Teleporters

Teleporters are a type of building that can be constructed by an Engineer using the PDA: Teleporter. While non-functional individually, the construction of both a Teleporter Entrance and a Teleporter Exit activates the buildings and allows players of the same team to teleport between the two. When active, both the Teleporter Entrance and Exit emit a circular glow of their team's color.

The Teleporter Entrance allows for unidirectional teleportation to the Exit. A player of the same team must stand still on the Teleporter for a short time before being teleported, arriving with team-colored particles that persist and leave a short trail behind them as they move. Once a player uses the Teleporter, the building must recharge for a short period before another player can use it. If multiple teammates or the Engineer stand on the Teleporter Entrance at the same time, the player who stepped onto the Teleporter Entrance first will be teleported first, like first-in-first-out queue.

The Teleporter is often a core component to a successful team, as it allows for players to reach the frontline quickly and skip long traversals across the map. The Teleporter can allow for a faster flow of players into the fray or bring teammates to more advantageous positions, so they are also an important target to pursue. A shrewd Engineer can also use the Teleporter to influence teammates through a particular route of the map.

Functionality

Both the Teleporter Entrance and Exit require 50 metal to build. While carrying and placing Teleporter ends, the Teleporter Entrance blueprint shows a large yellow arrow pointing down to the Entrance while the Teleporter Exit blueprint shows a similar arrow pointing up from the Exit. These are to visually distinct them from each other while placing.

The Teleporter can be upgraded twice, each requiring 200 metal. At each level, the recharge rate of the Teleporter is increased, allowing for more players to go through at a faster rate.

The Spy can use the Teleporter of opposing teams. Placing a Sapper on either the Teleporter Entrance or Exit will place a Sapper on both the Entrance and Exit.

Telefrag

Main article: Telefrag (Official Team Fortress Wiki)

Telefrag kill icon

A telefrag is a type of death that occurs if a player is too close to a Teleporter exit as an enemy player uses it. Any players that occupy the same space as the teleporting enemy are instantly killed and the teleport completes successfully. Multiple players can be telefragged at once if they are all inside the teleporting player's bounding box.

Telefrags are indicated with the unique kill icon, with the person teleporting being credited with the damage and the kill; since telefrags are relatively rare and there are almost no signs as to one having taken place, many of them go unnoticed by bystanders (although bilaterally-unexpected telefrags are likely to be humorously noted).

There are only two known ways for a telefrag to occur:

• A player is too close to an enemy Teleporter exit as an enemy uses it, and
• A player is too close to a friendly Teleporter exit as an enemy Spy uses it

It is not possible to telefrag allies even when friendly fire is enabled. Players can be telefragged even if they are ÜberCharged or under any other damage-reducing effect.

A particularly devious Spy strategy involves sapping an Engineer's teleporter entrance and then standing on it. If the Engineer is careless and is standing too close to the exit while removing the Sapper, the Spy will instantly teleport the moment the Sapper is removed, telefragging the Engineer and allowing the Spy to sap the Engineer's remaining buildings at his leisure. This tactic can also work in reverse; careless Spies sapping an exit may wind up being telefragged by an Engineer repairing the entrance. Similarly, Engineers can place their Teleporters at chokepoints and telefrag enemies as they walk over.

Update history

2.1.3

• Active Teleporters now emit a heal particle when they get repaired from the other end and also emit spark particles when the other end gets damaged

Gallery

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  PDA: Teleporter backpack icon

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  Telefrag kill icon