Welcome!

hl.tf2pickup.eu was created with competitive highlander game-play in mind, so anyone who wants to participate is expected to know the 9v9 ruleset as well as the fundamentals of the game mode, specifically the main responsibilities of any class they want to add up to.

These pickups are a venue for players to practice in a competitive environment. Although every player's idea of having fun is different, we at hl.tf2pickup.eu strongly believe that the best way to have fun is to try & win together as a team. Therefore during a match you are expected to communicate with teammates and play seriously so as to not waste anybody's time including your own. We hope that you will abide by the following rules and have a good time!

Application process

Before you apply for access to pickups you must first make sure you fit at least one of the following criteria:

1. You have played at least 4 official matches (HL and/or 6v6) in ETF2L Mid & above in the past 5 years.
2. You have played at least 500 non-official competitive matches (lobbies/mixes/scrims) in the past 36 months.
3. You are currently being mentored by a high-level player or a pickup admin who can vouch for your ability and send an application on your behalf. In this case you will be given trial access for the duration of 1 month during which your performances will be closely monitored by admins.

Please bear in mind that even if your application is successful we reserve the right to restrict you from playing specific classes if we assess that you don’t have enough experience to be able to play those classes properly. In some rare cases we may also remove your access completely if it’s discovered after the fact you don’t yet possess the necessary ability to play pickups.

We ask every new player to try and listen to their more experienced teammates when they try to help and take any constructive criticism in stride.

In order to apply for access you must first join our Discord channel by clicking this link, head over to #verify-me channel and send your pickup profile link which you can get by going to the website and clicking on your nickname in the top right corner.

I don’t fit any of the criteria, what should I do?

Don’t give up just yet! If you’re keen and willing to put in time and effort into improving you should head over to our Discord and write in #looking-for-mentor channel. There are plenty of experienced players who’ll be glad to help out and prepare you for what’s going to be expected of you in pickups. Spend some time working with them and once they decide you’re ready for pickups and they can vouch for you they will be able to send an application on your behalf.

General Rules

1. The main language used in the voice channel is English. Do not add up to the pickup queue if you are not comfortable using English for the in-game communication.

2. Using Mumble is mandatory. Do not add up to the pickup queue if you don't have it installed & configured properly or if you don't have a microphone. Please make sure your voice is clear and audible.

3. Once teams have been selected and server details have been posted you have 5 minutes to join the game server and mumble. Not showing up within a 5-minute timeframe or being late will result in you being reported & substituted. Please remember that pressing "I'm ready" means that you agree to play the full match. If teams had been selected but you realized you can't play the full match please notify an admin straight away. Failing to do so is punishable.

4. Leaving in the middle of the match without notifying anyone constitutes as ragequitting and is punishable. If you have to leave early you ought to find a substitute player for yourself and notify an admin either on pickup discord or in voice channel if they are present. You should also let your team know you are to be replaced.

5. You can only play a class you added up on & in a team you were put into. Switching classes and teams with other players is not allowed.

6. Griefing of any kind is prohibited and will be punished. It includes but is not limited to:

   1. intentionally throwing the game by using unorthodox weapons (Vaccinator on medic; Demoknight loadout on demo; Huntsman on sniper; Gunslinger during PL defense on engie e.t.c.);
   2. refusing to call the positioning of enemy players upon death;
   3. intentionally sacrificing your life for non-key frags, especially if you are a key class yourself (engie on PL; scout on KOTH; demo, medic & sniper anywhere e.t.c.);
   4. refusing to fulfill basic responsibilities of a class upon being asked to (chasing frags instead of capping cart as a scout/engie on PL; not spy checking as a pyro; not focusing a sniper as a spy e.t.c.),

   as well as others.

   We understand that some of the situations described above are extremely situational, therefore you'll always be warned either by an admin or by your teammates. Failing to comply will result in you getting punished.

7. You are prohibited from using any discriminatory/racial slurs anywhere associated with the pickup, be that a game server, mumble or pickup discord. Ban longevity for violating this rule is up to admin discretion and can range from a verbal warning to a permanent ban depending on the severity of the foul language used and the number of offences a player already has.

8. Remember to be respectful to both your teammates and opponents. Trashtalk is a part of the game but be careful not to cross the line when trashtalk becomes abuse. Any kind of abuse is punishable and may result in you getting banned for repeated offences.

Recording demos

Every player is required to record POV demos during pickups. An admin is able to request a demo at any time within 14 days the pickup in question was played at which point the player has 24 hours to provide the demo or face punishment for failing to do so.

The demo file player provides must work and contain the entirety of the game. If a player times out/leaves the server in the middle of the match & then comes back, multiple demos may be provided.

Admins can request an unlimited number of demos from any player. Players cannot request demos of another player, that privilege is reserved for the admins. If you suspect someone of cheating you can create a ticket on Discord to report them.

Since P-REC doesn't work with the pickup plugin you can automatically record demos by using ds_ commands (which you can read more about by clicking this link), specifically ds_enable 3 and ds_autodelete 0. Just type those in your console and you're good to go.

If you got banned and you have found the demos you were not able to provide, providing them to admins will let us lift your ban.

Cheating & Alternate accounts

1. You must use a steam account associated with your ETF2L account to play pickups. Using alternate accounts is not allowed and will result in a ban.

2. Using any in-game bugs is not allowed and will be punished.

3. Using an illegal cheating software, as well as any attempts to utilize other unfair advantages will result in a permanent ban. No exceptions.

Please remember that all ETF2L bans are mirrored on this website. The only exceptions are bans for not uploading demos, in which case it's up to admin discretion on whether to allow a certain player to play in pickups.

Admin discretion

If there is any situation not defined by the rules above the final decision about the appropriate punishment is up to admin discretion.

Mumble details

Click HERE to connect automatically. You'll need the latest Mumble version for it work, so make sure it's installed.

Map pool

Pickup map pool consists of current ETF2L maps with extra maps rotated from time to time. Here's the list of the current pool (click on the name if you want to download them):

Contact us

If you wish to contact an admin to ask a question or to report somebody you should head over to our Discord by clicking this link and create a ticket in the #contact-us channel. An available admin will try to respond to you as soon as possible.