I don't expect every reader of this guide to know what Mann vs. Machine is, so let me lay the groundworks for you.

Mann vs. Machine is a horde-style co-op gamemode in which you and 5 other teammates battle batallions of robots. These robots mimic the mercs we know and love, and can sometimes be a bit more difficult to take down due to their unique abilities or hulking size. In the next section I'll talk about some noteworthy robots, but for now let's focus on MvM as a gamemode.

MvM has two different options to begin playing: One is Boot Camp, which redirects you to community servers running the gamemode. This is a good way to practice missions without purchasing a ticket. What ticket? Well, that's next.

The second option is Mann Up. This version of the gamemode has you tour certain areas, taking part in specific missions in the hopes of getting some nice rewards. These servers are run by Valve, so don't expect goofy commands or grappling hooks.

To play Mann Up Mode, you have to buy a ticket for each mission you want to play. This ticket costs $1 USD and will let you take part in a single mission. Upon mission completion, the ticket is ripped up, and you'll have to buy another one to do another mission.

You won't get any special rewards for individual missions; You need to get loads of tickets and do every mission in a tour to get special rewards. These rewards are typically Botkiller weapons, which are basically weapons with robot heads dangling off of them. They're always a Strange variant.

Two Cities, which is the tour we'll be talking about here, gives you killstreak kits instead. These can either be nearly worthless or highly profitable depending on the quality of the killstreak and the item it can be used on. Typically, rewards you don't want to keep should be sold to get more money for tickets if you're a tour fanatic.














Get used to this face; You'll be seeing him a lot.

Let's do the math real quick; If you want to complete a complete Two Cities tour, that's four missions. That'll cost four tickets to do each mission (Redoing a mission that you've already done in a tour won't take a ticket, but it won't give rewards either). Therefore, it takes approximately $4 USD to complete a full tour. Not that bad, but you'll have to get four tickets EVERY time you want to do a tour. This can stack up pretty quickly if you're having a dry season.

However, completing a tour and getting really lucky can lead to australium drops. These are strange reskins of popular items (I.E. the Rocket Launcher, Eyelander, etc.) that are plated with gold! Well, it's not actually gold, but you catch my drift.

Australium weapons can be dropped in any Advanced or Expert tour. Meaning if you're especially cheap, you can do Mecha Engine instead of Two Cities to save a dollar for every tour. However, the botkiller weapons don't give that much payoff if you're unlucky, so... Good luck?

Some robots can give more problems than others in this chaotic gamemode. Let's review a few of them and how to deal with them.


















More often seen as a regular-sized robot (but still capable of appearing at giant size), this particular Medic uses the stock Medigun to heal a specific robot and give it an Ubercharge. These guys get Uber at a phenominal rate, but there are still windows of opportunity to catch them off guard. They only heal one robot, and will use a syringe gun if separated from their heal target. Damage to themselves or their heal target (which I will call "pocket" from now on) causes them to activate a charge. Thus, the most effective way of defeating these guys is to one-shot them. Sounds difficult at first, but Demomen and Snipers with Explosive Headshot can decimate groups of them.


Unlike the Ubermed, these guys use the Quick-Fix and do not use Ubercharges... That is, if they're player-sized. At giant-size, these guys aren't afraid of using their powerful heal rate to save their pocket (or themselves) from the grave. The player-sized ones are almost no problem, but giant-sized ones can be a doozy. The best counter is to focus entirely on the Medic before damaging the pocket, as they will only use their Ubercharge if their pocket is damaged.

















Not only do these guys have more health than average Engineers, they also REALLY like to turtle. One of the biggest threats if left unattended, but typically an easy fix when spotted at the front lines. Mecha-Engineers don't build dispensers, but can build level 3 Sentry guns (Yes, level 3. They always immediately upgrade to level 3) and Teleporters that act as a new spawn area for robots. The Teleporter will Ubercharge any robot coming out of it for a brief while. The sentries can be really dangerous if they creep too close to the hatch, and the Teleporters can make Super Scouts appear at spots with little protection. Thus, it's best to listen for the Announcer to alert the team of the Engineers when they teleport in.

