Primary Role: Front Line Support
The scout is really quite an advanced class that is difficult to play very well with. He needs to be twitchy and accurate, and always on the move. These necessities in turn require good multitasking ability, as the scout will often need to be aiming, shooting rapidly and running and jumping to avoid enemy fire, all while making his way to a certain place, whether it’s a control point or a spot that gives him an advantage over his opponent(s). If you are able to pull all this off, playing as a scout makes you a formidable target and an invaluable asset to your front line teammates.
How is it that the class with the (equal) least health is most effective forward of his team’s front line? What he lacks in health he makes up for in speed, and a quality scout will do everything he can to maximise this advantage. After all, if you get hit half as often as another class, it’s like having twice as much health, so don’t discount the scout because of this. The fundamental scout mantra is “keep moving,” and although you can find some more advanced movement techniques in the Tips section, the most important thing to remember in a fire fight is to ALWAYS keep on the move, change direction often, and jump as much as possible.
So what’s the deal with this front line support froo frah? For such a seemingly unimposing class, the scout packs a ridiculous amount of punch – so much in fact that many believe him to be overpowered, too strong for his job as a ‘scout.’ How much firepower he should have isn’t up for discussion, but the important point is that he has a lot. At point blank range he can take down pretty much anyone in 3 hits from his scattergun. The net result is that the scout acts like a wasp, darting into the enemy lines fast enough to avoid getting shot down and dealing out big packets of hurt.
Ultimately, this is where the scout is most effective, and why I believe it is his primary role. In a matter of seconds, the scout can turn a standard assault into a death-trap by flanking the enemy troops. They are then given two targets, both deadly in their own right, and both difficult to kill – one because of his speed and the other due to their health. As a result the enemy is torn between them and is less effective against whichever one they do choose than they would be with only a single option. This kind of support gives the assault classes the advantage over their distracted and confused enemies, and it can work for the scout too, as he can easily dart around cover and sneak up on enemies that are solely focused on the assault. All that remains is to attack their weak point for massive damage.
The advantage of flanking is that you can avoid being spotted by the entire enemy force, but at least one of them will still see you. Regardless of how good you are or how much damage you do, eventually you’ll take a big hit once or twice, and for a scout that’s enough to put him in dangerously low health. But again the scout’s pace can be put to work, and you can often run, strafe, and double jump out of most situations. Even running backwards half the map to get a health pack is probably faster than waiting to respawn, so make sure you stay alive. Even at a safer range, the pistol can be a formidable weapon - it’s accurate at medium to long range, does fairly consistent damage, and is easy to steal kill assists with. Whenever you’re forced to retreat, consider pulling it out for a few rounds to give your pursuers something to think about.
Granary is a beautiful example of the scout’s effectiveness. All the scouts rush to the middle control point, and the 4 piles of shipping crates provide excellent cover, both visual and against enemy fire. As a scout I tend not to waste my time and health getting caught up in the scout vs scout battle that commences on the control point – instead I go to one side, around the shipping crates, and attack the enemy front line from behind. The element of surprise is both crucial and very effective, and you can often get a lot of shots off before you’re noticed. Even if you don’t manage to kill all your targets, you can quickly and easily slash their health in half, reducing the opposition that your team faces, and that’s why the scout is so useful as front line support. And that’s not even to mention that he captures control points twice as fast as other classes.
Secondary Role: Infiltration
Although the spy’s cloak and disguise abilities make him a supreme infiltrator, the scout’s speed and double jumping can also make him a sneaky opponent. In this role, the scout always stays behind enemy lines, and although he is always visible, he is often not seen if he stays behind his target (behind being the 180o arc behind them). Most maps are pretty linear (from one base to the other), but there are always multiple paths to take. The best way to sneak up on recently respawned enemies is to run towards their base via a route that is largely unused (the garage on Granary or the tunnel on Dustbowl stage 3) and peek just around a corner until you see your quarry run past.
Being the fastest class in the game, the scout can easily fall in behind enemy troops and run them down in a matter of seconds. Once he gets to point blank range (still unnoticed by the troops rushing to get to the front line), he can drop most targets in little more than 3 hits (even heavies). What to do next depends on whether you got noticed. If no one was around to see you, feel free to run back and ambush someone else, but otherwise proceed to take the most commonly used route back towards you base. Gun down any enemies you see on the way.
The infiltration role is even more effective on control point maps. Players defending control points will look in front of the point and attack any intruders that approach them. If you can manage to get behind or among the defenders (the huts at Gravel Pit point A or the enemy sniper windows on Well), you will often be presented with opportunities to swoop in and attack the control point by yourself. Wait until there is minimal to no resistance, gun down whoever you have to (surprise is the key), and jump in the capture zone. Don’t forget also that the scout’s speed allows him, his team having captured one control point, to rush forward and start capturing the next point before the defence can even begin to organise themselves.
Seeing their undefended point being captured strikes fear and panic into the enemy, and their movements become very predictable. Those nearby will make a beeline for the point, and the front line troops will tend to fall back. Even if you are promptly gunned down, this retreat that you can force the enemy into allows your team to push forward and increase or strengthen their control of the map, all for the cost of a single scout. See the Map Control article for why this is so beneficial. Of course don’t forget that you may be able to hold out and take the point which is a huge bonus for map control or objective reasons, depending on the map.
The bottom line for the infiltrating scout is to stay out of sight until you strike at lone or weak (especially burning and retreating) opponents, and be on the lookout for opportunities to stand in a capture zone for anything more than a few seconds, especially if your team is pushing forward and aren’t too far away. When surprise-attacking enemies, always try and get as close as possible and attack them in the same direction as they’re running, i.e. run along behind them and shoot them in the back. If they turn around in time, run and jump circles around them and keep pumping out the lead.
