Team Fortress 2's Sniper is now an Archer

Day 3: TF2's Sniper gets an update - plus new maps and a possible new gameplay mode!

Snipers, you either love them or you hate them, but the upcoming update to Valve's ever-popular Team Fortress 2 might give you another reason for both choices.

As detailed on their viral site, Day 1 of updates brought some tantalising information in that the first unlockable weapon for the Sniper class is in fact a bow and arrow!

Named the Huntsman Longbow, it's a shorter range weapon that comes with the incredibly handy side effect of pinning targets to nearby walls.

Not only does this motivate Snipers to get in close to the action (as opposed to simply waiting on the other side of the map for Spies to kill them), it should prove to produce some embarassing moments as your limp and lifeless corpse dangles from the wall as the Sniper hurls abuse at you.

Day 2 of the updates brings a postcard from the Sniper, detailing a brand new game mode called Payload Race - instead of a single team moving their cart from one side to another, both teams will have carts that they have to move while still defending!

This is going to make multitasking a little trickier, as you'll have to have a balanced side for defense and attack if you want to win.

Along with the new game mode comes two new arena maps; one with brand-new rain effects and spinning sawblades, the other with a giant doomsday device in the centre.

It's shaping up to be the biggest update to the game in a long while, and Team Fortress 2 fans should hopefully get right back into the fray for a long time to come.

Keep checking the Sniper Update page at the official site over the coming days, as more news will certainly come!

Day 3 Update

The third day of updates have rolled in for TF2, bringing with them The Razorback - an Aboriginal shield that comes with a car battery.

It's a little silly admittedly, but this is worn over the Sniper's back and although it slows him down, it will pump 10,000V through anyone silly enough to try and backstab, adding a cool-down timer to their blade and damaging them in the process.

The Razorback shield breaks apart, leaving the Sniper free to spin around with his own blade (or machine gun) and give them hell.

It's not long before the update will actually be out, and this makes it incredibly hard for unskilled Spies to get at you!