Scout (Long War)

The Scout is a unique class that doesn't have an equivalent in vanilla XCOM, combining elements of Assaults and Snap Shot Snipers. The Scout's signature ability is Lightning Reflexes, greatly reducing the chance to be hit by overwatch fire while moving. Scouts are the only class other than Snipers that can use sniper rifles.

Primary Weapon: Sniper Rifles, Assault Rifles, Shotguns

Secondary Weapon: Pistols

Abilities

Rank	Ability
Specialist	Lightning Reflexes Reduces hit chance from overwatch fire by 90% for the first shot, and 75% for subsequent shots.
	No other bonuses.[Verify?]
Lance Corporal	Damn Good Ground +10 Aim and +10 Defense against enemies at lower elevation in addition to the usual elevation bonuses (including while flying).	Battlescanner Scanning device, when thrown creates a new source of vision for 2 turns. Can only be used 2 times per battle.	Rapid Reaction Confers a second reaction shot, if on Overwatch and the first reaction shot is a hit.
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Corporal	Lone Wolf +10 Aim and Crit when no allies within 7 tiles.	Flush Fire a shot that causes enemies to run out of cover. The shot is easy to hit with, but does reduced damage.	Steadfast Immune to panic, except Psi Panic.
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Sergeant	Sprinter +3 mobility.	Low Profile Low cover counts as full.	Ranger +1 damage with primary weapon.
	'	'	'
Tech Sergeant	Lock N' Load '	Tactical Sense Confers +5 Defense per enemy in sight (max +20).	Aggression Confers +10% critical chance per enemy in sight (max +30%).
	'	'	'
Gunnery Sergeant	In The Zone Killing a flanked or uncovered target with a primary weapon does not cost an action.	Rapid Fire Take two shots against a single target in quick succession. Each shot carries a -15 penalty to Aim.	Snap Shot Removes the sniper rifle's restriction on firing and Overwatch after moving. Any shots taken suffer a -10 Aim penalty.
	'	'	'
Master Sergeant	Resilience Confers immunity to critical hits.	Vital Point Targeting Additional 2 damage against any human target and any alien that has been autopsied.	Extra Conditioning Confers bonus health based on which type of armor is equipped. Heavier armor increases the bonus.
	'	'	'

Stat Progression

Rank	HP at level	Total HP	Aim at level	Total Aim
Specialist	0	0	5	5
Lance Corporal	0	0	3	8
Corporal	1	1	3	11
Sergeant	0	1	3	14
Tech Sergeant	0	1	3	17
Gunnery Sergeant	0	1	3	20
Master Sergeant	1	2	5	25

Tactical Advice

Role: Scout / Mobile Offense

In Long War, battlefield awareness is very important and the rebalanced ranges for weapons mean that line of sight and situational awareness is more important than ever. This is where the Scout comes into play. Acting as a sub-class of the sniper, the scout foregoes the killing power of sniper rifles with Speed and Agility. Scouts are the point-men of the squad, with their high mobility and Lightning Reflexes, they are well suited to be in the front, while the rest of the squad follows suit. The Scout is a very versatile class and can be specialized to act as a forward scout, front-line fighter or flanker. Perks like Battlescanner, Sprinter, Low profile and Tactical sense makes the Scout a dedicated Pointman, while Flush, In the Zone, Rapid Fire and Lock'n Load funnels the scout toward an offensive role. Later during the game, the Assault can fill the same role as the Scout, but it still lacks the same high mobility and Survivability perks that the Scout enjoy.

Incidentally, Scouts also make for great covert operatives, as their wide variety of perks that increase survivability, help immensely during Covert Operations against Exalt cells.