Basic Scout strategy
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— The Scout
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The Scout is the fastest and arguably the most mobile class in the game. Although frail, his speed and ability to double jump allow him to easily access alternate routes on many maps, making him extremely unpredictable and perfect for ambushing. He counts as two players when capturing control points or pushing Payload carts, making him ideal for completing mission objectives quickly. When fighting, his high damage output and mobility make him one of the best classes in one-on-one combat. Because his health pool is so low, the Scout relies on completely avoiding damage to survive; for example, his double jump lets him escape knockback, fall damage, and explosions. To maximize damage dealt and minimize damage taken, a good Scout tends to weave around the outskirts of a battlefield, picking off important or damaged enemy targets. Weaponry that can slow or track players, such as Natascha or the Sentry Gun, are deadly to the Scout.
Primary weapons
When fighting, don't rely on your mouse alone to track foes. Use your movement to keep the opponent centered on your screen, firing whenever your cross-hairs and opponent match up. This allows you to focus on moving efficiently and erratically, making you harder to hit, while at the same time making your aim smoother and more accurate via prediction. Find what distance you operate at best and use your speed to maintain it; extremely close range combat favors quick jumping to avoid enemy shots fired downward, while more moderate distances allow you to stay grounded and continuously strafe from side to side.
Scattergun + reskins
At point blank range, your Scattergun can kill most classes with just two well placed shots. Due to the Scattergun's bullet spread and slow reload speed, switching to your Pistol when out of primary ammo or when fighting distant enemies is wise.
Force-A-Nature + reskins
The Force-A-Nature deals heavy burst damage but must be reloaded often, making it best used as a hit-and-run weapon. It inflicts knockback on both you and your target, with your target being launched backwards proportional to the damage dealt. An enemy launched into the air makes for an easy kill, while the self-inflicted knock back allows you to Force jump to even more unpredictable locations. If you actively jump while in combat, save your extra jump until after you've fired the Force-A-Nature; the knock back can leave you suspended in midair and vulnerable. For efficient ammo usage, always fire your two shots before reloading; reloading with one shot in the barrel will discard that shot.
Shortstop
The Shortstop is a cross between your Scattergun and Pistol. While it deals less damage than your other primary weapons, its narrow bullet spread and fast reload time makes it reliable at longer ranges. The Shortstop also grants increased healing, making it pair well with Mad Milk. While the Shortstop is equipped, you receive 40% greater knock back, encouraging you to keep a safe distance from any sources. It draws from the same ammunition pool as the Pistol, so you should use a different secondary weapon to conserve ammunition.
Soda Popper
The Soda Popper is similar to the Force-A-Nature, but does not possess its knockback effects. Like the Force-A-Nature, it is best used as a hit-and-run weapon. However, the faster reloading speed means that it is more viable for prolonged combat. While the Soda Popper is your active weapon, you will generate a "Hype" meter. When the Hype meter is full, alternate-fire will put you into Hype mode, allowing you to jump up to five times in midair for 10 seconds. The ability to jump consecutively is even more useful for accessing alternate routes or avoiding damage. For efficient ammo usage, always fire your two shots before reloading; reloading with one shot in the barrel will discard that shot.
Baby Face's Blaster
The Baby Face's Blaster will initially lower your speed by a little bit and has a reduced clip size. However, dealing damage with any weapon will build Boost, increasing your speed to an amount significantly higher than your normal rate of travel. Double jumping will remove some of the accumulated Boost, so you'll have to carefully decide when to jump. Don't be afraid to use your jump, however; it only takes 99 damage to fully charge your Boost if you lose all of it. Use a secondary weapon of your own choice to build up boost at a distance.
Secondary weapons
Pistol + reskins
The Pistol is a backup weapon, primarily used for finishing off wounded targets or fighting at range. It reloads much more quickly than any of your primary weapons and can be used to harass enemies or cover a retreat.
Bonk! Atomic Punch
Bonk! Atomic Punch is a utility item that, when consumed, will grant invulnerability to everything except environmental harm and telefragging. Its main use is to dodge or draw enemy fire. For example, you can use it to get past Sentry Guns, retreat safely, bait Demomen into detonating their sticky traps, or block choke points. Outside of combat, it can also be used to negate afterburn, bleeding, or self-damage from the Atomizer. Even though you are nearly invincible when under its effects, don't overextend; you will still be vulnerable to knockback and don't want to be caught out in the open once Bonk! expires.
Crit-a-Cola
Crit-a-Cola is a utility item that rewards you for taking risks. When consumed, it grants you guaranteed mini-crits and 25% increased move speed, but causes you to take 10% increased damage from all sources. Thus, it is recommended to drink it before an ambush or other situations where your opponent can't retaliate in time. If used for ranged harassment, Crit-a-Cola pairs well with the with the Shortstop, as mini-crits don't have damage fall-off. The speed boost provided by Crit-a-Cola will not stack with the boosting effects of other items, so do not drink it and take increased damage if you don't have to.
