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Team Fortress 2/Unused Items

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This is a sub-page of Team Fortress 2.

Hmmm...
To do:
  • Add in dates of addition/removal of files where necessary.
  • Add in filenames and full directories for any entries missing that information.

There's quite a few unused items in this hat simulator.

Cosmetic Items

Sam's Hat

No, this is not a pig's face. This hat is, well... a hat. Specifically Sam's hat from Sam and Max. It was meant to release alongside the other promo items for Sam & Max: The Devil's Playhouse, and the texture was even in the game's files for some time, but it was ultimately removed (in an unknown patch) as Telltale found it too difficult to create one that would fit on the differently shaped heads of each class.

On March 12 2013, a tweaked version restricted to the Sniper and Spy; The Bloodhound, was finally added to the game as one of the items earnable through Poker Night 2.

Legionaire's Lid

Another hat, intended for the Soldier. Description reads "An antique from the late Imperial Gallic period". The hat's model and materials were added in the Mann-Conomy update and then later removed. A similar hat, the Defiant Spartan, was fully added about three months later.

There are some variables related to making the helmet paintable within the VMT files for the helmet, but they're not quite fully set up, so the helmet appears bright white by default unless you modify the VMT files. Taking the values from the "$colortint_base" variable, which are set to "{223 131 84}" and adding a new line to the VMT file, then adding in the $color2 variable that uses those same colors ("$color2" "{223 131 84}") will make the helmet use the same color as it does in the backpack icon. It appears as if there were plans to make the helmet paintable but the helmet ended up being scrapped entirely.

Bonk'n'Flash

Yet another hat, this one intended to be worn by the Scout. Similar in appearance to the Batter's Helmet, it's heavily based on the mask worn by DC Comics superhero "The Flash". This iteration never made it into the game due to copyright concerns, and the hat's textures were removed from the game entirely some time after being added in the Mann-Conomy update.

Jungle Inferno

The following hats were included in the Jungle Inferno update's files, but have not actually been implemented for unknown reasons.

Mercenary Park

Not to be confused with the map of the same name, Mercenary Park is a white baseball cap with a logo of Yeti Park, which has a piece of tape over Yeti to make it say "Mercenary Park". The description, ironically, reads:

You went to Mercenary Park, and all you got was this stupid hat! And dysentery. Display this handsome travel memento in your new home: The bathroom at the hospital.

Mannanas Hat

The Mannanas Hat is a bright yellow cap with a logo of a rather large yeti shoving bananas into its mouth. Its description simply says "Mannanas Logo Hat". Very witty.

Never Forget Hat

The Never Forget Hat is a blue and grey cap with a logo featuring Poopy Joe, who died in the events of the Special Delivery map Doomsday. The description reads:

Remember the original Mannanas spokesmonkey.

Yeti Park Hardhat

Hmmm...
To do:
Gallery of warpainted variants of the hardhat? Or is that too much?

The Yeti Park Hardhat is a white hardhat with a light on the front and a Yeti Park logo on the side. It has an even more generic description than the Mannanas Hat, which is just the Hardhat's name.

The Yeti Park Hardhat also appears to have been intended to be warpaintable.

(Source: Original tweet from @Alaxe_ on the warpaintability.)

Scream Fortress

The following hats were included in Scream Fortress updates over the years, but have not actually been implemented for unknown reasons.

Mummy Eyes

The Mummy Eyes are a Pyro cosmetic that wrap dirty bandages around the Pyro's mask like...well, a mummy. The eye holes are also broken, revealing yellow glowing eye dots inside. It was added to the game in the Scream Fortress 2013 update, but was removed entirely in another patch about three days later.

Interestingly, an old icon for the Halloween 2013 Community Bundle clearly shows the Mummy Eyes on the leftmost crate, above the Grub Grenades. The icon was altered after the removal of the Mummy Eyes, and it appears they also took the time to modify the design of the crates (or just forgot to set the pumpkin decals back up, which let's be honest, is most likely what happened).

