Scout

The Scout has the greatest mobility of all the TF2 classes; two jumps and an impressive 133% movement speed makes him a challenge to track down and even to kill once he is found. The Scout carries a Scattergun, which deals massive damage to an opponent at close range. With his high movement speed, a Scout has no trouble getting into close-combat with his enemies; his greatest challenge is staying alive long enough to utilize his high damage. The Scout has only 125 base health, tied for the least out of all the classes along with the Engineer, Sniper and Spy.

6v6

Main article: Scout (6v6)

The Scout is a highly mobile "clean up" class, used to capture points and move in and out of fights to deal and avoid as much damage as possible. A competent Scout must successfully capture points, control the flank, and be able to finish off enemies weakened by power classes (Soldier and Demoman). He is also often the best candidates for off-classing, depending on the situation. Scout's most effective tactic is to utilize his high speed to ambush enemy players to kill them before they are able to react. During a mid-fight, at least one Scout should stay alive; losing both of its most mobile players can spell disaster for a team. The Scout should aim to die as little as possible, as a longer living scout has a higher impact.

In the standard 6v6 lineup, each team will have 2 Scouts, falling into one of two common roles: the Flank Scout and the Pocket Scout. The Flank Scout is a part of the flank, and often fights alongside the Roaming Soldier. His main job is to relay information to his team and assist the Roamer. Together, they watch the flank to prevent enemies from attacking the Combo. Should an opportunity present itself, they can attack the enemy Combo and create distractions for their own team to push. The Pocket Scout travels with the Combo, protects his teammates (especially the Medic), and finishes off enemies weakened by the Demoman or the Pocket Soldier. One of his main targets is the "bombing soldier" - an enemy Roamer jumping in to kill the Medic. The Pocket Scout is the primary candidate to maincall due to his mobility and high damage.

Highlander

Main article: Scout (Highlander)

Scout's role is far more limited in Highlander, as his movement is significantly restricted by two full-auto high-damage-per-second classes: Heavy and Engineer. As such, Scout is used more often as a utility class, helping the team by being on the flank, capturing points and objectives, and sometimes following up on damage dealt by the combo. He can also be used to harass certain classes, such as Snipers. Scout is often unable to contribute effectively in game modes that force players together (such Payload and Attack/Defend) due to his lack of splash damage, but can be deadly on certain King of the Hill maps with multiple flank routes, which allows him to pick off isolated enemies one by one.

Highlander leagues allow a greater variety of Scout weapons than 6v6 leagues do, which allows for more varied strategies. Scout's role can be enhanced by many of his unlocks: Mad Milk increases his team's survivability during pushes; Bonk! Atomic Punch allows him to distract the enemy team and kite Sentry Gun fire. As long as Scout stays alive and aware, opportunities to flank and ambush will still present themselves.

Weapons

Primary

			Weapon				4v4	6v6		Highlander
							UGC	Global Whitelist	RGL	UGC	RGL	ETF2L
			Scattergun				Always	Always	Always	Always	Always	Always
							The stock Scattergun is by far the most widely used primary weapon for Scout in Competitive Play. Its high clip size and massive damage at mid-to-close range can easily give him the upper hand when picking off enemy players.
			Baby Face's Blaster				Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed
							The Baby Face's Blaster is arguably the worst Scout primary for competitive play. It allows the Scout to build a "Boost" meter by dealing damage. At high Boost levels, he moves much faster, but this advantage is offset by the weapon's reduced clip size. At low Boost, he moves significantly slower than with the stock Scattergun. Taking damage or double jumping lowers Boost drastically, forcing the Scout to play extremely passively in order to utilize the weapon's only benefit. As Scout's main responsibility is to flank and ambush the enemy team with his high mobility, this weapon often hampers his effectiveness rather than enhancing it.
			Back Scatter				Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed
							The Back Scatter is rarely used in competitive play; increased damage from behind seldom outweighs its weaknesses: decreased clip size and reduced accuracy. When used correctly, the Back Scatter can kill any light class in one hit, but this advantage is usually more useful against other flank classes; the enemy Pocket Scout is usually overhealed, which renders this weapon useless by allowing him to survive a mini-crit.
			Force-A-Nature				Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed
							The Force-A-Nature (often abbreviated to FaN) is most often seen in Highlander, where Scout's damage output is less vital. The weapon's unique knockback ability can allow Scout to position himself in unexpected places by increasing his effective jump height. It can also push away enemies; but ultimately the weapon remains rarely-used thanks to its inconsistent damage: its small clip size and knockback prevent Scout from effectively following up on an ambush.
			Shortstop				Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed
							The Shortstop has 4 shots per clip and has tighter weapon spread making it more accurate at long range, and reloads its entire clip at once, similar to the Pistol. It also has a nearly-useless melee-ranged knockback ability. While the Shortstop fires twice as fast as the default Scattergun, it takes thrice the time to reload, which leaves him helpless for much longer. However, the weapon's biggest downfall is in its reduced damage; it only fires four pellets per shot, significantly reducing Scout's firepower at close range and allowing enemies more time to fight back.
			Soda Popper				Banned	Banned	Banned	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed
							The Soda Popper is similar to the Force-a-Nature with an increased fire rate and two shot clip, but deals no extra knockback and reloads faster, allowing Scout to deal up to 210 damage in less than half a second. Upon activating its 'Hype' mechanic, it grants five double jumps, allowing Scout to dodge attacks much more easily. Its stellar damage and great evasion boost make a good Scout extremely difficult to fight against; as such, it is banned in many competitive leagues.

