FAQ

General

Why can’t I play (pyro/sniper/heavy/engineer/spy) all the time in some formats?
The four main 6s classes are played because they are effective under most circumstances.  The others, “offclasses” are less effective except under specific scenarios, most having to do with pushing/defending last.  Playing an offclass full time will usually result in your team being less effective than it could be.

How do I get better at aiming?
Just like getting good at anything, you have to intentionally practice. You can do that in pubs, but you can get faster results using an MGE (1v1) or DM (deathmatch) server. Here is a list of training servers: https://www.teamfortress.tv/servers/

How do I get better at movement?
The answer is similar to aim. You can intentionally practice your movement mechanics on any TF2 server. If you’re trying to get better at rocketjumping or stickyjumping, you can play on jump servers. https://www.teamfortress.tv/servers

Getting better at these specific movement mechanics will also transfer to better mechanics on the other classes and a better understanding of what you can expect your opponents to be capable of!

How do I get on a team?
Once you’ve gotten reasonably confident in your movement and aim mechanics, you can join a team. In NA, newbie.tf offers new player team drives, where all you have to do is sign up. In other regions and at higher levels, you’ll have to find a team on the forums or among friends.

Newbie Mixes

When are mixes held?
Mixes are active on Fridays between 9 and Midnight Eastern time. Whenever we have enough participants (12 newbies spread correctly across the main classes and 2 coaches) an admin will draft teams to play a mix.  Each mix is intended to last between 1 and 1.5 hours, but may fall outside that range.  This includes discussion time with your coaches in addition to up to 30 minutes of play time.

How do I play these?
Just join the mumble server (mumble.newbie.tf:64738) while mixes are active.  Once there, join a channel in the “ADD UP HERE” area based on what class you would like to play and what experience you already have.

What experience level are these intended for?
We don’t have a set minimum skill requirement, however if you don’t understand the basics mechanics of your class or are completely unfamiliar with the 6s format then you may struggle a bit.  If you’re unsure then you can spectate a Mix without participating to see if you can follow what’s happening.

On the maximum skill side, it generally comes down to whether your skill unbalances a mix sufficiently that others can’t learn effectively.  Ideally, players find teams to practice with and stop needing Newbie Mixes on their own, but sometimes admins need to give a little push.  If we believe you’re outgrowing Newbie Mixes we may restrict you from certain combat classes or “graduate” you entirely.

How does a draft work?
An admin will go class by class and call for volunteers to play. Generally a restriction will be included such as asking for “people who have never played Newbie Mixes before.”  These restrictions are to help prioritize players who have less experience or haven’t had a chance to play that night.  If a newbie meets the stated restriction, then they should respond with their name as it appears in mumble.

Why can’t I use (kritzkrieg, soldier banners, etc)?
There are a few unlocks that are allowed in league and play and are viable but significantly change how the game plays out.  Since this is a learning environment—oftentimes with players with very little experience—we prefer to limit things to the basics to make it easier to understand.

When am I allowed to offclass?
We ask that you only offclass when holding or pushing the last points.  If you would like to offclass during those times, please ask your coach for permission beforehand to coordinate and make sure your team knows what you’re doing.

What map will we be playing?
The first round of mixes each night is on cp_process_final.  In our experience this is the easiest map to learn. If you've never played on process, you should definitely play some pubs or explore the map on your own.  Later in the night, mixes may be held on cp_gullywash_final1 or cp_snakewater_final1.  If we have more experienced players we may play on cp_sunshine or cp_metalworks.  We try to ensure that if you play multiple Mixes a night then you will play each on a different map each game.

When is the next mix going to start?
On mix nights, mixes begin as soon as we have 12 players, 2 coaches, and 1 server readily available. Unfortunately, it is hard to guess the answer to that question.