SCOUTING // 0 A.D.

DOCTRINE Three Laws of Scouting READ FIRST

LAW 01 — A scout's job is information, not combat. If it's fighting, it's failed.

LAW 02 — Scout WITH a question, not "to look around." A specific question changes where you send the scout.

LAW 03 — The map is uncontested in Phase I. Build outposts before you need them. Once the map heats up, you can't sneak out to place them.

PRIMER What Is A Scout DEFINITION

A scout is any unit you send to gather information instead of fight. Ptolemies start with a camel — that IS your scout. Most civs start with one cavalry unit for this purpose.

The intelligence you're after:

Where is the enemy base?
Where is their army right now?
What units are they building?
Are they teching / expanding / preparing to attack?
What resources are they on?

The information gap is the strategic gap. A blind player loses to a slightly weaker player with vision.

TOOL 01 Cavalry Scouting ★ EARLY GAME · FAST

// The Tool

Send your starting cav on a wide loop around the map. It's fast, free, and reveals huge amounts of map in the first 4 minutes.

// When it works

Phase I (0-6 min). The map is empty. No one has built units yet. Your cav can ride right past their CC and live.

// When it stops working

When the enemy has units patrolling — usually by minute 8-10. Your cav starts dying.

The rule: Always keep ONE cav alive on patrol. If it dies, replace it within 30 seconds. The fog-of-war is what's killing your far bases.

TOOL 02 Outposts & Watchtowers ★★ MID + LATE · CAN'T DIE

// The Tool

50 wood per outpost. Permanent vision in a circle around them. They can be killed, but only with effort — usually requiring siege.

// Where to place

Hills & ridges (extended sight)
Map edges (rarely patrolled)
Choke points NEAR enemy approach
Neutral resource deposits (denies + scouts)

// Critical timing

Build them in Phase I-II, while the map is uncontested. Once the enemy roams, you can't sneak villagers out to place them.

The single biggest scouting fix: 4 outposts by minute 8. Cost: 200 wood. Value: permanent vision for the rest of the game.

TOOL 03 Edge Probes & Sacrifices ★★★ LATE GAME · DEATH IS DATA

// The Tool

Send cheap throwaway units along multiple paths simultaneously. Some will die. Where they die tells you where the enemy army is.

// How it works

Send 3 cav (or spearmen) along 3 different paths — top edge, middle, bottom edge
Map edges are rarely patrolled — those usually survive
If the middle one dies, the enemy army is along the middle
You learned 3 paths of info for the cost of 1 cheap unit

// The mindset

A dead scout is not a wasted scout. Where it died is the intel. Death = data.

Use this when you can't get a live scout close. Late game, this is often your only option.

METHOD Scout WITH A Question PREDICTIVE

Beginners scout randomly. Pros scout with a specific question they're trying to answer. The question changes WHERE you send the scout, WHEN, and what you're looking at.

// Is their army still at home?

Send cav toward their CC. If it dies fast → army is home. If it reaches the CC → army is out somewhere else.

// Are they teching to Phase III?

Look at their CC for the phase-up upgrade animation. Or scan for new building shapes: Forts, Embassies, Wonders.

// Did they expand to that resource?

Patrol the natural expansion points — stone, metal, second CC spots. Workers there = they expanded.

// Are they about to attack?

Look for: army gathering at chokepoints, forward outposts being built, tower being placed near you.

// What's their army composition?

Sneak cav close enough to see units, then retreat. You only need 2 seconds of vision. Note ratios, retreat.

// Where is the weak point I should attack?

Patrol around their base — find the side with fewest towers, no walls, exposed workers.

The shift: from "I should scout" to "I need to know X — let me confirm." Specific question, specific tool, specific time.

PHASES Scouting By Phase WHAT TO USE WHEN

// PHASE I

0-6 MIN

Cavalry loop. Map is uncontested. One cav, ride wide circle. Find enemy CC by minute 4. Build first 2 outposts at map edges.

// PHASE II

6-12 MIN

Cav + outposts. Cav still works but riskier. Build 2 more outposts at chokes. Patrol cav stays alive — replaces if killed.

// PHASE III+

12 MIN — END

Outposts + edge probes. Cav can't get close anymore. Read from your outposts. Send sacrificial probes when you need fresh data.

DEBUG My Scout Keeps Dying TROUBLESHOOTING

Symptom	Fix
Cav dies at the same spot every time	That spot is their patrol. Go around it via map edge.
Cav dies before reaching their base	Map is contested. Switch to outposts + edge probes.
Can't see anything because of fog	You didn't place outposts in Phase I-II. Lesson for next game.
Lose vision the moment cav dies	Always have 2 scouts, not 1. Replace BEFORE the first dies.
Scout finds nothing interesting	You're scouting without a question. Form a hypothesis first.
Enemy attacks surprise you anyway	You aren't scouting often enough. Set a 60s mental timer.

ENDPLATE The Scouting Habit MEMORIZE

Minute 1: Start your cav loop. Find enemy by minute 4.
Minute 6: Build outposts 1-2 at safe map edges.
Minute 10: Build outposts 3-4 at chokepoints near approaches.
Every 60 seconds: ask one specific question. Send a scout to answer it.
When cav stops surviving: switch to edge probes + outpost reading.
If you ever lose vision: immediately replace the dead scout. Don't wait.
Death is data: if a probe dies, you learned where the enemy is.
The information gap is the strategic gap. Vision wins games.