Hello ladies and gentlemen of the TF2 communtiy. As many of you may (or may not) be aware, he lurks around you wherever you go, watching, waiting, and when you least expect it... You get it in the butt. No I'm not talking about Shrek. I'm talking about the elegant, classy, womanizing, and sneaky Spy.

This class can arguably be one of the hardest classes to play (besides the Medic), showing his profession like the bloodstains every so clearly visible on his knife. Why is he so hard to play as? All he does is cloak and hide from enemies, disguise, and pop out of nowhere like that quiz in AP American Literature you were "told" to "study" for.

So as a Spy you need options of what weapons you can take into combat. Unlike most other classes, the Spy has very few undesirable weapons, but this guide covers the best of his slick arsenal. So without further ado, welcome to the Top 5 Spy Weapons guide!

Please note that this is only my personal opinion. I have experimented with all of the weapons I've both decided to list along with the ones I didn't. So if you disagree (or have something to say), politely let me know in the comment section of the guide. I will read it and (more than likely) give you feedback. Thanks and enjoy!

For many Snipers in the TF2 realm, the Spy is the bane of their existence, and many well rounded riflemen make sure that at least part of their arsenal is meant to deal with these sneaky, backstabbing snakes, which more than likely will include the Razorback. So traditionally, trying to pick off a Sniper with the Razorback would be a bit of an issue, right? If you try to backstab him, the Razorback pops off and your cover is blown. If you try to shoot him, it takes on average three to four well placed shots to take him down, which by the time you try to do that he may have already put a bullet in your skull or a knife in your chest. Well, the great Valve Gods came down and blessed all Spies with this lovely weapon that turns the Sniper's bread and butter (the headshot) against him. Yes if you haven't already guessed (or looked at the title of this section), I am speaking of the beautifully crafted Ambassador.



This sniper rifle in a pocket (as many have dubbed it) is an achievement item earned from completing the Spy Milestone 1 achievement (earning 5 Spy achievements).

Stats:

• -15% damage penalty
  
• No random critical hits
  
• -20% firing rate
  
• Guaranteed critical hits on a successful headshot

While the slower firing rate and damage penalty are seen as downsides of the Ambassador, it more than makes up for it with the guaranteed critical hits you get when landing a successful headshot on your enemy, which not only makes a Razorback'd Sniper an easier take-down, but it also can be used against every other class, including other Spies. This means you have to have steady aim with it, which can be a little hard at first, but is easier to do if you practice enough. The critical hits from the headshots, while great and very practical, can only be used every so often. When you fire a precise shot, your cross-hair (after firing) will increase in size, which means if you fire while it's enlarged, the shot will be less accurate. Wait for the cross-hair to shrink back down. This will tell you that you can fire another precise shot.

You can fire a precise shot every couple seconds, which isn't that bad of a cooldown time. Granted in some cases you will need to fire more than once in a pinch, but if you're sneaky enough with the Ambassador, you basically become a cloaked sniper with the ability to disguise, shoot, and stab your target. The practicality of this weapon are almost limitless and can be used in most game modes in TF2.

Considering that I just gave the Ambassador such a good reputation, you might be wondering why it's been ranked at dead last in this guide. It's overall a good weapon, but because of the fact you have to have a VERY steady aim with the weapon and because of it you need time to aim, which 9 times out of 10 you don't possess, so that's why it's this low on the list.

For those of you who have an affinity/love for the Ambassador, then you can get an Australium version of the weapon (as seen above). Most veteran/professional Spies have one in their inventory. Having this in your arsenal tell the enemies around you that either you mean business or you just have too much money to spend.

DISCLAIMER: While many who might read this may disagree with what this section states and is about to cover, there's a few reasons why the YER is on this list. So if you wish to find out why, keep reading. If not, move to #3 or if you wish, stop reading this and get a nice cool glass of water.

The Disguise Kit is an amazing part of the Spy's arsenal. It allows him to disguise as anyone on either side of the battle, which he can then use to trick his enemies and take their lives. However, a Spy must be cautious when disguising, as he can only mimic an enemy's movement so much. This means he has to be sneaky with the Disguise Kit, always checking whether his disguise will actually fool someone or indicate to them that you're not who you appear to be. So when many Spies were introduced to a knife that removes your ability to disguise, many rejected the very idea of it. But some took this knife into their hands and then realized how useful and powerful this identity stealing butt stabber really possessed. The YER indeed is more than meets the eye.



