Kueric's Scout Guide

Introduction:

Starting your Scout:

Once you’ve decided to create a scout the first decision you must consider is what race to make the new character. There are four available races thus far that can be played as scouts, those races being Britons, Highlanders, Inconnu, and Saracens. Each race has its own advantages and disadvantages at being a scout.

Briton: Briton’s are a safe choice for making a scout, their vanilla stats make for a forgiving choice on character creation. Briton’s are a safe choice for speccing in either slash or thrust. One thing to keep in mind is that a Briton’s bow damage will not be as high as their more agile counterparts the Inconnu and Saracen from creation.

Highlander: Few scouts come from the ranks of the Highlander race. With a higher starting STR and CON the highlander scout has more hits than the other scout races and also is a natural melee race. Highlander’s make excellent slash scouts due to their higher starting strength. The Highlander suffers even more from lower DEX and QUI than the Briton with 50 in each starting. Their bow speed and damage will lag behind that of either the Briton or Saracen races, although their melee damage can be superior to that of the other three as well.

Inconnu: Since the release of S.I., Inconnu are being seen more and more as scouts. Their small size makes them difficult to spot, similar to a kobold in stature. This is their biggest advantage. Their starting DEX is comparable to that of a Saracen, though their QUI is equal to a Highlander. Inconnu make better thrust scouts than either Britons or Higlanders because of their higher DEX.

Saracen: Bread and butter to the scout and rogues in general. A high starting DEX makes their damage potential equal to the Inconnu with the longbow. With only 50 starting points in STR and CON the Saracen suffers from lower potential hits and less melee damage than the Briton and Highlander. Saracen are somewhat larger than Inconnu, but still small compared to other Albion races. Saracen scouts can go either slash or thrust for melee. (Ed. Note: I recommend taking either an Inconnu or Saracen on the thrust line simply from a stat standpoint, high DEX aids thrust damage and their low starting STR reduces their potential slash damage. Some players will argue that 29 slash is the key to a successful scout and is superior to thrust. I disagree and suspect that any damage output increase at that spec and higher is unintentional. The stats of those two races are inherently geared towards a thrust spec.)

After you decide your race you must distribute your starting stat points. Always remember the key stats in this order for a scout are DEX, QUI, CON, STR in that order of importance. DEX and QUI are almost of equal importance as QUI increases slower than DEX. Dexterity helps calculate the damage done with your bow. Also it helps calculate your weapon skill with your bow. Quickness determines your shot speed with your bow and your swing speed with melee weapons. As a general rule your shot/swing time is reduced by 1% for each 6 points of quickness over 60 that your character has in the stat. (Ed. Note: As of the current patch 1.69 shot speed is calculated with a 250 cap on Quickness) Constitution is important as it determines your hits gained per level. Strength determines your carry capacity, which is important since every bundle of 20 arrows weighs 1 pound. Also, strength helps calculate damage for your melee type. (Ed. Note: This is more so true with slash than for thrust weapons.)
For all races a given is to allocate 10 points to DEX and QUI, possibly more depending on which race you choose. Your remaining 10 points should be divided into CON and STR as desired. If you pick a Higlander scout you may waive placing any points into STR or CON and divide your remaining points into DEX and QUI. After you allocate your stat points you’re ready to start leveling your new scout, after you name them of course!

Speccing Your Scout

This section will assume you are starting a scout from lvl 1 rogue up until lvl 50 final specialization Master Scout. As a rogue your primary goal is to make it to lvl 5 so that you can finally enter the Defenders of Albion as a scout. Save your specialization points until level 5 when you become a scout to spend them. You gain Shield and Longbow specialization lines when becoming a scout. Your repeated mantra should be: “Longbow equal to level until at least middle 40’s.” (Ed. Note: I see no disadvantage with speccing full 50 bow since you get penetrating arrow 3 which gives you maximum damage on an enemy using PBT. In addition with the gain of Sureshot at 45 and volley being tied to bow spec in upcoming Frontiers a higher bow spec is almost essential.) 42 is the magic number for your shield spec as it grants the slam style for anytime stuns. Also, the defensive bonus for higher shield spec allows you to last longer against mobs you fight. Your melee spec should be used primarily to finish a mob off after shooting it at range with your bow. (Ed. Note: I recommend low to mid 20’s spec. At this spec your scout is not completely defenseless in RvR or PvE, but they are not specced to melee. In no way is a scout meant to be a frontline tank in either situation. In the instances when an assassin may attack in RvR RA’s such as Dodger and Mastery of Blocking coupled with slam, are your chances of surviving one of these encounters increased. In addition an increasing number of battles such as these involve multiple stealthers and survivability is low without use of IP, purge etc…) Your stealth spec should be ignored during your early levels until you reach bg range. (Ed. Note: Depending on what server you are playing, for DR members its Lancelot, the /level command should affect this decision. On Lance its /level 30 for Hibs and Mids. So, start dumping points into stealth starting at 30 in addition to your bow spec. By this time you should have reached your final melee spec and have a developed shield skill.) After the bg’s you should allocate points to stealth when possible up to the low to mid 30’s range. (Ed. Note: Stealth for a scout is mostly used to deter detection by non stealthers to line up for effective ranged attacks. It is also used to avoid detection by assassin classes at long ranges. Therefore it should not be specced so high as to detract from development of other spec lines. Scouts without detect hidden, will be detected by an assassin well before the scout can detect him. The best analogy I can use for this being a modern day military sniper. They are trained in camoflauge and survival to avoid detection to accomplish their objectives using their rifle to kill at extreme distances. This training is not meant to be used to sneak up on their enemy and kill up close. In DAOC terms that would be the job of an infiltrator.)

