Scout Archive

From Novice to Master – How to Become a Master Scout

PART ONE OF THREE

By Brisc Rubal

Imperial Master Scout and Apprentice Gunfighter

Bloodfin, Theed – Naboo

So you want to be a Master Scout, ay?

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.

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.

Having just 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)

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.

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.

As a starting scout, you’ll be able to make the lowest level traps, 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.

KEY POINT: 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 harvesting XP, or 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. Now that I know I can handle myself, I’ll be sampling the wildlife on other planets.

Keep that in mind while you read this guide – I’m going to speak in terms of Nabooian creatures and locations. These are easily transferable to other worlds, so if you aren’t on Naboo, don’t fret.

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 the novice Marksman skill. In fact, it’s almost best if you try and max out the Marksman skill set. Each weapon (pistol, carbine and rifle) have their own important and unique attributes, and you’ll need them to advance.

If I were forced to choose which weapon is the most conducive to good scouting, I would say pistol. I became a Pistol Specialist (Apprentice Gunfighter) far sooner than I became