Team Fortress 2/cp dustbowl

Dustbowl is a popular attack/defend CP map with multiple stages.

Stage 1 Strategies
The first stage takes a path along a ravine, travels through some short tunnels, until a small building. Most deaths in this section occur on the left exit from the blue base, on the first capture point, and on the route to the second point from Blue's forward base.

BLU
This is the easiest stage for BLU to attack. The 1st point usually falls very quickly; the second point is the major holdup.

On the first capture point, the left exit is the most popular but results in a heavy engagement. At the second point, the combat is heavy and can go either way; however, blue usually sets up a forward base that gives dangerously close access to the capture point.

Scout
As in all other stages in Dustbowl, BLU Scouts are generally useless to start off with due to the large amount of initial sentries. Going Medic, Heavy, or Soldier would almost always benefit your team much more. However, if all of RED's sentries are down, switching to Scout can get you into the first point quickly, and if your team is with you, you can cap before RED has a chance to recover.

The most useful thing a BLU scout can do is head to the 2nd point before the 1st one is capped and wait there. Once the first point is capped, the scout can often capture the point before RED can pull back. Keep in mind that this will not always work. RED engineers often set up and the 2nd point at the beginning of the map, and if any RED member trekking back to the front lines spots you, you'll likely die.

Generally, a BLU team can do without scouts on this stage.

Soldier
The area around the first point is wide open, and therefore rockets don't work very well. However, often times RED Engineers will build their sentries next to the window in the cap point building or behind the same building, and these sentries can be extremely tough for other classes to take out. In this case, spawn as Soldier and barrage the buildings with rockets. Competent Engineers should be able to save their sentries, but you'll probably get other structures and/or provide help to teammates also trying to take the sentry out.

The second point is in a much more confined area; Soldiers generally do not fare very well, and probably work best when supporting ubers or cleaning up enemy remnants on the point after one.

Pyro
Because of the sentry-centric nature of dustbowl, Pyros are usually designated ubercharge recipients. They're good for ubering right out of the gate and when clearing the cap points. Between these moments, Pyros should cause distraction and of course spycheck. It's very helpful for Engineers to have a Pyro standing guard while the frontline buildings go up (especially in the left-side tunnel).

Loadout-wise, the flare gun is mostly useless due to the abundance of medics. The axtinguisher is, as usual, the best choice; The backburner and flamethrower are both equally viable here. The backburner can help you kill faster during ubers, and the regular flamethrower can be useful if you need to push stickies away before the uber ends or stall enemies from stepping on the point while your team tries to capture.

In the end, the Pyro is mostly optional on this stage. It's still good to have one, though.

Demoman
Perhaps the most crucial class to have on this stage. Obviously, sentry farms are cleared most easily with Demoman ubers; even non-ubered Demomen can effectively destroy buildings in most locations near the first point with careful use of sticky bombs. Just watch out for Snipers and Spies who will often nail you while you try to destroy these.

The second point can be harder to take, even with ubered Demomen. This is because the sentries are usually built in the corner next to the building, and getting there can take half the uber (and it's possible to be blown away into the sky if either party jumps off the ledge area instead of going down the stairs). If the enemy Engineers build their stuff in visible locations, use the stickies' arcing trajectory to try and take them out from above; if not, you're probably better off waiting for an uber or just taking out stray enemies with the grenade launcher.

Heavy
Another staple class for ubercharges, Heavies do well on this map as any other. The biggest danger on this stage lie in Snipers; on both points, there are convenient sniper spots (the tunnels on cap 1, roof of the RED spawn on cap 2) on both caps where good players will headshot you left and right. Try to hug any walls or rocks you come across to make yourself less vulnerable. When ubered to take cap 1, the sentries will usually be on the upper level of the house; climb the stairs as you fire, maximizing your damage output by getting closer to the target. Even two sentry guns should go down relatively quickly, due to the proximity they must be built in with relation to each other.

Sandvich users will be able to make good use of their edible device in the right-side mines; RED Pyros like to perform flanking attacks through here, and if you meet/dispatch any you'll need some quick health in addition to the medium health pack provided downstairs.

Engineer
BLU Engineers are mostly worthless until the 1st point is capped. Take a look at your team and decide whether or not you're likely to cap the first point quickly. If you don't think you are, go another class until the point is capped. Once you've capped the point, the most useful thing to do is set up a teleporter that leads to the tunnel on the far left (you access it from the CP) and set up a forward base there, where your Medics can hide while they build their ubers. However, enemy Soldiers, Demomen, and Spies all have easy access to this tunnel, so watch out and be ready to rebuild. The recommended build order here is sentry, teleporter, level 2 sentry, and dispenser; from there you may upgrade in whatever order you choose. Remember to use the medium ammo pack near the one-sided doors.

