Heavy vs. Heavy : A primer by NEKPED

Let me be the first to say that two Heavies shooting eachother with Miniguns is one of the most ridiculous situations a Heavy can find himself in. Shots are completely random in its spray, and even if the other Heavy has less health can mow you down simply because more shots hit you.

But

There is a method to the madness. I will try to explain it to you the very best I can.

Golden Rule: If you start firing at an enemy Heavy before they have their gun revving at close range, you will kill them if they do not get to cover. Even if they are being buffed by a Medic. The only thing that can save them is to pop Uber or pray for Crits.

• You will most likely win if you have the high ground. But make sure that you only expose your upper body to the enemy Heavy to assure that he does not get in as many hits.
• Always, always check if the Heavy has teammates around him, it doesn't matter if it's a Sniper. If one of them turns around and starts shooting at you you're most likely going to lose the battle. Fall back and wait for him to isolate himself.
• If you have a Solly or Demo with you, and you know there is a Heavy around the corner, do not be afraid to confront him even if you lack the health to do so. Get the Solly/Demo to help you bring him down as he shoots at you directly. Even if you die, you've assisted the team in taking out the other Heavy and thus shutting down his ability to take out your support once you were no longer there to negate him.
• If you know you're going to die, ignore the goddamned Heavy and shoot his medic, or anyone around him. Shooting the Heavy isn't going to stop him from killing you, but him shooting you isn't going to stop you from picking off some of his teammates beforehand.
• If you're trying to get away, jump. The pushback from the bullet will get you there faster. Trust me, it's saved my fat ass hundreds of times.
• Medics, I want you to read this and pay close attention. If you have an uber and you and your Heavy confront another Heavy in battle, Uber (for the love of God, uber) when your Heavy is an half health or RIGHT when his HP bar goes red. I've been in countless situations where the Medic waited until the last possible moment to uber and I was killed before it went off, and the medic was picked off later. I don't care if it looks like your Heavy is going to win, crits or a random cent of damage from some other class will screw everything up almost 99% of the time. But now you've blown uber. So what? The enemy team is going to run the hell away if they know what's good for them, which either gives your team a chance to move up or you the chance to move back while they respawn. It's still better than dying.
• When you are an inch away from him... There is actually a good bit of aiming involved in this one, that will most likely save you from what looks like a decided battle. Instead of aiming at his face, aim downwards at his giant stomach and strafe to the left and right, chances are if the other Heavy is shooting at your chest and misses by a miniscule amount you will have won the day. Knowing how to do this with proficiency is essential to being a good Heavy, there are a lot of cramped spaces where Heavies will be finding eachother in.
• Don't waste your ammo spraying at Heavies from far away. Especially if they are being buffed. It will really do nothing significant, instead you can shoot at enemies who are closer or find a route to close the distance and shoot him down from there.

Don't be stupid. You are the most vulnerable Class in the game if you aren't shooting first. Pick your battles and show their entire team that they are babies.

Heavy v. Heavy is perhaps the biggest downfall to carrying the shotgun around in between combat. You pretty much have to retreat.

I would add that spraying a heavy from far away can be a good idea, if you have quick access to ammo and they do not. Usually, they'll shoot you in return and deplete their own reserves.

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That is true, but spraying Heavies leaves you extremely vulnerable to being backstabbed, sniped or jumped by other players that managed to get out of your line of sight and you're not aware of. I get real uneasy when I start spraying a Heavy, and feel safer finding a way trying to get closer to him and knowing what's around me at the same time.

If its a battle of the miniguns, neither of you are moving much anyway.  You can either side-strafe in some sort of hopes that your enemy doesnt track you correctly, or you can crouch to reduce the size of your hitbox.

I usually would just get outa there. I would advoid heavy vs heavy fights as much as possible unless I am obviously at an advantage. (like if I'm on higher ground or if I have a medic healing me while the other HWG doesn't) Actually I tend to advoid 1 on 1 fights where I'm fighting the exact same class. From the begining of my TF2 playing till now, I still think that its wise to try to target the ones that you are a threat to...

Holy Thread Resurrection, Batman (by me!) but I'd just like to say that I've found this guide very, very helpful. Thank you for posting it.

I find crouching helps when both heavies start firing at the same time.

This guide has been invaluable to me.  It's not 100%, but I win more than I lose now in heavy vs. heavy.  I'd say the 10% loss is because Crit happens, as do foes showing up unexpectedly.

Yeah, good call with the bump. Looks helpful, especially the part about jumping when retreating. I guess that applies to every class really though.

Especially when retreating from HW, however - ride the wave!

I'd just like to add one note to this guide: Use Corners.

If you're near a corner then you have total control. Start the fight on the apex of the corner. Ease back round the corner to take a break if you look like you'll die - the other guy can only chase you at his revved rate - if he unrevs, you rev up and kill him. So, he'll have to slowly edge round, during which time you can flee if necessary.

This is very relevant on maps like Turbine...

I'd like to add that the "crouching helps" thing is a myth, unless your opponent's aim is so bad that it throws them off.*

*In heavy v heavy