There are also Engineers that don't teleport in (which means you won't be alerted when they walk in!), but they have far less health, so have someone patrol the battlefield for any sneaky Engies.

Spies beware; The cooldown of Sappers works against you, and you may accidentally sap the Mecha-Engineer... Which means the Sentry can still kill you. Still, getting that Engineer can really help your team.



























Since Giant robots aren't slowed by bombs, Scouts are already looking to be a big problem. Super Scouts, while having pretty abysmal health, can move at the speed of a regular Scout. If this guy breaches your defenses, it's lights out.

Thankfully, the Engineer can use his Sentry or Dispenser to block the Scout's path, or your Scout can douse them in Mad Milk to slow them down. Once they're immobilized, a coordinated team can really easily defeat the Super Scout.

Any other robots you want advice on? Suggest them and I'll try to add them.

Damage: ★★☆☆☆
Support: ★★★★★
Skill Floor: ★★☆☆☆


Scout, being a one-on-one class, doesn't fare well in combat with groups of robots. His niche is in his support power, with the ability to collect money in a huge radius and gain massive overheal buffs from it, eventually even having more overheal than a Heavy affected by full Overheal Mastery. He also has interesting weapons to help with this job or provide a helping hand with his team, whether it be slowing down enemies or making them take more damage. And don't doubt his ability to deal damage to Giants and Tanks.


The primary for Scout is extremely flexible. The Scattergun is useful for Scouts who don't need to take advantage of heightened mobility but instead need to increase their damage a tad. The Force-a-Nature can knock enemies back (Or in the air, in the case of giants), helping reset the bomb or stall time. The Soda Popper grants the ability to jump several more times, meaning Scout can draw fire away from his team by leaping around an enemy. Finally, the Shortstop has a handy shove mechanic, meaning you have a pushback similar to the Force-a-Nature but without dealing damage. You can also use the knockback vulnerability to surf away from danger. Soda Popper is the best overall if you need mobility, while also having plenty of DPS.

Your secondary should be the Mad Milk. It can heal teammates with them simply shooting it, which is useful for DPS classes and could possibly save your life. The dripping milk can help indicate to a team "Attack this", since they'll get health back and do a bunch of damage to enemies. It also can slow down enemies doused in it if you get the upgrade, meaning it can neutralize the normally dangerous Giant Scouts. Bonk! Atomic Punch is a fun alternative if your team doesn't need Mad Milk's healing or slowdown ability. Handy if you need to make a push for some money.

Finally, your Melee should be the Fan o' War, but the Sandman can fulfill the same role provided you get a special upgrade. Although the health penalty combined with the requirement of an upgrade means Fan o' War is almost strictly better for marking enemies for death. The Sandman's main niche is the ability to do it from afar. The Sandman is also beneficial for a Scout who only uses his melee weapon, although this shouldn't be done too often in a serious match.


Buff resistances and movement speed/jump height.

Try to avoid upgrading your primary. If you need it, I would go with reload speed so you can execute attacks quicker. It all depends on your playstyle.

Upgrade Mad Milk with the Slowness ability on the first wave that there is a Super Scout. Use this to slow them down. You can also upgrade the recharge speed in case the Scouts are coming really fast, or just for convience's sake.

With the Sandman, upgrade Marked for Death so your baseballs will mark enemies for death. If you're using the Fan O' War, no need to upgrade it.

If you need a canteen upgrade, go for Ubercharge.

Damage: ★★★★☆
Support: ★★★☆☆
Skill Floor: ★☆☆☆☆

Often accused of being a no-skill class, Soldier can be picked up easily by new players. However, you hardly ever see new people using him... But that's not the point. Soldier has the lowest skill floor of any of the classes in MvM, and can still deal ridiculous damage despite that. He's really fun, and if he's used correctly, a huge help.

Positioning is important as a Soldier. With your Rocket Launcher, you can quickly reposition yourself and dish out a bit of extra damage with your terrain advantage. Also, Soldier is generally weaker on the ground. When you're in the air, robots will have a harder time hitting you. Still, don't be afraid to stick to the ground if it's needed. Badly timed rocket jumps could be fatal...