Improv Coonskin Cap

The Improv Coonskin Cap is a Soldier cosmetic that is quite literally a raccoon strapped onto his head. It was originally supposed to be in Scream Fortress 2016's corresponding crate as an Assassin-grade hat, but was nowhere to be seen in the crate itself, and was removed from the game's files completely in a patch about four days later. It was also uploaded to the Steam Workshop, but was then removed from the Workshop at a later date.

Miscellaneous Items

ID Badge

An unused ID Badge that would have been able to be used with the Decal Tool. It was added in the Manniversary Update & Sale...update along with the Photo Badge, a very similar item. The model and textures were fully intact in the VPK files until the November 11th, 2013 patch, in which the model was removed. The textures still remain in the game files.

Unused Unusual Particle Effects

In addition to the "Unusual" particle effects introduced in the Mann-Conomy update, the following particle effects were added at the same time, and have remained unused, although test is a direct clone of the particle effect Scorching Flames. It is also believed Crisp Spotlights may have been an unused part of the effect Miami Nights.

The following "Unusual" particle effects were introduced with the Very Scary Halloween Special, and are currently unused. orbit_shells was later removed from the game files.

The following "Unusual" particle effect was introduced in the Spectral Halloween Special update, and is unused.

Weapons

There's a lot of unused and abandoned weapons in the game.

Pre-Release

Quite a lot of content was cut during the development of the game.

Grenades

Yes, these old chestnuts from the original Team Fortress. They come in Bear Trap, Concussion, EMP, Frag, Gas, Healing, MIRV, Nail and Napalm flavors, all with lovely TF2-style models. When the crafting system was implemented, a crafting token was added for the grenade slot, but was later removed in the Mann-Conomy Update.

There are models for all the grenades in the game's files, but they all lack textures. Textures for them, along with many early weapons in general, have recently been found in the prototype/"Closed Beta" build (PatchVersion 1.0.0.0 dated September 17 2007) of Team Fortress 2, referred to by the community as "TF2 V0" or "TF2 Version 0". The textures were eventually made available to the public after being uploaded onto game modding sites like GameBanana.

Functionality for most of the Grenades were speculated to be similar to the Grenades from Team Fortress Classic. However, upon the Source 2007 code leak in 2012, the grenades true functionalities (except the Gas Grenade) were revealed and are documented below. Barring the Bear Traps, which would've dropped instantly, all Grenades would've exploded after a timer had beeped from three to zero.

The textures of the grenades (and subsequently, most of the weapons listed on this page) were rediscovered again somewhat recently when source code for a build of Postal III was leaked, and was found to contain very early prototype builds of Half-Life 2: Episode Two and Team Fortress 2. This early prototype, dated around June 2007, contained most of the same cut content textures from the aforementioned September 17, 2007 build. There are a few exceptions and one such notable find in this prototype build is an early model of the Napalm Grenade|Napalm Grenade.

There are also sound definitions for grenades in tf\scripts\game_sounds_weapons.txt which go unused.

Frag Grenade

A basic frag grenade. All classes but the Scout would have had access to it. It would've acted like a typical grenade, being thrown and exploding after a timer had counted down. The Frag Grenade actually does show up in the game, on the second shelf of the MvM Upgrade Station. When viewing the UV chart, a portion of the texture is not used on the world model. The texture appears to be for a pin that would have been part of the Frag Grenade's viewmodel, which the player would pull out before tossing the grenade.

Concussion Grenade

The Concussion Grenade would have been the Scout's secondary grenade. It would have immense knockback and cause first-person disorientation, but would not deal any damage.

Additionally, the UV chart seems to have some bits in the top right that go unused, and they appear to be textures for the interior of the holes, for the Concussion Grenade's viewmodel. There's also an unused particle effect sprite, tf\materials\effects\star001.vtf, that would have been used upon hitting someone with the blast.

