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  • Scout - From Novice to Master � How to Become a Master Scout 3.0
    By: Brisc Rubal, Posted at: Wed, Jul 9th 1:13 PM 2003
    Rated 5.00 by 45 people

    From Novice to Master � How to Become a Master Scout
    Version 3.0 (22 September 2003)

    By Brisc Rubal

    Imperial Master Scout/Master Ranger
    Scout Correspondent

    This is version 3.0 of my original guide to Master Scouting. It includes all of the changes since the latest patch in late September. I've provided a number of updates to this version that will make it even easier to use, and adds some new tips, tricks and hints that I've discovered since the last two versions. My sincere thanks go out to the hundreds of dedicated Scouts who post on the SWG Scout Forums. I�ve liberally sprinkled your ideas throughout this guide, as your help has been critical in keeping this information accurate and informative. Thank you all so much for your assistance.

    So you want to be a Master Scout? Excellent choice.

    I�m sure you�ve read your manuals, and the guides you�ve been able to find online. I�m sure you�re thinking "how hard can it be? All I�ve got to do is wander around the woods killing everything that I see!"

    Well, you�re half right.


    While writing and rewriting this guide, I�ve read nearly every single guide on scouting that�s available out there, and many of them are good � but most haven�t been updated in a while, so I thought I would take the time to write out some ideas, tips and how-tos from the mouth of one who�s lived it � and relived it on Test Center.

    Having earned the title of Master Scout after 11 grueling days of hunting across the wilds of Naboo, I wanted to commemorate the event by aiding all of you Novice Scouts who go to sleep at night dreaming of earning the title of Master by providing some insights into things I�ve found that work. I hope that you all will benefit by learning some of the lessons that I had to learn the hard way. And I hope that by reading this you�ll skip some of the frustrations and annoyances that can take away from your enjoyment of the game.

    I�ve broken down this guide into the topics that I wished I had some help on while I was out hunting. I hope this is easy to read, and I also hope that it will answer most of your questions about becoming a Master Scout and how to survive out there in the field.

    THE BASICS (Skip this if you�re already a Scout of have read my Novice Scouting guide)

    So what�s the point? Why be a scout? Simple � you are one of the few nearly self-sufficient folks out in the galaxy. You can do nearly everything you want by yourself, and you are an indispensable part of any group (if you choose to join one).

    Scouts have a number of skills that make them critical characters: We can create camps, allowing people to heal and rest up out in the field. We have the ability to harvest bones, meat and hides out in the field � which are always in high demand from artisans and other manufacturers. We have the ability to use traps to slow down creatures and help bring them down quickly. As we progress through higher levels, we can mask our scent to skirt around dangerous animals, get a bonus to our burst running, and increase our speed up and down steep mountains and cliffs. If you think running isn�t that important � group with a Wookie near Deeja Peak on Naboo.

    For an excellent overview of exactly what you need to be a Novice Scout, please see "Brisc Rubal's Guide to Novice Scouting" which can be found at the top of the SWG Scout Forum, and also is available on SWG Warcry and SWG Allakhazam. These can be found using the �fan sites� link from the main SWG page, www.starwarsgalaxies.com.

    WHAT EQUIPMENT SHOULD I BE SURE TO HAVE?

    As a starting scout, you�ll need a couple of things. First and foremost, get yourself a weapon. After that, make sure you�ve got a general crafting tool. You can�t make traps and camps without one. If you are bugged and the game doesn�t provide them (be sure to get a safety deposit box and check for them there) you can always find players willing to give them away to a new player. If you can afford one, pick up a Weapons, Droid and General crafting tool. You�ll need one of these to be able to experiment on your camps and traps (although the jury is still out on whether or not this makes a difference as to their quality).

    As a starting scout, you�ll be able to make the lowest level traps (Wire Mesh and Lecepanine), and the Basic Camp. Once you get out in the field and start killing animals, you�ll get the materials you�ll need in order to build these traps and camps.

    Always have some traps and some camps available. You�ll never know when you might need them.

    DOWNSIDES

    The largest downside to scouting is simply that nearly everyone has the novice scout skill. So when you group, you�re going to be in line for that valuable wilderness survival XP. This can make grouping extremely frustrating for the motivated novice scout � which you can read about more below.

    Not only does nearly everyone have it � everyone wants to move forward in at least some of the skills. Some of the most popular hybrid and elite professions, namely Bounty Hunter, Creature Handler and Ranger, all require significant scouting experience. So many who aren�t on a path to become Master Scout�s will be crowding you out for XP. Don�t worry � you can still make it. Using the tips I provide here, you can follow in my footsteps.

    WHAT PLANETS SHOULD I HUNT ON?

    I�m partial to my home planet of Naboo. The wildlife is plentiful, the views are spectacular, and the world is big enough to have a number of cities that can provide you with markets for your goods (hides and bones), places to rest up and heal, and ample opportunities for grouping, if you so desire.

    Any of the other sparsely populated planets are good as you rise through the ranks to higher levels of scouting. But be careful � many of the planets out there, like Dathomir, Lok and Endor, are not places to go alone. Others, like Dantooine, are so sparsely populated that they make it difficult to train and advance without help. The starting worlds, like Tatooine, Corellia and Naboo, are excellent for beginning, seasoned and Master Scouts.

    Personally, I never needed to step foot off Naboo to make Master Scout. This may not be the best thing for you, especially if the exploration bug has infected you. Since I first wrote this guide, I've visited every planet and hunted on them all. Of the starter worlds, I find that Talus and Naboo are the best, as they both are not nearly as crowded as Corellia and Tatooine. You'll find more prestine, less traveled areas on these two planets then on the others.

