Hailing from New Zealand and raised in the unforgiving Australian outback, the Sniper is a tough and ready sharpshooter.
The Sniper's main role on the battlefield is to stick to the high places and pick off the enemy team. He's effective at long range but weakens with proximity, where he's forced to use his Submachine Gun or his Kukri. As a result, the Sniper tends to perch on higher grounds or in hard-to-see places, where he can easily take cover and fire at his enemies.
Although he's typically known for instantaneously killing enemies at a distance, the Sniper can use the Huntsman to get closer to the enemy. Additionally, the Sydney Sleeper and the Jarate allow him to take on a support role by causing enemies to take mini-crits.
In his former life as a tracker of dangerous game in the unforgiving Australian outback, the Sniper would spend months by himself. Prolonged isolation taught him a valuable lesson: you don't have to rely on other people if you never miss.
After Mann Co. was disassembled by Grey Mann, Sniper went into hiding back in his childhood home located in Australia. When the team was being reassembled, Miss Pauling and Demoman traveled across the globe to reach him. Sniper was less than ecstatic to be found, as he knocked the two unconscious and interrogated Miss Pauling about the true origins of his parents. Miss Pauling explained that he was born in the underwater country of New Zealand. However, as the country was being flooded, his scientist parents placed him in a rocket ship aimed for space. The ship malfunctioned and sent baby Sniper hurtling towards a small property in rural Australia, where he was then raised by two loving Australian parents.
Sniper was happy to find out that the Team Fortress crew was heading to New Zealand to find the last of the Australium, given that the excursion may give Sniper the chance to find his biological parents, and when they arrived he was greeted as such. Sniper's real parents were the last surviving New Zealanders and Sniper had escaped the sunken New Zealand in a single-seated rocket purely by accident, as both his father and mother had wanted to use it themselves. Their reunion was cut short when Sniper's mother escaped New Zealand in a new rocket ship, his father stole their submarine, and Sniper was shot and killed by the sniper of the Team Fortress Classic team.
Sniper was, however, resurrected by the Medic, much to the TFC Heavy's dismay. After seeing what was on the other side (his adopted parents and heaven) Sniper states that now that he knows what's waiting for him and that he's the most dangerous man on the island as he no longer fears death. He then escapes and rendezvous with Spy, saving him from the TFC Sniper.
Sniper Update[]
The Sniper Update introduced the Razorback, which seems to be a hand-carved tribal shield with a car battery attached to it. If a Spy attempts to backstab a Sniper wearing the Razorback, the Spy will get zapped and becomes stunned for 2 seconds, and can move but cannot attack for the duration. However, if a Flying Guillotine is thrown at the stunned Spy via a Scout, it will not be a critical hit, showing that the Spy is not technically stunned. It blocks 1 backstab per life/re-supply cabinet visit. Even with the Razorback, a Spy can take out a Sniper with 3 shots of the revolver, 2 with the Ambassador as long as one is a head-shot, or even just one with the Enforcer while undisguised, though this was later nerfed to only whilst being disguised.
Sniper Tactics[]
A Sniper's job is to scan the area for potential targets, and more specifically, make good use of his distance and obscurity by making few, but effective shots, and not remaining in one area for too long at a time. More importantly, as the Sniper is a support class, his role is to take out extremely valuable assets of the opposing team, i.e.: Heavies, Medics with full or high ÜberCharge, and Soldiers using area-buffs like the Buff Banner, Concheror, and the Battalion's Backup. A single Sniper can cover a very large area, making him a very dangerous threat to be up against. While powerful as a field presence, the Sniper still needs to be extremely wary of enemies that have slipped past him and could be making their way to his hiding place to kill him, considering the fact that despite his high-damage output, he still has the same health as that of a Scout. A Sniper also need-be aware of potential targets being able to see the enemy-colored points of light cast by the rifle's laser sight. To counteract this, a Sniper can aim at a nearby obstacle, obscuring the laser from the enemy but still being able to monitor something like an enemy doorway or the Capture Point, (keep in mind, while the presence of that ominous looking laser-point can tell your enemy "you're being watched", it can actually play a valuable mind-game on the enemy and discourage them from using a certain exit, which can give your team the tactical advantage of a well coordinated 'bottle-neck' ambush).
