Basic Scout strategy

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The Scout is the fastest and arguably the most mobile class in the game. Although frail, his speed and ability to double jump allow him to easily access alternate routes on many maps, making him extremely unpredictable and effective at ambushing. He counts as two players when capturing control points or pushing Payload carts, making him ideal for completing mission objectives quickly. When fighting, his high damage output and mobility make him one of the best classes in one-on-one combat. Because his health pool is so low, the Scout relies on completely avoiding damage to survive; for example, his double jump lets him escape knockback and fall damage. To maximize damage dealt and minimize damage taken, a good Scout tends to weave around the outskirts of a battlefield, picking off important enemy targets. Weaponry that can slow or track players, such as Natascha or the Sentry Gun, are deadly to the Scout.

Primary weapons

When fighting, don't rely on your mouse alone to track foes. Use your movement to keep the opponent centered on your screen, firing whenever your cross-hairs and opponent match up. This allows you to focus on moving efficiently and erratically, making you harder to hit, while at the same time making your aim smoother and more accurate via prediction. Find what distance you operate at best and use your speed to maintain it; extremely close range combat favors quick jumping to avoid enemy shots fired downward, while more moderate distances allow you to stay grounded and continuously strafe from side to side.

Scattergun

At point blank range, your Scattergun can kill most classes with just two well placed shots. It is your best weapon for prolonged combat due to its reasonable magazine size and high damage output. The Scattergun's bullet spread is very wide, so switch to your Pistol for enemies that are far away.

Force-A-Nature

The Force-A-Nature deals heavy burst damage but must be reloaded often, making it best used as a hit-and-run weapon. It inflicts knockback on both you and your target, with your target being launched backwards proportional to the damage dealt. An enemy launched into the air makes for an easy kill, while the self-inflicted knockback allows you to Force jump to even more unpredictable locations. If you actively jump while in combat, save your extra jump until after you've fired the Force-A-Nature; the knockback can leave you suspended in midair and vulnerable. For efficient ammo usage, always fire your two shots before reloading; reloading with one shot in the barrel will discard that shot.

Shortstop

The Shortstop is a cross between your Scattergun and Pistol. While it deals less damage than your other primary weapons, its narrow bullet spread and fast reload time makes it reliable at longer ranges. The Shortstop also grants increased healing, making it pair well with Mad Milk. While the Shortstop is equipped, you receive 80% greater knock back, encouraging you to keep a safe distance from any sources. It draws from the same ammunition pool as the Pistol, so you should use a different secondary weapon to conserve ammunition.

Soda Popper

The Soda Popper is similar to the Force-A-Nature, but does not possess its knockback effects. Like the Force-A-Nature, it is best used as a hit-and-run weapon. However, the faster reloading speed means that it is more viable for prolonged combat. The Soda Popper's Hype meter will only fill when you are mobile and have the Soda Popper itself as your active weapon. You can control your Hype by moving around until the meter is nearly full, then switching to a different weapon to preserve the meter until you want to activate it. The guaranteed Mini-crits from Hype are not limited to just the Soda Popper and work rather well with your other weapons. For efficient ammo usage, always fire your two shots before reloading; reloading with one shot in the barrel will discard that shot.

Baby Face's Blaster

The Baby Face's Blaster will initially lower your speed to below that of the Demoman. However, dealing damage with any weapon will build Boost, increasing your speed to significantly over your normal rate of travel. While it deals reduced damage, the increased accuracy will make fighting at medium range easier, allowing you to build Boost in relative safety. Jumping will remove all accumulated Boost, so you'll have to choose between jumping or running when it comes to maneuvering the battlefield. Don't be afraid to use your jump, however; it only takes 99 damage to fully charge your Boost. Use a secondary weapon of your own choice to build up boost at a distance.

Secondary weapons

Pistol + reskins

The Pistol is a backup weapon, primarily used for finishing off wounded targets. It reloads much more quickly than any of your primary weapons and can be used to harass enemies or cover a retreat. At longer ranges, use the Pistol to deal consistent damage.

Bonk! Atomic Punch

Bonk! Atomic Punch is a utility item that can be consumed to temporarily take no damage from most sources. Its main use is to dodge or draw enemy fire. For example, you can use it to get past Sentry Guns, retreat safely, bait Demomen into detonating their sticky traps, or block choke points. Outside of combat, it can also be used to negate afterburn, bleeding, or self-damage from the Atomizer. Even though you are nearly invincible when under its effects, don't overextend; you will still be vulnerable to knockback and don't want to be caught out in the open once Bonk! expires.

Crit-a-Cola

Crit-a-Cola is a utility item that rewards you for taking risks. When consumed, it causes you to deal guaranteed mini-crits but take 25% increased damage from all sources. Thus, you should drink it only before an ambush or other situations where your opponent can't retaliate in time. If used for ranged harassment, Crit-a-Cola pairs well with the with the Shortstop or Baby Face's Blaster, as mini-crits don't have damage fall-off. The speed boost provided by Crit-a-Cola will not stack with the boosting effects of other items, so do not drink it and take increased damage if you don't have to.

