Soldier

The **Soldier** is a rock-obsessed, near caveman-level intellectual with a Midwest American accent. Tough and well-armed, he's versatile, capable of both offense and defense, and a great starter class to get familiar with the game. His extreme movement from rocket-jumping and grenade-jumping coupled with his high health and armor means he's usually one of the first to get to fights and the last to leave.

His damage output is one of his biggest strengths, as his Rocket Launcher and Shotgun both deal great damage at short to mid-range. However, any further than that and his rockets and grenades become easy to dodge or disarm, and the spread on his shotgun can reduce its effectiveness. Snipers especially can give him a tough time, as they excel in long range and can instantly disarm his grenades with his Sniper Rifle, which can put the soldier himself down in a couple of Headshots. Pyros and Demomen may also give him a run for his money, as they also thrive in the same ranges with high health, protective armor, and explosive attacks.

### Weaponry

#### Rocket Launcher

The Primary Weapon of the Soldier is the Rocket Launcher, a mid-ranged projectile weapon. It deals 100 damage at max ramp-up, deals 45 damage at max fall-off, and has a clip size of 4 with 20 reserve ammo. It deals 40% less self-damage, so it can be used to send himself flying quicker than grenade-jumping, at the cost of distance.

#### Shotgun

Soldier's Secondary is the Shotgun, a close-ranged hitscan weapon. It fires shells at a good rate, and each shell deals a base 60 damage (90 at max ramp-up) with a clip size of 6 and 32 reserve ammo. Each shot will fire 9 pellets in a fixed 3x3 pattern. The Shotgun is a great choice for fast or ascended targets that are hard to hit with splash damage from the Rocket Launcher. It is effective at point blank ranges where the Rocket Launcher would damage the Soldier who fired it. It is a steel sawed-off shotgun with a brown pump.

#### Shovel

Soldier's Melee is the Shovel. After a .65 second delay, it will deal 65 damage to a player within point-blank range in front of you. It is useful if an enemy catches the Soldier off guard in close ranges when the Shotgun is out of ammo. It also excels at destroying Special Grenades that may cause harm to your team.

#### Frag Grenades

Soldier's Primary Grenade is a set of 2 Frag Grenades. Pressing the Primary Grenade key will have Soldier lower his current weapon and bring up a Frag Grenade with his left hand, pulling the pin out with his teeth before bringing it back while holding his right hand face-down straight out in front of him. If you press the key again/let go of the key, he will then toss it forward, dealing up to 90 damage to anyone caught in the blast, as well as 2 or 1 damage if they are hit head-on, depending on if it bounced first. Choosing not to throw it will result in the grenade exploding in Soldier's hand, dealing 50 self-damage and sending him in the direction he is looking in. This is Soldier's grenade-jump, which sends him very far and doesn't harm him too much. It also doesn't use up a rocket, making it a good tool for starting bombing runs.

#### Nail Grenade

For his Special Grenade, Soldier carries a set of two Nail Grenades. Pressing the Special Grenade key will have Soldier lower his current weapon and bring up an opened Nail Grenade in both hands. Then he will either squeeze it closed with both hands or slam it with his right fist to close it. If you press the key again/let go of the key, he will then toss it forward. When the fuse is up it will stop mid air (Or rise a short distance from the ground if it is too close to it) and shoot nails in all directions for four seconds before detonating. Each nail deals 10 damage and the explosion deals up to 60 damage. Every nail will hit if an enemy walks into it, so it is useful for cutting off hallways and small rooms.

Soldier's lore page shows off his love of nature and lack of intellect.