How to Taunt Kill in Team Fortress 2

Last Updated: March 21, 2022

In Team Fortress 2, every class can taunt by pressing the G key. Depending on the weapon held, the type of taunt done can be changed. Certain weapons have an interesting feature about them: they can kill using their taunts. While most taunt kills are slow, they all deal extreme damage and can be used as a surprise attack. There are many reasons why people taunt kill: for achievements, to embarrass your enemy, or just to take advantage of an unwary target.

Steps

1
Decide on what taunt you will use. Each class has at least one weapon that can taunt kill with, so you will need to decide which taunt your will use. Below is a list of all the taunts that can kill and their special attributes:
- Home Run (the Scout's Atomizer or Sandman): The Scout points towards the sky, and then swings his bat. This is the longest taunt kill and has a small kill range (jumping in front of the Scout will prevent you from getting hit), however the taunt is completely silent unless you hit someone with it, in which case a crowd will cheer. A good strategy with this taunt is to drink a Bonk! Atomic Punch right before taunting, as the invincibility it grants you is great if someone spots you while taunting.
- Kamikaze (the Soldier's Equalizer or Escape Plan): The Soldier chucks his pickaxe over his shoulder, cracks his knuckles, pulls a grenade from his uniform, and sticks his hand with the grenade in it upwards while the grenade explodes. This taunt deals damage to all enemies around the Soldier, destroys any nearby buildings, and is decently quick, however it kills the Soldier upon executing it.
- Armageddon (the Pyro's Rainblower): The Pyro blows a bunch of bubbles in front of him while a rainbow with a Balloonicorn appears above him, then leans forward and starts laughing while a ring of fire appears around him and the rainbow turns into flames. If viewed by a person who is not in Pyroland, the bubbles and rainbow will be replaced with fire. This taunt deals damage to all enemies around the Pyro and deals afterburn damage, however it is slow, deals 400 damage (meaning it cannot kill an overhealed Heavy), and every consecutive person that gets hit by the taunt only takes half the damage of the previous person (the first person affected takes 400 damage, the second person takes 200, etc.).
- Execution (the Pyro's Scorch Shot): The Pyro turns sideways while sticking his hand out, and shoots the Scorch Shot in the direction that the crosshair was pointing in before the taunt. This taunt is decently quick, and deals afterburn damage, however it uses ammo, deals 400 damage (meaning it cannot kill an overhealed Heavy), and deals the normal 15 damage if the flare hits at medium or long ranges.
- Hadouken (the Pyro's Detonator, Flare Gun, Manmelter, Reserve Shooter, or Shotgun): The Pyro brings his hands together and creates a ball of fire, charges up a bit, and releases a burst of fire in front of him. This is the second fastest taunt kill (right behind the Showdown taunt), it can kill several enemies, and can destroy buildings, making it a great taunt kill.
- Decapitation (the Demoman's Claidheamh Mòr, Eyelander, Half-Zatoichi, Horseless Headless Horsemann's Headtaker, Nessie's Nine Iron, or the Persian Persuader): The Demoman spins his weapon behind his back, then swings it horizontally in front of him, and then wipes the blade with his finger. This taunt is relatively slow, however a kill increases your head count when wielding the Eyelander, Horseless Headless Horsemann's Headtaker, or Nessie's Nine Iron, as well as completely healing the user and allowing them to switch weapons when used with the Half-Zatoichi.
- Showdown (the Heavy's Apoco-Fists, Fists, Holiday Punch, or Saxxy): The Heavy stands still for a few moments, imitates pulling a pistol with his hand, shoots the pistol in the direction that the crosshair was pointing at before the taunt, and then blows the barrel of his imaginary pistol. This is the quickest taunt kill, and has a range of about 9 classes standing side by side, but an overhealed Heavy can survive it due to it doing only 400 damage at long ranges.
- Dischord (the Engineer's Frontier Justice): The Engineer pulls out a guitar, plays a few notes, and then smashes it in front of it. This taunt has decent speed, and can hit people that are standing on top of the Engineer.
- Organ Grinder (the Engineer's Gunslinger): The Engineer pulls a cord attached to the Gunslinger to rev it up and cause it to spin quickly, and then pushes it forward. This taunt is relatively quick, stuns the enemy on the first few hits, and can be aimed before taunting.
- Spinal Tap (the Medic's Ubersaw): The Medic waves his Ubersaw around, then thrusts it forward and then retracts it. This taunt has a relatively good speed, stuns the opponent, and grants 25% UberCharge on the first hit and 75% on the second hit (unless the victim is under the effects of an UberCharge from the Medi Gun or is a disguised Spy, in which case none will be given on the first hit and 50% will be given on the second hit), however, the stun can be interrupted.
- Skewer (the Sniper's Fortified Compound or Huntsman): The Sniper takes an arrow, twirls it, stabs forward, and then retracts it. This taunt is quick, relatively quiet, stuns the opponent during the stab, but the stun can be interrupted. If the second hit is interrupted or does not hit, the stun will last long enough to retry taunt killing them.
- Fencing (the Spy's Big Earner, Black Rose, Conniver's Kunai, Knife, Saxxy, Wanga Prick, or Your Eternal Reward): The Spy switches the knife to his other hand, swings back and forth a couple of times with his knife, and then stabs in front of him. This taunt is slow, but it can hit multiple people and destroy buildings. The Spy also has an easy time sneaking behind enemy lines, so don't discount this taunt.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Finding a Target