A single engineer is always good to have. Any more than that is usually a waste.

Medic
As with all stages in Dustbowl, ubers are extremely important, and it is ideal to have at several Medics on the team. The most common strategy is to have one Medic deploy their uber straight out of the gate to kill any Demomen who might have the door stickied, and have another uber near the capture point to destroy any sentries that are near it. Any extra ubers can be used to either take the 2nd point quickly before RED has a chance to set up, or to help capture the first point if needed. As is usual for BLU Medics on attack/defend maps, the Kritzkrieg is not recommended—the regular ubercharge is simply much more useful.

Sniper
By far the most common strategy for BLU Snipers is to go to the far right side of the map (take the exit on that side) and snipe from there. As always, try to take out RED's Medics before they deploy their ubercharges, and watch for enemy Snipers. RED cannot enter BLU's spawn, so if you stay inside the mineshaft area you should be relatively safe. Also, RED Snipers are usually not in your range if you start from this side, so you can focus on other targets. Although this is the most effective approach to the opening round of Dustbowl, the downside to this is that RED will surely be expecting it. Still, even catching one player off guard can be worth it, so try not to let anyone spot you during setup.

When your team moves up, move up with them and start gunning for enemy Snipers. Watch the tunnels carefully, and continue to move up as your team takes the first cap. After you've taken the first capture point, you have several spots to snipe from. The most common is the first alcove upstairs (the left-side tunnel), in line of sight with the final cap. Enemy Snipers will be watching this spot, so be very careful. Sniping from the lower levels provides better cover and you're less likely to be spotted, but you also run the risk of running into Pyros. Taking out Engineers gives your team the chance to take out Sentries more easily, so don't hesitate to choose them as targets over other, usually more threatening classes.

Spy
Spies are crucial to BLU on this stage. The second cap is generally so well defended with sentries that only a Demo uber or multiple Pyro ubers can take them out, and this is where you come in. There are several useful ways to help your team:
 * 1) Go up to the RED spawn's roof and take out snipers. You'll need to cloak at the sniper alcove or the second floor of the right-side mine shaft to have enough left to get there.
 * 2) Cloak, and go to the corner behind where RED Engineers build their stuff (it's right beneath the aforementioned RED sniper deck). You most likely won't be spotted; now, backstab the Engineer while he's turned away and quicksap the sentry. Run away before RED realizes what is happening and tries to crucify you. If the Engineer is vigilant, this is more problematic; if you know your team will be launching an attack shortly (like, in the next 10 seconds), just sap the buildings like crazy to disable  them for a few precious seconds, and keep doing the sapper-wrench battle with the Engie until either you're dead or your team destroys the sentry. If you're alone and the team is not ready to attack, just abort it and go look for someone else to backstab.
 * 3) RED Medic-Pyro combos like to flank around the right mineshaft and attack the forward base in the tunnels. You can stop these if you spot them by backstabbing the Medic, but it requires some luck and timing.
 * 4) Sometimes, RED Engineers build their stuff inside the second cap point building. In this case, cloak and make your way to the Engineer, hop onto the top of the dispenser (or the stacked crates, if the Engie builds there, and either stab-and-sap or simply sap the sentry. If there's no RED around you, you should be able to take out all the buildings fairly quickly. If there are enemies around, use the few seconds of sapped sentry to stab that enemy and escape.

Scout
Scouts are... interesting choices for defense. On cap 1, you can't do much of anything, but when the battle moves to the second point, skilled Scouts can sneak by to near the BLU spawn and forward base tunnel and wreak incredible amounts of havoc. Take one of the two paths to the cap 1 area, and either go upstairs or stay outside and cause distractions. Scouts can also easily kill Demomen and Snipers while they try to take out targets at range.

Soldier
Soldiers are excellent for defense, seeing how the areas you defend are mostly confined and ripe for splash damage. With a Kritzkrieg, you can often hold the first cap for several minutes without other help (barring enemy ubers, of course). After the point is taken, rocket jump up to BLU's forward base in the tunnels and take out as many enemies and structures as possible before dying. If you do this often enough, BLU may not even be able to get a base running.

Pyro
On the first stage, Pyros are only effective when directly on the first capture point, and only if the enemy does not have ubers. On the first point, enemies come fast and hard, with out without ubers, and as such aren't viable for long term defense of the first point.

