You probably clicked on this guide to figure out what a Demo Kite is, so let's start there. A Demo Kite is a loadout for the Demoman class that is similar in concept to the Demo Knight, except there is one difference: the Demo Kite flies. Yes, that's right, he flies. An average Demo Kite uses the Sticky Jumper to obtain flight, and strikes down his foes with his grenade launcher and melee weapon. However, you may be asking, "How in the world do you fly and use weapons effectively at the same time?" It's tricky, but it all starts with an exploitation of the Source Engine.

The idea that makes the Demo Kite so powerful is the ability to steer yourself as you are in mid-air. As one might safely assume, this requires general knowledge of how to sticky-jump. Sticky-jumping is the action of using one's own sticky bombs (as a Demoman) to launch themselves through the air. This can be completed by following these three steps:

• Step 1 - Place the desired amount of sticky-bombs on a surface, preferably the ground.
  
  • The number of bombs determines how far you'll travel; if you're using a stock sticky-launcher instead of the Sticky-Jumper, it also determines how much damage you'll take. Unless you have been overhealed by a friendly medic beforehand, any number of bombs greater than two will kill you. Since the Sticky-Jumper has also been changed to allow two bombs out, the same as the damage limit, I will only specify the results of the one-bomb jump and the two-bomb jump.
    
    • The One-Bomb Jump is the fastest, but it is the shortest distance for the same reason. The distance usually grants the jumper the ability to get over a river or jump on top of a shipping container. These are best for quick and decisive positioning during or before battles, and they only cost a quarter of the Demoman's health.
      
    • The Two-Bomb Jump requires more time to set up, and takes more than half of the Demo's health, but it can launch the jumper the distance of a soccer field. These are best for getting across large clearings in maps when you need to get to the frontline and there are no teleporters. Just make sure to acquire a health pack before you fight anyone.
• Step 2 - Position yourself for a running start in the desired direction for the jump.
  
  • Getting a running start is important for launching the right direction. If you simply jump, you won't go fast enough. If you're running a different direction, it will mess up your aim.
• Step 3 - Run, jump, and crouch and detonate the stickies in mid-air.
  
  • This is the hardest part, for many keys must be pressed at the right moments. Jump as you are directly behind your stickies (allowing your momentum to bring you in front of them), hold the crouch key in mid-air, and wait until you are just reaching the peak of your jump (crouching allows for a more powerful jump, but it is optional). At this moment, detonate the bombs, and you will launch forward and upwards.
    
    • Also be aware that your angle with regard to the bombs, the distance between them, the angle of the surface, your general speed, the directional keys you are pressing, and many other factors affect the result of your jump. You can, with practice, use this to your advantage, but it can also be your downfall if you don't pay enough attention. Practice is always a good thing.

Now with that out of the way, I may introduce the most vital aspect of this playstyle. Most people don't know about this trick, but I've experimented with it for as long as I've been a Valve fan. This concept is all about steering yourself in mid-flight. In order to steer yourself, you must first have momentum. Of course, this can be gained from anything like explosives, a train, or even walking then jumping. Once you are in air and facing straight forward in the direction you are flying, and you want to steer, let's say left, you hold A (left movement) and move your mouse to the left along with it, but carefully. Not too fast, or you'll simply stop in mid-air, but not too slow, or you'll just float off to the side. You'll know when you get it right, for you will essentially be transferring your momentum so that you are flying in a different direction. To do the same to the right, hold D (right movement) and move your mouse to the right. As I've said, it's tricky, but you can easily become a master of flight using this technique. Many of Valve's stock maps provide plenty of airspace: Granary, Gravelpit, Hightower, Watchtower, Badwater -- actually, most of the maps work out. It simply depends on how you see the map.
Once you master this, you can use your sticky jumper (or rocket jumper) to be an ace in the air!

