Advice for Playing TFC Scout

TFC Scout has a lot in common with his Boston counterpart, but he emphasizes completely different parts of the Scout class role. Notably, he is even faster than TF2 Scout, but packs hardly a punch in combat. No meatshots, or moonshots, or really any sort of meaningful shots from this merc.

Here’s what you gotta know:

1) You are a flagrunner true and true. Unlike Medic, who can flagrun, heal, infect, and kill all in the same life, you are a fragile speedster who better run away from everything. Your loadout is completely built around getting the heck out of dodge or persuading others to give up the chase:

1 – Crowbar. Yeah, useless.

2 – Single-barrel shotgun. For once, your primary, not due to its usefulness but simply your lack of options. I’ve seen some scouts who treat the nailgun as their primary instead, and honestly they’re not much worse off. Either way, you rarely can kill things.

3 – Nailgun. Normally used to destroy Sentries in your path. Otherwise pretty weak against players.

F – Caltrops. You’re the only class that doesn’t get the hand grenade. Instead you can throw some jacks on the ground that slow enemies who step on them. Actually not a bad tactic for escaping, but make sure you don’t step on them yourself.

G – Concussion grenade. Your primary mobility tool. Use it to send yourself flying through the air, chain them to get ridiculous speed and mobility. Can also be used for the purpose Valve intended: hitting enemies and messing their aim up.

So as you can see, nothing but plinking weapons and mobility tools. You’ve got to rely on your speed to dodge enemy attacks and your mobility to get out of situations.

2) You’ve got some weird abilities TF2 scout doesn’t have. This might seem a bit bizarre to TF2 players, but Scouts drop the disguise of any spies they run into. I’m not sure why, maybe part of their ‘scouting’ role, but yeah. In practice, only ever seems to happen on accident, because if another class suspects a spy, they don’t send a scout after him, they shoot him. Scouts can also deactivate a Demoman’s detpack by touching it, and again I’m not sure why. This happens even more rarely than deactivating spy disguises.

3) Learn how to bunnyhop. “Bunnyhopping” is a controversial movement tool whereby one can greatly increase their speed by manipulating the jumping physics of Half-Life games. It’s beneficial for any class to learn, but a necessity for scout, where mobility is your only gimmick. Bunnyhopping will let you zip into the flag room and out faster than the enemy sentry gun can turn to shoot you.

Nobody can decide if scout is underpowered. Sure, Medic does everything but speed better, but you have to remember that speed is Scout’s only niche. He doesn’t even get a unique weapon, he is the epitome of the one-trick pony. But its a nifty trick.