Soldier match-ups
From TF2 Wiki
| Class | Strategy | ||
|---|---|---|---|
 Soldier | vs |  Scout | The Scout's Scattergun is most effective at close range, where it is easier to score a hit with your rockets, or at least cause enough splash damage to weaken the Scout. Your rockets can also be used to 'juggle' the Scout around, albeit with difficulty, allowing you to predict where he will land so you can finish him off easily. If the scout is out of your Rocket launcher's effective range, or he's too erratic to get reliable rocket damage on him, pull out your Shotgun so you can at least do some damage to him. Do not try to melee against a Scout as he can outmaneuver you, though this advantage is negated if you're injured and using the Equalizer. |
| Soldier | vs | Soldier | A shoot-out with another Soldier can get very messy, just try to juggle him before he does likewise and finish him off as fast as possible with precise shots rather than wasting your clip, avoiding his rockets the whole while. It is also advisable to catch the enemy Soldier while he is reloading (this is typically done by not firing until after the enemy), and then shooting him while he spends time reloading his gun. Wiser Soldiers will just switch to their Shotgun upon running out of ammo and not reload their Rocket launcher until after you're dead. |
| Soldier | vs |  Pyro | If you see the Pyro coming, take advantage of the fact that he has to get within close range to be effective by juggling him away or hitting him dead on with a rocket. If you are ambushed you have two viable options. Turn around and try to put him down as quickly as possible, or perform a rocket jump to disorient and damage the Pyro, then take him out or run for the nearest body of water, Dispenser or Health pack to put the fire out. Do not spend too long in a close encounter with a Pyro as you do not have quite the same outlasting ability as the Heavy. Pyros can kill you quickly if they crit flame or take you by surprise with the Backburner. As soon as you see them rocket their feet, and then finish them off with a midair rocket or rocket them when they land. Alternatively, if you get caught unaware and up close to a Pyro, fire a rocket at their feet and use the resulting splash damage as a means to rocket jump out of the way and possibly deter the Pyro from chasing you. Using the Shovel is a very risky against Pyros. Because they always rush towards you to get as close as possible to do the most damage with their Flamethrower, they are usually within range of the Shovel and although one critical hit with the Shovel can kill a Pyro, using it can work against you, because the Pyro can move faster he could move backwards so your shovel cannot reach him but his flames can reach you.
Pyros using the Flamethrower are very easy if you see them coming, but the Compression Blast can kill you easily if you're caught off guard. If he starts spamming it then switch to the shotgun, switching back to the rocket launcher when he changes to the flare gun or shotgun. Basically, use the weapon his weapon doesn't counter. |
| Soldier | vs |  Demoman | Demomen are a real threat: they can outmaneuver you, and a volley of grenades can take you out in two shots. They were your friends until the competition, made them nemesises. Your slow speed also makes you a ripe target for Sticky bombs. In a one-on-one encounter, try to stay at medium range so you can dodge his grenades while trying to hit or juggle him and throw off his aim so you can finish him. If he is hiding behind a Sticky bomb carpet, firing a rocket into the center will typically cause the sticky bombs to scatter. If you cannot do this, your ability to Rocket jump still provides a myriad of alternate access routes in most maps. If the battle comes down to dodging all incoming fire, switch to the shotgun to get some hits in, since bullets are harder to dodge than rockets.One risky strategy is to rocket jump up close to the Demoman, start firing from the air, and finish him off as you land. Soldiers are generally better at hitting foes close range than the Demoman, and by hitting well, you can take him out with two rockets. Getting successful hits are also easier from the air.
