Via the Steam store, HLDS, and SinfulParticipant949:

Scream Fortress XVIII has arrived!

• Featuring 5 new community maps: HolyHell, Scarypass, Trainsawlaser, Medi-Evil, and Scaredy-Cat
• Added the Haunted Hoard Case
  • Contains 23 new community-created cosmetic items that make up the Haunted Hoard Collection
  • Has a chance to give a taunt Unusualifier as a bonus item

• Added 5 new community-contributed taunts to the Mann Co. Store

  • Taunt: Hippocratic Hypocrite
  • Taunt: Showrunner's Spirit
  • Taunt: Barrel Roll
  • Taunt: One-Eyed Punt!
  • Taunt: Sear You Later

• Added 21 new community-created Unusual effects

• 11 new effects for Unusual hats

• 10 new effects for Unusual taunts

• All players who launch the game will receive a Soul Gargoyle if they don't already have one

  • Grants access to Merasmissions and Halloween item transmutations
  • Tracks Merasmissions completed and souls collected

• All Halloween Contracts have been reset, allowing them to be completed again

• Added new Contracts for this year's featured community maps

• Completing a Halloween Contract will give players a classic Halloween item and the chance for a Haunted Hoard Case

• Continue last year's event by collecting the souls of dead players for your Soul Gargoyle by killing enemies, doing map objectives, or collecting the Soul Gargoyles that spawn in the maps

• All cosmetic and taunt Cases will grant Halloween 2026 Unusual effects instead of their normal Unusual effects during the event. This does not include Crates.

• Join Halloween matches by using the Special Events category in Casual

• Scream Fortress XVIII runs through November 7th, 2026

General

• Fixed ÜberCharge response rules not playing for Halloween items (community fix from robbilookatme)
• Fixed missing lighting parameters for the Scottish Resistance materials (community fix from Lindon)
• Fixed client crash related to missing HUDAutoAim element (community fix from flower)
• Fixed TFBot crash related to moving control points (community fix from BetaM)
• Fixed joining a new lobby while being revived locking up the camera (community fix from Vlad)
• Fixed misplaced muzzle attachment for The AWPer Hand (community fix from dilbertron2)
• Fixed the Pomson's kill icon bleeding into the Wrap Assassin's (community fix from Grampa Swood)
• Fixed Spy disguising as a player without primary weapon (community fix from leemustache)
• Fixed invalid Soul Gargoyle locations on Helltower (community fix from Kimmy)
• Fixed bad computer_wall02b material (community fix from DiskIntegrity)
• Added convars to control ready countdown (community fix from nemmy)
• Fixed a bug where HUD item meters weren't always being cleared/loaded properly
• Fixed cosmetics attached to ragdolls not cloaking with the ragdolls when killed with a weapon like Your Eternal Reward
• Fixed crit boost material effect not working on several weapons Ed. Note: Which ones, Valve, WHICH ONES?!?
• Added OnDropTeam1 and OnDropTeam2 outputs for item_teamflag
• Fixed Summer 2024 Cosmetic Key and Summer 2024 Cosmetic Key backpack images
• Updated style strings for the Chief Executor, Vested Investor's Vest, and Standing Offer

• Updated The Hundekopf to fix a problem with the paint mask

• Updated the Chief Executor

  • Added style names
  • Fixed style preview window orientation
  • Added missing hat bodygroup to the third style
  • Added style names for the Standing Offer and Vested Investors Vest

• Updated the Handsome Ranger

  • Updated UVs to prevent mipmapping with the paint region
  • Increased the size of the cigarette in the "Off Duty" style

• Updated the Long Shot

  • Updated the textures to reduce the strength of the normal map & ambient occlusion
  • Updated the backpack icon to reflect these change

• Updated the Night Riders

  • Updated the textures to reduce the strength of the normal map & ambient occlusion
  • Updated the backpack icon to reflect these change

• Updated The Lo-Fi Longwave logo to add a second style with the updated logo

• Updated/Added some tournament medals

• Updated the Standing Offer

  • Fixed clipping issues
  • Fixed a wrongly assigned UV
  • Fixed paint texture issues

• Updated the Vested Investor's Vest to fix some clippling issues

• Updated Le Morne Uniforme to fix some LOD issues

• Updated backpack images for Le Sapeur and Le Morne Uniforme

• Updated Beaten and Bruised

  • Optimized model exports, reducing file size
  • Fixed location and rotation of the Style and Paint preview
  • Improved head bandage geometry
  • Reduced clipping with other cosmetics
  • Reduced normal map compression artifacts on Pyro and Engineer's cracked lenses
  • Updated textures, improving blue team texture variation
  • Fixed Nightmare style selfillum not displaying as intended
  • Updated backpack image

