Basic Scout strategy
The Scout is a short range, high speed, fragile class with the ability to double jump. He captures Control Points and Payload carts at double speed.
His role is to flank rapidly, dodge wildly, and kill enemies with his high damage Scattergun.
Contents
General
- The Scout is the fastest class in the game, and double-jumping allows them to cross complex terrain in unusual and confusing ways. Moving erratically can make them a very difficult target.
- Stay on the ground while fighting classes with hitscan weapons such as Shotguns. Jumping makes Scouts somewhat predictable. However, against foes with constantly firing weapons or high explosives, Scouts should jump often and rapidly change directions.
- Foes can use knock back to trap Scouts. The Scout can double jump immediately after they're pushed backwards. If done right, the Scout can pass over their heads or to one side and escape.
- Sentry Guns are dangerous foes to a Scout. They should try to destroy them from a corner or at a distance. If all else fails, simply avoiding them until they're taken out by a teammate is advised.
- The double jump can save a Scout from fall damage. The Scout can jump just before they hit the ground, or jump to a ledge nearby as they're falling.
- If a Scout catches an enemy off guard, they should wait until they are next to the foe to start shooting. At very short ranges, the Scattergun does well over a hundred damage, and two shots can kill an opponent before they can react.
- If a slower team-mate has the enemy Intelligence, they can drop the Intelligence (Default key: 'L') and allow the faster Scout to carry it.
- Scouts deal excellent damage. With enough practice, Scouts are one of the best combat classes.
- The Scout can "heckle" enemies. They should try to stay at range when foes use weapons that are good at close range, and then approach when enemies use weapons that are good at long range.
Weapon Specific Tips
Scattergun
- While using the Scattergun, Scouts shouldn't rely on the mouse alone to track foes. The Scout can use movement to keep the opponent centered on the screen, firing when the cross-hairs and opponent match up. This allows the player to focus on moving efficiently and erratically, making them harder to hit, while at the same time making their aim smoother and more accurate via prediction.
- The Scattergun can be used to kill an enemy Medic with an unactivated ÜberCharge before they are aware of the Scouts presence. Two point blank shots will normally kill them, while 3-4 at medium range will do the same job.
- Over time, the Scattergun has much higher damage potential than the Force-A-Nature. In short bursts, the Force-A-Nature beats the Scattergun.
Force-A-Nature
- The Force-A-Nature has very high burst damage but can't sustain that damage over time. The Scout should engage foes in shorter fights, so that the Force-A-Nature's constant reloading doesn't place the player at a disadvantage.
- If using the Force-A-Nature, a Scout should probably bring the Pistol as well. The Force-A-Nature's small clip size means that without the Pistol, a Scout will be essentially weaponless for the two seconds after they fire both shots.
- Force Jumps and Triple Jumps allow Scouts to reach unusual positions and dodge even more erratically than the double jump allows.
- Scouts can use the Force-A-Nature's knock back ability to their advantage. A foe launched into the air is generally predictable, so the second shot can reliably hit their target. Scouts should fire the second shot as soon as possible to deal maximum damage!
Shortstop
- Halfway between a Pistol and a Shotgun, the Shortstop deals less damage up close, but it reliably deals excellent damage at range.
- The Critical hits from this weapon are devastating. It generates them like a Pistol, so if you fire one critical in a clip, the rest of the clip is guaranteed to Crit as well.
- The Shortstop draws from the same ammunition reserve as the Pistol. Pairing these two weapons will drain your ammo reserve quickly.
- The Shortstop reloads rapidly, allowing consistent damage over time.
Pistol / Lugermorph
- One of the Pistol's primary uses is to finish off wounded targets.
- The Pistol reloads much faster than the Scattergun. When both are empty, reloading the Pistol first will have them firing much sooner.
- Pistol criticals are deadly. If a Scout happens to get first blood in Arena, they should switch to the Pistol as it can take any class down in one clip, including most overhealed enemies.
- Though the Scattergun trumps it at short ranges, at medium to long ranges the Pistol is an excellent option for dealing consistent damage.
Bonk! Atomic Punch
- Scouts should Use Bonk! for dodging around things they would normally run away from, like Sentry Guns, Heavy-Medic pairs, or large groups of enemies.
- Bonk! is useful to push through sticky traps to attack the Demoman.
- Bonk! can be used as a temporary ÜberCharge for taking out Sentry Guns, providing a distraction while teammates attack. This tactic is of particular use on low population servers or on Arena, where ÜberCharges can be quite rare or lengthy to build up.
- Use Bonk! for passing through the enemy team to reach the enemy spawn. Scouts can then destroy teleporter entrances and pick off fragile foes.
- Bonk! can be used to reset an intelligence return countdown, or to keep a Payload cart from moving backwards if it's being heavily defended.
Crit-a-Cola
- At point-blank range, one blast from the Scattergun or Force-A-Nature, with the Mini-Crit buff, is capable of killing any 125-HP class.
- Mini-Crits don't suffer from damage falloff, so the Scouts primary weapon can remain useful at a longer range.
- Crit-a-Cola is a good partner for the Shortstop because together they can deal excellent damage at range, enough to often kill a Heavy outright.
- Scouts should not drink Crit-a-Cola while under the effects of a friendly Buff Banner, a Critical hit Boost or when facing an enemy covered in Jarate. The Mini-Crits do not stack with Critical hits or other Mini-Crits, and a Mini-Crit debuff is detrimental.
- Be careful when going up against Snipers with the Bushwacka equipped, as they will Crit during the effect of the Crit-a-Cola.
Mad Milk
- Mad Milk makes fighting bulky classes like Heavies easier, as continuous damage will help a Scout absorb some of their firepower.
- Mad Milk is also a great supplement for an offensive (or defensive) push, allowing attackers to replenish their health quickly.
- It also has some of the benefits of Jarate: extinguishing teammates or yourself, and shorting out nearby Spy cloaking devices.
- Mad Milk is hard to notice on an affected person's HUD (a small white drop next to the health icon). If a Scout can cover someone in milk in the middle of an assault or push, it is unlikely they will notice and could put themselves into a situation that will greatly benefit teammates.
- Mad Milk does not wash off in water.
Bat
- Often times a swing of the Bat can effectively kill a player that has been weakened by the Scattergun.
Sandman
- The Sandman's stun ball slows the target and prevents them from using their weapons. The duration of the effect increases with the distance between the Scout and their target.
- The Heavy is one of the best targets for the ball. He's slow and easy to hit, and the stun stops his incredibly high damage. Remember, he will remain spun up while stunned, so Scouts should be prepared when the stun wears off.
- The Sandman's ball fires with an arc similar to the Flare Gun's, however, the ball launches slightly above the crosshair - take this into account while aiming with the Sandman.
Holy Mackerel
- The Holy Mackerel is exactly like the Bat, except it announces each blow in the kill feed. Use the Bat to remain off the board. Use the fish to gain attention.
- Hits on disguised Spies do not display in the kill feed.
The Special Delivery Set
- The +25 health this loadout gives is helpful against other Scouts, afterburn, and wayward explosives.
- The only ranged weapon is the Shortstop.
See also
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