The War Guide: Soldier Class

By: Yourcatch22 | Posted On: Friday 8 January 2010

In the biggest Team Fortress 2 release since last summer (remember Spy v. Sniper?), Valve’s recent War Update has completely changed the Team Fortress 2 battlefield. With loads of new weapons, unlockables, and achievements, TF 2 has become far more complex than its early days where each player class had but 3 measly weapons to select from. Now players must choose which weapon to equip, when to use it, and how to use it in a manner that will give their team a leg up in the final closing seconds of a round. To help put it all in perspective, we have written up a little strategy guide to help steer you through all of the new game play additions of the War Update and give you that advantage over the competition you have been looking for.

Our guide will be released in two parts, the first part focusing on the Soldier’s upgrades. The War Update has given the soldier class four new weapons: A primary in the form of the Direct Hit, two secondary weapons, the Buff Banner and Gunboat Boots, and a new melee weapon entitled the Equalizer. In standard Team Fortress 2 update fashion, each of the new weapons gives its user more firepower than the stock weapon, but often at a price in the form of a slight disadvantage. This means that understanding each weapon’s advantages and weaknesses are equally important to its successful use and your team’s eventual victory. Therefore, without further adieu, we give you part 1 of our War Update Guide: The Soldier Update Guide.





The Equalizer
The first weapon we will look at is the Equalizer, the Soldier’s new unlockable melee item and the first unlock players receive upon completing 10 achievements. The Equalizer, which is actually a pick axe, is a replacement to the standard issue shovel that the soldier class initially receives as its melee weapon. However, the Equalizer gives its wielder much more of an advantage than simply a bigger stick to pound enemies with. First off, unlike the shovel’s fixed damage amount of 65, the Equalizer’s damage is equally proportionate to its user’s health. This means that the lower your health is the more lethal the equalizer becomes (hence its name). At full health, the Equalizer administers a weak 33 damage points to opponents. However, get down to 1 health remaining and it delivers a whopping 162 damage point hit. But wait, there’s more! The wielding soldier also receives a boost in speed when his health is low simply by holding his weapon. Although medics will be unable to heal you if you are holding the Equalizer, the sudden burst of speed gives users the opportunity to scurry away before death by switching over to the Equalizer.

When it comes to strategy, in our opinion the Equalizer is a must equip weapon. Even though at full health it delivers a smaller punch then the shovel, the fact that it’s a melee weapon probably means that if you are using it, you are already in a bit of a bind. Chances are that you will be well below full health, and at just 50% of full health, the Equalizer becomes far more lethal than the shovel could ever be. Yet while the Equalizer may be more powerful than the shovel in dire times, it certainly is not as versatile. For instance, pulling the Equalizer out when taking significant hit damage may not always be the best idea, since as noted above, medics will no longer be able to heal you. So while the equalizer may give you a powerful final punch, and even the speed to get out of a fire fight where you are clearly outgunned, using it when a medic is already replenishing your health may prove detrimental as it will put an end to your health restock. Use it only as a last ditch effort, or if you know with substantial certainty that you can land a final punch to your opponent that will send him on to the afterlife.





The Buff Banner
The next weapon is the Buff Banner, which comes complete with a flag and bugle to rally your fellow troops. Any damage which is inflicted by a soldier who is holding a Buff Banner will add to his “Rage Meter”, and once the meter is full, its rally time! Once the meter is full the soldier can then Rally the Troops, giving himself and teammates in the immediate area Mini-critical hit power for the next 14 seconds.

While the Buff Banner doesn’t have any draw backs at face value, it is after all a replacement for your shotgun, a powerful secondary weapon which can be used to get you out of binds. This means that until you get a full Rage Meter, your secondary weapon becomes essentially useless. The idea behind the Buff Banner is to put your team, and overall victory, ahead of personal kills. From a team perspective, especially in competitive clan play, a soldier or two bearing a Buff Banner can give your squad the much needed final push to claim victory with a Control Point capture. Players using the Buff Banner should try and plant it close to cluster of teammates in defensive or offensive situations to ensure it has the maximum team goal effect. For example, you can save the Buff Banner for times where your team is about to capture or lose a control point to give your mates a final push that could change the momentum of the round. On a quick side note, you can also place it near an Engineer’s sentry gun to give it mini-critical hits as well.





Gunboats
The Gunboat boots are a secondary weapon given to the Soldier class as a result of their victory over the Demo class in the War Update. Unlike the other unlockables, however, the Gunboats can only be gained either through the Item Drop system or crafting. The Gunboats reduce the damage received when you Rocket Jump. You do not need to “draw” the Gunboats in order to use them, but instead are working from the moment you equip them. However, when equipped they will lockout your secondary weapon slot, preventing you from using either the shotgun or the Buff Banner. The Gunboats also allow you to complete the ever risky, but nifty Grenade Taunt without being blown up yourself.

Like the Buff Banner, while the Gunboats have no actual drawbacks, the fact that you lose your secondary weapon slot when equipped proves a drawback in and of itself. If you are good at rocket jumping and killing enemies in the process, then more power to you – equip away. However, if are not familiar with the Soldier class or prefer to fight face to face with your enemies, be wary of equipping these boots. A Buff Banner or even the standard shotgun may prove far more effective for you on the battlefield.





The Direct Hit
The Direct Hit is the replacement rocket launcher for the Soldier and functions as the primary unlockable. The main advantage to the Direct Hit is that it fires rockets that travel 80% faster and inflict 25% more damage on opponents than the original rocket launcher. The Direct Hit also inflicts Mini-critical hits on targets that are airborne, giving users a reward for accuracy. However, the Direct Hit does have one significant drawback in the damage range which can be inflicted by contact. The damage area of the Direct Hit is 30% smaller than the standard rocket, and is about the size of an operational teleporter.

Strategy wise, accuracy is everything when it comes to the Direct Hit. If you are accurate with the rocket launcher, the Direct Hit will reward you by providing you with increased damage and speed to snag your enemies. However, if you are a soldier who fails to accurately take aim, you will find yourself struggling to kill your enemies. Unlike the standard rocket launcher, players wielding the Direct Hit should aim for the enemy themselves rather than aiming at their feet or at walls behind them. The Direct Hit provides the speed necessary to hit targets more accurately, and the increased damage makes it well worth the effort to land a direct hit (no pun intended). Those who enjoy rocket jumping should beware of the Direct Hit in that players must jump earlier on account of the increased speed, and the decreased damage area means shots need to be more accurate than the standard rocket launcher. As a result, the Direct Hit may be more effective as a defensive weapon rather than an aerial offensive one for most inexperienced soldiers. Still, if you can manage to master the accuracy of the Direct Hit, it can quickly become an extremely efficient way to defeat enemies, even the elusive scout.

Overall the War Update provides players with a multitude of new weapons and strategies which can be used to defeat your opponent. The best advice I can give is that you should not equip an unlocked weapon simply because you achieved it. Sometimes the standard weapon will be far more effective depending on the style of play you use. Also, if you are a competitive gamer, make sure to consult your teammates on which weapon will be most fitting for your team’s play style and will help your squad achieve a quick round victory. Often times you can coordinate with your teammates on which weapons each of you will equip to take advantage not only of the different advantages, but avoid being overwhelmed by their drawbacks. Anyways that’s it for now folks, be sure to check back next week when I will take an in-depth look at the Demo Class. Until then, happy head hunting.