Scout

Occurrence | Uncommon

The **Scout** is one of the special enemies in the complex and serve as a force-multiplier by alerting nearby enemies to the player and calling in a wave of additional enemies.

Scout are one of the few enemies that do not sleep, instead actively patrolling their designated areas and periodically extending their long *feelers* (or *tendrils*) in order to locate threats. If a player comes in contact with its feelers, the Scout will emit a loud scream, waking up any nearby enemies and spawning additional enemies nearby.

Unique variations of the Scout include the Charger Scout and the Shadow Scout.

## Appearance

Scouts closely resemble a slightly taller Shooter with distinct oval sacs on its head. While they share a similar appearance to Shooters, they house a large number of feelers used to look for threats. These feelers only appear when the Scout is patrolling and not alarmed. Unlike sleepers, which glow bright red, Scouts will glow a distinct light-blue color when alerted.

## Spawning

Scouts are guaranteed to spawn within certain zones in certain expeditions, most of which are generally critical to the completion of an objective. Although, some zones in certain expeditions have a chance to spawn scouts, instead of having guaranteed spawns. They make a sound similar to that of loud, bare footsteps as they walk. This sound is audible through doors, letting players know in advance of their presence.

## Behavior

Scouts patrol around the room in which they are found, periodically extending its long feelers in all direction.

Unlike other enemies, Scouts do not have multiple alert phases (glowing, pulsing, etc.). Any action that would soft alert a sleeper or cause it to glow, forces the Scout to extend its feelers. Note that sprinting also causes the Scout to extend its feelers instead of alerting it.

Scouts are not alerted by other sleepers dying around them, unless that sleeper is within close aggro range of the Scout (roughly 3 meters). Other actions that would hard alert a sleeper, will also alert the Scout.

When alerted through contact made with the feelers, they will glow red and the Scout will retract them after a short duration. Once alerted, a Scout will emit a light-blue glow, screaming and stunning itself for a brief period. The Scout is immune to damage while it is glowing and while it is stunned.

The Scout's scream will alert enemies in the current room, and in addition, it will spawn an extra wave of 12 normal enemies like the Strikers and Shooters. In certain expeditions, Scouts can also spawn specific types of enemies like Giants, Big Shooters, and Hybrids. These newly spawned enemies can scream and wake nearby rooms if players are close. If too close, the Scout's scream will also briefly deafen the player.

The scream of a Scout will also alert nearby Scouts, starting a chain-reaction.

Shortly after the scream, the Scout remains stunned for a few seconds, before becoming aggressive. Once aggressive, the Scout is once again vulnerable to damage.

The Scout has a medium amount of health, and its attack patterns are very similar to those of Big Shooters but with a faster firing rate. Lacking a melee attack, the Scout will keep its distance from the player. The Scout fires bursts of three projectiles, each of them dealing 4% damage. If killed after being alerted, it will make a loud and deep growling sound.

Once alerted, the Scout will not return to its initial scouting phase.

## Strategies

Whilst the wave spawned by Scouts can be bothersome, their ability to wake nearby enemies and overwhelm the player makes them a significant risk that should be dispatched where possible.

Once alerted, the Scout must be killed immediately in order to prevent it's scream.

### Stealth kill

* A fully charged melee hit to the head with the Sledgehammer or Spear will stealth kill a Scout. The Bat and Knife are also capable of stealth killing a Scout, but the attack must hit the scout in the occiput. The player can use C-foam to make this task easier and less risky, thus giving an additional eight seconds to perform the kill.

### Regular kill

* A mine, placed along the Scout's path, will kill the Scout. However, this will also alert nearby enemies.
* High-damage weapons such as the Köning PR 11 Sniper, the Omneco LRG HEL Rifle, or the Buckland S870 Shotgun can eliminate a Scout with a single headshot or back-shot at appropriate ranges.
* The Shelling Arid 5 High Caliber Pistol or the Drekker Del P1 Precision Rifle can kill a scout with a single headshot.
* Weapons with moderately high damage such as the Mastaba R66 Revolver or the Omneco EXP1 HEL Gun can also kill a Scout with a single shot, provided the shot hits the Scout in the occiput.
* The Techman Klust 6 Burst Cannon can consistently kill the Scout with one burst to any part of the body. Kills at a long range can be difficult due to the recoil within the burst.
* Other methods which are riskier include guns such as the TR22 Hanaway DMR, Buckland AF6 Combat Shotgun, Accrat Golok DA Bullpup Rifle and potentially other medium damage guns. Scouts can be killed with multiple gunshots in very quick succession to the back of the head, being killed before they can scream. This method is only recommended as a last-resort effort, as it has a much higher risk of failure than other procedures.

## If Triggered

When triggered, the Scout will spawn a wave of enemies.

* You cannot stop the scout from screaming. It is immune to all attacks for a short period while & after screaming. Do not waste resources until after the scream.
* If the player is two or more rooms away when the Scout screams, enemies may spawn on one's character.
* The best strategy is to stay together and avoid splitting up at all costs.
* Utilizing bottlenecks on the map is another way to increase the player's odds of survival.

## Tips

* There is a brief half-second window after a Scout has touched a player with a tendril where it can still be killed before it screams, this is indicated by the 'whipping' sound of a Scout quickly retracting its tendrils.

## Trivia

* The Scout is the only enemy to be referred to by name by a character.
* The Official GTFO Discord has a role called the "Scouts are friends" which can be obtained by pledging to not harm scouts to Mod Mail.

## Gallery

* Scout patrolling the area
* Scout's tendrils extended, waiting for prey
* Scout preparing to scream
* Stunned Scout after its scream
* Full animation of a wandering Scout, from walking to screaming, triggered by a player running