Leveling Your Scout

One added bonus to leveling a scout in PvE is that you can actually tailor the melee damage of your primary weapon to match the vulnerability of the mobs you are fighting. By using arrows that exploit the mobs melee vulnerability you will have a much easier time of leveling than by using arrows that a mob might get a resistance bonus for their use. If at all possible fight mobs that are also vulnerable to your melee weapon as well. The best mobs for scouts to level off of are casting mobs that do not BAF or ranged mobs, this allows the scout to use their bow to maximum effect. Avoid battling mobs that cause thrust damage, your studded leather armor is weak to this damage type. You gain a resistance to crush damage.

Levels 1-20: Spend your formative levels getting used to the class. Practice on mobs to learn your maximum bow range and always shoot from that range. Use elevation to your advantage to gain additional range. Your starting zone is an excellent place to spend these levels. If you are not leveling in the Isle of Glass, very early levels should be spent in areas that are relatively open so you can see mobs around you. Camelot Hills, Black Mountains South are good choices. Above level 10 you can move into Black Mountains North or Salisbury Plains until the upper teens up to level 20. Once you hit level 18-20 you will be relocating to a new area regardless of area in which you are primarily xping. Between the high teens you can relocate to Cornwall or Avalon Isle leveling off of mobs that are close to the entrance of the zone, as you level up you can proceed further into the area. Avoid mobs that are incorporeal (ghostly), because they are resistant to all melee damage types.
Your spec at these levels should be your bow equal to your level. (Remember your mantra!) The majority of your points should be spent in Shield with your weapon spec rising gradually as well. Don’t worry about your weapon spec being low. Remember it’s meant to finish a mob off not melee it down. Your shield will keep you alive to nickel and dime down that last 10-15% of a mob’s health.

Levels 21-40: Your 20’s will be spent in Cornwall or Avalon Isle as you plug through these levels. Once you reach level 28-30 the mobs in much of the early to middle parts of the zone should begin to reach the orange/yellow con range. At this level you can choose to move into Lyonesse to fight some of the lower level mobs that reside there. Dunters are an excellent mob to fight in the high 20 to low 30 range. Mid 30’s to 40 you can fight in such areas as Dartmoor at the Ponies, Lyonesse, and around Caer Caddug in Avalon Isle. Remember to stop off in BG3 once you hit 35 to get RR2. The extra +1 to skills help in PvE along with the extra Realm Skill Points to prepare you for final RvR. In addition if you participate in a successful keep retake you can gain a free level out of the battlegrounds.
You should have your final melee spec by level 30-35. Start spending points in stealth for BG3, Longbow should continue to be equal to your level. Your shield spec should allow you 1 or 2 medium duration stuns off of a block so that you can stun a mob or opponent and get a bow shot off for additional damage at melee range.

Levels 40-50: Once you reach level 40 your options to level branch out further. You can group inside Avalon City and later solo the entrance somewhere in the level 44-46 range when the entrance mobs start to con orange. There is a camp which I used that is ideal for scouts in the low 40’s. Send me a tell in game if you are interested in its location and I will tell/show you where to find it. Other areas such as Aldland and Inishail Island become possible experience gaining locations.
By the 40’s you should be placing the finishing touches on your final spec. Around level 45 you can stop investing points in Longbow if you should choose to do so to spend in other areas. The majority of your points will probably be placed into Longbow/Shield/Stealth in that order of frequency. Once you reach 42 in shield Slam as an anytime stun makes PvE much easier. With practice you can land a slam and get 2 additional bow shots off on a mob.