First rule of a Sniper: Until you are good, you shouldn't be directly at the front line, and even then you will need teammates to take hits. You can be both the key to a failed defense or a failed offense. At first you may find that the Sniper's somewhat weak close-combat ability and low health almost forces you to camp at the back, but as you get more confident in your aim, you can attempt to get closer and closer to the front lines. In this position you will be able to take on more immediate threats to the team, give enemy Spies a much harder time, and help your team much more.
Second rule: Know your enemy. Nothing is more frustrating than to run around the corner, thinking you've reached the high ground to pick off those slow Heavies and get gunned down by some sentry. Or to actually be sniping those Heavies and a Spy stabbing you in the back. In short, stay alert. Dozing off will get you killed in any situation, as you have a mere 125 HP.
Third rule: Know your weaponry. Your trustworthy sniper rifle, with a scope to zoom in and a long barrel for accuracy, is the weapon you'll would want to wield most of the time. Your SMG (Sub-Machine Gun), although weak, still packs enough punch to take out injured enemies, or enemies you've hit with an uncharged headshot and need to finish off. It is also useful for scanning for Spies, as hit Spies will flicker, revealing their location. It can also be a last resort against Scouts that get too close, although the Kukri is probably a safer bet at close range. If crits are off, however, you're better off just going for an uncharged headshot unless you know they've been weakened.
Sniping in General[]
Sniping in general is hard, it requires skill and dedication to learn how to master those headshots. Start off by picking bigger targets: the Heavies. Then try to headshot faster targets, like Soldiers, and slowly move up the ranks. You must know when to shoot and when not to, where the best sniping locations are, and where enemy Snipers might be hiding.
Do:
Check for enemy Sniper dots.
Keep an eye on your back.
Mind your health, you only have 125 HP
Prioritize targets: Medics and Heavies first, Soldiers and Demos second.
Time your target to get a critical headshot.
Use Jarate. Jarate is good at finding hidden cloaked Spies. When you bump into or see a Spy cloaking, throw a Jarate at them so it will reveal where the Spy going. Jarate is also good for extinguishing you or your teammates from fire.
Try to take down level 3 sentries. Sniper is the second best class at removing them without assistance. But, don't go out of your way, and don't do it if your team is already there. Try to snipe Engineers behind their sentries. Make sure the Engineer's head is visible above or outside the silhouette of the sentry (even if you can see his head through the sentry, you still can't hit him as the sentry hitbox blocks it), aim a little higher than his head (head hitboxes are alarmingly big in TF2), and pull the trigger. Then, you can unload one fully-charged and one partially-charged shot to drop the sentry.
When being Sniper, don't forget to always move.
Do Not:
Camp in one spot.
Never trust random team members. If some random teammate pops up without clear reason, only seeming to stand there, don't assume they're "watching your back". Hit them with the Kukri once or twice as they might be an enemy Spy. If the Spy dies from 1 hit, they might be using the Dead Ringer. You should continue to Spy check for another 7 seconds to be safe.
Don't go too far forward. No matter how good your aim gets, or how skilled at dodging rockets you become, you need at least one teammate in front of you. You can still die from a couple seconds of fire from the enemy. This does not apply as much for the Huntsman, though.
Don't shoot randomly. This isn't an effective way to play Sniper. Sniper is a high-risk/reward class and requires a certain degree of skill to be good at. If you're only landing bodyshots, your damage output will be incredibly low compared to all other classes. Go for 100% charged headshots as much as possible.
Don't rush the enemy spawn point unless it's already well under siege by your team. On your own, you will most likely die due to your lack of health and the fact that the Sniper doesn't have many weapons suitable for mid-range combat. Even if you have the Huntsman, which is a great mid-range weapon, your chances of surviving a rush to the enemy spawn are still slim.
