How not to get backstabbed, a guide

[Maringue]

So as a medic, I have a lot of people trying to backstab me. Which means I've had a lot of experience avoiding being backstabbed, so I thought I might share some tips with everyone (especially since we have some really good spies who play here), not in any specific order.

1) Look up. I can't stress this enough, LOOK UP! Most good spies will drop down from a higher level to stab you, ESPECIALLY since the hitboxes for a backstab are borked when coming down from above. So if you are standing where there are parts of the map directly above you, watch your back. And this leads to #2.

2) Know where "spy loops" are in maps. What's a spy loop you ask? It's a section in the map where a spy can drop down from above (usually), backstab 1 or 2 people, cloak and run back up to the original drop down spot and start over. The section after the first cap point on Upward, where the cart goes underneath into that tunnel, is a perfect example of a spy loop.

3) Watch players running the wrong way. Sure, that pyro could just be coming back for ammo, but then why isn't he running towards the ammo pack/dispenser? And since really good spies learn to act like they are on your team, staring at them freaks them out. In my experience, if you stare at a teammate and they notice you are starring at them, THEY ARE A SPY. If a person is running the wrong way AND heading towards you (this is harder if you are a medic), they are probably a spy. I mean why on Earth would a pyro who's headed backwards run towards a solider? Yeah, it's to backstab you...

4) Know what classes spies like to disguise as. Spy, Sniper, and Pyro are the top faves, but Demo is also very popular. Most spies pick a class that belongs towards the back of your team since that's where they want to be, so if that sniper isn't scooped in when he should be, I'd give him a few rockets to make sure.

5) Look behind the cart! How many times have you seen 3 or 4 people pushing the cart and a spy walks up and backstabs most of them? Probably more times than you can remember. So then you SHOULD remember to check behind the cart, but no one ever does. 4 people on the cart pushing and looking forward? Maybe one of those people should be looking behind the cart, ESPECIALLY if you've just capped a point.

Just remember, situational awareness is important.

[Guy]

It is bad when a class has to use broken mechanics to succeed. Spy is one of those. I hate spies.

> A bad spy doesn't go for high priority targets: Like unaware good players, nearly charged medics vs low-charged medics, engies transporting buildings, or just not attacking unaware medics at all.
> Attempting to backstab a highly aware quick-fix medic with 10% uber vs that uber medic at 100% and charging at your team not turning around.
> Not sapping active level 3 teleporters.... or sapping level 1 teleporters that go no where, this basically letting an engie know there is a useless spy at spawn and warns his team.
> Spies that rely on stair stabs... I call them bonesaw food.
> Spies that rely on lag, and go for face/side stabs.
> Ones that kill me. *shakes fist*

[CR33D]

> Spies that rely on lag, and go for face/side stabs.

Please

Also another tip (coming from a spy main,) is scout is very popular in high levels of play. If you have any spies who play in Highlander, look for scouts.

[Maringue]

Oh, I totally forgot about how to avoid stair stabs! Thanks Guy.

So, if you don't have your mouse sensitivity set WAY up, your not going to be able to turn around fast enough to avoid the backstab while following a spy up a set of stairs. Here is how to really annoy a spy trying to stairstab you. Follow them to some stairs, elevation difference, ramp, whatever. Even follow them up the stairs a step or two, you need to make the bastard think you are chasing him. Then, just stop and take one step backwards and slam the point of your bonesaw into his junk. It will work every time and piss the spy off to no end.

Why? Because a stair stab depends a lot on the target of the stab running underneath the spy as he jumps over you. If you stop and take one step back, you'll usually end up with a spy standing right in front of you, ready to murder.

Also, here's why you get facestabbed. Most of the time it's actually just a delayed shoulder stab:

[Ron Swansons Stache]

It is bad when a class has to use broken mechanics to succeed. Spy is one of those. I hate spies.

> A bad spy doesn't go for high priority targets: Like unaware good players, nearly charged medics vs low-charged medics, engies transporting buildings, or just not attacking unaware medics at all.
> Attempting to backstab a highly aware quick-fix medic with 10% uber vs that uber medic at 100% and charging at your team not turning around.
> Not sapping active level 3 teleporters.... or sapping level 1 teleporters that go no where, this basically letting an engie know there is a useless spy at spawn and warns his team.
> Spies that rely on stair stabs... I call them bonesaw food.
> Spies that rely on lag, and go for face/side stabs.
> Ones that kill me. *shakes fist*

I can agree with the targeting issue, but removing any type of tele's, at least in non competitive play, is super helpful to the team. If they lay down an entrance, run out to place an exit, and suddenly their entrance is gone they have to go all the way back to spawn (or respawn) before they can get that tele back up.

[Guy]

Well, on the last point on a CP map... a blu spy doesn't need to run around sapping teleporters red engies forgot about, for points... it gives them away.

[UncleTestes]

Wait, so the reason I can jump over someone who's climbing stairs or scaling a hill, then crouch and turn around mid-jump and backstab them is because of broken mechanics? Spy was one of my favorite classes to play. Now I just feel guilty. I'd been lead to believe that took skill.

[xalde]

Here's a few more hints on how not to get backstabbed:

*Spycheck everyone, meaning shoot them a few times or until you're given proof they're real (usually by seeing them shoot their weapon).

*Pyros on the cart: the cart gives you ammo, so you should ALWAYS be shooting your flamethrower. Pyros who get stabbed while pushing the cart are sad pyros.

*Medics: you don't need to be looking at who you're healing, so always be looking around trying to spot obvious cloaks/disguises/odd behavior.

*When pushing the cart, duck and walk backwards with your back to the cart.

*After thwarting a spy's attempt at a backstab (or having a failspy try to front-stab you to death), don't go and try to melee them. Most of the time you'll end up getting side-stabbed or face-stabbed or trick-stabbed due to lag compensation and hitboxes. Just pewpew them. Smart spies usually try to stab once then go at you with the revolver if they fail.

[Maringue]

Wait, so the reason I can jump over someone who's climbing stairs or scaling a hill, then crouch and turn around mid-jump and backstab them is because of broken mechanics? Spy was one of my favorite classes to play. Now I just feel guilty. I'd been lead to believe that took skill.

Stair stabbing doesn't have any broken mechanics to it. However, if you end up standing on top of the person trying to backstab, that's when the mechanics are broken since the back and front hitboxes get really confused from the top down.

And the crusaders crossbow is great for spychecking. It's one of the few weapons that will instantly tell you if someone is a spy or not. If you hit a teammate, they get health AND the arrow doesn't make a "I just hit someone" noise. When you hit a spy, they don't get health and it makes a noise when it hits them even if they are cloaked or disguised.

And if you see someone dropping down from anywhere, spycheck them. That guy dropping down from above near you has about a 75% chance of being a spy.

And I melee the shit out of spies, but that's because I have tons of practice and the crossbow is nearly useless at close range.