Community Scout strategy

“

Hit the road, bozo, let a real Scout get to work! Click to listen — The Scout on impersonators

”

The Scout has the fastest movement speed of the nine mercenaries, the ability to double jump, captures objectives and pushes payloads at double the regular speed, and deals a consistent amount of damage from short to medium range. These attributes make him great for quickly completing objectives, such as capturing Control Points, and optimal for one-on-one battles when timed correctly. However, his maximum base health of 125 makes direct confrontations against some mercenaries difficult and risky. Optimal combat involves circle strafing or weapon heckling, techniques that help the Scout avoid and simultaneously put out as much damage as possible.

Quick tips

• You have twice the capture rate of any other class. If you're anywhere near a deserted enemy Control Point, stand on it in order to aid your team and sometimes draw enemies away from the fight.
  • In Payload maps, crouch-walking behind the Payload to use it as a shield can be very useful since your body and hitbox is smaller than other classes and can fit behind the Payload easily. This is particularly effective against stationary Sentry Guns, as they cannot target anyone they cannot see.

• Know where the health packs are on every map, because you have the tendency to work alone and thus be out of reach of your team's Medic(s).
  • You can use the Mad Milk on maps with few health packs to avoid leaving combat for healing, as well as to support your team.

• Attempting to out-gun tougher classes directly is unwise unless you know they are low on health.
  • Use your maneuverability to catch enemies (especially tougher classes) off-guard. Your extra speed and double jump can get you over gaps and other obstacles that block most of the other classes. Constantly strafe when your enemy decides to engage you.

• Sentry Guns should be avoided because the Scout relies on not being hit; a Sentry Gun's attacks are very strong, have high knockback, and its bullets never miss, making it a natural counter.
  • However, it is possible to destroy a lone Sentry by finding cover near it, exiting cover whilst shooting at it, and retreating to cover repeatedly, as well as with circle-strafing.
  • Bonk! Atomic Punch can be used to distract an enemy Sentry Gun while a teammate destroys it, or to run past the Sentry Gun while avoiding damage.
• Do not use Teleporters unless you are sure they will be able to recharge before other teammates come by. As the class with the fastest base speed in the game, you should leave Teleporters for other classes to use.

General

Combat

• The Scout excels at one-on-one combat. Wandering or lone players (such as Spies and enemy Scouts) are good targets for a Scout, but if they see you coming, you will not last long. Instead, ambush them from above, behind, or anywhere else from which they can not see you first.

• Refrain from excessively using your Bat or other melee weapons in combat. They may hit fast but the damage output and risk of close-range combat with a small health pool most likely won't end in your favor.

• Call for help whilst retreating if you can't handle enemies by yourself. Your firepower is generally only effective for a single target at a time and once enemy reinforcements arrive, you'll have a problem.

• Your speed is useful for avoiding backstabs and headshots; however, jumping will leave you suspended in a predictable arc against Snipers. Use the double jump mechanic (while rapidly pressing crouch) to jump erratically to avoid their shots, but be warned that many Snipers will wait for you to use your double jump, after which you will fall predictably to the ground and may be easier to hit.
  • You should also be aware of common sightlines in various maps, so you aren't always worrying about whether a Sniper might be looking at you or not.

• Open ground lets you use your maneuverability to the fullest; tight spaces limit your evasive options and will make staying alive much harder.

• When playing as Scout, always try to be on the move. If a confrontation goes poorly, you can always continue running, using your speed to escape. You can then find a health kit and often come back to finish your opponent off before they have a chance to do the same.
  • A general rule of thumb is to never stand still when you are attacking someone as a Scout. Use your speed to your advantage by strafing left and right while attacking someone. Keep your distance when facing classes such as Soldiers and other Scouts, as a Soldier's rockets at close range do 90+ damage and a Scattergun will do the same damage as yours. When facing other Scouts, try to mirror their strafing movements to make them easier to hit. Once you get below 75 health, start to either make a retreat or jump around erratically to try and get a good shot in to finish him off.

• If you find yourself circling an enemy, focus on your strafing and jumping and fire your weapon when your crosshair lines up with your target. This makes it more difficult for your enemy to hit you.

• Find a mouse sensitivity that is suitable for you while playing Scout. A high sensitivity lets you quickly switch targets as you move, while a low sensitivity, paired with more mouse movement, makes it considerably easier to land point-blank shots with your Scattergun.
  • Optimal sensitivities may vary from person to person. Don't be afraid to try out new sensitivities in order to find one that works best for you. Try to use a new sensitivity for at least a few days before switching to a different one.

• When low on health, wait for the correct moment to strike. Use walls and corners to gain an advantage over enemies by firing and retreating repeatedly to avoid enemy fire.

• The Scout is the smallest class and can hide behind objects better than every other class. This can be useful while waiting for a group of enemies to pass by.
  • Take note of the object you are hiding behind. If it is tall but narrow, equipping your Bat will allow you to hide without your Scattergun or Pistol protruding through and giving you away. Your primary or secondary weapons, however, would be better for short but wide hiding spots.

• Try to be unpredictable while fighting classes that are using hitscan weapons, such as the Shotgun. Hitscan weapons, usually bullet-based weapons, will instantly hit you as they do not have travel time, unlike a Rocket Launcher or a Flamethrower.

• When fighting enemy Pyros that are attempting to airblast you in a predictable arc to kill you with their secondary, use your second jump to escape from above.
  • You run backwards at the same speed as you run forward, meaning you can run back from enemy Pyros while shooting at them without risking as much from the Flamethrower.

• Do not confront a Sentry Gun unless necessary. If you can approach it from behind or to the side, you can take advantage of the Sentry Gun's slow rotation speed. Pop out of cover long enough to take a shot at it, then wait about one second for the Sentry Gun to turn back to its default position.
  • It is also possible to circle-strafe a Sentry Gun, as it cannot turn quickly enough to fire at you. This can be difficult, however, and requires that you be somewhat close to the Sentry Gun while also being able to adjust your aim with your constant movements, which may be more difficult if you have a lower mouse sensitivity.
  • Generally, if a Sentry Gun has an attentive Engineer nearby, it is best to find another route instead of trying to destroy it.

Speed

• Your speed allows you to decide which battles to engage in; enemies cannot run from you if you engage them, nor can they pursue you if you don't want to engage them.

• Your high mobility makes you more difficult to hit, and beyond certain ranges, your speed can render certain projectile weapons useless, since you can always react and move out of the way in time.

• You can reach health/ammo kits or Dispensers more quickly than other classes when needed, minimizing your downtime.
  • However, be mindful of other players that might need a health kit more than you do, as your fast speed means you can easily get another.

• Death is less of a penalty for you since you will spend less time than other classes running to where the battle is. Still, be wary that you may die often due to your low health, and respawn times are not reduced for you.
  • You are often the first to the fight at the beginning of the round. Be cautious though, as you won't be the only one on the battlefield for long.

• Because you can easily outrun other classes, it is possible to backcap Control Points and other objectives. If the point caps quickly enough, this will lock the enemy out of capturing your own Control Point.
  • Even if you do not manage to cap the point, you can still divert enemy forces so that some must run to deal with you, after which you can engage them or escape.

• You are the ideal Intelligence carrier due to your mobility. With luck, you can snatch the Intelligence from enemy-guarded territory and still make it out alive.

• Run into players to Spy check, as this can conserve ammo, and your high mobility means doing so won't be much of a time penalty. If you don't pass through them, and instead bump into them, then they're a disguised Spy. One or two shots from your primary will be enough to kill the Spy. Be sure to keep your distance and never turn away, lest you open yourself up for a backstab.

• Your speed will allow a Medic healing you to get to the front lines much more quickly. Try not to use your double jump too much lest you lose him behind alone.

Weapon Heckling

• Weapon heckling is a tactic that involves drawing a weapon that outranges or overpowers the current weapon your opponent is holding. While every class is capable of doing this with varied results, the Scout's natural speed and his weapons (that have different effective ranges) allow you to pull this off with much more efficiency.

• Know the optimal range of your weapons and use them when your opponent is using a weapon that cannot reach you at said range.
  • For example, if a Soldier is your target, move in close (though not too close) and blast him with a Scattergun at close range.

If he shoots you with the Rocket Launcher, draw your Pistol and fire at medium range, where rockets take some time to reach. If he switches to the Shotgun to deal accurate and instant damage, get close again and shoot with the Scattergun, where his Shotgun will deal less damage than his Rocket Launcher.

• Weapon heckling is as important when fighting enemy Scouts as it is with fighting other classes. It is usually more effective to use your Pistol over a Scattergun at medium range, for example, in order to maximize your damage and still have extra Scattergun shots in reserve.
  • As both of you will usually be avoiding each other's shots, it is sometimes possible to bait the enemy Scout into using up all his Scattergun shots, then taking advantage of his reload time and running in with your Scattergun or Bat.

The Scout's double jump is incredibly versatile; use it well.

Jumping

• Whichever movement key is being held at the time of the double jump is the direction you will go. This allows you to immediately alter your path in mid-air and confuse enemies.
  • Performing a double jump without pressing anything bound to the movement commands will cancel all horizontal momentum, regardless of speed. As a result of this, try to predict where enemies are aiming before double jumping.

• Jumping in combat is a double-edged sword. Against weaker players, it can effectively throw off their aim. More experienced players, however, can wait for you to commit to your second or third jump. Once you've committed, your trajectory is locked and skilled players can easily predict your path and kill you either before or right when you reach the ground.
  • An example is with Snipers: most usually aim where they expect you to be just after they zoom in, and double jumping will throw them off. Skilled Snipers, however, can use this to predict the path of your second jump, since you cannot move in mid-air after using it.

• Double jumping just before you hit the ground will negate fall damage, regardless of distance.

• Use the double jump to take the higher roads over railroad cars and bridges. Most opponents tend to look forward, rather than up. If it is safe to do so, attack from above to take enemies by surprise, using your double jump to negate fall damage. You can confuse enemies by falling from above, firing at them, then jumping over their head as they turn around to see what hit them.

• Certain ledges may require you to crouch-jump in order to reach them. Holding the crouch button while performing a double jump will allow you to reach those ledges.

• Make sure you jump before hitting a ledge if you're double jumping to another spot. Falling off counts as your first jump, so be careful.

• If you are under fire, try jumping over the enemy's head to disorient them. You can also use this maneuver to land a couple of extra shots at close range.
  • A slightly difficult, yet potentially useful strategy is to jump on top of a class's head, and attack from there. This is best used against Heavies, whose slow movement speed make it easier to stay on them. However, they will be able to kill you quickly from close range, so only engage Heavies when they are vulnerable and on low health.

• You are able to perform a triple jump of sorts if the Force-A-Nature is equipped as your primary weapon, as the knockback from firing can be used to propel yourself a few feet in the opposite direction of where the shot was fired. To do this, jump and then double jump, and while in the air after the second jump, aim directly down and shoot. It will propel you into the air, effectively giving you a third jump.
  • The Force-A-Nature can be used for a single, but very high jump if timed correctly. Whilst running forward, aim down and jump. As you leave the ground immediately shoot directly down. You will go much further into the air than a regular double jump would, and you still have your double jump.
  • Similar results can be achieved using the Boston Basher's self-damage, though this costs a lot of health to use.
  • The Atomizer allows you to do a triple jump in the same manner as regular jumping, but you must have it deployed.
    • You can use the Force-A-Nature and the Atomizer together to perform a quad jump.
    • The Soda Popper allows you to quintuple jump after filling the Hype meter; however, this does not stack with the Atomizer.
    • When active, the Winger increases the height of all your jumps, allowing you to boost any previously mentioned jump techniques.

Weapon Specific

Primary Weapons

Scattergun + reskins

Weapon	Kill Icon	Ammo		Damage
		Loaded	Carried	Point Blank	Medium Range	Long Range	Critical
Stock Scattergun		6	32	85-105	10-40	3-10	180
Uncrate Festive Scattergun
Botkiller Scattergun
Advanced+ Mann Up Reward Australium Scattergun

• With six shots, the Scattergun is your most reliable primary weapon for prolonged combat. This comes at the cost of a relatively long reload time when it is empty, so always keep at least 2 shots loaded before engaging.

• The Scattergun does large amounts of damage at close range - one shot deals 105 damage if all bullets connect at point-blank range, slightly more than a Shotgun (which in comparison only does a maximum of 90 damage at point-blank range). This makes three shots enough to take out a non-overhealed Heavy. Think about how to engage your opponent without alerting them to your presence. Many classes will go down quickly if caught off guard.