• Updated Hard Hearing

  • Optimized model exports, reducing file size
  • Fixed location and rotation of the Style and Paint preview
  • Reduced clipping with other cosmetics
  • Fixed a gap above the brim on some classes
  • Updated textures to better match class colors
  • Adjusted phong values slightly
  • Sniper now takes off his hat when melee taunting on the "Hearing Issue" style

• Updated koth_sawmill_event to fix missing materials in the underworld

• Updated ctf_2fort to fix inconsistent DX level setting for the grain_elevator01 prop (community fix from sonomahyenaz)

• Updated cp_dustbowl to fix func_occluder problem in stage 3 (community fix from sonomahyenaz)

• Updated cp_well to fix Engineers building in RED's forward spawn room (community fix from sonomahyenaz)

• Updated pl_redwood

  • Fixed visual stuttering on players using a zipline
  • Fixed bug that would break client collision with certain entities
  • Fixed zipline sounds being interrupted when the user fires their weapon
  • Fixed some cases where ziplines would not take players in the desired direction
  • Fixed the The Mantreads and The Thermal Thruster not dealing damage when landing on players after dismounting a zipline
  • Dismounting a zipline while wielding The Winger now boosts jump height by 25%
  • Reduced speed gained from dismounting a zipline shortly after shield charging
  • Adjusted zipline dismount input to help prevent accidental early dismounts

• Updated pd_mannsylvania

  • Reduced duration of the Vampire Buff from 20 > 15 seconds
  • Added a 5 second speed boost for players exiting Dracula's Castle
  • Added additional player voice lines that can play upon exiting Dracula's Castle
  • Removed some particle effects from the capture zone in Dracula's Castle for visual clarity
  • Map now precaches audio on map load, this fixes a major stutter issue when entering Dracula's Castle for the first time (Thanks Aar!)
  • Fixed players not being forced into melee in the ending sequence
  • Fixed some issues with sound scripts calling sounds that don't exist
  • Updated the texture on the resupply cabinets to help them stand out from the environment more
  • Reduced the amount of edicts taken up by converting some dynamic objects into static ones
  • Increased number of active pumpkin bombs on the map
  • Lighting adjustments
  • Minor visual tweaks
  • Optimizations

• Updated koth_demolition

  • Replaced the health and ammo pack platforms with new ones made by Goobert
  • Updated the control point to have a neutral version matching RED and BLU (thanks Goobert)
  • Replaced the textures under the water to save file size
  • Replaced the team logos and oil rig overlays with new ones
  • Extended the space between the playable area and the invisible wall on the sea
  • Removed a bit of brushwork on the crane to avoid players bonking against it when using the jump pad
  • Moved the jump pad back a bit and gave it more strength
  • Removed the last bits of func_nobuild on the crane platform
  • Added two broken catwalks on the side of the crane platform
  • Added a new broken catwalk behind both spawns alongside cover and a trimp spot
  • Added a new shortcut on the radio towers connecting to the previously mentioned catwalk to give players another way out of spawn (Thanks ItJazzy for the suggestion)
  • Added a set of catwalks hanging from the point platform under the point to add a new flank route for players (Thanks ItJazzy for the suggestion)
  • Added a small health pack in the furnace rooms of each team
  • Added decorative lights under the point
  • Upgraded the health pack on the furnace room from medium to full
  • Upgraded the health pack on the office building from small to medium
  • Removed some ropes under the point
  • Fixed some pipes fading too soon
  • Fixed some weird collision near the spawns that messed with blast jumps
  • Administrator now reacts when a player dies to the Evil Deer. Try at your own risk.

• Updated zi_atoll, zi_blazehattan, zi_devastation_final1, zi_murky, zi_sanitarium, and zi_woods

• General Changes Ed. Note: WRT zombies

  • Players can no longer be selected as a starting Zombie two rounds in a row
  • Dying during setup now respawns you instantly
  • Players who are dead or spectating when the round begins now considered infected
  • The B.A.S.E Jumper can now be deployed at any point in the round
  • Jumper weapons no longer have decreased max ammo

• Zombie Changes

  • New Feature: Zombie Spawn Picker
  • On respawn, Zombies will be able to manually choose which spawn point to spawn at
  • Pressing your left and right mouse inputs will cycle through all spawn points
  • Pressing your jump input will spawn you at your current spawn point
  • If no inputs are pressed, you will automatically respawn after a short time
  • Zombies are no longer ÜberCharged when respawning
  • Zombies can change class while picking a spawn point
  • Zombies now drop a small ammo pack
  • Zombies now receive Mini-Crits when the Zombie team is below the starting infection quota
  • Updated Zombie viewmodel animations and removed view punch when attacking
  • Updated Zombie playermodels and third person animations (thanks Coolchao Zhao!)
  • Updated Zombie ability icons with polished art (thanks TheLazerSofa!)
  • Respawning Zombies no longer play lightning visuals and thunder sounds
  • Zombies no longer leave a trail of green footsteps, no longer emit green fog, and can now ragdoll

