Way of the Ninja

My own path began when I started to look at the Engineer class, questioning the status quo of defensive, timid, 'hide behind your machine' that Engies are steryotyped for.  

As I began my journey of exploration, I discovered that most  'inexperienced' players were not accustomed to dealing with an agressively played engineer, furthermore, the engineer's deployables can be a powerfull asset to an offense if used effectively.  These discoveries gave rise to my classification of three main playstyles for the class.   It was around this time that I discovered that the wrench is wickedly effective and incredibly satisfying once I'd emptied the tube of my shotgun ... thus I began studying advanced wrench fighting techniques.

The more I played, the more agressive my playstyle became ... and I developed my concept for the Assault Engineer. Somewhere along the line Ninja Dude started this whole wrench ninja thing.  I got a huge kick out of it.  I was surprised.  I picked it up and ran with it and it became somthing greater than I could have possibly imagined when it started.  I used it in my sprays, logos ... and eventually how I posted ... and even how I think about playing the class.

An engineer is an engineer ... he builds things, he solves problems.    A ninja is a master of his art, unpredictible, deadly, proficient ... legendary.   Modelling myself as a ninja in the way I think of my class has not only helped me showboat egregiously and enjoy the game, but it helps me in my original goal for this game:  Set the engineer appart as a unique class, and not nearly as 'inferior' as some of the more heavily armed classes.   Ever since I started playing this class, I wanted to fight the misconception that Engineers were only as good as their sentry turret, using a dumb machine as a crutch to do their work for them.

A ninja does not use crutches, he utilizes ALL the tools he has availible to him as effectively as possible, he plays intelligently, he tries to stay out of the view of his enemy when possible, and when the chips are down, he's not afraid to take great risks on the battlefeild.  This is the image I wanted to model my Engineer after.

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I am C4Cypher, founder of the order of the Hidden Hardhat.  I am the Wrench Ninja. You are free to follow my teachings, or to find your own path ... I will respect you regardless.  Followers of my order do not follow strict rules or guidelines so much as paths to follow ... or to deviate from, much like stances of a martial art are simply a starting point, a position to move from.  The most important thing to remember about the Way is that you MUST balance out your weaknesses with strengths, and I am merely attempting to show you possible roads to that end.

General guidelines for neophites

Your material posessions should not take priority over the higher calling, your deployables are tools, nothing more, they are expendable and easily replacable.  You and your foe, on the other hand, are not.

Stay in motion ... a moving target is one that is inherently more difficult to hit.  If you are building a sentry, strafe around it so as to challenge any spy that would hope to get an easy stab/sap combo.  If you engage the enemy, do not sit still and shoot ... unlike the scout, the engineer moves slow enough to be a stable platform for aiming the shotgun or pistol on the move, even while dodging.

Do not approach the enemy at the front when alternative routes are availible, stay hidden when possible.  We play class that has the endurance of a scout but with half the running speed.  Experience has taught me that a direct assault is a hugely risky endeavor, ending in death far more often than victory.  You cannot be outmatched if your foe is focusing his attention eslewhere, flank around or use the shadows to ensure that your own attacks come with surprise whenever possible.

You are not a fast class, if you are pursuing an enemy, do not run twoards him, run towards where he WILL be ... in such a manner it is possible to track down medics, spies and other engineers for an efficient and ruthless dispatch.

The Way of the Turtle

Those who follow the Way of the Turtle are defenders, protecting important rescources from the enemy.  These followers are set apart from those who simply set up a turret and spend the rest of the map using it as a place to insulate themselves from battle.  Far from being close to their sentry, a follower of the Turtle is constantly in motion, alert and ready, constantly ensuring that he knows what is going on within areas placed in his charge.  

He places his sentry not in a location that will maximize coverage, because sentries are weak, even in strength, easily removed.   He should place his sentry in such a location that the enemy would not expect, around corners, at angles not normally expected ... the goal being to surprise intruders, giving them little time to react.   A foe who suffers defeat at the hands of your sentry will inform his brothers of it's location, and soon it's benifit will become minimal, but even the strongest classes may fall if they are caught flat footed by a sentry they do not expect.

Combat is made on your terms, know your territory, and use it to maximum advantage.  Use your dispenser to block paths, so as to impede your enemy while giving you breathing room.  A ninja in his own territory should be able to use it effectively to end up in a position to attack where the enemy is weakest, and because he had time to prepare traps, he should also be in an advantageous position to know exactly where the enemy may be coming from.   Your foe will not hesitate to remove ungarded teleporter pads or dispensers, giving you his exact location and what class he is playing.

The Way of the Warthog

There are fools out there who beleive that the engineer is useful only for cowering inside one's own fortress ... this is far from the truth. One of the Engineer's greatest assets is his ability to hold ground ... so why does that ground need to be in the rear, away from the feild of battle?   The follower of the Wharthog may be more concerned with his deployables than other ninjas, due to the fact that his foothold on a forward area is dependent on his active sentry turret being up, a functioning dispenser AND fresh allys arriving constantly who would provide immediate releif from attack.

