Slender Fortress Modified is very, very content heavy. So depending on your connection with the server, it can take up to a few or more hours when first joining a server. However, the download times have been addressed on certain servers like Disc FF, to lower the file size for most of the bosses' materials, and sounds, but mostly sounds. I recommend to try and find the SF2 server's Discord server to try and look for their content pack and put the internal files into your "downloads" folder in your TF2 directory so that way you don't have to wait for hours just to join. However you may have to first load into the SF2 server after downloading some content and wait to see a discord group message link pop up in the chat in order to join it most of the time. The download times are also affected if the servers have FastDL set up, which majorly effects download time to be much more lower. Most servers usually have FastDL.

I have been playing this gamemode for about 4 years now, and talking from my experience, I can say that gamemode does little to teach the new player on how to actually play the game. So do not be afraid to ask for help from other players, or simply type the command "!slender" in chat in order to get a general idea of how the gamemode works and to learn the commands. Otherwise, try and look for some guides for Slender Fortress, but be aware that most of them are outdated, or are from the original version of SF that do not apply with Modified, and try looking at Youtube videos as they can be a great source of information as well.

When you first initially join into the server, you will automatically be placed in the Blu team. The Blu team just simply hangs out and waits for the round to end after all surviving RED team members escape or all of them die. Depending on the map you are on, there are some activities like PVE, PVP, Parkour, 9 square and so on. If you are curious on what RED team is doing, you can type the command !slghost *silent version: /slghost* in that chat in order to spectate them in ghost mode. In ghost mode you cannot do anything to block or harm RED team members, but can pass through them. Your movement speed is incredibly fast and you can hold the jump key to fly in the air. During a round, you may also be selected as a Proxy if the boss allows them. A Proxy is a player controlled minion that willingly tries to help the boss kill RED.

RED Team is the team you will be placed in once the game has picked you to play the real game. RED Team's goal on most of the maps varies depending on the map's objective, but mostly it is just collecting a certain amount of items, and then running to the exit while trying to avoid the boss. The exit generally is located near spawn on most maps, but it depends on the map itself. When you die, you will be automatically placed on BLU.

Slender Fortress has a wide array of maps that are different from each other in terms of level design, and objectives. Most of the maps in Slender Fortress have the objective of gathering a certain amount of collectible items, and running to the exit while trying to avoid dying to the boss. Usually the exits located near spawn or in other areas across that certain map, otherwise you have to wait until you automatically escape like in the map Unease. Typically, it's recommended to look at the text that appears in the middle of your screen during the beginning of a round and after you collect items or ask people so you know what to do.

The 5 main types of maps that you will play in are:

"Collect & Escape - These maps you will grab a specific amount of items before you have to escape to the exit." -Disc FF Wiki

"Survival - These maps you will grab 1 or a handful of items and then you must survive until the exit opens depending on the map. Some maps will have the exit will open at 30 seconds remaining or maybe even just survive until the timer hits zero and you automatically win." -Disc FF Wiki

"Collect and Survive - A mixture of the two above with the exception that you need to grab many items before waiting for the exit to open. The time remaining for the exit to open and for you to get to it is very generous unlike Survival maps." -Disc FF Wiki

"Adventure - These maps are rare and are known for not being beginner friendly. These maps usually have you collect 1 or a couple of items so you can open up a door or gate to the next section of the map where you must also find 1 or a couple more items to open another one. This cycle repeats until you get to the exit. The more collectables you have the closer you are to the exit and roughly where you should be with your teammates. Don't be afraid to ask other players for help on when you need to head to the next area." -Disc FF Wiki

"Run - These maps have you get 1 item and you make your way down a long path to the exit. These maps are straightforward and hard to get lost but, can be difficult depending on the boss for the round since you usually run past the boss forward, run backwards, or run into a side room or corner to hide. Since these maps are mostly straightforward if any of these maps are selected no Charger bosses will spawn in at all." -Disc FF Wiki

Hybrid - These maps are a combination of two or more of the 5 types mentioned.

Boxing -These maps are players fighting up against the boss directly. The only way to win is to beat the boss with only melee weapons and collect the belt it drops. As the boss loses more health he increases in difficulty just like in PVE. These maps have been deprecated as of version 1.8.0 and has been replaced with PVE.

PVE(Inside maps that support it) - PVE is similar to boxing, except you can shoot the boss, and it can be combined inside of any map near the waiting area. It's a way to kill some time while waiting for RED to finish the round.

The main antagonists of the game, the very spooky scary creatures you may find lurking in the darkest of places; Bosses. They are AI controlled enemies that will attempt to kill the entire RED team. They come in all shapes and sizes, originating mostly from other video games or from media out on the internet, and have a variety of different abilities and attributes depending on what the maker of the boss gives them in order to take you down. Learning about what bosses can do is mostly up to you to figure it out, but of course, some servers have a wiki for their bosses. Some of the information you may get about the bosses may be outdated however on some places out on the internet. Youtube videos are probably a good source of information on learning about the creatures you may face on a specific server however.

Currently, most Slender Fortress Modified servers use 1.8.0 alpha and 1.7.5. There are some slight differences between the two. A few major differences between these versions are:

Crouch footsteps: They do not alert bosses on 1.8.0, but will alert them in 1.7.5

Scare Boost: As far as I know, on 1.8.0, scare boost has been removed but class speeds have been buffed. On 1.7.5, Scare boost still exists.

Blink: The Blink meter on 1.8.0 has been removed but is only used when you encounter a boss that speeds or slows down when you look at it. The meter stays up for a few seconds after the boss is out of your sight. It has been replaced by the Health meter. In 1.7.5, Blink is always applied all the time, regardless of anything that happens.

*I will list more major differences when I learn of them*


Some of these changes can be modified from the server config on the server you are playing on, including player attributes, weapon stats, and including obscure bosses however.