• Range severely reduces the Scattergun's damage. If you are undetected, avoid firing early. Wait until you are a few feet away from the enemy and then open fire. This reduces the number of times you need to hit the enemy and gives them less time to react. This may also mean you won't need to reload in the middle of a fight.
  • This is a major factor in fighting Soldiers. Two shots are enough to take down a Soldier at point-blank, while you need three to do the same at a slightly higher distance. The difference between needing only two shots to kill and needing three is huge against a class whose primary weapon has no problem blasting you into oblivion otherwise. Sneak up, flank, close the distance, and score point-blank shots to eliminate him before he realizes you're there.

• When using your Scattergun, a reliable method to hit your target is to strafe left and right with your cross-hair centered and firing when your cross-hair crosses your opponent rather than solely using your mouse to aim. This allows you to focus on moving more efficiently and erratically, making you harder to hit, while at the same time making your aim smoother and more accurate via prediction.

• A trick that may work against less experienced Scouts is to shoot 3-4 shots from the Scattergun and then reload one shot. If the enemy sees you reloading they may be compelled to rush up to you, giving you an easy chance to dodge and kill.

Force-A-Nature + reskins

Weapon	Kill Icon	Ammo		Damage
		Loaded	Carried	Point Blank	Medium Range	Long Range	Critical
Unlock Force-A-Nature		2	32	92-113	11-43	3-11	194
Uncrate Festive Force-A-Nature
Advanced+ Mann Up Reward Australium Force-A-Nature

• The Force-A-Nature is an unlockable primary weapon for the Scout. It has only has two shots per clip, fires considerably faster than the stock Scattergun, and reloads both shots at once. It also has 10% less damage overall in exchange for 20% more pellets per shot, making it deal a slight bit more damage than the Scattergun overall. The Force-A-Nature will knock nearby targets back, and when he is in mid-air, the Scout as well. This mechanic allows triple jumps (and quadruple jumps if accompanied by the Atomizer).

• The Force-A-Nature's high burst damage and quick firing speed make it inherently good at hit-and-run tactics. However, try not to get into a firefight with many enemies at once, as its slow reload time, small magazine, and short range is not suited for large firefights. Instead, try flanking to take on one roaming enemy. Try not to approach them from the front; instead, attack from the side or behind, where you can close in easily.

• Because the Force-A-Nature discards the second round if reloaded before both rounds are fired, it might be wise to turn off the automatic reload feature from the Advanced Options menu.

• Keep in mind that you can jump even longer distances with the Force-A-Nature by jumping, aiming below you, and firing at the end of your second jump. Another way is to jump, fire quickly, and jump again. Only fire one shot, as the second shot fired while in the air has no effect on you.
  • Use the knockback to reach high places in order to kill unaware classes from above. It lowers your chances of being killed when getting closer because players don't usually look up. The Force-A-Nature works better while the target is busy with something, such as an Engineer setting up a building.

• Use the Force-A-Nature's knockback ability to your advantage, since it can send enemies flying several meters and into hazards such as the pits in Lumberyard and Steel. It's particularly useful in places where enemies huddle together. You can jump in, blast two people away from the objective, and retreat to reload and strike again.
  • The knockback can be a double-edged sword, so if at all possible, determine where your shot will throw them into. It's not hard to accidentally send your target into a med-kit, into the safety of Sentry Gun coverage, or even into a cluster of his teammates.
    • Use the knockback to push people into walls, giving you an easy second shot to finish them.

• The Force-A-Nature can push ÜberCharged enemies. Use this to either push enemies away from your teammates or break the Medi Gun beam and attack the now-vulnerable target.

• The Force-A-Nature is generally easier to use when you are grounded, as your enemies will take the full force of the weapon's knockback and you won't lose control. When firing in the air, the knockback keeps enemies pinned down for a second, but your shot will blast you slightly backwards, which can throw off your aim and send you in a predictable line for people to fire at you.

• If you equip the Force-A-Nature, consider equipping the Pistol as well. With the Pistol, you have the ability to finish off enemies that survived your Force-A-Nature shots without having to wait for the Force-A-Nature's reload. An alternative method is to use your Bat for the finishing hit, in which case it would be ideal to knock the enemy into a wall or the air first for an easy follow-up swing.

• The pellets from the shot will fire in a 3x3 grid with fixed spread on. The extra two pellets will fire to the right of the center, making medium range engagements easier if you aim slightly to the LEFT of the target.

Shortstop

Weapon	Kill Icon	Ammo		Damage
		Loaded	Carried	Point Blank	Medium Range	Long Range	Critical
Craft Shortstop		4	36	69-72	24-48	6-12	144

• The Shortstop is a craftable primary weapon for the Scout. It has a fast firing speed along with a clip-based reload for prolonged combat. The Scout is able to keep his distance while still doing decent damage because each pellet does double damage compared to the Scattergun, albeit with only four pellets per clip. When active, it makes the Scout 20% more vulnerable to push force taken from damage, explosions, or the Pyro's compression blast. Additionally, it allows the Scout to "shove" a single enemy away with secondary fire, causing them to get knocked back a short distance.

• Four direct hits from the Shortstop can kill most classes, but be cautious when facing tougher classes like the Heavy, who may survive the four shots of the Shortstop and kill you as you reload.
  • This can be mitigated by using the Mad Milk, which heals you based on the damage you do, effectively giving you more health to square off against bulkier classes, so long as you land your shots. Alternatively, use a damaging secondary like the Pistol to avoid having to wait for the Shortstop to reload.

• It can be deceptively difficult to hit opponents with the Shortstop since it only fires four pellets in a narrow spread. As such, treat the weapon somewhat like a Revolver: you have to aim accurately with your crosshair in order to deal good damage at medium range, while its spread and damage makes it useless at long range.

• This weapon fires two seconds of critical hits whenever it randomly crits, similarly to the Pistol. Hence, although crits from this weapon only deal a maximum of 144 damage, you will be able to fire four critical shots to make up for it.

• The Shortstop has a moderate reloading time; turning on auto-reload may cut off a good chunk of the reload time.

• The Shortstop works well for dealing with Sentry Guns. A Mini-Sentry Gun will go down in about a clip, even when you're standing outside of its range, and standard Sentry Guns will take significant damage from the Shortstop's increased damage per pellet.

• This weapon grants you a unique "shove" mechanic if you have the Shortstop as the active weapon, allowing you to push away enemies that are close by. This is useful for giving you space since the Shortstop lacks the damage ramp-up of your other primaries, and can also forcibly reposition foes or push them into a hazard such as a pitfall or friendly Sentry Guns.
  • Unlike the compression blast, your shove doesn't happen instantly, and has a longer cooldown time between shoves. Time them carefully.

• While the 20% increase in knockback taken allows classes with knockback capabilities (like the Pyro) to push you easily into an environmental hazard, you can use this to your advantage; the knockback allows you to "surf" and escape from your pursuer.
  • Make use of air-strafing to control your trajectory if attempting this. Not only will this make you more mobile, but will also make it harder for enemies to hit you while airborne. To air-strafe, hold down a directional key (left or right) and turn your mouse slowly in that direction.
    • Miniguns and Mini-Sentry Guns can be great sources of knockback to surf off of at medium range, as they shoot at a consistent rate. This should only be attempted if you have a decent amount of health left, as Heavies especially can shred you in a second with their primary.

• The Crit-a-Cola pairs well with this weapon, as the Shortstop's faster firing rate will maximize the potential of the mini-crit boost's duration, while its high damage per pellet and greatly increased accuracy will make you quite powerful at range.

Soda Popper

Weapon	Kill Icon	Ammo		Damage
		Loaded	Carried	Point Blank	Medium Range	Long Range	Critical	Damage to Activate Hype	Hype Duration
Craft Soda Popper		2	32	104	24-67	3-26	180	350	8 seconds

• The Soda Popper is a craftable primary weapon for the Scout. It is very similar to the Force-A-Nature, firing two shells in fast succession and reloading both shots, but with the damage and pellet count of the normal Scattergun, faster reload time compared to the Force-A-Nature, and no knockback. In addition, the weapon has a "Hype" meter that fills by dealing damage with any weapon while having the Soda Popper equipped. When completely filled, alternate fire activates "Hype mode" and grants 5 extra air jumps while it lasts. The Hype meter takes roughly 350 damage to completely fill, and Hype mode lasts for 10 seconds.

• Like the Force-A-Nature, the Soda Popper is generally useful for hit-and-run tactics due to its reduced magazine size. However, it reloads faster than the Force-A-Nature, making it better for offensive fighting.
  • As with the Force-A-Nature, reloading after firing one shot wastes the second shot, so make sure both shots are used for efficient ammo usage.

• Similarly to the Baby Face's Blaster, you need to deal damage to fill up the Soda Popper's Hype meter. It takes approximately 4 point-blank shots from the Soda Popper, 16 shots from the Pistol, or 10 swings from the Bat to do so.

• The extra midair jumps enhances your already good mobility. Classes that rely on tracking a target (such as the Sniper) or projectile classes with slow projectiles (like the Soldier) will have an even harder time landing direct shots on you before you land.
  • A good tactic is to constantly keep in the air with your extra jumps while firing downwards at your target. This lets you chip at your opponent's health while you evade all damage.

• On large maps such as Frontier or 2Fort, Hype can be used to find alternate routes around the enemy, or to simply get somewhere faster.

• This weapon pairs very well with the Winger, as its increased jump height lets you reach even greater heights when using the Soda Popper's Hype. It also serves as a backup weapon for opponents that survive both shots of your Soda Popper.
  • The Pistol is also a good choice as a backup weapon, as it is more useful in prolonged combat.

Baby Face's Blaster

Weapon	Kill Icon	Ammo		Damage
		Loaded	Carried	Point Blank	Medium Range	Long Range	Critical
Craft Baby Face's Blaster		4	32	90-105	10-40	3-10	180

• The Baby Face's Blaster is a craftable primary weapon for the Scout. It acts like the Scattergun, but decreases the Scout's base speed by 10% and only has four shots per clip. However, it has a boost meter: as damage is dealt, the meter fills and the Scout's speed increases. At full boost, the Scout runs 40% faster than a normal Scout. The boost decreases when receiving damage and upon any air jump, and is lost upon death.

• The Baby Face's Blaster is a strong weapon for those who stick to a "hit-and-run" playstyle. The quick speed allows a skilled player to avoid a fight as to keep their boost safe, and take small chunks of health from a target multiple times before killing them.
  • However, its reduced clip size makes direct confrontations riskier, as you have less margin for error. Ambushes become less effective as well, as the number of enemies you can damage and/or kill with a clip decreases.

• Your priority should be constantly gaining boost while using this weapon, due to the benefits you gain with increased speed and how easy it is to lose charge.
  • It takes 100 damage from any weapon to fill the boost bar, such as a point-blank shot from the Blaster. However, it only takes 25 damage to completely remove a full boost bar, making an enemy Scout's Bat swing enough to take away all your increased speed. Hence, keep scoring hits on opponents so your boost is always high.

• At full boost, you will be extremely hard to hit as long as you move unpredictably. Only Sentry Guns, the Natascha and Flame Throwers are constant threats. However, your inability to double jump without losing your boost means you will have one less way to dodge projectiles such as rockets.
  • Your high speed will make it even more difficult to aim at times, so try and adjust for that.

• Your full speed boost is capable of chasing down or retreating from any opponents, even other Scouts.
  • The only exceptions are enemy Scouts with the same weapon at full charge, a charging Demoman, or explosive jumping enemies. Have this in mind when fighting against any of those.

• The Baby Face's Blaster is useful for getting to and capturing objectives, which you already excel at. It is especially useful for grabbing the Intelligence on Capture the Flag maps and returning it quickly.

• Air jumping will deplete 75% of your boost, making double jumps riskier if you want to keep your boost. Make sure your air jump is worth the sacrifice, such as to dodge a rocket that would have killed you.

• There are some instances to take note of when collecting boost:
  • Shooting an enemy Scout under the effects of Bonk! Atomic Punch will charge the Blaster's boost.
  • Shooting an enemy under the effects of a stock Medi Gun's Übercharge will not charge the boost.

• Use your favorite secondary to collect boost as quickly as possible. Harass enemies with pistols at a distance for small gains, get a Flying Guillotine hit to instantly charge your meter, or drink Crit-a-Cola and blast at range.

• The Fan O' War's mark for death can help with collecting boost. However, you have to actually hit someone with it first, which can be difficult with your initially reduced speed.

• The Atomizer is not recommended to use with this weapon, as a triple jump will remove all your boost. However, it will make your jumps more effective when you actually need to use it.

• The Winger's additional jump height can be used instead of a double jump, allowing you to keep your current boost.

