Description | Scout Eador: MotBW Guide

Last update: 11 May 2016

Scouts are experts in ranged combat, with a variety of bows and crossbows at their disposal. They deal great amounts of damage, can partially ignore the enemy's defenses and are surprisingly mobile (both on the battlefield and on the map). Unfortunately, they don't do so well when it comes to melee combat, though the key to success lays in retreating a few steps back and firing at the enemy form a safer distance. Scouts also prove to be great secondary heroes outside of battle - which is thanks to their bonuses to terrain exploration and finding treasures. One way or the other, they have to be armed with a good bow and arrows - these are the primary factors that determine their effectiveness. In battle, place them on hills (longer range) and to whatever it takes to cover them with your troops. Scouts can use items from groups: Common, Melee Weapon, Ranged Weapon, Light Armor.

Scout's Level Up Chart

Hero's level	Command	Health	Magic
0	-	+1	-
1	+1	-	-
2	-	-	+1
3	+1	-	-
4	-	+1	-
5	-	-	+1
6	+1	-	-
7	-	+1	-
8	-	-	+1
9	-	+1	-
10	-	-	-
Total:	3	4	3

Scouts raise their statistics in a fairly balanced manner - they can be made either into skillful commanders, deadly warriors as well powerful wizards. By default, they also have an ability called Forest Knowledge, which allows them to move in forests without penalties to movement. Once they reach level 10, they can choose one of four specializations: Archer, Adventurer, Ringleader, Ranger. Below are the details:

Name	Icon	Statistics at Level 20	Available Equipment	Class Bonuses
Archer		6 Command 8 Health 6 Magic	Common, Melee Weapon, Ranged Weapon, Light Armor	Double Shot (8) skill, can expand Scout Skills to level 5, the maximum.
Advenroundser		6 Command 10 Health 4 Magic	Common, Melee Weapon, Heavy Weapon, Ranged Weapon, Light Armor, Medium Armor, Heavy Armor, Shield	Finds 50% more gold and crystals while searching locations and receives twice as much payment for completed quests. Additionally, can change weapons during battle without the loss of round. Can expand Warrior and Scout Skills to level 3.
Ringleader		8 Command 8 Health 4 Magic	Common, Melee Weapon, Ranged Weapon, Banner, Light Armor, Medium Armor, Shield	Raises Looting by 3 levels, increases income from plundering provinces by 25% and increases mobility on the world map by 1. Can expand Scout and Commander Skills to level 3.
Ranger		5 Command 7 Health 8 Magic	Common, Melee Weapon, Ranged Weapon, Wand, Light Armor	Receives a +10 bonus to Exploration and their sabotage is one level more effective than Scouting would suggest. Additionally, they can sabotage enemies one time more than the usual. Can expand Scout and Wizard Skills to level 3.

Archer: enables shooting twice as frequently, which is an obvious advantage in ranged combat. You'll be able to kill most enemies before they even reach you. There are, however, two major drawbacks. Firstly, low Command levels are a serious limitation as to the numbers of your troops, and the number of your troops may determine the outcome of the battle. Secondly, ammo has an annoying tendency to run out just when you need it the most. If that happens, the hero should support the team with magic and stay away from any fighting altogether. Notice that the Archer has up to 10 spells in their book, including one on level III and one on level IV - a surprisingly good mix. Make sure, though, that they don't run out of Stamina - it's a particularly painful experience.

Adventurer: despite what the name might suggest, it's not a good specialization. What it does is that it balances out the hero's ranged and melee combat skills and opens access to the heaviest weapons and armor (which usually raises Defense and Attack). In reality, though, this potential universality doesn't come in handy at all - pitted against experienced Warriors and stronger units, the Adventurer falls pretty quickly, while their archery skills remain on the same level. Bonuses to Health, Defense Points, Melee Combat and acquired gold are quite pleasant, but not enough to win.

