Rocket Soldier
| Rocket Soldier | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Faction | Both |
| Function | Anti-Vehicle/Building Infantry |
| Health | 100 |
| Armor |
|
| Armor Type | Flak |
| Primary Weapon | Missile Launcher |
| Sidearm | Machine Pistol |
| Speed |
|
| Explosives |
|
| Cost | $225 |
The Rocket Soldier is suited to tackle vehicles from long ranges. Both the Global Defense Initiative and the Brotherhood of Nod have access to this infantry class.
Appearance
GDI
GDI Rocket Soldiers wear greenish military jackets with GDI insignia , trousers, boots, and kneepads, along with glasses and a hat on the top. They also carry a small communication device on their right ear.
Nod
Nod Rocket Soldiers wear red and black military jackets with Nod insignia , trousers, and boots, along with a gas mask featuring red googles and a hat on the top.
Function
Rocket Soldiers are able to harass any vehicles from a safe distance with their Missile Launchers; they can also damage buildings from afar; Lastly, they are also equipped with a backup Silenced Pistol and a Timed C4 for armors and buildings destruction.
Strategy
Usage
Rocket Soldiers boast a high range with their Missile Launchers: usually anything they can see, they can hit (with few exceptions). They are generally employed to attack vehicles from safe spots without risk of retaliation. Rocket Soldiers' primary weapon will lock-on a target after few seconds, allowing missiles to home into vehicles that otherwise could avoid a straight missile, such as Humvees, Buggies, APCs, Orcas, and Apaches.
Rocket Soldiers' Missile Launchers have an alternate fire option (right-click by default), which ignores any lock-on and shoots the missile straightforward; if the missile is fired with this method, it will go faster than the ones fired with the normal fire option (left-click by default).
The aforementioned alternate fire option is best employed in a tactic known as "Rocket Rush", where a large group of Rocket Soldiers keeps firing missiles against an opponent's building. This tactic is usually employed in early game due to the low cost and the surprise factor, but it works well even in late game, especially when the opponent team does not expect it.
The necessity to reload after firing one time and the slow speed of the missile itself make Rocket Soldiers ill-suited to take on infantries; still, a missile into the face of the opponent will guarantee high damage, should the player be able to hit them. Switching to the side-weapon is another possible option when fighting infantry.
Lastly, Rocket Soldiers are the cheapest infantries that carry Anti Tank Mines, which will prove useful against enemy vehicle rushes.
Counters
Rocket Soldiers are not suited well against other infantries: they can be easily disposed by any infantry, even Soldiers and Engineers. Considering that their missile is slow, you may be able to avoid it by strafing away from its trajectory. Once you catch up to him, he might fire towards your feet to hit you via splash damage, but he will usually damage himself in doing so. Taking account of his long reload times, you should be able to dispatch him easily at close ranges.
Fast vehicles can evade rockets by going behind cover or outlasting its duration by driving away. When you are driving an aerial vehicle, if the enemy fired locked-on rockets at you, you will hear an alert sound. It is possible to evade those rockets if you fly behind some cover or if you fly fast (holding shift) in one direction.