This Spy knife can be found either on random drops or crafted by combing a C&D (Cloak and Dagger) with a reclaimed metal.

Stats:

• Upon successful backstab, you disguise as your target
  
• No attack noise from stab
  
• Body of target turns invisible
  
• No kill icon in the kill feed
  
• User cannot disguise

While many may disagree with the placement (or even mention) of the YER being in a top 5 list of best Spy weapons instead of it being mentioned in the 5 WORST Spy weapons, there's a few reasons why it actually made it onto this list (let alone my mind/opinion). The YER is a community-created item for the Spy which refers to the dagger Jafar used to try and stab Aladdin in Disney's Aladdin (1992). It was once a long time ago in TF2 part of the Saharan Spy set, which before it was nerfed, was considered the most OP set seen in TF2.

And you've already heard this, haven't you? This isn't some mystery surrounding the supposedly worst knife in TF2. This is known by the huge majority of the TF2 community. So why would I mention this? Well, the YER is more than just a shameless Disney lawsuit. It's actually a fairly practical and pretty challenging knife to use, which might be the reason many people hate this knife. The YER is seen as an impractical and impossible to use knife because of its minor upside (no stab noise & kill feed) and seemingly major downside (no disguising). But in several cases this isn't necessarily true.

The YER's main ability can be a huge advantage on payload and payload race maps. This is where the YER can really stand out among other knives. The ability to pop out of nowhere and stab an enemy (for the most part) is usually too quick for most of the enemy team to notice. By the time they do, you've most likely already eliminated at LEAST half of their team on the cart or in a choke point. The YER is also a very useful knife when huge groups of players are together, like on KOTH maps for the same reason it's useful on payload. It's a more crowd control oriented knife. It's not meant to pick off single targets at a time, which is what a lot of Spies do. It's main design (and use) is to take out groups of enemies silently, stealthily, and quickly. That's why this underdog of a knife is on the #4 spot of this guide.

Yes, yes, we know you didn't ask for this, Adam, but hey, be happy that a weapon made for your game got featured on this list (it's a true honor).

In all seriousness though, for most Spies, the only crits they'll ever see in their lifetime is either the ones they give through the blades of their knives, or the ones that are dosed out like water in a marathon from that ever so friendly (and annoying) Soldier or Heavy. So a Spy having actual stored critical hits in his pistol like the Frontier Justice seems impossible, right? Well thank Gaben I'm wrong, because along came one of the coolest looking pistols in all gaming history simply known as the Diamondback.



Stats:

• Stores guaranteed critical hits upon successful backstab or destroyed building via sapper
  
• -15% damage penalty
  
• Stores up to 35 critical hits
  
• Loses all critical hits upon death
  
• No random critical hits

The Diamondback is a promotional pistol for the Spy that was awarded to anyone in Genuine quality who purchased Deus Ex: Human Revolution before August 26th, 2011. It can be obtained from random drops or crafting it by combining reclaimed metal, the Frontier Justice, and the Dead Ringer.

One issue I've always seen whenever I join a Valve server (or any server for that matter) is that around 50% of the time, Spies only use their knives and never their pistol. The only time I see one of these guys (or gals) use their pistol is against a Razorback Sniper, which usually results in them kissing the cold dirt or concrete. The Diamondback on the other hand in a way FORCES a Spy to use their pistol. Yes it's really cool when you do a trickstab against an enemy, but I'd rather be alive than look cool while doing my job, and that's why I use the Diamondback.

The Diamondback (like previously stated) mentally forces a Spy to use this weapon because it rewards you with guaranteed critical hits for just doing your job, stabbing and sapping. This could be seen as an upgraded version of the Ambassador as while it requires a bit of aim to successfully hit someone, you don't need to shoot them square in the kisser.

You may be asking how, even with the stored crits, a Spy is mentally forced to use this weapon when they equip it. Well, think about this with TF2 logic. You have stored critical hits within your pistol, given to you from stabbing a few enemies and sapping a couple sentries and teleporters. You can use this against ANYONE and EVERYONE on the enemy team. Razorback Snipers don't stand a chance, and even a Heavy with full health (without overheal) can be taken down with just three shots. You can safely take out major threats without needing to get up close and personal, and that's why the Diamondback hits the middle spot in this guide.

