TF2 Demoman: How to Hit More Pipes (Grenade Aiming Guide)

Grenade aiming is the hardest mechanical skill in TF2, and every Demoman who is bad at it has the same problem: they aim like they are using a hitscan weapon. Grenades are projectiles with travel time, a fixed arc, and a roll on uneven ground. Miss them by a little and they land harmlessly at your target’s feet — or roll past him entirely.

This guide covers the aiming method that actually works, the distances where each technique applies, and a routine that measurably improves your hit rate.

First: understand what you are throwing

The Grenade Launcher fires projectiles that:

• Travel at a fixed speed — roughly 1217 Hammer units per second
• Detonate on contact with a player or after a timer
• Roll along the ground after landing
• Do not crit on headshots — there are no headshots

That last point is why Demoman aiming is different from every other class. You are not aiming at a body. You are aiming at a position, and hoping the enemy walks into it.

The three ranges

Close range (under 500 units): Fire at the ground near their feet, not at their body. A direct body hit at this range is possible but risky — the grenade bounces off and rolls away. Aim two feet in front of a moving target and let the explosion catch them.

Mid range (500 to 1200 units): This is where most Demomans live and most of them fail. Fire slightly above the target so the arc comes down on top of him. The rule: the further the target, the higher you aim. At 800 units, aim about one model height above his head. The grenade drops onto him from above, where he has the least time to react.

Long range (over 1200 units): Do not take these fights with grenades unless the target is stationary or you are spamming a chokepoint. Switch to your Sticky Launcher — it is the better long-range weapon anyway.

The aiming method that works

1. Place your crosshair where they are going, not where they are. Players strafe. Every class in the game has a predictable movement pattern: Scouts circle, Soldiers walk forward while firing, Heavies strafe slowly. Lead the movement, not the position.

2. Use the terrain. Grenades bounce off walls, roll down stairs, and drop through gaps. A grenade fired at a wall next to your target bounces into him. A grenade fired down a set of stairs rolls into the room below. The map is part of your weapon.

3. Arc over cover. The single most common miss is firing into the crate, wall, or doorway the enemy is hiding behind. Fire above the cover instead. Grenades drop from above cover that blocks direct fire.

4. Do not spam in the open. Two grenades in a row at the same spot teaches the enemy to dodge. Fire one, move, fire again. Every grenade you fire tells the enemy where you are.

The training routine

Ten minutes a day, and you will see improvement within a week:

Minute 1-3: Wall practice. Load tr_walkway or any map with a long flat wall. Fire grenades at the wall from mid-range and watch where they bounce. You are learning the arc — the same distance, the same angle, the same result, every time.

Minute 4-6: Rolling drills. Fire grenades at flat ground from different angles and watch them roll. You are learning how much they roll on slopes — this is what lets you hit targets behind cover.

Minute 7-10: Live practice. Join a casual match and force yourself to use only the Grenade Launcher — no stickies at all. You will die more at first. Your hit rate climbs faster when you cannot fall back on traps.

The two-second rule

Before every shot, ask yourself one question: can this player change direction before my grenade lands? At mid-range, the answer is almost always yes — which means you must aim where he will be after he changes direction, not where he is now.

That single change in thinking is worth more than a hundred hours of aim practice. The players who hit 40% of their pipes are not faster than you. They are just predicting one second further into the future.