Team Fortress Classic/Soldier



The Soldier (sometimes shortened to solly) is the mobile artillery of TFC. Combining ample armor (second strongest behind the HWGuy) with high mobility and very effective weapons, this well-balanced class is both favored and resented. The Soldier's primary weapon, the rocket launcher (RPG), packs a deadly explosive punch, but requires a degree of skill to use effectively. Since the rocket projectile takes time to arrive at its destination, fast-moving opponents can usually avoid a direct hit, especially at long range. The most proven tactic is to get within short range and aim at the feet of the target, rather than directly at it, letting the radius damage of the explosive (termed "splash damage") do the work. This has the additional effect of "bouncing" the victim, sometimes knocking them off narrow walkways, and inhibiting their aim. Skilled players utilize this advantage even further; by firing at the feet of their opponents with the right angle and timing, they can immobilize the opponent while inflicting damage. This can go on until the Soldier has to reload or the opponent is dead. This is especially devastating against Snipers, who cannot fire their main weapon without both feet on the ground. This "splash" nature of the RPG provides another big advantage to the Soldiers, rocket jumping, allowing the normally slow moving class to cover ground very quickly, and reach areas otherwise inaccessible, at the cost of a self-inflicted loss of health and armor. This technique can be difficult to perform accurately as precise timing is required to propel the player where he or she wants to go. Even more difficult is the "double jump," whereby a skilled player executes a rocket jump at the base of a wall and then completes a second rocket jump against the wall at the apex of the trajectory of the first maneouver. As effective as the rocket launcher is, it can only carry four rockets at a time, which can be expended very quickly in a heated battle. A skilled player reloads early and often, (ideally between enemy encounters) and knows when to switch between the RPG launcher and the Soldier's second weapon: the double-barreled shotgun. While of limited use at longer ranges, at close range the so-called "super shotgun" is very deadly.

Another weapon unique to this class is the nail grenade, which, when thrown, releases a stream of nail-like shrapnel horizontally in a 360 degree radius, damaging all in its path before exploding. The Soldier can carry up to two of these, as well as a maximum of four normal grenades, the super shotgun, single-barreled shotgun and the standard crowbar.