Team Fortress 2 has been around for more than a decade. Still, the game is growing, as numbers have recently shown. So, should you download the game once again, or is it a waste of your time and hard drive space?
Let’s find out.
Review: What Is Team Fortress 2? Is It Worth It In 2021?
Team Fortress 2 (commonly known as TF2) is a multiplayer FPS that was released by Valve back in 2007. TF2 is the predecessor to Valve’s famed Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO), which was released five years later.
TF2 was originally part of The Orange Box bundle, which was released for Windows and Xbox 360 in October 2007. The same bundle was released two months later for Playstation 3.
But, only a few months after this release, Valve released a Team Fortress 2 standalone version for Windows, which was later ported to Mac OS in 2010 and Linux in 2013.
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Team Fortress 2 Trailer
| Pros |
Cons |
| Free-to-Play |
Lackluster graphics |
|
Adrenaline-filled multiplayer matches |
Lack of individual progression |
| Extremely loyal and friendly community |
Microtransactions don’t affect gameplay but still play a big role in the game’s experience |
In Team Fortress 2, there are two teams (RED and BLU). You’ll be able to choose from nine different classes (Scout, Medic, Soldier, Sniper, Heavy, Demoman, Engineer, Spy, and Pyro).
Each class has its unique weapon set, along with strengths and weaknesses. Because of that, your team will need to be balanced, to counteract each others’ weaknesses. So, a full team of Heavys won’t do the trick.
You can use these classes in one of the different game modes, including Capture The Flag (CTF), Payload, Attack/Defend, and more.
Team Fortress 2 is considered the father of many modern team-based heroes FPS games, such as Overwatch and Paladins. These have improved certain areas over TF2, offering slicker graphics and smoother gameplay. But TF2 remains the go-to option for many players.
Any new players on Team Fortress 2 have a “Free” account, which limits some functions of the game. If you want to upgrade your account to “Premium”, you’ll have to either buy a copy of The Orange Box or make any purchase in its shop.
You can also activate an “Upgrade to Premium Gift”, which is sent to you by a friend. Premium players have full access to every item in the game, as well as 300 backpack slots, compared to the 50 slots that Free accounts get.
How Many People Play Team Fortress 2 in 2021 (Playerbase/count)
As we established above, Team Fortress 2 is by no means a dead game. This is very surprising, considering that it’s a 14-year game.
What’s even more surprising is the fact that Team Fortress 2 broke its peak concurrent players record recently. In late June 2021, TF2 hit an all-time peak of 150,037 concurrent players.
These numbers weren’t a one-off event. The days preceding and the days after the day of the peak saw daily peaks of 120,000-130,000 concurrent players.
So, we can safely say that in 2021 more people than ever before play Team Fortress 2.
That’s well and all, but how can you get started with TF2?
Well, you’ll first need to download the game.
How to Install/Uninstall Team Fortress 2?
Team Fortress 2 is available on Steam for Windows, Linux, and macOS. So, you’ll have to download Steam first. But most of you already have Steam installed on your PC.
So, all you have to do is launch Steam and search for “Team Fortress 2” on the Store’s search bar. Then, simply click on the game page, and after that click on “Play Game.” Choose your designated folder for the game and wait for it to download. Simple right?
If you want to uninstall Team Fortress 2, you’ll have to go to your Steam Library and find Team Fortress 2. Once you’re there, you’ll have to click on the cogwheel on the right of the page and hover over the Manage option. Simply click uninstall, and the game will be uninstalled.
Now, TF2 is a team-based game. So how do you add your friends to the game?
How to Add Friends in Team Fortress 2?
Team Fortress 2 is an extremely fun game with one of the friendliest communities… So playing alone is good but playing with friends improves the gameplay experience quite a lot.
That’s why we’ll explore three different ways to add friends if you’re looking for a group (LFG), looking for a team (LFT), or looking for a clan (LFC).
a) In-Game
There are multiple ways to add friends in-game. The main way that is used by most is through the Steam client, especially if you know your friend’s username.
Once you launch Steam, click the Friends option on the top left and then click on Add a Friend. After that, simply insert their name and add them as a friend.
If you want to add friends while you are in the actual game, you’ll have two different options.
The first option is to add them through the leaderboard. To do that, you’ll first need to enable mouse input on the scoreboard, though the advanced options menu. Once you do that, right-click on the user that you want to add as a friend and send them a friend request.
The second one is more tricky since you’ll have to use the TF2 console. Open up the console and type in status. Copy the Unique ID of the user you want to add as a friend and then paste it on either Steamrep or Steamid. Then, simply add them as a friend through the Steam client.
b) Team Fortress 2 Discord Servers
While there are tons of TF2 discord servers, there are three of them which stand out. These are:
- TF2 Community: The largest TF2 discord server happens to be the best one out there. With over 20,000 members online daily, expect to find a great number of players to match up with here, as well as trustworthy people to trade with here as well.
