Forum

Hello.

What would be best way to learn about the actual highlander gameplay? I know there are plenty of Soldier, Demo, Medic and Scout guides for the 6v6 but i would be more interested especially in classes that don’t appear in 6v6 (pyro, spy and engineer).

Is there any written guide or should i watch some replays of highlander games with commentators? And if thats the case where can i find some?

Well that is the beauty of it, no real set play on how it works…your team can make your own style up – every player from every class can contribute, make clutch plays that change the game and of course teamwork is the vital factor.

So next time your team plays, try and focus on your teams strengths and look at solving your weaknesses. Make your own style up…

No one played Highlander gamemode seriously before the highlander challenge so you won’t find any guide/casting about it at all.
Most of the 6v6 stuff can actually apply for competitives classes though (on 5cp maps like cp_freight which will be played in the challenge). So you might want to read 6v6 guides.

From my experience I’d say most classes have more than one way of playing in Highlander. A few things I’ve noted from the highlander games I’ve played:

Spy
A spy’s objective depends a lot on your style and what clock you prefer. Dead Ringer’s a great watch for harassing the enemy team, however, it’s not all that great for picking key classes like medic and heavy. That’s what the normal invisible watch is great at. Getting close to that combo unseen and uncloaking behind a corner or something to avoid being heard, then jump in and get the medic. Although the effectiveness of a spy highly depends on how good the opponent team is at dealing with it. Working with your team as a spy is more important than one might think. It’s a lot harder to deal with spies if someone is catching your attention on the other side, like general spam or a scout running in to shoot you. Communication is key to be successful as a spy against better teams.

Pyro
The pyro should in my opinion focus on defending (may it be the engineer and his buildings or the medic combo). Normal flame-thrower is a given for that kind of play, being able to blow away spam and extinguish burning team mates. Homewrecker is a great way of dealing with annoying spies. If your base gets sapped, identify the spy with fire, blow him away if needed and then start destroying sappers while the engi and/or someone else finishes of the spy. Also, using über on a pyro is great when defending, as it can effectively destroy the opposing über by airblasting away the key classes.

Heavy
He’s pretty much designed to be a pocket to the medic. Especially since the sandvich is extremely useful at keeping the medic alive. Something I’d suggest every heavy to use. And due to the heavy being a great pocket it lets the soldier use his mobility to roam, which is great.

Engineer
When defending he’ll most often be the last line of defence, giving his team a place to back off to and heal up. Wrangler is something engineers should use in my opinion, although then it could be good to have the pyro nearby as engineers with wranglers are quite easy marks for spies. Same could go for snipers, although they’re harder to deal with unless your own sniper is good at dealing with the enemy sniper.

When attacking I’d say it depends a bit on your style as engineer. Mini-sentries are great at helping your team with pushes, and usually makes it a bit more fun playing engineer. However, having something to fall back to (a level 3 sentry) is also very welcome when attacking, so the defending team can’t push you back too far. Teleports are very important when attacking, to avoid losing valuable time just running to the front line. A level 1 dispenser should be available at all times as well, to make it possible for your team to spam without having to worry ’bout ammo (and to be able to keep the ammo packs to yourself).

For 5cp maps as engineer I’d say similar thinking can be applied. Either go offensive with mini-sentries to help your team push, or put up level three sentries to give your team something to fall back to. Although I’d generally suggest normal sentries if you get pushed back to the last point.

Sniper
Main objective is to keep the enemy sniper from killing your team. Important to get a hand of the skill of the enemy sniper. If you feel like you can handle him without too much of a problem then continue taking him out whenever possible. If he’s better than you, bug your medic to keep you buffed as often as possible. If he’s an insane sniper (Digital :( ) then have the spy and possible scout harass him as often as possible. Could also have the soldier jump on him at times. When the sniper’s not within visible range then go for key classes, such as medic, demo, heavy and possible engineer (to give your team the ability to spam the sentry down with ease).

Although like stated by other people, Highlander’s pretty new and finding out new things can easily be done, so think of these things as tips and don’t be afraid to experiment and trying out new things. Ladder is a great place at practising for the upcoming tournament.

EDIT: Added “headlines” to make it easier to locate different sections.

One of the best tips in my opinion is to try and play some 6v6 practice matches. You’ll learn a lot about the importance of spawn mechanics (when do I have an advantage, when do I push), uber mechanics (learning about uber advantage and utilizing uber as the core of your pushes) and teamwork (you are dependant on your team, and your team depends on you).