• The Pretty Boy's Pocket Pistol negates all fall damage and will save you the need to double jump and waste boost just to avoid fall damage. Be aware as you will receive additional damage with the Pretty Boy's Pocket Pistol active.

Back Scatter

Weapon	Kill Icon	Ammo		Damage
		Loaded	Carried	Point Blank	Medium Range	Long Range	Critical
Craft Back Scatter		4	32	90-105	8-32	2-8	180

• The Back Scatter is a craftable primary weapon for the Scout. It deals mini-crits when fired at close range from behind, at the cost of 20% increased bullet spread and a clip size of four.

• In general, the Back Scatter acts as the ambushing counterpart of the Scattergun. While it excels at picking off unaware targets, direct confrontations at medium range and further become less effective due to its lower magazine size and accuracy.

• Some strategies that apply for the Spy may also apply to this weapon. Get behind enemies and fire at them while unnoticed to effectively benefit from the Back Scatter.

• The Back Scatter deals 140 mini-crit damage at point blank - enough to kill 125 health classes with a single shot if all pellets connect. This makes you even more effective when attacking unaware targets, such as Snipers and Medics.
  • Jumping over an enemy and then quickly turning around can get you a sneaky mini-crit shot.

• The Back Scatter excels at Spy-checking due to a back hit being able to instantly kill enemy Spies.
  • If the Spy has a Dead Ringer, the mini-crit marker over their head will give them away. Follow this marker and shoot them until they die.

• Even if your opponent turns around, you can still take them down with two shots at close range, since the Back Scatter deals standard Scattergun damage.
  • The clip size penalty can be negligible if you don't usually expend a gun's entire clip (for example, shooting 2 bullets then reloading will have no difference to the Scattergun), although this means you will reload more frequently.

• Because of the accuracy decrease, engaging at medium distance is not suggested. Prolonged combat also becomes less effective, as your lower clip size and higher bullet spread will put you at a disadvantage.
  • The extra spread of this weapon does make Spy-checking easier though, due to the larger spread letting your bullets cover a bigger area.

• Getting behind enemy lines is crucial in using this weapon most efficiently. Bonk! Atomic Punch synergizes best with this, allowing you to get behind enemies without too much trouble.

• Because of the lower clip size, it can be good to bring a Pistol variant for when you run out of shots.

• Pairing the Back Scatter with the Crit-a-Cola is not recommended, as the bullet spread will prevent your shots from hitting at range, while you can already do mini-crits from behind anyway.

Secondary Weapons

Pistol + reskins

Weapon	Kill Icon	Ammo		Damage
		Loaded	Carried	Point Blank	Medium Range	Long Range	Critical
Stock Pistol		12	36	20-22	10-15	8-9	45
Promotional Lugermorph
Uncrate C.A.P.P.E.R

• Targets too far away for the Scattergun should be fought with the Pistol. Its accuracy at medium range and quick reload makes it a viable backup weapon for when your Scattergun runs out of ammunition, though it only holds three magazines of bullets.

• One of the Pistol's primary uses is to finish off wounded targets attempting to retreat. Do not underestimate the power of the Pistol, as several shots at close range can deal a lot of damage.
  • The Pistol is also a great weapon for creating distractions. If you can run behind enemy lines, hit a few shots and then run away; players will often try to follow, making it easier for your team to accomplish objectives.

• The Pistol reloads much more quickly than the Scattergun. When both are empty, reloading the Pistol first will have you firing sooner than reloading the Scattergun.
  • Be wary of when the Pistol finishes reloading. Changing weapons before it finishes reloading means that you have to reload again. Wait until when your magazine count changes before switching weapons.

• The Pistol can waste a lot of ammunition if fired haphazardly into a firefight, partly due to its firing speed and especially since you only have three magazines of bullets. Choose your targets wisely and aim carefully.

• Your Pistol is the best option to take down Sentry Guns from longer ranges than any other Scout weapon since buildings are not affected by damage falloff. If you're out of the Sentry Gun's range, hitting the Engineer with a Sandman ball (if he's outside of melee range to the Sentry) and then destroying the Sentry Gun with your Pistol will make this job infinitely easier.

• When running towards enemies aware of your presence, try firing at them with your Pistol before closing in on them with your Scattergun. When taking on lighter classes, 2–3 seconds of accurate Pistol fire can take away a quarter to a third of their maximum health, allowing you to finish them off with one close-range blast of your primary weapon.

• The Pistol is one of the more deadly weapons to get critical hits with. If you happen to get First Blood in Arena, switch to your Pistol as it can take any class down in one magazine, including most overhealed enemies, if you fire fast and accurately, and the critical hits mean the Pistol can kill enemies from longer distances without a need to consider damage falloff. However, for closer ranges, the Scattergun may still work better.

• The Pistol is a reliable backup weapon for any of your primary weapons. As other Scattergun variants have a lower magazine size, switch to your Pistol and fire at them once you are out of shots. This gives you some firepower when you would have been vulnerable reloading.

Bonk! Atomic Punch + reskins

Weapon	Ammo		Effect
	Loaded	Carried	Drink Effect	Duration	Recharge Time
Unlock Bonk! Atomic Punch	1	∞	Drink to become invulnerable. Cannot attack, capture, or defend during this time. Damage absorbed will slow you when the effect ends.	8 seconds	24 seconds
Uncrate Festive Bonk! Atomic Punch

• Bonk! Atomic Punch is an unlockable secondary weapon for the Scout. When consumed, you will become invincible for 8 seconds, although you are still affected by knockback, similar to an ÜberCharge. While active, the camera shifts to a third-person view, and the Scout cannot attack (but can still taunt-kill with the Sandman). After the invulnerability effect wears off, the Scout will receive a 5-second slowing effect based on the damage they absorbed under Bonk!'s effect. Bonk! takes 24 seconds to recharge after use.

• Use Bonk! as a safety net when you find yourself in a bad situation, like running into Sentry Guns, Heavy/Medic combos, or large groups of enemies.
  • Be careful where you drink Bonk!; for the duration of the drinking animation, you are immobile and vulnerable to damage. If you are launched by knock back while you drink, you will not gain invulnerability, but it will count as if Bonk! was used and you have to wait for it to recharge.
  • Take note of the map's flank routes and locations. You may need to run to a deserted area and wait out the slowdown following the end of your effect, as you will be highly vulnerable then, or you may be able to run behind your teammates for cover and recovery.

• You can still perform some actions after you have drunk Bonk!, such as reloading your Scattergun and taunting. This can help you get ready for your next fight, or set up a sneaky taunt kill. As you cannot switch weapons under Bonk!, make sure that you switch to the Bonk! from your primary rather than your melee weapon, as after drinking Bonk! the Scout changes to the last held weapon.

• Bonk! can be used to avoid damage-over-time from fire or bleeding. Though the afterburn will continue to damage you after Bonk! wears off, the life extension Bonk! gives you just might be enough to reach a water pool or a source of health before you burn to death.
  • This also lets you negate Jarate and other effects that mark you for death. Drink Bonk! to immunize yourself from the increased damage you will take otherwise. It's also possible to be covered in Jarate during the effects of Bonk!, so if this happens, make a hasty retreat before you begin taking damage again.
    • However, this does not work for effects like the Mad Milk's health-on-hit effect, as enemies can still gain on-hit effects from you while you are under the effects on Bonk!. The same goes for enemy Medics using the Ubersaw, as they can still fill up their ÜberCharge meter by hitting you.

• If your team is about to push with an ÜberCharge, take a drink before turning a corner that could potentially have a Sentry Gun or Stickybombs around it. This can keep your Medic safe before he uses his ÜberCharge, and your allies can take out the opposition while you provide cover and distraction. It may also let you take the brunt of the knockback rather than your teammates, so they can advance more easily. If you have no one backing you, simply reporting what you found via voice chat or yelling "Sentry Ahead!" can potentially save your teammates.
  • If your team lacks a Medic, you can use Bonk! in the same way as an ÜberCharge, making the Sentry Gun target you while your teammates attack it. Make sure to escape before the Bonk! wears off, and know that Sentry Guns will deal knockback to you that may make it harder to flee. Wrangled Sentry Guns may make this ineffective, however.
    • It is possible to position yourself so that the Engineer is between you and your Sentry Gun. As Sentry Guns can injury both their owner and the enemy, you can use this to kill the Engineer with his own Sentry Gun, though this can be risky as you will need to balance time used to kill the Engineer as well as time to escape before the effect ends.
  • As you will be absorbing high amounts of damage, you will be considerably slowed down after the invulnerability wears off; thus, make sure to escape back behind your teammates before the effect ends.

• It is very easy to distract enemies while you are under the influence of Bonk!. Enemy Snipers can be distracted as they try to shoot you or keep their crosshair on you, waiting for your invulnerability to wear off. Running into Soldiers and Demomen will usually result in them hurting or outright killing themselves with their explosive weapons. Heavies and Pyros will also find it difficult to focus on firing if you run circles around them.

• You can use your invulnerability to block enemies or projectiles. Body-blocking an enemy Medic's patient can potentially waste their ÜberCharge. More importantly, it saves your Medic's ÜberCharge for dealing with the enemy, rather than countering the enemy's ÜberCharge.
  • Save Sentry Guns or even hurt teammates from enemy fire by taking rockets and bullets before they can hit. Be careful to know when your Bonk! runs out though, and escape a few seconds before it wears off to recover from the post-effect slowdown in peace.

• Bonk! can be used to propel yourself across the map using enemy explosives or Sentry Guns. However, where you will go is often unpredictable as you are relying on enemies for this.

• Try to avoid taking unnecessary fire from enemies as it will slow you down even more. Remember you can still dodge attacks just as easily under the effects.

• Try to use Bonk! at only the right times. Using it in situations where it wasn't needed will result in a slow down effect for no reason.

Crit-a-Cola

Weapon	Ammo		Effect
	Loaded	Carried	Drink Effect	Duration	Recharge Time
Craft Crit-a-Cola	1	∞	While effect is active: each attack mini-crits and sets Mark-For-Death for 5 seconds.	8 seconds	24 seconds

• The Crit-a-Cola is a craftable secondary weapon for the Scout. When consumed, all damage dealt will be mini-crits for 8 seconds. Attacking while under the effect will mark you for death for five seconds (does not stack). The active weapon will glow and crackle with electricity (similar to a Crit boost, but with a much lighter color). The effect lasts 8 seconds and can be used again in 24 seconds.

• The Crit-a-Cola is a high-risk, high-reward weapon. A mini-crit boosted Scattergun is a very powerful weapon, but its glow can single you out as a target, and since you take mini-crits for five seconds after attacking you can die very quickly. Because of this, the Crit-a-Cola encourages an ambush style of play.
  • Since you take mini-crits for five seconds after attacking, using this to up your damage output in a 1v>1 is no longer viable, so Crit-A-Cola is now mainly a tool for assassinating lone players or flanking and taking out medics.

• During the 8-second mini-crit period, you can fire up to 7 Scattergun shots, 6 Force-A-Nature shots, 9 Shortstop shots, or swing any melee weapon 10 times. As such, make sure you are fully loaded to benefit the most from the mini-crits.
  • • Keep in mind when you use the Crit-a-Cola, you will automatically switch to your last equipped weapon. If this is your melee weapon, be prepared to attack with it or quickly switch to your primary.

• At point-blank range, one blast from the Scattergun (or any primary weapon other than the Shortstop) with the mini-crit buff is capable of killing any 125 HP class from full health. Therefore, if you find yourself behind multiple light classes, the Crit-a-Cola can give you one kill per shot.

• Be careful about drinking the Crit-a-Cola when facing alert Soldiers or Demomen. You will die to one or two direct hits from the regular Rocket Launcher or Grenade Launcher, and if you are using the Sandman, one point-blank Shotgun blast can also kill you.

• Since mini-crits do not suffer from damage falloff, your primary weapon will remain useful at a longer range as well.
  • However, you will still be generally disadvantaged at range against most classes. As you are vulnerable while drinking, it is better to hide, drink it, then run closer to fight back.

• Never drink the Crit-a-Cola when under the effects of a friendly Buff Banner, a critical hit boost, or when facing an enemy that is marked-for-death. Your mini-crits do not stack with critical hits or other mini-crits, and weakening yourself with a marked-for-death debuff is detrimental.
  • If possible, coordinate drinking Crit-a-Cola with a friendly Soldier's Battalion's Backup; the defense boost will overcome your increased vulnerability and will allow you to deal mini-crits with no downsides.

