Hey, Look At Me! An Evolutionary Tree of Scouts

This is the fourth installment in the Evolutionary Tree guides! Hopefully it should be out quicker than the others were!

Introduction

I'm back again! I can't promise that I'll release other guides as quickly as I did for this one, but who knows? Anyway, This is going to be the Scout guide (shocking). However, due to popular opinion being overwhelmingly supportive of another class, the medic guide is being bumped back. (Sorry, Archimedes and fml.) In his place...The Engineer! I've gotten so many requests for this guide to be made that I had to make it first. However, as far as this guide goes, the newest addition is Combat Style, which will give you the basics on how they move, attack, and hide. I hope everyone enjoys this guide as much as they did the last ones, and if you want a particular class next or you have a sub-class that I missed, post it in the comments! If I like an idea, I'll add it to the guide!

Baby Scouts

What else can I say that this guy hasn't?

The above video is one of many Team Service Announcements by anangrysockpuppet. All credit for the video goes to him. Go check him out on Youtube!

So, Baby Scouts are basically target practice for the opposing team. They run in straight lines, attack enemies from the front, and aim using their mouse (which I am sometimes still guilty of). These guys are the ones with zero points and an average lifespan of however long it takes to reach an enemy.

Origins: A new player.

Combat Style:
Running in straight lines, just trying to get that first shot off. These guys do not understand combat or tactics at all.

Loadout:
Full stock

Characteristics:
1. Overly agressive
2. Not tactical
3. Runs in straight lines from the front.

Advantages:
None, but if for some reason this enemy lacks a brain, the scout may get one meatshot off on them.

Disadvantages:
Look at the characteristics and you'll have a pretty good idea.

How to beat them: Stand still (you can move, but aiming is generally easier when you're rooted), aim, and shoot. Dead in two shotgun blasts.

Scoots

Still overconfident, just new weapons.

Scoots have still not learned about how to effectively use scout, but they have gotten a few weapons that they know how to use. They're what we call experts (not in videogames, irl), knowing more and more about less and less. They may be able to perfectly Boston basher jump, Force-a-Nature jump, make every shot count with their Winger, whatever! They're still otherwise clueless. General scoot: "Oh, hi mr. ubered heavy. Can I whack you with my bat? Wait, he didn't die? HAX!" As well as being clueless, they're also arrogant and overextend themselves too often. They tend to taunt a lot and generally be stupid.

Origins:
Someone who thinks that scout is more powerful than it is
OR
Someone who has Scout alternate weapons.

Combat Style:
These guys are much like baby scouts, except with a few tactics in their fighting. They know enough to dodge and take cover, but they can't yet weaponize their jumps or "disappear" to flank their opponents.

Loadout:
Varies (not usually Shortstop)
Varies
Varies (generally not Fan-o-war)

Characteristics:
1. Overconfident
2. Overextends
3. Slightly varied loadouts
4. Some tactics

Advantages:
These guys are actually pretty hard to hit, since they can dodge and know their speed. Also, their specialization allows them to avoid enemies or get out of trouble.

Disadvantages:
Once they're in a corner, they're stuck there. Alos, the lack of tactics makes the short-ranged scout nearly impossible to use against enemies from the front.

How to beat them:
Trap them or just pay attention for them. Look at their loadout, find their alternate weapon, and don't let them use it or get to where they would go with it.

Runner Scouts

Run away, Scout! Run with that... GREEN briefcase?

Huh. Anyway, Runner Scouts have finally learned to use their speed to their advantage. They dart around the map and look for fights. These guys refuse to be cornered or captured, and spend a lot of time looking for the nearest Heavy to torment. These guys are also really helpful when there's intel to be capped. However, they become twitchy near ambush points and in tunnels, as well as being afraid of pyros.

Origins:
A scout who loves to run around and use his speed.

Combat Style: Run around until the enemy runs out of ammo. Then get closer and actually try to kill them.

Loadout:
Any (not usually Baby Face's Blaster or Force-a-Nature)
Situational
Any (not really used)

Characteristics:
1. Constantly running
2. Twitchy
3. Not a great shot

Advantages:
Runner scouts are very hard to hit and are unpredictable. that makes them extremely useful when capping intel, which they love to do.

Disadvantages:
If there's one thing Runner Scouts hate, it's slowing down. As a result, they may be coaxed to push a cart, but they will NEVER cap a point. Also, their twitchiness in closed-off areas makes them really cowardly.