Soldier, in my opinion, is the most versitile class in MvM. He has plenty of strong primaries he can use, but the best choices are the Stock and Beggar's Bazooka. The Black Box is good in the beginning of the game, but worsens for every point of Resistance you get. Weapons like the Direct Hit are still devastating, but far too situational. Also, the Rocket Jumper and Liberty Launcher are too piddly for this mode. You want to prioritize damage, not mobility. (The Air Strike is an exception, since rocket jumps allow you to vomit rockets and negate the penalties pretty easily.)

Your secondary should be one of the three banners - That is, the Buff Banner, Batallion's Backup, and Concherer. Generally, the Buff Banner is the best choice, since it provides extra damage for your entire team. The Conch is the runner-up, since it improves mobility and survivability, while providing you some free health regen. Last, but certainly not least, is the Batallion's Backup, which can still help against crit-boosted robots. This banner should be used mostly when you have other banner soldiers, as to complete the triangle.

Your Melee can be the Escape Plan or Disciplinery Action; It's up to you. I'd personally recommend the Discipline, in case you need to reach the front lines faster. It's a great backup to teleporters.


Resistances are, as always, a necessity. In particular, Blast Resistance decreases your rocket jump damage, mimicking the Gunboats if you need it.

When upgrading the primary, choose Rocket Specialist first. Getting a direct hit with your Rocket Launcher will stun the enemy, as well as increase the explosion radius. It also increases the projectile speed for every point upgraded (but you should probably stick to just one point of it unless there's a lot of money flying around, since the stun can't be upgraded further).

The other upgrades for the Rocket Launcher, with the exception of Health on Kill (which having one point of is also useful; splash damage is deadly in this mode) will all increase the DPS. If you need to reload often, get Reload Speed. If you want to barf out rockets more, get Firing Speed. If your rockets aren't doing enough damage, upgrade - you guessed it - Damage. And Clip Size is a great option for the Beggar's Bazooka and Black Box in particular, since they negate the downside. (Also, instead of being based on a percentage, Soldier's rocket launchers all get a clip upgrade of 2 each time you boost it. So, if you're using the Stock, you can have 12 rockets in the clip.)

The Banner comes with an upgrade for the duraiton. If your banners are running out too fast, get one point of this. Otherwise, you probably won't need it, since it charges so fast anyways.

Your canteen of choice should be Crits. Keep in mind how pricy this is. You probably won't need them until late-game anyways. But if you can activate one at the right time (like when your clip is full with the Beggar's Bazooka), you can shred through almost anything in seconds.

Damage: ★★★☆☆
Support: ★★★★☆
Skill Floor: ★★★★☆

Pyro's high DPS and lack of a damage penalty against tanks makes him particularly effective against them. In waves with multiple tanks, consider getting a Pyro on your team to tear through them.

Additionally, the ability to airblast and reveal Spies with your fire give Pyro some great support. You can reset the bomb or push it back, or line up a group of enemies for a Sniper or Demoman to blow them up in one fell swoop.

The issue arises from Pyro's low range, subpar speed, and low health for a close-range class. This makes upgrading resistances key so you can get close enough to deal damage.

Manhattan doesn't have tanks, so Pyro's main job isn't present. This isn't to say he's completely useless; More on that later.

Your primary should be the Phlogistinator or the Stock. Phlog lets you get guaranteed critical hits on any enemy, so it can shred through tanks, something the Backburner cannot do. Meanwhile, the Stock is good for supportive play, such as extinguishing and pushing the bomb carrier into pits. The Backburner only truly shines on Manhattan, as there are no tanks to worry about, meaning the Phlog's crits become more situational.

For your secondary, you should almost always use the Scorch Shot. This works as a second airblast, especially if you upgrade it to fire faster. You can spam flares and pin enemies to walls with it!

(NOTE: This guide was created before Jungle Inferno, so I'm adding this here to say THE GAS PASSER IS RIDICULOUSLY GOOD. Make sure to get the explosion upgrade. This will almost immediately upgrade your damage from an average 3-star to an easy 5-star. Seriously, this thing is way too good.)

