Team Fortress 2 annual Halloween update adds spells, Hell and hats

Scream Fortress, the annual Halloween-themed special event for Valve’s free-to-play shooter Team Fortress 2, is playable now through Nov. 11 on Steam.

The fifth Scream Fortress event adds a new gameplay feature: spell books. Players can cast magic spells against enemies from books dropped while pushing a cart in Payload games, by killing enemies and during a new Witching Hour event. A new Payload map, Helltower, is also available.

No Team Fortress 2 update would be complete without wearable items — including hats — and “Scream Fortress V” sees the addition of more than 100 spooky wearables and weapons. Eight new achievements tied to the Helltower map are also available during the festive event.

A full list of changes is available at Steam and additional amusing details can be seen at the Team Fortress website. TF2 fans can also read about the background for this year’s Scream Fortress event in a new comic titled “Grave Matters.”