Playing Soldier in Team Fortress Two

Soldier is one of the not so easy classes to play in Team Fortress 2. It requires some amount of skill. This is a guide on how to effectively play soldier. Keep in mind, this isn’t all you need, a lot of practice is also required to play soldier well.

Firstly, get to know your weapons. The soldier’s primary weapon is the Rocket Launcher. It holds 4 rockets in one clip, and you can carry 20 extra. It does 105-112 damage on a direct hit. Direct hit critical rockets do 270 damage. The soldier’s secondary weapon is the Shotgun. It holds 6 shots in a clip, and you carry extra 32. It does 80-90 damage and 180 damage in a crit. The soldier’s melee weapon is the shovel. It does 43-87 damage and does 195 damage in a crit.

To effectively play soldier, you need to keep your rocket launcher loaded at all times. You never know when you might need more rockets, and reload is slow and will most likely get you killed. Always aim before your target, try to predict where they will be next. Different classes run at different speeds, so you will need to get used to seeing how fast they run. Try not to get too close to enemies, as you will do damage to yourself at close range. Critical hits can one hit almost any class, so try not to miss any shots. As with all classes, try to keep moving as you shoot, so you won’t get hit as much.

If you hit an enemy several times, and end up with an empty clip, switch to your shotgun and try to finish them off. Chances are that you will kill them. If you reload, it gives them the chance to kill you. Reload may give you one shot, and you may miss, whereas the shotgun has 6 shots. However, you should only use your shotgun if you know you have injured your enemy.

The shovel is good for close range combat. Only switch to it if you are encountering a very close enemy, or you are sneaking up upon one. At a distance, reloading is better than switching to the shovel, if you have no ammo in the clip for either the rocket launcher or the shotgun.

Rocket jumping is a very valued skill as a soldier. It can get you to places other classes can’t reach. It can also get you to places faster. A normal rocket jump is shooting at the ground. To go a bit higher, jump then shoot at the ground. To go the highest you can, jump-crouch then shoot. If done right, you can reach many spots other classes can’t get to. This is helpful for ambushing enemies. When about to enter combat, i.e. the enemy is in sight, you can rocket jump straight away to surprise them, and rain rockets down upon them. You are harder to hit in midair but rockets and pipe bombs, and fire cannot even reach you. But if you fail to jump properly, or they hot you in midair, you will most likely die, because of the damage you took from the rocket jump.

With these tips, and a lot of practise, you could become an experienced soldier and top the scoreboards.