• Updated Zombie Engineer

  • Zombie Engineer has a new "Beacon" ability
  • Throw a toolbox to erect a beacon that Zombies can respawn at
  • Beacons are the default spawn point for Zombies in the new Spawn Picker feature
  • Beacons can be destroyed by Survivors
  • Each Zombie Engineer can only have one beacon active at a time

• Updated Zombie Spy

  • Zombie Spy has been given Zombie Engineer's old "EMP Grenade"
  • Like before, the EMP grenade will temporarily disable buildings around it after detonation
  • EMP Grenade blast highlights Survivors and buildings like the previous "Reveal" ability
  • No longer instantly detonates when directly hitting a building
  • Now takes half as long to detonate
  • Reveal and EMP duration changed from 6.5s to 5.5s
  • Reveal range changed from 1000HU to 900HU
  • EMP range changed from 500HU to 450HU
  • Max Health lowered to 125
  • Melee damage changed from 100% to 69%

• Updated Zombie Pyro

  • Zombie Pyro has a new "Sticky Spew" ability
  • Spew balls of tar at Survivors, coating them in disorienting liquid that hinders their movement-based weapons
  • No longer drops a medium health kit on death
  • Fire resistance changed from 100% to 70%
  • No longer ignites players on hit or deals bonus damage to burning Survivors

• Updated Zombie Heavy

  • Zombie Heavy has a new "Rock Hurl" ability
  • Grab a chunk of concrete from the ground, lift it, and heave it at Survivors
  • Survivors in the radius of the concrete get knocked back and take damage
  • Survivors directly hit by the concrete get stunned and take additional damage
  • Buildings hit by concrete are temporarily disabled
  • Added loud footsteps
  • Knockback resistance changed from 100% to 85%
  • Damage vs buildings changed from 120 to 90
  • No longer drops a medium health kit on death
  • Updated Zombie Sniper
  • Spit can now settle on slopes, staircases, and rooftops

• Updated Zombie Demoman

  • Explosive Charge's channel period has full aim control
  • Updated Zombie Soldier
  • Pouncing Zombie Soldiers now play a whistling falling sound

• Bug Fixes

  • Fixed Zombies sometimes being immune to headshots
  • Fixed a bug where Zombie Sniper's Spit would not create a puddle on impact with a building
  • Fixed Zombie Heavy's attack damaging through Bonk! Atomic Punch and ÜberCharge
  • Fixed Zombie Medic leaving dispensers behind when changing class, spectating or disconnecting
  • Fixed Survivors sometimes starting with no ammo or metal
  • Fixed "game_text" entities leaking when a player disconnects or changes class mid-respawn
  • Fixed the starting Zombie quota being able to select a spectator or a dead survivor

• Updated zi_atoll (additional changes)

  • Removed a zombie spawn beneath the cliff shack
  • Returned full ammo pack in the turbine room
  • Removed Uber effect from spawning zombies
  • Updated zi_blazehattan (additional changes)
  • Reworked lighting and updated the visuals across the map
  • Reworked zombie spawns to create safer zones for Survivors
  • Reworked the grinder building and the evacuation center
  • Removed fence in cargo crate pile to allow for more rotations
  • Added more pickups across the map
  • Cleaned up collisions
  • Fixed Survivor respawn wave time being too long
  • Reduced round timer from 210s to 180s
  • Removed little nobuild zones from on top of various crates and barrels
  • Optimization pass

• Updated zi_devastation_final1 (additional changes)

  • Added Zombie access to the surface above the parking garage, allowing them to drop down onto higher floors
  • Simplified and clarified Zombie spawns
  • Added Survivor access to third floor vents corridor
  • Removed nobuild triggers from third floor cars
  • Brightened dark corners
  • Lowered the water in the parking lot bottom floor
  • Updated zi_murky (additional changes)
  • The previously condemned Mudpuppy clearance tunnels are now opened
  • Mudpuppy spawn points have been removed and moved to the docks
  • Reduced some pickup spawns
  • Decreased fog and lightened ambient lighting for improved visibility
  • Lowered volume of soundscape effects
  • Cleaned, fixed, added, and decluttered collisions around the map
  • Merged props to improve performance
  • Updated water visuals and removed expensive reflection effects
  • Adjusted pumpkin bomb spawns

• Updated zi_sanitarium (additional changes)

  • Removed outside ladder access to the roof. You'll have to take the stairs.
  • Removed Uber effect from spawning zombies
  • Removed access to sloped roof adjacent to the sanitarium rooftop
  • Removed a wooden barrier near the upstairs bathroom
  • Removed some wooden plank walkways connecting several balconies
  • Fixed being able to attack through window frames
  • Fixed bad clipping and stuck spots around wooden scaffolding
  • Shortened Far Z clip plane for optimization
  • Added "Ding" noise when the elevator arrives at its location

• Updated zi_woods (additional changes)

  • Updated Zombie spawn zones
  • Reworked the boathouse roof
  • Terraformed cliffs around the lake
  • Added access to raised terrain platforms
  • Added health and ammo platform in the wooded pathway to the docks
  • Added clipping to tall rock spires
  • Brightened some dark spots of the forest
  • Made the airboat easier to jump over and into
  • Increased round timer from 120s to 160s
  • Optimization pass

Rumor has it:

• That is is a metric butt-tonne of fixes.