If you're new to TF2 and don't have any interesting or shiny new knives, fear not, for this section will give you a breath of fresh air. Cutting to the chase and not having any fancy introductions, the stock knife cut its way to #2 on this list for being such a useful and good looking weapon.



Since there are no unique stats to display about the stock knife, let's get right into it.

There are a variety of different looks for this knife, ranging from Festives to Botkillers to Australiums to my personal favorite iteration of the knife, the Black Rose (I have a Spec KS variant of it).


The reason this knife took the #2 spot is because of it being (statistically) the best knife in the game, multiple designs, and overall practicality. This knife can be used in most if not every game mode available to you in TF2.

This knife would've taken the #1 spot if it weren't for the fact that its great upside is also its downside in some ways. While it's practical (and recommended) for an aggressive play style of spy, it doesn't really give you any benefit when you kill, other than the obvious fact that you gained 2 points and aren't dead. You can't get extra cloak from a stab (Big Earner), take someone's identity (YER), or even extinguish yourself if you happen to burst into flames (Spy-cicle).

While this can be easily overlooked, for the Spy, he needs everything he can get. Most Pyros wouldn't extinguish you if you came running back bursting in flames (not that many do that for others anyway) and the majority of Medics would rather heal anyone else on the team so they can get more Uber, points, and kill assists. Granted some Pyros will extinguish you, and some Medics will give you a quick turn on the medibeam or give you a crossbow dart to heal you, but for the most part the Spy is seen as more of a lone wolf (that is his character after all). But that doesn't mean he has to be treated like one, and sadly, unlike other knives, the stock knife can only do so much for the Spy. Sorry little guy, maybe next time.

Have you ever wanted to be a ninja? Want to sneak around, be invisible to the naked eye, and then pop out of nowhere, stab your enemy right in his spine, and then take his very health and soul (you probably already sold yours anyway) as you stab him? No? So... It's just me?... Ok, fair enough. I know for a fact I'm not the only one, but whatever the case is, let's move on to the #1 Spy weapon in TF2. Ladies and gentlemen of the TF2 community, I present you with the Eto-Japanese farming to- I mean Conniver's Kunai.



Stats:

• Reduces maximum health by 55 points (70 health)
  
• Upon successful backstab, degenerating effects (buring and bleeding) are removed
  
• Also upon successful backstab, victim's health (including overheal) is given to you as overheal
  
• Overheal lasts 1 minute

The Conniver's Kunai is a promotion item for Total War: Shogun 2 that was awarded to anyone in Genuine quality who pre-purchased it before March 15, 2011. It can also be obtained via random drops or crafting through combining a piece of scrap metal and the YER.

Why is this the #1 Spy weapon on this guide/list (whatever you classify it as)? Well for a variety of reasons. First is that while this tanks your health down to a measely 70 health, it has one of the most fair balancing systems implemented into a TF2 weapon. Most items that lower your health even the tiniest amount can be a pain and as a Spy you need all the health you can get. But other weapons that decrease your health don't allow you to get it back and then some.

The overheal rate of the Conniver's Kunai is INSANE. The maximum overheal you can get from a stab will give you a total health of 210. In simple math terms, that's three times as much health that you spawn with (70 health). Plus that overheal lasts for a full minute, four times as long as a Medic's overheal would give you for a fraction of the health, and by the time those 60 seconds would be over, you would've already replenished it from another poor soul unfortunate enough to cross you (and your blade).

This weapon also allows you to heal any damage you've taken when you stab someone, even if it's a minor blow, which essentially allows a Spy's Kunai to become his own Pocket Medic, ready for duty whenever he calls. It's also a lot of fun to just see people get impaled with this weapon. It's just so satisfying to see your health skyrocket while theirs plummets to hell along with them.

That's why the Conniver's Kunai got #1 in this guide (and rightfully so).

Did you enjoy this guide and have a good read? Or a bad one? Either way, if you would be so kind, let me know your opinion about this guide and its topic in the comment section below. Usually since I don't do much with my life, I'm usually and almost always around to read thoughts and comments.