So You Want to Stabbie-Stabbie?

You Might Be a Scout If …

Welcome to the third in a series of articles designed to help new players, and maybe not so new players, better gauge which class to choose. This is based on my own play experiences, the advice of online friends and strangers, the insights of those same people – and their follies as well.

When I began playing EQ2, I had no real idea of the structure of MMORPG play. I knew what the different classes were supposed to be, on paper. The dynamic changes somewhat when translated to the real play experience, however.

In an effort to help others avoid choosing a class and investing a great deal of time into it before realizing it isn’t their cup of tea, I’m writing this “You … If” series.

So …

You Might Be a Scout If …

… You enjoy attacking things from behind, using stealth and guile.

… You enjoy planning out your attacks and strategizing.

… You like to deal out lots of damage.

… You prefer to stay in the background, striking when needed.

… You like the thought of wielding two weapons at once, and using bows.

… You are organized and systemic in your methods.

The role of the scout in EQ2 is one of a planner. Scouts are a tough class to play, and require an agile mind. You have perhaps the most active role of all in terms of managing your skills and using the best skill for any given situation. You don’t need to worry about anything other than killing – but the means by which you do so may make the difference between life and death for your allies.

Stealth is your primary means of attack. You will creep up behind your foes and strike at them with precision to deal out large amounts of damage. Most of your abilities and skills will require the use of stealth in combat. This means you will be using several skills in tandem with your stealth techniques to achieve maximum damage results. This can be daunting to the untrained and is more of a trick than it sounds. However, once mastered, the results are satisfying and you will deal out more than your share of killing blows.

A scout has an active / passive role in the group. While exploring you may be asked to sneak ahead and see what’s waiting. You may also be following your fighter, waiting patiently for the right moment to strike the enemies he engages. You will need to communicate with your fighter to work out strategies that palce you in the best spot, so you can attack from behind, or from a distance with your bow. You may not always be in the thick of battle, but you will always need to pay attention to what is going on.

A scout must be able to think on his feet and act independently. During battles, the situation can change quickly. You will need to be actively running to get into position, and will need to follow closely what it is that your fighter is targeting. Your skill set is versatile and diverse. You will need to be aware of what is happening around you and adjust accordingly, still keeping in mind that you will be a target for monsters if you are not careful.

A scout’s primary responsibility is to kill. You will be tasked with killing – not as easy as it sounds when you need to avoid the anger of the monsters around you. You will need to be aware of your position in the battle relevant to other monsters, for it will be easy for them to come up behind you when you are behind your own enemy and engaged. You will need to master ranged fighting, for several of your skills will require the use of bow and arrows.

Your role as a scout is not to be the center of attention. (This is the province of the fighter.) A scout can’t afford to run carelessly through dungeons without his group supporting him. You can take monsters head-on for a very brief time but will quickly die if not protected by others. During battle, your only concern is to quickly and efficiently kill the enemy, through stealth and tactics.

If all this sounds exciting to you, and makes you think, “This is me!” – then you should choose to be a scout. If not, you may want to look at the other classes before you decide. In a future series, I’ll be discussing subclasses in more depth, to give a further idea of the evolving roles of each archetype as they progress past level 20.