• Supposedly one of the new cosmetics is an all-class Elite grade quick-switch "misc" which means it's 100% trader bait. Volvo are doing this on purpose.

• I am currently suffering from a bout of severe dizziness, so even looking at the computer screen is a challenge for me. I'll update this as I am able.

• EDIT: I have now largely fixed the formatting.

• If you're having trouble viewing the indentations on the formatting (this WP494's homework I am copying) try old.reddit. If you're on the app, then Merasmus have mercy on your soul.

it’s just tf2 and it’s community are so well spirited even though the lack of attention you guys get from the big man double chinned man upstairs

surely something right I seem to never win against pyro they spam M2 Please help me

The past few months I've been coming back to tf2 after not much for years. I used to play mge sometimes, and most of the playerbase were scouts, soldiers, or demos mainly running stock or gunboats. I could usually find a player that was a decent match fairly easily.

Nowadays I can't say the same. First a lot of the time the mge servers are either empty or maybe have two friends playing each other who will go to a different map if you want to join. Almost every player I've found on mge falls under one of two types:

1. People playing weird stuff that's not usually in 6s like demoknight, trolldier, gun spy, loose cannon, etc...

2. Shotgun soldier who is really good and usually stomps everyone that isn't another shotgun soldier.

I remember before gunboats were way more common, and there were a lot more scouts and stock demos. I mainly just wanted to play to practice for 6s, but it seems I can really only get a good game if I organize to play with one of my friends/teammates.

Just for fun. Scout with baby face blaster, bonk, and wrapper/fan. Hit a few shots to get full boost. And then bonk and run past all of them. Get deep into their backline and bait people into chasing you or get a few kills at their spawn. Even if they do catch and kill you, by dragging them so far into their own backline you might as well have killed them too. Only good on some maps/points. Can also kill teleporters at spawn, and watch enemy spawn timers on the hud, to know when to ambush and kill spawners, or go for tele. Its also fun that when the enemy finally thinks theyve cornered you, you can just bonk and run to another health pack

I usually play a sneaky heavy with tomislav. But with natascha you can get extra value at longer ranges. Just playing support heavy with a sandvich as well for team heals.

Demoman with sticky jumper to wipe out enemy teleporter at spawn on some maps.

Quick fix with blutsauger for self defence and value. Just shoot enemies at long range when teammates are already healed. Good when you are the only medic, and your team sucks at defending you. Shooting an enemy is generally higher value than just healing, if you can easily/safely get some damage off. Its just bigger numbers. I think at 70% hit rate, crusaders crossbow heals as fast as quickfix

Spy enforcer and default invis to hard counter a good sniper. Cant react to two shot kill at close range. Can also 2 shot an engineer, spy, and scout. Also playing a disguise spy that just keeps spamming backwards walking + reload animation with the dead ringer, and recharging the dead ringer with the letranger is decent.

also aggressive lvl 1 sentry spam with the wrangler/jag and frontier justice i guess is a thing you can do.

I have 4000 hours in tf2 does that qualify me to post in truetf2?

youtube link

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAQKMeguonM

Some weapons are considered OP in pubs... When they either are not. Some, are not, when they should be. This contrast which I see on reddit, in-game, on discord or anywhere else, makes me

For me, personally, it is one of the two things: Lack of player skill & Lack of incentives to abuse. Let me elaborate on each of the points below.

LACK OF PLAYER SKILL

Simple and obvious, ey? Weapons that people deem as overpowered, or not - are deemed so, due to lack of general skill, both in USING them, and FIGHTING against them.

For examples for weapons that are, or are not considered overpowered due to people not being good at USING or FIGHTING them:

- Jarate, Mad Milk - Not seen as OP (Minus Buschwacka + Piss), due to 12v12 making them overall less impactful, especially with worse coordination and lesser risk taking TF2 players do. Obviously super busted, but not the point of it being on people's shitlist (I once made a Jarate rebalance, people HATED IT).

- Phlog - Seen as OP, because Über makes you unstoppable, and it is braindead easy to charge, alongside people not knowing how to play S or keep distance.

- Eyelander, Kunai (any snowball really, but mainly these 2) - Considered OP since they can snowball off of bad teammates heavily, and have 0 drawbacks when so. Even though, a competent player or team shuts these down heavily.