How to beat them: They're useless on CP and Payload maps, but you can ambush them or use Natascha to slow them down. Airblasting them into corners also helps.

Scout Split

Oh, I love this one. Here are the split sub-classes of the Scout.

If you spend your time...

Being useful? Team Scout.

Trolling others? Troll Scout.

Learning advanced mechanics? Learner Scout.

Using specialized loadouts correctly? Super Scout.

Sneaking around? Scy. (pronounced sky.)

Doing what a scout should do? Elder Scout.

Team Scout

Oh, Man! I am gonna mess... you... UP!

Team scouts are actually pretty helpful, but they're also more combat-focused than their helpful teammates. They usually hang around teammates and generally use a helpful loadout.

Origins: A Pybro or a helpful person.

Combat Style: Helpful to teammates, rarely strikes out.

Loadout:
Any (not usually Force-a-Nature)
Mad Milk
Fan-o-War/Wrap Assassin (more independent)/Candy Cane/Sun-on-a-Stick

Characteristics:
1. Helpful
2. Stays near teammates

Advantages:
Team Scouts allow their team to have EXTREME longevity, and based on their melee choice, they can even amplify their own even more. The Wrap Assassin basically gives the Scout auto-regen on a milked target.

Disadvantages:
Team Scouts are also unable to use their speed because they need to stay near their teammates. This makes them vulnerable to Snipers. Also, Team Scouts are not very brave, and may not make an easy push to a point if they're alone.

How to beat them: Separate them from their teammates and avoid that Mad Milk. They simply don't have enough fighting power to survive against a focused enemy.

Troll Scout

Uh... I'm genuinely scared by this. Is that just me?

Ok, troll scouts. The loadouts they use determine how they troll, so this will be a little blob of information.

Taunt Scout:
Loadout:
Any
Bonk
Sandman/Atomizer

I remember being this guy... they Bonk and then taunt with their bat. I got so many BSS (Steak) heavies... Just stay away and you should be fine.


Boink Scout:
Baby Face's Blaster
Any Pistol (Usually Pretty Boy's Pocket Pistol)
Holy Mackerel/Frying Pan

Super fast scouts with humiliating melees... Only use their pistol to build boost. Terrifying, but just pyro them and they will die.

Jump Scout:
Force-a-Nature/Soda Popper
Winger/PBPP
Atomizer

These scouts jump. And continue to do so until they are on Neptune or they suffocate in the vacuum of space. Don't let them get above you and you should be fine.

Need a dispenser here:
Spam X5. Nuff said.

Learner Scout

Booyah!

Learner Scouts spend their time getting to know the mechanics of Team Fortress 2 and their chosen class. These are the guys who can pull off the perfect Boston Basher or Force-a-Nature jump. These guys can use the Fan-o-War on the right person at the right time. These guys also jump until they go to Neptune or die from beating their own skulls in. These guys jump with style.

Origins: Those who feel the need to learn EVERY SINGLE WAY to jump.

Combat Style: Jump!

Loadout:
Whatever gives them the ability to jump more.

Characteristics:
1. Jumps
2. Jumps again
3. Jumps once more
4. Takes a really poorly aimed shot (apparently), Force-a-Nature jumps.

Advantages:
Jumping.

Disadvantages:
Usually injures themself jumping, and very vulnerable to splash damage.

How to beat them:
Use ALL the soldiers, pyros, demos, heavies, engineers, snipers, and spies.

Super Scout

Scout's not blonde, but judging by this, he should be. (Picture by s0s2.)

Super Scouts use special loadouts, whether that's the Milkman set or just a complimentary loadout.

Origins:
Someone who stumbled across a good loadout.

Combat Style:
Use their weapons in perfect harmony.

Loadout:
Shortstop
Mad Milk
Candy Cane

OR

A unique loadout that they thought up that works.

Characteristics:
1. Effective weapon timing/combos
2. Good loadout
3. Usually specialized

Advantages:
Super Scouts are able to use their particular loadouts to perfection, and a favorable situation for them is always going to end in a win.

Disadvantages:
Super scouts outside of their loadout's specialization are cannon fodder.

How to beat them:
Look at their loadouts, analyze it, then avoid or counter that attack combo. (Force-a-nature scout < Mantreads)

Scy

Scys... Clad in green.

