HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! Let's talk Demoman! (with a bonus video)

As a diehard demoknight I look forward to anything you have to say about him. I'd love to see demo related merch from you eventually!

Mr. Purple, I have been watching your content for some time and love your work. I actually just started playing TF2 after seeing yours, soundsmith and Uncle's content. Good job mate.

Jaron Michaelis

Can’t wait for How it feels to play demoman and medic

My favorite thing about Demoman is almost the same as my favorite thing about Soldier - just how quickly someone can cause chaos with a single explosive. Whether it throws people into panic or just screws a bunch of people at once (with or without a crit), I just love those special moments where one wayward grenade can either turn the tide completely or at the very least cause enough of a distraction to let others turn the tide of the battle. The thing with Demo, though, is that unlike Soldier, his projectiles are far less predictable, which I feel helps everything I said above. The same thing can go with Demoknight - I've had several moments where I pop one person's head off and then it just keeps accumulating. By all logical means I should NOT be surviving for as long as I do or killing as many people as I am, yet even when I'm about to die that adrenaline just doesn't stop me from slicing. With bomb or sword, playing this class is so much fun that it's almost criminal.

Strengthening Weakener

Honestly, the best part of Demo for me is: clutching the game at the last second, getting that Über in and destroying that sentry nest with like 3 engineers hunkering down ALWAYS feels amazing. However, I need to be seriously honest. Just like you, I'm hella burnt out on his stock, so I have been practising my demo-knight game play. I can wipe the floor in almost every server with nothing but the Eyelander, I'm talking 20 kill streaks with my sword. It's really not practical at all for destroying sentry nests. (Though when the stars align and a medic Übers me it's honestly the most fun thing I ever get to do.) I find demo-knight is also legitimacy a absolute beast when it comes to taking down medics. Fully headed, I can charge right into the team, one shot their medic, and be out of there instantly, all the while I'm just eating everything their team throws at me. Seriously, it's an amazing feeling when you kill a medic and survive as demo-knight. It's that feeling of working yourself up to become an absolute monster that can take risks that almost no other class can take. You truly become a raging monster that needs the full attention of the enemy team to take down. That, to me is the single best thing about playing Demo these days. PS: Sorry for the 3 edits

Demo consistently fluctuates between the most fun class to play and least fun class to play for me. I am a pyro main but theres something about slapping stickies and pills down a choke that you can really only feel with demo. demoknight is also just better spy so...theres that

Uncle

in casual mode there's always that medic who will Uber anything other than you on a sentry nest lol, nobody trust your aim

Also, one other thing, I don't expect you to cover this in the main video, maybe in the extras one, but I for one have by far the most fun playing demo as a demoknight, and all the stuff you can get away with with him, especially if you're me and you use the eyelander. Having 235 health and running at the speed of a scout, with fire and explosive resistance, and doing sick trimps and getting frags, is the highlight of this game for me. But like I said, it's subjective, and you may have a different opinion. But I find that if you play demoknight a lot and get good at him, it is a blast

Joseph Silva

My Demoman gameplay pales in comparison to my Demoknight gameplay, but from my pure Demo experience, it can be very rewarding, especially with a good sticky trap and hitting pipes, but also very frustrating if you screw it up and die. You need to have your gamesense on point when playing Demoman, to be able to switch from offense to defense on a dime, and it's still something that I struggle with periodically.

Joseph Silva

Demoman is pretty much the only class where having all stock weapons is viable/preferable imo. Some may say the iron bomber is better, but I like stock personally. On most classes, the melee slot is useless because your primary and secondary are perfectly fine in that range, but Demoman's primary and secondary are not very viable at close range due to the self damage and the delay before damage occurs (except for direct pipes). Bottle 4 lyfe. Just overall, I think Demoman is the damage dealing class with the most versatility due to how versatile and powerful his weapons are. imo the sticky launcher is the single best damage dealing weapon in the game. Also I think it's worth mentioning sticky jumping! It's pretty difficult but very interesting. I highly recommend checking out Sirky's videos to see how strong the sticky jumper can be. Good luck with the script!

Grant Fisher

OH so true so true, chasing that moment where you 1v4 defend as Demoman is the thing that keeps me going with him. You definitely seem invested in the predictive part of Demoman and I gotta ask - can you still do all that predictive work on an "off day?" Or do you find that Demoman is unplayable without a clear head?

LazyPurple

I can't thank you enough for this comment - the point about Demoman's sidegrades removing one dynamic from the weapon is golden. I also think that forcing one weapon at a time is an interesting way to dodge the burnout and hone in on the demoman mindset that I will try, thank you thank you!!

