The Soldier has been the most popular class in Team Fortress 2 for ten years in a row and is my number one main class. The Soldier is a “generalist”—meaning he is versatile in any situation and doesn’t have many weaknesses in 1v1 encounters. He has a low skill floor but a high skill ceiling, meaning he is easy to pick up as a beginner but difficult to master at a high level.
The Soldier uses a rocket launcher to deal splash damage, control space, and punish grouped enemies. He can effectively 1v1 any other class in the game and has a good chance of coming out on top. The Soldier also has the ability to "rocket jump"—this means he can shoot a rocket at his feet to propel himself into the air at great speeds and heights, at the cost of some health and ammo.
This skill can be learned and mastered with time and patience. The results can range from simply launching into the air to gain high ground, to performing advanced "pogo" jumps that carry him from one end of the map to the other. This effectively makes the Soldier not only a strong 1v1 fighter but also a highly mobile assassin.
Thanks to the mobility rocket jumping provides, the Soldier gains one of the greatest advantages in any shooter game: the ability to choose his engagements. This means he can assess a situation and decide whether to stay and fight from an advantageous position—or rocket jump away and avoid a fight if he feels he's at a disadvantage.
While the Soldier, is a very strong class he has many weaknesses that balance out his strengths. Soldier is one of the slower classes in the game (without rocket jumping), making him an easy target for faster classes like Scout or Spy. He also has limited ammo and a long reload time. The Rocket Launcher only holds four rockets, and each must be reloaded one at a time. In long fights or if you miss multiple shots, Soldier can easily run out of ammo or become vulnerable while reloading. Soldier can also take damage from his own rockets, especially when fighting at close range or performing rocket jumps. This makes him more vulnerable in tight spaces or when surprised by enemies up close.
Below are links to videos explaining Soldier in more detail.
