Required knowledge on playing ______

[Stormcaller3801]

More advice:

Medic
Your Medigun has an excellent range given what you're doing- based on observation it's much further than people tend to think. Don't be afraid to use that range to your advantage, particularly if your buddy is being hit by anything with splash damage. Remember- you want to maintain LOS to your buddy. You don't need to see what he's shooting at. This will do wonders to extend your lifespan. Also keep in mind you don't need to heal someone to 100% to save them. If you've got a lot of people on fire and the danger's passed for the moment, just give out 50-60 health to before moving on to the next person. Once everyone's guaranteed to live past the duration of the flames, then you can worry about topping them off. Finally, don't camp the Dispenser. Yes, the Sentry Gun makes you feel nice and safe. But you're redundant if you're standing there.

Pyro
If you have the flamethrower and a burning buddy doesn't see you, alert him to your presence, preferably with voicechat (so he can understand you). Pyros are masters of disruption, but you can also mitigate it by getting your allies to stop running around like chickens with their heads cut off by putting out the fire. People tend to look for health in a more orderly and dangerous fashion when they're not burning to death.

Demoman
Only advice I have to offer: pay attention to the big guns. Heavies, level 3 Sentry Guns, and on occasion other people will convince enemies to try popping in and out of cover to take them down with minimal damage. Use this to your advantage: lob a couple grenades into their hidey hole so they have to choose between getting shot or blown up. Similarly, you can work in tandem with allies who have a high rate of fire weapon to make people duck and cover. Then fill that cover with explosions. Either lob grenades in, or if your friends are particularly good at herding, have some unobtrusive stickies waiting.

[EuroVen]

Required knowledge on playing "TEAM"

For all you damn pubs out there, stop -lone wolfing- I wish I can express this more! Why do you think teams are steam rolled, it's not by skill it is by you dumbasses trying to complete everything by yourself. This concept goes to everything, and really look at what Steam showed on the blog about competitive playing, a group of people make the Scout a helper, not a loner! Read it and memorize it! "Oh why do I keep dying by everyone?!" CAUSE YOU ARE RUNNING INTO A GROUP OF PLAYERS WHO ARE TOGETHER! Why is it so difficult to get the intel that is right near the base? THE TEAM STAYS TOGETHER TO PREVENT IT FROM MOVING! While the other part of the team generally about 2-3 players go after their intel due to the other team WANTING to cap it, so it provides a distraction. They at least, HAVE A BRAIN. Think, before acting; before diving head first into a group.

[MaskedJackal]

[Stormcaller3801]

Sniper
If you are attempting to snipe from a location and you get shot, move. If you can get off your shot immediately, great. But move away from where you are. It doesn't do any good to try and weather a bunch of incoming fire in the hopes that you'll have something to hit before you die. I just watched via deathcam as a Sniper attempted to get a shot, was arrowed, stayed in place, got shot again, still stayed where he was, and got killed. He never got a shot off. Learn from his errors.

Spy
Do not disguise yourself in sight of an enemy. If you are killed by an enemy while wearing a certain disguise, change to a different disguise. Also consider what you may be doing wrong. For instance, if you are disguised as a BLU Engineer and are killed by a suspicious person while taking a certain route, do not disguise yourself as a BLU Engineer and take that route again. You will be shot. Repeatedly. Also, if you see a member of the other team, act like you trust them. Do not immediately back away and start doing the rocket-dodging dance while aiming your gun at them. It defeats the entire point of disguising yourself as a member of the other team.

[Ayeaka]

To add to spy;

a large part of spy lies in mindgames.

Does your enemy act suspicious of you? Act suspicious to. If they start looking back at you, act confused, or turn to look. This works wonderfully as pyro--wandering off a distance in the area they were turning to look, before resuming your path.

It doesn't ALWAYS work, of course, as players are suspicious and like to unload all of their ammo into someone before deeming them 'safe", but it works at times.

Also, don't freak out if you get shot. If you're convinced you can quickly kill the person without drawing attention, and think you'll die if you don't, then yes, you have a revolver/ambassador. Use it.

Otherwise, try not to react to being shot. Act like you don't even notice--like you're any other member of their team.

[Stormcaller3801]

And for all that's holy, try to pay attention to team composition and who dies. If you're disguised as Bob the Soldier, and you see Bob just whacked somebody with a Wrench, stop being Bob the Soldier! And if you're disguised as Bob the Engie, avoid Engies! Chances are one of 'em is Bob. This is doubly true if Bob dies. If I just saw Bob get arrowed and you run over two seconds later looking like Bob, I'm going to be suspicious.

[Stormcaller3801]

Engies
You are not limited to building, upgrading, and repairing your own gear. If a teammate's Sentry or Teleporter or Dispenser is sapped or damaged, you can run over and hit it a few times with your wrench. You can also team up with other Engies to build things faster, as well as upgrade them faster (by virtue of you both putting metal into it at once). This is especially important if you're working with several other Engies to protect the intel or guard a choke point in a map. Furthermore, you're quite capable of teaming up with other Engies to take down a Spy who's sapping things.

I can't count the number of times I've had buildings sapped while waiting to respawn, and had other Engies not bother to take a couple whacks at it. I've also seen Engies run past a smoking Sentry to go build somewhere else, allowing the Sentry to get blown up with a few quick shots. And there are maps where a Scout can breeze past a level 1 Sentry without getting killed but a level 2 Sentry will stop them cold- and thus the amount of time between round start and getting that level 2 up is of huge importance.

Work together with other Engies and it'll benefit all of you.

[Ayeaka]

Another one for spies we're all guilty of not doing. Myself especially, when I don't bother to put effort into playing.

Don't look at your target. You have peripheral vision, use it. Half the time if you just don't look at your target, or in fact, don't make 'eye contact' with your enemy at all, you won't be noticed. Most might not pick up on that, but THAT'S what usually makes you suspicious of someone. "OH hey, that guy's... -spychecks-"

Don't make eye contact until you're literally lining up for the kill. You'll find it IMMENSELY easier to blend in. You're playing the role of the enemy team--your gaze, and 'concern' should appear to be directed at your own team.

[Stormcaller3801]

Yup. I can think of half a dozen times I've seen one of my 'teammates' running away from the enemy, with full or nearly full health, and keeping an eye on us rather than the other team. That's just asking to be turned into flambe.

[Makaze]

That your team mates are humans behind that mass of polygons and ain't perfect. Also PROTECT YOUR DAMN MEDICS ;-; the bunny gets tired of putting burn balm on his buns