keno trader
FACTION WARFARE ARMY
FACTION WARFARE ALLIANCE
5
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Posted - 2014.04.09 23:26:00 -
[1] - Quote
In an effort to enhance both my playing skills and meet other scout players, I'm starting this thread to act as something constructive (post 1.8) as opposed to all the negative threads I've seen so far asking for changes/buffs.
I guess what you should include are:
- How much SP have you spent on scout skills/ related things.
- What type scout you currently are playing as (and your suit).
- Your fit (if you want to share).
- Playstyle/roles/fits
I'll start by saying that I'm chronically low on ISK (funny...but true)  . Having invested over 8 million points in skills, I believe I have a half decent fit as a (now) proto Caldari Scout. In retrospect, Caldari scout isn't the best offensive suit, but damn it looked cool and I wanted one. Everyone knows what a Caldari scout is supposed to do....run around, scan, avoid getting hit, etc. What frustrates me is that scouting like this is a royal pain in skirmish (guaranteed deaths) and mediocre at best on domination. These are my two favorite map modes, and it just sucks getting your butt handed to you by a team that has half a clue regarding what to do. So, in an effort to dispel myths and innovate (lol), I'd like to share my experiences as a bricktanked scout.
So apparently this is an "OP" playstyle...scout bricktanking. Not sure what it meant...but I supposed it was loading the scout up with armor and shields and just flanking the enemy. After some significant experimentation, I concluded that this is not OP, and it is damn difficult to play as.
There's a fine line between becoming an assault and staying as a scout. If you dip too much into becoming an assault, IE playing extremely aggressively, relying heavily on speed and chance to land you in a favorable position to take on heavies/brick tanked mediums, you will lose. There's simply nothing in a scouts weaponry (except shotgun, but that really isn't great for a brick tanked scout anyways...since you lack speed or dampening) to deliver the damage that you need. It's like walking a tight rope, and it will cost you. If you attempt to engage a group of enemies even with friendlies supporting you, there's a high chance that the group will a) realize that you're an easier kill and focus on you, b) panic and attack you. Both scenarios are bad.
So...a slight variation was needed.
THE SCAVENGER BRICKTANK SCOUT...engage in medium range!
The scavenger bricktanked scout effectively does nothing well. But it does offer a very safe, low loss, low-mediocre gain method of playing. It's pretty nice if you're low on ISK or are attempting to bump your KD.
Caldari Proto Scout:
3x complex shields.
1x enhanced shields.
1x complex plates.
1x enhanced armor rep.
1x automatic combat rifle (lvl 4)/any other combat rifle.
1x submachine gun.
1x cloak, nanite injector (or whatever you want).
'Nades (nuff said).
It's horrific, the scout purists are crying right now, but hey, it had to be discussed. 
THE GOOD:
-With around 550 total HP, you'll feel safer than before about running expensive stuff.
-It's much harder to get taken out, much much harder I might add. You wouldn't believe it, but those extra points really do help.
-It'll let you take on heavy and medium suits comfortably at a good range.
-It'll help you win most scout-scout encounters if you are careful about not running into invsi-Gallentes.
THE BAD:
-Very conservative playstyle.
-Somewhat boring/ lower yield.
-Requires constant thinking/placement. Misstep = 1 more suit lost.
The name suggests that this fit requires you to "scavenge" kills. That is, a lot of flanking/circling. I had the most success with this suit destroying enemy logis. As logis put down equipment, I followed close behind and destroyed the uplinks. After that, I engaged the enemy logis. It also became easy to get enemy heavies, and brick tanked mediums. The key diff between this and a regular scout is that there is no objective for you. You rely solely on opportunism and situational awareness, which means that you won't be helping your team that much.
It's imperative that you engage at a medium distance with full stamina. Anything more or less is disastrous. With this fit, it's important to know what region you're going to be scouting in, because establishing correct engagement distances and sight lines will prevent you from entering a bad engagement situation. Retreat is never an if...it's a must if needed.
Ideally, if you have another pure scout watching your back, you'll be safe from counter-scouts. However, this fit is self sufficient, it has an armor rep and you should be fine in most scenarios. With careful play, it'll allow a good player to extend his reach far into enemy territory (effectively becoming...a "light assault"), and pick off foolhardy/ rushy foes.
MY CONCLUSION: Boring/ not the way scout should be done, but engaging at medium range whilst moving quickly works out pretty well. Cloaks help player set up for the right type of engagements.
OP? No....quite far from it in fact.
THIS IS NOT THE ONLY WAY A SCOUT SHOULD BE PLAYED, BUT IS AN ALTERNATIVE FOR THOSE NOT WISHING TO BE JUMPING OVER ENEMY PLAYERS 24/7.
Best round so far with this tactic...200k gain and 0 deaths . |