Basic Soldier strategy

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Time to inform your next of kin! Click to listen — The Soldier

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The Soldier is a tough, all-purpose assault class that excels at both offense and defense. Although slow on foot, he can rocket jump to cover distances quickly and reach unpredictable locations. His weapons are capable of taking on multiple foes at once, but run out of ammunition quickly. A good Soldier should avoid spamming and make each shot count, leading targets properly and aiming at the feet of enemies to maximize splash damage. The Soldier makes an excellent Medic buddy, as he can damage himself to help build the Medic's Übercharge for later use.

Primary weapons

Rocket Launcher + reskins

The Rocket Launcher fires slow rockets that deal heavy damage in a wide splash radius. If you lead your targets properly, you can efficiently deal damage by aiming at the feet of your enemies. The Rocket Launcher runs out of ammunition quickly, so make each shot count. The reloading process is relatively slow, so use the Shotgun to finish off weakened enemies if you run out of rockets. You can use the explosion from a rocket to rocket jump at the cost of health, a technique which is commonly used to approach enemies from above and lower travel time. Using a rocket to bounce an enemy into the air makes them an easy target for a follow-up shot.

Direct Hit

As the name implies, the Direct Hit promotes a different sort of Soldier playstyle, allowing players who can land direct hits to deal more damage. Its smaller explosive radius is significantly less effective against clustered enemies and encourages you to single out individual targets. The increased rocket damage makes you stronger against immobile or slow targets, such as Sentry Guns or Heavies, and allows you to to instantly gib weaker classes, such as Scouts, at close range. The increased rocket speed allows more experienced players to land mini-crit aerials on targets launched by a first rocket.

Black Box + reskins

The Black Box will heal you for a small amount of health if you damage an enemy with its rockets. However, the reduced clip size impairs your immediate staying power; in particular, offensive rocket jumping becomes less effective due to the lack of ammunition and long reload time. Use it in prolonged combat, where you will have time to constantly reload and outlast your enemies. Using the Black Box in conjunction with the Concheror has some noticeable benefits, as you will heal for a significant amount of health for every hit while under the Concherer's buff effects.

Rocket Jumper

The Rocket Jumper completely nullifies the rockets from your primary weapon, allowing you to practice rocket jumping without taking any self-damage. It has some synergy with the Mantreads and Market Gardener, weapons that require the user to rocket jump into melee range of enemies. However, it is overall very ineffective in an actual fight. Regardless, it does give you a huge amount of mobility, allowing you to carry a Shotgun variant to pick off opponents while being hard to hit.

Liberty Launcher

The increased rocket speed of the Liberty Launcher's projectiles makes it much easier to hit individual targets, especially those that are in the air. However, the Liberty Launcher also comes with 25% increased clip size and 25% reduced damage. Five rockets from this weapon deal less damage than four rockets from the Rocket Launcher, requiring you to compensate by landing direct hits more frequently, and overall making you weaker in direct combat; however, the large clip size of the weapon stacks well with damage buffs such as the Buff Banner and Kritzkrieg Ubercharges, making you a huge threat if you are willing to wait for these charges. Additionally, the Liberty Launcher lets you take 25% less damage from rocket jumping; combined with the increased clip size, you can rocket jump more often while in combat.

Cow Mangler 5000

The Cow Mangler 5000, even with its infinite ammunition, is comparable to the standard Rocket Launcher. In return for reduced damage to Engineer buildings and the inability to deal critical hits, the Cow Mangler 5000 gains the ability to fire a charged shot that deals mini crits and sets enemies on fire. The charged shot is best used at long range or on groups of enemies, as the damage it deals can be matched by just a few standard rockets and is not worth using an entire clip at close range. While you might not be able to destroy Engineer buildings yourself, if you come across a troublesome Sentry Gun, use a charged shot to disable it while your teammates finish the job, or if you're brave, charge in with your Shotgun and take it down.

Original

The Original is statistically identical to the Rocket Launcher. However, its rockets travel directly down the crosshair, rather than slightly to the right as those from the Rocket Launcher do. This subtle change means that all shots fired by the Original will be consistently accurate at close range. However, it will be more difficult to fire around right corners without exposing yourself.

Beggar's Bazooka

The Beggar's Bazooka has the ability to store up to three rockets, then release them in one barrage. The barrage can be used to quickly eliminate single targets or deal with groups as long as you begin charging from a safe location. It has some synergy with the Gunboats, as it allows you to constantly rocket jump and load up rockets while in the air before landing to launch a torrent of explosives. Rockets fired from the Beggar's Bazooka have some random deviation and a 20% smaller explosive radius, making precision shots, especially aerials, less reliable. Additionally, the Beggar's Bazooka cannot collect ammunition at a Dispenser or a Payload Cart while it is wielded, preventing you from freely firing barrages while defending these locations.

