Aerial

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— The Soldier on sending foes to their midair death

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An aerial, air shot, or middie is an area-denial tactic that can be used by a Soldier, Sniper, Demoman, Pyro, or even an Engineer to prevent enemies from gaining a height advantage. The maneuver incorporates shooting an enemy player while they are above the ground, denying them any vertical advancement and sometimes leading to a kill. Successful use of aerials requires prediction of flight paths, so the ability to consistently perform aerials is viewed as an indicator of proficiency with a particular class.

Soldier Aerials

Demonstrating Soldier aerials

When a Soldier finds himself without his team or a nearby Medic, keeping control of the high ground is always useful, if not completely necessary for survival. Keeping control makes it easier for you to deliver hits against your enemies from below, while simultaneously giving you the cover you need to avoid counterattacks.

In order for a successful aerial to occur, a Soldier will need to be aware of his surroundings. Smarter players will try to avoid the attention of a Soldier on high ground, and hit him from behind by surprise. Even if the Soldier has the height advantage, he should always pay careful attention to his immediate surroundings.

The Direct Hit, one of the primary unlockable weapons for the Soldier, makes aerials significantly more effective. The Direct Hit also allows Soldiers to perform Mini-Crits on an airborne target that has been propelled by a previous Direct Hit rocket. This bonus, combined with the higher projectile speed, encourages the use of aerials.

Another method for protecting a height advantage implements the knockback effect of the Shotgun. Explosive jumps can be stopped with Shotgun blasts, preventing enemies from reaching the higher ground. This is useful for conserving Rocket Launcher ammo, or interrupting enemy air strafing.

Pyro Aerials

Demonstrating a deflected rocket aerial

The Pyro is able to perform aerials with two separate methods. These methods require the use of the Flamethrower's Compression Blast and the Flare Gun. Performing an aerial with the Compression Blast is difficult, as it is usually situational. When a Compression Blast Aerial occurs, the enemy shoots at the Pyro from the air. The Pyro then reflects the rocket or grenade, redirecting the projectile to intercept the enemy's flight path. It is also possible for the Pyro to reflect one projectile at an enemy on the ground, launch him into the air and reflect a second projectile into the airborne opponent.

Flare Gun Aerials are significantly less difficult, and offer unique benefits. Since enemies will be on fire upon landing, players equipped with the Axtinguisher can follow up the Flare Gun aerial with a guaranteed Critical hit. If the enemy knows how to change direction using air strafing, and there is water or a health kit nearby, he will probably attempt to land on it. If there isn't any water or nearby health kits, the enemy will likely abort his flight path and retreat. The enemy is likely to have taken significant damage from the combined impact of rocket jumping, fall damage, and burning. The Flare Gun's range is useful for assuring you pick him off before he is able to retreat to a Medic.

Demoman Aerials

Demomen will often perform aerials under similar circumstances to the Soldier. However, due to the arcing nature of projectiles fired from the Grenade Launcher, aerials are much more difficult to perform. While the Soldier generally only needs to aim ahead of the opponent's flight path, Demomen will also have to shoot at a higher angle. Demomen who are already familiar with the firing angle of the Grenade Launcher will have to learn to translate this into hitting an aerial target which is moving at high speed.

Primary aerial targets for the Demoman will include Soldiers, who often try to use rocket jumps to close the distance between themselves and enemy Demomen. Scouts are also likely targets, since they will jump frequently to dodge grenades. To ensure that the Scout can't avoid your shot, wait until the Scout has used his double jump before firing.

It is also possible to perform aerials with Sticky Bombs by detonating them in mid-air. This method can sometimes be easier as Sticky Bombs do not need to make contact with an enemy to cause damage. However, the delayed detonation time of Sticky Bombs can often make it impossible to detonate the Sticky in range of a fast-approaching enemy, who may already be within the detonation gap. Due to Sticky Bombs fired using the Scottish Resistance having a longer arming time, this method is less viable when using it.

Engineer Aerials

With a Wrangler, an Engineer is capable of utilizing the rockets from his Level 3 Sentry Gun at will. While the Sentry Gun was always an invaluable counter to airborne targets, its limited range often impacted its effectiveness, and left the Engineer unable to prioritize certain targets when faced with an enemy push. With the Wrangler's manual control, an Engineer is capable of deciding who he directs his firepower toward. In general, the rules are similar to those followed when using the Rocket Launcher to stop mid-air enemies. Watch their trajectory, and wait for them to begin their descent, aiming your shot to strike where they're going to land. As with any other more advanced maneuver, such as performing an aerial, practice is key.

The Wrangler offers a benefit that the Rocket Launcher and Grenade Launcher lack: a laser sight to assist your aim. With the Wranglers' laser, you can always tell where your rocket will go before you fire it. However, be aware that this laser is visible to the enemy as well.

Sniper Aerials

With the Sniper Rifle's scope, an aware Sniper is capable of stopping most mid-air enemies in their tracks. Typically, a shot through your scope to the mass, or head of an enemy will prevent them from closing in on you from above. Enemies flying through the air will have needed to damage themselves to gain that height, so a single shot from your rifle won't just stop their advancement, but will almost certainly force them to retreat to a Medic, or their base. While smaller, stopping a Scout can prove just as simple for an observant Sniper. Watch their jumps, and note when a Scout leaves a smoke trail behind his feet. This is a visual representation that he has used his double jump ability, and will be unable to dodge your shot. Ready your shot for where your enemy is going to be. Let them fall in to your scope instead of trying to follow them with it.

Successfully performing an aerial with the Huntsman is, however, is a bit different. The power and arc of the arrow projectile depend on the length of time it was initially charged. This usually causes slightly unpredictable projectiles, a shallow flight path, and increased power in comparison to the Sniper Rifle. A single fully-charged arrow to the mass can be enough to kill a medium-heavy class, such as the Demoman.

How to counter Aerials

As with any tactic, it is important to know not only how to use it, but also how to counter it. The simplest, and usually the only way to avoid aerials is by Air Strafing. If an aerial projectile is heading towards you, you can use the strafe to curve your jump and dodge it. This is not fool-proof, however, as more experienced aerial users will often be able to predict your strafing pattern and can attempt further aerials.

Pyros have a slight advantage over other classes in terms of aerial defense. In addition to air strafing, a Pyro can utilize their Compression blast to redirect incoming projectiles. This added line of defense can allow the airborne Pyro to reflect an attack back on the enemy or at the ground to propel themselves away from danger.