The two

cities meta
A Technical Viewpoint
Written by Franklin Mak

Audience and Scope

This technical description of the Two Cities Meta is intended for the Mann vs.
Machine (MvM) community at large. The intent and purpose of this description is
to explain to the uninformed the mechanics of the Meta on a class-by-class basis,
as well as highlight the major roles of each class. Upon reading this technical
description, the reader will learn about why each specific class is needed in the
Meta, as well as how they work together.

Disclaimer
This is not a guide to beating the Two Cities Tour of Duty (ToD). It is to explain
multiple elements of the Meta in terms of roles, mechanics and synergies. In
addition, this description will only describe the usages of the Metas more widely
accepted weapons for the sake of simplicity. This does not imply any particular
weapons are inferior to the examples given, due to the largely situational nature
of the MvM gamemode as a whole. The author encourages the usage of a
dynamic loadout to best fit the situation.

The Class Roster:

Class

Soldier

Scout

Demoman

Portrait

Primary

Secondary

Melee

Rocket
Launcher

Buff Banner

Disciplinary
Action

Soda Popper

Mad Milk

Fan O War

Grenade
Launcher

Stickybomb
Launcher

Bottle

Heavy

Minigun

Sandvich

Gloves of
Running
Urgently

Medic

Overdose

Kritzkrieg

Ubersaw

Rescue
Ranger

Wrangler

Wrench

Engineer

The Soldier
The Soldiers roles in the meta are to:

Wipe out large groups of robots

Stun Giant Robots
Boost his teammates with a Mini-Crit boost
Destroy the Tank with the Demoman

In order for him to perform his duties, he must upgrade the Rocket Specialist
property of his Rocket Launcher at least once and fully upgrade reloading speed,
firing speed, and damage.
Rocket Specialist grants the Soldier a 15% larger blast radius and 15% faster rocket
speed per point. In addition, a direct hit will cause the initial target and all robots
within the blast radius to take the maximum damage ramp-up and stun them for 1
second at most.
As the Soldier damages the enemy, he builds a meter marked RAGE. The meter
will fill up and glow red after the Soldier does 600 damage. Activating the Buff
Banner will enable Mini-Crits for all allies within range for 10 seconds. Optimally, the
Soldier should be within range of as many allies as possible to maximize overall
damage output.
When a Tank spawns, it is imperative that the Soldier teams up with the
Demoman to destroy the tank before it drops its bomb into the hatch. Between
the Soldiers Mini-Crit boost from his Buff Banner the Demomans high damage
output, they should have the strength to destroy it.

The Scout
The Scouts role in the meta is as follows:

Collecting Money
Weakening Giant Robots
Distracting and Drawing Fire from the Robots

The money collected by the Scout allows the entire team to buy upgrades that
enhance weapons, build resistances, and disposable canteen charges that grant:

Invulnerability
Critical Hits
Ammunition refills
Instant Return to Spawn
Instant Building Upgrades

In return, the Scout is granted healing as he runs over and collects money. This
healing can overheal him to about 700 HP, allowing the Scout more survivability as
he collects money.
The Scout uses the Mad Milk and Fan O War to weaken clusters of robots and
single targets respectively. The Mad Milk returns 60% of damage taken by Robots
coated in it as healing to the attacker. The Mad Milk can also slow coated
enemies by 35% after buying the related upgrade. This upgrade is vital in slowing
Giant Scouts, which otherwise run past the team before they can destroy it.
The Scout should use his agility to his advantage to distract the Robots away from
his team. In that time, the team can either fall back and regroup or mow down
the enemy with their backs turned.

Mad Milk

Fan O War

The Demoman
The Demomans duties are as follows:

Destroy the robot Medics before they use their Ubercharge

Work with the Soldier to destroy Tanks
Defend key locations

Most robot Medics build Ubercharges that make themselves and their patients
invulnerable to damage. If the Ubercharge is successfully deployed, the robots
have the potential to gain a lot of ground while suppressing the team. The
Demoman must destroy them instantly before they have the chance to use their
Ubercharge. To do so, the Demoman lays a trap of stickybombs along their
predetermined path.

