Soldier match-ups

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I am going to enjoy killing each and every one of you sorry sacks of scum! Click to listen — The Soldier on class match-ups

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Class			Strategy
Soldier	vs.	Scout	Relative merits: Both you and the Scout are strong close-quarters combatants. You have an advantage if you can utilize your rockets' splash damage, especially when you have the high ground, but the Scout will typically try to initiate the fight with that in mind. Tactics: Anticipate the Scout's movements when aiming your rockets. Aim at the ground or nearby walls to inflict splash damage, as the Scout's high movement speed makes it difficult to hit him directly. If he double jumps to dodge one of your shots, the arc of his jump should be predictable enough to aim a rocket where he will land. If possible, force the Scout to fight you in tight spaces where he can't maneuver, or rocket jump to high ground that is beyond the reach of his double jump. Because of the Scout's extreme speed, it is difficult for you to retreat. If you have enough health, it is usually best to rocket jump somewhere out of his reach, such as a distant ledge or through a window, than it is to use a grounded escape route. Useful weapons: A close-ranged shot with the Direct Hit will instantly kill a full-health Scout, and the increased speed of the rockets makes landing a direct hit easier than with the Rocket Launcher. However, the reduced blast radius forces you to rely on direct shots entirely. The Liberty Launcher's rockets are faster than default and retain the default splash radius, which makes hitting a dodgy Scout easier. Its reduced damage is less of a concern when dealing with the Scout's low health pool. The Shotgun and its variants are hitscan weapons with instantly-traveling bullets that are harder for the Scout to avoid.
Soldier	vs.	Soldier	Mirror match-up: In a duel against an equally skilled Soldier, positioning and weapon management are key. Observe which weapons your opponent has chosen and adapt your strategy accordingly. Tracking the number of rockets you each have loaded can help you decide whether to approach or take cover. Tactics: Both of you are relatively slow on the ground; aim for direct hits to maximize each rocket's damage and move unpredictably to make it difficult for your opponent to do the same. If possible, take the high ground using a rocket jump to make dealing and avoiding splash damage easier. If your opponent is too predictable with his rocket jumps, you can fire a rocket where he will land, use precise aim to land an airshot, or chase after him with your own rocket jump and attack from above. If you run out of rockets, switch to a different weapon or take cover and reload. If you think the enemy Soldier is out of rockets, approach him or move to a stronger position while he's unable to attack you. Useful weapons: The Shotgun and its variants are reliable backup weapons if you run out of loaded rockets. The Direct Hit and Reserve Shooter deal mini-crit damage to targets launched by explosions. This applies not only to when you launch your opponent with a well-aimed rocket, but also when he rocket jumps.
Soldier	vs.	Pyro	Relative merits: Your weapons outrange the Pyro's Flame Thrower, giving you a significant advantage at medium range. However, the Pyro's compression blast can reflect your rockets. Fighting a Pyro is largely about making it as hard for them to reflect your rockets as possible. Tactics: Stay outside of the Flame Thrower's short range. Avoid firing rockets carelessly, as a skilled Pyro will use them against you; instead, stagger your rate of fire so the Pyro has trouble predicting your shots, and aim at the floor or nearby surfaces to make it more difficult for them to aim a rocket that is reflected. In open areas, you can rocket jump to high ground and attack from above to make aiming reflected rockets even more difficult. If either of you move the fight into close range, the Pyro can freely burn you with their Flame Thrower but has less time to react to your rockets. Avoid positioning such that you can be airblasted into a corner, where the Pyro can freely follow up with weapons like the Flare Gun or Axtinguisher. Watch your health so that afterburn and rocket jump damage combined won't kill you before you can find healing to extinguish yourself. Useful weapons: The Direct Hit's projectile is fast enough that most Pyros will have difficulty reacting in time to reflect it. The smaller blast radius means you are forced to rely on direct hits instead of splash damage, but the same also applies for the Pyro reflecting it. The healing from the Black Box or Concheror can offset afterburn damage, giving you more time to find healing if you get set on fire. The Beggar's Bazooka and Air Strike can fire a volley of rockets fast enough that the Pyro can't reflect them all at once. The Shotgun and its variants cannot have their shots deflected. You can either use one of them as your main weapon against a Pyro, or switch between them and your Rocket Launcher periodically to give the Pyro trouble predicting when you will actually fire a rocket. Mantreads will almost entirely negate the knockback from airblasts, preventing the Pyro from trapping you in a corner, throwing off a rocket jump, or shoving you off a cliff.
Soldier	vs.	Demoman	Relative merits: You and the Demoman both specialize in explosives. You are better at close range duels and can roam the map faster, while the Demoman can spread damage over a wide area and attack without direct line of sight. You can both use explosive jumps to travel quickly, but sticky jumping is slower and costs more health. Tactics: Unlike your rockets, the Demoman's grenades do not have any damage falloff, but they also do not explode immediately on contact with the environment. Stay at medium range, where you'll have an easier time avoiding direct hits, and steer clear of grenades that have bounced onto the ground. If the Demoman is using the Stickybomb Launcher to fight you directly, move to close range, as Stickybombs take time to arm and the Demoman will not be able to hit you without blowing himself up as well. When faced with a Stickybomb trap, use the Shotgun to destroy the Stickybombs or a well placed rocket to scatter them. It is possible, albeit tricky, to push the Stickybombs towards the Demoman and force him to give up his current position. A Demoknight using a shield secondary such as the Chargin' Targe does not have a Stickybomb Launcher, but will likely be using a melee weapon with increased melee range, such as the Eyelander, and attempt to charge you with it. If he does, shoot the ground in front of him to pop him into the air and cause him to miss you, or quickly rocket jump out of the way. Useful weapons: Weapons that restore or increase your health, such as the Black Box or Concheror, allow you to potentially survive an extra direct hit from a grenade. A shield-wielding Demoknight resists explosive damage, but not bullet damage from the Shotgun and its variants.