Mad Milk

Mad Milk is thrown like a grenade and inflicts a temporary debuff upon its victims, allowing any member on your team to heal by damaging an opponent under its effects. It can be used both in single combat or large firefights to give you and allies additional survivability. Additionally, Mad Milk can be used to extinguish teammates and reveal cloaked Spies.

Winger

Like the Pistol, the Winger can be used to harass enemies or cover a retreat. When compared to the Pistol, its increased damage is best for short encounters; the Winger deals less damage over long periods of time due to its reduced magazine size. The 25% jump height makes maneuvering to tricky spots even easier and pairs well with the Atomizer.

Pretty Boy's Pocket Pistol

The Pretty Boy's Pocket Pistol slightly raises your maximum health and negates fall damage. However, it shoots more slowly than the Pistol and increases your vulnerability to fire, making it less effective in combat. Overall, the Pretty Boy's Pocket Pistol can be useful if you prefer a more mobile playstyle, relying on your primary weapon to pick off lone enemies.

Flying Guillotine

The Flying Guillotine can be thrown every six seconds to deal moderate damage and cause bleeding, making it decent for mid-range harassment. If it hits an enemy that's stunned, it deals a guaranteed critical hit; although difficult to aim in the heat of battle, this lets it combo with the Sandman's baseball shot. Overall, the Flying Guillotine rewards you greatly for landing that singular hit; one cleaver is equivalent to several Pistol shots while striking a stunned enemy is the equivalent of several Scattergun shots.

Melee weapons

Bat + reskins

Because you already deal so much damage at close range, you should only use the Bat when out of loaded ammunition or when dealing with unattended Engineer structures. While it swings rapidly, it deals less damage than other melee weapons.

Sandman

The Sandman slightly lowers your maximum health but grants access to an alternate fire that launches a baseball capable of stunning enemies. The baseball's stun time is based on the distance the ball travels; after stunning an enemy, you can move in for the kill or retreat safely. In large firefights, focus on stunning the more dangerous foes, such as Heavies and Crit boosted enemies.

Holy Mackerel + reskins

The Holy Mackerel functions identically to the Bat but announces each hit in the kill feed. A hit that triggers a Spy's feign death will appear as a hit, not a kill, allowing you to track down a Spy using the Dead Ringer.

• The Unarmed Combat cannot be used as part of the Special Delivery item set.

Candy Cane

When you have the Candy Cane equipped, any kill you make will cause your victims to drop health packs that can be used to heal your team as they fight at the front lines. The Candy Cane does not need to be the active weapon for this bonus to occur. However, your vulnerability to explosive damage is increased, meaning that a direct hit from a rocket or grenade is now capable of killing you in just one hit. A Spy who uses the Dead Ringer to trigger a feign death will not drop a health pack and is easier to discern. As a Scout, it's easy to dodge most explosive weapons, so the explosive damage penalty doesn't count for much.

Boston Basher + reskins

When striking an enemy, the Boston Basher inflicts the bleed status in addition to the standard Bat damage. However, any missed melee attacks will cause you to damage and inflict the bleed status on yourself instead. Thus, try to attack only if you're sure the strike will connect. You can use the self-damage to help a Medic fill his ÜberCharge meter and the bleed effect to track down Cloaked Spies. Damaging yourself will inflict a small amount of self-knockback that can be used as an additional jump in order to reach higher areas, albeit at the cost of a significant portion of health.

Sun-on-a-Stick

Against ignited foes, the Sun-on-a-Stick will deal as much damage as the Scattergun at point blank range in terms of damage-per-second. However, both you and the Pyro excel at close range combat and can often finish off an enemy without the help of an ally. As a result, you might not be able to utilize this combo frequently, as effective as it may be.

Fan O'War

The Fan O'War deals little damage but can mark victims for death, causing all damage taken to be mini-crits. In a one-on-one encounter, tag an enemy with it, then switch to another weapon to finish the job. It's less effective against groups of enemies, due to your low survivability and because the Mark of Death can only be inflicted on one enemy at a time.

Atomizer

The Atomizer does not need to be active for you to have access to the triple jump, so you can ignore its downsides if you simply use your primary weapon in close range combat. The added mobility granted by the triple jump is often worth paying 10 health, especially if it means positioning yourself behind a key target or dodging a deadly rocket. If you pair the Atomizer with the Force-A-Nature, you can combine a triple jump and force jump into a quadruple jump. You will take no damage from the third jump while phasing with Bonk! Atomic Punch.

Wrap Assassin

In a similar fashion to the Sandman, the Wrap Assassin launches a projectile that is capable of inflicting the bleed status on hit enemies. It's most effective to use the projectile to weaken stronger enemies, rather than finish them off, before moving in with the Scattergun. If you simply use your primary weapon in close range combat, you can ignore its reduced damage.