Bear Trap

The Bear Trap would have been another "grenade" for Scout. It functions like the Caltrops from Team Fortress Classic, causing damage overtime and slowing the player down. The Bear Trap makes a brief cameo in the final game, sitting amongst the clutter in the MvM Upgrade Stations.

Additionally, the UV chart seems to have unused textures of a chain, implying that a chain could have been on the Bear Trap at some point, most likely as part of the viewmodel.

Nail Grenade

The Nail Grenade would have been the Soldier's secondary grenade. Apart from potentially shooting out a bunch of nails and exploding like its predecessor, it's unknown what it would have done.

There are also animations of it opening up and then spinning, where it would assumedly begin shooting nails.

Napalm Grenade

The Napalm Grenade would have been the Pyro's secondary grenade. The model itself does not properly display the RED texture, instead using the BLU texture for both teams, though this is easily fixable. Note that Pyro has lower poly napalm grenades strapped to their chest that are never used.

An earlier version of the Napalm Grenade model was found in the files of the June 2007 proto build. The grenade in this form was a round bomb with a wick.

MIRV Grenade/Dynamite Pack

A secondary grenade intended for Demoman. After throwing it, it would explode into several smaller sticks, which would then explode separately. The MIRV has been seen in the teaser trailer for the game, as well as on the desk in Meet The Demoman.

The single stick version calls for the particle effect fuse_spark in its .qc file, which gets attached to the wick attachment point on the stick's model. This particle was removed from the game seemingly late into 2007, as all the scrapped grenade particles are in the game files for the leaked June 2007 proto build, but not the later "Version 0" build from September 2007). If you were to spawn an entity in that uses the model models/weapons/w_models/w_grenade_bomblet.mdl, the entity will spawn as normal but you'll get a line printed to console indicating the missing particle. Decompiling the model and modifying the .qc file to change the call for fuse_spark to instead use the Loose Cannon cannonball projectile's fuse_sparks particle, the effect is restored. The same can be done by importing the fuse_spark.pcf particle file from the June 2007 proto build files.

EMP Grenade

The EMP Grenade would have been the Engineer's secondary grenade. Based off of its functionality from Team Fortress Classic, it would've done damage based on the ammo the victim had, with more damage being dealt if the user had more ammo.

The EMP Grenade eventually was added into the game as Zombie Engineer's secondary ability for Zombie Infection community-created game mode that was added with Patch released on 9th October of 2023, albeit having completely different model and functionality: Instead it has a 3.5 seconds timer, upon depletion which it deals 110 damage and disables any buildings for 6.5 seconds in 500 hammer units radius.

Heal Grenade

The Heal Grenade, modeled after the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch, would have been the Medic's secondary grenade. The functionality of the grenade based on the Source 2007 leak reveals that it was supposed to function with an AoE healing effect.

Gas Grenade

The Gas Grenade would have been the Spy's secondary grenade. The model itself does not properly display the RED texture, instead using the BLU texture for both teams, though this can easily be fixed. The grenade's functionality is debated as to whether it would've created a simple smokescreen, or created client-side hallucinations like in Team Fortress Classic. When viewing the UV chart of the model, there appear to be bits of the texture that aren't used by the worldmodel, and appear to be for the viewmodel. What these extra bits would have been is not known but it is rumored that they would have potentially been part of a modelled interior of the grenade.

Detpack

It is not really known what the Detpack is in terms of Team Fortress 2. There were "obj_detpack" sprite filenames found in the all.lst file in the June 2007 proto build.

There are also sound definitions for the Detpack in tf\scripts\game_sounds_weapons.txt which go unused.

Crowbar

A melee weapon from very early in development, before all classes were given unique melee weapons (citation needed). The model and textures exist, although they seem to simply be an "import" of the Half-Life crowbar world model. Additionally, several of the crowbar's impact sounds are still used in-game, and some sounds' filenames even reference the crowbar.