    For the upperend planets, my two favorites have been Dathomir and Yavin 4. Both have high level mobs, good money making opportunities and have such frightful reputations that you rarely deal with large crowds of people. Now that exploits have been removed from Endor, Dathomir, Lok and Dantooine, the player levels on these planets have returned to normal.

    WHAT ELSE SHOULD I TRAIN IN?

    While being a scout makes you nearly self sufficient, you really aren�t unless you compliment your scouting skills with other novice skills. You don�t need to do much advancing in them, but having them will make your climb through the ranks much easier.

    First, you absolutely must have combat skill. My last guide was criticized for not including Brawler as a primary base skill for Scouting. While I am partial to ranged weapons, there are many fine Scouts who began as brawlers. If you decide to go brawler, focus on two-handed weapons, as these affect the mind pool, which is easily complimented by the wide array of traps available to us.

    When I first wrote this guide, I had almost exclusively used a pistol. Since then, I have refined my tactics and have now switched to rifle for long range work, and two-hand sword (swordsman) for close in work. Carbines - right now - are extremely difficult to use, as their special action costs are extremely high. I would suggest that you steer away from Carbines for now.

    CONTINUED

    PAGE TWO

    I became a Pistol Specialist (Apprentice Gunfighter) far sooner than I became a Master Scout. 95% of the animals you attack are going to close to melee distances with you, so being able to hit them up close for serious damage is critical. If you plan on using your scouting skills to round out a solid PvP player, compliment your pistoling with rifle, carbine or both.

    Soon after I became a Master Scout, I worked my way up the rifling tree. Rifles are the best compliment to a Scout's skills - even more so than my trusty pistol. Scouts can crawl up quickly, go prone, use mask scent and get two or three solid shots off (despite the slow recycle rate for rifles) before most creatures have been able to detect you. This lets you pick them off from long range in relative safety. In addition, the higher end rifles will hit for more damage (although this is offset by recycle times) than your pistol will. Rifle attacks on the mind pool are best used in conjunction with traps that do mind damage, like the Sharp Bone Spur. There is no equivalent trap for the Health pool, so in order to gain the advantage, you'll need to use a rifle. And for the times when your traps and rifle have failed to take down that critter and he stars nibbling on you, taking out a Vibro Axe or Power Hammer and taking him down close in is very useful. If you�re willing to work on it, having a melee backup skill can make your more survivable for those times when you can�t keep a creature at arms length.

    Simply having a combat skill isn�t enough. You�re going to get knocked around out there, whether its at the hand of a biggie � like a Rancor, Fambaa, Torton or Kimo � or a little guy � like a Gnort or a Chuba. Being able to heal yourself in the field without waiting for twenty minutes in a camp is important. Spend the 15 skill points and the 100 credits and get yourself trained in Novice Medic. The ability to craft stimpacks alone is worth the time, and when you are grouped, having the ability to heal is a bonus that will make you popular quickly. You probably won�t need to advance much farther than novice in the medic field if you don�t want to � but having it will make life much easier. If you do decide to advance, training in First Aid and Diagnosis helps to increase your heal rate and healing ability for both damage and wounds, so train these up first.

    As a compliment to the medic field, here�s another skill that�s good to have: entertainer. I know what you�re thinking. "How can a badass Scout like myself dance around like a Cantina Girl?" The answer is simple: it increases the amount of time you can spend in the field. Being able to heal your mind wounds quickly, and being able to heal your groups mindwounds in a camp will not only increase your camping XP, but it will make your more self sufficient � only needing to go into town to get rid of Battle Fatigue (which, unfortunately, you can�t cure in the field). This also saves you from having to drag a poor, defenseless entertainer out into the field. This is especially critical when you are on a sparsely populated planet like Endor, Dathomir or Yavin 4. You are most likely going to find yourself alone - no medics, no entertainers. If you've gotten hurt, you're going to have to fix yourself. Being able to do so will cut back on a lot of downtime.

    Finally, having novice artisan helps to round out your skillset. Being able to survey and sample for resources gives you the ability to make some of the higher end traps that require metal and polymer that you can�t get by foraging. Like being a medic or entertainer, you don�t really need to advance very far in this field to get the benefits.

    So here�s the tip: Pick up a combat skill, medic, entertainer and artisan to round out your scout. Remember, if you don�t want one of them, you can always ditch it later - you'll definitely have to as your advance in the skill trees of the hybrid and elite professions. For me, Artisan went first. It will be followed by Medic and finally Entertainer. But for now, making it to Master Scout is aided by having all of these skills.

    THE QUICKBAR AND MACROS

    I�ve got my quickbar setup to minimize the amount of time it takes me to do the things I do most often � fighting, harvesting, crafting, trapping and camping. You should do the same. Make sure that every one of the things you normally do for Scouting XP (hunting, trapping and camping) has a spot on your quickbar.

    Since I first wrote this, I've expanded my quickbars from one set to three.

    The first two are identical - with the weapon type being different. The setup is as follows: My weapon skills are on the far left, along with crouching and burst running in case of emergencies. My harvesting macro is in the center of my top toolbar, next to my traps - with six or seven slots being devoted to them. This allows me to quickly ripple off a number of traps in a row in order to quickly gain trapping XP. On the far right are the autofollow commands.

    On the bottom toolbar (utilized by pressing SHIFT and the function key) are my lesser used, but nonetheless important, functions. These include going prone, my secondary rifle shots, and mask scent. My center bar includes my crafting tool and my Ranger skills. The rest of the bar is devoted to camps, and finally my secondary harvesting option (whichever one I�m not aiming for at the time).

    This is repeated for two-hand sword, with the other slots being the same. I've found that I've grown so used to punching certain keys that by changing them around I hinder myself. Thus, I've done my best to map out the same kinds of keys for my multiple quickbars.

