The spy can be a very tough class to play, but one of the most rewarding and fun to play if you know what you are doing. The spy has seen several marked improvements from the TF/TFC spy, most notably the removal of feigning and replacing it with cloaking. This completely changes the spy's dynamics and allows them to more easily infiltrate enemy lines.
Save cloaking for when you really need it
Timing when to cloak can be tricky, try to do it just before the last possible second, it takes a fraction of a second to engage, so enemies can still track you as you cloak, make sure when decloaking you do it out of the direct sight of any enemies.
Re-Bind the last used disguised key to something easily accessible
Last used disguise is inconveniently mapped and hard to access. Map it to a button you can more easily hit, or better yet you can
pick up this script, and bind attack and last disguise to the same key, stab and reapply the disguise with one key stroke.
The revolver is not just for show
Instead of trying to kill the engi with the knife after you sap his gun, swap to the revolver, while the gun is being sapped, odds are one or two shots will finish off the gun and it does enough damage to dispatch an engi quickly as well.
Don't sap everything immediately
Just because its there doesn't mean you need to sap it, sometimes it might be better to wait for a good moment to apply the sapper, such as someone else attacking the gun.
Reapply makeup more often than a whore
Change your disguise often, after every few kills, if you fall into a rut of disguising as one particular class people are going to know what class to watch out for as a spy.
Keep tabs on the class mix
Don't disguise as a class the enemy only has one of and especially none of, the more there are of an enemy class the more unlikely it is that you will be spotted.
Partner for a Rush
Putting a sapper on a gun just as a soldier is about to attack it is the best way to take it out.
SPIES...stabbin' MAH BACK?!?
Sometimes, especially in AD maps, its more important to kill the engineer than take out the gun with a sapper, if the engi is dead, someone else on your team can take down the gun. But if that engi repairs the gun after you try to sap it, your team isn't going to get by.
Stab uber ready doctors first
Self explanatory, follow
the protip
Warning: Using teleporters is hazardous to your health
If you use a teleporter, you will trail those little sparks that indicate you used one recently, even while cloaked, so avoid using them.
Never bump into enemies, ever
Unlike friendlies, enemies can not clip through you, do NOT bump into them, cloaked or disguised, its an instant indicator that you are not on their side.
Oh my god I am on FIRE!!!
Stay away from pyros at all costs, if they are actively spy checking your job just got a lot harder, pyros seem to do more damage to the spy, probably not all the smoke inhalation, but more likely than not that cheap suit is highly flammable.
You have two disguise menus!
Disguising as a friendly unit on 2fort or any CTF map can be critical, if you get across, a sniper or someone on the way out may report 'soldier' incoming, then you disguise as their team and proceed in while they attempt to locate someone who isn't there.
Spy is one of my favorite classes to play, especially if the enemy team is asleep at the wheel its really a blast to go through a bunch of people with back stabs in a tight hallway or in an attack column like in dustbowl.
You aren't James Bond, hell you aren't even James Bourne, but if you are lucky you just may turn out like Austin Powers, except with less shagging...
Enjoy this small spray
Please check out and comment on this and my other class guides, comments are the only way I know anyone is reading this since Dtoid still doesn't have individual hit counters for clogs.
Medic
Sniper
Pyro
Engineer
Scout
Nice guide. Not sure if I can be helped though, everytime I try out spy, I play for about a minute and then get really annoyed at how unbelievably bad I am and switch back to soldier.
One of the things I love about playing spy is running into another spy when both of you are invisible. You both turn and see each other, and more times than not, both turn away and do your respective businesses, as if to say "We both have shit to do, see you in hell"
I am probably the worst spy with a Steam Account.
Oh wow didn't know about the teleporter bubbles showing even when you're cloaked. The more you know!
I have two disguise menus? Elaborate.
Lawl spies using porters am fail. Also I can sort of play spy, but I have trouble getting in behind enemy lines well. And I can't really do anything right but backstab a line of people, which I fail at half the time too XD.
But I'm really good at killing spies =D.
Ha about the porter thing. I was playing heavy, some spy actually pushed me off the porter and took it. I banned him.
@Lord Random - in the disguise menu +/= (By default if I remember), will toggle the disguise choice between enemy and friendly, for example, you can disguise as an enemy pyro, or a friendly soldier, so if an enemy spots you entering the lower level of 2fort, they will expect a soldier.
Wait...6 of 10? How does that work?
He's explained it in like, every post, because someone always asks XD.
Last one covers general tips that aren't class specific.
Great stuff Caff, I still find the spy to be a tad underwhelming. Don't get me wrong, its a class that can stop a rush cold, or make a push succeed, but a significant portion of intelligent players will notice the subtle differences in the disguise and shoot(or bonesaw) right through it. Props for Valve making it so you don't splatter blood anymore when your shot, that was a laughable giveaway in the old TFC.