An unused localization string for the Crowbar can be found in tf\resource\tf_english.txt and the associated localized copies of the file.

There are also sound definitions for the Crowbar in tf\scripts\game_sounds_weapons.txt which go unused.

Flag

Referenced in the game's files in part of a text file naming the weapon types (as well as source code), it appears that the flag would have acted as a melee weapon at some point, with an alt-fire ability to drop the flag (similar to the dropitem command with the modern intelligence).

An unused localization string for the Flag can be found in tf\resource\tf_english.txt and the associated localized copies of the file.

There are also sound definitions for the Flag in tf\scripts\game_sounds_weapons.txt which go unused.

Nail Gun

Another primary weapon intended for the Scout. The model, selection icon (aka "bucket" icon), and textures still exist. Sounds and an idle/running animation were also found in other old builds. Originally the worldmodel was that of the SMG, as seen in Trailer 1. Around mid-2007, the Scattergun was created and given to the Scout later on.

An unused localization string for the Nail Gun can be found in tf\resource\tf_english.txt and the associated localized copies of the file.

There are also sound definitions for the Nail Gun in tf\scripts\game_sounds_weapons.txt which go unused.

Branding Iron

A melee weapon intended for the Pyro that was replaced by the Fire Axe. The model and textures still exist, but the textures are only of an AO Bake, indicating that texturing was never finished.

There are also sound definitions for the Branding Iron in tf\scripts\game_sounds_weapons.txt which go unused.

Trigger

A scrapped weapon for the Demoman. All that has been found of this weapon is viewmodel textures from the June 25, 2007 build of the game. While the nature of what it is implies it would have been paired with a weapon that needs to be detonated, it's unknown which one it could have gone with.

Lead Pipe

A melee weapon for Heavy. It was shown off in concept art on the TF2 website along with the Minigun and Shotgun. Of course, Heavy ended up taking a more manly approach by using his bare fists in the final game. The model and textures still exist.

There are also sound definitions for the Lead Pipe in tf\scripts\game_sounds_weapons.txt which go unused.

Super SMG

Possibly an earlier version of the Syringe Gun as in older versions of Team Fortress 2.

An unused localization string for the Super SMG can be found in tf\resource\tf_english.txt and the associated localized copies of the file.

There are also sound definitions for the Super SMG in tf\scripts\game_sounds_weapons.txt which go unused.

Syringe

A melee weapon intended for the Medic as seen in the teaser trailer. While it's unknown if it would have been able to heal allies, it was eventually replaced by the Medi Gun and Bonesaw for better survivability and a more defined silhouette for the Medic. The model and textures exist in the game's files. The Syringe IS used in the Dispenser's level 2 and 3 model.

Club

A melee weapon intended for the Sniper, also called the "fish whacker" in concept art. The model and textures still exist, but the textures are only of an AO Bake, indicating that texturing was never finished. While it ended up being replaced by the Kukri, it is still referred to as tf_weapon_club in some of the game's files.

There are also sound definitions for the Club in tf\scripts\game_sounds_weapons.txt which go unused.

Tranquilizer Gun

A weapon intended for the Spy that was seen in the teaser trailer. The model, selection icon (aka bucket icon), and textures still exist. Unused viewmodel animations were also added in 2013 as part of the "c_spy_arms.mdl" file in the game's files.

An unused localization string for the Tranquilizer Gun can be found in tf\resource\tf_english.txt and the associated localized copies of the file.

There are also sound definitions for the Tranquilizer Gun in tf\scripts\game_sounds_weapons.txt which go unused.

Class Updates

These were weapon concepts for the class updates. They were replaced by the weapons these classes received in their updates.

Beer Stein

A melee weapon that was added in the Gold Rush update. The model is used in an unused taunt.