    My third quickbar has all of my armor and clothing on it. I don't always want to be wearing armor, so I have it easily clickable when I need it, and my regular clothes there as well, so I can quickly change in and out of them, if I need to. My Imperial Uniform is also on this quickbar, for when I need to impress the ladies.

    HARVESTING MACROS

    As a scout, you need to setup harvesting macros. Do this by going into your skills sheet, clicking on macros and typing in the command. I have three harvesting macros:

    /harvest meat

    /harvest hide

    /harvest bone

    Having these readily available will speed up the harvesting process, and help keep other scouts from stealing your kills if they are quicker than you in the group. Most of them won�t have a macro setup and you can beat them to the punch.

    TRAP MACROS

    This macro is adapted from the camping macro that was originally posted on the Scout boards by DaBamf. In order for it to work, you�ve got to set up each of your traps in a quickbar slot � this could be quickbar slot 4, if the other 3 are setup as I outlined above.

    Write out a macro and place the start of it in your first quickbar slot (F1). Then add in other slots for your traps. Type them out as follows:

    /ui action toolbarSlot 02;
    /ui action toolbarSlot 03;
    /ui action toolbarSlot 04;
    /ui action toolbarSlot 05;
    /ui action toolbarSlot 06;
    /ui action toolbarSlot 07;
    /ui action toolbarSlot 08;
    /ui action toolbarSlot 09;
    /ui action toolbarSlot 10;
    /ui action toolbarSlot 11;
    /ui action toolbarSlot 12;

    For each quickbar slot from F2 � F12, drag a trap up there. Now, each time you hit F1, you�ll queue each of those traps up in your attack queue, and rack up the trapping XP.

    XP � HOW TO GET IT AND WHAT TO SPEND IT ON

    There are three major types of XP that are important to scouts.

    First, is "Scouting" XP. This is used to get you through the Exploration and Hunting skill trees.

    SCOUTING XP

    NOTE: Hunting and Exploring use the SAME types of XP. So when you train up Explore 1, you lose the XP you had towards Hunting 1. You�ll need to earn the same amount over to train up your Hunting Skill. I didn�t realize this until my first training session.

    Scouting XP is the easiest XP to get. You can get it one of two ways. One way is to kill an animal and harvest the meat, bones or hide. Different size and different types of animals create different amounts of XP. The general rule of thumb is the tougher the victim, the greater the XP. The other way to get XP is by using /maskscent, a skill you gain after reaching Exploration 2. I�ll talk about /maskscent more in the "Maskscent Strategies" section.

    Which is better to train? This is a debatable topic, but I favor Exploration. First, exploration gives you the ability to run faster up hills, and also gives you increases to your burst run ability. These are important, and very useful. You also get access to /maskscent, which provides you with another means of gaining Scout XP, which you don�t get by moving up the ranks in Hunting. Hunting helps you in harvesting animals, and in determining which are dangerous and which are docile, as well as which are likely to kill you when you attack them, and so on. You'll increase the amount of hide and bone you take off an individual creature, and you'll also get a creature to-hit bonus. But the downside is that training up hunting never will give you a new means of gaining XP. No matter what your opinion is on maskscent, it does provide you an extra means of making XP and this puts it over the top in my opinion.

    So what should you hunt? You need to be hunting medium sized animals, that con either blue or white and you can kill without being severely hurt. When I was grinding through the last few levels of the scouting tree, my three favorite Nabooian animal lairs to stumble across were Nightspiders (spiders), Hermit Spiders (more spiders), and Ikopi (deerlike creatures). All of them yield 100+ weapons points, 10 combat points, and a whopping 50 harvesting points. They are by far the best lairs to hit when you are soloing. In a group, hit whatever you can find that you can take down without getting severely hurt. Always be sure to moderate what you are killing with how long it takes to recharge after a fight. One example of a good low level creature that provides low XP is the Gnort. Gnorts are easy - usually one shot kills for any specialist, and they spawn amazing numbers of creatures from their lairs. Gnort missions are lucrative and easy to find.

    There is always a debate on whether or not to hunt for the bigger creatures. While Belle Bolls, Jaxes, Fambaas, Tortons, Greater Desert Womp Rats, Kimogilas, Krayt Dragons, Rancors and the other big creatures do give great XP, you must balance that on the risk you take in attacking them, and the amount of time it takes to bring on those down. Sure, you'll get 2000+ scouting XP for stomping on a Kimogilas, but it will take you 45 minutes with a bot, or half an hour kiting it � and if you mess up, they can one hit kill you. In that time you could get three times that much XP on a nest of Ikopi or Hermit Spiders.

    TRAPPING XP

    As a scout, you get a number of schematics that let you build traps. These help to disable and slow down animals by affecting their HAM pools, or their ability to move. This is one of the easiest forms of XP to get. You simply craft the traps, and lob them at your target. If they hit and take effect, you get the XP. Additionally, you can lob more than one type of trap at any single victim � meaning that, for example, if you have the ability to craft 6 traps, you can gain 6 times the XP for every animal that you attack. A Nabooian Nightspider, for instance, provides 50 XP points every time you hit one with a trap. Meaning that a single Nightspider can earn you 300 XP points for trapping if you use all your taps. 10-15 Nightspiders per lair means finding one wild Nightspider spawn and killing all of the spiders in the lair can earn you a whopping 3000 XP! You�ll blow through trapping quickly. Generally, wild spawns tend to provide more creatures per lair than missions do, so expect fewer spawns from a mission generated lair than one you happen upon in the wild.

    Another often cited tactic is to grab a friend or two, and attack a large creature. The larger creatures offer the opportunity to make significant trapping XP off them in a short period of time. The average Fambaa or Torton yields 400 scout XP PER TRAP. So if you can hold out from getting killed instantly, you'll be able to pull 10k+ XP off of a Fambaa during an average fight.

