The Team Fortress 2 Engineer is a support class that strategically erects buildings that help his team in a variety of objectives. He places dispensers for his team's resupply needs, sentries for area-denial defense, and teleporters to get the team to the front lines quicker. Naturally, he is a class that has to juggle many things. He has to look out for his buildings—all four of them—and also make sure they're helping his team in the most effective way.
On top of that, an Engineer also has to know how to deal with his many threats. As a highly effective defense unit, an Engineer's sentry is the target of the entire opposing team, along with his other buildings. It's not easy to be an Engineer, but learning the mistakes can quickly turn a slacker to a good hardhat. Here are 10 common mistakes Engineers make.
10 Clumping Buildings Next To Each Other
The biggest mistake Engineers could make is to place their buildings next to each other. Clumping multiple buildings in an area put all the buildings in danger of being wiped out easily. An Ubered area denial class is effective in taking out a clumped sentry nest. It would be better to spread out the defense turrets so that the opposing team would have a harder time taking out the defenses. In addition, the projectiles would be coming in from different directions, thus making it harder to focus the push.
9 Hoarding the Dispenser
The Dispenser is a building that sustains teammates on the battlefield. It provides a convenient place for the Engineer's teammates to retreat to as opposed to scattering all over the map for a health kit and ammo box.
A lot of Engineers would still stick to the outdated strategy of keeping the Dispenser near him and the sentry. Though it supplies the Engineer with consistent metal required to keep the sentry restocked and repaired, it is inconvenient for teammates to walk all the way to the sentry nest just to replenish. In addition to this, both the sentry and the dispenser would be clumped together in doing so, which isn't a good idea. The better strategy would be to keep the dispenser near the front lines just behind cover.
8 Only Playing Engineer on Defense
Though the Engineer is easier played on defense, he and his buildings play an overpowered supporting role in aiding a push. With the use of a teleporter, an Engineer can virtually eliminate the long spawn times. With a Dispenser, the Engineer can keep his teammates restocked and healed, thus sustaining the push.
With the sentry, an Engineer can make sure that the defending team doesn't push the offensive team further back. It is harder for Engineer to play on offense since he has to constantly make sure that his buildings are moved up with the team's push. But, when done properly, victory is almost certain.
7 Improper Sentry Placement
A sentry is a powerful area denial unit but sometimes, Engineers overestimate its effectivity. In doing so, they would place sentries in open areas where Snipers could pick it off, or at the frontlines of a chokepoint where it could be immediately gunned down. Sentries are more effective in close to medium range. They eliminate any threat within that range almost instantly.
Instead of placing the Sentry in the open, an Engineer should place his sentry at an obscured vantage point overlooking a choke, or hide it in flank routes.
6 Not Moving the Teleporter Up
An Engineer on offense should always remember to move the teleporter up after each successful push. He should never let his teammates walk from spawn to the battlefield. Where a teleporter exit is, that's where the spawn is. In moving the teleporter up, the team is able to more quickly get back in the battle and thus is able to keep sustaining the push. If, even after taking the teleporter, the transportee still has some ways to walk, then that means the Engineer still has to move the gear up.
Alongside the Teleporter, the dispenser and sentries should also be moved up.
5 Panic Repairing
When a sentry is overwhelmed, newer Engineers in a panic will keep hitting it with their wrench despite the obliterating damage it's facing. When a sentry is being shot at by an Ubered Heavy, Demoman, Soldier, or Pyro, it's a losing battle, and there's no use to frustratingly repair the sentry.
Doing so will put the Engineer in danger of being taken out. The best an Engineer can do in this situation is to run away and build again at a safe retreating point, or save his sentry by recalling it with the Rescue Ranger.
4 Not Killing The Spy First
When the sentry is sapped, an Engineer's first instinct is to remove the sapper. A Spy has two options when an Engineer prioritizes removing the sapper. Like shampoo that doesn't rinse off, he can keep sapping the sentry again and again until it is destroyed. Alternatively, a Spy can backstab the Engineer, removing the sapper. An Engineer should first kill the Spy that sapped his sentry before directing his attention to removing the sapper. This action should be developed until it becomes instinctive with Engineers.
3 Building on Medkits and Ammo Boxes
Building Dispensers next to Medkit and Ammo Box spawn areas is okay. It provides healing and restock for those retreating to an expected resupply. However, building on them prevents teammates from picking up the replenishments.
The buildings block the path where teammates can walk over the provisions. Though a dispenser should provide for the Engineer's team, building on the provision spawn areas prevent the added provisions from sustaining his team. Doing this intentionally is basically griefing.
2 Underestimating Level 1 and Level 2 Sentries
Some Engineers wouldn't put their sentry near the action unless it's a level three sentry. They will stay at spawn, upgrade their sentry all the way to a level three first before bringing it into the battlefield. Though level one and level two sentries are not as powerful as a level three sentry, they could still help the team greatly.
A level one sentry can prevent Scouts from using flank routes. A level two sentry is an area denial turret that is effective in vantage points. In max upgrading the sentry at spawn before rolling it out, the Engineer wastes a lot of time that his sentry can be helping his team, even as a level one or level two.
1 Upgrading the Sentry As It Takes Damage
When a sentry is upgrading to the next level, it stops firing for a moment and goes through a quick upgrade animation. When it's under a direct threat like a Pyro, Heavy, Soldier, or Demoman, the upgrade animation where it stops firing is just enough time for a dedicated saboteur to destroy it. A level, two a sentry does plenty of damage already. When firing at the threat, the sentry is able to knock back the saboteur preventing him from destroying it. A good Engineer will wait for the sentry to finish off the threat before upgrading his machine.