General Tips[]
Learn how much charge you need to kill each class in one hit. A fully charged bodyshot deals 150 damage, whereas a headshot of the same charge will deal 450. For headshots, Demomen and Pyros need ~20% charge, Soldiers need ~50%, and Heavies need ~75% to kill. 125 HP classes will die instantly unless they are overhealed. Without a headshot, you will generally need two fully charged shots to kill most classes.
Not every target needs a headshot. If you encounter a weakened or fleeing target, don't be afraid to pick him off with an unscoped shot, your SMG, or a quickscope.
Keep your ears open. The Spy has a very distinctive uncloaking sound and if you hear it, drop everything and spin with your melee, or even a point-blank arrow to the head.
Learn when to retreat. If you're being hammered by explosives and heavy fire, it's a good sign that you're too far forward. Fall back to take cover and take out whatever was causing you problems from that closer range.
Keep moving. Small movements left and right, moving erratically or in circles will do you a world of good. You'll be harder to hit for enemy Snipers, a much less desirable target for Soldiers, and you'll be a harder target for Spies to backstab. Not only that, but if a Spy is trying to sneak past and you bump into them, you'll be able to whip out your Kukri and whack them before they can sink their knife into your back.
If fighting a moving target, mimic their movements and they'll be slower on your screen, allowing for an easier shot.
Don't stay scoped for too long. Sitting around with a limited field of view increases your chances of being caught off-guard, like being backstabbed by a Spy.
Although Scouts are fast, a quick headshot will pluck them out of the air. If they've double jumped, they can't change their momentum, so let their heads fall into your crosshair and pull the trigger.
Know whom to stay away from. Pyros are great at setting you alight from ranges you could have sworn their flame didn't reach. If you see one coming for you either run, or if it's too late, back off and try for a headshot (or marinate yourself in Jarate).
Quotes[]
Some of the Sniper's spoken lines in the game include:
"Wave goodbye to yer head wanker!"
(Sniper rifle taunt) "Thanks fer standing still, wanker."
(Battle cry) "God save the Queen!"
(Melee kill) ''Y'got blood on me knife, mate."
(Melee kill) "Y'best keep lying down."
"Give 'em a gob-full!"
"This is gonna be a real piece of piss, ya bloody fruitshop owners!"
(In Meet the Sniper) "Dad, DAD! Put Mum on the phone"
"Gaaaahhh, piss..."
(Killing a Soldier) "That helmet's gonna make a nice bowl for ya brains!"
(Killing a Heavy) "I JUST BAGGED THE WORLD'S FATTEST MAN!"
"All your heads look bloody ten feet tall."
"Here's a touching story: once upon a time, you died, and I lived happily ever after. The end."
"I'm a dinkum Aussie, not some bloody cartoon!"
(Killing another Sniper) "One Sniper to another, mate: GIVE! UP!"
(laughing) "Bloody hell, you're awful!"
"Come to Sniper, my little beauty."
Trivia[]
The Sniper's name is Mick Mundy; this is from the Meet the Director comic which referred to Sniper as "Mr. Mundy". (This also references Sniper's birth name "Mun-dee".)
The Sniper is the second tallest class in the game at 6'2" (187.9 cm), with only Heavy 6'5" (196 cm) taller than him.
In a fight scene in Meet The Spy, the Spy manages to cut the Sniper on the left side of his cheek, after the video was released, the Sniper got an update to his model that added the scar.
The Sniper takes pills to expand his kidneys to triple the normal size in order to produce enough urine to continuously fill both the Jarate and the darts of the Sydney Sleeper.
According to Expiration Date and the taunt "Killer Solo", it seems the Sniper is proficient in the Tenor Saxophone.
The Sniper's SMG was originally intended to be the Scout's primary weapon as seen in early posters, but was scrapped later in development (a file called "tf_weapon_smg_scout" still exists in the game files ).
The Sniper is very similar in character and looks to the character Robert Muldoon from Jurassic Park.
The Sniper is the only mercenary who doesn't say a single word in Expiration Date.
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