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Scout Strategy
by Viper12
Scout is one of my favorite classes to play in HVPB, as reflected in this long strategy guide. When played correctly, the speed and weapons available to a scout make it very powerful. In this section you will learn the strengths and weaknesses of the scout class. You will also learn strategies to play scout in regular games, and in tournament games. At the end of this guide you can see the weapons and equipment that I like to carry with me as a scout into tournaments.
Reg Games
Playing scout in regular games is a blast. You have tons of speed and good weapons. I like to carry a paintball gun and a multipurpose can [semi][semi] in reg games. I also carry plenty of grenades and small mines. The can is my primary weapon . . . . . . ..
Tournament Games
There are several keys to being a good scout.
Know your weapons. When I play tournaments as a scout. I like to carry three weapons into the game. I carry . . . . . a multipurpose spray can[semi][semi], and a ruby launcher.
Know the weapons and equipment that your enemy is using. In each of my guides I give an example of the most common and most popular tournament setups that each class uses. Read all of them and remember the weapons you will be facing as you enter a tournament.
Use cover effectively. This cannot be stressed enough. Cover can be your best friend or your worst enemy. IE don’t hide in the 4 single mountains sitting in a forest. That will be the first place to get naded by a heavy weapons looking for a sniper. If facing a heavy weapons remember that they cannot wear both gamma and thermal at the same time. This means that you should alternate between trees/jungle and mountains/hills when close to a heavy weapons. Cover is your best friend when charging a vet trooper. Keep in mind that they do have an assault rifle but you should only have to dodge about 3 shots.
Communicate. As a scout you have the best vision available. With a mounted helmet [gamma][thermal] and satellite modded to some part of your equipment, you have the best view of the field. It is your responsibility to communicate your enemy’s position to your teammates. This especially applies to a heavy weapons teammate. Quick communication allows them to get into position and begin nading your opponent.
A scout can serve several purposes in a tournament game.
Charging and distracting enemy snipers
A scout can also be used to distract the enemy’s snipers. This is a difficult job; however once you can master it you can render your opponent’s snipers useless. The goal of this strategy is to force the enemy snipers to take off their rifles. With a scout close, enemy snipers will remove their rifles and switch to their pistols. This will give your teammates valuable time to setup turrets, lay bots, find cover, or get into sniper positions. To accomplish this task successfully you cannot die right away. You need to stay alive long enough for your teammates to eliminate the enemy snipers. You also need to keep in mind other enemies. If the other team has an infiltrator, Could he have gone invisible and be coming at you? If the other team has a vet trooper, Are there turrets setup close to your position? If the other team has a heavy weapons, Is he close to you? Is he using rockets, grenades, a minigun or all of the above? These are extremely important questions that you must constantly ask yourself.
So, you’ve decided to try and distract the enemy snipers? You already know that a high level sniper will probably be carrying an R5 Sniper rifle, R2 Sniper rifle, and a pistol. They do this so that they have long range, medium range with fast reload, and short range with very fast reload. Your goal is to get close enough so that you are inside the vision of their R2 sniper rifle. An R2 Sniper rifle allows them to see . . . . . . spaces. Once you are inside that distance, they will remove the sniper rifle and pull out a pistol. You have now achieved your goal. The snipers are no longer a threat to your teammates. Now you have a new goal . . . staying alive. If you are not in cover, the snipers are going to be spraying like mad with their pistols. You have to remember that snipers are very fast too. I would advise against using a ruby launcher at close range against them unless you know you will hit them with the first shot. Ruby launchers have such a poor reload they will cause you to freeze for a second or two, giving an enemy sniper time to pistol you.
Charge to eliminate a key enemy.
