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The Solider

Written by Asfastasican

Friday, 16 May 2008

Class Description

The soldier class is the balanced offensive class. The Soldier is honestly the swiss knife of TF2. It’s the all purpose can-opener for anything the enemy can throw at you. He’s the second slowest class, even though his ability to rocket jump gives him some unique mobility. He has the 2nd highest hp in the game as well, so he can take some damage and works well with a medic. The soldier is a versatile fighter at heart, deadly at all ranges most of the time, especially at close range where his foe can’t dodge his point-blank rockets no matter how hard he tries.

He has no other real class nemesis and is well rounded to take out every class 1v1 and it’s pretty damn good against beating small stacked odds as well. The only situation where a soldier will find himself lacking is when he’s in an open area with multiple targets around him at once. If it’s him and few others (or even just him solo) versus a large number of enemy teammates, the teammates can work together and render the lone soldier useless. Any damage he deals will be healed or dodged, and he will be overpowered because of his slow speed.

The Soldier is...
- The second slowest class in the game with the 2nd highest hp (200)
- Able to rocket jump
- The staple in any good offense.
- Great with a medic.

Class Purpose

The soldier’s purpose is to be on the offensive and help crack any defense. With the removal of grenades in TF2, players have become more dependent on rockets and demoman explosives to clean out rooms and destroy clustered defenses in general. Soldiers can shoot their rockets at a distance towards SG’s that are out in the open, and they can easily take out SG’s from around corners by poping in and out, firing up to 4 rockets at the SG in succession. The solider has a lot of standing power in the middle of a battle, and critical rockets allow them to get lucky and do an obscene amount of splash amount that will kill multiple targets if clustered close together. It's also worth mentioning that the soldier's rockets will always knock around enemy players that that you should use that knockback component to your own advantage. Demoman can knock others around to a certain extent, but not as easily as the Soldier can.

Soldiers can rocket jump to higher ground, which is where they truly excel. Because of the rocket splash damage, having a solider on high ground on offense or defense is a beautiful thing. While on higher ground, soldiers can shoot down at enemy targets, making them even more formidable and also harder to kill as well. I’m confident enough to say that you need a solider on any good offense. If you’re taking out the enemy without one, then they just plain stink. It’s also worth mentioning that the best way to move sticky mines aside is by using your soldier to push them away and spread them out with rocket explosions. Talented soldiers can also knock enemies into the air and possibly sever “medic uber” connections with the rocket’s knockback effect, even though demoman are better suited for this job by being able to stack several stickies in a very small area in order to launch one of the ubered enemies high into the air.

Offense and Defense

Offense-
A soldier is at home on any offense. By complimenting the other attackers around him, the solider can bring his standing power to the front line and do some serious damage to the enemy. Pairing a medic with a solider allows the soldier to keep pushing forward, keeping his momentum while plowing through retreating enemies on the front line.

Defense-
I suggest for any new player to practice being a soldier on defense inside of your base or in friendly territory. If there’s anything worse than fighting a good solider, it’s one that’s sitting right next to his respawn, able to heal and resupply at anytime during the fight. The medic/soldier combo can be just as annoying to deal with on defense as it is as powerful on the offensive.

Remember to use the high ground and cover/corners to your advantage while on defense to make the most of your rocket launcher. Provide cover fire by spamming rockets at choke points where the enemy might be trying to pass.

Class Weapons

Rocket Launcher-
This weapon is highly controversial, and rightfully so. The fact of the matter is that when explosive weapons do critical damage, they do 3x their normal damage and they do that damage at all ranges. Now imagine this when it comes to your rocket launcher. You have roughly a 6% chance to do critical damage. When you think about it, that’s like having a 6% chance to fire 3 rockets SIMANTANEOUSLY at a specific target. Because of this, critical rockets will practically one shot any class if it’s a direct hit (I’ve seen heavies get one-shotted when a crit rocket hit them in the face). In fact, some classes will get insta-gibbed by the intense splash damage a crit rocket can produce.