On the second stage, Pyros are good at covering tight corners, such as the exit to the forward base, or the tunnels leading up to the second point.

Regardless of combat effectiveness, Pyros are quite useful in making periodic spy checks, especially when Blue has been attacking for at least a few minutes.

Demoman
A very simple yet effective tactic for the demo involves being just outside the right (primary) BLU entrance, where the majority of players will exit. Be sure to stay behind the small building (with the ammo and health) and don't let BLU see you, or at least don't be obvious. Before the round starts, place 8 stickies outside the door, but also away from BLU's field of vision. Once a player rushes out, detonate and place more stickies out of sight. DON'T do this on top of the shed, as snipers/soldiers will always hit you.

Another strategy is defending capture point from inside the building itself. Place your stickies around the doorframe so that people coming in can't see them When an enemy walks in, detonate the stickies. If the enemy was ubered, this will likely send him flying away to the other side of the building, hopefully wasting some of the uber. If he wasn't, he'll be dead. If an engineer has placed a dispenser near the front door, you can stay there for a long time and never have to worry about ammo. Spam grenades out the door to discourage enemies.

Once the first point has been taken, there is another strategic place for stickies. There is a staircase to the right of the control point, which is hidden from view by a wall. Before BLU comes down this stairway, they will have to come through a gate that opens automatically for them. Place sticky-bombs on the sides of the inside of the stairway, and space them out so that they cover a large area. Every time the gate opens and a player starts to walk through the gate, detonate the stickies. Because this is the preferred attack route for enemy ubers, you should see a lot of traffic.

Heavy
Heavies, being a defensive class are obviously very good at defense. Though due to the wide open nature of this map and multiple pathways, they are some what limited. They usually are pushed into the role of just standing guard of Sentry Gun Farms, or on the Point itself. Though a good Heavy can wreak some havoc by popping up at unexpected times, standing back and actually defending is probably the best way to go.

Being on the defensive side of this map has one huge advantage as a heavy; there are no good sniper lanes for the attackers. This allows you to really just stand in one spot for a long time without risk of taking a headshot. Not to say that you will never come across a good sniper that will find ways, but most of the lanes are pretty open and risky to stand in.

Engineer
Engineers are the staple for defense on the map, especially on the second point.

For the first point, engineers usually cover the point with a level 3 sentry, that takes out most non-ubered opponents; this is effective for a short term defense. Engineers could potentially setup a teleporter in Blue's forward base in order to slow down expansion on that route.

On the second point, popular locations for sentry guns are:
 * Behind the silo, covering the entrance to the first point
 * Near the capture point, covering the forward-base entrance

Sniper
TODO: Add first stage

On the second point, snipers can climb on top of their entrance in order to cover both exits of Blue's forward base.

Spy
Spies aren't effective for the first point, but on the second part, they can cause havoc with teleporter entrances or with the forward base.

Stage 2 Strategies
This stage proceeds from the building, and requires captureing a radar facility. The first point is somewhat open, with a few tight spaces on the most common access point, and the second point requires traversing tight tunnels and has less room for maneuver.

Engineer
On the first stage, engineers aren't that powerful and there shouldn't be more than one on the team. They can plant an offensive Level 2 sentry gun between the shack and silo, in order to slow down the defense.

On the second point, they should start the forward base. The one-way door from this location isn't dangerously close, but it does make things harder for red.

Spy
Spies can slip past the first stage defense, but will need to avoid the crossfire in doing so. Their best approach is the tunnel on the left hand side, which is rarely traversed by enemies.

On the second stage, they can disrupt the sentry farms, which are located near the corner in front of the red point.

Pyro
Defensive Pyros, in my opinion are the best Pyros. Stand near the sentry gun farms and spy check a lot. Being on defense and a Pyro, you should almost always use the Flamethrower. If an uber comes, just blast them backwards forcing them to waste most if not all of the uber. If you are near a Sentry Gun, blasting them up in the air will cause the SG to toss them far far away. This is particularly helpful at the 2nd point, as most ubers will come from the side door or tunnel and not the stairs. If they drop down, just blast them as they fall and the SG will take care of the rest, if they come from the tunnel, just pop in and out from behind the boxes and they usually can't even get out of the tunnel.

If you don't want to do that there are many offensive ways for the Pyro to hold back the flow of attack. At the first point you can sneak around the side of the "pit" and burn people just coming out of the spawn. You can always sneak around the side of the building that you can get on the roof of. Spies tend to hide in the corner on the back so checking there often is a good idea. At the second point you can usually run down the side tunnel and behind the big building near the first point (the one with a full ammo/full health pack). This will let you get to the 1st control point and ambush people running past, or sneak to the spawn and get people there. Another good idea is just to chase people around the building in front of the 2nd point. You can get up the stairs and run either direction, and chase people, even running down the middle of the building will sometimes let you catch people off guard as they duck into the alcove above.