One last note:
For the Demo Kite, it is vital that this technique is thoroughly utilized. Don't feel like you need to use this at all times, though. I occasionally try moving forward in mid-air to see if I get farther... I never do. The point is, while it's important to incorporate this concept into your flight, it will benefit you more to fly with your own style. Soon your skills will adapt; maybe you prefer to launch directly to locations without turns or maybe you like to twist up a tornado with your mad flying skills. I occasionally fly sideways -- anyway, it's simply best for you, not only as a Demo Kite, but as a player, to develop your own playstyle as opposed to trying to mimic someone else's. Everyone has their own way to fly; you just have to find yours.

The actual deadliness of the Demo Kite comes from the landing strike made with his melee weapon. This is also, obviously, the most difficult part. The Demo Kite's effectiveness is limited based on multiple factors; the map's architecture and your target are two of said factors. The map I've talked about, but now I must inform you about the enemies you'll encounter.
Melee weapons, with no special effects added, do around 55-75 damage per hit, and 195 damage per critical hit (unless you're a scout). For the most part, this means you can take out an enemy from full health in at least 5 clean swings. Of course, I make it sound easy, but it's not exactly a cake walk (or shall I say, cake flight?) to dominate those ground-dwellers. Each class has their own little trick up their respective sleeves to drag you to the ground.

• The Scout is fast, and his Scattergun can kill a man in two hits at close range, but he doesn't expect anything to catch up to him. get enough momentum, and you can outfly him. If you didn't kill him as you land, try to chase him into a wall or in a corner. He'll be shooting at you the whole time, so he won't know if he's about to bump into anything. This confusion can give you the half-second you need to close the gap.
  
• The Soldier has increased health and rockets; this means he has a larger window of opportunity to blow you away. You want to avoid attacking them unless they have lower health, or are busy attacking someone else. Use stealth and speed to your advantage. Unless he's the biggest beast around with the Liberty Launcher, you'll probably be able to dodge most of his fire while you're flying. For the most part, avoid him unless he's preoccupied.
  
• The Pyro has fire, and can take you out in a heartbeat. You only want to attack him if he doesn't see you coming, or if you're feeling confident while you're flying right at him at incredible speeds.
  
• The Demoman, for the most part, isn't that dangerous, but he can become a threat. As long as you keep moving, it will be difficult for him to hit you with his projectiles. However, be wary of Demo Knights, for they could have Ali Baba's Wee Booties, which would give them a health cap of 200, like a Soldier, and have the ability to resist critical hits. They will also be more prepared than Soldiers, since they have their melee out before-hand. Treat good Demo Knights like these with caution.
  
• The Heavy can be a major menace. He can use his minigun to shoot you out of the sky like a flak cannon, or mow you down at point blank range. It's best to attack them when they're moving and don't have their minigun spun up. If you hit them at this point, they will have less time to fight back, meaning you get a pretty solid 2 or 3 hits on him. If he's using his minigun, run and jump around him while he's firing. If you're fast and erratic enough, you can get in the last hits before he takes you down.
  
• The Engineer is the most dangerous of them all, in my opinion, especially if he uses mini sentries. All I can say is avoid his sentries, and watch for his shotgun. Mini sentries can be taken down in 2 swings, so if you're willing to risk it and can fly in fast enough to avoid too much knockback, break his stuff first. Don't forget to run around the sentry in a circle so that it must continuously rotate to keep up with you, forcing it to stop firing (if you're fast enough).
  
• The Medic is weak when he's healing others, but his syringe gun can be an obstacle you can't go past. For this, make it appear as if you're running at him, then turn and use your stickies to launch off again. His syringes won't be fast enough to follow you.
  
• The Sniper is the unseen threat here; for the most part, they are easy pickings in their nest, but be mindful whilst attacking his teammates. Never stay still if you think a Sniper is around.
  
• The Spy can be excessively annoying, especially if he has a Deadringer. His revolver can become a problem, so be stealthy yourself and attack from above or from around corners. If you think a spy is cloaked nearby, just launch off again. He won't be able to uncloak fast enough to get a shot off.
  
• You may find yourself battling a fellow Demo Kite as well. If this is the case, jump around and avoid him until you feel you can strike him. The most vulnerable moment is when he is planting bombs to jump, which I'll talk about later.