    In addition to the ability to get easy XP, you also get survival XP for crafting traps. It�s not much, but it makes a difference when you are grinding out that last bit of Survival to make master.

    Traps also are useful in helping to take down creatures that you normally couldn�t take out. Scouts can solo white, yellow and (rarely) red creatures with the assistance of their traps, especially if they are using a rifle. Make good use of them!

    SURVIVAL XP

    This was the hardest skill for me to master, because it takes the most time. Thankfully, the Devs have heard our requests and have provided us with other means for getting Wilderness Survival XP. You can get survival XP from camping (as before), fishing (based on the size of the fish you catch) and making camps and traps (the amount varies based on the type of camp or trap). Each camp you make has the ability to get you XP � with the levels varying based on the number of people who visit it, the amount of healing that takes place while its up, and how long its up for. Basic camps are limited to approximately 320 points of XP, and Multiperson camps can get you about 640. Improved camps generally max out in the 800-850 XP range.

    The quickest way to boost your wilderness XP is to group. This isn�t always possible though, because every group I�ve been in has had more than one scout, and they�ve ALL wanted the camp XP. The most common cause of contention between members of groups seems to be over who gets to setup the next camp.

    There�s an easy way around this: bring an artisan friend camping. To get my last 5000 wilderness XP, I joined my friend, a weaponsmith, on a crafting trip. Every time he stopped to sample, I healed him � sampling takes away action XP and can be healed by a medic � and then danced to heal the mind wounds my /tendwound skill gave. In no time, he was getting great samples, and I was getting great camping XP, without needing to wait 15 minutes to get the max XP.

    In addition, if you are out in the field and have a camp setup, keep a look out for folks passing by. If they enter your camp � even for a few seconds � you�ll get a little bump up in your XP. I usually give a shout with my coordinates to let anyone who may be around know they can come stop by to visit my camp and heal � and give me that needed wilderness XP.

    Camp XP speeds are generally not affected by the type of camp. A basic camp will generate the same XP as an Improved camp does. The difference is the caps. If you are camping in a group, be sure to remember the caps. If time has gone by and you've gotten some good healing in, but you aren't completely healed yet, take down that camp and put up another. This way no XP is lost.

    Another great way to speed through camping XP, if you can do this, is to have your Player Association friends hold their meetings in your camps. That way you can conduct business, but also get some XP for it.

    NO BUILD ZONES

    The vast majority of no build zones have been removed from the game. You now are only limited in placing your camps to areas within the �Municipal Zones� of a city � generally within the city boundaries, and areas near lairs. This has been a great boon to Scouts, as you no longer need to travel hundreds of meters to be able to heal.

    PAGE THREE

    MASK SCENT

    Despite near constant attention from the Devs, mask scent remains by far the most controversial skill provided to us. Across the board, Scouts all seem to have varying levels of success. Let me give you a little background on mask scent and how it works.

    Maskscent is based on your Mask Scent modifier. It originally was based on your camouflage modifier, but this was changed as of the new addition of the Ranger skill /conceal (which now uses that modifier). The equation takes into account your MS modifier, your speed (whether walking, prone or running) and the relative creature level of the creature who is trying to detect you. So as your MS modifier increases (with each level of Exploration), your chances of successfully getting XP and staying safe with mask scent increase. But it is also important that you are around creatures of a similiar level to you. A novice scout running around on Dathomir is going to complain loud and long that his mask scent is useless and doesn't work, while an almost-Master Scout will be running around Lok doing the bunny dance because he's almost levelled and not had to do anything for it.

    If you are having difficulty with mask scent, try two things - first, use it against creatures closer to you level, basically meaning ones that you would have odds on actually defeating if they attack you. Second, change your speed. Going prone and walking both modify your mask scent prospects by between 5%-35% over running. Slow down, creep slowly and you'll start seeing some XP spam on your window. Also keep in mind that the larger the group of reds, the more likely it will be (statistically speaking) that your mask scent gets broken. Each time you get within the striking range of a creature (based on their ferocity) you will be �checked� to see if the creature broke your mask scent. 10 creatures mean 10 checks, and with the bit of randomness that is added in to account for luck, you may just get sniffed out � even against low level creatures like Kreetles.

    So what�s so controversial about the changes? Well, a number of things � depending on your point of view.

    Mask scent was tweaked to make it less likely to be broken, with the offset of being decreased XP awards and the likelihood that a creature breaking your mask scent will attack you. This has met with mixed reviews from the community, especially as the �big update� from early in September left mask scent bugged � it was TOO useful, never breaking, but never providing XP. Now it is breaking again, and with the addition of the creatures attacking, it has come under continued complaint from many members of the community.

    However, the changes weren�t all bad. Mask scent can only be broken by red (aggressive) creatures now � yellow (non-aggressive) creatures have no affect on it. Further, the timer that was implemented is now tiered, so that the higher you go up the exploration tree, the less time it takes to be able to remask your scent after it has been broken. Master Scouts only have to wait 15 seconds to use mask scent again

    The community is still working to determine if there is a bug in the code, or if it needs further tweaking. But the skill has come a long way from its originally implementation in late June.

    FORAGE

    Forage is an underutilized skill that is granted to Scouts. Similiar to the artisan "sample" skill, foraging allows you to scrounge the immediate area for food and drink. This food and drink provides different buffs, such as temporary strength increases, HAM penality reducers and other effects that have multiple benefits. At this time you don't receive XP from a successful forage, and these remains a top request of the Scouting community.

    There is a bug with forage that doesn�t allow you to forage more than two items at one time. If you forage more than 2, you�ll get an error that your inventory is full � even if it is empty. This has been brought up to the Devs.