Ringleader: any class bonuses for this specialization are marginally noticeable: the only thing worthy of attention is increased mobility. The main asset of the Ringleader is the army - enhanced by Commander Skills and bigger than the other specializations'. However, given that the hero's growth is halted (they won't be able to deal more damage than in the moment of acquiring the specialization), in most cases it's not enough to win. The Archer is the better choice.

Ranger: a pretty bizarre creation which makes the hero moderately good at virtually everything, but not really great at anything. To make them into something beneficial, invest in Scouting and develop a strategy of poisoning the enemy (magic specializations enhance the effect!). The combination of time-limited, poison-afflicting or fear-inducing spells is a pretty solid mixture. The Ranger should be an interesting option to players who like trickery and have a lot of money (sabotage is expensive). The Archer is still better, though, having a comparable number of spells but dealing much more damage in ranged combat.

In general overview, the Archer makes for one of the best specializations in the game - being versatile and great in dealing ranged damage. The only thing to make sure of is to have them covered by a large number of troops - otherwise they will fall pretty quickly. In addition, there is an interesting trick to apply when battling an enemy hero - instantly eliminating them with the Double Shot (perfect for Wizards and Commanders). To get the right range and force, buy proper weapons and arrows, or just stand on a hill. That shouldn't be a problem, should it?

As for other specializations, both the Ranger and the Ringleader have some potential, but they're not always up to the challenge - especially since the first requires insane financial outlays. The Adventurer performs the worst of them all, given that they waste the most important asset of the Scout and offer little in return - only increased resistance and the ability to fight hand-to-hand.

Specializations reach their peak at level 20, which involves gaining additional bonuses to already added class bonuses. Unfortunately, it also involves a halt in the hero's stat growth - they remain on the exact same level (thus choosing a specialization is irrevocable, with especially far-reaching consequences).

Below is the chart of final specializations (they can't be chosen - level up is automatic!):

Name	Icon	Statistics	Available Equipment	Class Bonuses
Sharpshooter		7 Command 10 Health 3 Magic	Common, Melee Weapon, Ranged Weapon, Light Armor	Double Shot (8) skill with the cost lowered to 3 stamina points; can expand Scout Skills to level 5, the maximum.
Mercenary		6 Command 10 Health 4 Magic	Common, Melee Weapon, Heavy Weapon, Ranged Weapon, Light Armor, Medium Armor, Heavy Armor, Shield	Finds 100% more gold and crystals while searching locations and receives twice as much payment for completed quests. Additionally, can change weapons during battle without the loss of round. Receives a fixed +2 bonus to speed and +3 to initiative. Can expand Warrior and Scout Skills to level 3.
Raider		8 Command 10 Health 2 Magic	Common, Melee Weapon, Ranged Weapon, Banner, Light Armor, Medium Armor, Shield	Raises Looting by 6 levels, increases income from plundering provinces by 50% and increases mobility on the world map by 2. Can expand Scout and Commander Skills to level 3.
Pathfinder		3 Command 10 Health 7 Magic	Common, Melee Weapon, Ranged Weapon, Wand, Light Armor	Receives a +20 bonus to Exploration and their sabotage is two levels more effective than Scouting would suggest. Additionally, they can sabotage enemies one time more often than the usual. Can expand Scout and Wizard Skills to level 3.

Sharpshooter: lowering the cost of Stamina for Double Shot is quite a useful bonus - the hero becomes even more deadly, while virtually undefeatable.

Mercenary: bonuses for the specialization level up are pleasant, but come too late. Still the least profitable of the choices.

Raider: the hero receives the ability to move around the map quicker and obtain much more gold for fighting creatures, but these are the only noticeable benefits. Still not the optimal choice.

Pathfinder: the enhanced Ranger receives a small bonus to sabotage and exploration - but, sadly, that's it.

At this point in the game, the Sharpshooter specialization remains the best choice, winning over the Pathfinder due to lowered Stamina costs. It doesn't mean, though, that you should utterly ignore the latter - it's still an interesting and beneficial option. The remaining ones are greatly inferior, so don't mind them altogether.