• The Force-A-Nature is capable of dealing up to 150 damage with the Crit-a-Cola, making it possible to kill any class (besides overhealed Heavies) with both rounds under ideal circumstances. This tactic is best used for taking out a single, high-priority target, such as a Medic with a prepared ÜberCharge, as the Force-A-Nature's fast firing speed may be able to kill the enemy before they can react.

• The Crit-a-Cola pairs well with the Shortstop, as its extra range and tighter spread combined with mini-crits not being affected by damage falloff lets you fire from a safer distance than it is possible with the Scattergun,

• The Crit-a-Cola and Soda Popper can be used together well because the damage boost from the Crit-a-Cola allows the Scout to charge hype more quickly.
  • However, you sacrifice a secondary weapon, making you less effective at long range.

• When using the Baby Face's Blaster with the Crit-a-Cola, it is much easier to gain boost at a distance due to the mini-crits.

• It's recommended to avoid using the Sandman when equipped with the Crit-a-Cola, simply because the 15 health you would lose may be very well needed during the mini-crits period.

Mad Milk + reskins

Weapon	Ammo		Effect
	Loaded	Carried	Effect on Enemies	Effect on Teammates	Duration	Recharge Time
Craft Mad Milk	1	∞	60% of all damage dealt is returned as health. Also shorts out Cloak.	Extinguishes flame on yourself and/or teammates.	10 seconds / 2.5 seconds	20 seconds / 16 seconds when teammates extinguished.
Uncrate Mutated Milk

• Mad Milk is a craftable secondary weapon for the Scout. Similar to Jarate, it is a thrown weapon that covers enemies in the substance, and nullifies the Cloak of enemy Spies and extinguishes teammates and the player when on fire. 60% of all damage (except for afterburn) will heal anyone who attacks a player covered in Mad Milk. The Mad Milk has a recharge time of 20 seconds.

• Mad Milk allows you to remain in combat for longer durations without dying or needing to retreat, since you will regain health as you do damage.

• Mad Milk is a great supplement for an offensive push, allowing attackers to replenish their health quickly. Simply throw it in the front lines and retreat while firing to both heal yourself and teammates. This makes overpowering the enemy much easier during pushes.
  • For example, while using the Kritzkrieg's high damage output, teammates heal a great amount of health due to the fact that they will be healing 180% (60% * 3) of the damage they do while under the effects of the Kritzkrieg.

• Using Mad Milk on classes like the Heavy can be a great benefit to your team because it allows your teammates to regain large amounts of health, due to his slow speed and high health. Snipers, in particular, will be able to regain all of their health if they land a charged headshot on a milked target.
  • While still risky, Mad Milk makes head-on approaches to bulky classes like the Heavies more viable, as you need fewer chances to drop out and hide.
  • Using Mad Milk on offensive classes like Pyros allows for survivability while fighting them. It allows you to survive the high outputs of damage from them through close range combat.

• Mad Milk is a useful tool for dealing with enemy Spies. The dripping effect will blow their cover if they're disguised and prevent them from evading your team by cloaking.
  • Additionally, the white particles of any player dripping in milk makes them more visible on dark maps such as Sawmill.

• Mad Milk lets you extinguish teammates or yourself. It is especially beneficial to you, as afterburn will deal enough damage over time to remove most of your health. Do not be afraid to use it when you see a burning teammate, as it refills 20% of its charge if you extinguish a teammate.

• Some of your Scattergun variants synergize well with Mad Milk.
  • The healing will be more effective at close range with the Scattergun, as the larger clip and stronger shots can keep you alive longer using Mad Milk's effect.
  • The Shortstop will excel at a distance, as its reliable medium-range shots will give you a decent amount of health while letting you hang back safely.
  • Mad Milk will keep you alive while you constantly hunt enemies with the Baby Face's Blaster to fill your Boost bar.

• Hitting an enemy with the Fan O'War and dousing them with Mad Milk will return more health per hit.

Winger

Weapon	Kill Icon	Ammo		Damage
		Loaded	Carried	Point Blank	Medium Range	Long Range	Critical
Craft Winger		5	36	25	15-19	10-12	52

• The Winger is a craftable secondary weapon for the Scout. It is much like the Pistol, but with only 5 rounds per magazine counterbalanced by 15% more damage per round. It also allows the user to jump 25% higher when active.

• The Winger is a more precise and rewarding version of the Pistol. If you can't aim well, consider using the Pistol instead.

• Much of the strategy incorporated with the use of the Pistol can be used with the Winger, but players must be wary of the Winger's quick, but frequent, reloading.

• The Winger is a better weapon-heckling version of the Pistol, inflicting higher damage per round in exchange for a much smaller magazine. Take advantage of its high damage and use it for close encounters.
  • However, the larger clip of the Pistol makes for more sustained damage, and can potentially take down a target when the Winger would have run out of shots. Choose whichever one is preferable for the engagement.

• Despite its drawback of 5 shots, this allows players to manage the ammo pool of the Winger more easily, and the increased damage, while not as great as the Pistol's damage-per-second due to its larger clip, is still useful as a backup weapon with your primary weapons. However, the Winger is best for short encounters with weak targets, while the Pistol excels at prolonged combat. Consider this when determining your loadout.

• The higher base damage of the Winger makes it better suited for taking out Sentry Guns at a distance; remember that shots fired at buildings don't factor in damage ramp-up/fall-off.
  • However, the reduced magazine size will make it harder when there's an Engineer constantly repairing the Sentry Gun.

• The increase in jump height applies to every jump the Scout makes, including the Atomizer and Soda Popper's extra jumps. Stack the Winger's extra height with your multiple jumps to find alternate routes to ambush opponents.

Pretty Boy's Pocket Pistol

Weapon	Kill Icon	Ammo		Damage
		Loaded	Carried	Point Blank	Medium Range	Long Range	Critical
Craft Pretty Boy's Pocket Pistol		9	36	22	13-17	8-10	45

• The Pretty Boy's Pocket Pistol is a craftable secondary weapon for the Scout. It is similar to the Stock Pistol, however, it has a 25% smaller clip size. When the weapon is active, it allows you to heal 7 health per hit and have a 15% faster firing speed.

• This weapon offers a nice middle-ground between the healing utility of the Mad Milk and the various offensive roles of the Stock Pistol. It doesn't support your team, but it can be greatly beneficial for surviving when roaming around in enemy territory, where friendly Dispensers and Medics are scarce. It also fulfills most of the Stock Pistol's roles, albeit less effectively.

• As a Pistol, this weapon is useful in all the same ways as the Stock Pistol, including the ability to easily finish off weakened enemies at a distance, directly fight enemies at a distance and destroy Sentry Guns at a distance, among others.
  • Similarly to the Stock Pistol, the Pocket Pistol also offers an alternative to the Scattergun with better effective distance, faster fire rate, and a faster reload speed. It is a good backup weapon for when there is no time to reload your Scattergun.

• The Pretty Boy's Pocket Pistol is useful for patching up minor wounds. Fire at unaware or unprepared targets.

• Attacking unaware or distant enemies can significantly increase the Scout's chances of survival.
  • Some very easy targets to hit include unprepared Heavies and Pyros.
  • If being pursued by an enemy, it may be a good decision to turn around and fire at them, to increase your health.

• If lit on fire, shoot the offending Pyro. Stay out of the range of his flames and backpedal while firing.

Flying Guillotine

Weapon	Kill Icon	Ammo		Damage
		Loaded	Carried	Point Blank	Critical	Recharge Time
Craft Flying Guillotine		1	∞	50	150	6 seconds / 4.5 seconds
Bleeding		N/A	N/A	40 damage over 6 seconds	N/A	N/A

• The Flying Guillotine is a craftable secondary weapon for the Scout. It is a thrown weapon that causes bleeding when it hits an enemy.

• The Flying Guillotine sacrifices your weak and accurate Pistol for a stronger, harder-to-aim weapon with cooldown. One hit from the Flying Guillotine deals moderate damage, equivalent to several Pistol shots, if including bleed. However, you will lack a secondary weapon if you miss, so make sure your throws count.

• This weapon flies at an arc, and takes some time to reach its destination. Lead your target accordingly, as throwing where your enemy was will simply cause it to miss.
  • While it can be hard to aim, the Flying Guillotine is very hard to see when thrown. Enemies will usually be unable to dodge your throw just because they can't see it.

• The Flying Guillotine deals no damage to buildings: when thrown at any building, the weapon will simply bounce off.
  • Conversely, enemy Pyros can airblast your thrown weapon and bounce it back at you. Be careful, as this will take out most of your health.

• This weapon can be very useful on Payload matches because when pushing the cart, most players will be moving slowly and/or not paying attention since they're pushing the cart, so you can dish out a solid amount of damage. The added bleeding effect negates the healing from the cart and you can move in and easily kill the player with your Scattergun.

• Paired with the Force-A-Nature, you can use the Flying Guillotine to cripple an enemy's health greatly, and while they go to find a health kit, you can chase them down with the Force-A-Nature and finish them off with 2 quick shots to the back. This works better with lower-health classes like Sniper, Spy, or even another Scout, while leaving the classes with more health to your teammates.

• Bleeding damage included, a regular hit will fill up most of the Baby Face Blaster's boost gauge in one hit.

• Long range hits will decrease the already short recharge time. Try to hit shots from further away to make it able to be thrown more often.

Melee Weapons

Bat + reskins

Weapon	Kill Icon	Attack Interval	Damage
			Point Blank	Critical
Stock Bat		0.5 seconds	35	105
Promotional Saxxy
Drop Conscientious Objector
Uncrate Festive Bat
Promotional Frying Pan
Promotional Freedom Staff
Drop Bat Outta Hell
Drop Ham Shank
Achievement Necro Smasher
Uncrate Crossing Guard
Uncrate Batsaber

• While the Bat swings quickly, it deals less than half the damage of other stock melee weapons. Each swing does 1/3 of a point-blank Scattergun shot, making it mostly useful as a backup weapon.
  • On servers with random critical hits, the Bat becomes more effective due to its high swing speed, which lets it roll for more crits compared to other stock melee weapons.

• In a one-on-one melee fight, you will be able to get in more hits due to the Bat's swing speed and your own mobility, but your enemy will be able to kill you faster if he lands his.

• You may prefer to kill situationally-unaware or aiming-impaired Heavies with the Bat by circle strafing around them or jumping on top of their large bodies. A couple of fast hits with the Bat can take out injured or weaker classes quickly. This is useful when you're low on ammo, or your primary and secondary weapons need to be reloaded, but should not be used excessively otherwise.

• You may use the bat when ambushing an enemy who is constantly strafing (as melee weapons require less precise aim to hit).

• Unless under the conditions described above, you'd generally be better off using your Scattergun.

Sandman

Weapon	Kill Icon	Attack Interval	Damage
			Point Blank	Critical	Slow Time	Recharge Time
Unlock Sandman		0.5 seconds	35	105	N/A	N/A
		0.25 seconds	15	45	1-7 seconds	15 seconds

• The Sandman is an unlockable melee weapon for the Scout. With secondary fire, the Scout will launch a baseball that will slow an enemy on hit for 1-8 seconds, depending on how long the ball has stayed in the air, but carrying this weapon will lower the Scout's maximum health by 15, to a total of 110. Hit targets are considerably slowed and cannot jump. Hitting an enemy with the ball at maximum range will render the target immobile for the entire effect duration. The ball has a recharge rate of 10 seconds, but can instantly be reused by picking up a baseball that has been launched by the player or another Scout.
  • The ball counts as a projectile, and can be airblasted.
  • A launched ball lingers for 3 seconds if it hits someone, or 10 seconds if it doesn't.

• The Sandman can be a great supportive weapon for your team. Slowing a target that has a Kritzkrieg activated on them can halt the enemy's push.
  • It is also a great tool for slowing key targets, like Heavies, Medics, or Snipers, leaving them open to attack.

• If you are caught in a bad situation, the slow can buy you enough time to get to safety.
  • Similarly, if you are in a situation to get the first strike, slowing your opponent can make it much easier for you to hit them before they can react.

• Critical hits lengthen the slow time. The baseball also uses the same base crit chance of 15% as any melee weapon, making such criticals relatively common.

• Aiming the baseball isn't always easy due to its arc and travel time, but in certain areas it can be. For example, the bridge in Badlands is just long enough for you to hit an enemy with a moon shot (a maximum strength slow) and it is relatively easy to hit someone with it since the bridge is a straight pathway.

• When equipping the Sandman, be aware that you start with only 110 health. A Soldier can kill you with a single rocket up close, as can a Demoman with a well-placed explosive. If survival is priority, it is better to switch to another melee weapon.