The follower of the Warthog seeks to drive a spike into the heart of the map, giving his team a forward area to teleport to, fall back for recuperation, and use as an axis for acheiving victory.  Without his allies, the follower of the Wharthog is horribly exposed and vulnrable, but if he finds a good position which has a steady flow of allies coming from the spawn AND coming back for needed healing and ammunition, his outpost becomes an impregnable citadel.

The follower of the Warthog should especially dedicate himself to the art of detecting and quickly removing spies ... as a swift strike from  a spy can ruin even the strongest of outposts.

The way of the Wrench

The most agressive, radical and risky path is my own, the way of the wrench.  Using his deployables merely as distractions, or at most a seccondary concern (such as laying down a TP exit) ... the follower of the Wrench focuses on two things: his ability to influence the map at two places at once, and that a stronger enemy may not expect the kind of attack that the Engineer is capable of.  The shotgun rarely kills instantly, and the wrench is no garuntee, however, if a follower of the Wrench manages to attack from a position of surprise, he can deal a great amount of damage before his foe can react.   If he is exposed and targeted before he can spring, he can pull back and manuver, confident that the enemy will forget the problem momentarily as an allied Heavy Medic pair come forward.

The way of the Wrench is not about defending, not about holding ground, it is a road that focuses on the pure art of combat.

I focus on the wrench ... however, the shotgun is the engineer's best weapon, deadly at medium to short range, unloading six shells in a rapid fasion.   NEVER reload your shotgun in combat without first disengaging. If you must keep fighting, pull out your pistol or go in with the wrench, but the time it takes to reload shells is NEVER worth spending while exposed to the enemy.  It's usually better to pull back and circle around in an attempt to catch your enemy from behind while reloading than to press in and hope you get the kill.

Remember, your tools are your deployables, misdirection, cover, sidepaths, flanking ... and beleive it or not, intimidation.   If you come swinging at somone with a wrench, they're going to be a hell of a lot more interested in getting away from you than killing you, giving you plenty of opportunities to disengage and reload.

Which path you take is up to you, as is whether or not you even decide to follow these paths ... I merely present them here as a possibly way to a higher level of Engineering.

I feel slightly honoured, as I gave C4 the idea for 'Way of the Warthog'.

Great, insightful article C4Cypher.  I totally changed my play style after the first exposition you gave on the different styles.  I thought engys were for keeping sgs over caps and intel, and to move up was reckless and grandstanding.  Now I try to get up the the front on many maps, and have tried to become more offensive with my weapons.  (I do often get killed just before the fatal wrench hit can fall though)

This is great for helping to change mindsets, though.  This game gets more and more fun as people get more creative with their interpretations of the class role.

That was beautiful man.

These are great strategies for playing the engineer.  When i play as engineer I mostly stick to warthog style, setting up a second base with teleporters and a dispenser to help my allies get to the front lines of battle faster, keeping the enemy on their heels,  but the wrench style is just way more satisfying.   All too often i go into pubs and i find that engineers are building their sentry at the last cap point. 

I say to them, why build here? you wont kill anyone hiding  back here.

When I see this sort of thing happening it nearly makes me cry, so i pick up the wrench and show them how to properly wield it.  One of my favorite tactics is to progressively build sentries closer and closer to the enemy's spawn or intel room.  Then instead of the enemy stomping all over your team, they are running in a panic going,  "theres a sentry WHERE?!  iN OUR bASE?!!??!" 

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In my case ... it IS reckless and grandstanding, but hell is it fun.

This thread! IT'S ALIVE ..... Thanks RBR, Voss, I did NOT want to type all that again.

My style is a mix between the warthog and the ninja.

My aim is to distract the enemy from the frontlines, make me the highest prioty while the others can do there thing. I will get a level 1 sentry up early and run forward for a hit and run, preferably a pyro or demoman and the retreat leadin them to my sentry, Once I kill ill pick up there gun upgrade to level 2 and then set up my base. Once my base is up off I go with my shotgun leaving my sentry to fend for itself.

Once I see the sentry getting down to half hp I will find a new spot, set up a new base and repeat makin the enemy always looking for me, always wondering why they can never pass a certain point. Always wondering why an engineer is scoring the most points.

Also I have a nice record on 2fort, Ive managed to set up a base inside of there intel in 30 seconds, on a 12vs12 server, lets just say we won that round quite easily ^_^

Wow, this thread has really changed the way I think of playing engineer. As a result of this awesome post, you may see me playing strictly as engineer. Your energy for the class, has motivated me into pushing my limits to achieve new heights. Perhaps, in time, I shall be able to swing the wrench as well as you do.

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I wouldn't really call that a mix between Ninja and Warthog, I would call that pure Warthog, if you don't mind me saying. But hey, it's not a bad thing!