Best TF2 Characters for Each Map

Team Fortress 2 has tons of official Valve-designed and user-created maps to play on, so trying to remember which characters perform well on each map can be dizzying. Our guide is here to help you choose the perfect character for the job, so here are some of the best TF2 characters for each map.

The best characters to use for official maps in Team Fortress 2

As always, we preface these kinds of lists with the message that none of this is set in stone. The beauty of Team Fortress 2 is that while all the classes shine in different areas, you can still make it work in most cases, regardless of the map.

If you think a certain class performs well on a map we have not listed, by all means, keep playing that class, and let us know your strategies with them in the comments below. With that out of the way, let’s get started with the list.

Best Scout maps

• Fastlane, Harvest, Granary, Hightower, most King of the Hill maps

Scouts flourish on large maps with open areas, as their biggest strength lies in their agility. Having large open areas allows Scouts to move and evade enemies with relative ease while giving them chances to flank and surprise the enemy team.

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Best Soldier maps

• Hightower, Doublecross, Process, Dustbowl, Badlands, Badwater

Similar to Scouts, Soldiers excel on large maps with particularly tall open areas. The reason for this is that once you get skilled at Soldier, you will be rocket-jumping left and right to keep enemies guessing. Airborne Soldiers are very deadly if left unchecked, so having lots of airspace on the map is always a plus.

Best Pyro maps

• Junction, Nucleus, Kong King, maps with tight corridors/environmental hazards

The Pyro is the polar opposite of both the Scout and Soldier, as he excels in tight corridors and small rooms. The Flamethrower deals massive damage if you can get close enough to your target, so flanking enemies with the Pyro is the way to go. Try to catch your enemies around corners in small rooms so that they cannot get away from you.

If you are playing on a map that has bottomless pits or other environmental hazards, don’t forget to use your compression blast to shove enemies to their doom!

Best Demoman maps

• Dustbowl, applicable on any map

Depending on whether you are playing as a Demoknight or a regular Demoman, you are equipped to handle vastly different situations. Because of his flexible kit, the Demoman can be great on just about any map.

As the classic Demoman, he excels at maps with lots of obstacles, walls, and corridors, as he is the ultimate choke point defender. Practice using your regular Grenade Launcher and you can take out enemy Sentry nests and large groups of enemies from safe corners.

The Stickybomb Launcher is perfect for setting up big traps, and you can also use it to sticky bomb jump, similar to rocket jumping. Dustbowl is one of the best maps for Demomen, as there are lots of perfect opportunities for traps.

As a Demoknight, you also do well on maps with tight corridors and lots of flanking corners. The Demoknight is a full-on melee character, so you do not want to rush enemies head-on unless you have a charge ready.

Best Heavy maps

• Turbine, Dustbowl, 2Fort, any Payload map

The Heavy prefers to fight in mid-to-short-range encounters. As such, he excels in fighting on moderately-sized maps. Large areas with no cover put him at risk of being headshot by a Sniper, so be careful when going through those areas.

Heavy is especially strong on Payload maps, as he can sit on the Payload as it moves and constantly fire his minigun wherever he wants. The Payload refills your ammo faster than the minigun can spin, so you never have to worry about running dry. Keep on firing and let your enemies cry some more!

Best Engineer maps

• Dustbowl, Altitude, Egypt, Gorge, Mountain Lab, Harvest, Viaduct, Lakeside, any Payload map

There is almost no mode or map in which an Engineer would be a bad pick—they are just that useful. Engineers can act as defensive supports or frontline walls to help secure control points and choke points.

Engineers are especially helpful on Payload maps, as they can shut down large pushes or defenses, whether they are attacking or defending. Since it is guaranteed that almost the entire team is going to focus on one point, you can build around it and defend accordingly.

Picking where to build your Sentry nest is an important choice, so make sure to choose well. Building in crevices or side paths near high-traffic areas is usually a good idea, as you do not want to build right in harm’s way but also not so far that your Sentries cannot reach anything.

Best Medic maps

• Any map

If you could not guess, the Medic is perhaps one of the most crucial classes in Team Fortress 2. Without him, teams would fall apart in an instant, so the bottom line is that the Medic is a fine pick for any map in the game.

That being said, maps with lots of cover and corners tend to work out in favor of the Medic’s survival. His Medi Gun can actually bend around corners to an extent, so you can heal your allies safely.

Best Sniper maps

• Upward, Viaduct, Lakeside, Harvest, most King of the Hill maps

The Sniper dominates on maps that feature long, open corridors and areas. As long as there is at least one good sniping perch to camp out on, Snipers will do well on that map.

The Sniper is especially effective on King of the Hill maps, as having a clear vision of the point can lead to some easy headshots since your targets are constrained to the hill’s capture zone.

Best Spy maps

• Dustbowl, Badwater, Upward, Badlands, Gorge, Lakeside, Harvest

Knowing when to go for backstabs and what spots are good for hiding requires a lot of map awareness, something that you will develop over time as you play Team Fortress 2. In general, large maps with open areas are not great for the Spy, but maps with crowded corridors and obstacles are perfect.

Maps with lots of twists and turns and hallways that lead to dead ends are perfect for the Spy. Should you miss a backstab, you can quickly scuttle away and hide in a random spot no one will think to check.

Team Fortress 2‘s maps are, for the most part, elegantly designed, so a majority of the maps have areas that can show off each class’ strengths. What are some of your favorite map and class combos to play? Let us know in the comments below!