A scout can be used as an initial attack to eliminate an extremely strong opponent (IE an Officer). This strategy is extremely effective is the opposing team starts the game close to your team. This works even better if the opponents start the game close to cover. As soon as the game starts, begin to move away from your spawn area. Very shortly the enemy team will appear on your satellite screen. If they are close to you, turn and head straight towards them. At this point I like to shift and left click to find out exactly what kind of terrain they are in and by. At that point I will select a weapon. If they are moving through cover a can is ideal. It allows you to kill an enemy with minimal reload time. A ruby launcher is also a good choice, but it will slow you down. Just choose your weapon based on your enemy. If you are going after an engy or vet in the forest a ruby launcher would be a good choice. However, if you are trying to kill a heavy weapons in the forest remember that they probably have gamma vision and can see you approaching. If they do see you they are going to anticipate a can or ruby launcher. If they are anticipating a can they will allow you to approach and then start leading you with nades. If they are anticipating a ruby launcher, they will be aiming for 10 spaces away from them and spraying nades. When facing heavy weapons the best strategy to use is to mix up your weapon. Use a ruby launcher in the first game, then a can in the second. This will give you the edge in the battle.
Protect from an infiltrator.
When playing scout, you must remember that you are not an overpowering force. You need your teammates and they need you. A situation may arise where you and one other teammate are facing a single infiltrator or possibly an infiltrator and one other enemy. If your teammate does not have turrets (sniper, heavy weapons . . .etc) you will need to actively protect them from the infiltrator. To accomplish this, you need to understand how the infiltrator will be attacking you. He will probably be approaching while invisible. If this is the case, he will be moving very slow. If approaching from the open he will be spraying from his blowgun. If approaching from cover he will be using a nade most likely. Your job is to scare him to fire on you and miss. Stay about 6 spaces away from the player you are protecting at all times. Run in erratic patterns, so that he cannot guess your next move. If possible hug the edge of cover as you move. If he suddenly appears in the open and is spraying you will be able to duck into the cover and use your ruby launcher or grenades quickly.
Protect from another scout.
Another scout can pose a huge danger to your team. As soon as the game starts you may get charged by one or more scouts. This can be extremely dangerous especially if you are behind cover and within ruby launcher range. If enemy scouts are charging I would usually recommend going into a more defensive mode. If they are using ruby launchers, try and time it so that as soon as they fire you can charge them with a can. I do not like to fight scouts with a ruby launcher unless they are using a gun and you have some cover (which is rare). You have to be careful that your teammates do not shoot you and commit suicide. A vet and infil will probably pull out some nades and fire them. A heavy weapons will also have his nade launcher out. These are things to keep in mind in this situation. Regardless of the weapon you choose, be decisive and act quickly. The more time you spend choosing a weapon, the longer your teammates are exposed to danger.
I have already explained how to face infiltrators when invisible, snipers, heavy weapons, and other scouts. I will now explain how to face vet troopers, engineers, and officers.
Scout vs. Vet Trooper – Stay out of the open if possible because vets have fast reload and will be shooting fast paint. You must always be aware of his turrets. Vet’s can lay three turrets that shoot fast paint. If you cannot fight the vet from cover try and take out his turrets. Use cover to your advantage and remember that when you are in cover he won’t be able to see you. This will make him uneasier that you are. Use this to your advantage. Try and push him to an area of the map where you can use a ruby launcher. If none of these tactics are possible and your only option is to charge him try and do so at an angle where he can’t get an open shot on you until the last second. Against a vet 80% of the time I personally would use a ruby launcher if his turrets were not a factor. If his turrets are close, take your chances with a can or gun. If you choose a gun, do not move backwards after you fire, just keep moving forward so that his turrets don’t hit you.
Scout vs Engineer – This is a terrible matchup. Unless the terrain works to your favor. Most engineers will lay a rocket turret or two and just sit behind them. Then they will lay 3 bots and hope the bots get you. Your best option is to try and push the engineer away from his turrets. This may be a possibility because most engineers tend to head towards a wall. You might have enough cover to reach him or his turrets with a nade or ruby. Your best bet is to kill his turrets with nades or rubys while avoiding his bots. Once this is done charge fast before he lays another turret. His only other short range weapon is a gun with poor range and good reload, so be ready for spray.
Scout vs Officer – Watch the rockets and turrets. An officer will most likely use them to defend against a scout. He does not carry super fast grenades, which gives you an advantage in cover. Officers are relatively fast so if you decide to use a ruby launcher don’t miss and expect rockets coming at you. The best thing you can do is not let him setup turrets. He will have plenty of weight so trying to make him run out of ammo is a bit pointless and very risky.