Pyro will always be in melee range with his Flamethrower anyways, so there won't be much use for your melee. This is why you should choose the Powerjack, so you can cut the distance between you and enemies or make quick trips for ammo. The Homewrecker is also helpful on Spy-intensive waves and for eliminating Engineer buildings.


Resistances are a must be if you´re playing Pyro because you have to be near the robots to damage them. Buy Blast Resistance, Bullet Resistance and Crit Resistance. Fire Resistance is good, but Pyro is immune to afterburn, so it's better to save a bit of money for other stuff. Also, Movement Speed is a good option in the later part of the game so you can get close to enemies.

Prioritize your ammo with the Phlogistinator. After that's done, upgrade Damage. Avoid afterburn upgrades for as long as possible, since you'll be doing more damage to tanks anyways.

Scorch Shot upgrades are necessary to make it a worthwhile giant slayer. Upgrade the firing speed and reload speed, as well as the ammo capacity. This makes trips to your dispenser less frequent, and you can keep giants pinned for much longer.

Crit canteens are great for quicker Mmph, allowing you to charge it almost instantly by using it when your Mmph runs out, but Uber is good if you're done with tanks and need to airblast spam.

Damage: ★★★★☆
Support: ★☆☆☆☆
Skill Floor: ★★☆☆☆

Demoman, huh? What's special about Demo is his ability to almost all robots in the game using the Scottish Resistance. His low skill floor means it's pretty easy to pick him up and do your job (Which is to blow up Medics, of course), and deal large amounts of damage in a flash.

However, without much in the way of support, and taking years to set up traps, Demo is outshined by a Sniper who passes the skill floor (more on that later). Not to mention, if your Medic isn't giving you Crits to lay sticky traps, you'll have to spend a large sum of credits just to lay them yourself if you want to one-shot anything. Yikes!

Still, don't disregard him immediately. If you're like me and can't click on heads, Demo is still fun and easy to play. Not to mention, your team will love you if you switch to him!


Demo's loadout is a bit strict in this mode, but still has some slight variation. Keep in mind that there are no resupply cabinets in MvM, so you can't use the "Shield Swap" strat to get extra health with the Eyelander!

So, primaries. Your choice should either be the Iron Bomber or just Stock. Rollers are important in this mode, since splash damage can really dish out a lot of damage. The Iron Bomber is like a second set of stickies, but the Stock explodes faster at the cost of roller accuracy, so pick your favorite. Also, if you're using the Stickybomb Launcher instead of the Scottish Resistance, you can use the Boots instead. (By the way, the Loose Cannon is helpful if your Pyro is using the Phlog, since you can knock enemies around quite a bit.)

Demo's secondary is pretty much his primary in this mode. Stickybombs are the main show and the reason you're playing Demo. Pick either the Stock or the Scottish Resistance. If you're good with the SR, you can shut down the robots efficiently, and even gain the ability to one-shot almost all giants in the game (barring bosses) with frame-perfect Crit stickies, but the Stock arms much faster and allows you to sticky-spam if you're low on pills.

For a melee, pick either the Bottle, the Skullcutter, or the Eyelander. Using the Eyelander is dangerous because of the 25 health penalty, but you might be able to snag some heads. It pairs well with the Boots. In addition, if you have a shield, you can upgrade the damage that the Eyelander does. Why mention this? Because you can remove the shield and the Eyelander will secretly still have the damage bonus! It takes some credits, though! For the other options, the Bottle is a good backup if your clips are dry, but the Skullcutter can do more damage at the cost of taking longer to draw and slowing you down.


Out of your weapons, the Stickybomb Launcher (Whichever one you're using) should be your priority. Damage upgrades are expensive, but effective. You can also increase the reload speed and firing speed to lay out traps a bit faster. Ammo capacity is useful if there aren't any nearby dispensers, but this upgrade is better for your primary.

Speaking of primary, you should upgrade clip size, reload speed, ammo capacity, and firing speed... If anything. Once again, your secondary is the main show. It helps to have boots equipped if you are using the Stickybomb Launcher and don't use pills often.

