#I THINK Degroot keep is Medieval which is melee weapons only???

[dorenarox]

You know, I wish they would tell you what happens in those Misc alternative game modes, because I am WAY too chicken to queue up for something I don't even KNOW!

[tf2workbench]

Like gentlemenne of olde

One of my favorite maps in the game is DeGroot Keep, which enables Medieval Mode - melee and archaic weapons only, no guns! While it’s often a stew of anachronisms (note that the Scout’s sodas are usable), Medieval Mode has a kind of balance in and of itself. Granted, it’s a lot more straightforward than regular gameplay, but you can get some really interesting strategies in there.

Unfortunately, not all the classes are viable, and not all of the available weapons see any kind of use. This post, mostly for my own amusement, takes a few of those weapons and revamps them, specifically for Medieval Mode. I won’t delve into the balance of the individual classes quite yet - while there are clear imbalances, reworking a class is a much more difficult thing than redesigning some weapons.

Note that this is only a sampling of weapons. There’s plenty of things that don’t get much attention in Medieval Mode, so there’s definitely more for me to work with - if you all want to see more of that.

Bonk! Atomic Punch Bonk is a great tool in the Scout’s regular arsenal, but it’s not used very often in Medieval Mode. There’s very little undodgeable damage that you actually need Bonk to soak up - Scouts are faster and more maneuverable than anyone else on the battlefield, and there’s no rapid-fire weapons to deal with.

Rework for Medieval Mode: (+) Drink to gain +350% jump height for 8 seconds (-) While under effects: Any hit will cause you to fall to the ground (-) 20-second recharge

DeGroot Keep is a map with a lot of vertical space, courtesy of the big ol’ castle that houses the final control point. If I’m calculating this right, using this Bonk should allow you to climb the castle walls and get inside to wreak havoc - just be careful not to get shot down.

Sadly, I think this iteration of the Bonk might be less useful once the castle gates have opened, although a flanking route is always nice. It also forces you to use your melee weapon, which puts you within range of the enemy’s own hits; you also lose the benefits of a more combat-viable secondary like the Mad Milk or Flying Guillotine.

Market Gardener The Soldier is a slow-moving, awkward class when deprived of his signature rocket jump. In Medieval Mode, his main assets are the three battle banners, which can really turn a fight around if you deal enough damage to deploy them. Because the Market Gardener relies on rocket jumps, it has no real use without the rocket launchers, and almost always loses out to another melee.

Rework for Medieval Mode: (+) +100% rage gained on hit (-) No random critical hits

A simple change that synchronizes well with your available secondaries. However, its damage output is lackluster - a lack of random crits really hurts in Medieval Mode. You also lose out on the powerful attributes of other melees, such as the Disciplinary Action.

Homewrecker The Homewrecker sees a lot of use in standard gameplay thanks to its ability to remove sappers from friendly buildings. With no buildings and no sappers in this 10th-century Scottish keep, it becomes dead weight.

Rework for Medieval Mode: (+) Briefly slows enemy on hit (-) -50% damage

Because getting hit with a sledgehammer will slow you down, but probably won’t kill you as quickly as a fire axe. This is useful for getaways and for pinning down problematic targets, either for you or your team. My main concern is how it might be annoying to be slowed down, since it often feels impossible to avoid and frustrating to play with - especially because the Pyro has a decent movement speed and can catch up to at least a few targets.

Ubersaw It’s far and away the most popular Medic melee in regular gameplay, but Medieval Mode has no Ubercharge.

Rework for Medieval Mode: (+) On kill: Store a medium health kit (+) Alt-fire: Deploy health kit (-) -30% swing speed

All players drop a small health kit when they die in Medieval Mode, but this takes it a step further.

This Ubersaw is mainly going up against the Amputator, which provides a radial healing taunt. The advantage of this saw is that it lets you deliver strong burst healing without the immobility of a taunt. Is it enough? Maybe... maybe not.