1
Find a suitable target. Good targets are usually ones that do not move a lot, or don't move very quickly, such as a Sniper, a Heavy pushing the payload cart, or an Engineer that stands near his buildings. Snipers are particularly good targets as most of the time they stand perfectly still, looking through their scopes. Be careful when trying to taunt kill Heavies and Engineers though, as if the Heavy spots you he can deal some serious damage to you with his Minigun, and the Engineer will likely have a Sentry Gun nearby.
2
Make your way to your target. Try to flank your target or take a route that isn't used as often, as this will reduce your chances of getting spotted or having to confront an enemy. Use all of the mobility options your class has available to get to your target quickly.
- Scout: Use the Scout's double jump and his natural quickness to get to your target quickly. The Scout also has many weapons that help with mobility, such as the Atomizer (allows you to triple jump), the Baby Face's Blaster (speed boost from dealing damage), the Bonk! Atomic Punch (grants invincibility), the Crit-a-Cola (increases speed when ingested), the Force-A-Nature (triple jumps from the knockback of firing it), the Soda Popper (three extra jumps when boost meter is full), and the Winger (higher jumps when active).
- Soldier: Make use of rocket jumping. To rocket jump, shoot a rocket at your feet as you press jump and crouch. The rocket's explosion will propel you forwards.
- Pyro: The Pyro can hold the Powerjack to gain a small speed boost, or the Pyro can flare jump with the Detonator. To flare jump, the Pyro must shoot a flare at his feet while pressing jump and crouch
- Demoman: The Demoman can use any of his shields (Chargin' Targe, Splendid Screen, or Tide Turner) to get a burst of speed, or can sticky jump with any stickybomb launchers. To sticky jump, place a stickybomb on the ground and detonate it with right click while pressing jump and crouch.
- Heavy: The Heavy can use the Buffalo Steak Sandvich to gain a speed boost, however be aware that this makes it so he can only use his melee weapon until the effect wears off. While the Heavy's Gloves of Running Urgently also boost speed, they don't have a taunt kill, meaning they can't be used if you want to taunt kill.
- Engineer: The Engineer can place teleporters to help him get closer to his target, or the Engineer can use his Wrangler and a mini-sentry to get to high places by standing on his mini-sentry, aiming the Wrangler up, and then shooting himself to propel himself upwards.
- Medic: The Medic can use the Overdose to get a small speed boost, as long as he has at least 10% of his UberCharge built, or he can use the Quick-Fix to gain any mobility boosts the person he is healing has, such as the Scout's speed.
- Sniper: The Sniper does not have a weapon that grants him increased mobility, however the Sniper is relatively quick naturally, so use this speed to your advantage.
- Spy: The Spy can use his cloak and disguised to make it to his target without confrontation. With these, you can take the main route and not have to resort to detours (if the main route is faster), as you will not be confronted if you are disguised or cloaked.
3
Once you are at your target, prepare for the taunt. Some taunt kills have different ranges from one another, so make sure to line up your taunt correctly. If you are using Scout, you might want to drink your Bonk! Atomic Punch (if you are using it) to grant you invincibility in case someone spots you. If you are using Spy and have used your cloak to reach your target, do not uncloak too close to them, as they might hear the uncloaking sound. This is especially true for the Dead Ringer, as it has a loud and distinct. Make sure to also undisguise if you are disguised as you cannot taunt while disguised.
4
Use your taunt. Press G to use your taunt, or if you have any equippable taunts equipped (such as the Conga), press G twice.
5
Watch as your class preforms the taunt. If the taunt connect, congratulations, you have just preformed a successful taunt kill! If the taunt doesn't connect, the taunt is interrupted, or you get killed, better luck next time! Try again, and hopefully if will connect next time.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Waiting for a Target

1
Make your way to a spot where lots of easy targets travel to. For example, many maps have an area where lots of Snipers congregate and stand still while aiming, so find one of those spots.
2
Find a hiding place near the spot. Make sure that your hiding spot has a line of sight to the spot where the targets go to. Be creative when hiding; use the environment to your advantage. Hide behind objects that people won't expect you to hide behind, such as a bush or tall grass. Try to find hiding places that are high off the ground; many people do not look upwards when searching for people.
3
Wait for an enemy to come. This may require some time, but it can potentially be easier than finding a target and approaching them.
4
Once a suitable target has reached the spot, prepare for the taunt kill. Since some taunts have different ranges, you must get in the correct position in order for them to hit. If you are using Spy, make sure to undisguise and unclock, and if you are using Scout, you may want to drink a Bonk! Atomic Punch (if equipped) to gain invincibility. If the enemy that has reached the spot isn't exactly a suitable target (such as a Scout that won't stand still), you may want to continue to wait until an easier target has come, such as a Sniper.
5
Use your taunt. Press G to use your taunt, or if you have any equippable taunts equipped (such as the Conga), press G twice.
6
Watch as your class preforms the taunt. If the taunt hits the enemy, congratulations, you have successfully preformed a taunt kill! If the taunt doesn't hit, better luck next time! Try again, and hopefully if will connect next time.

Community Q&A

Question

Does this work 100% of the time?

Community Answer

If you do it right, then yes, but they can go wrong. Sometimes someone can go from behind you and surprise you and then kill you. So it depends.