Basic Heavy strategy

The Heavy is the true tank of Team Fortress 2 Classified. His health pool of 300 combined with his 50% resistance to all sources of knockback makes him the most durable class in the game and allows him to hold ground like no other mercenary. The Heavy is the natural anchor of his team, often rallied around and supported as he defends or attacks an area. His Minigun can output massive damage at close to medium range, and its bullets spread out in a wide cone, allowing him to demolish attackers and flankers alike as they run into him foolishly. The rest of his kit is quite flexible, granting him explosive damage, healing for both himself and his teammates, and guaranteed critical charges. With all of this survivability, raw power, and presence combined, the Heavy is one of the most threatening killers on the battlefield.

Primary Weapons

Minigun

The Minigun is the default primary weapon for the Heavy. It fires a sustained volley of bullets, which deal very little damage individually but output monstrous damage total at close and even medium range. Unlike other weapons, the Minigun must be spun up for 1 second before it is able to be fired, so it is important to prepare for combat by spinning it up before you engage. Additionally, having it spun up slows you down heavily, so positioning is also very important when committing to a fight with the Minigun. You can keep it spinning without firing by holding your right mouse button indefinitely, which is useful for conserving ammo or getting ready for incoming danger. The Minigun has a wide bullet spread, allowing it to damage multiple enemies in an area.

Anti-Aircraft Cannon

The Anti-Aircraft Cannon is an alternative primary weapon for the Heavy. In contrast to the Minigun, which fires bullets, the Anti-Aircraft Cannon fires flak rounds that deal damage in a small splash radius, allowing you to hit enemies in spots that you cannot see, such as around corners. It will also deal mini-crit damage to any enemy who is 128 Hammer Units above the ground, which will assist you in dealing with double-jumping Scouts, explosive-jumping Soldiers and Demomen, or enemies using Jump Pads. However, the Anti-Aircraft Cannon has a hard limited range of 900 Hammer Units, and its explosions can also damage you, so it is best to fire at medium range where you can blow up enemies and buildings without also exploding yourself.

Secondary Weapons

Shotgun

The Shotgun is the default secondary weapon for the Heavy. Unlike the Minigun, the Shotgun fires instantly and is completely silent before firing a shot. It is the ideal weapon for mobile assaults and escapes, as you are not slowed down while using it, and its damage is consistent at close to medium range. The Shotgun covers the weaknesses of the Minigun but has its own weaknesses as well, so knowing when and when not to use it is vital.

Sandvich

The Sandvich is an alternative secondary weapon for the Heavy. It is not a traditional weapon but instead a lunchbox item that can be eaten with the primary attack key. Upon eating, the Heavy will enter third-person view, become immobile and defenseless, and emit loud chewing noises for a short period of time as you heal. You can also throw it to a teammate, which will heal them for half of their maximum hit points. The Sandvich is ideal for defending dangerous areas, staying alive without a Medic, or saving teammates from death. Using the Sandvich means lacking the Shotgun, however, so you are at a large disadvantage when caught off-guard or attacked from behind cover.

Melee Weapons

Fists

The Fists are the default melee weapon for the Heavy. Due to the Heavy’s slow movement speed, chasing an enemy with your Fists out is ineffective; instead, either corner your enemy so they can’t escape you or catch them off-guard with a surprise attack from around a corner or above a platform. Pressing the taunt key with your Fists out will have the Heavy perform the High Noon taunt, which will kill any enemy in front of you if your timing is on point.

Chekhov's Punch

The Chekhov's Punch is an alternative melee weapon for the Heavy. It functions identically to the Fists in terms of base damage and attack speed. Upon punching an enemy, you will gain 1 critical charge with a maximum amount of 3. These critical charges can be used for any weapon in your kit, using 1 charge for every 1.5 seconds of Minigun fire, 1 charge for every Anti-Aircraft Cannon shot, 1 charge for every Shotgun shot, 1 for any Sandvich usage, and 1 for every landed melee hit. You can only deal critical melee damage at 3 charges, and successive critical melee hits do not use any charges. However, regardless of which weapon you have deployed, having the Chekhov's Punch equipped causes you to take critical damage from all melee attacks, as well as lose your ability to achieve random critical melee hits. Be very cautious during melee combat, as you must rely on movement to avoid being beaten or bludgeoned to death.