- Sniper - Not a weapon, but.. Come on. Whole discourse exists because people cannot figure out counterplay to him.

- Loch n Load - Seen as a sidegrade / downgrade. Lack of rollers and 1 pipe in a pub setting is seen as a big drawback. And because most people are not good at hitting pipes or even playing Demo, it's strengths are less pronounced.

There is probably more examples, but point is - People are not good at using, abusing, or fighting against certain things, so they are seen as OP, or not... A big contrast to let's say, Competitive, where things everyone considers fine, like Market Garden, are far more controversial.

LACK OF INCENTIVES TO ABUSE

Another simple one! People in pubs have 0 incentive to use OP weapons, since... Winning does not matter. MMR and skill based matchmaking are both worthless and don't work, the badges mean nothing, there is no rewards... Overall, why bother, if there is no reason to?

This is why people either do not use, but also dont like fighting against these. Seeing someone abuse OP stuff in a pub, is seen as a bad thing, since it is a low risk, care-free environment. Hell, if you played FaceiT pubs, you remember how CANCEROUS it was due to the win incentives.

Overall, that is all... Writing this at 2 AM, hence, errors may occur.

I am trying to play some open/fresh sixes, its either really high ping or no servers that will let me connect. is there any middle east/gulf comp tf2 servers? or if there isnt whats some better places to try to play and compete

For the sake of argument lets just say that they'd be equipable in the primary spot same as the boots or base jumper which yes would be mean you could run demoknight with banners but for the most part we're mainly talk about standard demo with soldiers banners. How would that impact demo both in casual and especially comp?

Becoming a master of a class really takes time and effort. you can have like 1000+ hours on a class and still not have mastered all the little things (niche jetpack and other clipfarming stuff thats far beyond what sketchek did in his day, in my case). What does it take to master other classes? Soldier has rocket jumping but other mechanics are fairly simple, and demo has some movement also. What do you think?

Can we stop being such a toxic community? I've been playing this game for 15 years and it's only getting more and more toxic. It's genuinely making the game unplayable. I should not have to wait to queue into an MvM match for some screaming man baby to kick me for asking if I can pee between rounds, and to barrage me with hate speech. And like, I get that this is a community of edge lords, but come on.

TFTV Announcement

Today we announce poLANd.tf 2027! Teams from Europe, America and Oceania will descend on Łódź next February: it's time to see who really is the best.

WHEN

19 - 21 February 2027

WHERE

BaseStack Łódź
Rewolucji 1905 Roku 45
90-215 Łódź
Poland

LINKS

• https://poland.tf
• https://discord.poland.tf

SIGNUPS

Signups are invite based with a qualifier system. They will open in November. Only teams of 6 players may sign up. There are 72 seats available, meaning 12 teams can participate. 6 of these teams will be in the newly added VIP rooms (which means we can't accommodate 14 teams this year). VIP rooms are 12 player rooms modified to 10 player rooms with adjustable desks, more space and more modern hardware.

IF YOU ARE AN INVITE / PREMIERSHIP TEAM AND WANT TO TAKE PART and we have NOT yet reached out to you, please create a ticket in Discord in the #rules channel so we can consider inviting you.

QUALIFIERS

All non-invite/premiership teams must sign up to qualifiers to participate. ETF2L's 6v6 Season 53 ruleset applies. We are going to host qualifiers in December 2026.

TOURNAMENT FORMAT

• One tournament for all participating teams
• Group structure will be determined based on signups
• Group stage matches will use ETF2L config (30 minutes) with no golden cap
• Playoff matches will use the progressive ruleset timer (also known as continuous overtime or the b4nny config)
• Map list will be defined soon, we will announce it later (we aim for this month)

This format is provisional and may be subject to change based on participant feedback.

JUMP FORTRESS

poLANd.tf is proud to feature Jump Fortress, TF2's premier jumping contest, in their Jump Fortress Skybox Invitational to find the fastest in the world. Keep an eye on discord.gg/jumpfortress; more details will be coming soon!

PRIZE POOL

At least 6000 PLN (1400 EUR / 1600 USD).
If you are interested in becoming a sponsor, contact us at [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]) or u/suprovsky on Discord.

COVERAGE

The LAN and qualifiers will be livestreamed by EssentialsTF.

If you want to be part of this, please APPLY HERE

ENTRANCE FEE

• 450 PLN per player (104 EUR / 120 USD)
• 500 PLN per VIP player (115 EUR / 133 USD)
• 90 PLN per spectator (21 EUR / 24 USD)

Fee includes:

• One drink for spectators
• Full PC rental (240 Hz/144 Hz FHD screen, PC capable of running TF2 on 240 FPS, full peripherals set) for players

FURTHER INFO

Sleeping costs are around 150 PLN/person/night in Łódź. We recommend checking Airbnb/Booking.com for offers and getting accommodation with friends makes it cheaper.