Trap Laid

Trap Detonated

When Tanks appear, the Demoman should fall back with the Soldier to destroy it.
While doing so, the Demoman should stay within range of the Soldiers Buff Banner
to maximize his damage output. He also should coordinate with the Soldier
regarding the sharing of ammunition boxes found in the map so neither of them
has to stop attacking for long.
When there are neither robot Medics or Tanks to prioritize, the Demoman can lay
traps at key locations on the map that the robots pass. A few examples include:

Tunnels
Bridges
Corridors
Corners
On the bomb or bomb hatch

The Heavy
The Heavys job consists of:

Constant damage per second (priority on Giants)

Bullet Magnet
Pushing back/Resetting the bomb.

The Heavys minigun fires into the enemy, mowing down clusters of small Robots.
He can also obliterate Giants with focused fire. If the Heavy does not outright
destroy the Robots, he will at least weaken them enough for the Soldier,
Demoman, or Engineer to finish off.

The Heavy should be the Bullet Magnet of his team, drawing fire to himself when
the Scout cannot distract them. For this reason, the Heavy should have the
majority of the Medics healing and support.
The Heavy pushes Giants back with his unlockable Knockback Rage for his
minigun. When the bomb is being carried near an environmental hazard, he can
reset the bomb by pushing the carrier into the hazard.

The medic
The Medic is responsible for:

Keeping his team alive and fit to fight

Amplifying damage
Deploying Projectile Shields
Reviving Fallen teammates

The Medics Kritzkrieg heals teammates and gives an overheal buff. Due to the
role that the Heavy, Soldier, and Demoman plays, the Medic will prioritize those
three in particular.
His Kritzkriegs Ubercharge gives at least 8 seconds of guaranteed critical hits to
his immediate patient, amplifying the power of his weapons. For example, the
Medic can give the Demoman the Ubercharge to lay a most certainly lethal sticky
trap for the robots at the beginning of a wave.
The Projectile Shield upgrade for his Kritzkrieg blocks all oncoming damage, with
the exception of fire. It lasts for up to 10 seconds. This gives the team an opening
to attack unimpeded by suppressing fire. The shield itself also damages robots on
contact.

The Medic can revive fallen teammates by healing special markers they leave
behind on death. While using the Ubercharge, the revival speed is nearly
instantaneous. This, along with healing teammates, recharges the shield.

The Engineer
The Engineer is responsible for:

Sentry, Dispenser, and Teleporter

Blocking Giant Scouts
Detonating Sentry Busters away from the team

The Engineers most important building is his Dispenser. The Dispenser heals all
allies in range up to their maximum health and resupplies them with ammo
indefinitely. His Sentry tracks robots within its detectable range and fires bullets
and rocket volleys at them. His Teleporter brings his team back to the front line
faster.
The Engineer has the responsibility of blocking Giants by placing his Sentry Gun in
the direct path of it. The Giant cannot walk through the Sentry, and, while it can
jump over the Sentry, it rarely does. This is a critical job, especially in the case of
waves with Giant Scouts.
If his Sentry does 1500 damage or get 15 kills, his Sentry will be targeted by a Sentry
Buster, a robot with the sole purpose of demolishing Sentries.

The Engineer must pick up their Sentry and run to a place where it will not harm
teammates or any of his other buildings. The explosion the Sentry Buster creates
will deal massive blast damage to anything caught in it, including robots. Skilled
Engineers with a communicative and observant team can use Sentry Busters to
their advantage.

Conclusion/Ending Notes
At this point, the reader should have a better understanding of why the Meta has
these 6 specific classes, as well as each of their roles in the order of their
importance. This understanding will lead to smoother path to victory when using
the Two Cities Meta.
The author reiterates that the loadouts used here are the most common
configurations found by users of the Two Cities Meta. As players progress through
this ToD, they gain their own insight on alternative loadouts. This technical
description serves the purpose as a starting point for that insight.