Primary Role: Offence
‘Offence’ is a very broad term, and not only means different things to different people, but also applies differently to different classes. The soldier is the least complex class in the game, but soldiers form the backbone of any successful team. A successful offence requires a good mix of classes, but all these classes operate around the foundation of the soldier. The soldier’s role is the most fundamental interpretation of offence – to attack and destroy the enemy, no specialised tactics, just pushing forward, taking ground, and fighting off any resistance.
Sure, this all sounds very simple, but even a simple role both requires and rewards a skilful and strategic approach. The best kind of offence for the soldier is the assault, where several soldiers are accompanied and complimented by at least a medic, and perhaps a demoman and heavy. When they work as a cohesive unit, these assault groups have the potential to deal with any defence. Each class plays their role, and each specialisation in one class compliments a relative weakness in another.
But back to the soldier. Like I said, the soldier is the foundation of a good assault, and he has a couple of main functions. His pinpoint accuracy at any range and consistent splash damage are invaluable assets against both enemy troops and buildings. The advantage over buildings is obvious – they can’t move so the soldier is in the position to choose his plan of attack. If he has line of sight from a long range, the soldier is able to level buildings by ‘sniping‘ them, firing a payload of destruction while remaining out of harm’s way. However if the buildings have only short line of sight and will always be able to see the soldier he can utilise the splash damage and fire-and-forget nature of the rockets. By popping out from behind cover (often a corner), loosing a rocket, and popping back, the soldier can deal continuous damage to buildings while once again remaining reasonably comfortable.
The soldier’s strength against troops is more subtle and not fully appreciated by many. To realise this advantage, don’t think of his role as to kill, but rather to deal damage. The soldier is excellent at doing damage. Rockets may not be as fast as bullets, but if a soldier aims at your feet, you’re most likely going to feel it. Of course if there are multiple targets, they’re all going to feel the splash damage, and then even the damage of single rockets can add up significantly. This is why assaults are based around soldiers. They can quickly and efficiently cut the health of all defenders by a fraction, and this not only assists the soldier’s teammates in finishing off the defenders, but it gives the attacking force the psychological edge. It’s much more difficult to defend aggressively when you know you’re going to die in 2 rockets instead of 4 or 5.
This offensive strategy is strangely philosophical, so something physically concrete that a soldier can work into his strategy is the rocket jump. A good rocket jump can turn the tables on a standoff with incredible effectiveness. Whether it is simply rocket jumping over an obstacle to flank the enemy line or rocket jumping into an unexpected position in the enemy’s midst, the rocket jump always forces the opposition to react. If they leave a soldier alone in a position of power, he can do severe damage, so the defence is required to fight on two fronts. Sometimes this alone can be enough for the soldier’s teammates to break the defence and take territorial control. No matter what the situation, a use can always be found for the rocket jump (assuming you have enough health), so check out the Rocket Jump guide for a more detailed look at this dynamic skill.
I believe the best potential for soldier strategy is control point B on Gravel Pit. The defenders have the great advantage of cover and height, as well as the attackers being forced primarily through 2 choke points. A successful assault is all but necessary to take control, and the soldier is integral. His long range accuracy and splash damage is perfect for dealing with sentry guns and pinning down enemy troops, and the damage he shells out makes his entire team more effective. Most influential however is the power he gains if he can rocket jump onto the roof. From that position, so long as no one jumps up to challenge him successfully, he can dictate play, making short work of internal and external sentry guns and picking off key targets (medics, engineers, demomen) with ease. The attackers should always, always aim to plant at least one player on the roof.
Secondary Role: Map Control
Soldiers should more often than not be used for assault, as discussed previously. However some maps are structured such that maintaining possession of a strategic area around the middle of the map is all but necessary. The specific reasons are covered in the Map Control guide, which is what I’m elaborating on here, so check it out if you haven’t already. Obvious examples are tug of war maps like Granary and Well, but really teams benefit from mid-map control on every map, and soldiers fill this role very well. The role also fits them, as they are able to make use of their powerful defensive ability, but they aren’t wasted sitting behind all the action.
Now that I’ve brought it up, soldiers are surprisingly effective in a defensive capacity. There are a few features about them that make them so, and these should be exploited in the forward defensive role of map control. Fundamentally, their relatively high health not only means they’re harder to kill but deters rash attacks from less healthy enemies. More importantly however is the nature of the rocket launcher. It becomes more dangerous the closer you get, so attackers will be unwilling to close in on the soldier, and if they elect to hang back, the rocket’s splash damage can harass even those behind cover, forcing a rush or retreat.
Of course such attributes are reinforced when there are only a few choke points to keep watch over. Splash damage is ideal for consistently doing damage, so shoot in front of the approaching targets. No one with less than full health is going to want to run into a rocket, so by keeping the explosions in front of your enemy, you can hurt and repel. Remembering that your rockets are fire-and-forget, make use of cover and keep the rockets flowing without exposing yourself as a target.
One thing to keep a careful eye out for as a forward defender is enemy spies. Good spies are very linear in their objectives – they will run from their base towards the enemy base and take action against the biggest obstacle for their team in between. If you’re defending well, the biggest obstacle will be you and your forward defending teammates (especially engineers and their teleporters), so always keep your eyes peeled for them, for both you and your team’s sake. Glance over the Spy Detection guide to make sure you’re up to speed with every tell they have.
Remember, once your team has secured this critical mid-map location, defending it doesn’t have to be done from the point itself. So long as you keep control of the map, it doesn’t really matter where you do it from. In fact it is often beneficial to sally forth a bit to a point, for a wide range of reasons, many of which are covered in the Forward Defence guide. If nothing else, defending further forward means that the enemy has to get past you before they even become a threat, whereas if you defend on the point and get overrun, your team is under immediate pressure. Make sure your team is communicating, and control the map together.
