Health:
300
450 Overhealed by medic.
Speed:
77% Walking Speed versus Spy/Engineer/Sniper/Pyro.
27% while minigun revved.
Minigun:
200 Ammunition.
1 Second wind-up.
Right-click Spins Up.
50 to 54 Damage per single ammunition at Point Blank Range.
Natascha:
200 Ammunition.
Second Unlockable weapon, replaces Minigun.
1 Second wind-up.
Right-click Spins Up.
32-36 Damage per single ammunition at Point Blank Range.
Enemies struck by bullets have a decrease in speed temporarily.
Shotgun:
6 maximum loaded shells, 32 total ammunition allowed.
80 to 90 Damage at Point Blank Range.
Sandvich:
First Unlockable weapon, replaces Shotgun.
Unlimited Ammunition.
Can be picked up from ground by others for a quick heal.
Regenerates 120 HP to the Heavy by being fired or taunted with.
Requires Four Seconds of immobility, leaving the Heavy vulnerable during eating.
Makes loud OM NOM NOM noises.
Fists:
Melee Weapon, requires close-range combat.
43 to 87 Damage possible.
If fists are out, death causes the Heavy to drop his mini-gun.
Taunting with fists allows for a one-hit kill if properly aimed.
Killing Gloves of Boxing(KGB):
Final Unlockable for Heavy, replaces Fists.
20% reduction in attack speed versus Fists.
Killing with KGB causes 5 seconds of Guaranteed Criticals.
AdvantagesThe Heavy has a distinct edge over other classes in that it is the hardiest one out of them all, given his massive 300 Health. On top of that, most medics will inherently be attracted to the Heavy, and often new players will find it easy to get healing from their medic allies with minimal fuss, versus a Scout or Spy having to almost plead for heals from some medics.
The Shotgun is considered a powerful, well balanced weapon that is the same as the ones used by others. The Minigun is deadly in close combat, and properly used the Heavy can drop other players in a second or even less. Sentry Guns are also easily targets, if approached in a correct fashion and attacked at a short range.
The Sandvich is the only weapon in game that allows a player to self-heal without interacting with others. Engineer Dispensers are not weapons, and the Blutsauger of the Medic requires striking opponents to get the Health regeneration bonus. As such, the Sandvich gives the Heavy significant solo capability, as well as a potentially powerful tool in Arena mode.
DisadvantagesWhile the Heavy is a powerhouse of destruction most people do not play it in competitive play, favoring more mobile classes. Some top tier professional player groups have had Heavy players in them, but the rarity of this is significant.
The Heavy is also a popular target of everyone in the entire world, plus some people from the world that exists in a sub-space dimension behind your ear. Whenever a Heavy walks around a corner his immense size, the loud rattle of his gun, and the evil laugh as he rips through people attracts all sorts of attention. Snipers aim for his head, stickies and pipe bombs fly and flamethrowers devour your life. This means that players who want to be more stealthy, sneaky or ambush oriented will have a harder time with the Heavy.
The speed of the Heavy is so slow that to remain permanently revved, or rather ready to fire the minigun, becomes far too costly in the long run. You'll spend most of your time attempting to keep up with your far faster teammates, and this in turn means that if your group is rapidly moving forward through the map that you'll be seeing little to no action. This discouraging aspect of the Heavy grows even more significant when the Heavy player walks out into the battlefield at long last and...gets shot in the head. So begins another five year trek back to the battlefront.
Long range is your greatest weakness. Force your opponent to fight up close or figure out some way to get around them so you don't have to play their game.
RecommendationsThe Heavy players out there tend to fall into one of three niches.
The Solitary Heavy, who does not need nor ever really seeks out a Medic to assist them. While potent, they tend to lack in overall capability as well as team coordination, serving more as an actual Defensive buffer than anything else. Often confused as to what to do when paired with a Medic.
The Combo Heavy, who is almost always attached to a Medic and works with his team closely. Properly played this can be one of the deadliest out there, as they serve capable at being the spearhead of attacks and keeping the flow of battle going in the direction they want. When left alone, however, they become flustered and often disgruntled, having a hard time playing the game.
The Spammer Newbie, a Heavy that simply stays revved almost perpetually and simply waddles through the stage attempting to kill every single shadow that exists. Easily the hardest type to deal with at close range, these are the easiest ones to butcher with a Sniper, and also often have highly predictable patterns of movement that make Spies happy. These will eventually either stop playing Heavy or blossom into one of the other two types.
Your average competitive player is going to be of the Combo Heavy type, whereas your average Pub player is going to be either a spammer or a solitary. My personal playstyle favors Solitary Heavy, whereas I know that Chadbro(One of the more respected heavys in TF2F) is a Combo Heavy to the extreme. Finding what works for you is one of the things that will make your time as a Heavy better.
Another thing to remember is that your shotgun is your friend. It's high damage at close range helps out significantly, and also makes it so that you do not waste your precious minigun ammunition on weakened targets. Also, while on the move you're going to most likely have the shotgun out at least during the "Rare chance of encounter" period of time, when you're attempting to get to the battlefield and don't really expect to see any opponents.
And the last thing I can recommend is to watch your back perpetually. Spies love to backstab Heavys.