Aerial
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— The Soldier
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An aerial or air shot is a defensive area-denial tactic that can be used by a Soldier, Sniper, Demoman, or Pyro to prevent enemies from removing their height advantage and to take out enemies attempting to gain high positions. The maneuver entails shooting an enemy player while they are above the ground. Successful use of the aerial tactic requires well-trained prediction of flight paths, and is often what separates competent players of these classes from advanced ones.
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Soldier Aerials
The Soldier is the class who most often finds himself in greatest need of this ability. Soldiers who are not following their team or are not paired with a Medic will always want to have control of high ground. This makes it easier for them to hit enemies below with their rockets while giving them cover to avoid counterattacks. The biggest threat will be other Soldiers and Demomen who use their explosive jumps to try to remove the height advantage and get in close. Aerials are used to prevent them from taking the Soldier's advantage.
To successfully Aerial an incoming jumper, the defending Soldier will obviously have to first see him coming, and be aware of likely directions that he would come from. Smarter jumpers will try to avoid the attention of the Soldier on the high ground and try to fly at him from behind while raining rockets and grenades as he is taken by surprise. Even if the Soldier has the height advantage, he should always be watching his six. After this, the only thing that will determine whether the Aerial is successful or not will be how much the Soldier has practiced.
The Direct Hit makes aerials significantly easier and more effective. Direct Hit aerials can often one-shot Demomen and Gunboats-less Soldiers from middle range.
Another method to protect your higher ground is using your shotgun. Soldiers and Demoman jumps can be pushed back with Shotgun shots , making them stop and become unable to reach your ground. This tatic is useful to conserve rocket ammo or stopping good players at Air Strafing.
Demoman Aerials
Aerials for Demomen serve virtually the same function and occur in the same situations as the Soldier's. However, as stated before, this is much more difficult. While the Soldier generally only has to aim ahead of the opponent's flight path, compensating for which direction of his screen the rocket comes from, Demomen will have to shoot at a high angle. Demomen who are already competent with the firing angle of the Grenade Launcher will have to learn to translate this into hitting an aerial target who is moving at high speed, but this is easier said than done.
Primary targets of Demo Aerials will be Soldiers, who often try to use rocket jumps to close the distance between them and an enemy Demoman. Scouts are also likely enemies, since they will jump a lot to dodge grenades. Wait until the Scout has used his double jump before firing.
It is also possible to use the Sticky Bombs and can sometimes be easier if there is enough warning. However, the delayed detonation time of Sticky Bombs can often make it impossible to blow the Sticky in range of a fast-approaching Soldier, who may already be within the detonation gap.
Sniper Aerials
Aerials as a Sniper are somewhat less difficult, or more difficult, depending on which weapon is used. A Sniper using the Rifle can usually pick off an airborne enemy with a charged bodyshot or a well-placed Headshot, since he will probably be damaged already. Snipers will need to keep an eye out for jumpers when not scoped. Some of them will try to sneak up and melee the Sniper if he hasn't noticed their approach. Said Sniper should react to this in virtually the same way he would try to avoid Spies backstabbing him. Preferably, headshot the incoming flier when he reaches the peak of his jump.
A Sniper using the Huntsman has both added advantages (bigger hitboxes, faster charge, and wider field of view) and irritating drawbacks (slightly unpredictable projectiles and slow reload as well as less damage than the rifle). The Huntsman's arrow is something of a middle ground between a rocket and a grenade. It follows a shallow flight path, but it doesn't fly a straight line like a rocket. It also flies much faster than grenades and rockets. Also, the arc and the speed of the arrow change depending on the charge. Charged bodyshots will sometimes be enough to kill Demomen, but rarely Soldiers. At most, they will force them to retreat.
Pyro Aerials
There are two ways a Pyro can Aerial. The first is by using the Compression Blast. The second is with the Flare Gun. Doing an Aerial as a Flamethrower Pyro is possibly the most difficult out of all classes which can Aerial. The reason is that it is highly situational. A Compression Blast Aerial requires that the incoming enemy actually try to shoot at him/her from the air. The Pyro must react to the rocket or grenade, then redirect it to where the jumper is going. This requires that the Pyro already be reasonably skilled at Aerials with the weapon being fired at him/her, meaning that a Pyro who can Aerial is already very good at Soldier and Demoman. However, the extra time needed to let the projectile get to the Pyro before it can be reflected can throw off his/her prediction.
Flare Gun Aerials are far less difficult, and also have some tactical advantages of their own. The primary bonus is that the enemy will be on fire when he lands. If you are equipped with the Axtinguisher, you can simply run to where he will land and meet him with an instant-death Critical axe. If he knows how to change direction, and there is water or a health pack nearby, he will probably try to land on it. If there is no water or kits, he will most likely abort his flight and head back the way he came, since he has hurt himself badly from the combined damage of rocket jumping, fall damage, and burning. However, he will probably shrug it off if he was over-healed.
How to Counter Aerials
As with any tactic you find to your advantage, you must also know of ways to counter it if it is used against you. The simplest, and usually the only way to avoid aerials is by mid-air strafing. This is done by using the left and right strafe keys, crouching mid-air for maximum control, while also slowly turning your mouse in the direction you wish to go. If you see an aerial rocket or grenade heading for you, use the strafe to curve your jump and dodge it. This is not fool-proof, as more experienced aerial users will be able to predict your strafe pattern and try a second Aerial. Such ability comes with practice.
Though it would be rare, even Pyros will sometimes need to counter aerials. Pyros using the Flamethrower can use the Compression Blast to rocket jump off of enemy rockets, and go even higher and faster than a Soldier. In addition, Pyros are the most common targets to be juggled by rockets. If the Soldier sees you coming, the best defense is the Compression Blast. The Direct hit will be far more difficult to predict.
