In our latest Nosgoth walkthrough we offer an in-depth guide for the popular Scout class including suggested perks, comparisons of all the available weapons, tips & tricks on how to best utilize the Scout abilities and some advice on making the most of your class on the battlefield.
Recommended Perks
Thankfully the Perk system within Nosgoth leaves plenty of room for a personal approach. The various Perks available are all totally viable in combat, leaving the final choice up to the individual player. That being said, I have a specific set of Perks that I like to use on the Scout class. I tend to roll with Accuracy, Sprinting, Improved Cooldowns or Increased Clips. These are not required to be a successful Scout but Daily Perks do add a certain level of excitement to the mix so be sure to utilize the opportunity before committing to single Perks in the long-term.
What’s The Best Scout Weapon?
Scout’s have access to an impressive arsenal of bows but with each offering a slightly different approach to combat, you’ll want to make sure you choose the right weapon to support your personal playstyle and preference.
Compound Bow: The Compound Bow is the basic Scout weapon although it’s anything but basic. The basic damage per second (DPS) is the greatest of all the bows available to the Scout class and a balanced draw time and rate of fire make it a primary choice for many Scout players.
Swiftbow: The Swiftbow has the fastest fire rate of all the bows available to the Scout. It can be a great weapon to pepper an enemy location and force them to retreat from cover but the lack of burst damage often results in lack of damage at long-range. However, the quick fire-rate allows for rapid hits in quick succession when in close-range, making it a deadly weapon when the Vampires attempt to get within melee range.
Stormbow: The Stormbow does very little damage on initial contact but it has the added bonus of firing arrows with explosive heads. Originally the explosive damage from the Stormbow was incredibly powerful and made choosing any other gun a waste of time. However, the developers have since addressed that problem and reduced the damage inflicted over longer distances. The real strength of the Stormbow is the small area of effect damage that is applied when the explosive arrowhead detonates, causing a small amount of damage to all nearby targets. Although the Stormbow cannot match the Compound Bow in general DPS, the AoE damage makes the Stormbow a great contender for highest damage output.
Warbow: Arguably the most unique and difficult to use weapon in the Scout’s arsenal, the Warbow. Although it deals less damage than the other Scout weapons, and has a far slower fire rate, the Warbow is the only weapon able to cause a knock back effect on enemies. The damage from a regular Warbow shot is very low when compared to other weapons but its real potential lies in fully drawn shots at range. A fully charged shot deals a moderate amount of damage but the real damage comes in the form of fall damage, if you’re able to knock your enemies out of the sky or off the edge of a structure. A well-timed shot against a mid-flight enemy can be enough to take them out of the battle entirely but be careful, if they get too close your knock back effect becomes useless. It’s one of the most difficult Scout weapons to use but it’s also the most satisfying.
Abilities
Primary Abilities
Dagger Throw: The Dagger Throw is the original ability given to all Scout’s. The ability sees the player launch 3 knives in a forward arc, causing enemies to suffer a small knock back effect and roughly 60 damage per dagger – it also inflicts a short-duration stun. Although it may not seem too impressive when compared to the other abilities available to Scout’s, the small stun can offer enough time for a direct hit from your weapon of choice, decimating your enemies HP. However, Dagger Throw’s best usage is to counter the abilities of Vampires, stopping a Sentinel’s Kidnap or Abduct in its tracks. Word of caution: Don’t use it on Tyrant’s, it doesn’t end pretty.
Camouflage: One of the greatest abilities in the Scout’s arsenal, Camouflage. As the name suggests it offers the player about 7 seconds of active stealth camouflage, but you’re not entirely invisible. When under the effect of Camouflage you will be far more difficult to see, but Vampires are still able to spot you – especially if you’re moving quickly. Staying stationary is the best way to remain undetected when using Camouflage, but charging your bow will cause a large glowing arrow to give away your location. I find it best suited as an escape ability, other than of one to initiate however I have seen a few people use it to take out a feeding Vampire or fleeing enemy.
Mark Target: Mark Target has its uses but most players don’t consider it a worthy replacement for Camouflage or Dagger Throw. Using Mark Target marks an enemy player for 1-0 seconds and causes a small amount of damage while increasing all damage from other sources to that particular target. It can be a brilliant ability when used in conjunction with attacks from your allies, but it’s still a questionable exchange.
Secondary Abilities
Volley: Volley is one of the Scout’s most powerful AoE abilities, launching a volley of arrows and damaging all targets in a large area. Using the ability cannot damage your team mates but if you’re inside the area when Volley is launched, you will take damage from your own ability. Volley has very mixed success in combat as it currently suffers from two major problems. Firstly the Volley comes from above, meaning it’s useless when activated inside an interior unless you’re aiming for enemies on the roof. Secondly, the animation to launch Volley feels incredibly slow when compared to others, leaving you very vulnerable to attack. I suggest switching this ability out at first opportunity.
Grappling Hook: Gain access to areas inaccessible to any other Human class with the Grappling Hook ability. Certain locations on each map support the ability, allowing the player to reach certain ledges and rooftops otherwise out of reach. Although it may seem like a good idea for a snipe-esque class to reach new heights, it tends to put a massive target on your head that sees every Vampire in the vicinity make you their primary target. Grappling Hook is good fun but it doesn’t have much place on the battlefield of Nosgoth.
Turret: Turret makes the Scout’s Volley ability redundant. It allows the player to drop a turret that fires bullets while spinning in circles, offering additional damage and range when compared to the Volley ability. The Turret can be used both indoors and outside, making it the perfect tool to control a choke-point or force the Vampires to explore another route. Like Volley, you can damage yourself if you’re in range when the ability activates.
Scout Tips, Tricks & Gameplay Guide
As with all the classes in Nosgoth, the most vital element of success with the Scout is to know your role and limits. The Scout does not have any defensive abilities and although it does have a few escape mechanics, it’s main responsibility is to cause damage in an sniper-esque type role. A successful Scout player will attempt to avoid detection at all costs, using allies and the environment to stay out of sight. You are able to dispatch of vampires quicker than any other class but that becomes useless if you’re constantly the first to die. Let you allies initiate, stay at the rear and do as much damage as you can before detection.
As a Scout you’ll often find yourself entirely fixated on one specific area or location as you line up a shot. Although this is inevitable at times, a stationary target in Nosgoth is as good as dead. Keep moving, keep your eyes peeled and wait for the best opportunity to unleash your attacks.
Even if you think your team mates are totally useless and offer no benefit to your personal chances of victory, stay with them! You lack the CC of the Hunter class and don’t have the versatility or ability to adapt like the Alchemist or Prophet, so use your allies abilities to your own advantage and look for CC’d or knocked down targets.
Other Human Class Guides
Nosgoth Walkthrough: Scout Class Guide
Nosgoth Walkthrough: Alchemist Class Guide
Nosgoth Walkthrough: Hunter Class Guide
Nosgoth Walkthrough: Prophet Class Guide