Other than selecting targets, the only thing left to do is practice. At first, you will be able to land beside your enemies, then slice them. After a while, you will gain the precision to land grenades on their heads AND slice them. Before you know it, you will be able to bomb and slice the heads off of rocket-jumping soldiers!

At this point, you know how to steer in mid-air and which targets to steer for, but you don't quite have all the knowledge needed to take the kill every time. For the most part, you'll be taking fire from Scouts, Snipers, and anti-aircraft Heavies. Since you're in the air, you'll need some advanced maneuvers to squeeze through some dangerous situations.

This technique I'll introduce is called the Spiral. This is a move you'll need when you have determined your target, but they are directly below you, and you are too high up. This happens fairly often, as excessive bombs will usually propel you forward too far, or you suddenly need to change your target to a closer one while flying. To execute this move, you need to hold either A or D (sideways movement keys) and continuously move the mouse in the same direction so sharply that you are literally spiralling down onto your target. This is a good tactic for two reasons:
1) The rapid movement makes you difficult to hit.
2) You still maintain a significant amount of momentum.
If you were to simply stop above your target and lose all of your momentum, you're a sitting duck, and your target can easily move out of the way. If you maintain momentum, you can pursue them if they spot you. You can make the spiral with varying radii -- by that I mean that you can make the spiral as small or as large as you'd like. You can be fast and precise with small constricted spirals, or you can make wide, unpredictable turns. It gets more difficult with tighter spirals, so make sure you think quickly about what kind of spiral you need at the right time.
Now, this is extremely difficult to do, and can only be done efficiently if your mouse sensitivity is near the higher end of the spectrum; once this is mastered, however, you can apply its concepts to any situation you're in.

This is another advanced technique which is, surprisingly, less complicated than the Spiral. It is quite a simple maneuver, but it is also very situational.

The main concept behind this maneuver is catching your attackers off guard. This is used when you have found yourself on the ground, but enemies are closing in on you. Once you jump, you can make a choice; one possibility is that you can continue onward through the air to (hopefully) safety. The other is to use the Boomerang technique, which is to sharply turn around 180 degrees in the opposite direction back at your opponents. Most will expect you to continue on your way forward, but you can surprise them with this by reengaging them or juking them in order to escape.
This can be a very hit-or-miss tactic, which is why it comes after the Spiral; the Spiral can be used at any time and can only increase the Demo Kite's effectiveness. The Boomerang is only useful if it can get you the upper hand in chaotic situations. If the enemy is watching you, they can easily see you come back around, giving them a chance at retaliation. The whole point of a Demo Kite is to get the jump on opponents, so it's far better if they are not prepared. With this said, it is far more useful in large fights, preferrably around an objective like a control point or payload cart. With more of your teammates around, enemies are more likely to turn away from you as you fly away to engage your team. In large fights, chaos is the Demo Kite's greatest defense. With bullets, rockets, and scouts flying about the battlefield, the mind is easily strained, and people usually expect the basics, such as physics, to obey while they focus on fighting. Denying the opponent their basic physics constraints can cause enough confusion to grant you time to make your move.

The ground is a foreign land to the Demo Kite; he prefers to stay soaring above his troubles. However, what goes up more than likely will come down, and unfortunately for the Demo Kite, this is true for him. Ground Zero is the stage right after you have landed. Your loadout affects how you should deal with the situation once you have landed.

If you have a grenade launcher with your loadout, then you can continue to fight as you normally do. Shoot things until they explode, and you'll be fine.

However, if you like a challenge and do not have a launcher, then this is the most dangerous operation, for you are at your most vulnerable. Close the gap as quick as you can between you and your target if you deem it safe enough for you. Be wary that once you kill them, or they get the upper hand, you'll have to escape quickly. At this point, speed will be your only ally. Find whatever cover you can and put it between you and the enemy. Always try to put down at least one sticky bomb to get away whenever you have the chance. Never stay still, and make sure your movements are erratic. If there is no cover, jump and spiral inwards while in mid-air; the enemy merely expects you to land in the direction that you jumped, so this is invaluble in most cases, expecially against Snipers and Soldiers. Also be wary if you run indoors; your movement will be severely limited, and Pyros will be hunting for you. Avoid predictability, and you'll survive to take flight once more.

