Class:Demoman/Strategy
Effective Grenade Launcher Usage
The blue grenade launcher is arguably the most difficult weapon to master. It is effective at spamming choke points (especially when coupled with your powerful grenades); but its true power lies in direct hits and being a compliment to your pipe bombs. In order to get direct hits consistently, you must learn to lead targets in all variety of situations and get a feel for the launcher's arc. This is something that comes only through experience. Getting direct hits means you don't have to detonate your valuable pipe bombs and you don't have to waste grenades (although they tend to be a good friend of the blue grenade launcher).
The other important use of the blue grenade launcher is being a compliment to your pipe bombs. This can mean two things, depending on if you're playing offense or defense. On defense, launch blues into your pipe bomb trap and into places you think an enemy will be coming from. They serve as a deterrent and an extra "set" of pipe bombs. Sometimes the blues will kill an enemy walking over your pipe trap and detonation will not even be necessary. Also use it as your main weapon once you've laid your pipe trap. Even though the shotgun is easier to aim, the grenade launcher does far more damage and is more effective in normal situations.
On offense, you can mix blue grenades with your pipe bombs. As you become more skilled, you will be able to use blues to bounce enemies into pipe bombs you have lying around (or even do midair blue grenade shots!). The blue grenades also create an important element of chaos that you can exploit. Often times, enemies are not paying attention to what goes on outside of their field of vision in the heat of battle. Use this to your advantage.
Effective Pipe Bomb Usage
Pipe bombs are probably the most important part of the Demoman's arsenal. Since you control when they explode, they are the weapon of choice for both offense and defense. They have a detonation delay, but this is of little consequence once you know how pipe bombs interact with the game world. When you fire a pipe, there's about a second before you can actually detonate it (the pipe glows red during this time). Be creative with your pipe bombs. Bounce them off walls, floors, ceilings, and people. This will shorten the effective distance needed for detonation and will allow you to deal with close range threats much easier.
On offense, it is recommended that you use pipe bombs as your main method of attack. You don't have to worry about trying to get direct hits and the remote detonation guarantees a hit on your enemy much more than blue grenades do. Fire the pipe bombs in clusters of one or two, combined with primed grenades, in order to obliterate the enemy defense. As an alternative strategy, lay quick pipe bomb traps (three or four usually does the trick) around corners and lure enemies into them. It is an effective tactic that many don't expect. As you get more advanced, you can even use blues and grenades to bounce people into these traps and instantly destroy them.
On defense, the pipe bomb launcher's obvious use is to lay traps on the flag or other important areas. The concept is simple: wait for someone to step over the trap and then blow them up. In actuality, of course, this is much harder than it sounds--especially if the enemy offense is quick and relentless. You should always lay your pipe bombs in a spread-out radius around your target (usually the flag). This helps account for delay in reaction time. Unless you're specifically trying to lure enemies into the trap, don't worry about hiding pipe bombs. They cannot be moved via explosions or other physics objects (though EMPs can detonate them). The most important parts about using pipe bombs on defense are timing and recovery (covered below in The Defensive Demoman).
The final thing to note about pipe bombs is that they can be used to jump to great heights. A single pipe bomb is usually sufficient for anything you will need in normal play. Lay a pipe bomb on the ground and then detonate it as you run over it and jump. If you need to cover a large amount of distance (vertical or horizontal), use two pipe bombs. Two will severely injure you; anything more will likely kill you.
The Defensive Demoman
By his nature, the Demoman is a defensive class. He's not good at dealing with long range threats and is thus safest when staying inside his own base. He excels at controlling enemy attack routes and keeping the flag where it was dropped. Lay your pipe bombs in a spread-out trap around the flag (or control point, it varies by game type. We'll use CTF as the main example here). After you've laid your trap, find a good spot to hide. Note that this does not mean cramming yourself into a dark little nook. You need to be able to move freely and quickly. It's just a good idea to not be immediately visible to the enemy since you can easily die if your blue grenade aim isn't great.
Enemy offense don't make your job easy. They'll often try to fake you out by running at the pipe trap and then turning away at the last second. This is where timing and trap layout come into play. You have to know when to detonate your trap. Too early and they'll be gone with the flag before you can even shoot another pipe bomb. Too late and your web of explosive death just killed a bunch of air molecules. Be patient with your enemy. Play their game (while harassing them with blues and grenades, of course). Watch where they move. As time goes on, they usually get more and more daring, passing closer and closer to those small explosives. When the time is right, blow the trap and watch their gibs fly all over the room.
After your trap is detonated, the second (and arguably more important) part of being a defensive Demoman comes into play. This is recovery. If you're anywhere near the flag, there should be something denying access to it at all times. Pipe bomb traps take awhile to lay; therefore you should follow up a detonation with a MIRV grenade (or a frag if you have no MIRVs). The grenade ideally explodes right as you begin laying your trap and finishes as you finish your trap. This takes care of multiple offense charging at the flag in an attempt to get it out. One will usually sacrifice themselves on the trap so the other can take the flag home safely. However, if a grenade blows the second person to pieces before they can grab the flag... Well, then it's all good right?
No One Expects the Detpack!
A dubious (and usually dangerous) strategy is to make use of your detpack in more ways than just blowing up walls on certain maps. If you have time while on offense, try dropping one down pits such as the Crossover2 pit or the pit on Congestus. Often times, this will result in you getting a few kills from the explosion. Use the 5 second detonation. On defense, again if you have time, lay a 10 second detpack somewhere near your pipe trap. This will also often result in enemy offense being killed by it.
The downsides of this strategy are numerous:
- If friendly fire is on, expect a lot of collateral damage (team kills). Your team probably won't like being blown up. Don't do this on friendly fire servers.
- It takes awhile to lay a detpack. Make sure you're safe and have your pipe trap laid (if on defense). You can still detonate pipe bombs while a detpack is being set.
- You only get one detpack per life. If you don't kill anything with it, it was a waste.
- You can be blown up by your own detpack, be careful of where you stand. A GENERAL rule is that if you can't see the detpack, it can't blow you up.
