Class Notes: Soldier - TF2 Newbs Forums

Well, over 100 hours on him, so might as well impart my experience on. I hope this comes in handy, but this is how I play the Soldier, so I don't know how many people will agree with me. However, I do have thoughts, so here they are:
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WEAPONS

The Rocket Launcher is the Soldier’s most useful and powerful weapon. As such, you will most likely have this out in the field at all times. The Launcher has two very important jobs: blowing people up and getting you around. However, you only have 24 shots, and 4 rounds in a clip, so use this ammo wisely and keep an eye out for dropped weapons, ammo crates, and friendly dispensers. The Launcher also does a fair amount of splash damage, so you do not have to make a direct hit to damage foes. The two rules I use for the Launcher in combat are these: lead the target and only aim at the target if you know the rocket will connect, since the rocket moves rather slowly compared to bullets. NEVER aim directly at a Pyro if they’re facing you, since they can blast the rocket back at you. Pyros are what the Shotgun is for.
Speaking of the Shotgun, this weapon is a generic hold-off from 3 other classes, but as a Soldier, the Shotgun is still incredibly important. Most of the time, you will have this out when fighting targets at long range, when fighting Pyros, and when you have no rockets loaded. The shotgun has 30 shots and 6 in a clip, and it does pretty good damage up front. It isn’t a very versatile weapon, but it is important to have in case you don’t blow up your foe first.
The Shovel is your melee, and it does good damage, but in the field you really shouldn’t be swinging that thing. The only thing it really helps out with is its taunt, and maybe if you’re in dire straights. However, those straights are best left to the Shotgun even if your Rockets are gone. Still, I don’t recommend using this weapon much.

KILLING

You’ll be doing most of your killing with the Rocket Launcher, and while it is the most up-front weapon of the Soldier (use Rocket on Enemy), it takes a while before you can fully realize its versatility. For one thing, it makes a loud sound, especially on a crit, and enemies will hear it. This may help your team out since, especially if it is a crit, the enemy team will temporarily retreat, making ground for a friendly Pyro or Heavy with a Medic to lay down the hurt. Rockets are also good against Snipers, since even if they take you down, your Rockets will make their nest uninhabitable for a few seconds, giving your team cover fire. And really, the best offensive use for this weapon is covering fire. The next best is for taking down sentry nests. If you find the right angle at any distance, you can use the splash damage to take any level sentry down within a clip, unless of course if the Engie is tanking it. A good crit can get rid of him, though. Speaking of crits, most will take down even overhealed foes on a direct hit, unless said foe is a Heavy. And if you do come across a Heavy, the best course of action is to escape using a Rocket Jump.
Killing with the Shotgun and Shovel are pretty much self-explanatory: Aim and shoot/swing. The only time any elaboration comes out with the Shotgun is when you’re fighting another Soldier. When your clip of Rockets is spent, switch to the Shotgun and start shooting while retreating. If you can escape, your team will cover you.

WE HAVE YOU SURROUNDED, AT LEAST FROM THIS SIDE!

While you’re running to the front, you should always remember that, as a Soldier, you oftentimes are the front. A Soldier usually doesn’t physically take up a large area, but your Rocket Launcher is both an intimidating weapon and a major threat to both you and your enemies. This is mainly because of a little thing explosives have called Splash Damage.
To your enemies, Splash Damage from your Rocket is a great deterrent, therefore, many classes (particularly lone Scouts and Medics) will run at the sight of you with your primary out. Since your Rockets rely on prediction, they compensate for doing damage in an area. Use this to your advantage: if they continue running towards you, fire at the ground ahead of them, and if they retreat, fire at their escape route. You will most likely do some damage, and you might even juggle them (described later).
However, while your teammates are immune to your splash damage, you, curiously, are not. The only time you want to be damaged by your own weapon is when you Rocket Jump. This is another use for the Shotgun, as it does a great deal of damage upfront with the added benefit of not killing you too. Use this tactic when you are within Splash Damage radius of an enemy, and you’ll end up not killing yourself more often. Remember, as a Soldier, your class is not only versatile, but requires you to be versatile also.

MEDICS
If you are badly injured, call for a Medic and one will appear to help you out. Soldiers and Medics go well together, not as well as Heavies, though. When you’re Ubered, most of the time it will be to take down Sentry nests, so you better be able to lay down the hurt on it. When a Medic Kritz-Ubers you, it will most likely be when the enemy team is advancing, and so use this Uber wisely. Remember that your Crit Rockets (sold at every major mall for $2.59) do a shitload of damage on a direct hit, so you better advance on the enemy team when the Medic pops it. Regardless of what Uber, make sure you tell your Medic when it’s cool to start your rampage, because the Uber will fail if all your Rockets aren’t loaded. And, as a helpful hint: Reload often.