Soldier	vs.	Heavy	Relative merits: The Heavy is the one class who has more health and firepower than you. Compared to your Rocket Launcher, his Minigun fires bullets that travel instantly and have a higher damage-per-second, but it deals damage gradually instead of in bursts. The Heavy is much less mobile than you; he will usually be carefully defending an area, or slowly advancing forwards, allowing you to decide when to initiate the fight. Tactics: Attempt to catch the Heavy unaware - when his Minigun isn't spun up, from behind, or both. If he's spun up and trying to shoot you, peek in and out of cover to fire rockets and constantly deal damage while minimizing exposure to his Minigun. He is a big, slow target who is very easy to hit him with direct shots, especially when he's spun up. Try to keep a modest distance, as the Minigun is deadliest at close range; attacking from high ground both increases your distance from him and gives you more cover from Minigun fire. Useful weapons: The Heavy is the largest and slowest class, making him an easy target for the Direct Hit. A well-aimed barrage from the Beggar's Bazooka or Air Strike can potentially kill a Heavy before he has time to spin up his Minigun. The Buff Banner's guaranteed mini-crits increase your team's damage output, allowing you to power through the Heavy's large health pool.
Soldier	vs.	Engineer	Relative merits: Your Rocket Launcher is one of the better anti-Sentry Gun weapons - its high base damage can make short work of buildings, and the splash damage of rockets can damage multiple targets at once, including the Engineer. Tactics: Aim your rockets so they damage both Engineer and Sentry Gun via splash damage. Unless you are being pressured by the enemy team, you can freely stay out of range or peek in and out of cover, spamming rockets at buildings. Take cover between shots to minimize the damage the Sentry Gun deals to you, especially if Engineer is using the Wrangler. Even if you do not destroy the Engineer's buildings immediately, you will quickly drain his metal supply and soften up his buildings for your team to finish the job. An Engineer wielding the Gunslinger deploys Combat Mini-Sentry Guns instead of regular Sentry Guns, and will usually use his Shotgun to participate in fights more actively. If the Engineer places a Mini-Sentry mid-combat, prioritize the Mini-Sentry while dealing splash damage to him before the Mini-Sentry finishes construction. Useful weapons: The Direct Hit's increased damage is effective against the Engineer's immobile buildings. Its rockets also destroy Combat Mini-Sentries in one hit. The Cow Mangler 5000's charged shot can temporarily deactivate buildings, allowing the rest of your team to push in. The Battalion's Backup's buff will halve the damage you and nearby teammates take from Sentry Guns for its duration, allowing you to charge a troublesome Sentry Gun head-on with your team.
Soldier	vs.	Medic	Relative merits: A lone Medic is an easy target and should flee from you, but will typically be guarded by his teammates. Because a Medic's healing abilities make his entire team stronger, it is important to kill him first when possible to deprive his team of their main source of healing. Tactics: In a direct fight against both a Medic and one of his patients, try to use your Rocket Launcher’s splash damage to attack both of them simultaneously. Alternatively, you can rocket jump past the Medic's allies and dive-bomb him before he has time to react. If the Medic is retreating, you may be able to pursue him with a rocket jump and cut off his escape. Useful weapons: If you plan to dive-bomb the enemy Medic, use a primary weapon with enough clip size and damage potential to quickly finish him off. Weapons that improve your ability to rocket jump, such as the Liberty Launcher or Gunboats, can give you the mobility to chase the Medic almost anywhere.
Soldier	vs.	Sniper	Relative merits: Snipers will generally try to target you from afar while you are at the frontline. If you split off from the main battle and roam, your high health pool and ability to rocket jump makes you suited for ambushing him at close range, where he is weakest. Tactics: A Sniper will tend to watch the battlefield from a distant, high vantage point. At long range, your rockets are easy for him to dodge and he can kill you with a single partially-charged headshot from his Sniper Rifle. Because of this, it is important to reach close range, where he will have difficulty lining up a headshot. Use flank routes and rocket jumping to creep up on him from behind. Alternatively, you can approach from the front with a high-speed rocket jump, moving fast enough that he will have difficulty hitting you out of the air or running away. Once you are at close range, the fight is greatly in your favor. Take care to avoid moving predictably, as it is still possible (although difficult) for the Sniper to headshot you at point-blank range. Useful weapons: The active buffs of the Battalion's Backup and Concheror negate critical damage and increase your movement speed respectively, allowing you and your team to cross a Sniper's sightline more safely. The Mantreads give increased air maneuverability when rocket jumping, which helps in safely reaching the Sniper's perch.
Soldier	vs.	Spy	Relative merits: Your slow grounded speed and high damage output make you a prime target for any enemy Spy. You are most likely to encounter an enemy Spy when directly fighting alongside your team, rather than when roaming around with rocket jumps. Tactics: Keep an eye and ear out for a potential Spy. Use your weapons to Spy-check suspicious teammates and listen for sounds such as a Spy's Cloak deactivating or a teammate being backstabbed. If a Spy tries to escape by cloaking, use splash damage to "search" a wide area and reveal him. Once you discover the Spy, keep the fight outside of melee range to reduce the risk of being backstabbed. Useful weapons: Rocket launchers with the default, largest blast radius are your best option for tracking a cloaked Spy. If you are using the Buff Banner or one of its variants, shooting a disguised Spy will still fill your Rage meter.

See also

• Team strategy
• Soldier (competitive)