Play As a Scout in Team Fortress 2

Scouts, the American flag runners of Team Fortress 2. Having a thing for baseball and a need for speed, Scouts hold an in-game record for being the fastest through their class speed. Saying that, Scouts can capture control points and move payloads twice as fast. In addition to speed, Scouts are the only class that can double jump. Armed with a deadly Scattergun, a Pistol and his deadly Bat, he'll not only capture the intelligence and leave the opposing team confused, he will also have a good time doing it.

Steps

Getting ready

  1. Gather your items. As discussed above, Scouts have a 6/32 medium-close ranged Scattergun (Primary). Aside from this, he also wields a 12/36 medium ranged Pistol (Secondary) and finally, the Bat, which is completely deadly for picking at the opposing players' health until death (Melee). The other two weapons are his speed and double jump, which the Scout possesses for movement, confusion and evasion. Learn these in a combo.

Using items

  1. Use the Scattergun. It is very powerful. It works well in medium ranges and can be lethal at short range. It is stronger than the regular Shotgun. To do maximum damage with this weapon, you have to be up close to your target. Reload this weapon whenever you're out of combat range, and make sure to think ahead and plan your reloads carefully if you have to do so during battle. This could mean popping behind some cover to do so.
    • Use the Pistol in long ranges. The Pistol is the most accurate weapon the Scout has, and it is perfect for picking off enemies who try to flee. This weapon does more damage than the Scattergun at long ranges. The Pistol also has a very fast rate of fire. You can use it as a second-hand weapon to the Scattergun. To fire it at maximum speed, you should rapidly click the mouse button instead of holding it down.
    • Use the Baseball bat at point-blank range. The baseball bat can be lethal when in range. It is also very fast. However, if you miss a swing, your plan could go awry. You should only use this on an unsuspecting enemy whose back is turned, or when the Scattergun and Pistol are not available for use. This weapon, compared to the other melee weapons in the game, swings faster, but each swing does less damage, so it isn't like the burst damage of the other melee weapons. Beware if your target is also trying to use their melee, as a critical hit from it will kill you instantly if your health is low.

Using the scout skills

  1. Assess the Scout's abilities.
    • 1. The Scout runs around 1/3 faster than the other classes that run at standard speed. The Scout is also capable of using a double jump to dart around in the air during combat or reach places unreachable to other classes (excluding Soldiers and Demomen). The superior speed and movement is one of the key abilities to his style of gameplay, and you should hardly ever be staying still. Jump around and move in unpredictable patterns during combat to make it harder for the enemy to aim at you, giving you a further advantage.
    • 2. The Scout has a health pool of 125 HP. This is one of the Scout's main weaknesses; being exposed to heavy damage (such as a Heavy's Minigun or a Sentry gun) will kill you very quickly. You will be constantly rushing for health packs or a Medic to keep yourself alive. Make sure you memorize the maps you play on so you know how to retreat from a battle or rush for a health pack to heal you.
  2. Remember your speed. As a Scout, your biggest advantage is speed. This allows you to escape in tight spots. Scout, with the exception of Spy, is the only class who can get into a fight and get away clean by running away. You can run across places other classes can't. You can easily capture the "intelligence" in Capture The Flag games. You can also easily capture control points, as Scouts capture twice as fast, and can run before any enemies attack them. You can also use your speed, to a certain extent, to avoid enemy fire, although don't rely on it for heavy, concentrated fire. Jumping around and running in unpredictable patterns in combat makes it harder for the enemy to accurately aim at you, so use this to your advantage.
  3. Remember your health. As a Scout, your biggest disadvantage is your low health pool. Your health pool is at only 125, so you will be constantly rushing around for health packs. Make sure you memorize the maps and remember where they are. One of the best way of staying alive is attacking while your targets are focused on killing one of your team-mates. If you are at the center of attention, you are likely to take heavy damage and die very quickly.
  4. Use your double jump! As a Scout, you can, while in the air, jump again to get a double jump. You can reach places inaccessible to other classes (excluding Soldiers and Demomen). Utilizing your double jumps to take small shortcuts on maps can make you traverse even quicker, or get you into advantageous positions (e.g. straight behind your targets without them knowing, allowing you to wound or even kill them).
  5. Take the front lines! Scouts aren't particularly known for their defensive abilities, but they perform at their best on the front lines. Being in a small group is the most convenient, as Scouts are known to die quickly if they're on their own with a lot of enemies surrounding them. Assisting your team-mates in attacking ensures the highest rate of survival for you, if your enemies keep their attention off you. Strike at them from positions they wouldn't expect, and even if you don't manage to kill them in the first encounter, run off to get a health pack or something else, and strike again when their attention is focused on something else. Scouts are probably at their weakest if they get caught up in direct confrontations. Assisting other players attack and attacking from unexpected positions greatly bolsters their ability to perform better.
  6. Contribute to your team, and don't be self-centered. Scouts aren't well known for massive killing sprees. Helping your team through a group perspective, such as capping the point, or attempting to get the enemy Intel, is an area where you shine, as you are specialized in doing these things (Scouts cap twice as fast as other players, and can make great carriers due to their speed).



