Auxiliary

Auxiliary refers to a group of wide ranging classes that support their fellow soldiers in battle through unique abilities. This article will help one master and understand the basics of auxiliary.

Musicians

Abilities

Musicians can increase the firing accuracy of nearby rank and file by playing their instruments. This boost starts out at 8% for one musician but can stack to 12% if two musicians plays a song with another. While one is boosting another player, the boosted player's team/regimental circle above their head will gain a purple outline. Their symbol on the minimap will also turn purple. (This ability is known as 'Musician'.)

To play an instrument, a player must press the Q key on default control settings. Q opens a menu of possible songs to play. While playing a song, it will show up as green in the 'Q' menu. While a friendly musician plays a song it will show up as yellow in this menu.

Equipment

Every type of musician has a pistol, sword, and instrument as their default equipment. The pistol cannot kill through body shots past short ranges and must be aimed to shoot the heads of the enemy to score a kill.

Class Variations

There are four types of musicians in Holdfast as follows:

Fifers

Fifers are available to all nations on default land map settings. These auxiliary men play their fifes and are the only music class in the game that is able to crouch while playing their instrument.

Drummers

Like fifers, drummers are available to all nations on default land map settings. Drummers have access to the drum. The drum can play many of the same songs a fife can and is useful for assisting fifers to bring the total boost to 12%.

Bagpipers

Bagpipers are a unique music class only available to the British. Bagpipers can play many of the same songs as fifers and drummers, however; the accuracy boost will not go above 12% even if 3 musicians are playing in unison.

Violinists

Violinists are the only naval-unique music class and cannot spawn on default land maps. Due to their naval restriction, violinists are only avaliable to the French and British.

Due to their naval nature, violinists are able to swim 35% faster ('light swimmer' trait).

Surgeons

Abilities

Surgeons are able to view the healthbars of nearby friendly troops. Once a surgeon enters the proximity of an injured friendly soldier while facing them, he or she has the ability to heal them by holding down 'E'. (This ability is known as 'Medicine'.)

If a surgeon is injured in battle, he or she may heal themselves by holding down 'Q'. Self healing has a cooldown of one minute. (This ability is known as 'Bandage'.)

Equipment

This unit class has access to a pistol, sword and Knife. The pistol must hit headshots to kill past striking distance.

Flagbearers

Abilities

While holding a flag, a flagbearer can increase the reload speed of nearby rank and file by 10%. This boost does not stack with other flagbearers. (This ability is known as 'Standard Bearer'.)

While one is boosting another player, the boosted player's team/regimental circle above their head will gain a purple outline. Their symbol on the minimap will also turn purple.

Equipment

This unit class has access to a pistol, sword and flag. Aside from its use in boosting reload speeds, the flag can be used as a two directional melee weapon. Although the damage caused by a flag is low compared to most weapons (1/4 health to a standard lineman), flags have exceptional range (with the exception of the French flag).

Sappers

Abilities

Sappers have access to three unique construction tools that allow them to build, a hammer, a sledgehammer, and a shovel.

Construction and Digging

To build, a player on default controls must hold right click to open a build menu.

While in this menu a player is greeted with three options:

1. Mode Selector: Mode selector is the top left option and functions as a 'hub' to allow quick access of other options. This option allows one to choose between:

1a. Construct (top left): This button brings one back to the default menu they started on as construct is the default mode. (A hammer is equiped in this mode.) When one clicks on a structure to build, a green outline of the structure will appear. One can rotate this outline using the scroll wheel or move its location by moving/turning the sapper itself in the desired direction. Once the green outline is in the desired location one must press left click. After this the player must hit it a certain amount of time times with a hammer to fully build it. The 'construction menu' has two submenus for structure options:

1aa. Defenses: This menu allows a player to build one of seven things:

Infantry Stakes: (3 materials, 5 hits) When a player walks into these, it damages the player to half health, often killing them if they hold down the movement key and continue moving into the stakes.

