Health: 125
Type: Defense
Description: Engineers build sentry guns and other various buildings to help defend and aid the team. Engineers can also be used offensively, making small outposts with teleporters to bring your team to the action faster.
Primary Weapon: Shotgun (Max Ammo: 32, Clip: 6, reloaded one at a time)
Engineers are not an offensive class, so their weapons are treated as such. The shotgun gives you a chance to defend yourself, but if you're going 1 on 1 against an offensive class like a Soldier you will likely die.
Secondary Weapon: Pistol (Max Ammo: 200, Clip: 12)
The engineer's pistol is useful for picking off enemies at a distance. The pistol will not do much damage, but you are almost guaranteed never to run out of ammunition.
Melee Weapon: Wrench
Not only is this your melee weapon, but it is the tool you will use to build, repair, and upgrade your buildings.
Buildings
Engineers can build things by using metal. Engineers start with 200 metal, but use some as they repair or build things. You can replenish your metal by using the resupply, picking up fallen weapons, picking up ammo packs, or by using a Dispenser. Your "4th weapon" is your building options. The "5th weapon" gives you the options to destroy any building you created just in case you want to move it. When you start building an object you do not have to stay there with the building, it will automatically assemble itself.
- Sentry Gun
Cost: 130 Metal
Upgrade Cost: 200 Metal per level
A sentry gun will fire at any enemy within range. When you build a sentry gun it will start out as a Level 1 gun. You can hit your sentry gun with your wrench to give it metal. When you give it enough metal it will upgrade to a Level 2 sentry gun with more guns attached to it. When you upgrade the gun to Level 3, it will have rocket launchers attached to it. You can also help other engineers upgrade their sentries to make the process go faster.
- Dispenser
Cost: 100 Metal
A dispenser will slowly recover allies, replenish ammo, and supply you and other friendly engineers with metal. When a dispenser is done building it will initially have 25 metal stored in it. The dispenser will create 40 more metal about every 6-8 seconds.
- Teleporter Entrance and Exit
Cost: 125 Metal each
A teleporter will help move your allies to the action faster. Typically you will want the Entrance to be where your allies spawn, and you want the Exit closer to the action, but in a safe spot. After a teleporter has been used it will take about 10 seconds for it to recharge to be usable again.
The Spy
As an Engineer, your biggest nemesis will be an enemy Spy. Spies can disguise themselves as one of your allies. Your sentry gun will not fire at a disguised or cloaked spy. In addition to bypassing your sentry guns, spies can place sappers on your buildings to disable and eventually destroy them. Placing a sapper does not remove the disguise of a spy, so be on the look out. To remove a sapper, hit it with your wrench twice. However, the spy can immediately place another sapper back on your building. Typically you will want to kill the spy first so he can't re-sap your buildings.
Using the Engineer
Engineers are great for defending your base. Placing your sentry gun is all about a good location. A good location can keep an area well defended. You generally want to keep your Dispensers near your sentry guns to replenish your metal quickly when your sentry is under fire. If you have your sentry gun completely upgraded you should help out other engineers get their sentry guns up to full power. Getting a defense up quickly will prevent early game rushes. Instead of just defending your base your can choose to make a small outpost somewhere along the map. Outposts generally include having a teleporter exit and a Sentry Gun to defend it. Outposts can also server a defense point, just not directly in your base.
Defeating the Engineer
Spies can take out an engineer if you are skilled enough. Sapping their sentry followed by a backstab can easily take care of them. However, one spy is unlikely able to take out multiple engineers and sentries together. Demoman, Pyro, and Soldier along with a medic's ubercharge can easily take out a sentry. A Heavy can also take out a sentry as well, but not from long range. In sudden death, an engineer's buildings are immediately destroyed if the engineer dies.