ROCKET JUMPING
Rocket Jumping is as much as an art as playing Spy, and it takes a lot of practice. There are 3 types of Rocket Jumps: Ricochet, Normal, and High.
Ricochet Jumps are “jumps” that use the pure knockback of your Rocket to propel you. The only time they come in handy is when you’re already in the air and you use it to knock you further, though I’ve only seen this done once or twice during actual fights. This type of jump is not advisable in combat/escaping.
Normal Jumps are when you aim below you and then jump and fire at almost the same time. This jump moves you forward more than up, and so it is a faster means of travel horizontally. This is a very good option if you have to make it to the front real fast and there are no Teleporters around. Be sure to find a medkit, though, since you will take damage from the jump.
High Jumps are when you crouch-jump just as you fire the rocket beneath you. This is the best option if you need to get to a high place or escape, and is also very good for ambushes. Note that you will most likely take falling damage from this jump, so be sure there is a medium-full medkit or a Medic nearby before you perform this type of jump. When ambushing, try to reload just after you jump so you can rain as much hell from above as you can before you hit the ground.

SCREAMING EAGLES!!
The Soldier is a very maneuverable class, despite his low speed. As mentioned above, Rocket Jumping is a great way to get around. The Soldier is able to go where others cannot and still have more health than a Demoman who’s pipe-jumped. Because of this, Soldiers are great at using vertical space, so make use of this and literally get the drop on the other team. Ambushing is one of the Soldier’s strengths, and to do so all you do is get up above a group of enemies and then fire as you fall either behind or in front of them.

Ambushes can be the difference between winning and losing a round, and they’re pretty hard to utilize correctly. There are several places ideal for ambushes on the official maps (Goldrush and Dustbowl especially), but follow these three Ambush Rules and things should turn out for the best.

1. Be quick. An ambush is all about speed and destruction. Remember, ambushing is the quickest and sometimes safest way to kill a group of enemies. When you rocket jump (or drop in), you’d best have an escape route to do it again quickly. And reload, you never know when you’ll need rockets.

2. Be smart. Prioritize your targets. Aim for any Engies or Medics you see, not the Pyro or the Heavy. Unless a Heavy is severely damaged and Medicless, he will survive your ambush and tear you to shreds when you land. Pyros are sporadic and keen in their play style, and if you land within their flamethrower, you’re a dead man.

3. Be sneaky. An ambush does not work if they can guess your movements. Take a back route if you can, move how a Spy would move. Don’t blindly fire your rockets, or they may be able to locate you. If they see you getting into position, they’ll kill you as soon as they can. The main reason ambushes work with Soldiers is because almost no one looks directly up above them most of the time. Use this weakness and be careful not to fall prey to it yourself.

Call for a Medic right after the ambush in case one is nearby, as you will have likely taken damage and most certainly will be taking a crapload more in the next few seconds. Get outta there as soon as you can, and try to do it again from a different angle.

JUGGLING
It is fun. If you hit the ground just below your target right, your foe will be uncontrollably sent skyward or in a direction from the knockback. This opens you up to either kill them in the air, or to easier lead them to another Rocket, which usually kills them. Snipers can also take this opportunity to shoot them, giving you an assist. This works well on Engies, Snipers, Demomen, Medics, and, ironically, Pyros. If you get the jump on a Spy, that works too. Heavies are just too fat to juggle, and they’re a big target anyway. A good Scout can just double-jump to another direction. All-in-all, this is advisable to do if you get the drop on anyone, so that you can kill them before they cause any more damage.

“OFFENSIVE CLASS”
The Soldier is an Offensive class, yes, but he is also a very good Defensive class and an okay Spy Checker. The Soldier does a good job of providing covering fire with his Rockets, although unlike the Heavy he cannot do this all day. If there is a situation where a particularly annoying foe or Sentry nest is holding back your team, you should report to the offender’s location (preferably with a Medic) and lay down hell. Even if you do not kill anyone, they will be distracted by you and your team may be able to gang up on them. Soldiers can be annoyingly resistant to onslaughts, even without a Medic, because of their vertical maneuverability and a smart Soldier knows how to use their health/ammo wisely. Soldiers can also use their splash damage to check for cloaked Spies, and a couple of direct hits will kill one. Where a Pyro or Heavy can’t be around to check/kill a Spy, a Soldier can fill that role almost as well. Do be advised that, because they are slow and usually facing forward, Soldiers are prime targets for Backstabs. Wherever you are, keep looking around and if you feel something suspicious is going on, let loose one or two Rockets. That usually solves most problems before they start.