Gabion: (2 materials, 4 hits) A gabion is used for cover from musket fire. A gabion can protect all but the head of a crouching player.

Chevaux de Frise (Large): (5 materials, 8 hits) When a mounted soldier runs into these, their horse is killed. This often injures or even kills the rider due to the fall they take.

Chevaux de Frise (Small): (2 materials, 2 hits) When a mounted soldier runs into these, they are knocked off their horse. This structure also damages non-mounted troops (though this damage is minimal).

Palisade: (10 materials, 25 hits) These walls cover the full body (and more) of a soldier. These are excellent for cover.

Palisade Platform: (10 materials, 25 hits) These act as stairs and allow a player to shoot over a palisade while still having their bodies protected. (A well placed earthwork can also act as a substitute for this.)

Chair: (No materials-build limit is 4 on a standard server, 2 hits) These allow a player to sit down after a long, hard day fighting for their nation. Chairs also provide minimal cover.

1ab. Artillery: This menu allows a player to build one of four things:

Explosive Barrel: (No materials- limit of 4, 7 hits) An explosive barrel can be blow up by either shooting a player holding it or setting a 10 second timer via interacting with the barrel (e). A barrel may also be held by a player with the trait 'Explosives Specialist'. This trait is found in both sappers and carpenters. Upon explosion, the barrel will kill any player and destroy any destructible building within 4 or so meters.

Swivel Gun: (5 materials - limit of 2, 10 hits) A swivel gun can only fire grapeshot. There is no ramming required (though there is a 10 second cooldown.) This small cannon may be carried by a sapper.

Ammobox: (No materials- limit of 4, 3 hits) This player-built ammobox may be used to load cannons and contains both grape and roundshot.

Rocketstack: (No materials- limit of 4, 3 hits) This player-built rocket ammunition may be used to load rockets.

1b. Deconstruct (bottom left): This button closes the menu and equips the player with a sledgehammer. While the sledge hammer is equiped, a player may hit sapper fortifications (including friendly ones) to break them down. After enough hits (this corresponds with the amount of hits it took to build- though unfinished builds will be taken down instantly regardless of how many hits went into them) the structure will disapear and the materials will be recycled back into the team's material count. Deconstruct does not work on earthworks and sandbags (refer to 1d. for this).

1c. Dig (top right): This button will open up the 'dig menu'. This menu has three options, on the top left is the mode selector button (refer to '1.') while there are two unique options. The top right button allows one to place down earthworks. When one clicks this button, a green highlight will appear on where to place an earthworks. One can rotate this using the scroll wheel or move its location by moving/turning the sapper itself in the desired direction. Once the green outline is in the desired location one must press left click. After this the player must hit it three times with a shovel to fully build it. Sandbags (another option in the 'dig menu') can only be placed on finished earthworks. After clicking on the sandbag button, a green outline will appear when facing earthworks. Sandbags are built instantly and require no hits to bring them up to their previous level.

1d. Undig (bottom right): This mode uses the same mechanics as deconstruct (refer to 1b.) but only works on sandbags and earthworks.

Equipment

Aside from the building tools, a sapper has access to a sword, carbine and adze. The adze can be used to destroy enemy or prebuilt destructible structures faster.

Carpenters

Abilities

A carpenter's hallmark ability comes with his or her two-handed axe. This axe (though not very useful in melee against experienced players) cuts through destructible buildings/objects (including many ship parts) like a hot knife through butter! To complement this ability sappers also have the 'Explosives Specialist' trait which allows them to carry explosive barrels. Overall, the combination of these two abilities makes carpenters very useful for breaching defenses.

*Note: carpenters cannot build or repair ships, sapper constructions or any other object.

Equipment

Aside from the two-handed axe, a carpenter has an adze which also damages structures, however at a slower rate. A carpenter's weapons include a sword and a blunderbuss. A blunderbuss shoots multiple projectiles. This comes with the drawback of it having a very short practical range in both accuracy and the ability to kill through body shots.