Ludmila

A Minigun alternative. While what it would have done has been speculated to have a secondary fire mode that would function similarly to the Blutsauger, little to no actual evidence of this has been found. The gun model ended up being used for the Natascha. Interestingly, the model is still called c_ludmila in the game's files.

Repair Node

The Repair Node was a new building concept intended for the Engineer update. It used a pool of energy to automatically repair nearby buildings - when the energy ran out, it had to recharge to full before it could repair again. Multiple Repair Nodes could be deployed in the same area, however their effectiveness would be reduced by half per node. The Repair Node was tested as both a Dispenser and Teleporter replacement, however this revealed how dependent teams were on both buildings, and that paired with the fact that it slowed the game's pacing sealed its fate. Its model is still included in the game's files, although the only textures for it are in Engineer Update teasers.

In December 2021, a screenshot of the RED skin for the Repair Node from the Source Developer Repository that had previously been not-so-privately shown off and leaked via Discord DMs ended up finding its way into the public's hands. The texture also includes a "BROKEN" sign that isn't used by the model, or rather, the model that we have. There may be an alternate Repair Node model in the repository, as the somewhat-textured render of the Repair Node includes a light on the top of the building that isn't present on the model left in the game files.

The model found in the Source Developer Repository later showed that the version of the Repair node found within the files of TF2 are actually older. The "BROKEN" sign is found on the Level 3 variant, indicating that Valve may have used that repair node as a stationary object in future SFM videos, had more been made. The center texture got moved to a still blank space in the texture, indicating that the red over the screen was just a placeholder initially. However, the version in the leak sadly does not have the light seen in one of the early renders.

Within the files of the January 2023 gigaleak, the textures for the Repair Node were found.

When applied to the Repair Node model found in the game files, we get the following end result.

When the Repair Node model included in the model sources leak is compiled, and the textures applied, we get a different end result featuring a now-black screen, and the Level 3 Repair Node actually utilizes the "BROKEN" sign.

(Source: TeamFortress.com - Dammit dammit dammit dammit!)
(Source: Leaked Repair Node RED texture - TF2CutContent on Twitter)
(Source: Repair Node comparisons thread - Zeldaboy14 on Twitter)

Walkabout

A Sniper Rifle alternative. This would have removed the move speed penalty when scoped in and would also have an increased charge rate. Known downsides are that it cannot zoom in or do headshots, so the scope effect was merely in place to reduce the Sniper's field-of-view (if it used the scope at all). Several of these attributes ended up getting reused in other weapons, namely the Sydney Sleeper and the Classic (in a roundabout way).

An unused localization string for the Walkabout can be found in tf\resource\tf_english.txt and the associated localized copies of the file.

There are also some unique attributes which seem intended for the Walkabout that were found in the game files.

Jungle Inferno Weapon Reveals

Some staging build (in-dev) Workshop content that would have been being tested at the time (if not for the past two years before the update) was accidentally released when the October 20, 2017 Patch (Jungle Inferno Update) went live. This accidental release occurred by way of backpack icons, models and textures being pushed in the initial update, before being removed entirely a few short updates later. The reason for the accidental release of these weapons' files is due to the update also containing the restructuring of some weapon, cosmetic and taunt model locations. The restructuring was done to migrate the files for some items added early on that were taken from the Steam Workshop from their original locations; either tf\models\player\items or tf\models\weapons\c_models; to their new location in tf\models\workshop. In doing so, it appears that Valve forgot to omit the things they were testing.

Afterburner

The Afterburner is a primary weapon for the Pyro that may have been considered for official addition to the game by Valve. The filename for its texture was first discovered within the texture_preload_list.txt file which was added to the game in the October 28, 2015 Patch, and contained filenames for textures from Valve's own internal build.

Almost two years later to the day, the backpack icon and texture were accidentally pushed into the game files in the October 20, 2017 Patch (Jungle Inferno Update).

