Team Fortress 2 Halloween event adds zombies, spells and an evil wizard battle

"Scream Fortress," the annual Halloween-themed event for free-to-play shooter Team Fortress 2, goes live Friday, Oct. 26, according to a new update from Valve. This year's Team Fortress frightfest adds a few interesting twists, including battles against undead enemies, magic spells and a King of the Hill battle against the evil wizard Merasmus.

The Team Fortress blog details what's coming in the fourth annual "Scream Fortress" event, including a haunted map that will cast mysterious spells on players, for evil purposes and possibly for good. The two-week-long event will also let players cast magic spells on their own equipment, granting them new effects: "shifting paint colors, ghost summoning, flaming footsteps and more."

Team Fortress 2 players will also be able to battle zombies on a new map, Wave 666. The Mann vs. Machine map will pit players in a cooperative battle against undead versions of the Heavy, Sniper, Pyro, Scout and more.

Additionally, two new Steam achievements will be available during the "Scream Fortress" event which ends Nov. 8.

Valve notes on the Team Fortress blog that Halloween-themed gifts will now be issued privately, as opposed to spawning publicly, to prevent players from scrambling to pick up loot.