Scys are always sneaking around. They cause backcaps, sniper rage, and spawncamping woes. (If you haven't gotten the joke yet, Scy is a mix of Scout and Spy.)

Origins: Spies who try out scout.

Combat Style: Sneak behind the enemy, then kill everyone or backcap.

Loadout:
Stock
Bonk!
Sandman (may be others)

Characteristics:
1. Sneaky
2. Kills everyone
3. Spawncamps/backcaps

Advantages:
Scys are really good at suprising key targets like heavies and medics and taking them out.

Disadvantages:
Scys are indiscriminate in their targets, and so may reveal their presence by chasing a sniper out of spawn.

How to beat them:
Be aware for Bonk! scouts on the front lines, and take them out as soon as possible. Alert your team, as they may hide or hit you with a baseball.

Elder Scout

Don't worry, guys. I got this.

I don't mean to toot my own horn here, but this is the type of Scout I am. I never intended this series to be a countdown. (Heck, I thought spy would be the end of it. The community stirred me to action, though, and continues to do so.) Even though it's not a countdown, I wanted to do Scout last. I knew the most about Scouts and the least about Spies, and these guides help me organize my thoughts just as it does for you. So, I'm an Elder Scout.

Origins:
A TF2 Veteran.

Combat Style:
Whatever it needs to be.

Loadout:
Whatever counters the enemy composition.

Characteristics:
1. Aligned with the flow of battle
2. Mains scout
3. Understands stealth and timing

Advantages:
Elder Scouts are trained with all weapons, and so are able to comfortably switch their loadout and stance to counter the enemy composition.

Disadvantages:
Elder scouts are not great at crowd control, and also fare poorly against a balanced team of multiple class roles.

How to beat them:
Elder Scouts are well-hidden until they strike, but you can catch one off guard and interrupt an attack.

Conclusion

Well, another guide down. I've enjoyed this, and as we near the halfway mark, I realize that this is what I really want to keep doing. However, just as my guide order are structured by community response, so too should my guide options. If you have an idea for a guide that you are either too busy/lazy/underconfident to write or one that you want to see my humor attached to, I will gladly accept any suggestions. I have one side guide already, but it was not as well written as it could have been. Here's a link to check it out.
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=233192865
Also, I have a new series of guides planned. I'll reveal it in the next guide.


Anyway, If I missed anything, please post it in the comments. Also, guide order is determined by your input, so if you want to see another class covered next, please tell me! It's perfectly OK to be a mixture of some of these classes, too. As always, here's the last entry in the series, Pyro this time.
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=237991118
*NOTE*: I will not accept friend requests from people reading these guides. I appreciate the gesture that you like these guides, but I'm not going to accept them. Sorry.

How Can I Improve?

There are two things you can do to work your way up the sub-class ladder.

First, play as your chosen class. Experience is the best way to learn. You're going to start out playing terribly. However, as you play and learn what to do, you WILL get better. Give it time.

Secondly, check out guides that give tips like this one. (Sorry if the guide link looks all messed up. I don't know what happened.)
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=177204615
This was written by Althrik, and while it is a little more serious than mine, it's short and to the point. These give you a guide to what you should practice to get better, and thus speed your journey to pro Scouting (or any other class).

Finally, if you like these guides, join my group!
http://steamcommunity.com/groups/tipstrickssubclasses

[Mr. Spud]

kind of a mix between runner and learner scout. i like to be fest and jump like malleo.

[abelicio]

Typically, elder scouts still run stock because nearly everything else is useless

[abelicio]

I'm kinda inconsistant but I'm a elder scout

[N3pYXD]

Where is Scunt class?

[Tempo_Cor]

idk what i am tbh but im gonna go with learner

[Cosmic Kangaroo]

And what about the Full Bleed scout ?

Loadout:

-Any
-Flying guillotine
-Boston Basher or Three Runes Blade

Origins: when the scout wants to troll or wants to kill fast the most dangerous ennemy.
Combat Style: Focus the same guy until he dies
Advantages: tons of damages + DOT
Disadvantadges: Needs more skill than usual because you have to count every hit.

[BudMcGrud]

After 1,000 hours in TF2, still a Runner.

[the sleepy piggy]

I'm the runner scout. I just wanna shoot stuff and have fun.

[Obi-ron]

oh nvm

[Digitic]

@Minigun54

For what? I've done all the classes already.