Don't upgrade your melee unless it's the Eyelander. If you're using the Eyelander, use the above method to boost the damage. It'll let you snag some heads easier.

Make sure to get resistances if you're on the front lines. You'll usually be a bit farther back, so 2 points of each should suffice if you need to increase your offensive power.

For a canteen, use Crits. It provides an (expensive) alternative to waiting for your Medic to give you crits for a sticky trap. Use it sparingly, since you can't refund canteens!

Damage: ★★★★★
Support: ★★☆☆☆
Skill Floor: ★☆☆☆☆

A perfect Medic buddy and a great wall, Heavy is one of the best picks in a balanced team. Unlike Soldier, only one of this guy is really needed. With an enormous health pool and a powerful weapon to boot, though, he can easily become an MVP if he's good with tracking.

Now, something important to note is Heavy has a damage penalty against buildings. Tanks are included in this penalty, so he does a bit less damage to them. He still does a decent amount though, so don't be afraid to chip in a bit!


Heavy's a pretty mixed bag, but in this bag it quickly becomes clear what the best choices are. For a primary, your best option will be the Brass Beast, since you're essentially a sentry in the front lines anyways. Your secondary and melee hardly matter, but can still make a difference, so go with the Sandvich and Gloves of Running Urgently. The Sandvich is useful to place by the dispenser if your Medic or other teammates need to heal but don't have much time to stand there. Meanwhile, the GRU help speed up Heavy without needing to sacrifice any money to upgrading Movement Speed.

Alternative Miniguns include the Stock for quicker spin-ups, and the Natascha for a team with a lazy Scout.


DON'T UPGRADE KNOCKBACK RAGE. It's far more useful to upgrade your Firing Speed anyways. Knockback Rage is only useful against the occasional Miniboss, so you'll only use it, like, what, once? Upgrading health on kill is also great since you'll be getting plenty of kills anyways, so if you're in a tight spot you can stick around a bit longer. Finally, upgrade Destroy Projectiles to the maximum. If you're the target of a Giant Soldier, even if they're using rapid-fire, you can shoot down every one of those projectiles!

As for non-weapon upgrades, maximize resistances as soon as possible. You'll be in the front lines all the time, so if you can't take a bit of damage, good luck surviving.

For canteens, try Uber. Let your Medic give you Crits when you need it, since you'll be the best target for it if there's a giant walking around.

Damage: ★★★☆☆
Support: ★★★★★
Skill Floor: ★★☆☆☆

Engineer provides some of the highest support and an extremely high damage output in your team, to the point where it's often required to have one on your team. Teleporters and Dispensers are wonderful pieces of technology that will immensely help your team, while the Sentry grants huge DPS and area denial. Engineer's buildings make him one of the most important teammates, especially with the Dispenser providing ammo to Heavies or other damage classes. Engineer brings the team together and centralizes MvM gameplay, much like Medic centralizes 6v6 competitive.

Doing enough damage with your Sentry will cause a Sentry Buster to spawn. It'll run towards your sentry and attempt to self-destruct to break it. You can haul the sentry and walk towards the Buster to blow it up, acting as a temporary solution. However, they spawn in rather quick succession, so sometimes it's better to let the Sentry Buster blow up your Sentry, especially if you need to reposition it anyways. Sentry Busters also provide your Medic with free Ubersaw swings if your teammates happen to slow it down.


Your Primary should be the Rescue Ranger. The Pomson and Frontier Jusice are viable alternatives, but generally, the Rescue Ranger is the best choice.

The Wrangler allows you to buff your Sentry's DPS slightly, but also means you must aim it manually. This is useful for targetting Tanks and Quick-Fix Medics if you're worried about other enemies getting in the way.

Your Wrench of choice should be either the Jag or the Stock. I'd go Stock, as it is very balanced and repairs faster than the Jag.


Always upgrade dispenser range first. I cannot stress this enough. This will save lives. Max it out before buying anything else.

