The generalist of the fireteam
The Soldier is the most balanced offensive unit in the game. Its official role is a mainstay offensive unit able to fight at close to medium range with melee, grenades, heavy blaster fire, and a powerful rocket launcher. That spread of tools makes it the safe pick when you do not know what the mission will throw at you: it is not the best at anything specific, and it is never without an answer.
Compared with the other standard classes:
- Against the Assault, it trades flanking mobility and burst for mid-range reach and area punch.
- Against the Heavy, it trades damage absorption for offensive output.
- Against the Sharpshooter, it gives up extreme-range precision to punish grouped enemies with grenades and rockets.
Getting value from all three tools
- Grenades answer clustered cover. When two or three enemies share a position, one grenade returns more value per Action Point than any single shot.
- Heavy blaster fire is pressure and suppression. It punishes units trying to reposition and generates squad Advantage through repeated hits.
- The rocket launcher is the anti-armor answer. Against armored or mechanical units, the rocket avoids the long exchange the Soldier would otherwise lose.
Remember that powerful class abilities are funded by the shared Advantage meter (10 charges maximum) rather than extra Action Points: the Soldier generates Advantage while shooting and spends it at the decisive moment. See the AP & Advantage guide.
Positioning
- Second echelon, one step behind the Heavy or Assault — close enough to reach with grenades, far enough back to avoid reaction fire.
- Wide sightlines, not frontal ones. Punishing from a slightly lateral angle multiplies the value of its grenades.
- Never the only unit in a corridor. Without a unit soaking reaction fire, the Soldier holds less ground than its armor suggests.
Dual-classing and progression
The Soldier is a standard specialization, reassigned at the Den's Personnel facility. Its natural partner is the Heavy: together they form the game's most stable front and enable squad support effects that return Action Points to nearby allies — an effect that in a 4-operator squad is often worth an entire turn. It also pairs with Medic on long campaigns where Injuries accumulate. Read the dual-class guide before splitting Focus Points.
When not to bring it
- Infiltration missions where not being detected is the objective: this is a loud class by definition.
- Extreme-range elimination scenarios, where the Sharpshooter is more efficient per Action Point.
- When the squad already runs two frontline units and lacks support or sustain.
Common mistakes
- Hoarding grenades for the end. The best moment for a grenade is when three enemies share cover and your squad has not acted yet.
- Using the rocket on scattered infantry. Its value is against armored or mechanical targets.
- Ignoring Overwatch. It is the best way to punish an enemy that moves on its own turn and to cover a flank while the rest of the squad advances.