The latest update in Tower Defense Simulator (TDS) has brought some significant buffs to the Scout tower, both in its regular and golden versions. These changes make the Scout more viable, especially in the early game. But does this make the Scout a tower worth using? In this guide, we’ll dive into the details of the Scout’s buffs, compare its effectiveness, and determine where it stands in the current meta.
Regular Scout: What’s Changed?
The normal Scout saw several notable buffs that improve its early game utility. Here’s a breakdown of its changes:
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Placement Cost: The cost to place a Scout has been reduced from 200 to 150, allowing you to place more Scouts early in the game. This is a significant buff, as it enables you to deploy up to four Scouts instead of three at the beginning, which can be crucial for early defense.
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Cooldown: The cooldown has decreased from 1.2 to 1 second, allowing Scouts to fire faster.
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Damage Per Second (DPS): The DPS has been buffed across all levels, increasing its effectiveness. For example:
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Level 0: DPS increased from 0.83 to 0.909.
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Level 1: DPS increased from 0.99 to 1.25.
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Level 2: DPS increased from 1.98 to 2.5.
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Level 3: DPS increased from 6.58 to 8.57.
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Level 4: DPS increased from 16.23 to 22.9.
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These changes make the Scout a better option for the early game, especially in modes like Fall mode. It can now handle waves more effectively, though it is still outclassed by other early-game towers like the Sniper.
Is the Normal Scout Worth Using?
The Scout’s performance has significantly improved, especially in the early game. The reduced placement cost allows you to place more Scouts, which can carry you through the first few waves. However, its utility drops off in the mid-game. While it’s effective early on, you will need to spam Scouts to make it work beyond wave 3, taking up valuable placement spots that could be used for other, stronger towers.
Although the Scout’s buffs help in early defense, it is still heavily outclassed by other towers that offer better DPS or utility as the game progresses. For example, towers like Shotgunner or Ace Pilot perform better not only in the early game but also in the mid-game.
Rating: D Tier The Scout remains an early-game tower, and while it’s improved, there are other towers that provide more value at similar costs.
Golden Scout: A Buffed Powerhouse?
Now let’s take a look at the Golden Scout, which received buffs to both its stats and overall effectiveness.
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Placement Cost: The cost of placing a Golden Scout has been increased from 250 to 300, which makes it a bit more expensive. However, this change doesn’t significantly affect solo play or Fall mode, where you can still place two Golden Scouts at the start. In squad play, however, this change means you can only afford one Golden Scout with the initial 500 cash.
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Cooldown: The cooldown of the Golden Scout has decreased from 1.2 to 1 second at level 0, making it more effective at dealing damage.
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DPS: The Golden Scout’s DPS has improved across all levels. Notable improvements include:
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Level 0: DPS increased from 2.48 to 2.98.
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Level 1: DPS stayed the same at 3.97.
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Level 2: DPS increased from 7.94 to 7.92.
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Level 3: DPS increased from 18.56 to 19.74.
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Range: The Golden Scout’s range has been increased at each level, which helps it target enemies more effectively. At level 0, the range has increased from 12 to 14.
Is the Golden Scout Worth It?
The Golden Scout is a great early-game tower with some useful mid-game potential. Its buffs have made it much more consistent, particularly due to its increased range and higher DPS at earlier levels. It can handle waves in Fall mode up to wave 5 with relative ease, especially when using two Golden Scouts early on.
However, it’s still outclassed by stronger towers like the Brawler, which offers better performance in the later game due to its higher DPS. The Golden Scout is effective in the early stages and speedruns, but its potential peaks early and falls off as the game progresses.
Rating: Low to Mid Tier The Golden Scout is a solid early-game choice, but its usefulness decreases in the late game, especially compared to towers that provide higher DPS and greater versatility.
Should You Use the Scout Now?
With the recent buffs, the Scout has become a better option for the early game, especially with the cheaper placement cost and improved DPS. The normal Scout is still not ideal for the mid-to-late game, as its DPS isn’t high enough to sustain prolonged waves. The Golden Scout, on the other hand, shines early and is a great choice for speedruns, but it also has its limitations as the game progresses.
While the normal Scout remains a D-tier tower, the Golden Scout has risen to a more respectable position, ranking in the low to mid tier. Both versions of the Scout are now more viable, but they still fall behind stronger alternatives.