Rocket and Conc Jumps:

First off, for those of you not familiar with this term, a rocket jump is when you use the blast effect of the rocket to launch yourself on a super high jump. Get it right and you can cover huge distances with a single bound... a bit like Superman. But without the cloak.

Here's how to do it. Run along, and then look down at the ground (right down at where your feet would be). Now press jump, and a split second later, press fire. Oh, you'll need to be playing as a soldier of course, and you'll need to have your rocket launcher in your hand. Anyway, look down, press jump, and then press fire. The idea is that just as you jump up, your rocket hits the ground underneath you and the blast will propel you upwards and forwards. It's all in the timing and you'll need to practise it to perfect the technique, and even then you'll still have times when you don't get it right and just flop forward a little bit, or have the agonising feeling of going up towards the ledge you were trying to reach but just falling short and dropping to the ground again. Oops.

Two things you need to remember about rocket jumping: The first is that you'll take health and armour damage from the rocket blast, so if you're low on health there's a good chance you'll die in the process (which naturally carries a high embarrassment factor). If the rocket jump is really high, you could also take some damage when you land again (potentially even more embarrassing if you actually die upon landing), so don't do this sort of thing with low health. Secondly, any of your fellow teammates standing nearby will be caught in the rocket blast themselves and will take armour damage. Some people don't give a jot about this, but others can get a bit worked up, so if you do find yourself on a server with, shall we say a 'sensitive type', a quick check behind for teammates before you rocket jump is a nice thing to do. And we like nice things. Alternatively, just listen out for any footsteps behind you.

Ah, one last tip: Remember that all the time you're in the air you can steer yourself using the direction keys. This makes curved rocket jumps a possibility, and also allows you to pinpoint your landing location. Fabo.

So, having perfected your technique, what are you going to do with it? Ahh well, that's where I describe The Best Rocket Jumps You Can Do On Dustbowl. Oh yes:

1) Location: Map 1, Gulley. Difficulty level: (1 - easiest, 3- hardest) 1. For attackers or defenders? Attackers.

If the gulley is turning into a bloodbath, with HWGuys standing at the end hosing everything that exits the respawn, use this rocket jump to get clear of the gulley in a hurry. Simply spring up and land right outside the turret, then nip inside for a health and armour boost. You can then come out and start firing at any defenders up near the grenade pack.

2) Location: Map 1, Cappoint approach. Difficulty level: 1. Attackers.

Go down the left hand tunnel from the gulley and just as you exit there's a little flat area with the large arch in front of you. If you're carrying the flag, rocket jump across the archway until you're in the cappoint area. Even if you die from a sentry, you've now got the flag right near the cap.

3) Location: Map 1, outside respawn. Difficulty level: 1. Defenders

As you come out the respawn, turn left and then immediately rocket jump up onto the roof of the respawn. Run back and you've a commanding view over the cappoint approach. Very useful for when the flag has been dropped near the cappoint and you need to get into position quickly.

4) Location: Map 2, Grate area. Difficulty level: 2. Attackers.

This uses one of the oddities of Dustbowl to good effect. As you come out of the grate at the beginning of Map 2, go over behind the building to the left. There's a little dead end where you can see the roof of the building above you. Rocket jump up here and you'll land on a strange invisible platform which you can then walk along to reach the roof. From here you can shoot down at any defenders around the grenade pack area.

5) Location: Map 2, Cappoint approach. Difficulty level: 1. Attackers.

As you exit any of the tunnels, jump up onto the ledge of the building that stands in the middle of this area. You can then nip round the corner for resupply from the two ammo bags, before going out onto the ledge overlooking the cappoint to fire on any defenders or sentries.

6) Location: Map 3, Trench. Difficulty level: 3. Attackers

The Trench Jump is the daddy of Dustbowl rocket jumps, because it can win the map. But since defence around this area is usually tight, and because the walls are quite high, it can be a bit tricky. You may find yourself banging into the walls, or getting hit with sentry gun fire as soon as you appear over the top, but keep at it. If you're carrying the flag, rocket jump out in the direction of the cappoint and if you get good height, you can actually land on, or very close to, the cappoint. Top stuff.

7) Location: Map 3, Trench. Difficulty level: 3. Attackers

This is an alternative to The Trench Jump, in that you don't have to be carrying the flag. The idea is to land on the tiny little ledge up above you. From here you can fire across at any sentries or defenders, and if you are carrying the flag, make a dash for the cappoint. However, if you die and the flag is dropped, the attackers will find it almost impossible to retrieve it and you'll almost certainly have to wait for it to return to your respawn. So I'd mainly stick to using this jump to take out the defence.

8) Location: Map 3, Cappoint area. Difficulty level: 3. Defenders

Here's one for the defenders, but it's really hard. Just as you're about to fall into the trench, jump across to this ledge. It saves you a lot of time (you have to go across the bridge, up the ladder and across to reach it otherwise) and it's main use is for when you see a spy go up the ladder into this area. Rocket jump across and surprise him. It's also useful for when you're trying to get someone in the trench and can't get them from the cappoint side of the bridge. Swiftly rocket jump across to the other side and then have another go at them from the ledge.

That's not all the rocket jumps you can do of course, but it should get you started. But wait... there's more, because you can also do demoman jumps as well. Simply shoot out a single pipebomb onto the ground, and then just as you're running over it, detonate it. Get it right and you'll be able to mimic the soldier's rocket jump perfectly. But wait a bit longer too, because there's also concussion jumping (gah, it's just too much info). A concussion jump, or conc jump, can be performed by the scout and medic. Press the key to prime a conc grenade, but don't let go of it. You'll hear the little bings going off, and just as the last one sounds, move forward and jump up into the air. Get the timing right and you'll be propelled forward in one huge leap. Alternatively, drop the grenade on the ground in front of you and then run over and jump over it at the moment of detonation. It takes a fair amount of practice to do it successfully (I'm hopeless at it). Conc jumping is a sadly underused technique on Dustbowl. Since it's only the scout and medic who can do it, it's most useful on attack. Grab the flag, grab a conc grenade, and conc jump your way onto the cap. Hero worship time.

Try MeTa's Conc guide if you want to go into a bit more depth

Come fly with me, let's fly, let's fly awaaaaay... etc.

  

Content by TODave
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