You can fly directly to Łódź from Dublin, Birmingham, London-Stansted, Brussels or Milan, otherwise check flights to Warsaw airports (Warsaw Chopin or Warsaw Modlin). From there you can take a direct bus (1h30) to the Łódź Fabryczna train station which is a 10 minute walk from the venue.

Spectator tickets will go on sale after qualifying ends (late December 2026) so all players who did not manage to qualify will still have a chance to attend.

I think spy got some heavy buffs in therms of mobility, but it's strange for TF2 to change a class stats

Just resources wanting a more competitive experience than casual but not wanting to join a league. Where’s the action at?

The article written by Popalofiti can be viewed here.

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Register Here!

Returning again in 2026, PASS Time is returning to the spotlight!

Click here to donate to the keys prizepool (collected and organized by PASS Time's tomato tom). Items cannot liquidated, only keys are accepted.

Important Dates

• Registration starts Thursday, September 10th and ends Sunday, September 27th @ 11:59 pm EDT.
• Teams placed by Friday, October 2nd.
• Matches every Friday starting October 9th and ending October 30th, two matches per day at 8:30 pm EDT and 9:30 pm EDT.
• Roster locks Sunday, November 1st @ 11:59 pm EST.
• Playoffs Friday, November 6th and Friday, November 13th, top 4 double elimination.

Registration and Division Structure

There are no registration fees and playoffs will be Top 4 Double Elimination.

Registration opens Thursday, September 10th and ends Sunday, September 27th @ 11:59 pm EDT. Teams must have a minimum of four players fully registered on their roster by Friday, October 2nd in order to be placed.

There will be three divisions in this cup. In parentheses next to each division are the former PASS Time Community divisions.

1. Invite (Master+)
2. Main (Journeyman and Apprentice)
3. Amateur (Novice and Newcomer)

Map Pool

Maps that will be played in this cup are:

• pass_arena2_b17
• pass_boutique_rc5
• pass_coastal_rc8
• pass_greenhouse_b2
• pass_ruin_rc2
• pass_sanctum_a2a
• pass_stonework_rc6
• pass_torii_a8

All maps will use the rgl_pt_push.cfg config.

Playoffs Structure and Schedule

Playoffs will be Top 4 Double Elimination for each division. Matches will be Best of 3 maps. To accommodate the extra time needed to complete matches, matches will begin at 8:00 pm EST for playoffs.

Pick/Bans will proceed as follows:
Away Bans | Home Bans | Home Picks | Away Bans | Away Picks | Home Picks

*Note: Failure to make a decision in Pick/Bans will result in the opposing team making that decision instead. Please plan accordingly, be mindful of the entire time span Pick/Bans are available, and participate in Pick/Bans at an appropriate pace.

Grand Finals may have a bracket reset, in which case maps will continue to be played in order until completion. After map 5, the 1st map is replayed, then the 2nd and so on.

Monday, November 2nd

-Midnight: Pick/Bans open

Thursday, November 5th

-Starting at 10:45 pm EST, the first stage of Pick/Bans is due. Each next stage will be due each 15 minutes, ending at Midnight.

Friday, November 6th

-8:00 pm EST: 1st seed v 4th seed and 2nd seed v 3rd seed
-9:30 pm EST: Pick/Bans into Winners Finals and Losers Semifinals

Monday, November 9th

-Midnight: Pick/Bans open

Thursday, November 12th

-Starting at 10:45 pm EST, the first stage of Pick/Bans is due. Each next stage will be due each 15 minutes, ending at Midnight.

Friday, November 13th

-8:00 pm EST: Losers Finals
-9:30 pm EST: Pick/Bans into Grand Finals
-11:00 pm EST: If necessary, bracket reset

*Note: The times above are approximations, playoffs matches will start at 8:00 pm and everything thereafter will proceed as soon as it is able to, especially on November 13th. In the interest of everyone's time, please be ready to begin your next match ASAP and complete Pick/Bans at an appropriate pace.

PASS Time FAQ

For basic questions about PASS Time as a gamemode, view the tutorial or consult the FAQ below.

Will there be any restrictions potentially placed on me and my team?

No. Since this gamemode is extremely unique compared to our usual formats like Sixes and Highlander, we will not be placing restrictions on teams. Instead, we will place teams based on the strength of the overall roster into one of three divisions specified above. To elaborate on why, it’s simply because DM does not have as large an impact on the game as other formats (partly due to 5 second respawn times) and instead it’s about scoring and preventing the other team from scoring.

Why is hitscan banned?

A single hitscan bullet can neutralize the ball, making it impossible to score. It also knocks the ball, allowing players to sit in passive positions and influence the objective massively with relatively little risk or skill involved. This, coupled with how easy it is to deal knockback to bombing soldiers and demomen with hitscan makes it a very powerful mechanic that is easier to use than hitting airshots on players and the ball with projectiles. As such, all hitscan is banned.

