Scout Tips: Maximizing Flare Gun Visibility

Combat Summary

• Prioritize illuminating large caverns and active combat zones with your Flare Gun for team awareness.
• Use flares strategically to reveal high-up mineral veins, hidden passages, and incoming enemy spawns.
• A well-lit area significantly boosts team efficiency and overall Scout utility, allowing for safer movement and better targeting.

Best Use Case

The Scout is the designated light source. Your Flare Gun isn’t just for seeing; it’s a vital tool for preventing ambushes, locating targets, and facilitating efficient resource management. Always be thinking about where your team needs light next. High ceilings, dark corners, and routes to objectives are prime targets.

Mission Tactics

• Initial Entry: As soon as you enter a new cave, fire a flare towards the ceiling to get an immediate overview of the cavern’s layout and potential threats. This initial cave lighting is critical.
• Combat Support: During swarms, deploy flares in the primary combat area. This allows Gunners to target weak points, Engineers to place turrets effectively, and Drillers to see incoming threats.
• Mineral Sweeps: After a fight, light up the walls and ceiling. Your enhanced mobility as a Scout allows you to reach veins other classes can’t see or access without light. Ping valuable minerals for your team.
• Pathfinding: When moving through tunnels or complex areas, use flares to mark the path, especially if retracing steps or guiding slower teammates.

Common Mistakes

• Holding Flares: Don’t hoard them. Resupply pods are plentiful, and running out of vision is more dangerous than running out of flares. Keep the cave lit.
• Poor Placement: Firing flares straight at the floor is a waste. Aim high to maximize the light radius. Bounce them off walls or ceilings to get optimal coverage.
• Ignoring the Team: Your team relies on your light. If they’re struggling to see, or if an area is dark, deploy a flare. Good teamwork starts with good visibility.

When To Avoid It

There are very few scenarios where active cave lighting is detrimental. Perhaps during an Extermination mission with a stealth bonus, but even then, vision for targeting weak points is usually more valuable. The only real “avoid it” is wasteful firing when light isn’t immediately needed, but this is rare. Your flares are your primary utility; use them.