Soldier Loadout Tips

[Captain Mormon Jesus™]

Ok guys I thank you very much for the pyro tips. Now on to something alittle harder.
S. Black Box
Gunboats
S. Market Gardener/Escape Plan
This is my soldier loadout. Note please that i will only change my melee primary and secondary are set.
Thanks!

[Zyroxeon]

fring pan

[HCDazal]

You may actually want to use an Equalizer, your Gunboats and Black Box should allow you to rocket jump out of danger rather easily.

[Fat2.1 [Bro #2]]

Market gardener is extremely difficult for many people to use efficiently (myself being one of them), so I would reccomend the Escape plan or Equalizer.

[Wired Mike]

If you're gonna be rocket jumping, I'd suggest NOT using the B Box, due its 3 rocket clip. I prefer to use the stock launcher in all engagements.

[Zyroxeon]

Originally posted by The Crit-Magnet Brony:

If you're gonna be rocket jumping, I'd suggest NOT using the B Box, due its 3 rocket clip. I prefer to use the stock launcher in all engagements.

comang for jumping amirite

[aub]

Black Box is good for everything but rocket-jumping, and so of course people will call you a noob if you use it. You don't want to be a noob do you? Plus, if you have Gunboats, you're probably gonna do a lot of rocket-jumping.
The stock launcher is good. Good for all situations.
Market Gardener is OK since the downside means almost nothing. However, the Escape Plan works well too. Since you already tend to use those, I think you're good. If you really wanna annoy people, however, and you're good with timing, then the Market Gardener's best. In most other cases, however, the Escape Plan is good.

[Captain Mormon Jesus™]

would the shotgun be an option?

[Octavia]

The Shotgun is a perfectly viable option; you sacrifice the mobility of your consistent Rocket Jumps, but you gain a reliable method of dealing damage. Considering you use the Black Box, I'd personally recommend the Shotgun; you only have a clip size of three, so unless you find yourself terminating fights in three shots, you may find a great benefit from the Shotgun. Being able to inflict reliable, hitscan damage is quite useful, especially if you miss your rockets. It really is a personal choice; however, I find that both the Liberty Launcher and Black Box benefit from a secondary damage method, since Rocket Jumps already reduce your small clip size. The Shotgun really allows you to get damage when you need it, and can assist in finishing off an opponent if you run out of rockets. It's really depending on which launcher you use, and how you play; try them both out, and see which is more effective in most situations.

The Escape Plan is probably a better choice, but I personally use the Market Gardener; while I haven't gotten a Rocket Jump kill yet, I'm sure they feel fantastic. If you really want to be completely efficient, then the Escape Plan is probably the better option; the Pain Train is also useful in certain situations, but you should only be using it during certain parts of maps, if it all. The most viable melee is most likely the Escape Plan, followed by the Market Gardener.

[Wired Mike]

Originally posted by Octavia:

The Escape Plan is probably a better choice, but I personally use the Market Gardener; while I haven't gotten a Rocket Jump kill yet, I'm sure they feel fantastic.

They do feel rather awesome, but Mantread kills are often more satisfying due to the 'squash' sound they make when you land on someone. That and you killed someone by, of all things, STEPPING ON THEM.

I'd suggest using Rocket Jumper+Mantreads+Market Gardener to make full use of the two. It's a very effective setup on Payload Race and certain KOTH maps, especially the new holiday map Ghost Fort.

[Zyroxeon]

I really can NOT Market Garden for my life. I've tried, oh believe me I've tried... I just can't.

[Raumo]

I play Original, Shotgun and Escape Plan. Sometimes switch out the shotty for gunboats.

[In Memory]

Black box allows you to heal 45 hp asuming you hit all three. The heal is great but the third rocket is usually the finisher. If a soldier is to miss that last shot it gives the enemy about a second to kill you because you have to reload.
You cant pull out the shotgun because you are using the gunboats.
If your using any rocket launcher that only has 3 rockets, then it is a must to carry a shotgun.
The market gardener is a great weapon on paper but when applied in game it is horrible.
The escape plan allows you to get away from any class but the scout. A medic maybe able to chase you down but that doesnt matter as the medic doesnt really have much offensiveness.

Personally i chose the direct hit, shotgun and escape plan.
One direct hit can kill and 125hp scout, so im going to assume that is does 125 damage.
The direct hit can 2 shot everything in close range.
1 shot the scout, engi, spy and sniper in point blank.
Killing someone in medium range is a slightly harder thing to do. But that is why you have a trusty shotgun to help you out.
And if anything goes wrong just pull out the escape plan.
Thats how i play my soldier