Assault Cannon

The Assault Cannon is a primary weapon for the Heavy that may have been considered for official addition to the game by Valve. The filename for its texture was first discovered within the texture_preload_list.txt file which was added to the game in the October 28, 2015 Patch, and contained filenames for textures from Valve's own internal build.

Almost two years later to the day, the backpack icon, model and textures were accidentally pushed into the game files in the October 20, 2017 Patch (Jungle Inferno Update).

Handy Pardner

The Handy Pardner is a PDA replacement for the Engineer that may have been considered for official addition to the game by Valve. The filenames for the associated Mini-Dispenser building textures were first discovered in the texture_preload_list.txt file which was added to the game in the October 28, 2015 Patch, and contained filenames for textures from Valve's own internal build.

Almost two years later to the day, the backpack icon, model and textures for the Handy Pardner were accidentally pushed into the game files in the October 20, 2017 Patch (Jungle Inferno Update).

Inside Jab

The Inside Jab is a melee weapon for the Spy that may have been considered for official addition to the game by Valve. The filename for its texture was first discovered within the texture_preload_list.txt file which was added to the game in the October 28, 2015 Patch, and contained filenames for textures from Valve's own internal build.

Almost two years later to the day, the backpack icon, model and textures were accidentally pushed into the game files in the October 20, 2017 Patch (Jungle Inferno Update).

Other things to note about this model;

  • Attempting to load the weapon model up onto the c_spy_arms.mdl to test viewmodel sequences will result in odd parenting of the weapon unless you stick to the acr-prefixed sequences for the arms. The acr sequences are the animations used for the Spy's alternate melee weapon The Sharp Dresser.
    • The acr_stab_b (a sideways slash) and acr_stab_c (a diagonal slash) animations both look odd with this particular weapon model.
    • acr_stab_a is the only stab animation of the three that looks suitable for this weapon, as the weapon's piston actuates during this stab animation. It does not appear to actuate during the _b and _c stab animations however.
  • It is unknown whether or not this weapon would have also fired a gunshot during a stab or backstab.

Specialist

The Specialist is a primary weapon for the Scout that may have been considered for official addition to the game by Valve. The existence of this weapon was first discovered when the backpack icon, model and textures were accidentally pushed into the game files in the October 20, 2017 Patch (Jungle Inferno Update).

Spitfire

The Spitfire is a secondary weapon for the Pyro that may have been considered for official addition to the game by Valve. The filename for its texture, as well as the texture for its custom Flare projectile, were first discovered within the texture_preload_list.txt file which was added to the game in the October 28, 2015 Patch, and contained filenames for textures from Valve's own internal build.

Almost two years later to the day, the backpack icon, model and textures were accidentally pushed into the game files in the October 20, 2017 Patch (Jungle Inferno Update). In spite of the earlier inclusion of the texture filename for the custom flare projectile, the flare was not leaked alongside the weapon in this update.

Viewfinder

The Viewfinder is a primary weapon for the Sniper that may have been considered for official addition to the game by Valve. The filenames for its textures were first discovered within the texture_preload_list.txt file which was added to the game in the October 28, 2015 Patch, and contained filenames for textures from Valve's own internal build.

Almost two years later to the day, the backpack icon, model and textures were accidentally pushed into the game files in the October 20, 2017 Patch (Jungle Inferno Update).

According to code found in the August 2017 source code leak, the main function of the monitor on the rifle was to highlight enemies with a tf_glow entity. There was also an attribute planned for the Viewfinder called add_sniper_glow_enemies_in_scope. However, due to bugs involving it breaking existing tf_glow entities in use which caused issues with some mods and SourceTV clients, the idea was put on hold until a fix was implemented.

Unimplemented

Weapons with some data in the game's files, which have yet to be added.

Uranium and Mirror Botkillers

There is data for two unimplemented types of Botkiller weapons, which are stock weapon variants that can be won from successful Mann Vs Machine campaigns. Uranium gives the head a glowing green effect through the cracks, and Mirror makes the head shiny and gives it a warped texture. The Mirror Botkiller actually doesn't have a unique texture, but rather a shader (.VMT file) in tf2_misc_dir.vpk.