Air Strike

The Air Strike grants significantly higher attack speed while rocket jumping, allowing you to rain down rockets from the sky, but its rockets deal 15% reduced damage and have a 10% smaller explosive radius, making you weaker on the ground. Each kill you obtain will expand the clip size by one, to a maximum of eight. The bonus is lost upon death, promoting caution after you've obtained a few kills. During a rocket jump, the Air Strike rocket's explosive radius is further reduced by another 20%, meaning you'll need to compensate for both the reduced damage and explosive radius by hitting foes directly with additional rockets, using the attack speed boost from being in midair. Additionally, the Air Strike is much less effective in cramped indoor areas, where there is less room to rocket jump. The B.A.S.E. Jumper synergizes well with this weapon, as it keeps you in the air longer and negates fall damage, and if you acquired enough kills, any sort of friendly damage buff (such as from another Soldier's Buff Banner) will make you a very powerful opponent.

Secondary weapons

Shotgun + reskins

The Shotgun is as powerful as many other primary weapons and is effective at close to medium range. If your Rocket Launcher is out of ammunition, the Shotgun makes for a decent backup weapon and can be used to finish off injured enemies. Alternatively, you can switch to it at close range when you don't want to suffer from your own splash damage. It is a good option for fighting experienced Pyros and Scouts, who are easily able to avoid damage from your projectiles.

Buff Banner + reskins

The Buff Banner replaces your Shotgun, making you less effective as a solo combatant. Dealing damage causes a Rage meter to fill up; when full, secondary fire will cause you to project an aura, giving you and all nearby allies guaranteed mini-crits for a short period of time. Stay near the front lines and use a primary weapon that has a wide blast radius to quickly fill the Buff Banner's Rage meter. It's especially effective when leading charges into enemy territory, especially if used alongside a friendly Medic's ÜberCharge. The area of effect is large and passes through any obstacle, allowing your teammates to easily follow you.

Gunboats

The Gunboats allow you to perform multiple rocket jumps in succession without having to rely on a Medic for healing. They are most effective when you are constantly roaming around the map and do not need your Shotgun to fend off enemies. The reduced damage from rocket jumps also allow you to bail from any dangerous situation by simply rocket jumping out of trouble, even at low health.

Battalion's Backup

The Battalion's Backup acts like the opposite of the Buff Banner, having an aura that decreases all damage taken by you and your allies by 35%. You can use the defensive effect to lead an attack, protect a friendly banner Soldier from harm, hold an area, or counter the damage buffs granted by the Kritzkrieg, Buff Banner, and other sources. The aura also further reduces the damage taken from Sentry Guns to a total of 50% resistance, making it useful for destroying an Engineer nest, especially if while healed. Additionally, the Battalion's Backup passively grants 20 points of bonus health, giving you extra survivability against bursts of damage.

Concheror

The Concheror is like the Buff Banner, but has an aura that affects nearby allies, increasing their movement speed and allowing them to recover some health by dealing damage. The Concheror additionally charges much faster than the other banner variants, letting you use the buff more often. Unlike the damage boost or reduction provided by the other banners, the healing provided by the Concheror isn't so effective when used only on yourself, as you won't be able to constantly fire your Rocket Launcher to recover health. Thus, it is best to activate its area buff when near allies. The Concheror also grants passive health regeneration per second, giving you extra survivability in long firefights. Do note, however, that the healing only becomes noticeable if you stay out of combat, as health regeneration starts low if damaged.

Mantreads

The decrease in knock back offered by the Mantreads allow you to more easily hold an area and maintain a high ground advantage, especially against common threats such as Demomen and Sentry Guns. Additionally, the Mantreads allow you to deal moderate damage by landing on a foe after rocket jumping, although it's more efficient to simply kill the enemy with rockets before you land. Overall, the Mantreads are a very situational weapon, and it is usually better off to carry a Shotgun or banner variant.

Reserve Shooter

When you bounce an enemy into the air with a rocket, you typically want to finish him off before he can land and retaliate. The Reserve Shooter is great for doing so, especially since landing an aerial with your Rocket Launcher can sometimes be difficult. However, the reduced magazine size makes it an unreliable sidearm in comparison to the stock Shotgun, due to frequent reloading. Make use of its faster weapon switch time to finish airborne enemies off with precision before you become vulnerable.

Righteous Bison

When compared to the Shotgun, the Righteous Bison is weaker at close range; it deals reduced damage, has a smaller magazine size, and its projectiles are slower than standard bullets. However, it is accurate at longer ranges, does not require ammo, and reloads quickly, meaning that it can be used to constantly harass enemies. The piercing nature of shots fired by the Righteous Bison make it effective against clustered or fleeing targets, especially in very small corridors. Although it deals reduced damage to buildings, its piercing shots allow you to damage an Engineer taking cover behind them.