Secondary

			Weapon				4v4	6v6		Highlander
							UGC	Global Whitelist	RGL	UGC	RGL	ETF2L
			Pistol				Always	Always	Always	Always	Always	Always
							The Pistol is Scout's stock secondary. It holds 12 shots and reloads its entire clip at once. As his most reliable secondary, it can finish off weakened enemies at short to mid-range, or simply distract them at long range.
			Bonk! Atomic Punch				Allowed	Banned	Banned	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed
							Bonk! Atomic Punch is a Scout secondary that makes Scout invulnerable for 8 seconds, similar to an Übercharge. However, Scout cannot attack during this time. If he normally would have taken damage, he will be slowed for 5 seconds after the buff wears off. The more damage Scout "dodges," the slower he will become when the buff ends. Bonk! Atomic Punch is most often used in Highlander (9v9) to get behind the enemy team, especially when there are no flank routes available. Bonk! can also be used to distract the enemy team and give the other members of a team an opening to push or get an advantage. One of its most common uses is to kite a Sentry Gun's fire, giving the rest of Scout's team time to destroy it.
			Crit-a-Cola				Banned	Banned	Banned	Banned	Banned	Banned
							When used, Crit-a-Cola allows Scout to deal mini-crits for 8 seconds. However, he is marked for death for 5 seconds after each attack while under the effects, reducing his effective health pool to 92 HP. In order to utilize this weapon to its fullest potential, Scout must be able to fire accurate shots while simultaneously dodging enemy fire.
			Flying Guillotine				Allowed	Banned	Banned	Allowed	Allowed	Banned
							The Flying Guillotine is a consumable that is thrown at enemy players. It deals 50 base damage, plus up to 40 bleed damage over 5 seconds, and hitting an enemy at long range will reduce its recharge time by 1.5 seconds. Otherwise, it takes just over 5 seconds to recharge. This weapon is seldom used in competitive play, as it deals underwhelming damage and is easily dodged at mid to long-range. Consider using other, more reliable secondaries such as the Pistol.
			Mad Milk				Banned	Banned	Banned	Banned	Banned	Banned
							Mad Milk is a consumable that is thrown at enemy players. Upon colliding with an enemy player or the ground, it explodes, inflicting a debuff on all enemies in its radius. All players who attack an enemy under this debuff will heal 60% of the damage they deal, though they will not gain overheal. Mad Milk is most often used in Highlander, where Scout's movement is harshly restricted and his damage output less vital. Thanks to its area-of-effect nature, it is most effective on KOTH and Attack/Defense maps; players are forced to group together, allowing Scout to debuff multiple enemies at once. In a pinch, Mad Milk can also be used to extinguish teammates, reducing its cooldown time by 4 seconds. Otherwise, it takes 20 seconds to recharge.
			Pretty Boy's Pocket Pistol				Allowed	Banned	Banned	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed
							The Pretty Boy's Pocket Pistol functions much like the stock Pistol, but fires +15% faster and heals Scout by 3 health for every shot that damages an enemy. This comes at a cost of a reduced clip size, giving Scout only 9 shots before he must reload. It is most useful when retreating, as the minor health regeneration it grants helps to negate some of the damage Scout will likely take. While its increased firing speed does allow Scout to finish off weakened enemies faster, the stock Pistol is usually more reliable Secondary.
			Winger				Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed
							The Winger is a utility pistol that deals 15% more damage and has a 60% smaller clip size, leaving Scout with only 5 shots. When deployed, Scout gains a 25% jump boost, allowing him to flank more effectively, dodge erratically, and gain a height advantage. In exchange for the extra mobility, it is fairly ineffective in combat, as its tiny clip size prevents Scout from finishing off weakened players as easily.