Every other PDA upgrade except for the disposable sentry is also good. Upgrading your metal capacity once allows you to build a sentry and a dispenser without needing to get a metal pack. Get one of these, and then focus on bouncing between Building Health and Sentry Firing Speed. Two-Way Teleporters are also useful.

Upgrading your Wrench's attack speed makes repairing much faster, and upgrading your Rescue Ranger's firing speed, reload speed, and clip size provide similar results. The Wrench supplies ammo, though, so try avoiding the Rescue Ranger in a money crunch.

Finally, resistances are good as always. You have really low health so make sure you have sufficient survivabilty. You're going to be up front, so make sure you can actually take a hit. Maxing it out isn't as necessary as the other classes. In some rare scenarios, you may never even need to touch it.

Engineer has a special canteen that instantly upgrades all active buildings to level 3, and completely skips the building animation if they are still doing it. Get as many of these as possible. They're an enormous help.

Damage: ★☆☆☆☆
Support: ★★★★☆
Skill Floor: ★★★☆☆

The prime example of support in regular gameplay, Medic has the lowest damage output on the team (unless he's using the projectile shield on a tank), but still winds up being one of your most important members. With the ability to create a shield that blocks projectiles and hitscan weapons, and to even revive dead teammates, you truly become the guardian angel on the battlefield.

However, your low damage output means self-defense is more difficult. Robots aren't like players; You can't get an Ubersaw crit and be done. This is why protecting your team (and having them protect you) is key. Additionally, you cannot give ammo like the Engineer, which is important since you eat ammo pretty fast in MvM.


Your Medigun of choice should be the Kritzkrieg. Vaccinator is okay, but this suggests your team can't stay alive and you have to waste Ubercharges to bring them back. The Kritzkrieg buffs the damage output of your best damage classes, which is important for some robots.

The Ubersaw is an obvious choice. It works particularly well against Sentry Busters, as they have no methods of attacking you when still locating a sentry. Bonus points if they get slown down by Mad Milk or other items.

The primary is a pretty difficult choice. Most people will pressure you into using the Crusader's Crossbow for long-range healing, but you can revive the dead. Don't bother with some taped-up crossbow to do your job. I would recommend the Overdose for additional speed if you need to escape with a full Ubercharge, since sometimes you will get overwhelmed. You are also able to use the Mad Milk Syringes upgrade, providing your team an alternative method of healing. Just remember that the milk only lasts for up to four seconds, and cannot slow down enemies.


Get a level one projectile shield first. You can really increase survivability with it, and it's not that expensive. If possible, upgrade to level two. It'll increase your shield's width.

Healing Mastery greatly increases your healing rate and revival speed, so give that a few buffs ASAP.

Max out Canteen Specialist before buying any powerup canteens, as it'll not only make them cheaper, but more effective.

If you still can't max out Canteen Specialist but desperately need upgrades, Overheal Mastery is a good choice.

If you are dying too much, upgrade your Resistances. Remember that Medic requires situational awareness, so if you can't keep an eye out on what's killing you, you might make some bad investments.

Mad Milk Syringes on the Overdose should be done if you find yourself using it often enough. It's a really effective retreating strategy, or you can load a Giant that is firing at your Scout with some milk to heal all of your power classes at once. Make sure to tell your team when you've milked a robot.

If you still have money to spend, Movement Speed, Ubercharge Rate, and Ubercharge Duration are the perfect way to blow it.

With Canteen Specialist maxed out, go ahead and buy Ubercharge Canteens. They only cost 45 credits after buffing Canteen Specialist, and last 8 seconds instead of 5. They can also be shared with teammates you are healing, and even if you stop healing them after giving a buff, they'll keep it. It's like using an Ubercharge, but you don't even have to pocket them the entire time! And, of course, Ubercharge is a good escape plan when you need to regroup.

Damage: ★★★★★
Support: ★★★☆☆
Skill Floor: ★★★★★

Snipers are often votekicked as soon as they join. While the people who kick them may think they're doing a good thing, you'd be surprised what a good Sniper can do. They can easily outdamage anyone on the team, whilst providing good support power.

