How to Detect Enemy Spies in Team Fortress 2

Downiani

Editor

posted on 16 years ago — updated on 1 second ago

1
views

Spy is arguably one of the most difficult classes to play in Team Fortress 2, but a skilled spy can wreak havoc upon an opposing team, often going undetected as they back stab everyone in sight. However, there are many easy ways to tell who is a spy and who isn't, which should help you prevent them from infiltrating your ranks.

Steps

Know your enemy. Spies can disguise themselves as a member of your team. Doing so gives them the name of a player on your team of the same class. For example, if a pyro on your team is named "Fireguy", and the spy disguises himself as a pyro, his name is likely to be "Fireguy". They can also become invisible for a short amount of time. They carry a revolver and a knife as weapons, and a knife attack from behind will always be fatal. A spy loses their disguise when they attack. They can place sappers on engineer buildings. These sappers disable the building and then drain their health, destroying them if not removed. Spies do not lose their disguise when placing sappers.

Know what to look for. "Teammates" with your name are certainly spies, as no two people with the same name can be on the same server at the same time. Spies disguised as medics will not have an Ubercharge meter. (360 and PS3 only!) Also, you cannot cause damage to a teammate. If you see a friendly pyro catch a "teammate" on fire, that person is a spy. You will be able to pass through teammates, but spies will be a wall. If a friendly spy is cloaked, you will see a faint outline. If a "friendly" spy appears out of thin air, he is in fact an enemy. Also, when leaving a teleport, people's feet will glow the color of their true team. A blue sniper with a red glow is a spy. (360 and PS3 only!)

Always watch your back. Spies can backstab you, and if they are good at it, they probably will. If a teammate seems a little too "chummy", shoot him.

Try to notice when "teammates" are not where they should be, or never fire. An inexperienced spy will often stay near his teammates despite being disguised as your team. This is a dead giveaway.

When in doubt, "spy check" by firing a couple of shots at them if they seem at all suspicious. However, don't go overboard with this, as is can really annoy other players.

Uncover cloaked spies. If you see a spy cloaked, immediately try to shoot where they are or run into them. Shooting them or colliding with them causes temporary malfunctions in the cloak.

Watch out for Dead Ringers! The Dead Ringer allows the Spy to fake his death and escape. Listen to the sound of a Dead Ringer decloaking to see if the Spy is actually dead.