• A lone Engineer is a prime target for the Sandman's ball. While slowed, the Engineer may not be able to reach his Sentry Gun in time due to his decreased speed. Use this opportunity to attack the Sentry Gun. This is especially useful if the Engineer is a good distance away from his Sentry.

• Avoid using the Sandman with Crit-a-Cola, as the 15 health deduction will cause you to die quicker while taking mini-crits.

Holy Mackerel + reskins

Weapon	Kill Icon	Attack Interval	Damage
			Point Blank	Critical
Craft Holy Mackerel		0.5 seconds	35	105
Craft Unarmed Combat
Uncrate Festive Holy Mackerel

• The Holy Mackerel and Unarmed Combat are craftable melee weapons for the Scout. Each hit will be announced on the kill feed, and with a kill will show "FISH KILL!" or "ARM KILL!", but otherwise it functions the same as a Bat.

• While the kill feed announcement may be aesthetic, hitting a cloaked Spy will be displayed on the kill feed. Conversely, triggering a Dead Ringer Spy's cloak or hitting a disguised Spy will not be displayed in the kill feed. This lets you track down Spies that attempt to feign death.

• The Holy Mackerel and Unarmed Combat will make your presence known to any enemy who looks at the kill feed and draw attention to you.

Candy Cane

Weapon	Kill Icon	Attack Interval	Damage
			Point Blank	Critical
Craft Candy Cane		0.5 seconds	35	105

• The Candy Cane is a craftable melee weapon for the Scout. When the player kills an enemy, a small Health pack is dropped regardless of what weapon the player was using in order to kill the enemy. As a drawback, the Scout takes 25% more damage from explosives.

• Killing an enemy with any of your weapons while you have the Candy Cane equipped will drop a health kit.
  • Use the Candy Cane to check for Dead Ringer Spies, as feigned deaths will not drop Health kits.

• The Candy Cane can be both a blessing and a curse when fighting groups of enemies. While the dropped Health packs can allow you and your teammates to stay in the fight for longer, they can also be picked up by the enemy, making them more difficult to kill.

• A successful kill with the Candy Cane in Medieval mode will cause two health kits to be dropped instead of one.

• Try to avoid Soldiers and Demomen due to the explosive damage penalty. With the Candy Cane equipped, a direct hit from any of their primary weapons at point-blank range will instantly kill you.
  • With this knowledge, equipping this weapon with others that give you additional damage vulnerability, such as the Crit-a-Cola, is generally ineffective.

• Using the Mad Milk with the Candy Cane can allow you to fully heal yourself and teammates if no Medics or Health kits are nearby.

Boston Basher + reskins

Weapon	Kill Icon	Attack Interval	Damage
			Point Blank	Critical
Craft Boston Basher		0.5 seconds	35	105
Promotional/Craft Three-Rune Blade
Bleeding		40 damage over 5 seconds	N/A	N/A

• The Boston Basher is a craftable melee weapon for the Scout. On hit, the enemy will bleed for 5 seconds, but on miss, it will apply damage and bleed effect to the user at a reduced rate. The user will not be damaged when hitting a teammate, any world geometry, or a prop.

• This is not a weapon meant to be spammed, as it will just get you killed. Instead, keep tapping it when the enemy is close to minimize missing.
  • If you end up making yourself bleed, you can stop the bleeding by drinking Bonk! Atomic Punch and getting a Health kit to recover.

• A successful hit including bleed will deal 75 damage, making hit-and-run tactics even more effective. Run in, melee your target once to soften him up, and fire Scattergun shots as you retreat.
  • If you are losing a one-on-one fight and need to escape, hitting your opponent as you run away may be enough to kill them. This is more effective on squishy targets like other Scouts, although bulkier classes will be weakened all the same.

• By swinging right before jumping, you can boost yourself with the self-damage of the Boston Basher to heights comparable to the Pyro's Detonator jump. However, this costs a lot of health, so take note of where the map's health packs are.
  • By combining the boost of the Boston Basher with the ability of the Force-A-Nature or Atomizer to perform a third jump, you can jump over long stretches of a map.

• By hitting yourself while being healed, you can boost a friendly Medic's ÜberCharge building speed.

• The bleed effect can be useful for preventing Spies from escaping by cloaking. However, trying to hit a Spy that has already turned invisible is inadvisable as you may likely hit yourself instead.

• If you land a successful hit on an enemy using the Boston Basher while the enemy is coated in Mad Milk, the bleed damage will heal you. This can negate missed swings as well.

• The Crit-a-Cola can be useful with the Boston Basher; self-inflicted damage will not be boosted by Crit-a-Cola's effect, and the mini-crits will greatly increase the bleed damage on an enemy player.

Sun-on-a-Stick

Weapon	Kill Icon	Attack Interval	Damage
			Point Blank	Critical
Promotional/Craft Sun-on-a-Stick		0.5 seconds	26	79

• The Sun-on-a-Stick is a craftable melee weapon for the Scout. It delivers 25% less damage than the Bat, but guarantees a critical hit whenever you strike a burning enemy. Additionally, it grants the user 25% fire resistance when it is the active weapon.

• Equipping the Sun-on-a-Stick usually comes down to whether you have a Pyro on your team, as the critical hits only come into play when your opponent is suffering from afterburn.

• While the Sun-on-a-Stick's critical hits on burning targets are powerful, your Scattergun deals more damage all the time. Hence, as effective as it may be, you may only opt to use this combo when your enemy is unaware or retreating whilst on fire.

• The Sun-on-a-Stick's passive fire resistance is usually more useful than its critical hits themselves, giving you the extra survivability needed to get to a health source when you're on fire, or in the case of the Degreaser, make the afterburn almost entirely negligible.

• A good gamemode to use this weapon in is Medieval mode. Snipers and Pyros can light opponents on fire with the Huntsman and the Sharpened Volcano Fragment. Otherwise, it is overall a weak weapon to use for combat, and may not be reliable in a melee fight.

Fan O'War

Weapon	Kill Icon	Attack Interval	Damage
			Point Blank	Critical	Marked for Death Time
Promotional/Craft Fan O'War		0.5 seconds	9	27	15 seconds

• The Fan O'War is a craftable melee weapon for the Scout. An enemy hit by the Fan O'War will be "marked for death", indicated by the skull with crossbones floating above their head, and all damage they take will be mini-crits. The "marked for death" effect lasts 15 seconds. The Fan O'War also does critical hits when it would normally mini-crit. As a drawback, the Fan O' War deals 75% less damage on hit.
  • The Fan O' War's effect can only be applied to one enemy at a time.

• Remember that the Fan O'War is essentially the melee equivalent of Crit-a-Cola; while you don't receive increased damage from enemies, it still requires that you get within point-blank range of enemies, so timing is still vital.
  • Unlike the Crit-a-Cola, you still get access to your secondary weapon, so the Fan O' War is a good choice if you don't use your melee weapon for combat often.

• Even though it will do close to Bat damage when you hit an opponent who's already marked for death, the Fan O'War is not a weapon for dealing damage. Use your primary and secondary weapons to deal damage once you have marked a target for death.

• Ambushing and good maneuvering are crucial with the Fan O'War; whether you're using it on the front lines or the opposing base, remember that surprise is key to landing a hit (as rushing straight towards almost any class is not a great idea).
  • Try attacking enemies that are by themselves, so that you aren't killed by his teammates once you mark him for death. If within a group of enemies, prioritize key targets like Heavies and Medics, as your teammates may be able to clean up.

• Unlike Jarate, the mark for death persists for 15 seconds and its duration is not reduced if the target is being healed, making the Fan O'War do a better job at making key targets more vulnerable for a fixed period of time.

• The Fan O'War is perfect for countering Spies; even if a marked Spy cloaks with a Dead Ringer, the skull symbol will remain above their head, allowing you to prevent his escape.

Atomizer

Weapon	Kill Icon	Attack Interval	Damage
			On Enemies	On Buildings	Self-Damage	Critical
Craft Atomizer		0.5 seconds	28	35	10	84

• The Atomizer is a craftable melee weapon for the Scout. It grants the Scout the ability to triple jump while holding the weapon and mini-crit enemies while airborne, but also deploys 50% slower in addition to 15% less damage done to players.
  • The Atomizer deals less damage on players, but not to buildings. Using it to take out an enemy Teleporter or Dispenser can conserve primary and secondary ammo while doing regular damage.

• Like the Fan O' War, the Atomizer is more of a utility than a weapon. If you do not use your melee enough for its penalties to matter, consider using the Atomizer.

• The Atomizer's third jump can be very useful in a fight, as it gives you another jump to dodge more attacks.

• Using the Atomizer's third jump, you can often take shortcuts into places in the map you couldn't otherwise reach. Try using them for devastating flanks.

• With the Force-A-Nature equipped, you can perform a Quad Jump by combining the Atomizer's triple jump with the Force-A-Nature's knockback.

• Consider not pairing the Atomizer with the Baby Face's Blaster, as the Blaster loses some of its speed boost each jump, which penalizes you for jumping. However, this can make your jumps better when you really need it.

Wrap Assassin

Weapon	Kill Icon	Attack Interval	Damage
			Point Blank	Critical	Recharge Time
Craft Wrap Assassin		0.5 seconds	11	32	N/A
		0.25 seconds	15	45	11.25 seconds
Bleeding		40 damage over 5 seconds	N/A	N/A	N/A

• The Wrap Assassin is a craftable melee weapon for the Scout. It allows you to launch a Bauble similar to the Sandman's baseball, but causes damage and bleeding on hit instead of slowing. The bauble also breaks on contact with a surface, dealing very minor damage with no bleed to enemies around it, or the Scout himself. The Wrap Assassin's ball regenerates 25% faster than the Sandman's, allowing for more shots. The drawback is its melee damage, which is reduced by 65%.

• The Wrap Assassin is a Sandman variant that sacrifices its slow ability for a frequent damage option. While you will not be penalized with less health like the Sandman, you become very weak at melee combat.
  • As the bauble works similarly to the Sandman's ball, most of the Sandman's tactics work for this weapon.

• Try to aim at groups of people clustered together, such as near a control point, to increase your chance of hitting a target.
  • The ornament also shatters if it hits anything, dealing minor damage in an area-of-effect which does not cause bleeding. Because of its undependable shatter damage, rely on direct hits instead.

• The bleed damage of the Wrap Assassin can greatly benefit from the Crit-a-Cola as it will deal a greater amount of damage to enemies.

• Although the Flying Guillotine does more damage and has a faster recharge time, the Wrap Assassin allows you to choose a secondary of your preference and retain a weapon that causes a bleeding effect.
  • However, using both at once can make you a damage-over-time powerhouse, as bleed damage stacks with multiple bleeding weapons. You will do 146 damage total, including bleed damage, if both bleed weapons hit.

Taunt Attacks

Home Run

	Kill Icon	Weapon	Damage	Duration	Details
Grand Slam		Sandman Atomizer	500 with sandman, 375 with atomizer	5 seconds	The Scout points to the sky, winds up, and swings a deadly blow.

• It is advisable to only use your killing taunt on scoped Snipers, very distracted Heavies, or someone that has been slowed by a critical ball because the taunt animation takes so long. As with most other killing taunts, it can also be used to retaliate during Humiliation as the losing team.

• You can use this taunt attack after drinking Bonk! Atomic Punch to be invulnerable during the taunt. You can, however, still be knocked back, ruining the taunt attempt.

• This taunt is completely quiet until executed. However, the kill gives off a much louder sound upon execution. Be sure to get ready for any attention you'll draw to yourself from the loud cheering sound after a successful Home Run.

