Rocket Launcher
| Rocket Launcher | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Kill Icon | |
| Basic Information | |
| Used by: | Soldier |
| Slot: | Primary |
| Availability: | Stock |
| Nameable: | Yes |
| Medieval: | No |
| Ammo | |
| Ammo loaded: | 4 |
| Ammo carried: | 20 / 36 |
| Reload type: | Single |
| Available Qualities | |
| Loadout Stats | |
 Rocket Launcher |
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| “ | I joined this team just to kill maggots like you.
Click to listen
— The Soldier
|
” |
The Rocket Launcher is the default primary weapon for the Soldier. It is a typical rocket-propelling device with a protruding metal side and a wide exhaust port.
The launcher can hold up to four loaded rockets and fires them as projectiles at a speed of around 1100 Hammer units per second, roughly 47 mph. The trajectory of these rockets are not affected by gravity; they will travel in a straight line until exploding on contact with any surface or opponent. Rockets inflict damage in a set splash radius; damage inflicted decreases the further the distance from the center of the explosion. Normal rockets have significant damage falloff over long distances, while critical rockets suffer no such falloff. Upon a kill, players will most likely explode into gibs.
As the explosion from rockets causes knockback on enemies, an experienced player can juggle opponents. Doing so can deal fall damage to these enemies when they land. The player can use the knockback effect on themselves in order to perform a rocket jump by firing at the ground beneath them and catapulting themselves upwards. Simultaneously crouching increases the height and length of the jump. This technique can be used to reach areas not accessible to other classes.
Contents
Damage and function times
See also: Damage
| Damage and function times | ||
|---|---|---|
| Shot type | Projectile | |
| Damage | ||
| Maximum ramp-up | 125% | 112 |
| Base damage | 100% | 90 |
| Maximum fall-off | 53% | 48 |
| Point blank | 105-112 | |
| Medium range | 50-90 | |
| Long range | 45-60 | |
| Critical | 270 | |
| Mini-crit | 122 | |
| Splash damage | ||
| Minimum splash | 50% | 9 ft |
| Damage reduction | 1% / 2.88 | |
| Self-damage | 27-89 | |
| Self damage (rocket jump) | 27-46 | |
| Function times | ||
| Attack interval | 0.8 s | |
| Reload (first) | 0.8 s | |
| Reload (consecutive) | 0.92 s | |
| Values are approximate and determined by community testing. | ||
Demonstration
Related Achievements
Soldier
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Pyro
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Heavy
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Update history
- Fixed rocket explosions being able to impart damage through thin ceilings.
- Fixed Rocket trail effects sometimes existing permanently in world.
- Reduced Soldier's maximum rocket reserve ammo from 36 to 16.
- Fixed critical modifier for explosive weapons (rockets, pipe bombs) increasing critical chance more than intended.
- Increased Soldier's primary ammo count from 16 to 20.
- This weapon's kill icon was updated.
- [Undocumented] Several particle effects, including critical rockets, pipes, and stickies, were altered to appear brighter. These changes do not apply to ATi graphics card users and some others.
Trivia
- The weapon seems to be a heavily stylized RPG-7. The handle and the grip have been switched around, the rear exhaust port and the sights are cartoonishly oversized and it seems to fire modified PG-2 HEAT grenades. Certain attributes of its design are based, like many weapons in the game, on musical instruments.
- It is actually possible to hold 4 rockets in a real Rocket Launcher at one time. However, the launchers that can do this are modern designs with a protruding "magazine", not the traditional World War II era "Bazooka" the Soldier uses; these could only hold one rocket at a time.
- Upon comparing the Rocket Launcher seen in the original Team Fortress 2 trailers to the current in-game Rocket Launcher, it can be seen that the trigger was originally placed on the front handle of the launcher and that rockets were loaded at the muzzle. In-game, the trigger is located on the rear of the two handles, and rockets are now loaded directly into the barrel.
- The Rocket Launcher was originally single-rocket loaded, much like its Team Fortress Classic counterpart. An animation of this still exists in the game files.
- Despite the kill notification of the Rocket Launcher showing a checkered rocket as the kill icon, the rocket in game bears no such pattern.
- The Rocket Launcher does not shoot from the middle of the screen, rather it shoots from the right - left if inverted models are enabled - making it possible to fire around corners while still being almost fully in cover.
Gallery
First-person view.
Projectile.
Old Rocket Launcher reload animation.
See also