    Further, you can now forage in lairs, which provides you with interesting items such as bees and eggs. The eggs are very useful for chefs, and can be sold. The bees can be placed into a creature habitat that is crafted by artisans. While these don�t benefit you directly, they do provide some interesting visual affects.

    WEAPONS AND ARMOR � WHAT SHOULD I GET?

    I�ve had experience with Melee fighting and Ranged fighting, so my suggestions come from experience. In my opinion, the best weapon for a scout to use is his blaster or rifle, for ranged attacks and a two-hand sword, for melee attacks. Having a close in weapon is a good idea while you aren't doing much damage as a rifleman. If you plan on going strictly rifleman, you'll find it is necessary less and less, but that journey can be long and drawn out.

    As for the types of rifles and pistols out there, I would suggest three levels of weapons to use. First, with rifles, try and find a DLT20A to start (once you have the certification). These are good starter rifles. Move up to the Laser Rifle when you can, and finally - once you hit Novice Rifleman - find a T21. There is no better weapon out there, in my opinion, despite the problems with them on some servers and the perceived �nerfs� of the riflemen.

    As for Pistols, you can go up through the ranks with a CDEF or a DH-44. When you get to the mid level, I suggest sticking with Scout Blaster. While its damage may not be as hefty as some of its larger cousins, its firing rate is incredible, with the best sliced weapons (with power ups) having 1.0 second firing rates. The higher end pistols, like FWG5s, should be picked up once you get to the top level. Further, keep in mind what kind of damage your blaster is doing � some creatures are impervious to energy or acid type damage, and this may decrease your pistol�s damage capabilities (Kimos are especially tough to kill with a pistol.)

    When you get a chance, have your weapon sliced. This helps by forcing you, at some point, to either repair or replace your weapon, stimulating the economy. It also can often increase your min-max rates and firing speeds. My laser rifle was sliced down to 5.5 seconds from 8.0, and my T21 to 8.6 from 10.9. Assuming you can find a reputable slicer, I highly recommend having this done. Always be careful when getting your weapon sliced � be sure that the player has Master Smuggler or Slicer in their title, because otherwise they won�t be 100% sure of a successful slice. Also, always be on the lookout for griefers and con men. Get the skinny on a good Smugglers from your friends or your server message board, and steer clear of Smugglers you�ve not heard of before. They could just poof with your weapon.

    This brings us to the armor discussion. Ahhh, armor. The staple of role playing. Well, there�s a good argument to be made for not bothering with armor at all � it damages your stats, and isn�t always that effective. As a scout, you can fight fine without bothering with armor at all. But that�s no fun � we�ve got to help our armorsmith friends out, too.

    So what armor to choose? Don�t bother with Bone. While it looks mean, you aren�t wearing armor for the looks. You�re wearing it to help you from getting hurt. Bone armor is effective against laser blasts, but again � as a scout � the only rifle wielding Kaadu you�re going to see are in your dreams. Chitin offers better protection, but the encumbrances are too high. Mabari armorweave provides good protection against melee attacks, which is what you�ll be dealing with most of the time. I recommend getting a set when you get the dough. And I know � the pants look girly (I used to get questions about my "skirt" all the time) but I�d rather look like a girl than be Bantha poodu.

    So go with Mabari until you can afford the higher end armors. You can find it in most of your big city bazaars and many armorsmiths make it cheaply.

    Once you can afford the higher end sets, start looking for armor that has minimal encumbrances and high resists against kinetic damage (the type a creature generally will do to you). I currently have a set of Ubese that I use when attacking the biggest game. The encumbrances are the manageable, and the pieces have give me significant protection. So having a backup set of armor is usually a good idea. Padded and Composite armors can get good kinetic resists � up to 80% on the best, most expensive Composite, but the encumbrances are significant. You may not be able to wear this armor without secondary HAM buffs from a Doctor friend.

    But like I said, you can argue that armor itself is a waste of time and money. Riflemen especially have an incentive to not allow anything to get close to them, which defeats the purpose of armor on a hunter. The better rifleman you are, the less likely you will be to need armor. But armor is still useful in PvP and faction fighting, so don't ignore it completely.

    MONEY

    Scouts need dough. They just do. Maybe not as much as some characters, but you�re going to want to buy a house someday (the Tarkin Memorial Brigade's PA Hall, 2k north of Theed is a perfect example. It cost 350k, not counting the furniture.), and you�ll want to buy a T21 and a set of padded armor, and definitely want to be able to tip that cute Twi'lek at the Cantina. So what�s the best way to make cash quickly?

    There are two � selling resources and missions.

    The more hide and bones you can get, the more you can sell in the bazaar. And once you start hunting with a passion, you�ll get more hides and bones than you can ever use to build traps and tents. Share the wealth. Tip medics with them (they always need organics for their crafting) and sell them on the bazaar. You�ll make pretty good cash, especially the larger the lots you sell. Here's my quick pricing guide for hides and bone:

    1.) Sell in even number lots. Don�t sell 538 hide. Sell 500. It makes it easier on your for computing the sales, and easier on the crafter, as well.

    2.) For overall quality 1-800, 5 credits per hide/bone/meat.

    Example: Lot of 500 Lokian leathery hide, Overall quality of 567 sells for 2500 credits.

    3.) For overall quality 800-899, 7-8 credits per hide/bone/meat. Base the amount on the secondary stats, like Decay Resistance, and base this off of who you are selling it to. A Doctor won�t care about meat with 940 flavor, but a Chef will. And always keep in mind the 3000 credit caps on the bazaar.

    Example: Lot of 300 Nabooian bristly hide, Overall quality of 858 with 900 Decay resistance sells for 2400 credits.

    4.) For overall quality 900-999, 10-15 credits per hide/bone/meat.

    Example: Lot of 200 Dathomirian leathery hide, Overall quality 999 with Decay resistance of 936, sells for 3000 credits.