B.A.S.E. Jumper

The B.A.S.E. Jumper allows you to deploy a parachute while in midair, slowing your descent. For general purposes, you can combine this with rocket jumping to maintain a vertical advantage over opponents or travel further horizontally. You still take standard rocket jump damage when using this, so it may be a good choice to have a source of healing around, or have knowledge of the map's health pack locations. Particular weapons it synergizes with are the Air Strike and Market Gardener, weapons that gain bonus effects while rocket jumping. Although it keeps you in midair and attacking longer, try not to linger in the sights of enemies who appreciate slow targets, like the Heavy or Sniper. As with other bundled secondary weapons, taking the B.A.S.E. Jumper means having no Shotgun, leaving you less effective on the ground.

Panic Attack

The Panic Attack works like the Beggar's Bazooka; upon holding the fire button, you load up to four shells. Releasing the fire button will cause all stored shots to fire one-by-one. It is less effective than the Shotgun as a backup weapon, as the consecutive loading and firing can create a predictable pattern. As its name implies, the Panic Attack shines in situations where you might consider panicking, as it also has a very fast weapon switch, letting you draw it out whenever you need. The firing rate increases as your health gets lower; you can load the weapon while a foe is pursuing you, then unload all the bursts at once. The bullet spread also increases, forcing you to execute this tactic at near melee range. Intentionally staying at low health lets you play a very high-risk, high-reward game.

Melee weapons

Shovel + reskins

The Shovel is comparable to the default melee weapons of most other classes. However, your slow speed puts you at a disadvantage in melee duels. Unless you excessively engage in melee combat when near a friendly Medic, you're better off equipping a different melee weapon.

Equalizer

While at full health, the Equalizer deals half of the Shovel's base damage. However, you generally won't need to use your melee weapon when you are at full health. The Equalizer will grant a dramatic increase in damage as your health decreases, allowing it to be used as a last resort to engage pursuing enemies, or as a rather powerful ambush weapon if caught behind enemy lines. In particular, critical hits when at very low health will do enough damage to one-hit kill any class with 125 health. Remember to put it away if you want a friendly Medic to heal you normally.

Pain Train

The Pain Train gives you a capture rate of 2 players, equivalent to the Scout, although you are made 10% more vulnerable to bullet damage, making you easier to take down by classes such as the Heavy. Only use the Pain Train when actively capturing control points or pushing Payload carts; the increased capture rate is useless when playing Capture the Flag or in any defensive scenario. If you have a reliable source of health, you can equip it when actively rocket jumping around the map to give yourself the mobility and capture rate of the Scout.

Half-Zatoichi

The Half-Zatoichi heals you for 50% of your maximum health on kill, and it is the Soldier's only weapon apart from the Disciplinary Action to have a larger melee range, although it also takes longer to take and put away the weapon since it's a sword. The healing the Half-Zatoichi provides on a kill just might be worth fighting at melee range, especially since the weapon has a range comparable with the Demoman's swords. Try to have a clear opportunity to kill an enemy before you unsheathe it, as switching weapons without obtaining a kill causes you to take 50 damage. This downside can be negligible with a Medic around, and it can actually help him build up Ubercharge with repeated weapon switches. Wielders of the Half-Zatoichi are capable of killing each other in a single hit; however, your slow speed puts you at a disadvantage in a melee duel.

Disciplinary Action

The Disciplinary Action has an increased melee range of 75% but deals slightly reduced damage. The main perk of this weapon is that it allows you to strike a teammate to temporarily boost both of your running speeds. Thus, you can use it to increase your mobility without sacrificing health via rocket jumping. Stay near allies so that you can make use of the speed boost more often; it can be used when running to the front lines, retreating, or chasing after faster opponents. The extended melee reach can also be rather useful in a one-on-one melee fight, as the Disciplinary Action has the longer reach of any melee weapon in the game; remember that you do reduced damage, however.

Market Gardener

The Market Gardener can be useful if you actively rocket jump while in combat. While it is simpler and more practical to continue firing rockets while airborne, the style points gained from landing a melee attack while rocket jumping cannot be disregarded, while it can also allow pickings such as Medic picks by simply flying over an entire enemy team to land a critical hit. To increase the chances of landing that critical melee hit, familiarize yourself with the mechanics of rocket jumping. Rocket jumping over obstacles or up to higher elevations can greatly aid in catching opponents by surprise. The Mantreads can be used alongside the Market Gardener to avoid being easily shoved away while in midair.

Escape Plan

As your health decreases, wielding the Escape Plan will grant you increasingly faster speed, allowing you to escape attackers with ease. Because it marks you for death, you're discouraged from using it to quickly engage an enemy, and makes you an instant target for opponents if they see you running away at high speed. Additionally, you can use the Rocket Launcher to damage yourself so that you can quickly reach the front lines; if doing so, make sure you don't get picked off by a stray enemy before you can find a source of healing. Remember to put it away if you want a friendly Medic to heal you normally.