diff --git a/docs/_newsfragments/2156.newandimproved.rst b/docs/_newsfragments/2156.newandimproved.rst
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..50aaa8d8f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/_newsfragments/2156.newandimproved.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+- **Deprecation**: Support for `testtools` in `falcon.testing` is now deprecated and will be removed in Falcon 5.0.
+  If `testtools` is selected automatically (i.e., without explicit configuration via `FALCON_BASE_TEST_CASE`), a deprecation warning will be issued.
+  Explicit configuration using `FALCON_BASE_TEST_CASE=testtools.TestCase` will not emit a warning.
diff --git a/falcon/testing/test_case.py b/falcon/testing/test_case.py
index 632b662b7..b995c87e7 100644
--- a/falcon/testing/test_case.py
+++ b/falcon/testing/test_case.py
@@ -18,6 +18,10 @@
 utilities for simulating and validating HTTP requests.
 """
 
+from importlib import import_module
+import os
+import warnings
+
 try:
     import testtools as unittest
 except ImportError:  # pragma: nocover
@@ -25,26 +29,66 @@
 
 import falcon
 import falcon.request
-
-# TODO hoist for backwards compat. Remove in falcon 4.
 from falcon.testing.client import Result  # NOQA
 from falcon.testing.client import TestClient
 
+# TODO hoist for backwards compat. Remove in falcon 5.
+
+base_case_path = os.environ.get('FALCON_BASE_TEST_CASE')
+
+if base_case_path:
+    try:
+        module_path, class_name = base_case_path.rsplit('.', 1)
+        module = import_module(module_path)
+        BaseTestCase = getattr(module, class_name)
+    except (ImportError, AttributeError):
+        warnings.warn(
+            f"Could not import '{base_case_path}', defaulting to testtools.TestCase.",
+            ImportWarning,
+        )
+        BaseTestCase = unittest.TestCase
+else:
+    BaseTestCase = unittest.TestCase
+
 
 class TestCase(unittest.TestCase, TestClient):
-    """Extends :mod:`unittest` to support WSGI/ASGI functional testing.
+    """Extends ``unittest`` to support WSGI/ASGI functional testing.
 
     Note:
-        If available, uses :mod:`testtools` in lieu of
-        :mod:`unittest`.
+        This class uses ``unittest`` by default, but you may use ``pytest``
+        to run ``unittest.TestCase`` instances, allowing a hybrid approach.
 
-    This base class provides some extra plumbing for unittest-style
-    test cases, to help simulate WSGI or ASGI requests without having
-    to spin up an actual web server. Various simulation methods are
-    derived from :class:`falcon.testing.TestClient`.
+    Recommended:
+        We recommend using **pytest** alongside **unittest** for testing.
+        See our tutorial on using pytest.
+
+    This base class provides extra functionality for unittest-style test cases,
+    helping simulate WSGI or ASGI requests without spinning up a web server. Various
+    simulation methods are derived from :class:`falcon.testing.TestClient`.
 
     Simply inherit from this class in your test case classes instead of
-    :class:`unittest.TestCase` or :class:`testtools.TestCase`.
+    ``unittest.TestCase``.
+
+    For example::
+
+        from falcon import testing
+        import myapp
+
+        class MyTestCase(testing.TestCase):
+            def setUp(self):
+                super(MyTestCase, self).setUp()
+
+                # Assume the hypothetical `myapp` package has a
+                # function called `create()` to initialize and
+                # return a `falcon.App` instance.
+                self.app = myapp.create()
+
+        class TestMyApp(MyTestCase):
+            def test_get_message(self):
+                doc = {'message': 'Hello world!'}
+
+                result = self.simulate_get('/messages/42')
+                self.assertEqual(result.json, doc)
     """
 
     # NOTE(vytas): Here we have to restore __test__ to allow collecting tests!
@@ -60,7 +104,6 @@ class TestCase(unittest.TestCase, TestClient):
         from falcon import testing
         import myapp
 
-
         class MyTestCase(testing.TestCase):
             def setUp(self):
                 super(MyTestCase, self).setUp()
@@ -69,19 +112,22 @@ def setUp(self):
                 # function called `create()` to initialize and
                 # return a `falcon.App` instance.
                 self.app = myapp.create()
-
-
-        class TestMyApp(MyTestCase):
-            def test_get_message(self):
-                doc = {'message': 'Hello world!'}
-
-                result = self.simulate_get('/messages/42')
-                self.assertEqual(result.json, doc)
     """
 
     def setUp(self) -> None:
         super(TestCase, self).setUp()
 
+        if (
+            BaseTestCase == unittest.TestCase
+            and os.environ.get('FALCON_BASE_TEST_CASE') is None
+            and 'testtools' in str(unittest)
+        ):
+            warnings.warn(
+                'Support for testtools is deprecated'
+                'and will be removed in Falcon 5.0.',
+                DeprecationWarning,
+            )
+
         app = falcon.App()
 
         # NOTE(kgriffs): Don't use super() to avoid triggering