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For the older class in TFC, see Soldier (Classic).
Soldier/ Jane Doe
250px-Soldier
Icon Soldier leaderboard icon TF2
Type Offensive
Health 200 /RED Medic emblem TF2300
Name Soldier/ Jane Doe
Height 183 cm (6’0”)
Date Of Birth July 4th
Job Mercenary/Lawyer/Priest and possibly other jobs
Speed 80%
Appears in Team Fortress 2
Voice Actor Rick May
Meet the SoldierMeet the Soldier TF2

Voice Actor

Rick May - Born in 1940. Died in 2020✞ by Covid-19

"If God had wanted you to live, he would not have created ME!"

The Soldier is a crazed, jingoistic patriot from the American Midwest. Tough and well-armed, he's versatile, capable of both offense and defense, and a great starter class to get familiar with the game.

Bio[]

Name: Unkown (referred to as mister Jane Doe)
Location of origin: Midwestern United States
Job: Mercenary/Lawyer
Motto: "I'm a Rocket Man".
Special ability: Rocket Jump
Emblems: Rocket
Beta emblems: US army helmet
Description: The soldier is a crazed, jingoistic patriot from the West Coast of America. Tough and well-armed, he is versatile, capable of both offense and defense, and a great starter class to get familiar with the game.

Well-balanced and possessing both survivability and mobility, the Soldier is considered one of the most flexible classes in Team Fortress 2. Despite his low ground movement speed, he is capable of using rocket jumps to reach his destination quickly. His large health pool is second only to that of the Heavy, and his wide array of armaments and weaponry allows him to bring whatever weapon or equipment is best suited to the situation at hand.

The Soldier is well known for his spectacular rocket jump. In defiance of all good sense and judgment, the Soldier can detonate a rocket at his feet and launch himself skyward at the cost of some health (which can be reduced by the Gunboats, or negated altogether by the Rocket Jumper). This ability allows the Soldier to navigate the battlefield by air, appear from unexpected places, and reach areas off-limits even to the Scout's double jump and Hype jumps. The Soldier's time airborne from a rocket jump can be increased with the B.A.S.E. Jumper.

The Soldier was voiced by the late Rick May. He was voiced by May and Nolan North in Expiration Date.

Weapons[]

Primary[]

Weapon Kill Icon Ammo
Loaded
Ammo
Carried
Damage
Range
Notes / Special Abilities
Rocket Launcher item icon TF2
Stock
Rocket Launcher
Rocket Launcher kill icon TF2
4
20
Base: 90
Crits: 270
Original item icon TF2
Craft
Original
Original kill icon TF2
4
20
Base: 90
Crits: 270
Pictogram infoRockets fly straight down the crosshair from the center of the screen.
Direct Hit item icon TF2
Unlock
Direct Hit
Direct Hit kill icon TF2
4
20
Base: 112
Crits: 338

Pictogram plusHas 80% faster rocket speed.
Pictogram plusRockets deal 25% more damage.

Pictogram plusGuarantees mini-crit damage on opponents sent airborne by an explosion.
Pictogram minusHas 70% smaller splash damage radius.

Black Box item icon TF2
Craft
Black Box
Black Box kill icon TF2
3
20
Base: 90
Crits: 270
Pictogram plusOn hit, restores 20 health.
Pictogram minusHas a 25% smaller clip size (clip size of 3).
Rocket Jumper item icon TF2
Craft
Rocket Jumper
N/A
4
60
Base: 0
Crits: 0
Pictogram plusGrants the player triple max primary ammo.
Pictogram plusNo self-inflicted blast damage is taken.

Pictogram minusDeals no damage whatsoever.
Pictogram minusUnable to carry the Intelligence.
Pictogram infoNo random critical hits (purely cosmetic, as they don't inflict any damage).

Liberty Launcher item icon TF2
Craft
Liberty Launcher
Liberty Launcher kill icon TF2
5
20
Base: 68
Crits: 203

Pictogram plusHas a 25% bigger clip size (clip size of 5).

Pictogram plusHas 40% faster rocket speed.

Pictogram plusReduces the damage taken from Rocket Jumps by 25%.

Pictogram minusDeals 25% less damage to enemies.

Cow Mangler 5000 item icon TF2
Craft
Cow Mangler 5000
Cow Mangler 5000 kill icon TF2
Fire effect kill icon TF2
4
Base: 90
Crits: 270
Pictogram plusDoesn't use ammo.
Pictogram minusDeals 80% less damage to buildings.
Pictogram minusAll critical hits are converted to mini-crits.

Pictogram infoAlt-fire: A charged shot that mini-crits players, causes them to suffer Afterburn for 6 seconds, and disables buildings for 4 seconds.