Weapon combinations

Example Combinations
Combo			Usage
Scattergun or Force-A-Nature	Pistol or Bonk! Atomic Punch	Bat or Sandman	This is a balanced, offensive Scout set that focuses on the central role of Scout: flanking and picking. The Scattergun's larger magazine size compared to the Force-A-Nature's makes up for the lack of a Pistol, while the Force-A-Nature allows you to finish off any injured opponents or push away other defenders that may stand in your way. Bonk! Atomic Punch is most useful when you need to get by enemy Sentry Guns in order to run past unharmed with relative ease, but isn't much to fully stop a Sentry for good, or for mid-ranged self defense, unlike the Pistol. If you need to augment your survivability, swap the Sandman for the Bat. The Sandman's ability to hit a slow ball, however, can serve as a last minute attack when either Scattergun needs to be reloaded, or as an offensive mechanism to get in a couple of easy hits. Use caution while using the Sandman, however; the Sandman's -15 health attribute drops your health down to only 110, allowing Demomen and Soldiers to kill you with one shot at close range. Should you not make a Scattergun kill, either close in again with the Pistol if you have one or use your slowing ball as you retreat to prevent the enemy from following you.
Force-A-Nature or Soda Popper	Flying Guillotine	Wrap Assassin	This loadout focuses on damage over time, with your bleed damage projectiles doing most of your work. As such, this combination of weapons works best at medium range, and is generally only effective against a single target. By constantly flinging both the Flying Guillotine and the Wrap Assassin's baubles into groups of enemies, you can help your team by softening up to two enemies each time. However, this combination shines against a single target, as bleed damage stacks if they are caused by separate weapons. If you find a key target, landing both projectiles will double the bleed damage and inflict both weapon's base damage as well, which is enough to kill any 125-health class over time and severely weaken tougher classes. For anyone who survives, simply blast them with your primary weapon. Your primary weapons generally help you make up for your close-range weakness, or to get behind enemy lines to ambush them with this combo. The Force-A-Nature allows you to knock back enemies that get too close for you to throw your projectiles safely, gives you a very powerful retaliation option, and can help with getting behind enemies with its force jump so you can catch them offguard. If you want to take ambushing one step further, the Soda Popper's multiple jumps will make it even easier to get behind enemy lines, where you can constantly pester your opponents. As effective as this combo may be, remember that you will lack a reliable weapon for at least 6 seconds if you throw both projectiles at once. Fending off more than one opponent will be more difficult for you, so land your bleed weapons, retreat, and return once you are recharged.
Shortstop	Crit-a-Cola	Boston Basher or Wrap Assassin	This combination turns the Shortstop into a viable way to deal large amounts of burst damage at higher ranges than you usually can, and increases the power of your bleed damage. As mini-crits do not suffer from damage fall-off, you are lethal from all ranges (for short periods of time). Because of this, the Shortstop will deliver strong and accurate damage with mini-crits even at range, and paired with 4 rounds per magazine and a fast reload, it is potentially lethal even to Heavies if you get close. As bleeding damage is also affected by your mini-crit boost, pairing it with a bleeding melee weapon can be very powerful as well. If you prefer to stay back at a distance, the Wrap Assassin will maximize your damage potential at from afar if you land a bauble while you are mini-crit boosted. The Boston Basher works better for those who want to get in to do damage. However, given that Crit-a-Cola also makes your self-inflicted hits hurt even more as well, it's important to have a nearby healing source or Medic in case you miss with the Boston Basher.
Shortstop or Scattergun	Mad Milk	Sandman	This is a great combo when you want to help your team survive longer and aid them with pushes. The Shortstop and Scattergun are excellent weapons when you don't have your Pistol equipped. The Scattergun has its reliable six shots and high damage at close range that lets you take down targets easily, while the Shortstop lets you do more damage at a distance if safety is imperative. When a Medic is not around, the Mad Milk's ability will provide your teammates with a well-appreciated opportunity to heal when they hit a soaked enemy, and if you do have a Medic, it will make his job infinitely easier and improves the effectiveness of your team's pushes, as they will survive longer on the battlefield. Mad Milk will also reveal cloaked Spies, aiding your team with Spy checking, and will also extinguish any teammates on fire. The Sandman's ball can slow key targets and make aiming much easier for you and your teammates.
Shortstop	Mad Milk	Candy Cane	This is an ideal loadout for Medieval mode. Since the only explosive attack is from the Ullapool Caber, the Candy Cane coupled with the Mad Milk, can help you and your teammates survive long enough to capture a point. In normal gameplay, however, you need to be careful to not engage in front line combat unless required because of the likelihood of stray explosives. The Shortstop will help you with this vulnerability, as it increases the amount of knockback you experience and can send you flying into safety if you are hit by an explosion. Because of the additional health this loadout provides to your team, it is also very useful in Arena mode.
Scattergun	Pistol	Fan O'War	This combo uses the Fan O'War to enhance the capabilities of your Stock weapons, which have the the most ammunition and the overall best power output. Your standard fare of Scattergun and Pistol bullets will help you in general situations, as they are dependable overall with few situational weaknesses. Using the Fan O'War will make the best out of a bad situation, since it will increase your weapon's already high damage. Mark your target for death before going up to them, such as a Heavy with the Natascha, or a Soldier or Demoman in a tight corridor. Consider using this loadout when you know you will be facing high HP enemies.
Scattergun	Mad Milk	Sun-on-a-Stick	This combination is recommended if you are working with a Pyro on your team. The Sun-on-a-Stick's guaranteed Critical hits on burning players allows for easy kills when working in conjunction with a Pyro. Mad Milk will provide more health for Pyros against a group of enemies, and allows them guaranteed critical hits if they are using the Neon Annihilator. The Scattergun can damage burning enemies from a distance, hastening their death due to afterburn, or weaken high HP classes such as the Heavy or Soldier before your Pyro buddy runs in. This loadout also works well in Medieval Mode if you have a Pyro coordinating with you on your team.
Shortstop or Force-A-Nature	Mad Milk	Fan O'War	This setup is for an entirely support-based Scout. Because you will lack a true weapon other than your primary weapon, play carefully and stay with your team, supporting them with your utility and providing covering fire. Mad Milk can be thrown onto any approaching enemies to allow your teammates to restore health, while the Fan O'War allows your team to deal more damage to high-priority targets. Combine both on a single target to grant even higher healing while increasing damage done. Both of these weapons can also be used to reveal cloaked or disguised Spies; Mad Milk will drip from them when hit, and the 'Marked for Death' symbol will remain above their heads for 10 seconds after a successful hit. Both of them are also unaffected by the Dead Ringer, making them more effective. The Shortstop's fast firing rate, accuracy at medium range, and short reload time makes up for a lack of a Pistol (or melee weapon), whereas the Force-A-Nature makes up for a lack of firepower, and at close ranges can knock enemy players away from important locations and allow you to reach more advantageous positions to throw Mad Milk or flank from. With the Force-A-Nature, this is also a great loadout for Mann VS Machine. As the Scout's main roles are money collection and team support, there's little need to invest points in anything but upgrades for Mad Milk and resistances. As such, the MVM Scout tends rely on the effects of his primary and melee weapons, rather than on any damage they can deal. For instance, the knockback from Force-A-Nature can either temporarily knock-up giant enemies, or send bomb-carrying Robots flying backward, thus causing them to lose ground. Mad Milk, of course, is the staple for the Scout not only due to the slowing upgrade, but also due to the healing bonus given to the entire team. The Fan O'War, while dealing little damage on hit, marks its target for death. This is primarily used against giant Robots, as the mark causes the giant robot to take mini-crit damage from nearly all sources, thus amplifying your entire team's damage.
Force-A-Nature	Pistol or Pretty Boy's Pocket Pistol	Atomizer	This combination allows you to reach tremendous heights at the cost of firepower. By using the Atomizer's triple jump ability in combination with the Force-A-Nature's knockback jumps to pull off a quadruple jump, you will be able to reach places that only a Soldier or Demoman could reach with explosive jumping. However, as the Atomizer does little damage, the best way to protect yourself is with Force-A-Nature blasts, followed by a retreat with the Pistol if you don't have enough time to reload the Force-A-Nature. If you have the Pretty Boy's Pocket Pistol in your disposal, you will be immune to fall damage, so you don't have to worry if you fall from a great height. Remember that the Pretty Boy's Pocket Pistol fires 25% slower than your stock Pistol and you will take 20% more damage when it is out, so keep it holstered till you need a heal when you're at a height.
Scattergun	Mad Milk	Boston Basher	This loadout is good for survivability and is best when combining the Mad Milk's self healing with the the Bleeding by the Boston Basher, causing self healing over time. The Scattergun can quickly dispatch enemies at close range for burst healing when enemies are covered in Mad Milk. Milked enemies will also help you negate self-inflicted damage if you happen to accidentally hit yourself with the Boston Basher.
Baby Face's Blaster	Pretty Boy's Pocket Pistol	Bat or Candy Cane	The Public Enemy Setup The Public Enemy Setup works well together, as it prevents wasting Boost by jumping, and helps you regain lost health from damage so you can move in to gain even more Boost. The Baby Face's Blaster's discourages jumping, which the fall damage negation presented by the Pocket Pistol complements. The boost provided by the Baby Face's Blaster presents more opportunities for ambushes, and the healing granted by the Pocket Pistol lets you steal any lost health that would have depleted when you escape from enemies, which would have also depleted your Boost. Heal up with Pocket Pistol shots from afar if you lack Boost, then run in again. However, you take increased damage when you have the Pocket Pistol out, so be in a safe location before doing so. If you like, the Candy Cane will help you keep gaining your Boost if you get damaged on the battlefield, as you will stay healthier and be able to fire more shots off. However, remember it makes you very vulnerable to explosives, so you might prefer to bring the standard Bat instead.
Baby Face's Blaster	Pistol or Winger or Flying Guillotine	Wrap Assassin or Sandman	This set is centered on building Boost quickly with the Scout's secondary and melee weapons at a distance. The Pistol's high rate of fire and quick reload can make it easier to quickly build Boost quicker. Its clip size makes it easy to spam, and is recommended if you are not as accurate when in motion. The Winger trades magazine size for power, but less accurate players may have trouble landing hits with it. The Flying Guillotine trades spammability for instant benefits; although its cooldown and travel time makes it harder to land hits with, a single hit will fill your Boost bar almost all of the way. Depending on your secondary, you can pick either the Wrap Assassin or Sandman. The Wrap Assassin is effective if you are not using the Flying Guillotine for ranged combat, as it can inflict Bleed at long ranges to safely fill up your Boost meter. The Sandman reduces your survivability, but deals reliable melee damage, and its slowing ball pairs well with the Pistol or Flying Guillotine, making it easier to score Pistol shots or critical hits with the Guillotine. Regardless of your choice, it is essential to keep getting hits to keep your Boost high, as you lose a lot of charge when you are damaged. Once you get full Boost, run in to do some damage, then retreat to a distance to regain your Boost. Rinse and repeat.
Baby Face's Blaster	Bonk! Atomic Punch	Sandman	This set monopolizes on your ability to make quick getaways and use hit-and-run tactics. While using this set initially leaves Scout vulnerable with a slower starting speed and 110 HP, the reward is often worth the risk. The Baby Face's Blaster lets the Scout fly in and out of battle at blazing speeds once he has full Boost. As damage reduces the Boost bar, pairing this with the Bonk! Atomic Punch's effects gives you the absolute maximum infiltration and retreating potential without fear of losing Boost. Capture the Flag maps become fairly easy for grabbing the intelligence if the opposing team doesn't have many Sentry Guns. Arena and King of the Hill modes are also less intimidating as you can retreat to heal with minimal chance of being injured while running away. The Sandman is used to slow enemies, further opening your window of opportunity to close in quickly for a kill or to escape on a whim. However, because you lack a reliable ranged weapon to build Boost, you are fully dependent on the Blaster. Make sure to drink Bonk! as soon as possible to ensure you don't lose your hard-earned Boost before you move in.
Force-A-Nature or Soda Popper	Crit-a-Cola or Flying Guillotine	Sandman	This setup mainly focuses on the Scout using alternative routes to sneak up on opponents and deal a lot of damage in a short period of time using quick-firing Scatterguns or a Flying Guillotine combo. The Force-A-Nature and Soda Popper work best as a flanking weapon thanks to their faster firing rate. If using the Force-A-Nature, the Crit-a-Cola pairs well with it, as it can kill most classes in a single clip before they can react. If not, the Flying Guillotine can be used as a long ranged backup weapon. The Soda Popper's hype charge can be enhanced with the Crit-a-Cola's damage boost, and when full, the multiple jumps can let you reach massive heights, while also ambushing from behind the enemy's defenses. The Sandman's ability to fire slowing balls can be used to ambush or escape combat more effectively.
Baby Face's Blaster	Crit-a-Cola	Bat or Sandman or Fan O'War or Wrap Assassin	This set focuses on maximizing the Scout's movement speed to its fullest potential, making you a very hard target to hit, at the cost of survivability and being close to enemies. The Baby Face Blaster is weaker than the Scattergun at combat due to its lower magazine size. However, coupled with the Crit-a-Cola, hitting multiple targets at close to mid range can build Boost almost instantly. Once you have full Boost, Crit-a-Cola will not boost your speed even further, but you will be fast and strong enough to take down most enemies in a single hit if you get close. As you take increased damage if Crit-a-Cola is in use, you will be very vulnerable especially since damage easily reduces your Boost, but you will often be fast enough to dodge most projectiles. Just be wary of Sentry Guns, which have perfect aim. Bring a melee weapon of your choice. The Bat does have any downsides and improves your survivability. The Sandman will let you slow your target before you move in with your speed, but makes you even more fragile. The Fan O' War will be easier to use since you'll often be moving faster than usual, and the Wrap Assassin's bleed effect will help you gain Boost easily when boosted by your mini-crits.
Soda Popper	Winger	Atomizer	The #1 Fan This setup rewards good aiming and ambushing tactics with high burst damage and incredible mobility. The faster reload speed of the Soda Popper gives your enemies less time to catch you unarmed, while its faster firing speed helps you to kill unaware foes before they can even react. Once your hype meter is full, the additional air jumps when activating hype mode allows you to rain bullets from the air or flank your enemies and set up ambushes. The jump boost of the Winger lets you easily jump over obstacles or enemies, before landing beside them to fire strong Winger shots at them. Keep in mind that you should focus on hit-and-run tactics because of the reduced clip size of both the Soda Popper and the Winger. The Atomizer's third jump provides a good fallback to help you escape when you do not have hype mode activated, but be aware that it does deal 10 damage to you. The best way to use this set is to weave in and out of combat to build your hype meter. When it is full, activate hype and then switch back to Winger to boost your air-jumps. This allows you to jump over enemies' heads to shoot them from behind, or simply to get into enemy territory.
Back Scatter	Mad Milk	Fan O'War or Wrap Assassin or Holy Mackerel	This combination of weapons is specifically designed to hunt down enemy Spies. As a Scout, you are the fastest class in the game and the second most effective Spy hunting class after the Pyro. While you can simply run into a suspicious teammate to check them, this loadout enables you to check for Spies with less risk to yourself as well as notify your team of any Spies you may discover. The Back Scatter's wider spread becomes a benefit here, as even a single pellet will reveal an invisible Spy by their flicker--simply fire from a medium distance at suspicious spots, since you have Back Scatter ammo to spare. It can also be useful if you see a disguised Spy about to backstab a teammate; simply blast him at the back to rid of him with your mini-crits. Once you find a Spy, bring out your melee weapon or your Mad Milk to highlight them as a target. If the enemy Spy is not using a Dead Ringer, the Wrap Assassin or Fan O'War can make it easy to find them using the telltale blood spatter or Marked For Death symbol above their heads. If you suspect there are Dead Ringer Spies on the field, the Holy Mackerel and its variants can ensure that you don't let them get away with faking their death. If the kill feed indicates that the Spy has not actually died, use your Mad Milk to douse the area; done quickly, the Spy will not be able to avoid being covered in Mad Milk, which will give away his position. Even when not hunting Spies, this loadout can still contribute to the Scout's usefulness by extending his team's effectiveness due to the Mad Milk and Fan O'War, and rewards powerful sneak attacks from behind on targets splashed with Mad Milk.
Force-A-Nature	Winger	Atomizer	This set trades the #1 Fan set's Soda Popper for the Force-A-Nature, allowing you to get out of confrontations you cannot win and traverse large areas in good time. This loadout enables three Winger-boosted jumps and a Force-A-Nature force jump, allowing you to be extremely unpredictable and agile. This is strictly a hit-and-run playstyle, due to the Force-A-Nature's small clip. Surprise your enemy by dropping from the sky after a triple jump, then fire at them to push them back. This is useful for when a key target decides to push into your team's territory (such as a Heavy), as you can deny his entry and simply jump away to safety. The Force-A-Nature knockback also lets you escape if you can't win a confrontation, as well as push enemies into environmental hazards or into the hands of your teammates. This set can also aid your team if you play as a decoy, as you can distract your opponents by firing from above while jumping, hence keeping attention away from your teammates.
Force-A-Nature	Bonk! Atomic Punch	Wrap Assassin	This load-out turns the Scout into a major distraction. Although you won't be able to do high damage as with the Scattergun, the Force-A-Nature can be used to push opponents away from their objective or target, while still dealing high burst damage to take out anyone unaware. The Wrap Assassin's bat and bleed damage is not spectacular, but its main benefits include shaking the screens of Snipers to hinder their aim, and causing damage over time that can lead panicky opponents to hunting you down and wasting time. Bonk! Atomic Punch will be a fallback option for escape if you are low on health, and you can use the invulnerability to distract opponents or block their line of sight.
Back Scatter	Bonk! Atomic Punch or Pretty Boy's Pocket Pistol or Winger	Atomizer or Candy Cane	This loadout focuses on using the Back Scatter as a flanking weapon. The Bonk! Atomic Punch and Atomizer can help a Scout to get behind enemy lines. Invincibility can allow a Scout to go unscathed, and even undetected, through enemy territory. The Bonk! Atomic Punch is also useful as an escape option. The Atomizer can assist in finding alternate routes or evading damage. Together with the Back Scatter, these weapons can easily allow a Scout to flank and attack people from behind with his Back Scatter. Alternatively, the Winger can be used instead of the Bonk! Atomic Punch, in order to gain greater access to flank routes. Another loadout for a flanking Scout is the Back Scatter, Pretty Boy's Pocket Pistol and Candy Cane. The healing power of the other two weapons comes at the cost of some vulnerability to damage, so it should be your goal to avoid taking explosive damage, and the Pretty Boy's Pocket Pistol should only be deployed when desperate or from safety (such as from behind). This set is particularly deadly against Heavies, Engineers, Snipers, Medics, Pyros, Spies, and other Scouts. However, this loadout is less effective against Demomen, Soldiers, and Sentry Guns. As a general rule, the Back Scatter should be used with Pistol variants (in order to make up for lesser accuracy) or the Bonk! Atomic Punch. The Crit-a-Cola is one of the worst weapons to equip alongside the Back Scatter as Mini-Crits do not stack.
Soda Popper	Crit-a-Cola	Any Melee	This is a combo loadout that revolves around using the Crit-a-Cola to build Hype faster, and then using your Hype to play aggressively. This loadout requires you to switch between flanking sneakily and playing aggressively. Be sneaky when building up Hype, because of the crit-a-cola's bigger downside.
Unless marked with a †, all weapons can be substituted with reskins.