But that’s enough about the standing power of the rocket launcher, let’s get to the meat and potatoes. Just like any other weapon, rockets will do less and less damage over longer distances. Even at far range a rocket still packs quite a punch if it’s a direct hit, especially if it’s a critical rocket, because that will deal full damage at all ranges. Because of this, the rocket launcher is one of the three best long range weapons in the game (next to charged sticky bombs and sniper rifles.) When using a rocket launcher, aim at the ground where you think your target’s feet will be by the time it reaches that point. If the enemy is up in your face, shoot directly at his feet as fast as possible. If the enemy is strafing to your left, aim at the ground to their left. It’s all about predicting movement while doing a little strafing of your own.

You can remain elusive and mobile by rocket jumping to higher ground at the cost of some health. Just aim directly below you, then fire your rocket and jump at the same time. Crouch in mid air to crouch jump and that will help you get onto ledges if you can barely get onto. Attacking from higher ground makes it easier to shoot downwards at enemies by the ground they are walking on, and on the flip side, it makes it difficult for the enemy to shoot explosives up at you. Remember, always aim for clustered units or shoot by the enemy’s feet. If you’re lucky, you might “juggle” the enemy into the air with your rocket’s blast. This will make them vulnerable to a second rocket attack. By the time they hit the ground, your second rocket will finish them off!

Also, reload rockets out of battle or when taking cover. The reload time is slower than most weapons and your launcher can only hold 4 rockets. Remember to reload to a full 4 rockets whenever possible. It's also worth mentioning that Soldiers have half the rockets they used to ever since a recent patch. This tweak in ammo capacity will not really hurt your killing capacity. You just need to learn how to reload more efficiently, shoot your rockets more efficiently, and also learn how to conserve and how to scavenge around for ammo as well. Always remember to pick up the weapons of fallen enemies and teammates alike whenever you're low on rockets.

Shotgun-
The secondary weapon for the solider. If you run out of rockets during a firefight, switch to this or risk reloading one or two last rockets to finish them off. Also, always switch to the shotgun when fighting at far to mid ranges, especially if you’re fighting an evasive player, like a fast enemy scout or pyro.

Shovel-
Most players rarely get to use this, only because a rocket up close can do some serious damage, and a well aimed shotgun does good damage as well. Still, if the moment is right and you’re up close, the shovel does higher than average melee damage. It’s worth using if you’re fast enough to switch to it and smack the enemy once or twice.

Class Concepts & Tactics

-Always Aim for the Feet and Dance! (Always aim for your opponents feet, unless your talented enough to rocket targets in mid-air or those who will strafe into your rocket directly. Learning how to strafe, jump around, and trail your targets with accurate rockets comes with time and practice. Heavies are also easy targets to hit directly with your rockets, so aim for them dead-on when you think its possible.)

-Rocket Jump to Victory! (By rocket jumping to higher ground, you put yourself in a better position for offense and defense. Most of the time, rocket jumping will allow you to take an alternate route which is always a good thing, especially if you have a medic below to heal the damage the jump caused.)

-Shotgun when needed! (Your rocket launcher is a beast, but don’t forget your shotgun. Use it to do damage at mid-far range to nail fast moving targets or to finish off a wounded enemy that’s making his retreat.)

-Team Up with a Medic! (Medics will allow you to keep pushing forward without turning back to go heal. They will make rocket jumping easier and they will be able to uber you in a bad situation, or for when you really want to destroy that SG in a defensive position. Don’t forget to fully reload before ubering, because reloading during the uber is a huge waste of time and potential damage!

VS. Other Classes

VS. Scout-
Watch out for these fast little ???????s. A good scout will most likely hit you with every shot, so either take him out at close range with a well placed rocket, or immediately switch to your shotgun and bring the fight back to him. Good scouts can easily dodge slow incoming rockets if they have some range on you, but they can’t dodge a few well-aimed shotgun blasts! Just remember that they have 75 less hp than you, even though you are slower and less evasive.

VS. Other Soldiers-
Fighting other soldiers as a soldiers is more of an art than it is fighting a battle, so I can’t give much advice to help you with the match-up. Learning how to dance around while firing rockets at your soldier nemesis will come with time and practice. Just try to predict his movements and rocket him faster than he can rocket you. If you are lucky enough to juggle him or crit him with a well placed rocket, you will win the fight by a long shot. Always remember that being on higher ground will give you a huge advantage, making it easier for you to rocket him and nearly impossible to land a direct rocket hit on you.