"VertexlitGeneric"
{
  "$basetexture"  "models/player/items/mvm_loot/all_class/fob_heavy"
//  "$basetexture"  "models/player/items/mvm_loot/all_class/fob_heavy_coal"
  "$detail" "effects/tiledfire/fireLayeredSlowTiled512.vtf" 
  "$detailscale" "5"
  "$detailblendfactor" .01
  "$detailblendmode" 6
  "$yellow" "0"

//  "$translucent" 1
//  "$additive" 1

  "$phong" "1"
  "$phongexponent" "55"
  "$phongboost" "10"
  "$lightwarptexture" "models/player/items/all_class/all_class_ring_warp" 
  "$phongfresnelranges" "[1 1 1]"
  "$phongwarptexture" "models/player/items/all_class/all_class_ring_warp"



  ">=DX90"
  {
  "$envmap" "env_cubemap"
  "$envmaptint" "[.4 .4 .4]"
  }

  // Rim lighting parameters
  "$rimlight" "1"                       // To enable rim lighting (requires phong)
  "$rimlightexponent" "150"                   // Exponent for phong component of rim lighting 
  "$rimlightboost" "2"                    // Boost for ambient cube component of rim lighting

  // Cloaking
  "$cloakPassEnabled" "1"

  "Proxies"
  {
    "invis"
    {
    }
    "AnimatedTexture"
    {
      "animatedtexturevar" "$detail"
      "animatedtextureframenumvar" "$detailframe"
      "animatedtextureframerate" 30
    }
    "BurnLevel"
    {
      "resultVar" "$detailblendfactor"
    }
    "YellowLevel"
    {
      "resultVar" "$yellow"
    }
    "Equals"
    {
      "srcVar1" "$yellow"
      "resultVar" "$color2"
    }
  }
}

One interesting item of note regarding the above Mirror shader VMT file, is the commented out line

   //  "$basetexture"  "models/player/items/mvm_loot/all_class/fob_heavy_coal"

The fob_heavy_coal.vtf texture does not exist in the game files, making it an additional bit of cut content.

Stratonic Swatter

A melee weapon intended for the Soldier. A kill icon was added to the game's files in the November 10, 2011 patch, and the weapon is used in a promotional image for the Very Scary Halloween Special update, but there is no corresponding model or textures found in-game. It was uploaded to the Steam Workshop a mere 5 days before the kill icon was added to the game.

TF2 Flyswatter Killicon.png
TF2 Flyswatter KilliconW.png

A backpack icon for the Stratonic Swatter was later discovered in the January 2023 Source Developer Asset Repository leaks.

Baleful Beacon

A melee weapon intended for the Pyro. This weapon is a lantern on a stick, and was created specifically for the Very Scary Halloween Special update in 2011. Texture files for a backpack and kill icon were released with the update, but the backpack icon was removed in Pyromania Update.

TF2 Baleful Beacon Killicon.png
TF2 Baleful Beacon KilliconW.png

Toolbox

A backpack icon for the Engineer's toolbox has been found in the game's files. This goes unused as you cannot equip the toolbox like a weapon.

Paint Bomb

The Paint Bomb is a weapon that not much is known about, other than its filenames which were first discovered within the texture_preload_list.txt file which was added to the game in the October 28, 2015 Patch, and contained filenames for textures from Valve's own internal build.

The only remnants of the Paint Bomb in the game files are the kill icons for them which go entirely unused.

TF2 Killicon Balloon1.png
TF2 KillIcon Balloon1W.png
TF2 Killicon Balloon2.png
TF2 KillIcon Balloon2W.png

Backpack icons for Paint Bombs were later discovered in the January 2023 Source Developer Asset Repository leaks.

