Class:Demoman
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One of the more challenging classes, the Demoman is for the player who likes to pack the firepower and use the terrain of a level to his advantage. As his name implies, the Demoman excels in demolishing things. He packs the most firepower in the game with a Grenade Launcher, Pipe Launcher, MIRV Grenades, and a Detpack. Each of these weapons has lots of explosive power and thus the Demoman can create seemingly endless amounts of spam with them. The trade-off is the lack of serious armor and that the weapons themselves are a challenge to use. Instinctive aiming is thrown out the window because of the Demoman's arcing projectile weapons. The aspiring Demoman must learn how and where to use each of his weapons, lead his targets, and gain a deep understanding of the game's physics. The Demoman's primary weapon is his grenade/pipe launcher, which has two separate fire modes: timed detonation (blues) and remote detonation (pipes). The two types take up separate weapon slots and each has its own time and place to be used. The remote detonation pipe bombs make the Demoman an excellent area control specialist. He can completely cut off attack routes in his base and funnel the enemy offense straight into the waiting hands of the rest of his team. Although he is primarily a defensive class, the Demoman can excel in a heavy offense role as well. Even though his health and armor are mediocre, the sheer power of his weaponry push the Demoman into the "heavy" category of offense. He's ideal for punching holes in a strong enemy defense where the lighter classes simply just won't do. The Demoman is a challenging class, but the rewards of mastering it exceed most of the other classes. There is almost limitless potential for combos and creative use of game physics to destroy your enemies. Basic Strategy
Special Abilities
Weapons
CrowbarThe standard-issue crowbar for every class. It does some damage, but not enough to make a difference in a battle against a full-health opponent. It's a good humiliation tool for someone who is about to die, however.
ShotgunThe shotgun is a last resort-type weapon. It makes a decent backup weapon when you run out of ammo and grenades. Use it against opponents that you know you won't be able to hit with your blue grenades and pipebombs.
Grenade LauncherThe Demoman's default weapon is the grenade launcher. It holds six grenades. The blue grenades this weapon launches have a hybrid timer/contact detonation system. If you score a direct hit on an opponent, they do massive amounts of damage. If the grenades don't score a direct hit, they explode a few seconds after being fired. This makes the grenade launcher an effective area control weapon. It can spam and deny the enemy a route of attack. This is arguably the most difficult weapon in the game to master; precise aim and control is needed to get consistent direct hits. This gun shares its ammo clip with the pipe launcher.
Pipe LauncherThis is an alternate fire mode of the grenade launcher. Pipe bombs are yellow instead of blue and feature a remote detonation system. You can lay up to eight of them; typically on the flag or a controllable choke point (the front door of Well is a prime example). When an enemy crosses over your pipes, right click to detonate them and destroy your foe. As an added bonus, the pipe bombs are tied to your life signs. Should you die, all currently laid pipe bombs you have will explode. If you shoot more than eight pipe bombs, the previous ones will begin to explode (starting with the first one fired). Also, pipe bombs will explode after a few minutes of inactivity. Make sure to reset your pipe bomb trap if you don't detonate it for awhile. As a final caveat, pipe bombs have a delayed detonation. There is about a second after firing where the pipe glows red and is unable to be detonated. Grenades
Frag grenadeA standard fragmentation grenade. Use this when you have run out of the more powerful MIRV grenades (below).
MIRV GrenadeThe most destructive grenade in Fortress Forever. The MIRV grenade explodes at the end of its fuse, releasing four more mini grenades which then explode too. That's 5 high-damage explosions for your enemies to avoid. Additional Strategy and TipsEffective Grenade Launcher UsageThe 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 UsagePipe 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 DemomanBy 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:
Further reading
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