    You can adjust the fees slightly, depending on the market. But I have made multiple sales - usually within one day - with these prices. Also, be sure to learn what the crafters want and are looking for in your wares. The better you know how valuable your harvests are, the more likely you won�t sell your harvestables for significantly less than they are worth. There�s a thread on the Scout boards entitled �What the crafters want� that outlines all of this in detail. Check it out!

    You are going to want to put your wares up on bazaars in high foot traffic areas. Theed, Moenia, Bestine, Mos Eisley, Coronet, etc.

    The other means of gaining money is running missions. Delivery missions are fine � for artisans and entertainers. But they don�t pay half as well as destroy missions, and you aren�t going to get Scouting XP by taking the kiddie their prize for the best picture in the "Draw Lord Vader in the Shower" contest. You will get it for going out there and killing animals.

    On Naboo, I have fallen in love with the Gnort Lair missions. When I go grabbing missions, I exclusively take Gnort missions. These begin to be available as you get higher in the ranks. Each mission pays at minimum 2000 credits, and each Gnort gives you 30-40 points of weapon expertise and 29 harvesting XP. Fine � this isn�t a whole heck of a lot of XP, but there are TONS of gnorts in each lair � usually 15-20, and they are very easy to kill. Someone training for expert pistol or pistol specialist can usually one-hit kill a gnort with your special action (body shot 1 or 2 for pistol). This makes "gnorting" quick, easy and lucrative. You can run anywhere from 4-10 gnort missions an hour (if you get their near to each other) which will generate anywhere from 8000 to 40000 credits. Easy money. Other planets have similiar missions, some around the same amount and some much greater. The goal when figuring out missions to take is similiar to figuring out whether or not to hit large animals for Scout XP - be sure to balance money and time.
    The new Explorer mission terminals are excellent - they provide us with a monetary incentive to do the things we already do. Some of them can be very tough, but they can also be a great way to get out and see the planet. There are two types of missions - hunting and recon. Recon is exactly what it sounds like...you get paid to take the mission and run out to the Waypoint. Once you get there you are successful and get the cash award. Generally these missions are 3k to 5k away from where the terminal is, so expect a good hike. The hunting missions are much more difficult, but provide better compensation. They require you to kill between 15 and 45 of a certain type of creature. Be careful: they are EXTREMELY specific. If you get a mission to kill Spineflap Soldiers, you can kill Spineflap Guards until the cows come home and you won't get any credit. They HAVE to be the same critter the mission calls for. Each time you kill one, you'll get a spam letting you know how many more you need to kill to complete the mission. The other difficulty is that you don't receive a waypoint for the mission - you need to find the creatures yourself.
    The higher end hunter missions can go for 10k credits and above...so while they are time consuming, they also are very lucrative.
    CONCLUSION
    TO GROUP OR NOT TO GROUP

    This is a difficult question, because it goes more to the heart of the game than any of the above. If you�ve followed my tips, you�ve got a nearly self sufficient character who won�t need a group to advance. But is this fun? It can be. But that depends more on you and your playing style than on the limitations or structures of your profession.

    Now, while it is difficult, it has been made much easier by the implementation of the new 60% rule. Now, Scouts in groups are ALL able to harvest from a creature � instead of having to line up and rotate the harvest. However, as an offset, you only get 60% of the resources you would have gotten if you had killed the creature solo. Now that this is in place, the choice of whether or not to group or not group comes down to your personal desires, and not an artificial requirement.

    I�ve found that when I was in a social mood, I enjoyed grouping with my friends to go hunting. But when I was in a mood to make money or just explore, I played the loner.

    Going solo offers you the advantage of being in control � you pick what to kill, when and how. You get 100% of all the resources from harvesting creatures, and building the camps. And you don�t need to worry about courtesy, etiquette and all that jazz. But it can get awfully lonely out there all by yourself. And you�ll never get good camping XP (unless you are willing to wait 15 minutes each time) to get the full amount from your timer.

    In the end, as a Scout, you don�t really have to group often to make it to Master Scout. But if you never group, you�ll be missing out on a lot of the fun the game has to offer.

    CONCLUSIONS

    When I originally wrote this guide, I promised beers in the Cantina. Well, I've got about 4000 beers to buy. Thank God not all of you are on Bloodfin.

    I hope that this little guide to making Master Scout has answered some of the questions you may have had that haven�t been answered by the other guides out there. And I hope that the time and effort that I put into reaching Master Scout will benefit some of you out there who have the same goals that I had.

    If you�ve got any questions, or need training, feel free to send me a /tell in game.

    Good luck, and good hunting!

    SWG: Profession: Scout - From Novice to Master � How to Become a Master Scout 3.0, by Brisc Rubal
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    35 threads, 1 2 page(s) long Next Page
       Guide Reply...
      Posted @ Fri, Apr 1st 2:05 PM 2005
      By: SpringSolstice
      1 posts
      Score: Decent [3.00]

      Great Guide. I'll be sure to use alot of the tactics you wrote.

      Spring Solstice
      Intrepid Galaxy
      Novice Rifleman
      Scout 4/2/1/1                                                   

       
      0 Replies
       Trapping Reply...
      Posted @ Thu, Sep 30th 8:55 PM 2004
      By: JeffroJ
      2 posts
      Score: Decent [3.00]

        The single fastest way to do your TRAPPING is to get in a group on Dathomir and go rancor hunting. Keep throwing traps while your group attacks. I get 1850xp per trap....do the math                                                   

       
      0 Replies
       Master points Reply...
      Posted @ Thu, May 20th 10:22 AM 2004
      By: Fabrique
      3 posts
      Score: Decent [3.00]

      I'm new to SWG and am enjoying it! It's a big difference from EQ. Thanks for this guide, it's been very useful. One question though. I've got all of Scout now complete with the exception of Master. How are these "master" points obtained? I have 50 points in it already, but I have no idea how I got them.

