Anti-Soldier strategy

“

Oi, lend us yer shovel, so I can dig yer grave! Click to listen — The Sniper

”

The Soldier is a well-rounded, bulky class that is capable of both taking and dealing a moderate to high amount of damage. While slow on foot, the Soldier is known for his trademark ability to rocket jump, which allows him to quickly maneuver around a map at the cost of some health. He is most effective at close to medium range or on high ground, where he can use the powerful splash damage from his rockets to reliably dispatch foes, while avoiding splash damage himself. The Soldier has a number of different loadout options that, according to the situation, allow him to increase his offensive or defensive capabilities as well as give powerful buffs to nearby teammates, making him extremely versatile. Although lacking many exploitable weaknesses, the Soldier is not the master of any one trade; for example, the Scout is faster and can dodge damage more easily while the Demoman and Heavy can deal more damage.

General

Attributes	Anti-Soldier strategy
Role	Thanks to his versatility, the Soldier is capable of performing many different tasks effectively, such as assaulting an enemy base, defending mission objectives, or picking off important enemy targets. No matter what you are doing, always be prepared to deal with a Soldier - he is one of the most commonly played classes. You may find a Soldier anywhere - he can reach normally inaccessible areas by rocket jumping.
Health	The Soldier has a relatively large amount of health, allowing him to stay in the fight longer before he has to leave to find a health pack. A competent Soldier is a formidable opponent while being healed by a Medic. If possible, try to kill the Medic before directly confronting the Soldier.
Speed	The Soldier's base speed is low. However, he can gain quick bursts of speed using rocket jumps, the Escape Plan when injured, or the Disciplinary Action when near teammates. If kept grounded, he loses his mobility and is much easier to hit.
Power	The Soldier’s rockets are highly damaging at close range, but are less powerful and can are easily dodged at long range.

Weapon-specific

Main article: Soldier weapons

Primary weapons

Weapon	Anti-Soldier strategy
Rocket Launcher + reskins	While the projectiles from the Rocket Launcher travel fairly slowly, a Soldier will typically aim at your feet to hit you with the splash damage. Controlling the high ground or keeping a distance makes it more difficult for him to hit you. The Rocket Launcher has a small magazine size and reloads slowly; if a Soldier misses all of his shots, he will be forced to reload, leaving him vulnerable to attack. Alternatively, he may switch to his Shotgun, allowing him to keep fighting, though he will deal significantly less damage. However, the Shotgun still deals heavy damage at close range. Try to stay away from him or dodge his attacks.
Direct Hit	Rockets from the Direct Hit travel faster and can kill low-health classes in one hit at close range. However, the splash damage radius is extremely low, so keep a moderate distance from the Soldier so that you can more easily dodge his shots. If launched into the air by an explosion, continue maneuvering to avoid being airshot, as the Direct Hit deals mini-crits to those propelled airborne by an explosion, and will likely kill you instantly.
Black Box + reskins	The Black Box heals the Soldier for up to 20 Health when its rockets hit an enemy, allowing him to stay in combat for prolonged periods of time. Rather harassing him, take him out before he can recover any health. The Black Box only holds three rockets in its clip, leaving the Soldier vulnerable more often. This also hinders his ability to ambush you through rocket jumping.
Rocket Jumper	The Rocket Jumper deals no damage and takes away the Soldier's most practical weapon, in exchange for no-damage Rocket jumps. This hinders his ability to attack, while making it harder for enemies to hit him. Rocket Jumper wielding Soldiers will tend to equip the Mantreads and the Market Gardener. Keep your distance to avoid his short-range attacks. Don't linger in wide open areas, where a Soldier could ambush you with these weapons.
Liberty Launcher	The Liberty Launcher’s rockets maintain the splash radius of those from the Rocket Launcher but travel significantly faster. Attack from a distance and make sure you have plenty of room to dodge any rockets that come your way. The Liberty Launcher deals 25% less damage but can fire one more rocket per clip. Overall, it slightly decreases the Soldier's potential damage per clip, but makes his attacks harder to dodge.
Cow Mangler 5000	The Cow Mangler operates similarly to the Rocket Launcher but cannot deal critical hits and inflicts minimal damage on buildings. Don't allow a Soldier with the Cow Mangler 5000 to disable an allied Sentry Gun with a charged shot. It takes a few seconds to fire, so use this time to take the Soldier out or prepare to deflect it. If he succeeds in firing the charged shot, his entire clip will be emptied; either pursue him or switch focus to his teammates while he is forced to reload.
Original	The Original is statistically identical to the Rocket Launcher and should be treated as one. The Original's rockets are fired directly down the crosshair, possibly exposing the Soldier more if he tries to fire it from around a corner.
Beggar's Bazooka	Never let a Soldier with the Beggar's Bazooka come close enough to unleash a barrage on your teammates. Ambush him as he loads, or force him to fire from a longer distance, where its lack of precision will cause some rockets to miss.
Air Strike	The Air Strike's clip size increases if the Soldier gets a kill. Take him out quickly - every kill he lands makes him stronger. The Air Strike's rockets have reduced explosive radius and damage, making the splash damage easier to dodge. This is partially offset by the increased projectile speed, however. If the Soldier manages to increase his clip size, take him down in before he can reload. A Soldier with the Air Strike will often equip the BASE Jumper in order to stay in the air longer. This makes him easier to hit while he is attacking.