The Axetiguisher is almost always the melee weapon of choice. Flamethrower for defense or Backburner for offense. Shotgun is almost always better than the Flaregun on this map due to the fact there are usually abundant medics.

Demoman
One exceptional use of the demoman in this stage is in defending the tunnel area outside the last control point. (it's the tunnel with a gate outside it that is so hard to keep. Enemy engi's will build sentries inside it, and at that point it is broken only with uber's)  Once the first control point has been lost, immediately head for the tunnel to the right. Once you are inside, place 1-2 stickies inside the frame of the door, away from view of anybody who might enter. Now, place stickies in a line in the middle of the ceiling with decent spacing until 8 are dispensed. Reload and wait for enemies to enter. Once an enemy enters, detonate the stickies. This almost always kills them. Immediately reset the trap. Placing the stickies in the middle of the ceiling keeps them out of view, tempting people to run inside the tunnel. It also disperses damage very well. Be sure to place the stickies out far enough so that a running scout won't be able to escape them before you can detonate.

If you are flooded with enemies and they rush up the tunnel, get near the opening gate and put stickies around the corner-it is simple, but they must travel that distance to reach you.

This strategy works GREAT with a medic, and moreso with an Engi's dispenser/sentry. Using this tactic, me and 2-3 other have held the tunnel for 5 minutes or more several times against a constant influx of enemies.

This tactic works similarly well with the tunnel on the opposite side, but less so because enemies can approach from behind, away from the control point.

Engineer
Defending Point A is conditional, and depends on the number of Engineers on the team. With a single Engineer, it's a good idea to build your sentry where it has range and line of sight of the capture point. The most common place would be inside the capture point house on the second floor. This area is out of view from BLU team spawn and an ubered enemy will usually not be able to reach it before the uber wears off. With multiple engineers, building on top of the shed near BLU spawn is a decent option, but this will likely be BLU's first target. Building a sentry in the lower levels of the cap house is tempting but inadvisable. Rocket spam or a smart demo can take this one out a lot easier than a sentry placed on the shed roof, or especially second floor cap house. Other spots for rebuilding downed sentries or numerous engineers would include the open space a few paces back from the shed, or near the health and ammo reserves next to the one-story house in the back.

When defending the B Point, the primary place for a sentry is the left corner of the cap area, right where the health and ammo are. Getting a dispenser here is vital to the team, so try and do that as soon as possible. Metal here shouldn't be a problem because you're right next to team spawn, plus there is a small ammo box located right next to where you'll be building. Enlist the help of Pyros for spy checking when you can, and never drift from your position. An uber coming out of the top can still kill you and destroy everything with relative ease, so be wary. Having more than one Engineer to defend Point B will help this. A second sentry is best placed next to the fence on the team spawn side. It isn't as well protected and can't cover the cap but has a much greater range and vision of the field than the sentry in the corner. With two sentries going and careful attention to spy checks you should be able to hold this point until time runs out. It's one of the easiest points to hold in Dust Bowl, and RED has a huge advantage if done correctly.

Spy
Spies aren't powerful on the first defense stage. However, a spy on the second point defense that manages to sneak past enemy lines can sap the teleporter entrances to force blue to take the scenic route. They can also disrupt the forward base as desired.

Stage 3 Strategies
Point A is in front of the BLU spawn. There is a door that acts as a shortcut for RED and a building that blocks the left side of the BLU spawn. The point itself rests on an elevated platform facing the building. After that is a corridor between several buildings, zig-zagging along until the final point. There is a corridor from the entrance of a building that leads to a tunnel that opens out into the trench between the corridor and the final point. The trench surrounds the final point, and is bridged by a wooden bridge. The final point lies beneath a rocket launch pad, and is immeidately accessible for RED coming out of spawn.

Scout
Going Scout on BLU isn't the best strategy, due to the amount of Sentries you will find on this map. Nevertheless, your capture rate and ability to flank is still useful during this portion of the battle. At the start of the round, wait until all the sentries are destroyed, then get on the point and start capping it while the defenders try to recover. If your teammates can help you capture the point, then you can go and take out the defenders as they're escaping.