Getting a Sniper Rifle or Explosive Headshot kill as Sniper will drop money that emits red particles, which will add to your cash even if you don't pick it up. Jarate is able to be upgraded to slow down robots, giving you a convienent secondary that mimics Mad Milk and the Fan O' War. If your team doesn't need that, you can use the Bushwacka and the Clearner's Carbine to deal massive damage to tanks!


Jarate and the Bushwacka are a given, at least most of the time. As before, you can swap Jarate with the Cleaner's Carbine if you've got a good Scout but lack a Pyro.

Your Primary will either be the Hitman's Heatmaker or the Sydney Sleeper. The Hitman's Heatmaker is a direct upgrade for good snipers, and if you're playing as him in MvM, you're expected to be a good sniper. However, the Sydney Sleeper is also an excellent choice if you are using the Cleaner's Carbine, as it will still Jarate enemies (it will not slow them down, however).

Oh! How could I forget the Bazaar Bargin? Once you get a few headshot kills, this becomes a direct upgrade to Stock. No, seriously. The Hitman's Heatmaker has a bodyshot penalty, and what does the Bazaar Bargin have? A charge penalty... but only initially. Once you get a few headshot kills, you won't have to worry about the downside, and can start firing off fully-charged shots at a rapid pace!


Immediately get Explosive Headshot. You can kill entire groups of enemies in one headshot with this upgrade, so you've essentially got infinite sticky traps. Maximizing this is very effective.

Reload speed, Charge Speed, and ammo capacity are also good choices for your primary, since you'll be able to fire more shots in less time. This is especially true with the Hitman's Heatmaker, as it makes quite the pair with the Focus meter! Upgrade these however you want, since it's more dependant on your playstyle. I would recommend using auto-rescope in the advanced settings, since it makes Reload Speed far more effective.

Damage is one possible upgrade for your primary. USE IT.

With your Secondary, upgrade Jarate to slow down enemies, and try giving it lower recharge time. For the Cleaner's Carbine, you can increase the firing speed to get Crikey faster.

Upgrading your Bushwacka's firing speed allows you to deal with tanks or intruding robots faster. This is low-priority, since you want to increase the effectiveness of your primary.

For your Canteen, either use Crits or Ammo Refill. Crits eliminate the need to headshot for a short amount of time, so it's good for dealing with giants. Ammo Refill is an excellent choice if you're away from the Dispenser and have no nearby ammo packs on your perch.

Damage: ★★★☆☆
Support: ★★★★☆
Skill Floor: ★★★★★

Spy is possibly the most interesting specimen in MvM. I had previously disregarded him as the worst class in MvM... But not quite.

Spy is a pretty unexpected jack-of-all-trades. His Sapper freezes entire groups of robots in place for a good chunk of time. And with Giant robots, they won't freeze in place, but still get slown down - Even the ones who are not normally affected by the slowdown of Mad Milk (Which is every giant except Super Scouts).

In addition, since robots are fooled by your disguises, you can get a few cheeky kills and even snag money without so much as a backwards glance. You don't have a radius collection, but at least you don't have to worry about being shot, right? Just remember to stay out of sight when disguising, or else you'll fool nobody. Fire will also reveal you, so avoid Pyros.

You can also deal high amounts of damage in the blink of an eye with a Backstab. A fully upgraded Armor Penetration knife can kill any Giant in the game with 6 backstabs or less (not counting bosses!), and with a firing speed bonus, you can usually kill weaker Giants before they can turn around to respond.

Play wisely, though; The french fry is pretty flimsy and requires a lot of upgrades. You usually can't even play Spy on the first wave since there's too much to buy. If you've got the cash to blow, however, be a good Shpee and your team will thank you.

Here's a tip: When you are undisguised as a Spy, you are always the #1 focus for every surrounding robot, even more so if you're on fire or just got a backstab. This makes you an excellent choice for drawing fire. Again, just make sure you can take a hit.


With Spy, you've got a pretty lenient kit. Personally, I use full stock + Dead Ringer, as it provides a balanced playstyle that allows you to sneak around with your disguise, make a quick kill, and run away with your Dead Ringer.