Melee

			Weapon				4v4	6v6		Highlander
							UGC	Global Whitelist	RGL	UGC	RGL	ETF2L
			Bat				Always	Always	Always	Always	Always	Always
							The Bat is the default melee weapon for the Scout, doing only 35 points of damage per hit, but swinging nearly twice as fast as other classes' melee weapons. Using a melee to deal damage is rarely a good idea; consider using other melee weapons that offer greater utility.
			Atomizer				Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed
							While deployed, the Atomizer grants Scout a third jump, allowing him to place himself in unexpected locations. Its draw speed debuff prevents him from using it in direct combat, however. When on the ground, each attack deals 30 damage, and in the air, 40 damage.
			Boston Basher				Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed
							The Boston Basher is a bat that causes the enemy to bleed, dealing 35 direct damage and up to 40 bleed damage over 5 seconds. If Scout misses, however, he will damage himself for 18 direct damage and 40 bleed damage. As such, it is unreliable in combat. However, it is the most common melee in 6v6 matches, as a Scout damaging himself will allow a Medic to build Übercharge twice as quickly compared to healing a fully-overhealed player.
			Candy Cane				Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed
							The Candy Cane does the same damage as the Bat. However, whenever Scout kills an opponent with any weapon, they will drop a small health pack. This weapon is a double-edged sword, however, as the health packs can be picked up by either team. Additionally, Scout takes 25% more explosive damage, allowing enemy Soldiers and Demomen to kill him at full health with one direct hit. This weapon is seldom used in 6v6 matches, as it significantly reduces a Scout's survivability against three of the six enemy players.
			Fan O'War				Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed
							The Fan O'War does 75% less damage than the default Bat, amounting to a paltry 9 points. However, it will mark an enemy for death, causing them to take mini-crits for the next 15 seconds. However, if Scout hits another enemy, the "marked-for-death" effect will be transferred away from the first enemy to the one he just attacked. The weapon itself will crit whenever it should normally mini-crit, dealing 27 damage. Using this weapon is a gamble; Scout must get within melee range of an enemy to deal scratch damage, then retreat and use his other weapons to kill him, or rely on his team to follow up. Marked players will often retreat, reducing the effectiveness of the debuff.
			Sandman				Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed
							The Sandman deals the same damage as the default bat. Alt-fire will launch a baseball which deals 15 damage and slows the enemy from 1-7 seconds depending on the distance. This item will reduce Scout's maximum health by 15 points, allowing him to be instantly killed by close-range direct hits from Soldier's rockets and Demoman's Stickybombs. The baseball's minor damage and weak debuff rarely outweighs the reduction in survivability; as such, the Sandman sees little use in competitive play.
			Sun-on-a-Stick				Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed
							The Sun-on-a-Stick deals crits (79 damage) to burning players, but loses 25% of its base power (26 damage to non-burning players). When deployed, Scout takes 25% less fire damage. This weapon sees the most use in Highlander mode (however little), where both teams must have a Pyro. Because the Scattergun deals more damage at longer ranges than the Sun-on-a-Stick, it is inadvisable to attempt to kill enemies with it; use it only to reduce afterburn damage.
			Wrap Assassin				Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed
							The Wrap Assassin will launch a glass ball upon clicking alt+fire. The ball deals 15 direct damage and inflicts 40 bleed damage over 5 seconds. If it shatters on a surface, nearby players will take 4-13 direct damage and no bleed damage. This item takes 7.5 seconds to recharge. The weapon itself does 65% less damage than the default bat, for a total of 12 damage. This weapon is rarely used in 6v6; the ball deals relatively minor damage compared to the Scattergun. In Highlander, Scout's movement is greatly restricted, and the Wrap Assassin may be used to harass enemies at long range.

See Also

• Scout (6v6)
• Scout (Highlander)