Cooperative Class Strategies

 Scout

An experienced Scout alone is powerful, but two or more, or even a squadron can cause massive havoc for the enemy team. A coordinated ambush can easily take down any enemy with ease.

• Because a Scout's main duties are to provide a distraction and rush to the objective, one Scout has the ability to distract a whole team at once by shooting from one route, while another Scout can go through an alternate route to the objective without any hassle.
• If a team is experienced enough and is willing to cooperate, they can utilize a Scout Rush to swarm over enemy objectives before the enemy team has time to prepare a defense.
  • In Capture the Flag, a team of Scouts can get to the enemy base before the other team has time to set up defenses. Once the Scouts are situated in the flag room, it is only a matter of time before they capture the flag.
  • In Attack/Defend, a team of BLU Scouts can overwhelm the RED defense before they are fully prepared to counter-attack. Coupled with the outrageous capture speed of a Scout rush and the RED team's long respawn time, this strategy is very hard to combat.
  • In Payload Race, the cart only requires two Scouts to reach maximum speed, while the rest of the team can rush to the other cart and prevent them from advancing further. With the majority of teammates focused on the enemy while the enemy is focused on their cart, the attacking team will make easy work of the opposition.
• When teaming up with another Scout, make sure your loadout complements their loadout's weaknesses.
  • A team of Scouts can fulfill many roles; distracting Sentry Guns with Bonk!, slowing enemies for easier aiming, heal teammates and Spy check via Mad Milk, and even take down a Heavy-Medic combo.
    • Even without the effects of Bonk!, a pair of Scouts can quickly rush a Sentry Gun and destroy it with their Scatterguns, with the Sentry having no one target to lock on.
• Regardless of the tactics mentioned above, Scout teams suffer when the enemy has set up defenses; it will be difficult to overwhelm an objective quickly if a fully constructed Sentry Gun is built there, or if a Heavy-Medic pair constantly hunts you down. Additionally, cramped maps such as Junction will make it more difficult for Scout teams to avoid damage.
  • As such, the earlier in a round you attempt a Scout team, the better.

 Soldier

While it may seem unlikely, a Soldier-Scout team up can easily decimate any obstacle that happens to move into their sights; with the combined effect of the Scattergun and Rocket Launcher's close to medium range power, it is unlikely that anything will survive.

• Although the Scout is the master of the ground, the Soldier is the master of the air. While the Scout engages an enemy from below, the Soldier can rocket jump and blast rockets on the ground to overwhelm his enemies. While both teammates are focused on the same enemy, they can easily take down any foe together.
• As the Soldier's rockets have travel time, the Scout can run in and clean up any injured enemies should the Soldier miss rockets at medium range.
  • The Scout can also protect the Soldier while he reloads by firing rounds from the Scattergun. As the Scattergun has six shots, the Soldier should be reloaded by the time the Scout runs out of shots, and the Soldier can then protect the Scout as he reloads.
• The Soldier, with his rocket jumps, can be just as mobile and speedy as the Scout. This pairing can be used to their advantage.
  • In Control Points, this means that they can both ambush the same point together with the efficiency of three players. If the Soldier is using the Pain Train, this pair-up is especially effective.
  • In Capture the Flag, this allows the Scout and Soldier to capture the flag in double-time. While the Scout goes into the base to steal the flag, the Soldier waits outside for the Scout. The Scout gives the flag to the Soldier, where he rocket jumps back to his home base. The Scout goes back to the enemy base as he captures, and the cycle starts anew.
  • In Payload, a Scout can hide behind the cart while a Soldier stands on top the cart to shoot at enemies. This pairing defends the Scout's invaluable double-capture bonus while still clearing a straight path to the next capture zone.
  • On Steel, the Soldier and Scout can both rush to Point E while the enemy team is distracted at other control points. The Scout can deny enemy troops a clear path by spamming bullets, and the Soldier can target specific enemies so that they don't interfere.
• This team can make a great Anti-Sentry setup; the Scout can use Bonk! Atomic Punch to distract Sentry Guns, while the Soldier can destroy them and any Engineers with a few Rockets.
• Mad Milk thrown by the Scout into a bunch of enemies will allow the Soldier to heal significant amounts of health and keep in combat longer, especially with the Black Box.
• A Soldier with the Buff Banner can improve the Scout's Scattergun effectiveness, as mini-crits are not affected by damage falloff. This will make both the Scout and Soldier deal good damage at range.
• This team's weaknesses revolve around having little space for either class to move around. The more open areas the map has, the more effective this combination will be, as both parties will be able to get from point to point quickly.

 Pyro

The Pyro and Scout are both excellent and efficient ambushing classes. Due to their strengths at close range, a coordinated ambush can result in killing practically any enemy without too much effort.

• As the Scout's speed makes him a wonderful distraction, a Scout can run in and make an opponent focus on him as the Pyro takes an alternate route to burn them as they are distracted.
  • The same can be done in reverse, where the Pyro burns and confuses an opponent as the Scout runs in to finish the job.
• A Pyro can "mark" an opponent by setting them on fire before the Scout runs in to take them down, as they will either be injured or running to a healthpack.
• A Pyro can be a lifesaver for a burning Scout, as afterburn can take out a lot of his health. Airblasting can potentially save the Scout from a lengthy respawn time.
• A Pyro who sets an enemy on fire can be finished off quickly by a Scout with the Sun-on-a-Stick, and combined with Mad Milk, the Pyro can crit using the Neon Annihilator. In addition to the extra damage, the Mad Milk will heal the Pyro for 94 health on a successful hit. This is a potent combination in Medieval mode.
  • Even without this combination, Mad Milk can improve a Pyro's endurance while he burns enemies.
• A Scout equipped with a Candy Cane can potentially give a steady stream of health to a Pyro carrying the Back Scratcher: the Pyro can light enemies on fire while the Scout provides the finishing blow. Likewise, the Scout's 25% damage vulnerability to explosives can be neutralized by simply airblasting away any explosives.
• The Pyro can use the Detonator or Scorch Shot to take routes where the Scout can.
• The Mad Milk pairs especially well with the Phlogistinator. The Mad Milk's healing rate will partially negate the Pyro's vulnerability while he burns opponents for "Mmph", and when the weapon is charged, the Pyro can not only fill up his whole health capacity in under a second using milked targets, but also destroy any opponents in range.
  • The Backburner operates on the same principles as the Phlogistinator, but with more emphasis on ambushing.
• The Pyro's afterburn combined with the Scout's Bleeding (when equipped with either the Flying Guillotine, Wrap Assassin, Boston Basher, or Three-Rune Blade) turns the team into a damage-over-time powerhouse. Constant hits from the Flare Gun and the Scout's bleed weapons will do significant damage, even at range where the Scout and Pyro is weak at.
• As mentioned above, this team combination is exceptionally weak at range. Snipers and Heavies can often ruin any attempts for the Scout or Pyro to move in. This team combo works best when both parties find alternate routes to ambush enemies, or when one provides a distraction for the other.

