Best Team Fortress 2 Builds

Best Team Fortress 2 Builds for Every Class

Picking the right Team Fortress 2 builds can transform how you play. Every class has a stock loadout that works well, but the right combination of primary, secondary, and melee weapons unlocks new playstyles and shores up weaknesses. Below you will find the strongest loadouts for all nine classes, covering both casual pub play and competitive formats.

Table of Contents

• Scout Builds
• Soldier Builds
• Pyro Builds
• Demoman Builds
• Heavy Builds
• Engineer Builds
• Medic Builds
• Sniper Builds
• Spy Builds

Scout Builds

Scout thrives on speed and burst damage. Your job is to flank, pick off damaged targets, and control the objective.

Standard Build: Scattergun + Pistol + Boston Basher. The Scattergun is the best primary in Scout's arsenal. Two clean meatshots kill any light class. The Pistol finishes off fleeing enemies at range. The Boston Basher lets you build Uber for your Medic by hitting yourself, which is essential in competitive play.

Casual Build: Scattergun + Mad Milk + Wrap Assassin. Mad Milk provides survivability by healing you for 60% of damage dealt to soaked enemies. The Wrap Assassin's ornament bauble gives you free chip damage from a distance. This loadout keeps you alive longer when there is no Medic on your team.

Soldier Builds

Soldier has two dominant playstyles: Gunboats roaming and Shotgun pocket.

Roamer Build: Rocket Launcher + Gunboats + Escape Plan. Gunboats reduce rocket jump self-damage by 60%, letting you bomb across the map to pick off Medics and Snipers. The Escape Plan gets you out when things go wrong. This is the standard competitive roamer setup.

Pocket Build: Rocket Launcher + Shotgun + Escape Plan. When you play near your Medic, the Shotgun gives you consistent close-range damage without spending rockets. You trade mobility for raw firepower. Strong in both casual and 6v6 formats.

Pyro Builds

Pyro excels at ambushing and supporting teammates through airblast.

Degreaser Combo Build: Degreaser + Flare Gun + Powerjack. The Degreaser's fast weapon switch lets you ignite enemies and instantly follow up with a Flare Gun crit for 90 damage. The Powerjack provides a speed boost for rotations. This is Pyro's highest-skill loadout.

Defensive Build: Stock Flame Thrower + Shotgun + Homewrecker. The Shotgun provides reliable damage when flames fall off. The Homewrecker removes Sappers from friendly buildings in one hit, making you Engineer's best friend. Run this on defense-heavy maps.

Demoman Builds

Demoman deals the most damage in competitive TF2. His builds center on whether you play standard Demo or go Demoknight.

Standard Demo: Grenade Launcher + Stickybomb Launcher + Pain Train. Stickies control space and deal massive area damage. The Pain Train doubles your capture rate at the cost of bullet vulnerability. This build dominates in 6v6 and Highlander.

Demoknight Build: Grenade Launcher + Chargin' Targe + Eyelander. The Targe gives fire and explosive resistance plus a charge ability. Eyelander collects heads that increase your health and speed. Fun in casual, not viable in competitive. For more details on class viability, see our tier list.

Heavy Builds

Heavy's loadout choices are straightforward because the Minigun is almost always the right pick.

Standard Build: Minigun + Sandvich + Gloves of Running Urgently (GRU). The Sandvich heals you to full or can be thrown to heal teammates. GRU lets you move faster to reach the front lines, though you take a max health penalty while active. This is the default competitive Heavy build.

Tomislav Build: Tomislav + Sandvich + GRU. The Tomislav spins up 20% faster and is silent, making it better for ambushes and reactive play. You sacrifice 20% firing speed. Strong on KOTH and other maps where engagements happen suddenly.

Engineer Builds

Engineer builds depend on whether you play offensively or defensively.

Standard Defense: Shotgun + Pistol + Wrench. The classic setup. Build your nest, maintain it with the Wrench, and use the Shotgun when enemies push past your Sentry. Reliable in every situation.

Battle Engineer: Frontier Justice + Pistol + Gunslinger. The Gunslinger replaces your Level 3 Sentry with a fast-building Mini-Sentry. You gain 25 extra HP and play aggressively. Frontier Justice stores crits when your Mini-Sentry gets kills or assists, rewarding aggressive positioning. Great on KOTH and attack.

Medic Builds

Medic's Medi Gun choice defines your team's strategy. Check the overview for more on how UberCharge works.

Standard Build: Crusader's Crossbow + Medi Gun + Ubersaw. The Crossbow heals teammates at range (75 to 150 HP per bolt depending on distance). Stock Uber gives 8 seconds of invulnerability. Ubersaw grants 25% Uber per hit. This is the meta build in all competitive formats.

Kritz Build: Crusader's Crossbow + Kritzkrieg + Ubersaw. Kritzkrieg charges 25% faster and grants guaranteed critical hits for 8 seconds. Pop it on your Demoman and watch stickies one-shot everything. Best used when you have an advantage and want to push aggressively.

Sniper Builds

Sniper loadouts revolve around which secondary keeps you alive.

Standard Build: Sniper Rifle + Jarate + Bushwacka. Jarate soaks enemies in a mini-crit coating. The Bushwacka guarantees crits on Jarate-soaked targets, giving you a panic melee option. This build is strong in casual and Highlander.

Competitive Build: Sniper Rifle + SMG + Kukri. The SMG provides consistent close-range damage for self-defense. Stock Kukri has no downsides. Clean and reliable when you trust your aim.

Spy Builds

Spy's effectiveness depends on your watch choice and knife preference.

Standard Build: Revolver + Stock Knife + Invis Watch + Stock Sapper. The Invis Watch gives you the longest cloak duration and recharges from ammo pickups. Stock Knife has no downsides. The Revolver does solid damage when backstabs are not an option. See our tips page for advanced Spy techniques.

Dead Ringer Build: L'Etranger + Stock Knife + Dead Ringer + Stock Sapper. The Dead Ringer fakes your death and grants a brief speed boost with damage resistance. L'Etranger extends cloak duration by 40%, synergizing perfectly with the Dead Ringer's need for cloak meter. Aggressive and forgiving of mistakes.

The best TF2 build is the one that matches your role and playstyle. Start with stock weapons, learn what each class needs, and branch into unlocks once you understand the tradeoffs. For class-specific strategies, check our beginner's guide.