Valve have become masters of suspense, letting information trickle out and leading their fans along with tidbits of news about their continuing saga of TF2 “refreshes”.
Cry some more
I hesitate to call them “updates” because every time they release a new “update” it adds an entirely new dimension to the base gameplay. The refreshes generally require even expert players to learn a whole new map, skillset, or strategy to keep up with the game.
First we had the Medic update, then the Pyro, and now the Heavy update is here.
The Heavy update includes the following:
New Weapons
The KGB (Killing Gloves of Boxing) – Melee weapon that gives +5 seconds of guaranteed critical hits (cumulative) when used to kill an opponent. If you get into a situation where you can punch multiple enemies, you can build up a good crit charge and then switch to your other weapons to become a one man army.
Natascha – New minigun that does 25% less damage per hit than Sasha, but slows enemies.
Sandvich – A unique new weapon – instead of doing damage, you pull out a “sandvich”, and eat loudly for four seconds (during which time you are vulnerable to attack), but you regain 120 health when finished snacking.
New Game mode
TF2 Arena: Think of it as controlled Sudden Death. Teams are randomly assigned and you play to win 5 quick matches. You have a small arena with a single central control point. Rush it and take it for the win, OR kill off all enemies. Either way, count on frenzied, quick matches.
In our IC trial run of arena_lumberyard today, the game crashed for everyone. Probably some bugs to be worked out.
New maps
Badwater Basin – a new Payload map that emphasizes more “open” areas instead of creating chokepoints like Goldrush.
Steel – a “community” map that has 5 control points – except this time the map changes depending on which points you choose to capture. Goal is to cap the final point.
Arena maps – Lumberyard, Ravine, Well, Badlands, and Granary – Lumberyard is a new “Alpine”-style map, with a completely different style of environment (breaking away from the desert/miner theme). Ravine is a new map in the familiar desert/mine style, and Well, Granary, and Badlands have undergone “significant” changes in order to fit in with the new game mode.
New Achievements
35 new achievements for the Heavy. Like previous updates, some seem almost a given, and others seem almost impossible under normal circumstances.
All in all, this is another feature packed FREE update from Valve.
If you’d like to join the Icrontic Crew in TF2, we play almost nightly. Check into our forums or join our Steam group.
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