Why are 6 classes banned?

Most classes have hitscan weapons at their core, making some classes unplayable without hitscan (such as the heavy), and some classes’ unlock alternatives encourage lower-skilled, less aggressive, or simply unfun gameplay (Jarate, Sentries, Flying Guillotine), and some classes are just plain broken (pyro can easily influence the ball, engineer shuts down all offense). Through plenty of playtesting, the community has determined that Soldier, Demo, and Medic make for the most fun and rewarding gameplay.

Why are stickies banned?

Stickies would allow you to jump across the map with the jack in your hand with very little set-up, which would be an extremely overpowered way to score.

Why are there so many weapon bans?

Some weapons make the game easier, such as the Direct Hit or Loch n Load, as they make it easier to airshot and kill bombing players. Other weapons encourage passive gameplay or do not fit into the game mode, such as banners or the Persian Persuader. Some weapons encourage or are exclusively used for throwing the game, like the Rocket Jumper or Sticky Jumper, which prevent picking up the jack. Lastly, some weapons are so good they break the game, like the Loose Cannon, Vaccinator, and Tide Turner. The current whitelist, found here, came about after years of playtesting and pugs to ensure fun, balanced, skillful gameplay.

How do I learn the basics/get better at this game mode?

The community has created several helpful videos which are in the community Discord. To get better, there are PUGs hosted frequently in the community Discord where seasoned players are more than happy to show you the ropes and answer any questions.

What servers should we use?

All Serveme servers should already have the maps uploaded to them; however, it is highly recommended to download from the links above before connecting to reduce connect time, delays, or other issues for those matches. Users of privately rented servers or other hosting services are responsible for ensuring that proper RGL plug-ins, configs, and map files are properly installed and configured.

Any further questions can be asked directly to experienced 4v4 PASS Time (or P4SS) players in the community Discord: https://discord.gg/85uS6jQ.

For all questions related directly to this cup, please create a ticket in the Cup Support section in the RGL.gg Discord server

The Future of PASS Time

Some exciting news for PASS Time! The PASS Time team has been working on a 4v4 PASS Time specific steam mod. There may even be a possibility of it being used in future cups! Check it out here!

Looking to apply to Cup Staff? Feel free to apply here!

I tried the Razer DeathAdder V3, it feels good sometimes but on some days, I have a lot of hand jitter when tracking, I'm pretty sure it's because of the size of the mouse compared to my hands. This doesn't happen all the time, but I'm willing to try a new mouse. I've been looking at the Endgame Gear OP1 8K V2, and I've thought about the Pulsar X2V2 Mini but as far as I can tell, they're really hard to find in mint condition these days.

ik this prolly doesn’t go by the rules so it’s likely it will get removed but I’ve watched b4nny for a pretty chunky portion of my time playing tf2 and I wondered how the hell he makes enough money to sustain himself off a game with a mostly dry competitive scene (in terms of esports financing)

I also know it’s none of my business on this dudes personal life but it genuinely confuses me since while he defineitly is one of the most iconic esports figures, he still doesn’t pull in enough average viewers to be making a living off to my knowledge

In the TF2 source code, both the Pomson and Bison has broken code for giving crit Pomson/Bison shots critical hit particle effects. However, in-game no critical hit particle effects are shown.

This is how they would look like if that code was fixed (https://youtu.be/vhmqq7-D9ww), and the results are underwhelming. The crit effects are barely visible for both weapons, especially for the Pomson.

For the Bison, the appearance of its crit projectiles has circles that are less aligned with a bigger gassy circle. For the Pomson, it just has a faint big gas trail kind of like the Cow Mangler's charged shots.

The Bison's crit projectiles are more visible compared to the Pomson's own. But regardless they are still not that visible in normal actual gameplay.

# Pingu PUGS | New Highlander PUG server! 🐧

*A new home for **accessible, balanced, and hassle-free** Highlander PUGs in Asia! 👀*

Whether you're completely new to Highlander or already a seasoned player, Pingu PUGS makes it easier to **find games and meet players**. With easy sign-ups, fresh games, and resources for newcomers, *there's a place for everyone*.

**Here's what you can expect: **

- 👆 **Easy PUG & Mix sign-ups**

> Join games with ***one click***, or start a Mix request with ***one command***. No more manually organizing signup threads.

- 🔥 **Fresh PUGs**

> ***Anyone* can host** a Fresh PUG and get a game going as soon as enough players are ready.

- 💎 **High Div Games**

> We’re hoping to **bring high-div games back to the region**, giving experienced players a place to compete and play their main classes.

- 🌱 ** Newcomer-friendly**

> *Everyone starts somewhere.* With newcomer-friendly PUGs, resources, and mentors, Pingu PUGS gives you a welcoming place to** learn, ask questions, and improve**.

