100 Days as Spy in TF2

Jul 15, 2024

100 Days as Spy in TF2

Introduction

  • Purpose: Improve as Spy in Team Fortress 2 (TF2) over 100 days
  • Goals:
    • Increase Spy hours from 80 to 280
    • Achieve at least 1,000 kills with every Spy weapon

Initial Thoughts on Spy

  • Perceived as TF2's weakest class
  • Functions as a disruptor: can cloak, disguise, and backstab enemies
  • High learning curve: requires trick stabs, strafing, good positioning, and situational awareness

Challenge Guidelines

  1. Increase Spy hours from 80 to 280
    • Requires a minimum of 2 hours of Spy gameplay daily
  2. Achieve 1,000 kills with every Spy weapon
    • Must use Strange versions to count kills

Days 1-10: Learning Basics

  • Used stock knife and invis watch
  • Core mechanics: positioning, movement, hitboxes
  • Struggled with trick stabs and accurate backstabs
  • Began improving pathway and cloak management
  • Notable Milestone: Hit 1,000 kills with the Strange stock knife on Day 6

Days 11-20: Kunai Introduction

  • Benefits and drawbacks of the Kunai:
    • Lower base health (70 HP) but gains health on backstab
  • Made mistakes but saw growth in playstyle
  • Milestone: Hit 1,000 kills with the Kunai by Day 15

Days 21-30: Dead Ringer and LeTrange

  • Introduced LeTrange and Dead Ringer
  • Dead Ringer benefits:
    • Feign death, speed boost, cloak recharge
  • Improvement in trick stabs and reliable backstabs
  • Notable Milestone: Hit 1,000 kills with LeTrange on Day 18

Days 31-40: Big Earner and Diamondback

  • Introduced Big Earner
    • Speed boost on backstab
    • Lower base health (100 HP)
  • Started using Diamondback
    • Crazy damage potential, gains crits for saps and backstabs
  • Milestone: Hit 1,000 kills with Big Earner on Day 37

Days 41-50: Ambassador and Spicycle

  • Trying out Ambassador for Gunspy
  • Found Ambassador underwhelming due to headshot falloff
  • Milestone: Hit 1,000 kills with Ambassador by Day 48

Days 51-60: Your Eternal Reward

  • Critical analysis of Your Eternal Reward:
    • Silent killer, instant disguise
    • Faster cloak drain rate, must use full cloak to disguise
  • Changed to Cloak and Dagger for patience and timing
  • Milestone: Hit 1,000 kills with YER by Day 54

Days 61-70: Enforcer

  • Suffered through using the Enforcer:
    • Damage bonus when disguised, resistance penetration
    • Slow firing speed, no random crits
  • Struggled but hit 1,000 kills by Day 66

Final Days: Optimizing Loadout

  • Selected final loadout:
    • Knife: Kunai
    • Watch: Dead Ringer
    • Revolver: LeTrange
  • Improvement in chain trick stabs
  • Achieved a high KD (2.74) in the final week
  • Reached goal of 280 Spy hours

Final Stats

  • Total kills: 22,534
  • Total deaths: 9,707
  • Overall KD: 2.32
  • Points: 47,807

Reflections

  1. High KD does not mean better Spy player
  2. Spy may have been a tough first choice
  3. Progress and improvement are fulfilling
  4. Respect for Spy mains' skills and patience
  5. Variability in viable Spy weapons
  6. Always have a positive mental attitude (PMA)

Conclusion

  • 100-day Spy challenge was grueling but rewarding
  • Open to more 100-day challenges with other classes in the future