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27 ratings
Weapon tips and tricks:Soldier
By Frözen
Playing as a psychotic,patriotic mercenary with a rocket launcher sounds fun enough,until you get put into the meat grinder that is the battlefield,blowin' ♥♥♥♥ up seems like an easy task,but for some people,it's not easy,for those who do struggle,here's a guide on how to effectively use your weapons!
   
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Created by
Frözen
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Category: Weapons
Languages: English
Class: Soldier
Posted
Updated
17 Apr, 2017 @ 6:42pm
31 Dec, 2017 @ 6:52pm
2,118 Unique Visitors
20 Current Favorites
Guide Index
Overview
Rocket Launcher 
Direct Hit 
Liberty Launcher 
Black Box 
Air Strike 
Cow Mangler 5000 
Beggar's Bazooka 
Rocket Jumper 
Shotgun 
Reserve Shooter 
Panic Attack 
Righteous Bison 
Buff Banner 
Battalion's Backup 
Concherer 
B.A.S.E. Jumper 
Gunboats 
Mantreads 
Shovel 
Market Gardener 
Equalizer 
Escape Plan 
Pain Train 
Disciplinary Action 
Half-Zatoichi 
Comments
Rocket Launcher






  • Just like all stock primaries, it's the most reliable and versatile, without this, you are nothing, but it's nothing without the good Soldier, it's good to have a weapon that can deal with most classes with 2 rockets

  • The projectile is slow, try to get close to opponents to make sure it ramps up, and hits your opponents, but don't get too close, you can damage yourself, and lose a rocket at the same time, take out a secondary if this happens

  • Unless you have Gunboats, don't overuse the rocket jump, you need to take advantage of your high health pool, and you don't need to lose most of it when you're there, if you're coming out of spawn, use 2-3 rockets to get to the frontline, just get a health kit

  • You're not a sniper, don't use rockets on faraway targets, rockets have fall-off, slow projectiles and doing this gives Pyros more time to react to your rockets, and reflect it

  • Ramp up and fall-off don't apply to buildings, this trait is on every Soldier primary
Direct Hit






  • This can easily be used as an alternative to the Rocket Launcher, but it's better for Soldiers who has the hang of this weapon's different style of aim due to the projectiles being a lot faster and having a tiny explosion radius

  • The best time to use this is when there are a lot of light classes on the enemy team, as close ranged hits can instantly kill them

  • If there's a sentry problem, use this, this can kill it in 2 shots, and Short Circuit Engineers have a tough time getting rid of fast rockets

  • Because it's explosion radius is smaller, you can get closer to enemies without hurting yourself, take that as an advantage

  • Use this when you have the low ground, the faster rocket speed can make you punish enemies easier when they're on higher ground
Liberty Launcher






  • This is the opposite of the Direct Hit, it decreases damage, but has a higher clip size, and it still takes advantage of faster rockets, it's still extremely reliable and versatile

  • Don't use Gunboats with this, the decreased damage while rocket jumping doesn't stack, completely

  • The best time to use this is when there are a lot of light classes, it still takes 2 hits to kill them, but you have 3 rockets left, instead of 2

  • The decreased damage makes it harder to fill up rage on banners, use the Concherer with this if you're going to use a banner, it takes 480 damage to fill up, instead of 600 damage
Black Box






  • Risking a rocket for extra health is not easy to overcome, but when you master it, it's a straight upgrade, but the thing is, it's not easy to master

  • Rocket jumping is not much of a risk with this weapon, as you're going to get health back anyways

  • It's OK to get close to enemies, it's going to give back a lot of health anyways

  • Firing this at more than one person has the damage dealt to them stacking up to the damage dealt/health back system
Air Strike






  • This is the weirdo in the Soldier's arsenal, focusing more on aerial combat than ground combat

  • Using the B.A.S.E. Jumper puts you at a big risk, it can make you easier to hit, and you have no secondary to defend yourself with

  • If you're going to use in the air, try to have a good ammo supply, you're going to run it out quickly

  • Rocket jump and attacking Pyros puts you at an advantage over him/her, good luck reflecting 3-7 rockets

  • Try to reload before releasing an onslaught of rockets, you already used one rocket to jump, so reload one back in
Cow Mangler 5000






  • This has more hidden stats than the Shortstop, but it's good to use when the enemy team has a lot of high-health enemies

  • Don't take ammo packs, your team needs it, you don't

  • Don't overuse the charge shot, especially against skilled Pyros without the Phlogistinator, in front of Snipers, etc.