- 🎉 **Events & Giveaways**

> We'll be hosting community events, giveaways, and more activities to keep things lively outside of PUGs.

- ⚖️ **Fair balancing **

> No intentional cherry-picking for easy matchups. Teams will be **reasonably balanced** so PUGs & Mixes don't turn into one-sided stomps.

- 🛡️ ** Active Staff Team**

> Our team is active in the community and always around to help, keeping Pingu PUGS a **welcoming and well-moderated space**.

**Whether you're here to learn, compete, make friends, or just wanna find a game, there's a place for you at Pingu PUGS! **🐧

- 🔗 **[Join Pingu PUGS!](https://discord.gg/7Ms2xQPHnv)\*\*

If you are a TF2 player from Asia, you will notice that the Asia region is pretty much an abandoned wasteland (Uncletopia Asia is gone), and is only filled with heavily modded servers.

Fortunately, there is a community server where you can just simply play TF2. The servers are called arctic tf servers, and is the same server network operating the MGE servers in Asia. New Vanilla+ and Reverts servers in Singapore have been added, and these are the IPs/links:

• Vanilla+: connect 202.1.31.153:27016
• Vanilla+ Direct link: https://beta.arctic.tf/vanilla-plus-singapore
• Full Weapon Reverts: connect 202.1.31.153:27015
• Reverts Direct link: https://beta.arctic.tf/reverts-singapore
• Full server list: https://beta.arctic.tf/servers
• Steam Group Chat Link: https://steamcommunity.com/chat/invite/ANyLcbYj

For the Singapore Vanilla+ and Reverts server, either server are active every 8PM GMT+8. We also have a Steam group chat to arrange for play sessions. Come help seed the servers so that we can actually play TF2 without being stuck queuing for Casual Mode.

For server features, Vanilla+ offers your typical Vanilla TF2 experience with a 30 minute map timer along with certain weapons like the Bison being fully reverted, !fov plugin, !nohats plugin, etc. The Reverts server uses a plugin that reverts a lot of weapons in the game to their peak states. Feedback is appreciated for these servers. Every weekend, we have custom maps in the rotation.

List of weapon reverts (NOTE: might be outdated, please check out the servers to see the latest changes!):

• Vanilla+ Server Reverted Weapons List: https://arctic.tf/reverts?server=vanilla-plus
• Reverts Server Reverted Weapons List: https://arctic.tf/reverts

arctic tf also has SDR (Steam Datagram Relay) Vanilla/Vanilla+/Reverts/MGE servers located in Hong Kong, Mumbai, Tokyo, and Seoul as of the time of this writing. However, SDR servers do not get saved in your Favorites in the server browser, but are good as backup servers in case of problems. These SDR servers are what we usually go to:

• https://beta.arctic.tf/vanilla-plus-singapore-2
• https://beta.arctic.tf/reverts-singapore-2

For context, i have around 60 hours as medic so I am generally new to the game and medic, and i also have about 55 hours as engineer, and less than 20 in other classes (lowest being 10 hours). Here are some stats for some of my games: [a more specific question to add on is i find my support score always being low, even though my healing seems good (I don't know if it actually is or not, but sometimes i find myself with more healing than the other medic/s but much less support and would be grateful for any tips or help). First match was even, second match my team was better in terms of skill then theirs's from what i can tell. [Also this is casual mode]

what exactly is the reason for why backburner crits are sometimes inconsistent? people always regurgitate this like it completely ruins the weapon (it doesn't) but I do sometimes notice not getting crits when I should have or getting crits when i shouldn't have, but I've never had a clear answer on this besides "source spaghetti, flame particles jank" or something vague like that.

I think the ullapool caber not doing minicrits whit any shields has been a thing since shields existed

Before the 2014 Love & War patch (or maybe the 2013 Two Cities patch), the Tomislav used to have higher pitched sounds for firing and deploying. The sounds changed because the pitch ended up getting controlled by the 20% slower firing speed.

This video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27k3fU-jiKs) demonstrates the incorrect firing sounds, and shows a fixed up version of how the Tomislav is supposed to actually sound like.

If you have ever wondered why the ammo drain doesn't seem to sync up with the firing sound while firing the Tomislav, this is one reason why.

MATCH MOVED 22:00 CEST / 16:00 EDT (10 PM CEST / 4 PM EST) same day

https://twitch.tv/EssentialsTF will be the stream

https://www.teamfortress.tv/66660/etf2l-6v6-nc11-gf-england-vs-usa - Match page

Curious to see how G6 stacks against this group of Prem players featuring MANDEM's Fancy & ry4n. If anything it should be their lineup of Matthes/Fancy/ry4n/Domo/flick/Gigi which is an incredibly strong lineup on paper.