      Thanks in advance            

       
      1 Reply
         RE: Master points Reply...
        Posted @ Fri, May 21st 11:01 AM 2004
        By: Fabrique
        3 posts
        Score: Decent [3.00]

        NM.
        I just found out this evening. Someone asked to be trained in a few of the scout skills, and lo and behold I've received skill ups in master.

        Thanks                                                   

         
        0 Replies
       nice work Reply...
      Posted @ Sun, Nov 16th 10:43 AM 2003
      By: Anonymous
      Score: Default [2.00]

      I haven't had the game since beta, when I made it to Master Scout too. But there's still some stuff here I didn't know or fully realise yet. Excellent piece of writing and easy to follow. Makes me want to speed up myself in purchasing a copy of SWG again :)

      GTOfire                         

       
      0 Replies
       great guide Reply...
      Posted @ Mon, Nov 10th 12:51 PM 2003
      By: Anonymous
      Score: Default [2.00]

      great guide
      but a quicker way for traping xp is to go to restu port on rori make a ton of traps around 1-2 k south of rori youll run into levisquals they are slow you can out run them without burst run just load your traps into the tool bar and throw and run get as many following you as you can so when you eventually take him down there is another to take hs place ohh and xp with glow juice is 192 per hit and 1459 weapons xp when he dies hope this helps

       
      0 Replies
       Trapping Reply...
      Posted @ Wed, Oct 22nd 12:06 PM 2003
      By: Anonymous
      Score: Default [2.00]

      Thanks for the good guide, i need trapping so i can get those slow traps.  then i can get move xp faster using bleed shots(Healthshot1&2) then finishing it off with a punch or a rifle blast to get good xp. but be sure to attack it with the same weapon u did at the begining as u did at the end. once again, thanks.

      /player: Aitsa Niu
      /server: Ahazi            

       
      0 Replies
       Xie Reply...
      Posted @ Sun, Oct 19th 7:45 PM 2003
      By: Anonymous
      Score: Default [2.00]

      great guid man!! way better than any guide ive ever read...

      Xie
      Ahazi server                                                                

       
      0 Replies
       guide Reply...
      Posted @ Sun, Oct 12th 12:01 PM 2003
      By: Anonymous
      Score: Default [2.00]

      brisc,
      I want to be a Master scout and master ranger. and also a pistoleer because i like soloing.
      how far do i need to level up in it to be effective when im fighting big animals?
      also would i need medic? Socuts can forage and heal thermselves with sosi hondor, right?
      and other stuff.
      I need help on these questions.


                  

       
      1 Reply
         RE: guide Reply...
        Posted @ Tue, Jul 13th 7:36 PM 2004
        By: dynamicdog
        11 posts
        Score: Decent [3.00]

        i can answer one if you meen how far in traping before you can solo big monsters ide say you only need to master scout not ranger the trapping in ranger is mostly useless and if youre like me you need all the points you can get im master scout and master ranger                                      

         
        0 Replies
       your guide Reply...
      Posted @ Fri, Oct 10th 9:21 PM 2003
      By: Anonymous
      Score: Default [2.00]

      This guide is great it answered a lot of my questions ( guns, armor, solo no solo slicing all that.)                                                                

       
      0 Replies
       Scout - fishing Reply...
      Posted @ Tue, Sep 23rd 11:01 PM 2003
      By: Anonymous
      Score: Default [2.00]

      Great guide! Just wondering how you can get bait for your fishing pole.                                                                

       
      1 Reply
         RE: Scout - fishing Reply...
        Posted @ Mon, Sep 29th 3:34 PM 2003
        By: Hoornk
        2 posts
        Score: Decent [3.00]

        You can forage bait (it looks like one of the various jars you can forage, berries, bugs, etc., but has "bait" in the title). After you catch your first fish, you an process the fish and end up w/ 3 things: some fish meat, the carcass (for putting on the wall in your house) and some chum, which can also be used as bait.             

         
        0 Replies
       Guide Reply...
      Posted @ Tue, Sep 16th 7:35 PM 2003
      By: Anonymous
      Score: Default [2.00]

      Awesome guide.                                                                             

       
      0 Replies
       haynkoa1919 Reply...
      Posted @ Fri, Sep 5th 5:12 AM 2003
      By: Anonymous
      Score: Default [2.00]

      hey buddy awesome guide it really answered my questions. Maybe I'll see ya in blood fin                                                                

       
      0 Replies
       Guide Reply...
      Posted @ Wed, Aug 13th 4:21 PM 2003
      By: BlackLeopard
      106 posts
      Score: Decent [3.00]

      Great guide, must thank you very much for my two charcters are to be a Human Bounty Hunter and a Trandoshan Creature Handler/Tera Kasi, and if I was to go for a third it was to be a Rifleman/Ranger...As you can see, they are all dependent on the scout Profession.

      :):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):)
      :D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D

      So thank you so very much for this Beautiful guide!