Secondary weapons

Armaments

Weapon	Anti-Soldier strategy
Shotgun + reskins	A Soldier will typically use the Shotgun if he has no time to reload his Rocket Launcher or does not wish to damage himself from firing rockets at point-blank range. Either way, he deals less damage and is more vulnerable when he wields his Shotgun instead of his primary weapon. Shotgun pellets have a wide spread, so back away to reduce the amount of damage you take. Dodge left and rights so that he misses, forcing him to reload.
Gunboats	A Soldier wearing the Gunboats will often rocket jump to higher ground without suffering too much damage and rain rockets down on you. Either take the high ground yourself or kill him before he even has the chance to begin a rocket jump assault. As the Gunboats replace the Soldier's Shotgun, he becomes less effective in direct combat; if he doesn't try to slowly reach you with his melee weapon (which most classes can easily dodge), he risks heavy self-damage from using his Rocket Launcher at close range.
Reserve Shooter	The Reserve Shooter is capable of landing mini-crits on airborne targets. If propelled into the air by a rocket, air-strafe to avoid his fire and do your best to quickly reach solid ground. The Reserve Shooter's reduced magazine side makes it less reliable of a sidearm than the Shotgun. Force him to miss all his shots, than attack while he reloads. Weapon heckling is less effective against a Soldier with the Reserve Shooter due to its decreased weapon switch time.
Mantreads	A Soldier using the Mantreads will receive considerably less knock back from most weapons, allowing him to more easily maintain a high ground advantage. However, like with the Gunboats, he is deprived of a secondary weapon. Keep an eye out for airborne Soldiers; aside from firing rockets at you, one might try to fall on you and inflict damage with his Mantreads. The Mantreads only negate fall damage taken by the Soldier if he actually manages to land on an enemy; if you see a Soldier dropping towards you, back away so that he takes fall damage. Mantreads grants the Soldier 200% more air control when explosive jumping, allowing him to do extremely sharp turns midair, making air shots very hard. Wait for him to land before attacking.
Righteous Bison	The Righteous Bison deals considerably less damage than the Shotgun, but pierces through enemies and is effective at medium- to long-range harassment. Avoid clustering near your teammates to reduce the effectiveness of its piercing shots. The Righteous Bison shots can hit the same target multiple times. Avoid backpedaling or you will suffer extreme damage, especially in confined areas.
B.A.S.E. Jumper	The B.A.S.E Jumper allows a Soldier to slow his descent and fire more rockets at you from midair. Watch out for the potential barrage if a rocket jumping Soldier suddenly deploys it, especially if he is also using the Air Strike. The B.A.S.E Jumper is deadly when used alongside the Market Gardener. Keep an eye on an airborne Soldier to ensure he doesn't get close enough to smack you. Take advantage of how the B.A.S.E. Jumper slows the Soldier and shoot him out of the sky with an accurate weapon. The B.A.S.E. Jumper cannot be deployed again once retracted until he touches the ground. You can either harass him in the air or force him to retract the parachute, taking fall damage.
Panic Attack	The Panic Attack deals less damage per shot and has a bigger dispersion with consecutive shots, but is not affected by random spread, shoots more pellets at once and deploys 50% faster. Keep your range and force him to keep firing and increase his weapon spread, drastically reducing his damage output. As a Scout, you can dodge the Soldier's rockets, then force him to use his secondary - which will barely deal any damage at medium to long range. Don't get too close, however, as the Panic Attack deals more damage tat close range. As a Pyro, you can Weapon Heckle the Soldier by reflecting his rockets, forcing him to use the Panic Attack. Your Shotgun is superior to the Panic Attack at medium to long range, leaving the Soldier helpless to fight you directly.