VS. Pyro-
Staying calm is key in this match-up, because the soldier class is one of the best counters against pyros. At far ranges, shotgun as much as possible. At mid range, try your best to rocket him and ALWAYS aim at his feet. The point of this is to “push” the pyro backwards before he can get in flamethrower range. At close range, STILL aim for his feet, and don’t stop firing your rockets. ALWAYS face the pyro, even if you end up running backwards while shooting rockets at his feet. As a good soldier, you will always beat a pyro. Just stay calm and you will end up killing him in two direct shots, if not 3 indirect ones. Making sure that you push him backwards and away is 1st priority. Killing him is your 2nd priority. Your 3rd priority is to find a medic or a medkit to put out the flames if the pyro ends up setting you in flames even after his death!

VS. Demoman-
Dancing with the demoman is key. Try to strafe some to dodge his primary nades. Avoid walking into incoming or stationary sticky bombs and rocket the ground to push them away if needed. If the demoman manages to wall you off, rocket jump over the damn stickies and rocket him from above if needed. A good mix of rockets and shotgun attacks will help you trash demomen every time. Just don’t be stupid by chasing after them around corners, because they might have some stickies there waiting for you.

VS. Heavy-
Use cover! Even a good soldier will die to a good Heavy in the open at mid range everytime unless he gets lucky with a crit rocket. Always use nearby cover and corners to pop in and out, as you slowly rocket the Heavy to death.

VS. Engineer-
Soldiers are a good counter to those defensive engineers. If you see the engineer on his own, he’s an easy kill. Your arsenal beats his by a long shot and he’s usually a 1-2 rocket kill. If there’s an SG involved, just simply pop in and out around corners and rocket the SG in succession as fast as possible. Sometimes, four rockets in a row will destroy the SG, even with an engineer repairing it (depending on distance). When firing rockets at an SG, try to hit it directly while positioning your rockets to hurt the engineer as well. If you can’t kill the SG directly, but you end up killing the poor engineer with splash damage, the SG will be all yours.

VS. Medic-
Always try your best to rocket healing medics and kill them first while dodging their healing target. Unless you get lucky with a crit rocket, you might have a hard time killing off another heavy, demoman, or soldier that’s being healed. Just keep firing rockets and resort to the shotgun to finish them off.

Medics on their own shouldn’t give you too much trouble, rockets will mess them up and your shotgun will nail them if they retreat. Just don’t eat all of his needles or let him ambush you with his bonesaw and you should be fine.

VS. Sniper-
When approaching a sniper, spam rockets his way while jumping and strafing. The soldier is slow and can sometimes make an easy target for a head shot. I recommend only using rockets, especially after you get up close. Blowing him up and knocking him around will make sure his rifle or autogun wont do much damage before you 1-2 shot him.

VS. Spy-
Check your six often. The soldier is the 2nd slowest class and therefore makes for a good backstab target. Use your rocket launcher to blow those pesky spies up, and if you think one is cloaked and approaching you, rocket the ground around you and watch for his image if he gets hit. Even a good spy can get rocked by a soldier if the soldier checks his six just as the spy is approaching him or uncloaking from behind.

Closing Thoughts

The soldier is a great class. It’s the balanced fighter that it was designed to be and it is defiantly not underpowered in any way, shape, or form. In fact, it’s my personal opinion that the solider used to be too good, or at least it was too easy to use considering its former ammo capacity. As I mentioned before, a solider is weakest in a situation where he is surrounded by enemies in a wide open area, but even then he has a purpose and goes down fighting. The fact that the soldier is well rounded and balanced with its former ammo capacity could also have meany that the soldier was actually imbalanced by that same logic, considering that there was no real counter for him. I'm happy to say that I suggested that Soldiers needed an ammo reduction and that their crit rate should have been toned down, and that both things actually happened. With all that being said, the solider is a great class and does its job really well.

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