Scout stuff

[andehpants]

Heloooo alll. I have just got team fortress 2 not long ago and i have decided that i want the scout to be my main class. So i've been trying to get good at him. I've read a few good guides and watched some youtube videos, but still i get killed really easily. I just want to know how i can get better at scout and which weapon is better... Force a nature or scatter gun.

[ZoliEsq]

Scattergun most defiently. I have over 74 hours as scout, and once U get the hang it is the most fun you'll have. Scout's about hit and run and learning the anotomy on your jumps. FoN will screw your jumps up and make it you'll end up in places U don't wanna go.

[iMmOrTaLcOiLz2]

Scattergun most defiently. I have over 74 hours as scout, and once U get the hang it is the most fun you'll have. Scout's about hit and run and learning the anotomy on your jumps. FoN will screw your jumps up and make it you'll end up in places U don't wanna go.

I couldn't agree more with that. I use all standard weapons and they work fine. Bonk! is very rarely useful. And The Sandman is just too nerfed.

Anyway, as Pie (the site creator) would say... welcome to TF2Strategy! Enjoy your stay

[Pie21]

Good question, something I really haven't gone into in the Scout Guide... or any part of the Scout update really Opportunity costs, you see.

No? Probably not.

I'm a massive fan of all the unlockables, and the Scout one definitely comes down to a number of individual factors. First of all it's worth noting that Scout is one of the harder classes to play, up there with the Spy. I've played tens of hours with him and still am not really that good, so don't expect there to be some kind of trick that once you get it, you'll be a pro Scout. It all comes down to knowledge of the game: how far you can jump, how enemies will react and run, how fast you can run, whether you get in and hit someone before that Soldier sees you, stuff like that.

As for the weapons, I'ma have to recommend the Scattergun. My Scout career went from playing him a bit along with the other classes, to finding him kinda hard, to putting him on the bench and burning all my time with the Medic, but I've come back to him a bit since the update, and have a much better feel for him. One thing to notice if you're watching the really pro Scouts is that they hit every shot. Even if they're at medium range, they get a solid hit with most of their bullets. And the damage shows - normally the shotguns feel pretty week, but these guys look completely different to when I'm playing (a lot more blood). Once I picked that up, I focused on my aiming (which had admittedly suffered from all the Pyro and Medic ) and being able to hit every shot is when the Scout become a force to be reckoned with.

On that, if you CAN hit every shot, you'll definitely want the Scatter gun. It does maybe 2/3 the damage of the FaN each shot, but gets 6 of them. The Scout is a pretty weak target for most classes, so if you just hit them a bit and then have to run away to reload, they'll be onto you and you'll probably just have to give up. What you want to do is surprise them, dish out a chunk of damage quickly, then keep the pressure on as they try and deal with you, rather than letting up and getting on their terms. The FaN lets you jump in, go BANGBANG, and hope they die (there's a good chance they will), but after that you have to take cover and reload, and that's its main weakness. The Scattergun lets you keep all your manoeuvrability while being able to cause a lot of hurt if you can aim.

Anyway, hopefully a few more qualified Scouts can throw their hats in, and:

Welcome to TF2Strategy! Enjoy your stay

[andehpants]

thanks for the welcome
and also thanks for help
does that mean i need really good aim to become a good scout user?

[so1id sn@ke]

thanks for the welcome
and also thanks for help
does that mean i need really good aim to become a good scout user?

Scout is arguably the most aim-focused class after sniper.

Half a crosshair's length is the difference between hitting an enemy with the whole spread for 95-110 damage, or grazing them for 30-40 damage. That being said, the important thing is do not get greedy. A pyro can do great damage with a kamikaze attack, the scout cannot, so you must know when to retreat for another pass. As scout you can beat anyone else to a medkit, and be back to your target in less then 10 seconds usually.

Retreating from a battle does not mean it's lost! (in the words of Evildaedulus).

[ZoliEsq]

I couldn't agree more with that. I use all standard weapons and they work fine. Bonk! is very rarely useful. And The Sandman is just too nerfed.

the sandman needs to be nerfed... the amount of rage that incurred when that came out was horrible. It's also banned from leagues for that reason. As for aim, once U get the idea of how aim in TF2 works, it's much easier to understand the classes... it's all about where your crosshair is.

[iMmOrTaLcOiLz2]

I couldn't agree more with that. I use all standard weapons and they work fine. Bonk! is very rarely useful. And The Sandman is just too nerfed.

the sandman needs to be nerfed... the amount of rage that incurred when that came out was horrible. It's also banned from leagues for that reason. As for aim, once U get the idea of how aim in TF2 works, it's much easier to understand the classes... it's all about where your crosshair is.

The nerf was just too extreme, but i can't really judge that seen as I'm not the best scout player out there.