Beggar's Bazooka item icon TF2
Craft
Beggar's Bazooka
Rocket Launcher kill icon TF2
3
20
Base: 90
Crits: 270
Pictogram plusHold Fire to load up to three rockets.
Pictogram plusRelease Fire to unleash the barrage at 70% increased fire rate.
Pictogram minus+3 degrees random projectile deviation.
Pictogram minusOverloading the chamber will cause a misfire.
Pictogram minusCannot collect ammo from Dispensers.

Secondary[]

Weapon Kill Icon Ammo
Loaded
Ammo
Carried
Damage
Range
Notes / Special Abilities
Shotgun item icon TF2
Stock
Shotgun
Shotgun kill icon TF2
6
32
Base: 60
Crits: 180

Melee[]

The Soldier's Associations[]

The Soldier's a crucial attacking unit in most modes and can easily handle himself in nearly any situation. He can beat the Heavy and weak classes due to their slow speed and/or lack of health, respectively. The Engineer can be beaten easily by the Soldier because the Soldier carries the Rocket Launcher, making it easy for him to overcome unguarded buildings from long range. With the help of the Spy, the Soldier should have no trouble taking down an Engineer. Against the Scout, Medic, Sniper, and Spy he will most likely be beaten because his little speed compared to theirs makes it easy for them to circle-strafe him and dodge his rockets. They can safely take him out from a further range than his Shotgun allows, putting him at a disadvantage. He can catch an enemy Soldier by surprise to easily beat him, but if both are alert of each other's position and presence, then a deadlock can occur, due to the long range giving them plenty of time to dodge each other's rockets. The Soldier can also use his Rocket Jumping ability, which entails the Soldier aiming his rocket launcher at his feet and pulling the trigger, sending the Soldier skyrocketing. This damages the Soldier somewhat (the Gunboats can help to eliminate this problem), but it's useful for getting you into places the other team wouldn't expect the slow, unwieldy Soldier to be and giving you an opportunity for a surprise rocket. His massive amounts of different melee weapons make him very dangerous whether at low health or right positioning.

Tf2 soldier

The Soldier's early design for Team Fortress 2.

Quotes[]

  • "Maggots!"
  • "Give 'em hell boys!"
  • "You are all weak. You are all bleeders.
  • "You're dead, that's good, amen."
  • "If God had wanted you to live, he would not have created me!!!!"
  • "Take your lumps like a man, Private Twinkletoes."
  • "I am going to crawl down your throat and tear out your very soul!!!"
  • "Last one alive lock the door!."
  • "Pain is weakness leaving the man."
  • "This is my world. You are not welcome in my world."
  • "I joined this team just to kill maggots like you."
  • "Boisterous, Bird of Prey!"
  • "I have done nothing but teleport bread for three days."
  • "Down and give me 20!"
  • "I am not trapped in facility full of robots, you are all trapped in here with me!"
  • "We won the battle, now let's win the war."
  • "Hello Ms. Pauling, we killed everybody and took the briefcase!"
  • "Each and every one of you will be sent home to your mama in a box!"
  • "Yes, sir."
  • "If fighting is sure to result in victory, then you must fight!."
  • "Scotland is not a real country, you are an Englishman in a dress."
  • "Merasmus, I will pull a rabbit out of your ass!"
  • "Affirmative."
  • "Roger that."
  • "You can have this when you pry it from my cold dead hands, and even then, it will be difficult because I will have glued it to my cold dead hands."
  • "I'm not going to just give it to ya, that would provide a sensation of pleasure."
  • "We have you surrounded, at least from this side!"
  • "Get a haircut, hippie!"

Strategies[]

  • If enemies (especially Pyros) charge at you and you see them, shoot a rocket at their feet to hold them in mid-air for a while (though an experienced player might have no problem redirecting rockets using the compression blast. Some pyros will compression blast but only a few will reflect the rocket to you Most will just reflect it back to the ground.).
  • When dealing with Scouts, you need to rely on your splash damage to hurt them (splash damage is where the explosion of the rocket damages the enemy). Use the floor, walls, boxes, and even other enemies to hurt the Scout. This could be a problem for Soldiers using the Direct Hit, however, since it lacks splash damage.
  • If you meet a Heavy at point-blank range (meaning that the Heavy is near to you), Rocket Jump away then shoot a rocket while you can still see him (Heavies are deadly at point-blank range).
  • When dealing with groups of enemies, like shooting a Scout, use the splash damage to hurt all of them at once. (Note: if using the Direct Hit, shoot the floor if they're close to each other.)
  • If ANY enemies get close to you, just do a Rocket Jump. Sometimes players will deal so much damage that rocket jumping will just kill you so be careful.
  • Predicting enemies is essential. You HAVE to predict the opponent's movement, especially if using the Direct Hit.
  • Don't think the Direct Hit's undodgeable- even Heavies can dodge it if they see it coming.
  • If you notice any signs of Spies cloaking (a slight shimmer or a flicker), use splash damage to reveal the Spy's location and kill him. The Direct Hit works, too, but it's less effective.

Tips[]

  • Reload regularly.

