in time
• Other changes
  • Overhead powerup icons are now team colored
  • Warlock powerup renamed to Reflect
  • Reduced Knockout max health bonus for demos carrying swords and shields
  • Haste now increases huntsman firing speed
• Bug fixes
  • Reflect damage no longer occurs after death (Pyro afterburn)

[N] Obey

Hey, it’s finally here–and some players thinks it’s the best Halloween update to boot!  The event runs through November 12, 2014. Better strap in, because you’re gonna love the bumper cars!

1. Launch of new Halloween 2014 Map: Carnival of Carnage.
   • Magic spells and end-of-round zany bumper car fun included.
2. 50 new Halloween-themed cosmetic items.
   • Everyone gets one free Halloween Gift Cauldron and can unlock another.
3. New melee weapon reskin: The Necro Smasher
   • Earn by unlocking enough Halloween 2014 achievements.
4. Full patch notes
   • Unusual items uncrated until November 12, 2014 will have Halloween-themed Unusual effects, instead of the typical effects granted by its Unusual Series.
   • For a limited time, you can buy previous Halloween-themed cosmetic items from the Mann Co. Store.
   • Halloween Crates can be bought from the Mann Co. Store.

 

Read the new TF2 comic: “Blood Money”!

 

0. Servers Currently Set to Halloween Maps:

Carnival of Carnage (2014 Event): #07, #09

Helltower (2013 Event): #12, #15

Harvest Event (2009 Event): #13

 

1. Carnival of Carnage

Merasmus’s Carnival of Carnage [sd_doomsday_event] is a Halloween Event map, and a reskin of Doomsday, Valve’s only official-to-date Special Delivery map. Instead of launching the monkeynaut Poopy Joe briefly into outer space to win, now you compete to be the team to raise a suitcase full of tickets to the top of the Strongmann Machine, while Merasmus launches snarky comments and global curses at everyone.

When the suitcase reaches the top, both teams enter one of three possible bumper car mini-games!! Oh, and there are Magic Spell powerups for you to cast at the other team, like the Helltower map. And yes, you can cast spells while driving a bumper car!

For more information on how to play this map, consult my TF2Newbs’ Guide to Halloween Event Maps.

 

2. Gift Cauldrons and New Cosmetics

Alert!  You have new items!

Yes, you do! Every player’s TF2 account automatically receives one Antique Halloween Gift Cauldron, and you’ll be alerted the first time you load the game.  This Limited action item can be used once to drop 3 random Scream Fortress VI cosmetic items.  The items dropped from the Cauldron will either be Unique, Haunted, or Strange Haunted qualities–and at least one will be Strange Haunted. The Gift Cauldron is Limited so it is not marketable, giftable or tradable, nor sold in the Mann Co. Store, but I assume the items it drops are giftable and tradable…?

Any Strange Haunted items will have two Strange Parts automatically attached to the cosmetic item: the “Carnival Games Won” Strange Part and the “Carnival Underworld Kills” Strange Part (which measures players knocked off the track.

It is possible to get a second Halloween Gift Cauldron by earning the Merasmachievement “Bumper to Bumper to Bumper”, by being on the winning team for all three bumper car mini-games at the end of rounds of the Carnival of Carnage map.

Meanwhile, it is possible to buy any of the 50 new Halloween-themed cosmetic items in the Mann Co. Store.

 

3. Unlock the Necro Smasher

Complete the “Step Right Up” Merasmachievement, by completing 4 other Merasmachievements, to earn your very own Necro Smasher! It is an all-classes-but-spy wooden mallet you can use to melee bludgeon your foes, just like your stock melee weapon. If you’re an Engineer, it’ll also repair your stuff. It’s tradable.

 

 

Full Patch Notes

• Scream Fortress VI has arrived!
  • Help Merasmus with his carnival!
  • Comic and additional information available on the website (http://www.teamfortress.com/screamfortress6)
  • Scream Fortress VI runs until November 12, 2014
  • Added new Halloween map Carnival of Carnage
    • Merasmus will spread misfortune with server wide curses
    • Added a Strongmann Test-Your-Strength machine which is in no way an eldritch portal to Bumper Car Madness!
  • Added bumper car minigames. Win by completely ghostifying the other team or by completing the objective
  • Alt-fire to speed boost your bumper car
  • Cast magic spells while driving
  • The collision force a bumper car receives increases as the car takes damage
  • Force is displayed in the bumper car HUD as a percentage
    • Ghosts can come back to life by touching a friendly bumper car
  • 50 new Halloween-themed community cosmetics^[1]
  • 6 new achievements

• During Scream Fortress VI:
  • A Halloween Gift Cauldron is granted to all players who play during the event
  • Added Halloween crates to the Mann Co. Store. These crates do not require a key to open
  • All Unusual hats and taunts that are unboxed during the event will receive Halloween-themed Unusual effects
  • Previous Scream Fortress content is available in the Mann Co. Store

• General :
  • Reduced the number of Fireball spells granted to 2^[2]
  • Updated the tf_spells_enabled ConVar
    • Removed the Teleport spell from the general spell list when spells are enabled outside of Helltower
    • Added rare spells to the general spell list, except Skeletons and Monoculus
  • Turning a player into a ghost now grants the attacker a kill credit
  • Players can now fly around as a ghost by holding the jump key
  • TargetID system
    • Now creates a floating health indicator over the target
    • Reduced size of nameplate
    • Added tf_hud_target_id_alpha ConVar to control the transparency
  • Fixed player voice transmissions not transmitting the last second of recording
  • Fixed a dedicated server crash when the autoexec.cfg contains a bind command
    • Fixed Unicode font performance and rendering issues for Mac clients
    • Fixed an exploit that allowed players to remove the ghost condition

• Hammer :
  • Added a field to the Tools->Options->3DView tab that multiplies the length of the rendered light_spot cone preview

Undocumented Changes

• Added a new startup music track for Scream Fortress VI.
• Removed old Scream Fortress startup music track from the game.
• Added Necro Smasher, Kritz or Treat Canteen, Deadliest Catch.
• Corrected the description of FR-0.

Oh, By the Way…

There’s this: someone reported a serious flaw in TF2 so Valve could fix it. To thank him, they let him have a hat of his choice: a one-of-a-kind Strange Cheater’s Lament with Sunbeams! (Courtesy of Nuunsa and Reddit)

 

[N] Obey