  • Don't use this if you're trying to take a sentry on your own, if you're with teammates, it's a different story
Beggar's Bazooka






  • This is tricky to master, but is still very reliable and versatile

  • If the other team has a lot of Pyros, it's a good idea to use this, they can only reflect 1 rocket at a time

  • Load up 3 rockets if you know there are a lot of enemies coming around a corner, release the 3 rockets at the enemies, watch the guts fly

  • Don't take too much time reloading to take someone out, it reloads slower than any other Soldier primary, so if someone is assaulting you, reload 1-2 rockets at a time
Rocket Jumper






  • This is a joke weapon, and should not be used in serious play

  • Don't use this weapon if you don't know how to rocket jump

  • Don't use this weapon to capture briefcases

  • Take the mobility of this weapon to help out with other weapons, getting close to people easier could mean you could easily boost Shotgun, Reserve Shooter or Panic Attack damage, or get in melee range
Shotgun






  • Reliable, versatile, and a trusty friend in the Soldier's arsenal, great for dealing damage when you have no time to reload a rocket, or just when you need to damage someone, but save a rocket for later

  • When it's safe to reload your primary, reload this, too, you never know when taking the time will save your life

  • Use this when you fight Pyros, they can't reflect pellets, can't they?
Reserve Shooter






  • As reliable, versatile, and trusty as the Shotgun, but it risks 2 shots for a mechanic that can be hard to used, but when mastered, it can change your Soldier play for a long time

  • The weapon holsters 15% faster, it also has a 20% faster deploy speed

  • The weapon is a shotgun so if you want to have the mini-crit deal a lot of damage like the Shotgun, pop them up, get close, then fire the shot, they're gonna be up there for a while, so use that time

  • If you're using this with the Direct Hit, and you pop someone up, airshot them with the Direct Hit, it's going to deal more damage than this anyways, unless you popped them up with your last rocket
Panic Attack






  • This is versatile,but not very reliable, but when you are dying, this becomes a rapid fire shotgun, ready for your (Probably) failed killer

  • Use this as an emergency, the best situations with this are like this: You get hurt, you reload, he fires another shot at you, you are dying, you fire your 4 shots, he dies|Reload when you are hurt, fire the shots when you are dying

  • This is a shotgun so if you want to deal a lot of damage like the Shotgun, reload, then fire when you're close up, it spreads more when you are dying, so getting really close is riskier than before, shoot the Panic Attack at them if you know they're dying, too, else just use your primary

  • If there's a health pack and you're dying, take it, it's better to get your health back to keep fighting than to stay at low health just to abuse the faster fire rate
Righteous Bison

R.I.P., you were good, Mr. Bison, real good, maybe even the best




  • This undead weapon can be easily spammed, especially how it's very hard to see the projectile, and it's a damage dealer without spreading pellets, but the projectile has fall-off, though

  • Pyros can't reflect the projectile, so use this against them when you get caught up with them

  • Never use this against buildings
Buff Banner






  • It's not a damage dealer, nor a utility weapon, rather, a weapon that could buff the weapons of you and your teammates

  • Try to pair this with weapons that could save your life, and your rage

  • Don't use this against sentries, they can't take mini-crits

  • Hold down primary fire while blowing the horn, it holds the rage until you need it, if you need it immediately, don't hold it down

  • Make sure you're near damage dealing classes, they can use the mini-crits more effectively than anyone
Battalion's Backup






  • This is another weapon with a 'Rage' meter, so you are more reliant on your primary, and despite people saying it's better on defense, it's more effective on offense, sentries aren't a huge deal on defense, aren't they?

  • The extra health could give you more health to rocket jump with, it also gives you more health from health packs, which is good if you need health after rocket jumping

  • It's a really good idea to use this to push through a defense with a lot of Snipers, the crit immunity also applies to headshots

  • It takes less time to blow the horn on this than the Buff Banner's trumpet, if you need to immediately activate rage, you can do it better with this (See,I told you it's an offensive banner)
Concherer






  • This is the craziest out of all the banners, making it easy to move slower classes through defenses, and have them get health back from dealing damage

  • It takes 480 damage instead of 600 damage to fill up the rage meter, use this in situations where you need a quick push, but have no quick-fix Medic

  • Because of the health regeneration, leave the health packs for teammates, you don't need it, they do
B.A.S.E. Jumper






  • Out of the shotguns, metallic boots, and banners, a parachute is in the same collection as them?It's not a weapon, nor a utility tool, but it can help other weapons, especially the Air Strike

  • When you deploy, it cancels all of your momentum, and keeps you locked in the same speed, falling, moving, or strafing, going the opposite direction still slows you down, so if you are rocket jumping at high speeds, don't deploy this, unless you want to slow down

  • The slower momentum can save you from fall damage
Gunboats






  • A trusty and reliable secondary, good for rocket jumping pros who doesn't want to use the Liberty Launcher or Rocket Jumper

  • Because you don't take a lot of rocket jump damage, building übercharge is harder, try to go up to a wall, and shoot that wall to damage yourself if you want to build über, because shooting your feet does less damage, but if you're finishing off a Medic's über meter, shoot your feet, you don't need to take a lot of self damage to finish off an über meter

  • Because you have no secondary that can deal damage, you become more reliant on your primary, so you have to reload your primary a lot, try and keep your distance while reloading, but jump back in after you're done

  • You can bomb into places without losing a lot of health with these equipped, take that as an advantage if the enemies you're bombing into can deal a lot of damage, because now, you can soak up more hits

  • Don't use these if you're protecting a Medic, if you have to reload a lot more often, that leaves the enemies more opportunities to kill the Medic