Your Rocket Launcher only holds four rockets at a time. When it's empty, you're vulnerable. You can reload at any time by hitting your "Use Special Skill" (right mouse button by default) or "Reload" (R by default) keys, so whenever you've got a moment to throw a rocket or two into your launcher. Smart enemies will be counting the number of times you've fired, and they'll try and attack you when they think you're empty. Reload before you run out, and you can give them a nasty surprise when they charge you.

  • Learn to Rocket Jump.

One of the unique things a Soldier can do is a Rocket Jump. It's a term for a somewhat brute force method of gaining some height. Aim your Rocket Launcher straight down at your feet, and press your "Fire" button and your "Jump" button at the same time. The rocket will hit the ground at your feet, exploding and propelling you up into the air. It'll hurt you a bit, but it's an excellent way to get into areas of the map that's usually inaccessible. It takes a bit of practice, but once you've got it you'll be the bane of Snipers everywhere as you Rocket Jump into their sniping positions from the ground below.

Rocket Jump[]

As a Soldier, the unique thing about your class is your Rocket Jump. Use this to reach normally inaccessible areas and traverse terrain within a matter of seconds. Rocket Jumping can also be used for combat.

Epic_Rocket-Walljump_Kill_-_Team_Fortress_2_Badwater_Basin_Replay_HD

Epic Rocket-Walljump Kill - Team Fortress 2 Badwater Basin Replay HD

A soldier using rocket jumping and wall jumping in combat

Basic Rocket jump[]

To perform a basic Rocket Jump, you must jump, point at the ground, and shoot, launching you to a decent height. The Rocket Jumper is useful if you need to rocket jump and don't want to lose health.

Classic Rocket jump[]

Classic Rocket Jumps are the most useful. To perform a Classic Rocket jump you must hit the spacebar+Ctrl and shoot the ground. This will send you nearly double the height of the basic Rocket Jump and uses the same health, therefore making it the most useful.

TF2_Rocket_Jumping_Tutorial_The_3_Techniques

TF2 Rocket Jumping Tutorial The 3 Techniques

A rocket jumping tutorial

Wall jump[]

To wall jump, you can either use a classic rocket jump or basic. To wall jump, you must be near a wall of some kind. First, Rocket Jump as you normally would, but ALWAYS stay crouched in mid-air and move towards the wall. When you make contact with the wall, start firing at the bit of wall beneath you. This propels you up and up and up until you either run out of health or reach your destination. Wall jumps can be performed vertically or horizontally.

Freedom_-_A_TF2_Jump_Movie,_by_Dellort

Freedom - A TF2 Jump Movie, by Dellort

How professionals rocket jump

To wall jump horizontally, you propel yourself towards a wall while facing it and strafing to the side then when you make contact with the wall keep shooting at the bit of wall behind you but, flick your mouse towards the direction behind you, then flicking it back in position, then flicking it back again to the direction your rocket jumping from. Repeat this until you reach your destination.

Pogo Jumping[]

Pogo (or speed Pogo) is a series of Rocket Jumps low to the ground without stopping. it's considered to be a way of traversing when there are no walls present to Rocket Jump off of. this tactic is very well used by pro players in matches to start of their rollout. A good way to pogo is to simply jump forward and hold down the primary fire. after the first rocket (if connected well) hold down your crouch button and keep holding down the primary fire. use your movement keys as necessary. if done well, you will go faster as each rocket is beneath the player which will accelerate even further.

Trivia[]

  • The Soldier's real name is unknown, but he has been referred to as Jane Doe.[1]
    • John/Jane Doe are names used to refer to an anonymous person of unknown identity, the name changes depending on gender.
  • The Soldier has made several posts on the Official Blog, often referring to the Team Fortress 2 team as "The Powers That Be."
  • The Soldier is both a priest and a lawyer as stated in Grave Matters pg. 14, although he mentions this is conditional to specific states/countries.
  • The Soldier calls everybody "maggots", especially when he is irritated. However, he also calls his teammates (especially the Scout) "son" when not.
  • He may also call his team "maggots" if they are not helping him cap a control point.
  • On May 1st 2020, when Rick May died from COVID-19 in April 8 2020, aged 79 in a nursing home in Seattle while recovering from a stroke, Valve released an update to Team Fortress 2 adding a tribute to May's voice work as the Soldier in the form of a new main menu theme titled "Saluting The Fallen", and locking the character image in the main menu to Soldier. The update also added statues of the Soldier saluting to most of the official in-game maps. These statues all feature a commemorative plaque dedicated to May, and will reportedly last through the end of the month of May. The statues emit a number of pre-selected voice lines from the Soldier when approached. Many Team Fortress 2 fans have released tribute videos on YouTube to tribute May.
    • According to a Reddit user, who saw a YouTube comment containing May's final words, May, in his final hours, told a friend "It took a pandemic to kill me." Although, this is not confirmed.
    • Soldier was revealed to be clone of MacArthur, Eisenhower and Patton in the story arc "Balding Eagles
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