LazyPurple

Muh stickybombs ;-; I seriously can't imagine playing Demoman without the ability to sticky farm/defend myself from scouts! You must have to play really close to your team with the Resistance

LazyPurple

HMMMMM this brings up a good question which is whether Demoman is best played super seriously or not... maybe it is super context-dependent... I might do some testing for this one

LazyPurple

Pyros are no match for sticky spam that you never detonate >:D even if they airblast there's still 8 bombs that they've redirected towards you (which is where they're trying to walk to anyway) Imagining a pyro smart enough to airblast to the left or right though... *shudder*

LazyPurple

This has been me lately with the burnout agh, I don't want to do a repeat of the Sniper video but I may have to mention this dynamic at least for a moment

LazyPurple

Yup yup my pocket demo had regressed to "lob stickies at sentry" before I started practicing for the video, more people need to have that pocket demo though

LazyPurple

Sticky Jumper Demo is valid don't let anyone tell you otherwise

LazyPurple

I'm definitely trying to sneak in a bit about demopan and its secret crit rate lol but it'll require working around some corrupted footage. Yeah I also don't get why people hate on Demoman so hard, you'd think more people would realize how difficult it is to play him

LazyPurple

Lol I definitely feel that, the Loose Cannon may have a higher skillcap but it also has a silly gambling element with the double donks

LazyPurple

Thank you for this comment!! You made me realize that Demoman really is an all or nothing class like Sniper - you can't half-ass Demoman on his stock weapons

LazyPurple

Good point about the grounded/soaring dynamic, when you put it like that demoman might actually have the most extreme role reversal of any class based on the situation

LazyPurple

I really can't imagine trying to explain Tide-Turner/Loose Cannon demoman to someone from 2008 lol, definitely one of the most different/fun things you can do with the class!

LazyPurple

Demo is my main for a few key reasons; I really like how much you can put prediction skills to work, I like the flexibility of playstyles (even within stock), I like how he has basically 2 primarys, and I like how fun he is to play with the right mindset. For prediction, beyond aiming pills, and placing pipes, winning the neutral game, and forcing an opponent into a situation you can capitalize on against a good player is almost like a puzzle to me when i can get a few seconds to think through an encounter. the best part is, the result is as fun/rewarding as what it took to get there. i feel the simplicity of demoman is one of his many strengths, in that unlike engineer you dont need a flat ground to set up your area denial, and you dont need a line of sight to hit others. You can get as creative as you want too, and as spammy as you want too as well. If your not feeling up to making a great trap, or placing stickies in places and chase low hp opponents into them with your pipes, theres nothing stopping you from spamming out heavies with stickybombs, and pray they dont turn you into swiss cheese before you press m2. The same pretty much goes for non-stock. I think the scottish resistance is a great wep pick for casual because it really emphasizes the area denial and strategic part of the demo playstyle, and rewards you pretty well for it. Back when the demoknight league was still going, i remember the debate on what loadout to run was akin to what classes to pick in nolimit sixes. Thats a big part of the reason i feel like demoman has two primaries. I couldn't imagine demoman without his eyepatch, drunken scottish rambling, or pipe and sticky launchers. Both are fundamentally describable as “bomb gun” just as demo can be “bomb man”. It's easy to mold demoman to your playstyle, and get decent results, which is why he’s such a good generalist, despite having only reliable explosive midrange damage. there have been a few times ive been able to completely stop an enemy teams push by myself, and theres just something special about playing a class that can pull it off, no crits or tight corridors required (looking at you pub soldier)

Whenever I play Demo I always feel like I get more rewarded for map knowledge and forethought than most other classes. Pipes have always rewarded not just direct hits, but splash when you put pipes where you think people are going to be. This is why I personally love stock, as you can spam around corners and with clever bounces, but the same principle applies to the Iron Bomber as you can rely on them to be where you placed them. The Stickybomb Launcher also plays like this, where you can land direct shots or lay traps and anticipate the opposition. To play Demoman is to balance battling directly and indirectly like this and to feel the flow of the battle. This is also why so many primary and secondary options feel so underwhelming; you can only play directly with the Loch N Load and the quickie bomb launcher, and you can only play indirectly with the Scottish Resistence. If you're looking to switch things up, I'd recommend trying out different flavors of sticky tanks. I usually go Booties + stock on offense and Booties + Resistence on defense. You could also try Booties + Stock + Eyelander, which plays like a strange frenetic explosive jumping melee hybrid that gets faster and tankier and more chaotic the more people you kill. Demo has one of the weirdest kits of tf2, where you can specialize it for movement, offense, or defense, and whichever flavors of each you prefer. I think the most memorable Demo moment for me wasn't even when I was playing Demo. It was years ago on Dustbowl stage 1 point B, and this demo asked for a kritz pocket, and I hadn't played kritz medic before so I thought "sure why not" and this dude just swept the floor with them. There was a crit sticky in every choke. They couldn't push, and didn't get off any ubers, so it was one of the quickest halves of dustbowl I've ever played. It was here that I realized how stupidly overpowered a demo can be.