KNOW YOUR ENEMY
Every Class has their strengths and weaknesses, and one of the Soldier’s strengths is being able to adequately dispatch any foe he meets if he approaches correctly. Below is a guide on how to deal with every class in the game to the best of your abilities as a Soldier:

Scout (aka: Scoot):
The Scout is more maneuverable than you due to his double jump and speed. He is a hit and run class, and can deal a lot of damage and then escape. However, he has low HP, and so two good rocket hits will kill him. You must always lead a Scout, since he will be running chaotically all the time, and you may not hit him with most of your shots. Your rockets still do splash damage, though, and anyone else on your team can come in and finish the job if you are killed. Unless the Scout escapes, which he definitely can. The best method of dealing with him is to shoot where you think he’ll go, but switch to your Shotgun when he gets close, so as to avoid your own splash damage. If a Scout has his Sandman out, Rocket Jump well away from his line of sight.

Soldier:
This is a tough one. You both can deal splash damage to each other, and the encounter can be over in seconds. Anything and everything can and will happen if you fight another Soldier, but let him fire his rocket first. In fact, just let him fire all his rockets first. That way, you can still have yours loaded for action. If you do get trigger happy, just make sure you can get out of there and that your Shotgun is ready for action. Fall back, and lead him to the rest of your team. Pyros and Scouts are more effective against another Soldier than you are.

Pyro:
This is unpleasant. While there really is nothing for you to do if you’ve met him around a corner alone, out in the open is a different story. If he has his Flamethrower out, don’t fire Rockets at him. Instead use your Shotgun. Pyros can reflect Rockets right back at you, but they can’t do that to bullets. Above all, stay the hell away from them. Never let them get in close, because then you are screwed.

Demoman:
Demomen are the purely defensive version of the Soldier, in that they are maneuverable and have a decent amount of versatility. However, they have less health than you do, and so two Rockets are good to take him down. Unlike most other classes, you want to move in on him as soon as possible. Demomen suck at close range with their primary and secondary weapons. If they pull their bottle out, back off and keep firing at them. Demomen are most dangerous when they’ve laid a trap of Sticky Bombs on your route. You have two options for this: 1. Shoot a Rocket and scatter them or 2. Shoot each one with your Shotgun. Whatever you do, stay away from Sticky Bombs. Two can kill you, and a critical one can kill anybody. Pay attention to your surroundings if there’s an enemy Demo around, and take him out if you meet him.

Heavy Weapons Guy:
Keep your distance from this badass. Other than that, make sure your Rockets directly hit him at all costs. Heavies have a lot of health, but 4 direct Rocket hits can kill him (as can 1 crit and another Rocket). Even though a Soldier alone can kill him, it’s best to distract his attention to you so that a friendly Pyro, Scout, or Sniper can finish him off. If you round a corner and meet him, Rocket Jump away (just like Superman would), and you’ll get away moderately safely and he’ll take splash damage from the Rocket.

Engineer:
Besides what was said about his Sentries above, if you come across any buildings, take them down. Two direct hits with Rockets should destroy any buildings other than Sentries. Keep your distance from the Engie himself, though, since his wrench gets a high crit rate.

Sniper:
Zigzag, fire Rockets at his nest, and stay away from his Kukri. If the wanker brings out Jarate, rocket jump if you have the health in order to not be hit by it.

Medic:
Keep your distance from an enemy Medic to avoid being meleed. Always try to kill him first, since he is the life support of his team.

Spy:
Spy Check often and point out where he is to your teammates. If anyone’s acting suspicious on your team, fire some Rockets at them. If you see a Cloaked Spy, lead him and you should kill him. If he seems to die way too easily, stick around for a few seconds and if you hear that sharp sound the Dead Ringer has, turn in its direction and you should see your undead spy. Kill him again.

YOUR TEAM AND YOU
Soldiers are indispensible to a good team, since they pack a lot of firepower without being as slow as a Heavy, and can almost outmaneuver a Scout. However, you should always try to stay alive, and only make a kamikaze run if you feel it will take care of a huge nuisance to your team. If you are in an open area, zigzag and look for any potential Sniper camps, and then let loose on them. Soldiers are prime Sniper targets, and you should treat a Sniper as a deadly threat. Never take your eyes off of one. Your team’s gonna need you for almost anything, so you must stay alive.

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