If you're feeling particularly fancy, you don't have to buy a $3,000 suit to express your emotions. Try messing with some unlocks to see what you can pull off. In particular, the Kunai compliments the above playstyle, but if your disguise fails, lights out. The Ambassador is an excellent choice if you can land your shots, which is made easier by the robots' predictable paths. Try shooting from afar if you can't make it to the fight. And if you still can't aim (me_irl), use the Diamondback! It even allows you to crit tanks, buffing your normally piddly damage to them.


Resistance. Use it. Otherwise, you will die.

Movement speed is a good investment, but avoid it if you're doing fine without.

Armor Penetration is a must to deal damage to Giants. Don't feel obligated to max it out immediately as it is quite an investment, but try getting at least 2 points.

On the topic of your knife, upgrade the firing speed if you have the money, since it'll let you execute your kills more efficiently. Avoid the crits on kill, as backstabs are critical hits anyways.

On the other side of the coin, you may want to focus primarily on Sapper upgrades more than Armor Penetration. The Sapper is such a powerful support item that it can become more important than backstabs.

Revolver upgrades are extremely low-priority, but with enough cash lying around, feel free to upgrade it for a good fallback. You can upgrade it based on whatever you base your playstyle around.

Your Canteen of choice is Ubercharge. If you need to get back in the fray and your Dead Ringer isn't available, use an Uber canteen in place of it, or even get a few free Revolver shots while you're invincible.

This last section will be some other tips that you may appreciate, whether you be a newcomer or veteran.

First of all: Who to kick, and who not to kick. Votekick is a useful command to get rid of teammates that aren't contributing or are trolling, but it's often abused to kick Scouts who miss a single credit or Medics that are using the Vaccinator instead of the Kritzkrieg. So let's talk about how to use this without making yourself look like an elitist pissbag.

• Measure the contribution of your teammtes. Are they doing enough damage? Are they using the right upgrades? If they need to be revived every few seconds, you might consider giving them some pointers to up their score.
  
• Are they listening to your tips? Are they communicating? If they are not responding to you at all, you may want to consider kicking them.
  
• Is their strategy working? If it's not the meta, it can still work. Let them try something as long as it doesn't hinder your team. Sometimes, the Sydney Sleeper may be better than the Hitman's Heatmaker! If their strategy works, don't kick them. If you lose the round because of them, politely ask for them to change. If they don't listen or act like a jerk, kick them before the argument escalates.
  
• Are they abusing votekick? If so, try to see if it's possible to kick them. They may have a bunch of friends online so they have votekick "immunity", but if their votes continuously fail, you can still kick them.
  
• Don't kick someone for having 0 tours. If they listen to your directions without you having to raise your voice, they can still be a valuable teammate. Plus, you can't raise your tour count without actually playing a few. If they get votekicked every game they join, they'll never know if they can be a Two Cities veteran!
  
• If you still aren't satisfied with the people you get matched with, just get 5 friends and make your own team. Oftentimes, the best solution isn't to votekick, but rather to start from scratch.

And now for some tips that don't relate to the vote menu.

• If you're annoyed that you always have to check the scoreboard to see what robots are left until the wave ends, try typing this command in your autoexec or console. It allows you to check without having to use the scoreboard!
  cl_mvm_wave_status_visible_during_wave 1
• Speaking of robot info, look closely at the icons at the top of the screen. There are some indications of unique properties. For example, a flashing blue border indicates that the robots in question have guaranteed critical hits. (Robots cannot random crit, so this is the only way they can have crits!) In addition, a red background indicates that the robot is a giant variation.
  
• Use the Refund Upgrade button if you need to switch classes. You can't switch class mid-wave, but can in between. Refund your credits and go a class that your team may benefit from!
  
• Communication is key. Use voicechat if possible, since it takes less time than typing. If you get backstabbed by a Spy, or a Giant Medic pops uber, let your team know!

Thanks for reading this far! If you feel like I missed anything, please let me know in the comments and I may add it! I dunno, I'm pretty lazy.

Now go, protect Mann Co! I hope to see you in a tour soon!