The Demo Kite has a large array of weapons at his disposal. Each one has benifits and weaknesses that must be fully considered before taking flight. He will always have the Sticky Jumper, but he can choose other weapons as well. Before considering the main melee weapon that you will use, you must first determine what the primary will be. Ali Baba's Wee Booties is a challenger's choice of primary. It will only provide you with 25 additional health, but it's a lot more useful than it sounds, especially if you take excessive fall damage. I prefer this item because I love the feeling of defeating opponents with nothing but melee. You may, however, choose any weapon as your primary.

• The stock Grenade Launcher provides you with additional ranged and explosive fire power along with your melee. You're able to bounce grenades into doors and off of walls to get at the enemies too dangerous to hit with melee, as well as bomb them from above.
  
• The Loch 'n' Load provides you with even more range and damage over the stock launcher, but you will need additional accuracy, and you take more damage from hurting yourself. This is not recommended in conjunction with flight, though it is nice for flying into hidden or hightened positions to snipe your opponents.
  
• The Loose Cannon allows you to knock back enemies pursuing you, or disrupt a large group of enemies. The one second timer on each bomb limits your influence at a distance severely; however, it is exceptional at clearing enclosed buildings while you find your way out.
  
  • Another note about the Loose Cannon is the fact that one is able to hold the bomb for the full length of the timer, effectively causing a detonation similar in nature to the overloaded Beggar's Bazooka. While immense damage is taken from this, it has equally powerful utility capabilities. It's explosion is close enough to be just as powerful, if not more so, as two sticky bombs; as a result, it can effectively be used to send oneself into battle, or out of sticky situations. It is a very dangerous move, however, due to the damage taking more than half of the Demoman's standard health of 175. A Demo Kite must be absolutely certain, or in a situation dire enough to require drastic action, to employ this tactic.
    
    • Also mind that the detonation is from the gun itself; this means that the explosion is from your front-right (I am uncertain if this changes when using swapped viewmodels). To angle the jump, prepare yourself as if you are rocket-jumping; look to the right and down so that your cannon's barrel is in the proximity of your feet. Charge the bomb, then jump just before the timer stops. After a few jumps, you should get the hang of it quickly.

The most important part though is the melee weapon that makes you the style of Demo Kite you want to be. I shall go through each style of Demo Kite thouroughly, and in order of least to most difficult to play.

• The Standard Demo Kite uses the stock Bottle. There isn't much to say about this except that they have the benefit of not having any negative effects. It may sound boring, but I assure you that this style is just as effective as any other in most situations. These Demo Kites look to show off their skills in flight with no assistance from their loadout. Demo Kites who use the the Bottle, Conscientious Objector, the Pan, or anything that has no additional effects fall under this style.
  
• The Claymore Demo Kite utilizes the Cleadheam Mor. While it may initially appear useless in comparison to additional choices (as I once thought, until a particular inspector informed me otherwise), its utility is actually quite useful in some situations. For the Demo Kite, it grants increased melee range, which can be immeasurably useful. It does however remove 15 health initially; then again, this is better in comparison to the Eyelander, which removes 25 health. These Demo Kites are usually looking for getting a small leg-up over their meleeing opponents while still focusing on dominating the battlefield as a whole; as a result, many of them use this great sword in conjunction with a grenade launcher. (Fun Fact: "Cleadheam Mor" in Scottish is the derivitive of "Claymore," a great sword.)
  
• The Bomber Demo Kite uses the Ullapool Caber. Considering how much overall damage is taken from enemies, fall damage, and the weapon itself, these Demo Kites mainly see only one flight. It's pretty funny to watch, though! They also usually take out their intended target, if not along with those around him. When precise, these Demo Kites can easily assassinate their targets.
  