My most played class. I just love the loch n load because of the projectile speed. You can hit insane shots with that thing you could try it to spice things up. Also very fun: scottish resistance. It is WAY more fun than you can imagine. You can put traps freaking EVERYWHERE and it can be hell for all opponents :D

To me, playing Demoman is like going to an adventure. You set up a trap using 4 stickies or so, get ambushed by an enemy, defend yourself with stickies, just to see that not only did you blew up the bastard that jumped onto you, but also some poor fella who walked through the door at the wrong time, right into the sticky trap. Rarely do I get that many comedic kills with other classes. To me, I play best with Demo when I don't take the game seriously and just goof around. Stealing airshots from Soldiers, annoying Snipers with the Sticky Jumper, having Pan vs Pan duels with Scouts - for me, Demo is THE class to have fun with. I have never gotten frustrated while playing as Demo and his voicelines are just cherries on top.

For me demoman is ol reliable for when i run into a problem “Man, their engineer nest is really intricate, but i can cleverly sneak behind bla bla.... orrr i could go demoman and fire randoml—calculate the perfect trajectory for my shots and destroy them all” Bunch of medics? Demo. Lot of heavies? Demo. Good Pyros with pocket medics? Run away in fear.

A lot of what I feel with demoman is something you brought up in the sniper vid. If you're not doing too well, you're just hitting literally nothing. The sticky explosions are always out of range, you're panicking and thinking "what if they dodge in that direction?!?" and do a random 90 degree flick swipe with your mouse, and of course just not hitting a single pipe. Especially in one-on-one encounters.

Oasty

I feel like for many people who main other classes in pubs, swapping to Demoman is about doing the dirty work of clearing out Engineer nests or putting pressure on chokes. Or in the defensive direction, it's about putting down a space that people learn to respect. The Demo has 8 stickies and 4 pills loaded up. That's a lotta damage and a lotta spam that people have to beat through.

EE Sharp

Happy new year my man! I don't really play Demoman that much. I'm not really good with him. The most fun I have with him is either jumping around with the stickyjumper and panning people to death or Demoknighting with the pan instead of a normal sword. And after every kill, schadenfreude.

Palpameme

Probably my favourite thing to do as demoman is... DEMOPAN. The most op play style in the game. You just go VROOOOM... POW! and someone is dead. But what I think makes Demoman special is the fact that he might be the most balanced character in Team Fortress 2. You can go fast by doing sticky jumps, using your charge or even with the loose cannon. You are decently tanky. You do high amounts of damage with both shootie guns and melee weapons. When I play Demoman, I usually go for Demopan (Because it is awesome. Duh.) Or stock. Stock is good for all situations. It does good damage without many downsides. When I play Demoman, I usually feel pretty relaxed... Until I die 5 seconds after the game starts. I go into rage mode and scream like the Demoman when he is charging. I get kills and duck people up, I get the feeling that I am badass... Until I die again and start drinking scrumpy and doing the Kazotsky Kick naked on the kitchen table. So shortly. Demoman good. Don't know why he gets all the hate about sticky spam and stuff like that. He has many play styles and will get more fun to play the more you play. But... Keep this a secret guys... There is a secret way of playing Demoman which gets you all the kills... Get some scrumpy and learn to play the bagpipes. The rest will come from instinct.

I can't believe Vangelis just deleted 3 people with one note With Demo I find I panic way too much, I can't aim pills to save my life and with stickies I'll either hit no one if I lay down a group of them, or just kill 3 people with one, I don't usually hit the gray areas with that one. That being said I love using the Loose Cannon for sheer stupidity

Cameron Scott (Sync)

Hello Lazy. It is I, SuperPenGuy (aka Acute Bronchitis on your friends list). Demo is my second most played class and I think what makes him special is is ability to punish over extending classes that underestimate his ability to aim (much in the same way sniper does). Since demo's primary relies so heavily on aim more so that any other primary since pipes travel in palabras, it makes playing him so much more strategic. Personally, I always find myself planning my attacks more carefully when playing him. Same strategy goes with the sticky bombs. They also travel in arcs and sticky placement is crucial as to how effective they can used to push. I also enjoy playing demonight on casual servers. I think what makes demonight so enjoyable is the dramatic change of movement the subclass offers to the demoman and how effective he can be to players not expecting him. I always find myself going on 15+ killstreaks doing this, and when the eyelander is at full head count, you can really take advantage of your 235 health and scout speed. Hope this helps out dude. Good luck to you! Happy New year and I can't wait to see what you have in store for us in 2020.

Happy New Year, Lazy! If I wanna say what I think is special about Demoman, I'd say it's the variety of his various weapons and playstyles. He's got the complete capabilities to play offensively or defensively, he can keep himself grounded or go soaring through the air, and, of course, he could stick to his explosive armaments or just go buck wild with a sword and shield. I constantly find myself mixing and matching various weapons and trying different tactics whenever I play Demoman, and that's what I find special about him.

BoyoNylo