 Demoman

Another unlikely team up, the Demoman and Scout are complete opposites of each other; the Scout focuses on quick, offensive ambushing, while the Demoman focuses on defense and keeping the enemy at bay from mid range. However, when combined, they can fill a number of roles together.

• Because the Scout specializes in distractions and weapon heckling, a lone Scout is able to lead an enemy right into a Sticky trap even from far away.
  • This also allows a Demoman with a sword and shield to charge up to a distracted enemy.
• As the Demoman excels at medium range and Grenades are hard to land, he can help the Scout deal good damage where his Scattergun would not, while the Scout can run in to clean up any missed Grenade shots with his more accurate Scattergun.
• Similarly to a Scout and Soldier team, a Demoman can equip the Sticky Jumper and Pain Train to gain the capture rate and speed of a Scout. Combined, they can swiftly capture points together.
• Mad Milk can offset the -25 health penalty incurred by the Eyelander, giving the Demoman more survivability.
• Because the Sandman ball can slow enemies for a period of time, a Demoman can place multiple Stickybombs around a slowed enemy before they can get away and detonate them all at once to guarantee an instant kill. Eyelander-wielding Demomen can also get an easy head with this combo, not needing to have to chase down the enemy anymore.
  • The Scout can also use the Force-A-Nature to launch slowed enemies into Stickybomb traps for an easy kill.
• This team combo works well if both parties make up for each class' range weakness.

 Heavy

The Heavy and Scout are complete opposites when it comes to movement speed; the combined force of their weapons, however, is not much of a laughing matter.

• Because the Scout is good for distracting enemies, leading them into the path of a Heavy will force them to retreat, allowing you to finish them off after the Heavy has inflicted his share of damage.
• Conversely, the Heavy is a good shock trooper at the front lines, and is enough of a threat that enemies will usually focus on him. The Scout can take advantage by having free reign of the area the Heavy is covering, and can fire easily at distracted enemies.
• If a Heavy stands in a narrow doorway expecting enemies to come by, the Scout can use his Bonk! Atomic Punch and walk in front of him to act as a human shield. Since enemies can't shoot through you and the friendly Heavy can, the Heavy's chances of survival greatly increases.
• The pair can complement each other's healing capabilities through combining the Heavy's Sandvich and the Scout's Mad Milk; the Heavy benefits from the massive healing granted from hitting milked targets with his Minigun, and the Scout will uniquely gain 75 health from the Sandvich instead of 50 health.
  • Mad Milk is especially useful with the Dalokohs Bar or Warrior's Spirit, where the former's +50 health increase will give the Heavy even further augmented survivability, and the latter's +30% damage taken increase will be offset by the constant healing.
• The Heavy's Natascha's slowdown effect combined with the slow effect of a Sandman ball will make enemies practically immobile, giving either of you an easy kill.
  • Even without the Sandman, this will make the Scout's job much easier.
• Because the Heavy carries huge firepower and very slow speed, this makes him a prime target for Spies to backstab him. A Scout can Spy-check the area by throwing his Mad Milk or attacking teammates.
• As the Heavy is slow whilst you are fast, it is essential to protect the Heavy or wait for him to move before you approach enemies, especially if both of you are working closely together. Ensure that he survives instant deaths from backstabs or headshots by providing a distraction, while he protects you from being overwhelmed by opponents.

 Engineer

Scouts, at first, don't seem to be a potential Engineer buddy. However, the Scout's abilities not only make up for what the Engineer lacks, but can also be a vital part of a base.

• One of the Scout's purposes is to see what's ahead of the team and alert them to it. If a Scout sees an incoming threat, such as a Heavy, Demoman, or Soldier, alert the Engineer as soon as you can so he can prepare better.
  • If it's a weaker class, such as another Scout, it may be best to kill him yourself or let the Sentry Gun kill him.
• If the Engineer is trying to get to the enemy base to build a Teleporter, the Scout should go in front of him to check for danger. Additionally, if enemies come out of one route while the Engineer wants to build in another route (such as the vents on Turbine), the Scout should distract the enemies so that the Engineer can slip by unnoticed.
• One of the Sentry Gun's primary counters is a Heavy and Medic pair. Luckily, the Scout can take action to keep the Sentry active.
  • If a Scout has Bonk! equipped, use it to body-block the Heavy's bullets. The Sentry Gun should kill the Heavy before your invincibility wears off.
  • Even if the Heavy is Übered, you can use the Force-A-Nature to knock either him or the Medic off-course, messing up his aim. However, this strategy won't work on a Quick-Fix Übercharge, as it prevents all knockback.
  • If you can hit the Heavy with the Fan of War, all damage he takes will be increased by 35%, including ramp-up damage. This will cause the Heavy to take much more damage than a Medic can heal, dramatically decreasing his survivability.
• A Scout has much better Spy-checking abilities than the Engineer does. Use this to your advantage.
  • A Scout's Pistol is useful for surveying the area for Cloaked Spies. If you stand near a Dispenser while spamming bullets, you gain as much ammunition as the Engineer normally would.
  • A Scout's speed allows him to run into teammates to check for Spies; if you can't go through a teammate, he's an enemy Spy. Furthermore, if the Spy attacks you on a reflex, he will reveal himself and be gunned down by the Sentry Gun.
  • The Mad Milk will reveal Cloaked and Disguised enemy Spies. If you think you see a Disguised Spy or if he tries to Cloak in order to escape, use your Mad Milk in order to track him down.
  • The Scout's Bleed mechanic works in the same way as the Mad Milk, while dealing damage over time. Don't be afraid to hit teammates with the Boston Basher if you aren't sure he's a Spy; your Engineer's Dispenser will heal you up if you miss.
  • The Holy Mackerel or Unarmed Combat will reveal Cloaked Spies in the kill feed when hit. However, they will not reveal Disguised Spies or those using the Dead Ringer.
• Using the Crit-a-Cola while standing next to a Dispenser will offset the +10% damage penalty, allowing you to roast your enemies from afar when coupled with the Shortstop.
• Overall, you will be a fragile, yet useful Engineer buddy with lots of utility. While you will often be at the front lines preventing enemies from coming close, helping out your Engineer will make his job, and your team's defense, more effective.

 Medic

A Scout and Medic can make a great team. The Scout's main job is to protect the Medic at all costs and escort him to other teammates so he can heal them as quick as possible.

• Always be sure to Spy-check, as Medics are usually the main killing priority for Spies; alert teammates immediately if you find a possible Spy that is trying to target your Medic.
• Due to the Scout's low health pool, it is a good idea for a Medic to stay nearby in order to top him off as necessary.
  • Keep in mind that in the order of classes to heal, Scouts are a relatively low priority. If more important teammates are injured, heal them first.
• Do not ask for an Übercharge to be deployed, unless it's an emergency or if the Medic is using the Kritzkrieg or Quick-Fix; if you do, you can easily waste an Übercharge that would have been more beneficial with another teammate.
  • However, do not underestimate a crit-boosted Scout. A full Pistol clip, aimed correctly, deals enough damage to take down any class. Additionally, the Scattergun's crits can take down any overhealed target in just 3 hits at close range, even a Heavy. As critical hits do not suffer from damage falloff, this can make you exceptionally powerful even at range.
• Although it's generally a bad idea to pocket a Scout, it can be viable. Since all mediguns mirror the patient's speed for the Medic himself, he will be able to keep up with you, while its healing lets you tank damage much more than usual.
  • This works especially well with the Mad Milk, as the health on hit can make the duo very hard to kill.
• The Vaccinator's resistances can potentially save him and his low health pool from death. The Medic can give a resistance bubble to the Scout before he moves in, such as bullet resistance to tank a Sentry Gun's shots.
• The Quick-Fix pairs perfectly for the Scout, due to the increased healing working well with the Scout's low health pool.
  • In Control Points, the Scout's speed and evasiveness can allow a Medic and Scout pair to get behind enemy lines in order to back-cap the point. The Scout's firepower and the Medic's rapid healing allows the duo to hold the point until it becomes available to capture.
  • In Capture the Flag, the Medic can ride with the Scout until he reaches the Intelligence room. When the Medic is situated in the enemy base, the Scout can run off without him to capture the flag. The Medic can then wait for teammates to arrive and give them assistance with the next cap.
  • The Crit-a-Cola can be used in a pinch if the Medic needs an extra burst of speed, especially on large maps such as Gravel Pit.
• Using the Boston Basher's self-inflicted damage is extremely useful for building an ÜberCharge. If the Scout keeps hurting himself, the Medic will be able to fill his meter in half the time he could if the Scout was at full health.
• If the Scout uses the Baby Face's Blaster, the Medic will receive speed directly proportional to the Scout's boost bar. When the Scout is at full speed, the Medic will go ludicrously fast, allowing them to get to the front lines much faster. The healing will also allow the Scout to gain boost back safely whenever he gets hurt.
• This team combination does not work well when you encounter multiple bulkier enemies like the Soldier or Heavy, as the Scout is only strong against one-on-one confrontations. As the Medic will be more beneficial if he heals his entire team instead of just you, ensure that your team can handle themselves before attempting any of these solo tactics.

 Sniper

The Scout and Sniper makes up for each other's range weakness. The Scout focuses on close range combat while the Sniper focuses on long ranged combat, allowing the both of you to guard one another.

• The Scout is a perfect distraction for a Sniper. If he has a line of sight, the Sniper can constantly get free shots with minimal danger at a distance while enemies are distracted by the Scout's close range shenanigans.
  • The Sniper can also take down distant Sentry Guns so you can run in safely.
• A Sniper can protect you from other Scouts and Snipers. If trying to capture the Intelligence, a point, or escort the Payload, he can pick off enemies from a distance to keep you safe. You can do the same for the Sniper as well, protecting him from his close ranged weakness as he snipes.
• Snipers who decide to follow you to the front lines with the Huntsman will be vulnerable after each shot. The Scout can distract enemies as the Sniper keeps back, or outright kill enemies who want to come closer to capitalize on the Huntman's slow reload.
• Jarate will make the Scout's job easier as he can take down enemies with less shots. Mad Milk can also be a surprisingly good utility for a Sniper, as a fully-charged headshot on a milked target will instantly refill all his health.
• The Sandman's slow will keep opponents moving minimally, making it much more easier for the Sniper to get a headshot or two.
• The Sniper and Scout can form an adequate Spy checking team. With the combined force of the Wrap Assassin, Mad Milk or Flying Guillotine, Bushwacka or Tribalman's Shiv, and Jarate, a Spy usually cannot escape.
• While you may excel at keeping one another safe, you will often not be able to protect both members due to the different ranges your classes work at. This team combination might have to sacrifice one's safety for the benefit of the other, as a Sniper will be easily killed at close range, while a Scout's weapons are helpless at long range.

 Spy

It's very rare for a Scout to ever team up with a Spy, but it's possible and has potential, due to each classes' tendencies to ambush on command.

• As usual, the Scout is a perfect distraction for his teammate. Enemies focusing on the Scout will not realize if a Spy sneaks up behind them for a backstab.
  • The Spy can also hang back at a distance as a Scout fights in the front lines. He can then use his health-observing ability to pick off weakened targets with the Revolver, or simply keep firing for headshots with the Ambassador.
• The Scout can make it look like he's being chased by an "enemy" for a quick distraction. Let the Spy disguise as an enemy and chase the Scout, as he shoots back and retreats. Enemies might move forward to help their "teammate", and the Spy can hang back to get backstabs. It makes it more convincing if the Scout uses the "Help!" command using C+1.
  • The Spy can also disguise as a friendly teammate beside the Scout, and feign death using the Dead Ringer as they approach opponents. The Scout can distract the enemy long enough for the Spy to switch to an enemy disguise, recharge his Dead Ringer, and blend into the opposing team.
• A Bonk! Atomic Punch distraction combined with the Spy's ability to sap buildings can quickly eliminate an entire sentry nest before reinforcements arrive.
  • The Scout can also use Bonk! to clear a pathway of Stickybombs so the Spy can move in. However, take note that this will result in the Scout absorbing a high amount of damage that will lead to a considerable slowdown after the invulnerability wears off.
• As Spies are constantly Spy-checked, he will usually be on fire. Equipping Mad Milk to extinguish him will help immensely.
• Take note of this team combination, as you can be the one that ruins your friendly Spy's espionage. Refrain from running towards him if you meet behind enemy lines, as you may accidentally get him blown up by an unwary opponent.

See also

• Team strategy
• Double jump