Taunts

Several unused taunts have been found by way of leftover animations, filenames related to models used by taunts, or backpack icons.

Art of War

Art of War is a taunt intended for the Spy that may have been considered for official addition to the game by Valve. The backpack icon for the taunt was accidentally pushed into the game files in the October 20, 2017 Patch (Jungle Inferno Update).

Au Revoir

Au Revoir is a taunt intended for the Spy that may have been considered for official addition to the game by Valve. The filename for its texture was first discovered within the texture_preload_list.txt file which was added to the game in the October 28, 2015 Patch, and contained filenames for textures from Valve's own internal build.

Almost two years later to the day, the backpack icon for the taunt was accidentally pushed into the game files in the October 20, 2017 Patch (Jungle Inferno Update).

French Revolutions

French Revolutions is a taunt intended for the Spy that may have been considered for official addition to the game by Valve. The backpack icon for the taunt was accidentally pushed into the game files in the October 20, 2017 Patch (Jungle Inferno Update).

Hoodoo Hex

Hoodoo Hex is a taunt intended for the Spy that may have been considered for official addition to the game by Valve. The filenames for its textures were first discovered within the texture_preload_list.txt file which was added to the game in the October 28, 2015 Patch, and contained filenames for textures from Valve's own internal build.

Almost two years later to the day, the backpack icon for the taunt was accidentally pushed into the game files in the October 20, 2017 Patch (Jungle Inferno Update).

Santé!

Santé! is a taunt intended for the Spy that may have been considered for official addition to the game by Valve. The filenames for its textures were first discovered within the texture_preload_list.txt file which was added to the game in the October 28, 2015 Patch, and contained filenames for textures from Valve's own internal build.

Almost two years later to the day, the backpack icon for the taunt was accidentally pushed into the game files in the October 20, 2017 Patch (Jungle Inferno Update).

Sneaky Feet

Sneaky Feet is a taunt intended for the Spy that may have been considered for official addition to the game by Valve. The backpack icon for the taunt was accidentally pushed into the game files in the October 20, 2017 Patch (Jungle Inferno Update).

Cold Combustion

As part of the December 3, 2020 Patch (Smissmas 2020), the Pyro's animations received an update that added in a new sequence, taunt_taunt_pyrosnowman. The animation is for the Cold Combustion taunt from the Steam Workshop. It appears Valve had been considering adding this taunt to the game.

(Source: https://wiki.teamfortress.com/wiki/Taunts#Unused_content)

General Items

Any other items that don't qualify as hats, misc. items or weapons go here!

Removed Slot Tokens

Several unused slot tokens for the crafting system were present in the item schema early on, but were removed entirely at some point in 2010. There were four in total that were removed; the PDA Slot Token (for the PDA 1 slot; Disguise Kit & Build/Destroy PDA), the Building Slot Token (for the Building slot, Spy's Sapper), the Grenade Slot Token, and the Head Slot Token.


(Source: Archived copy of TF2Items.com's item list showing the tokens)

Tokens

Located in "materials/backpack/crafting" are three tokens, named similarly to the various Class and Slot tokens. They are the "Bronze" (image says "Copper"), Silver and Gold Token. Based on their location, they may be unused/placeholder crafting tokens.

As of the January 12th, 2023 Source Developer Asset Repository leaks, it is now known that the leaked PSD files for these graphics contained extra layers for early versions of Class and Slot Tokens, making it highly likely that these were related to that somehow.

Valve Store Shipment Box

The Valve Store Shipment Box was added to the game in the May 3rd, 2012 Patch, but was removed from the item schema later that day, and completely removed from the game on the April 24, 2014 Patch. It is currently not able to be obtained in any way, and does not have any inventory icons.

Noise Makers

Three unused noise makers exist in the game's files, through icons and sound files. One from the Scream Fortress update called "Spooky", one from the Shogun Pack called "Yell", and one from the Japan Charity Bundle called "Prayer Bowl" (which has no icon).