Basic Civilian strategy

The Civilian is the conniving and stingy generous billionaire entrepreneur who has hired the mercenaries to protect and aid him in his escape in the VIP and VIP Race gamemodes. In these modes, the Civilian is the only player capable of capturing points, making him a central figure for both teams. As the VIP, he is a high-priority target for enemies, making his survival of the utmost importance. The Civilian has a large health pool of 200 HP, a speed of 280 HU/s (matching the speed of the Demoman), and passively regenerates 5-15 health per second. His playstyle is heavily support-focused; both his aura and his melee weapons provide very helpful buffs to his teammates. Allies within his aura gain 5 to 15 health regeneration per second and receive 20% damage resistance. Notably, these effects apply even through walls and solid obstacles, allowing the Civilian to safely support his team from behind cover.

As the key player of any VIP match, the Civilian should avoid direct combat whenever possible and stay near the rest of their teammates. Staying behind bulkier teammates—such as the Heavy or Soldier—allows the Civilian to provide aura support while minimizing risk. Pressing forward to capture points should be done only when the area is secure, as reckless positioning can lead to a 30-second reduction to the round timer-or an instant loss in the case of Trainyard. Unlike other classes, the Civilian’s value isn’t in dealing damage, but in enabling the rest of the team to succeed. A smart Civilian player knows when to press forward with the team, when to hang back and recover, and when to retreat altogether.

An important aspect of the Civilian's gameplay is choosing the right melee weapon to suit your team’s needs. While the Civilian lacks effective combat options, his melee weapons provide a powerful buff to a teammate that can give them the edge they need over the enemy team. These weapons serve as important tools for supporting your team—whether through speed and aggression, or a simple 35% damage increase. The usage of the Derby Cane versus the Umbrella changes how, when and to who the Civilian grants buffs, and understanding the pros and cons of each is essential for making the tough choice between the two.

Melee Weapons

Umbrella

The Umbrella is the Civilian’s stock melee weapon, functioning similarly to the Bat in terms of combat-It deals only 35 damage per hit, and swings every 0.5 seconds. However, its primary use is not its melee capabilities, but its alternate-fire effect. When alt-fired while aiming at a teammate, the Umbrella grants them a Mini-crit boost for 8 seconds, with a 15-second cooldown between uses. This boost is best used offensively on a high-DPS class like Heavy, Soldier, Pyro and Demoman, and best used supportively on a Medic to buff his heal speed and ÜberCharge build rate by 35% each. The Mini-crit boost is less useful to classes that already have access to guaranteed critical damage, like the Sniper with headshots or Spy with backstabs. To make the most out of the boost, Civilians should be aware of their teammates’ roles and timing, and save the boost for moments where it'll do the most good.

Derby Cane

The Derby Cane has the same melee stats as the Umbrella; 35 damage per hit, two hits per second. Like the Umbrella, its main focus is not in direct combat, but its Alt-Fire boost effect. Alt-firing while targeting a teammate grants them a Haste boost for 8 seconds, with a 13-second cooldown between uses. The Haste boost is best used on slower classes such as the Heavy, Soldier, and Demoman, because it improves their movement, firing and reload speeds. It can also be used supportively on Engineers, granting faster Wrench swings for upgrading or repairing buildings, and on Snipers, who benefit from quicker charge and reload speeds with the Sniper Rifle. Spies benefit from the higher mobility, but it doesn't stack with the L'Escampette's speed boost. The Haste boost is especially helpful for Medics using the Rejuvenator, as the weapon has a low firing speed and reload speed, as well as the higher movement speed for more effective repositioning. However, the Medi Gun and Kritzkrieg only receive a 35% healing rate bonus from Haste; unlike the Umbrella, the Derby Cane does not enhance their ÜberCharge build rate.

Mini-crits vs. Haste

Below is a table of every weapon's DPS with no boost, the Haste boost, the Mini-crit boost, and both.

The formula to calculate DPS is $\frac{d}{i+c}$ , where "d" is damage, "i" is the weapon's attack interval and "c" is the weapon's charge or recharge time.