Also, when facing a Demoman armed with the Chargin' Targe, your rockets will do 65% less damage. In this case, it's almost always better to switch to your shotgun, or your equalizer if you're low on health. Most Demoman who have the Targe will also have the Eyelander, and these items mean your day is about to be completely ruined. Use your shotgun, then if you're injured, use your Equalizer to increase your maneuverability. If they get a critical hit with the Eyelander strike back immediately when they hit you for a critical hit does 195 damage,so be quick to attack back. |
| Soldier | vs |  Heavy | The Heavy is a dangerous opponent and should ideally be taken down as quickly as possible. Fortunately, even the health of a Heavy has difficulty standing up to a volley of rockets. It is more advisable to do this to a Heavy who has not seen you as you have a higher chance of taking him out before he can rev up his Minigun and do any substantial damage to you. It takes at least three rockets to down a Heavy. If you can, retreat round a corner and shoot at the floor next to him as he walks slowly round it, doing this can get you an easy kill without taking any damage. Alternatively, you can hide behind walls or any other cover and pop out to fire a rocket at him then hide again, stopping you from taking any damage while you aren't shooting. But don't worry, carrying the Direct Hit will easily kill the heavy (and not overhealed) with one critical hit.
If the Heavy has a Medic accompanying him, things become more problematic. Your first priority is to take out the Medic, to make taking the Heavy out that much easier. Of course, by the time you do that you're practically dead anyway. It helps if you can enlist a few teammates to help absorb some of the fire. If the enemy Medic activates an ÜberCharge, do not give up hope, however hopeless your situation seems. Using well-placed rockets, you can separate the Medic from his Heavy a sufficient distance so that the heavy is no longer ÜberCharged. Although chances are you'll be very dead when you turn to face the Heavy. |
| Soldier | vs |  Engineer | As a Soldier, you are one of the best classes for taking out enemy Sentries. To kill a Sentry as a Soldier, you'll want to shoot the floor/wall/ceiling next to the Sentry, but not actually get within sight range of the Sentry itself (Hence the achievement). If splash damaging the Sentry is not possible, continually move in and out of the Sentry's line of sight while sending volleys of rockets its way and it should go down fairly quickly. The splash damage should also hopefully kill or maim the attending Engineer, allowing you to finish off his gun.
Always aim for the wall next to the engineer if possible so you can destroy his Dispenser and/or kill him; a Soldier cannot out damage the Engineer's healing by firing rockets directly at the Sentry. This is made even worse when he has a level 3 dispenser, which will be able to generate metal and heal fast enough to keep him going indefinitely, whereas you'll have to retreat for more ammo. Because of the lower splash radius, it can be harder to take down sentry guns with the Direct hit when the Engineer is tanking it. However Direct Hit rockets are faster and more damaging than regular ones so you should be able to destroy a sentry much faster than with regular ones at long range. |
| Soldier | vs |  Medic | A Medic should be no real threat on his own. His weapons are not too effective beyond close range, which is the range at which your rockets are most effective. The Medic's low health means he should go down quickly.
When healing an enemy team member, the Medic becomes a much higher, albeit indirect threat. Make taking him out quickly as your top priority and then focus on his buddy. |
| Soldier | vs |  Sniper | At long distance, your slow speed makes you a prime target for a Sniper's Headshot. Try to avoid areas covered by Snipers by looking out for their 'Sniper dots'. If there are no alternative routes, you can lay down suppressive fire with your Rocket launcher to keep the Sniper(s) in hiding as you rush through. If you're lucky you may even hit one dead on, or catch him with the splash damage. At anything closer than long range, a Sniper should be easy prey. Take him down with your rockets before he can react. |
| Soldier | vs |  Spy | Your slow speed and high offensive capacity make you a prime target for a Spy's Backstab. Watch your back frequently as Spies can strike at any time. It is worth it to do a little Spy checking with your Rocket launcher as it only takes one rocket to demolish a Disguised Spy. If you see an undisguised Spy, try to close the distance to make your rockets more effective and juggle him before he can escape. If you are aware of a cloaked Spy in your presence, the splash damage from your rockets has a surprisingly high radius and should take out the Spy or at least reveal his position, allowing you to finish him off. When a Spy misses a backstab he will usually frantically stab you till you die; if you are low on rocket ammo you can safely use the Shovel or the Equalizer. |
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