Mad Milk
Mad Milk is thrown like a grenade and inflicts a temporary debuff upon its victims, allowing any member on your team to heal by damaging an opponent under its effects. It can be used both in single combat or large firefights to give you and allies additional survivability. Additionally, Mad Milk can be used to extinguish teammates and reveal cloaked Spies.
Winger
Like the Pistol, the Winger can be used to harass enemies or cover a retreat. When compared to the Pistol, its increased damage is best for short encounters; the Winger deals less damage over long periods of time due to its reduced magazine size. The 25% jump height makes maneuvering to tricky spots even easier and pairs well with the Atomizer.
Pretty Boy's Pocket Pistol
The Pretty Boy's Pocket Pistol slightly raises your maximum health and negates fall damage. However, it shoots more slowly than the Pistol and increases your vulnerability to fire, making it less effective in combat. Overall, the Pretty Boy's Pocket Pistol can be useful if you prefer a more mobile playstyle, relying on your primary weapon to pick off lone enemies.
Flying Guillotine
The Flying Guillotine can be thrown every six seconds to deal moderate damage and cause bleeding, making it decent for mid-range harassment. If it hits an enemy that's stunned, it deals a guaranteed critical hit; although difficult to aim in the heat of battle, this lets it combo with the Sandman's baseball shot. Overall, the Flying Guillotine rewards you greatly for landing that singular hit; one cleaver is equivalent to several Pistol shots while striking a stunned enemy is the equivalent of several Scattergun shots.
Melee weapons
Bat + reskins
Because you already deal so much damage at close range, you should only use the Bat when out of loaded ammunition or when dealing with unattended Engineer structures. While it swings rapidly, it deals less damage than your Scattergun.
Sandman
The Sandman slightly lowers your maximum health but grants access to an alternate fire that launches a baseball capable of stunning enemies. The baseball's stun time is based on the distance the ball travels; after stunning an enemy, you can move in for the kill or retreat safely. In large firefights, focus on stunning the more dangerous foes, such as Heavies and Crit boosted enemies.
Holy Mackerel + reskins
The Holy Mackerel functions identically to the Bat, it's only difference being that it announces each hit in the kill feed. A hit that triggers a Spy's feign death will appear as a hit, not a kill, allowing you to track down a Spy using the Dead Ringer.
Candy Cane
When you have the Candy Cane equipped, any kill against any class will cause your victims to drop health packs that can be used to heal your team as they fight at the front lines. The Candy Cane does not need to be the active weapon for this bonus to occur. However, your vulnerability to explosive damage is increased, meaning that a direct hit from a rocket or grenade is now capable of killing you in just one hit. A Spy who uses the Dead Ringer to trigger a feign death will not drop a health pack and is easier to discern.
Boston Basher + reskins
When striking an enemy, the Boston Basher inflicts the bleed status in addition to the standard Bat damage. However, any missed melee attacks will cause you to damage and inflict the bleed status on yourself instead. Thus, try to attack only if you're sure the strike will connect. You can use the self-damage to help a Medic fill his ÜberCharge meter and the bleed effect to track down Cloaked Spies. Damaging yourself will inflict a small amount of self-knockback that can be used as an additional jump in order to reach higher areas, albeit at the cost of a significant portion of health.
Sun-on-a-Stick
Against ignited foes, the Sun-on-a-Stick will deal as much damage as the Scattergun at point blank range in terms of damage-per-second. However, both you and the Pyro excel at close range combat and can often finish off an enemy without the help of an ally. As a result, you might not be able to utilize this combo frequently, as effective as it may be.
Fan O'War
The Fan O'War deals little damage but can mark victims for death, causing all damage taken to be mini-crits. In a one-on-one encounter, tag an enemy with it, then switch to another weapon to finish the job. It's less effective against groups of enemies, due to your low survivability and because the Mark of Death can only be inflicted on one enemy at a time.
Atomizer
The Atomizer does not need to be active for you to have access to the triple jump, so you can ignore its downsides if you simply use your primary weapon in close range combat. The added mobility granted by the triple jump is often worth paying 10 health, especially if it means positioning yourself behind a key target or dodging a deadly rocket. If you pair the Atomizer with the Force-A-Nature, you can combine a triple jump and force jump into a quadruple jump. You will take no damage from the third jump while phasing with Bonk! Atomic Punch.
Wrap Assassin
In a similar fashion to the Sandman, the Wrap Assassin launches a projectile that will inflict a bleed effect on successfully hit enemies. It's most effective to use the projectile to weaken stronger enemies, rather than finish them off, before moving in with the Scattergun. If you simply use your primary weapon in close range combat, you can ignore its reduced damage.
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