       
      ----------------------------
      Sincerely:
      -Xyrkoon Corbantis
      -Gho'uld Kauri
      0 Replies
       2 Reply...
      Posted @ Fri, Aug 8th 8:34 PM 2003
      By: Anonymous
      Score: Default [2.00]

      Solo, solo, solo.                                                                             

       
      0 Replies
       scouting exp Reply...
      Posted @ Thu, Aug 7th 8:23 PM 2003
      By: Anonymous
      Score: Default [2.00]

      Ok, im not an expert as i am still working on getting LOTS of my scouting skills sup but...gnort missions are fine if you want cash. The scout exp given is second to none. If you want Tougher mobs and more scouting exp, get expert in your weapon of choice and then go to Corellia. Take Scavenger rat missions as they give about 68scout exp fer harvest and 150+weapon 16(i think) combat. The process is slow however so find groups to planets like Lok Endor Datho and Dantoine for amazing scouting and weapon exp (1000+ weapon per kill and 300-500 scouing if u get the harvest)

       
      0 Replies
       tips Reply...
      Posted @ Mon, Aug 4th 12:58 AM 2003
      By: Anonymous
      Score: Default [2.00]

      hide that weapon your packin' when taking missions. you will recieve easy ones and you can blow through them.

      hehe just remember to equip it again before that first fight =P doh

      Mofa
      pistol packing, survey taking, human

                                            

       
      0 Replies
       cudos on the guide Reply...
      Posted @ Sat, Aug 2nd 11:27 AM 2003
      By: yodadeciple
      3 posts
      Score: Decent [3.00]

      I have to say this was on of the best guides I've read so far.  I will have to look you up next time on theed. I am closing in on master scout (only 5k more for survival 4) and will be looking forward in being in included in this great profession.                                      

       
      0 Replies
       extra Reply...
      Posted @ Thu, Jul 31st 1:16 PM 2003
      By: Anonymous
      Score: Default [2.00]

      answered many of my questions ill buy you the beer if i ever see ya                                                                 

       
      0 Replies
       spiffy! Reply...
      Posted @ Thu, Jul 31st 12:59 PM 2003
      By: tanan
      6 posts
      Score: Decent [3.00]

      good Guide alot of good info

      Im playing a wookiee TKA/Scout/CH(soon by god it will be soon!!!) on Scylla. and i origianlly picked up scout only for the CH but, then i discoved the glory of traps...and it was good!
      as a TKA I dont have alot of options to pull critters away from the lairs. but with a wire mesh trap (or a glow wire trap now) get about 30-40m from a critter and itll come running at you with lowerd melee defences, throw in a stun, a dizzy, and maybe a berzerk or intimidate and the critter goes down fast.
      so far the hardest think ive found is gettting survial XP i JUST got survival 3 and already mastered traps explore and about half way thourgh master hunter.
      as a TKA the critters that give decent uanarmed xp give nice Scout XP as well (average of 100 scouting per harvest depending on the critter) so if i were to just run out and beat on a Nuna lair or Gnort lair (both blues) i could take out the entire lair set up camp, look for another, rinse and repeat.  not the fastest way to get the TKA XP i want but the scouting XP ROLLS in...
      my suggestion to all of you wondering weither to go brawler of marksmen to go with your scouting think of this. as a brawler your supposed beat on the critter close up, as a marksman you gotta run and kite the critter around a bit before getting the kill, takeing a decent to hit penialty while running. a brawler stands his ground and takes no penalty (OK -5 vs. -50 for moving)
      any how...nice guide I think i might hang out on nabbo a bit longer to see what kinda of trouble i can get into there. BTW i read the whole guide and am commign for my beer!!!

      man am i long winded or what!!
      Baccadinio

       
      0 Replies
       Survival Reply...
      Posted @ Thu, Jul 31st 4:26 AM 2003
      By: CtarrWH
      3 posts
      Score: Decent [3.00]

      Thanks for the guide Brisc!

      I found a good way to improve our Survival (camping) skills. I do some crafting on the side, so what i do is i set up camp when i go mineral sampling, and have the camp up while i sample... Keeps my mind and action up a bit longer since i'm in camp all the time, plus i can throw in some dance moves when they go down too much. Then when you need something else, disband and move on, get those sweet XP and set up somewhere else.

      .. when grouping just isnt an option.

       
      ----------------------------
      Ctarr - Wanderhome
      Scout/Marks/Artisan/Dancer.. I CANT MAKE UP MY MIND!
      0 Replies
       Guide Reply...
      Posted @ Tue, Jul 29th 2:41 PM 2003
      By: DaGame
      1 posts
      Score: Decent [3.00]

      Great Guide helped me out alot!                                                                             

       
      0 Replies
       Brawlers Reply...
      Posted @ Sun, Jul 27th 2:59 AM 2003
      By: Anonymous
      Score: Default [2.00]

      I'll be updating the guide shortly to include a section on Brawlers. There's really nothing stopping anyone from Scouting and Brawling. MArksman and Brawler are - in my mind - interchangeable, as they are both combat professions. My point was more having a combat profession. I'll make it clearer in 2.0 after the update goes live.

      Brisc            

       
      0 Replies
       brawlers? Reply...
      Posted @ Thu, Jul 24th 10:12 AM 2003
      By: Anonymous
      Score: Default [2.00]

      You know I have a scout who is only about midlevel and im doing about 550 dam normal when i attack and my bro does about 1200 as half scout, half brawlers sp i really dont understand the whole scout marksman thing in every guide.

      thanks,
         Ipoos Zrea
      Gorath-Naboo,theed

      P.S. please explain how the deference in damage is worth being a marksman than a brawler            

       
      0 Replies
       Nice Reply...
      Posted @ Wed, Jul 23rd 4:02 AM 2003
      By: Anonymous
      Score: Default [2.00]

      Good guide.                                                                             

       
      0 Replies
       Followup Reply...
      Posted @ Tue, Jul 22nd 5:26 PM 2003
      By: DeltaXi
      2 posts
      Score: Decent [3.00]

      All,

      Thanks for reading this.

      When I come up with version 2.0, I'm going to talk more about rifles (which I have converted to, oddly enough), brawlers, and other tips and tricks I've found.

      So far I have not had to release any of my other skills - I'm a still Scout/marksman/artisan/medic/entertainer/ranger. I am down to about 18 skill points though, so I will need to drop all of my levels in medic and artisan to cap out Ranger when I get there.

      Good luck out there and keep hunting!

      Brisc

       
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