All 9 TF2 Classes Explained: Roles, Health, and Playstyles

TF2’s nine classes are not nine variations of the same shooter. They are nine different games wearing the same engine. Understanding what each class is for — and what they cannot do — is the foundation of everything else.

This page covers each class’s role, health pool, core strength, and main weakness. Health numbers are stock values. No reskins or unlockables change them.

Offense

Scout

• Health: 125 (lowest of the melee-capable classes, but he can take a hit)
• Speed: Fastest in the game
• Weapon: Scattergun, pistol, bat

Scout captures points and flags. He is the only class fast enough to chase down other Scouts, dodge Sentry fire, and control the flanks. His double jump lets him reach places other classes cannot.

Playstyle: Circle-strafe, use cover, never stop moving. Scout dies instantly to any focused fire, so he fights at close range or not at all.

Counters: Heavies (too much health), Sentry Guns, and anyone who can aim at close range.

Weak against: Spies, because Spy can one-shot him with a backstab and Scout has no reliable way to check his back.

Soldier

• Health: 200
• Weapon: Rocket Launcher, shotgun, shovel

Soldier is the most flexible class in the game. He fights at every range, has enough health to survive a mistake, and can rocket jump to unexpected positions. He is the benchmark class — if you can play Soldier, you can learn anything.

Playstyle: Fire at feet, not chests. Rockets do splash damage, so you do not need a direct hit. Use the splash to hit enemies you cannot see.

Counters: Heavies, other Soldiers, buildings.

Weak against: Good Snipers and Spies, both of which kill him faster than he can react.

Pyro

• Health: 175
• Weapon: Flamethrower, shotgun, fire axe

Pyro is the ambush class. His flamethrower does heavy damage at close range and his airblast — the right-click burst — reflects projectiles, extinguishes burning teammates, and pushes enemies off ledges.

Playstyle: Flank, use corners, and reflect incoming rockets and grenades back at the Soldiers and Demomen firing them. Airblast costs ammo, so do not spray it.

Counters: Other Pyros (reflect battles), and any projectile class at close range.

Weak against: Snipers, Scouts, and anyone who fights at range, where the flamethrower does nothing.

Defense

Demoman

• Health: 175
• Weapon: Grenade Launcher, Stickybomb Launcher, bottle

Demoman is the demolition expert. Grenades arc and bounce, so he can hit targets behind cover. Stickybombs trap chokepoints, deny area, and enable sticky jumping for extreme mobility.

Playstyle: Spam grenades at common angles, then place stickies to cover your retreat. Demoman has the highest skill ceiling of any class — his weapons reward hundreds of hours of practice.

Counters: Engineers (stickies destroy buildings), grouped enemies, and Sentry nests.

Weak against: Scouts, who can dodge his slow projectiles and kill him before he reacts.

Heavy

• Health: 300 (highest in the game)
• Weapon: Minigun, shotgun, fists

Heavy is the wall. Spin up the minigun and he deletes anything at close range, but he moves at a crawl while firing. He is almost entirely dependent on a Medic to reach his potential.

Playstyle: Hold a corner or chokepoint with a Medic behind you. Do not push alone. Reposition between fights, because Heavy takes twelve seconds of focus fire to kill but only two seconds to walk into a bad spot.

Counters: Everyone at close range.

Weak against: Snipers (charged headshots), Spies, and long-range Soldiers who out-range the minigun.

Engineer

• Health: 125
• Weapon: Shotgun, pistol, wrench (plus buildable Sentry Gun, Dispenser, and Teleporters)

Engineer turns map control into artillery. A level 3 Sentry with a Wrench in hand holds a point against most pushes. The Dispenser heals and resupplies the whole team. Teleporters move the front line instantly.

Playstyle: Pick a defensive spot with sightlines, build, upgrade, and maintain. Move buildings forward as your team pushes.

Counters: Anyone attacking his nest without a plan.

Weak against: Demomen, ÜberCharged pushes, and Spies who sap his buildings.

Support

Medic

• Health: 125
• Weapon: Medi Gun, Syringe Gun, Bonesaw

Medic is the most important class in the game. Healing a good player makes them nearly unkillable, and the ÜberCharge — an invulnerability burst — wins otherwise impossible fights. Medics decide more rounds than damage classes.

Playstyle: Stay behind your pocket, use cover, and pop Über when the fight starts, not when you panic. Learn to prioritize who to heal.

Counters: Nobody directly, but Medic is hunted by everyone.

Weak against: Spies and anyone who flanks behind your lines.

Sniper

• Health: 125
• Weapon: Sniper Rifle, SMG, Kukri

Sniper controls sightlines. A charged headshot kills any class except a Heavy at full health. Scoped, he is slow and vulnerable. Unscoped, he is nearly helpless.

Playstyle: Find an angle with cover, shoot, move. Do not stand in the open for two consecutive shots. Learn to quickscope and no-scope as advanced skills later.

Counters: Heavies, standing still, and anyone at range.

Weak against: Spies, who can backstab him while he is scoped, and Scouts who close the distance.

Spy

• Health: 125
• Weapon: Revolver, Butterfly Knife, Disguise Kit, Sapper, Invis Watch

Spy infiltrates. He disguises as an enemy, cloaks, saps buildings, and backstabs for instant kills. Effective Spy play is a performance — you have to act natural around players actively hunting you.

Playstyle: Pick a flank route, decloak behind the enemy, and hit one target. Do not fight. A Spy who trades with anyone has already failed.

Counters: Buildings, Medics, and unaware Snipers.

Weak against: Pyros, who spotcloak and burn him, and anyone who checks their surroundings.

The counter triangle

The classes form a rough loop:

• Heavy beats most classes at close range, but loses to Sniper at long range.
• Sniper loses to Scout and Spy, who reach him before he can turn.
• Scout and Spy lose to Pyro, who punishes their close-range aggression.

Memorize this loop. When your team is losing, the answer is usually a class that breaks the loop somewhere — and the fastest way to find it is to ask what killed you.