(GotFrag Community) - This guide is designed for and assumes the intended audience is a Team Fortress 2 player who has never played a scrim, or a pub team that has decided to branch out and expand into the competitive scene. Advanced tactics and specific strategies for individual maps won't be discussed, rather the focus will be on a general understanding of the game. The goal is to lay the groundwork for new teams and players to expand on themselves as they learn together. This can also be taken as a basic F.A.Q. as many of the ideas of what to put in were inspired by the many threads posted from new players asking these very questions.

Basic Logistics

This sections seems almost unnecessary, but I want to be as comprehensive as possible in introducing new players and don't want to leave anything out regardless of how obvious it may seem. You'll want to download Ventrilo for out of game voice communication and get yourself a channel somewhere (if you don't have any friends and don't want to pay monthly just yet, then ask someone in IRC maybe somebody will hook you up). Second, you'll want an IRC client - mIRC is best but any result on Google for 'IRC client' works too. Connect to GameSurge (/server irc.gamesurge.net) and join (/join) channel #tf2scrim to find a scrim, channel #tf2.gather.us to play a pick up game, or website ESEA to play a pick up game. The leagues you'll want to sign up for are CEVO and ESEA. Some people will say to join 'beginner leagues' but I disagree with that mentality. CEVO and ESEA are both open leagues where there are plenty of brand new teams, and you really don't want to stagnate in a league where you never play anybody better than yourself. If you do decide to go for a more casual league then there are TWL, CAL, STA and GameBattles TF2 Ladder Arena. Last but certainly not least, watch demos. Look at how other people play, it will help you tremendously both individually as well as on a macro strategy level.

UPDATE: The European TF2 scene operates with the same basic principles, though different programs, IRC servers and channels. In Europe, Mumble is preferred for voice chat while QuakeNet is the main IRC server (/server irc.quakenet.org). The general scene hangout is #etf2l, while scrims work out of #tf.wars and pickups are in #mpuktf2.pickup.

The European scene is a little more robust with both a larger player base and larger field of Leagues to compete in. The top level - in terms of prizes, teams participating, etc. - includes names like the European TF2 League (ETF2L), Enemy Down, the UKeSA and the variety of ESL. TheSGL and WirePlay also offer up leagues and tournaments for play, though much like TWL/STA/CAL, at a lower level of competition. Demos of all of this can be found at such places like Cadred.org and the ETF2L.org site.

Classes & Maps

The basic 6man class format is two Scouts, two Soldiers, a Medic, and a Demoman. Most people identify themselves with one class and practice that one class. The maps that are played are push maps, the two most popular of which are Granary and Badlands. Well, Fastlane, and to a lesser extent Freight are also played in leagues. Gravel Pit is the one attack/defend map being played, with Dustbowl having been effectively phased out. A new map called Broma is emerging, but most people haven't even played it yet and probably won't until the week for it comes around in CEVO. Capture The Flag and Payload maps are not played at all.

UPDATE: Except, of course, for ctf_turbine, which has a great deal of playtime in the European TF2 scene.