• The Survivor Demo Kite uses the Persian Persuader. This is a very effective variant, for they can gain health from the weapons of their victims. Given how much ammo the Sticky Jumper already has, there are almost no negative effects from having no ability to obtain ammunition, aside from the fact that they must return to their spawn eventually, or become stranded. This is, of course, only if they do not use a launcher. These Demo Kites persevere in combat and hold out until their team respawns.
  
• The Cursed Demo Kite uses the Eyelander. This is my personal favorite, for it provides additional melee range as well as rewards for multiple kills. While it does initially remove 25 health upon spawning, the added speed and health for each head really assists with the Demo Kite's playstyle, which is often times a high-risk, high-reward sort of deal. These Demo Kites snowball the battlefield into their favor. The use of the Golf Club and the Horseless Headless Horseman's Headtaker falls under this style as well.
  
• The Pointman Demo Kite utilizes the Pain Train. His main job is to launch himself across clearings to capture points his allies can't reach. This may also cause enough confusion for his allies to push. The additional damage taken from bullets is a major survival issue, however, so they must be wary of sentries and heavies gaurding the control points. These Demo Kites launch themselves forward to victory as they drag their team with them.
  
• The Executioner Demo Kite wields the Scotsman's Skullcutter. This weapon has the same range as the Eyelander, as well as higher damage. They move slower though, so their flight must be especially quick and accurate to land enough blows to his enemies, or they will run out of his range. When skilled, they are formidable opponents. These Demo Kites excel in enclosed environments where there is no escape from their wrath.
  
• The Duelist Demo Kite is the most unique of them all, for he uses the Half-Zatoichi. This weapon gives full health with each kill, which can be extremely rewarding. However, once it's out, it cannot be put away unless he takes a kill, which means they are no longer able to use their Jumper. This makes striking extremely dangerous, for one false move can leave them stranded and helpless. Or dead. Only the most skilled Demo Kites can become Duelists, and even I have trouble with this style. Given the fact that the Half-Zatoichi also instantly kills any enemies wielding the same weapon, two Duelist Demo Kites can engage in a duel (hence 'Duelist') where the two launch and swing at one another in mid-flight. It is fairly quick, for it either ends once one is defeated in flight, or on the ground after the first jump. It looks quite a bit like a dance because of how the Duelists utilize the Spiral method on one another to close distance. It gets quite intense, and is amusing to watch. These Demo Kites search for honor on the battlefield in the most intensely defined high-risk high-reward loadout of all the Demo Kites.

As it happens, there is one item in Team Fortress 2 that has a strong effect on aerial combat called the B.A.S.E. Jumper. It replaces the primary weapon with a parachute which toggles upon double-jumping. This decreases the rate at which one falls dramatically, preventing fall damage. Since this item is so unique, I thought it was appropriate to include a section specifically for its use (I also ran out of room in the Arsenal section). I will keep it brief, so the following are some small points to take into account when utilizing the B.A.S.E. Jumper.
I will also continue to refer to it as the "BASE."

• Since the BASE is a major buff to mobility, it also enhances how unpredictable the Demo Kite can be while in-flight. In fact, it's such a major change that a name change to the "BASE Kite" is far more fitting.
  
  • As the BASE Kite is a cousin of the Demo Kite, they have different combat styles. Due to the BASE Kite's reduced offensive capabilities with the lack of a grenade launcher, he has a more supportive role. Flying into the skies above the enemy while teammates run in through the front door is the ideal situation, for he may act as a distraction in order for his team to take out some unwary opponents. If the BASE Kite doesn't acquire enough of the enemy's attention, he can go in himself and harrass or even assassinate some targets as a result.
    
  • However, with the reduced offensive power, the BASE Kite is horrifically ineffective against sentries. Consider dropping the BASE (wub) and grabbing a launcher if enemy sentries get out of hand.
• Using the BASE just before landing negates all fall damage - it's especially useful when you find yourself jumping more than usual. Consider equipping the BASE if you require survival over ranged damage.
  