Weapon	Base DPS	Haste DPS	Mini-crit DPS	Higher DPS	Both DPS
Brick	11	22	13.5	Haste	27
Bat/Umbrella/Derby Cane	70	117	94	Haste	157
Pistol	100	150	135	Haste	200
R.P.G.	73	117	99	Haste	158
Shotgun	96	135	130	Haste	180
Most Melees	81	130	110	Haste	176
Cyclops	67	133	90	Haste	180
Dynamite Pack	26	51	35	Haste	69
Minigun	343	507	457	Haste	676
Coilgun (Fully charged)	36	94	48	Haste	126
Scattergun	96	120	130	Mini-crit	162
Nailgun	120	150	160	Mini-crit	200
Rocket Launcher	113	150	153	Mini-crit	203
Flamethrower	186	186	251	Mini-crit	243
Flare Gun	15	20	21	Mini-crit	27
Twin Barrel	50	59	68	Mini-crit	80
Grenade Launcher	167	222	225	Mini-crit	300
Anti-Aircraft Cannon	109	133	147	Mini-crit	180
Coilgun (Primary Fire)	63	75	85	Mini-crit	102
Syringe Gun	95	121	133	Mini-crit	169
Stickybomb Launcher	180	240	240	Same	288
Mine Layer	300	360	360	Same	432
Shock Therapy	3.3	10	4.5	Haste	13.4
Sniper Rifle	33 100	50 150	45 100	Haste	68 150
Huntsman	25 75	50 150	34 75	Haste	68 150
Huntsman (Fully Charged)	40 120	50 150	54 120	Haste	108 240
Sniper Rifle (Fully Charged)	33 100	75 225	136 100	Haste	108 240
Hunting Revolver	60 180	80 240	81 180	Haste	108 240
SMG	76	105	105	Same	147
Fishwhacker	53	78	67	Haste	102
Revolver	80	89	108	Mini-crit	120
Tranquilizer Gun	8.7	15	12	Haste	21
Knife	50	80	68	Haste	108

Weapon	Base HPPS	Haste HPPS	Mini-crit HPPS	Higher HPPS	Both HPPS
Sandvich	3.5	8.6	3.5	Haste	8.6
Medigun/Kritzkrieg	24	32	32	Mini-crit	44
Rejuvenator	55	72	55	Haste	72
Shock Therapy	3.33%/s	10%/s	3.33%/s	Haste	10%/s

Results and Disclaimers

Of the damage-dealing weapons in Team Fortress 2 Classic, 32 gain higher DPS values when affected by the Haste boost, 11 perform better with the Mini-crit boost, and 3 have the same DPS under either effect. Notably, all 17 melee weapons benefit more from Haste, significantly influencing that total. However, even when excluding melee weapons, 15 ranged weapons still outperform under Haste, compared to 11 under Mini-crits.

It's important to note that the DPS calculations used in this comparison generally do not account for reload times, with the exception of weapons that must reload between shots, such as the R.P.G., Sniper Rifle, and Cyclops. Since the mini-crit boost doesn't affect reload speed, weapons that need to reload frequently would have much higher DPS gains from Haste when reloads are factored in.

Other than simply buffing DPS, Haste also enhances movement speed, weapon switching speed, and rev-up time, stats which are not reflected in the DPS table, but still relevant to overall effectiveness. The main difference is with how each buff actually increases damage output. Haste increases firing speed, which means the player needs to land more shots to actually benefit from the buff. Mini-crits, by contrast, increase the damage per shot, allowing for the usual firing speed to yield more damage. As a result, utilizing the Haste boost has a higher skill ceiling and greater potential, while Mini-crits are more forgiving and easier to use consistently.

In terms of the 5 healing weapons available, the Haste boost generally proves more effective than the Mini-crit boost, although the reason for that varies from weapon to weapon. For the Sandvich and the Shock Therapy, which each have a 30-second recharge time, the Haste boost reduces their cooldowns to approximately 10 seconds. This effectively triples their healing frequency, significantly increasing their average healing per second. For the Rejuvenator, since it operates more like a grenade launcher than a traditional medigun, it benefits far more from the higher reload and firing speed of the Haste boost, and the Rejuvenator's health output isn't affected by Mini-crits, making Haste the only effective buff for Medics using the weapon. However, the Medi Gun and the Kritzkrieg each gain a 35% increased healing rate from either buff, but only the Mini-crit boost increases their ÜberCharge rate. Even though Mini-crits do offer a unique benefit for those Mediguns, Haste is still the more effective boost overall due to it reducing cooldowns and increasing the frequency at which recharge and projectile-based support weapons can be used.

Overall, the Derby Cane's Haste boost is more impactful on average due to it effecting more than just DPS or HPPS, i.e. reload and mobility improvements. Furthermore, it recharges 15% faster than the Umbrella's Mini-crit boost, making Haste generally the more versatile and rewarding choice for Civilians.