- TF2 Chill Zone: TF2 Chill Zone is, as the name suggests, a server where you can chill and play some TF2. It’s by far the most friendly TF2 discord server we have found, so you can join and find some great players to play with.
- KritzKast: The self-proclaimed oldest TF2 discord server, KritzKast is your best bet when it comes to finding OG players.
c) G1 Community
What do the G1 and TF2 communities share?
They’re extremely friendly but competitive with each other.
Are you like that? Then, welcome. This is your place.
Team Fortress 2 Beginners Guide (Tips & Tricks)
Starting on any game can be difficult. Thankfully, Team Fortress 2 has a lot of options to help you git gud. The first and most important thing you need to do is finish the training. We know that most of you want to immediately jump into a multiplayer match, but that will most likely ruin any enthusiasm you have since most players will obliterate you.
Take the time to get a feel of how the game handles, and some of the basic features it has, like controlling your player. Once you’re done with training, you’re still not ready for matchmaking.
Play a few games with bots. This is important. You need to understand how combat works, how your movement can save you in certain situations.
And there’s no better way to do that than playing against bots at first. After that, you’ll be ready to play against real players.
Now, let’s take a look at some in-depth tricks for the 5 main classes:
Scout Tips & Tricks
If you choose to play as a scout, mobility is your key to success. If you press the spacebar while you’re airborne, you can double jump. This can save you in tons of situations by helping you dodge bullets.
You’re also your team’s best bet when it comes to capturing objectives since Scouts have a higher multiplier than any other class.
Scout is mostly a close-combat master, but if you need to pick enemies at a distance, use your pistol.
Soldier Tips & Tricks
The soldier is the first class you should try out. Easy to play with but hard to master describes this class the best. The first tip you need to know when playing as a Soldier is that you can rocket jump.
Simply aim your rocket launcher behind you and towards the ground and fire. With this trick, you can travel huge distances, allowing you to get behind the enemy team.
Another tip for Soldiers is to always keep their rocket launcher loaded. So, always have one finger on the R button, just in case.
Pyro Tips & Tricks
The Pyro is one of the most fun classes to play with. The Pyro is a close-quarter combat master, so you’ll need to stay in the frontlines with this class.
If you want to be an aggressive power who’s always pushing the enemy team back, you’ll need to study every single weapon. This way, you’ll be able to take full advantage of them, as well as find which ones suit you the best.
Pyro is also a Spy’s kryptonite. If you attack a Spy with your flamethrower, you’ll ignite them. So if someone from your team looks a bit suspicious, attack them with your flamethrower.
Demoman Tips & Tricks
Demoman wrecks havoc. Half demolition, half-man, the Demoman is an all-around class, which utilizes movement and damage to obliterate the enemy team.
As a Demoman, you’ll need to master hitting the enemies with your grenade launcher. The more direct the hit is the higher its damage.
You’ll also be able to set traps all over the map if you use the sticky launcher. These can be a game-changer when your team is defending an objective. You can also use these to launch yourself in the air and travel fast.
Heavy Tips & Tricks
Your friendly Heavy is here, and he’s got a minigun as a backup. Heavy is the frontline of the team.
So, as a Heavy, you’ll always need to be on the objective, or capturing the point. Pair up with a Medic, and the enemy team is already dead.
Also, always keep your minigun spinning when you’re approaching the enemy team. This way, once you see the first enemy, you won’t need to wait for your minigun to start charging up.
Engineer Tips & Tricks
The last class of the game is the Engineer. Many new players consider the Engineer useless. This isn’t true.
As an Engineer, you’re the secondary support of the team, along with the Medic. You should always look for ammo pickups on the ground. These are your building materials.
With these materials, you’ll be building sentry guns and teleporters. Use your sentry guns near the objective, when you’re defending, or next to the Heavy when you’re on the attack. And always keep a teleporter entry outside your base. This way, your team can travel much quicker.
Medic Tips & Tricks
As a Medic, your main objective is to heal your team. So, you should focus on that, instead of getting kills and damage.
The main (and only) tip you need to know when playing Medic is that you need to prioritize which class to heal first. A common strategy is to rush along with Heavy. But, that’s inefficient when the rest of your team is 1 HP.
Sniper Tips & Tricks
The Sniper is one of the most used classes in the game. As a Sniper, you need to focus on getting those kills from a distance.
You need to almost always aim for the head, and do a hard scope. A hard scope is when you stay scoped in for a long time. This allows your weapon to charge. And, getting a headshot will result in a critical hit, which might kill the enemy with just one shot.
If you don’t want to use snipers, you can always opt for a bow.
Spy Tips & Tricks
The spy is the most unique and rage-inducing class in the game. If you can master this class, you’ll see the enemy team rage quitting all the time.
As a spy, you need to always target the enemy Medic. If the enemy team doesn’t have the support of the Medic, they become extremely vulnerable.
Also, when you disguise yourself into one class, you gain its characteristics. So if you disguise yourself as a Scout, you will be as quick as one.