  • Due to its sizable survivability boost, the BASE works especially well in conjunction with the Persian Persuader or the Half-Zatoichi.
• Popping the parachute while falling quickly can be dangerous, as it completely removes all excessive downward velocity. This doesn't convert into forward motion, so if you're falling straight down, you'll find yourself floating helplessly in mid-air. On the other hand, if you have plenty of forward motion, it's kept unchanged as you glide effortlessly. When jumping, always be aware of your angular velocity and acceleration.
  
  • One particularly effective maneuver is to jump at a low angle and activate the BASE at the peak of the jump. This is a nice alternative to jumping high with two bombs, since you become closer to the ground to avoid detection but cover about the same amount of distance and take zero fall damage.
• Utilizing the BASE is a very situational choice, as it can dramatically alter the methods that a Demo Kite uses. As such, guidelines for it can only be so specific. Learning to use the BASE in your own way is the most efficient and reliable method of bringing out the most of its effectiveness.

You now know everything there is to know about the Demo Kite and how he works. Now you may proceed back into the TF2niverse with your newfound knowledge and claim dominion of the skies in the name of the Demo Kites! You may also tell your friends about it so that you may dominate the skies together! If you are truly excited about becoming a Demo Kite, you may wish to consider joining the official group, the Demo Kite Kinship (DeKKin)! No matter what may befall you, may you find tranquility amongst the clouds.

P.S. - Don't forget to rate and share this Demo Kite experience using the buttons above!

The following section is reserved for the pretty posters and short films made by myself (or you!) about the Demo Kite. It may be updated haphazardly, but if I become inspired, I will certainly get an idea out relatively soon afterwards. Films could take an unknown amount of time, but posters take about one to two days. If you have any ideas for glorifying images of our favorite ace, feel free to share in the comments! If you happen to make anything you would like to have me feature in this gallery, just ask in the comment section. I can add any Youtube videos easily, and if you have a poster, you can give me the website link if it's posted elsewhere (like Deviant Art or something), or you can e-mail it as an attachment to my Steam e-mail account:
monsoonofbabies@gmail.com

Click the images for a larger view!

--- My Stuff ---

--- Others' Stuff ---

• Kierany9
  
  • The Demo Kite[kierany9.deviantart.com]

This is the section for those individuals I feel have taken an unprecedented amount of time and effort to assist me in making this guide the best it can be. If you have any ideas as to how this can become even better, by all means, please comment either on this guide! If you manage to facilitate the growth of this guide in a significant way, either indirectly (pointing out typos and inconsistencies, providing ideas for new sections or posters) or directly (promoting this guide on other guides or 3rd party websites, creating posters or movies inspired by the Demo Kite), you may just find your Steam profile hanging amongst the best of the best in this section!

Unless, of course, you make a contribution but wish not to be placed here. If that's the case, just say so and I will remove the link to your profile. I will use the name you harbor when you make your contribution, but if you change your name often, you may make requests to change the posted name to whatever you wish.

NOTE: Even if you make a notable contribution, if I or many other visitors deem you as an asshat, I have the obligation to not add you in this section.

• Kierany9 - Not only is he one of the first players to adopt the Way of the Demo Kite, he assisted in its development since the very beginning. Also an author of the very respectable Ultimate Guide series.
  
• Sherlock Holmes - Yes, the detective actually helped me with this guide. He and Mr. Watson are supposedly big fans, but they became discouraged at how I had referred to the Claymore Demo Kites as "stupid." They made the most impressive arguement, and since then I have had a newfound respect for these sword-wielders.
  
• Woobie :3 - This fine player, upon his first steps into the world of the Demo Kite, produced a comprehensive and respectable list of errors and inconsistancies about this guide. I took it to heart and personally refined each section mentioned. In fact, his contribution inspired me to create this section!
  
• A Toasty Engineer - Provided me with the SPLENDID idea of starting the official Demo Kite Steam Group!
  
• The following creators of the guide of Alternate TF2 Playstyles are the ones who gave me a vast majority of my views. I can only rightly claim the first 800 of them from my own efforts; the next 2,000 afterwards were from these three.
  
  • Lewis0612
    
  • Bilbo
    
  • Hydro Hydra