Scout (Long War)
The Scout is a unique class that doesn't have an equivalent in vanilla XCOM, combining elements of Assaults and Snap Shot Snipers. The Scout's signature ability is Lightning Reflexes, greatly reducing the chance to be hit by overwatch fire while moving. Scouts are the only class other than Snipers that can use marksman rifles, but they cannot use sniper rifles.
- Primary Weapon: Marksman Rifles, Arc rifle, Carbines, Assault Rifles, Battle Rifles, SMGs, Shotguns.
- Secondary Weapon: Pistols, Machine pistols, Sawed-off Shotgun.
- Class-Limited items: Illuminator Gunsight, Marksman Scope
Abilities
Stat Progression
Rank | HP at level | Total HP | Aim at level | Total Aim |
---|---|---|---|---|
Specialist | 0 | 0 | 5 | 5 |
Lance Corporal | 0 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
Corporal | 1 | 1 | 3 | 11 |
Sergeant | 0 | 1 | 3 | 14 |
Tech Sergeant | 0 | 1 | 3 | 17 |
Gunnery Sergeant | 0 | 1 | 3 | 20 |
Master Sergeant | 1 | 2 | 5 | 25 |
Tactical Advice
Role: Scout / Mobile Offense
In Long War, battlefield awareness is very important and the rebalanced ranges for weapons mean that line of sight and situational awareness is more important than ever. This is where the Scout comes into play.
Scouts have a great deal of flexibility in how they can be built. Here are some roles they can fill:
- Point-man
A major role of the Scout class is leading the charge, drawing out overwatch fire with their Lightning Reflexes so that the rest of the squad can advance. A Scout specialized in this role will be built defensively, with perks such as Tactical Sense, and Resilience. Resilience is particularly important, since some aliens have Opportunist, and even with Lightning Reflexes eventually your scout will be hit by overwatch fire. They will typically be armed with SMGs for mobility, though any weapon can work.
- Close range combatant
Scouts are mobile enough to act a lot like an Assault, getting flanks at close range even without Run & Gun. A key perk to getting the most out of Scouts in this role is In The Zone, allowing a Scout to move up to an enemy, kill them (or even several of them) with flanking shots and then move back to safety. Shotguns are the weapon of choice for this role, since failing to fully kill an enemy will cause In The Zone not to proc and leave the Scout in a very vulnerable position.
- Mid-to-long range flanker
A flanker Scout will use their mobility to move around the side and get a flanking shot at medium-to-long range, either with a Marksman Rifle or Assault Rifle. Squadsight is available to allow the Scout to use the full range of marksman rifles to make this easier.
Any of these roles can also benefit from the Scout's support perks such as Holo-Targeting, Battle Scanner and Flush.
Incidentally, Scouts also make for great covert operatives, as their wide variety of perks that increase mobility and survivability help immensely during Covert Operations against Exalt cells.