....which ones would you choose?
This has been on my mind for a while, and I thought it would be fun to ask. Here's the scenario:
Valve snorts more portal conversion gel than usual and decides to delete all cosmetics and all but three weapons per class, which would become the new achievement rewards for each class, of which would be the only way to get them (so no more crafting, trading, or store). They ask you, (hallucinating you're GabeN himself) what weapons to keep for each class and what order you can unlock them. Which ones would you keep? Keep in mind, these will be the only weapons you and everyone else will keep forever and ever. So choose wisely.
Three rules:
1.) Only three weapons per class.
2.) Only the current pool of weapons available can be chosen, no custom weapons.
3.) The weapons will be in their current balance states, no re-balancing.
Self-impose other restrictions at your own peril.
As for myself, I'm self-imposing the rules:
- Only one weapon per slot (Primary, Secondary, Melee)
- No re-skins
- No multi-class weapons
Additionally, my picks will be based on several factors (of varying priority):
Aesthetics: Does the weapon looks like it belongs in the world of TF2? No? Auto-banned. So the Deus Ex and Gordbort weapons would be a definite no. Additionally, if a weapon has a model entirely based on a previously released weapon ( e.g. Soda Popper to FaN) then that has less of a chance.
Balance: Pretty self explanatory, too powerful (which is actually pretty rare these days) or too useless (*cough*volcanofragment*cough*) will probably not be chosen. Exceptions being weapons that bring good buffs to a class that makes them better but not broken, e.g. most alternatives to most stock melees, and certain secondaries.
Playstyle & Fun Factor: How does this weapon change how you play the class? Weapons that fundamentally change your playstyle and are fun to use, (e.g. Gunboats) will be prioritized over boring +/- stat weapons (e.g. Family Business).
Synergy: How well does this weapon synergize with the other slots? Some weapons simply do better with other weapon slots? Is it entirely dependent on another weapon to be viable? e.g. Big Earner synergizes well with the DR, as they negate each other's weaknesses, however it still is a solid choice with the stock watch. Meanwhile, the Buffalo Steak, goes great with the KGB, but doesn't really stand up on its own very well in any other context.
Overall Game Flow: Finally, how does this weapons affect the game overall? In other words, how fun is it to fight against? The Rescue Ranger is a fantastic sidegrade to the shotgun, however, a skilled Engie can use it to really slow the game down by negating the risk of having to be by his sentry to fix it during an Uber push, combine this with the Wrangler/SC and the support of his team, it'll be stalemate city. As expected, Engineer's and Medic's picks will be the most scrutinized in this category.
And with that, here are my picks both TL;DR version and a spoilered detailed breakdown* of each weapon's acceptance/denial.
Offence:
Scout:
Primary: Force-A-Nature
Secondary: Bonk! Atomic Punch
Melee: Sandman
Order: FaN>Sandman>Bonk!
Soldier:
Primary: Original lol Direct Hit
Secondary: Gunboats
Melee: Escape Plan
Order: EP>Gunboats>Direct Hit
Pyro:
Primary: Dragon's Fury/Backburner
Secondary: Flare Gun/Thermal Thruster
Melee: Axtinguisher/Back Scratcher
Order: Axtinguisher>Flare Gun>Dragon's Fury/Backburner>Back Scratcher>Thermal Thruster
Defence:
Demoman:
Primary: Loose Cannon/Bootlegger
Secondary: Scottish Resistance/Chargin' Targe
Melee: Ullapool Caber/Eyelander
Order: Caber>ScotRes>LC/Eyelander>Targe>Bootlegger
Heavy:
Primary: Brass Beast
Secondary: Sandvich
Melee: Fists of Steel
Order: Sandvich/Brass Beast/FoS
Engineer:
Primary: Frontier Justice
Secondary: Wrangler
Melee: Gunslinger
PDA: N/A
Order: FJ>Wrangler>Gunslinger
Support:
Medic:
Primary: Crusader's Crossbow
Secondary: Kritzkrieg
Melee: Ubersaw
Order: Ubersaw>Kritz>Crossbow
Sniper:
Primary: Huntsman
Secondary: Jarate
Melee: Tribalman's Shiv
Order: Tribalmen's Shiv>Jarate>Huntsman
Spy:
Secondary: L'Etranger
Melee: Big Earner
PDA 2: Cloak and Dagger
Building: N/A
Order: L'Et>CnD>BE
*details tba