  • It's not a good idea to use these when the enemy team has a lot of Pyros, you won't stand a chance against them without a shotgun
Mantreads






  • Another weird secondary, and this is kind of like a second melee weapon more than anything, but it only takes effect on top of heads

  • Because it only damages opponents you land on, try to rocket jump to get to there, which means it's a good idea to pair this with weapons to rocket jump with, like the Liberty Launcher or the Rocket Jumper

  • If you're good at surfing damage, and you use it to escape dangerous situations, don't use this against sentries, if you want to get out by surfing the bullet damage, the less knockback is more of a downside
Shovel






  • Versatile, trusty, but not reliable, it's best to use a melee weapon when you don't have a damage dealing secondary, and you're close to the enemy, a clean 65 damage swipe is good enough for a Soldier with no rockets

There's nothing else to say, it's a damage dealer, but I've told you when you need to use it to deal damage
Market Gardener






  • It's a weapon that's either never used when you have it, or only used when you have it, if you have a damage dealing Primary, you should be using that instead

  • Use this if you know how to rocket jump, else, don't use this

  • If you're jumping at someone with this out, crouch while you're in the air, it makes it where there's more time before you hit the ground and have the crit go away

  • Because this benefits from rocket jumping, try to pair this with weapons that can make you rocket jump effectively, like the Liberty Launcher, Rocket Jumper, or Gunboats

  • While using this weapon, make sure you're on low ground, you can rocket jump to the person on higher ground, and hit them

Credit goes where credit is due

Equalizer






  • This is another damage dealing melee, but it's like the Panic Attack, it helps you while you're at low health, but it's worse than the Shovel when you're not

  • Try to help Medics build über with this weapon, but keep in mind that the healing received penalty only takes effect when the weapon is out

  • This is a good alternative for people who want to play as the Trolldier, but can't effectively use the Market Gardener, you also kind of have to use damage dealing primaries, as the damage bonus happens when you're at low health
Escape Plan






  • This is very similar to the Equalizer, but focuses on speed over damage, and it's good for escape plans, the name makes sense, just like the Direct Hit and Air Strike's name

  • This has the same healing received penalty as the Equalizer, so it's easy to take a lot of damage thanks to the marked for damage penalty, and it slows down the healing you received after taking damage from popping yourself out of a corner

  • Unless you have medium, low-ish health, don't run to a health pack and pull this out when you're on fire, as you take more afterburn damage when you take this out
Pain Train






  • This is trusty, but not versatile, it's good for Soldiers who play the objective, and captures points or pushes carts

  • Don't use this on maps without points or carts, or when you're on defense

  • Be careful fighting Heavies, Snipers and Scouts with this weapon, but a Vaccinator Medic could help with the bullet vulnerability
Disciplinary Action






  • A weapon made for support, but weaker in damage, this could help you and a teammate a lot, but there's a lot of ways people benefit off of the speed

  • Whip slower classes, they need to get to the battlefield quicker, and you can take away the adventure they take to get to the fight

  • Extra speed means further rocket jumps, nuff said

  • It's not a good idea to use this when there's more than 1 teleporter

  • Whip Engineers during setup, they can get to their building area faster, which benefits the whole team

  • This weapon has more range than the swords, in fact, you can hit enemies right behind you
Half-Zatoichi






  • It's not a damage dealer, support weapon, utility weapon, or a weapon that buffs other weapons, rather a weapon that buffs the Soldier himself, and it does the job well, for the people who know when to pull it out

  • Only pull this out when you know it's going to kill, else face the punishment

  • Try to damage an enemy with a Primary and/or Secondary, then finish them off with this weapon, then you get health back, but be careful, it takes a long time to pull this weapon out

  • Building über with this weapon is not easy, in fact, it's best to use this weapon when you have no Medic
26 Comments
< >
Frözen  [author] 26 Dec, 2017 @ 1:24pm 
No boolets in medieval mode
Tiny & Edible 25 Dec, 2017 @ 3:48pm 
Use Pain Train on Degroot Keep Medival Mode. It'll help!
★nd★ 28 Apr, 2017 @ 8:38am 
Very good guide
Frözen  [author] 24 Apr, 2017 @ 8:17pm 
UPDATES:

Put spaces after commas

Added a new tip for the Disciplinary Action

Some minor changes
BearWare 24 Apr, 2017 @ 6:38pm 
Direct hit's self-damage radius is the same size as stock, despite the damage radius for enemies being small. Or at least, it seems to be that way.
Shiny 24 Apr, 2017 @ 6:22pm 
Legendary guide written by a lad duck family member
YELLOWSUPERCAR76 24 Apr, 2017 @ 3:43pm 
disciplinary action has eyelander range
KoKatol 24 Apr, 2017 @ 12:14pm 
Like with your previous guides, the lack of spacing after a comma really disturbs the reading.
Lateguy 24 Apr, 2017 @ 8:11am 
Gunboats and liberty launcher do actually stack.
Fish590 23 Apr, 2017 @ 3:17pm 
broken english.