[ZoliEsq]

The sandman was just a bad idea in general.. it takes away the skill in it.. it's like having sex with a drunk passed out woman.

[Corkydog]

Just a quick question: When the sandman was revealed, but not released (that week was killer), I heard some speculation that enemies' baseballs could be hit back with the sandman, in a sort of semi-tribute to the video where a scout smacks a sticky back at a demoman. Is this true? I haven't seen it happen, nor have I tried, but it would be a nice touch

[ZoliEsq]

I've tried the baseball, it doesn't work though... it's impossible b/c U have to swing even b4 the other person does b/c of the timing.

[Grimgrin\\NyN]

Well I've been scouting a fair bit, 150-160hours as we speak. First I'd like to say: Losing as scout is due to your low HP and the lucky spamspam of nades/rockets, splash damage is your worst nightmare-ish. so it is as you said yourself ''I feel like I die easily''. Scouts just are no heavies.

well that aside.
What above posts said, good aim is definately a nice help, but it's more set on ''quick aim'' how fast can you turn, twist, jump, midair direction change, and still keep that crosshair on your target. Since I'm playing most of my games with original weapons so I rely primarily on the much hated run-jump-and-jump-some-more-technique. Keep running, keep moving and reload every second you're not shooting, just to be prepared, being caught with 2/6 bullets loaded is a sin

Real tips to a scout, I'd have to say: play much, get to know the jumps, learn maps so you can always find the closest healthpack to not die from that random bullet flying somewhere.
(I believe the scout strategy guide of TF2S.com covers the important point here: Multitasking.) It comes down on how much bullets can you plug into your enemy, and how much of his bullets do you manage to dodge while pumping lead into him.

On a side note, I use all of the unlockable weapons on maps that are badly anti-scout, little to no cover, many chokepoints , much grenade/rocket spam and lots of ubers. the tactic with FaN+Bonk+sandman is a whole lot different. it's about sticking on the ground, surprising your enemies even more then usual and trying to get that stun off. As Pie said, go BANGBANG and retreat to reload. (the unlockables are MADE for Hit'N'Run. Run in, blast them back, run out (if needed under cover of the Bonk-energy boost. and a stun to stop difficult enemies.)

Best of luck buddy, hope to run into you somewhere soon. scout vs scout is damn intense, and much fun.

PS:To get a feel on the double jumps, or the jump+FaN you could try to play ''DM_Store'' I find it an amazing scout map. plenty of cover, crates and containers on which you run with EASE while other classes just have to walk between them.
(not an original map I believe, but there's some servers running it 24/7)

PPS:Just read about the sandman bit, they nerfed the damage upon release to do 50% damage to non-stunned players, then they nerfed it more, to also do 50% less damage to stunned players, and recently they made another 50% cut on the non-stunned players bit, but alltogether they have removed ALL the damage nerfs, BUT have increased the range on which you can bonk someone with a few yards. So no point blank stuns anymore, it requires a still target, or incredible skill or more incredible luck to hit someone these days. It still works GREAT against ubered heavies that are going on less then a snail's pace when they have their minigun spinning.
PLAY BALL!

[iMmOrTaLcOiLz2]

Just a quick question: When the sandman was revealed, but not released (that week was killer), I heard some speculation that enemies' baseballs could be hit back with the sandman, in a sort of semi-tribute to the video where a scout smacks a sticky back at a demoman. Is this true? I haven't seen it happen, nor have I tried, but it would be a nice touch

A sandman ball can be reflected back by using compression blast as a pyro. I feel sorry for the guy i did that too

[Corkydog]

Just a quick question: When the sandman was revealed, but not released (that week was killer), I heard some speculation that enemies' baseballs could be hit back with the sandman, in a sort of semi-tribute to the video where a scout smacks a sticky back at a demoman. Is this true? I haven't seen it happen, nor have I tried, but it would be a nice touch

A sandman ball can be reflected back by using compression blast as a pyro. I feel sorry for the guy i did that too

Ah. Perhaps that was what I remember hearing. Does this mean that we can expect a baseball mode akin to the soccer servers?

[Pie21]

^ I was under the impression that you COULD hit back enemy balls for quite some time after release, but I don't think you can. I thought the Beanball achievement (which I still don't have) was "hit back a ball in mid-air and stun the guy that hit it at you", but apparently you're supposed to let him hit it, get rid of your ball, pick up his ball, then hit it back at him.

I know for certain that you can't hit back friendly balls - you just pick them up I think I have some memory of testing enemy balls very briefly, but if I did at all it's a very faint memory. Pretty sure you can't hit them back, and it's a shame.

On that note though, I heard Scouts could hit sticky bombs back - someone on a server said it. Needless to say I was terribly sceptical. Anyone care to put that myth to rest?