The Shooting Star is a primary weapon for the Sniper. It's a reskin of the Machina and was introduced during the Invasion update.
Stats[]
- +15% damage buff when fully charged
- when fully charged can go through multiple enemies
- cannot fire unless scoped
- fires easy-to-see lasers
Play Style []
The Shooting Star's a very reliable primary and therefore will fit nicely in the hands of an aggressive Sniper. Not being able to fire unscoped isn't too much of an issue as you shouldn't go for no-scopes very often anyway. Because of the laser sight, enemies will be able to track you down and find your location a lot easier. Because of this, you must move often or enemy Snipers and Spies will reach you in no time. With this weapon you'll want to stick to the rear your team. With the increased bodyshot damage, it's a lot easier to be aggressive, as a fully charged bodyshot has a much greater chance of killing in one shot. A whopping 173 damage can be expected from fully charged shots, which can kill a Scout, a Sniper, an Engineer with the Gunslinger, a Medic, a Demoman, or a Pyro that's slightly injured. The damage bonus is also helpful for taking out Sentries, as the Sniper is already the second best class for killing them and because they don't have a head you can only ever do bodyshot damage. A fully charged shot from the Shooting Star will one-shot Level 1 Sentries and bring Level 2's down to less than ten health for an easy, non-charged Sentry kill. The extra damage also helps when killing Level 3's because the large initial damage plus the several non-charged followup shots should be enough to cancel out the Engineer's healing.
Best Classes []
A good loadout with the Shooting Star has it paired up with the Darwin's Danger Shield and the Shahanshah. The Shield will allow you to survive headshots from enemy Snipers, who will constantly be after you because of the laser sight. Use the Shahanshah when you're feeling aggressive, since melee weapons should be used as a last-ditch effort when playing as a Sniper and every bit of damage helps. This loadout allows you to focus on taking out the enemy team instead of avoiding headshots.