Tips

  • Find an enemy focused on something besides you. Shoot them once, they will most likely turn to look at you and start shooting. Double jump straight over their head, shooting them with the Scattergun as you do so. Now they are dead!
  • Try to get Medics to heal you if you are low on health. Call for a Medic, and if there's none nearby, run away and find a health kit!
  • If there's a Sentry preventing you from moving further, you can attempt to edge it, where you poke out slightly so you can get a slight aim at it, and it still won't detect you. Start firing and you'll slowly destroy it if there's no Engineer aiding it. Be careful though, as you will be staying still and all your attention will be focused on destroying the Sentry. If they are turtling and constantly repairing the Sentry, you should rely on your team-mates to destroy it, because there won't be anything further you can do. If there is a friendly Spy who can sap the Sentry, run in straight after he places the sapper, and assist him in destroying it.
  • Try not to attack from the front. Most classes have an advantage against Scouts if they're on their own- if you do attack from the front, try to confuse the enemy to your direction by moving all the time and jumping over (and sometimes on top of) their heads.
  • Class Strategies:
    • Scout: Fighting another Scout can be annoying, as you can't easily run away from someone who has the same speed as you. The outcome will usually be decided upon how much health either of you started the fight with, how skilled the opposing Scouts are (their general aiming skills and class skills), and if they get any intervention from team-mates during the fight.
    • Soldier: Be very cautious if you attempt to get close to a Soldier to attack him, as he can just fire rockets at his feet to easily hit you, causing bad damage. If he direct critical hit rockets towards you, it will kill you instantly, and even splash damage from a critical hit rocket will kill you anyway, or leave you with very little health. Staying in range and using your Pistol will hopefully force him to switch to his Shotgun, because slow-moving rockets won't be likely hit you at a distance. A good time to attack him at close range is when he has to reload, as he reloads his Rocket Launcher very slowly.
    • Pyro: Pyros can be the bane of Scouts or easy fodder for them depending on how much space the Scout has to move around. The worst scenario is encountering a Pyro in a narrow corridor around a corner, because you will likely take heavy flame damage and the after burning will likely finish you off as the Pyro blasts you with his Shotgun as you try to run away. If you encounter him in a large, open area, it makes things a lot easier, as his Flamethrower won't reach very far, and staying at range forces him to use his Shotgun, or even better, his Flare Gun, which won't have much chance hitting a fast moving target like you. You can also try a strategy called "weapon-heckling", where you stay at range and use your Scattergun or Pistol to force the Pyro to use his Shotgun, then you move in closer to blast him with the Scattergun. He will switch to the Flamethrower, so you quickly back off and force him to use his Shotgun again.
    • Demoman: Demomen are similar to an easier version of the Soldier. Just beware their Stickies, and move around in unpredictable patterns so it makes it extremely hard for them to accurately put Stickies to blow you up with. Also beware a direct Pipe Bomb hit to you, it does even more damage than a direct Rocket and will seriously damage you or kill you. Being right in front of them or moving in a straight line towards them is most likely where you'll get a stray Pipe Bomb to your face, so be cautious. If they are camped behind a doorway and they've set up Stickies, don't push your luck, as you'll likely get blown up. If you can see them, shoot them with the Pistol or something to attempt to destroy them. Both of the Demoman's weapons take extremely long to reload, so get him when he is reloading and is at his weakest.

Warnings

  • Don't come up to a Heavy's face and try shooting him. You'll be dead in a minute. Instead, try to come from behind him when he's distracted by one of your teammates and blast away.
  • Do not attempt to double jump straight over Sticky Bombs. The blast radius is large enough to kill you or seriously damage you. Attempting to destroy them by firing at them with your Pistol or Scattergun is the best you can do, or kill the Demoman first.
  • Don't forget, the Scout is one of the weakest classes in the game health wise, but it is the fastest, so use it to your advantage.
  • If you catch fire from a Pyro, back away immediately, and run to the nearest health pack, Medic, or body of water. You can attempt to try to finish the Pyro off if you are at adequate or good health, otherwise run away as soon as possible. Fighting the Pyro underwater on in a body of water will force him to use the Shotgun or Axe, where you have the advantage.

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