Banners

A Soldier's banners provide a 10-second area-of-effect buff to nearby allies once he has dealt enough damage. Because the Soldier's teammates must remain close to him, weapons with splash damage are effective for fighting a wave of buffed enemies. Killing the Soldier will end the effect immediately; if possible, aim for him first. Additionally, a Soldier using a banner lacks a secondary weapon, making him less effective in direct combat; if taken down quickly, he won't be able to activate his chosen banner. Additionally, he becomes especially vulnerable to enemy Pyros - if they can reflect his rockets, he will be unable to deal damage to charge his banner.

Weapon	Anti-Soldier strategy
Buff Banner + reskins	The Buff Banner allows a Soldier and his allies to deal mini-crits; it's best to fight from behind cover while his team is buffed. You may also choose to retreat, wasting the limited time your enemies have to inflict more damage.
Battalion's Backup	Use teamwork to overpower enemies buffed defensively by the Battalion's Backup, one-by-one. Beware of activating the Kritzkrieg or other critboosts while the enemy has the Battalion's Backup in effect; most of the incoming targets will be immune to critical hits. Wait until the Backup's effect has ended, then use the charge.
Concheror	Should an enemy Soldier activate his Concheror, take cover or retreat until the buff wears off - any damage buffed enemies deal will heal them. Your team should concentrate fire on Concheror-wielding Soldier to kill him quickly and end the buff. The Concheror takes less damage to charge than the other banners.

Melee weapons

Weapon	Anti-Soldier strategy
Shovel + reskins	You should be able to outmaneuver a Soldier charging you with the standard Shovel, as his low movement speed puts him at a heavy disadvantage in melee combat.
Escape Plan	A Soldier will typically use his Escape Plan's speed boost as a last resort to escape. When the Escape Plan is his active weapon, he takes guaranteed mini-crits. Note his movement speed to gauge his health; if a Soldier is running quickly while holding this weapon, he's heavily injured. A few long-range shots from a Shotgun or Minigun may be enough to kill him.
Equalizer	The more injured a Soldier is, the more damage his Equalizer deals. If a Soldier attacks you with this, he might be already injured. Treat him as if he were using the default Shovel and outmaneuver him while fighting back.
Pain Train	The Pain Train increases the Soldier's capture rate. Be wary of any Soldier that may sneak by to capture your team's control points quickly. The Pain Train causes the Soldier to take 10% more bullet damage, which allows a Scout or Heavy to have an easier time killing him.
Half-Zatoichi	The Half-Zatoichi heals its wielder by 50% of his base health upon obtaining a kill. If you see a Soldier slay a teammate with this weapon, know that he will have at least 100 health. If the Half-Zatoichi's wielder does not obtain a kill before switching weapons, he loses 50 health. The Soldier is slow, so stay outside his melee range to force him to waste health by switching weapons. Reducing the Soldier to below 50 health prevents him from sheathing the weapon. Stay away and kill him with a few medium-range attacks.
Market Gardener	Keep away from an airborne Soldier holding the Market Gardener; he might try to use it to land a guaranteed critical hit, which will instantly kill most classes. Keep your distance until he lands or throw off his aim by shooting him and dealing knockback.
Disciplinary Action	An enemy Soldier equipped with the Disciplinary Action will use it to hustle his team to the battlefield rather than fight. Take care that you aren't outnumbered by any additional enemies he brought along. The Disciplinary Action has a very large melee range. Stay farther away from him than you would if he was wielding the Shovel - he might still be able to hit you.

See also

• Rocket jumping
• Team strategy