The Team Fortress Two update, Gun Mettle, has been out for a couple of weeks. Since its release on July 2nd its time to take a look at the multitude of changes that Valve has brought to the TF2 community. Players who decide to test their TF2 “mettle” are given two contracts, twice a week, until the end of the three month duration of the campaign. These contracts require players to complete various challenges, either as a specific class, or complete challenges as any class, but on a specific map included in the update. Upon complete of these contracts the player is either rewarded with a skinned weapon, or a Concealed Killer or Powerhouse weapons case. 
The new cases contain a skinned weapon that can fall into one of two categories: unusual and strange. Both of these can also include a stat clock. Skinned weapons have a variety conditions that range from “battle-scarred” to “factory new” – these determine how weapons appears in-game. In addition to the condition of the weapons Valve has also added a specific rank structure civilian grade to assassin grade. While rank of a skinned weapon has no affect on the weapons properties in game, it does however affect how much it sells for on the steam marketplace. If you’re someone who thinks that skins are an eyesore you can also disable them completely in the options menu.
In regards to weapon buffs and nerfs included in the update, the spy and engineer class have gone though a plethora of changes that hopefully are a foreshadowing to the long awaited spy vs. engie update the TF2 community has been eagerly waiting for. The short novel of item changes Valve has incorporated in this update have been geared toward providing a balance class wide which can only mean one thing, the long awaited competitive mode is in fact coming in the near future. Valve is finally listening to what the TF2 community had been begging for and applying it by adding dynamics that breathe new life into the game for all players.
For all Things Nerdy, stay tuned right here at The Noobist.