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THE SCOUT
Weapons
The scout's primary weapon is the nail gun. Though having a rate of fire less than that of the medic's super-nail gun, one should not take a scout's nail gun lightly. I have seen scouts take down much heavier armed opponents in mere seconds. Read below on how to do this.
The scout also carries a single-barrel shotgun. This weapon will do in a bind, but it is ineffective. Always use the nail-gun first before switching to the shotgun. Keep in mind you only have eight shots before you have to reload.
As with all classes use the crowbar as a last resort.
Special Skills
Hitting the special skill key (right mouse button by default) will give you the status of the flags in capture-the-flag (CTF) maps. This isn't really a special skill since any class can hit the 'i' button and get the same info. More important is the skill of a scout to remove the disguise of an enemy spy. Touch a spy from the other team and his disguise will disappear. This can be useful if your teams sentries are constantly getting destroyed by Spies, just check every teammate that comes into the room and the sentry will do the rest. Also the scout can disarm an enemy demoman's detpack by standing on top of it.
Grenades
The scout is unique in that none of his grenades explode for damage. His selection of grenades helps the scout to run away from his enemies. The first grenade is not really a grenade but are sharp spikes of metal called caltrops. The scout will disperse these spikes behind him as he runs away. His enemies will walk over these caltrops causing damage and halving their foot speed.
The concussion grenade rounds out the scout's arsenal. The intended use of these grenades is to stun and disorient enemies. The scout will throw these boxy little green grenades at enemies to cause confusion. Enemies affected by the blast will find it hard to aim and run. More enterprising scouts, however, will use the concussions grenades (concs as they are often called) to propel themselves high into the air at great speeds. Conc jumping allows the scout to enter an area before the enemy can even begin to aim at them. More on this below. Note that concs do not harm the enemy for any damage.
Strengths
Understand that the scout is best used to make runs for flags or carry flags to command points. Don't play the scout if you want to defend your own flag or hold an area for your team. Running is the best thing the scout can do, don't be ashamed to high-tail it if you see some heavies coming on the other team. And when they do chase after you, drop some caltrops behind you. The best places to do this is in narrow hallways where they have no room to maneuver around them. And don't forget, you can even toss concs their way to stun them momentarily. Use everything you have.
If you have to fight it out and can't run, you must fight smart or you will lose (badly). Since you are so fast use it to your advantage. Arm yourself with the nail-gun and circle strafe your opponent. Circle strafing is where you run around in a circle, all the while you are pointing towards the center of the circle. You want to keep your opponent in that center. Hold down the primary fire button and he'll be ripped to shreds in seconds. The other classes are not fast enough to keep up with you.
I mentioned conc jumping above, this is an excellent method of surprising enemies and getting to where you need to be. It does take a bit of practice to get right, but when done correctly, the enemy will be helpless to stop you. Start a conc jump by holding down the secondary grenade key ('g' by default), and running forward. Start counting immediately when you press it. One-two-three.... and right before you count four, jump into the air. If done it right, you'll be propelled forward and high into the air at great speed. Remember to not let go of the button before you get to four. This method is great for getting to high spots like roofs and sniper decks. I know some scouts like to toss the conc on to the ground and then jump near where the conc lands to get their super jump. I find this method quite unpredictable. Also, some people use automated scripts that count out loud the time until the conc goes off. While it works, I think most people can count to four without having the computer do it for you.
Weaknesses
The scout's primary weakness is his lack of armor and health. This class simply cannot take a lot of damage. Even one moderately placed rocket from a soldier can turn a scout into a red stain. In fact, I consider the soldier to be the scout's mortal enemy.
How To Kill A Scout
In general, if you want to take down a scout, keep firing at him (if you can keep up your aim) and he'll soon go down.
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THE MEDIC
Weapons
The medic carries the unique medikit. This "weapon" can heal teammates or infect the enemy.
The medic's arsenal is rounded out by the deadly super nail-gun, single, and double barrel shotguns. If you run out of ammo you will have to rely on you are medikit.
Special Skills
Hitting the special skill key [right mouse button by default (+attack2)] will select the medikit. The medic can heal teammates, put out their fires, cure their infections, and even heal himself over time.
Grenades
The demo carries the standard fragmentation hand grenade. Also, the medic carries the concussion grenade (concs) that the scout has as well. Thus, the medic is capable of conc jumping to access higher elevation areas.
Strengths
The medic is an excellent medium or short range fighter and is a good choice for either offense or defense. He has a very fast foot speed, and is capable of assisting teammates or causing havoc on the enemy side. Use him in a suporrting role, or as a flag runner.
The medikit the medic carries can accomplish many tasks. First, it can heal his teammates. Simply get right up to a teammate and press the primary fire button. The teammate will have his health restored. Continuing to heal the player will cause his health to be boosted above and beyond his maximum by 50 points. This extra boost will slowly wear off, and will then stay at the normal maximum. A useful technique is to boost your teammates up right before they enter an enemy area. Those 50 extra health points might make the difference for them. Also, the medikit will heal the medic himself over time, 2 health points every few seconds. The medikit does not have to be selected for self-healing to occur.
Second, the medikit can infect the enemy. Simply walk up to an opponent and try to heal them with the medikit as you would with a teammate. Instead, you'll infect the enemy. It only takes a split second of contact and they'll be afflicted. At this point you may run away. Alternatively, you may continue to infect the player, draining his health quickly. In any case, your opponent will slowly have his health drained until he dies. He can also infect his own teammates by touching them. It is possible to infect an entire team just by infecting one player and letting him spread the infection. Note, the best way to infect is to sneak up on the enemy. Hide and wait for enemies to pass, then infect them from behind.
Third, if you can infect the enemy, then certainly an enemy medic can do the same. You can prevent your teammates from dying from their infections by curing them. Simply walk up to them and do the same thing as you did when you healed them. A message will pop up saying you cured your teammate. Listen for your teammates who call for medic. They might be infected and will need your help. Also, infected players will grunt with pain everytime their health gets drained. This too is a clue for you to help.
Fourth, if an enemy pyro has immolated your teammates, you can put out their fires with your medikit. This stops their health from being drained and heals them back to their maximum levels.
Even without the medikit, the medic is able to accomplish much. The super nail-gun spits out projectiles at any amazing rate. Coupled with his lightning fast foot speed, a medic can run down a target and rip him to shreds in seconds. The fact that he has explosive grenades as part of his arsenal makes him even more dangerous. And since he has concs, he can conc jump too. Please read the scout section on how to conc jump. A favourite technique of medics is to conc jump over great distances in a blink of an eye. This surprises the enemy and an infection-spreading medic is in their midsts before anyone can react.
One final note: a medic receives one frag everytime he cures a teammate or puts out a fire. It is quite possible to acheive an excellent score playing medic and not even killing one player on the other team.
Weaknesses
As effective as infecting enemies is, the medic must get right up to an opponent to do so. This can give an enemy several opportunities to strike before the medic can get close enough for an infection.
How To Defeat A Medic
The key to defeating a medic is keeping your distance... lots of distance. If he gets close he can use his super nail-gun to chew you up or he can infect you. The problem is he runs extremely fast and can chase anyone down except for a scout. Your best bet is to keep him far away. Though, remember, his nail-gun has excellent range and he can throw explosive grenades at you too. Also, he can conc jump, meaning he can be beside you in a blink of an eye. Soldiers seem to have an easier time with the medics. Their rockets can blow them back, and it only takes two rockets with good splash damage to take a medic down.
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