There are several detailed leveling guides that you can find online such as on www.critshot.com for finding mobs to level your new scout. If you have access to guild crafters you should keep yourself equipped in the highest quality yellow or orange con equipment that you can afford. Otherwise, try to keep your drops yellow con or better. Your bow should never drop below yellow con at any time.

Realm Ability Templates

Often I receive tells from new scouts asking for suggestions on what realm abilities to purchase for their intermediate level scout. Since New Frontiers will be released soon, possibly within the next couple months or so this section will undoubtedly need to be rewritten or even scrapped altogether. I may even find myself searching for what realm abilities aid the scout in the new expansion along with the rest of you. Until the release of the new expansion I can give what suggestions on realm abilities are helpful for a scout.

RR1L1-R2L0: Guardian to Warder should be spent in the battlegrounds if not to learn your scout in an RvR situation than to give your scout some additional effectiveness for endgame RvR. Your first 10 points should used as a foundation for your RvR template. The first skill purchased should be Augmented Dexterity 2 in order to gain access to Mastery of Blocking and Falcons Eye. After gaining Aug Dex2 you can also buy up Augmented Quickness 2 to be able to purchase Dodger. 12 extra points in Dexterity increases your bow damage, block and evade rates. The bonus points in Quickness lowers your shot speed and swing speed an additional 2% and also modifies your evade rate.

Sample RR2 templates:

A. Augmented Dexterity 2, Augmented Quickness 2, Mastery of Blocking 1, Dodger 1 (10 points)

B. Augmented Dexterity 2, Mastery of Blocking 1, Falcon's Eye 2, Tireless 1 (10 points)

C.Augmented Dexterity 3 (10 points)

D. Augmented Dexterity 2, Augmented Quickness 2, MoB1 or Dodger1, Falcon's Eye 1 (10 points)

Template A is a defensive/melee template. Template B is a Defensive/Ranged Template with more emphasis on the Longbow. Template C may look skimpy but it opens the gate for heavy Ranged emphasis. Template D is a Defensive/Ranged Template as well with more emphasis on the Defensive aspect of the template.

RR2L1-3L0: Warder to Myrmidon should flesh out the path you have chosen further. By RR3 you should have a good idea of how your play style should affect your realm abilities.

Sample RR3 templates:

A.Base of RR2, First Aid2, Falcon's Eye 1(10 points)

B. Base of RR2, Augmented Quickness 2, Augmented Dexterity 3(10 points)

C. Base of RR2, Mastery of Archery 2, Falcon's Eye 2, Mastery of Blocking 1, Augmented Quickness 1(10 points)

D. Base of RR2, MoB or Dodger 2, MoB or Dodger 1&2, Augmented Constitution 1, Toughness 1, Mastery of Pain 1(10 points)

Template A is taking First Aid as a means to Ignore Pain. Template B is taking augmented stats for the linked bow abilities. Template C comes out with faster bow draw times and increased critical chances with MoB as an added defensive bonus. Template D gains both MoB and dodger at rank 2, additional hits and increased melee criticals.

RR3L1-RR4L0: The road to Gryphon Knight invests points deeper into the final RR5 templates presented here.

Sample RR4 templates:

A. Base of RR2&3, All points saved for Ignore Pain(10 points)

B. Base of RR2&3, Dodger 1, Longshot, Mastery of Blocking 2(10 points)

C. Base of RR2&3, Longshot, Augmented Quickness 2, Dodger 1(10 points)

D. Base of RR2&3, Longshot, Avoidance of Magic 2(10 points)

Template A needs all the points from RR4 for IP. Template B gains added defense and Longshot. Template C gets added bow speed, dodger and Longshot as well. Template D gains Longshot and better magic resistance.

RR4L1-RR5L0: Eagle Knight should leave us with an IP scout, two balanced ranged and melee scouts and a ranged death dealer par excellence.

Sample RR5 templates:

A. Base of RR2,3&4, Ignore Pain, Mastery of Blocking 2, Dodger 2(10 points)

B. Base of RR2,3&4, Truesight(10 points)

C. Base of R2,3&4, Volley, Tireless 1, Lifter 1(10 points)

D. Base of RR2,3&4, Mastery of Pain 2, Falcon's Eye 2, Toughness 2, Tireless 1(10 points)


Template A gets IP and good defense. Template B gets stealth detection with Truesight. Template C gains volley, endurance regeneration with added arrow carry capacity. Template D gains added criticals, additional hits and endurance regeneration as well.