At the final point your role is even more limited, since there will be a ton of sentries and stickies guarding the point. The best you can do is take out defenders that intend to push you back. As soon as your Medic deploys the Ubercharge and takes down the sentries and most of the players, get on to the point and cap it before RED respawns.

Soldier
The soldier is one of two classes that can kill the interdiction after capturing the first point.

Demoman
The demoman is one of two classes that can kill the interdiction after capturing the first point. While not as powerful against other opponents in the tunnel, he has indirect fire capability that allow taking out sentries behind a corner.

Engineer
Not much use for the first point, however, they can quickly setup a forward base just outside the final leg of the second capture.

Medic
As usual, heal your teammates and deploy Ubercharges when neccesary. On the first point, hide behind the building in frint of your spawn while healing teammates around the corner.

You become much more important when fighting for the last point. As the final point is usually heavily defended and the tight corridors are common chokepoints, an Ubercharge is essential for your team to win. Build up an Ubercharge, rush at the enemy and deploy your charge as close to the point as possible. While you destroy any sentries and kill enemies on the point, have your teammates help capture the final point.

Spy
On the first point, enemy engineers will often build their sentries in a spot that makes it difficult to reach the point, but don't actually cover the point. In this case, you can cloak over to the point and cap it under the sentries' noses. Once the point is capped, respawning REDs must take the long way around to reach the point, so your team should have an easier time pushing up.

If you think your team can cap the first point on their own, you can try waiting at the second point and capping it before the RED team has time to pull back. However, this is a risky strategy, so when you get behind enemy lines you might want to simply try backstabbing.

On the second point, spies may find it easier to take the underground tunnel to red base, but could also sneak into the sniper's nest.

Engineer
Don't be the first to build on the alcove! This is a good spot but it doesn't cover the first capture point. Building on the stairs or even in the corner behind the building is MUCH better. Building on either side in line of sight with the cap will keep BLU from sneaking by and getting the time boost from a capture, which they will use to build up an uber and take out any sentries on the alcove with ease. Also, having a dispenser out and available to the team will greatly affect the outcome of your hold. Again, the alcove is a great spot for a sentry but DO NOT build there if your team only has one or two Engineer, it's just not worth it.

If it looks like the first point is going to be lost, it's time to build a teleporter exit in the tunnel leading to the first base. This allows Red to continue to interdict enemy attacks when they would normally be pushed towards the front entrance.

When the time comes to hold the final capture point in Dustbowl, building sentries is relatively straight forward. Depending on how hard BLU is pushing, Engies can build in the side building with the long hall on the right. Other than that, it's best to stay back by the capture point and build there. Your sentries will probably take a lot of heat but with multiple engineers you should do all right. As always, don't build your sentries close together. An Ubered Demo will take them all out if you do that. Build your dispenser where it has safe cover but is still in close proximity of your sentry so you can repair under fire. Help other Engies get their stuff up, check for spies, and with the help of your team you should be able to hold long enough.

Medic
As usual, always try and have AT LEAST two Medics at the start of this round. This is a really good point in the game to utilize the Kritzkrieg to it's full potential, but keep in mind Uber is still more important and at least one Medic needs to have the Medigun. That said, if you have two or more Medics, it's great to have one go Kritzkrieg. To defend the first point, the Uber Medics should wait and try and counter BLU's inevitable Uber rushes. The goal here for everyone is to try and suppress BLU, because once BLU has used up their Ubers, the other Medic can deploy the Kritzkrieg on a Heavy and take out their entire team with relative ease. The Kritzkrieg Medic should always remain in the shadows and watch for Spies, and only deploy the Kritzkrieg when most of the BLU team is out in the open. When timed just right you can take out the majority of their team assuming the Heavy avoids any Sniper fire.

After Point A is taken, Kritzkrieg is optional. Uber is much better overall for holding the final cap, and it's suggested that unless the team has multiple medics ready to deploy uber, the Kritzkrieg medic should switch to Medigun when BLU starts to make a final push.

Sniper
Snipers can appear in a sniper's nest that cover a main pathway to red base. While this nest will be attacked continuously, it provides partial cover against regular bullets but no cover from flames.

Spy
At the start of the round when the gates open, you can possibly sneak into the building outside of BLU spawn and get a few kills before they catch on to you. After that, you don't have really much to do except backstab whoever gets through your defenses, as there are very few hiding spots and enemy movement is quite limited.

If the first point is captured then you can become craftier with your playstyle. There are many small alcoves and tunnels which aren't commonly traveled, so they make good decloaking and disguising spots. The most common way for a RED Spy to get behind the enemy is through the tunnel, but beware of paranoid players who will spycheck it.