UPDATE: 12/16/2034 - This guide is heavily outdated, and not up to date at all.


First off, these are early game impressions. It's also my personal opinions on each Playable Scav so far. In this guide I'm going to rank character's into 3 Categories. I'm ranking these Scavs based on their skills and my own experiences. Their looks don't matter. If you prefer a scav based on cosmetic choices, I'm sorry to say this, but I don't care. Looks don't get you loot, or get you out alive.

Each category will also have a score between 1 and 3. 1 being bad, 2 being alright, and 3 being good.

• Speed - Is this Scav fit for quick players?
  
  
• Loot - Is this scav good for the greedy?
  
  
• Squad - Is this scav good for team play, and by extension combat focused play?

These are the 3 things that are most prevalent in the game from my own experiences.

From what I can tell, no one Scav is better at sneaking or staying hidden compared to another. The 2 methods to staying hidden are distance, and verticality. If you can't be far from an enemy be above them. If you can't be above them, get away from them. That's it. If you want to shoot stuff, get a gun that can have a suppressor attached to it. The M4A1 and the G19 are good picks for this, as you can unlock them early. Both are fairly cheap, as are their suppressors. Don't underestimate the pistol either. Ammo is light, and you can drop most enemies with 5 to 6 well placed shots. Combat is more effective with a team. Solos should focus on staying quick, and staying hidden.

Old man is one of the 2 poster Scavs of the game, which is to say he gets put in a lot of the trailers. Poor bastard is also the one who gets eaten alive by Toothy in the cinematic trailer. Pour one out for the homie. In terms of skills his focus is on medical, rifles, heavy rifles, and rigs. Early game, weapon skills aren't very useful. To solo scavs I'd say they're next to useless. Each level of a weapon skill only gets you 5% additional accuracy with that weapon type. That's it. Max level of any weapon means you're 25% more accurate. In a game where combat is the last option, that means very little. Combat is easier with a well coordinated squad, and that's hard to do right now due to co-op connection issues and the jank of the Peer-2-Peer connection system in general.

Weapons he can't use: SMG's, LMG's, HMG's, and Grenade Launchers.

So how does Old Man rank on my 3 scales?

• Speed: 1 - Old man only gets faster via prestige, which means he's not quick out the gate and will never compare to faster Scavs. Not a Scav for quick solos.
  
  
• Loot: 1 - Old man can use his skills to get acccess to some of the better rigs in the game. That said, when Scavs like Bag Man, Shaman, and Mask Man can use some of those Rigs without a skill point, it makes Old Man just not that great a pick, at least initially. With some leveling, he can get better, but to me the Rig skills are kind of a pointless skill point sink.
  
  
• Squad: 2 - Old man is the odd man out here. While he looks like he could be a squad medic, you can't heal your friends except to get them up, and his bonus doesn't seem to apply. So he's a solid pick if only for his weapon choices. A good pack mule for a team.

From my personal experiences: Old man just sucks for my play-style. I prefer to stay quick, pack light, and avoid combat. Old man is slow out the gate. As a solo scav, I favor speed above all else. HOWEVER,

UPDATE: So upon further examination and working with a friend who mains Old Man, I've updated his entry.

First off, this my girl right here. Scav Girl has one thing I've noticed that's a big negative. She's only got 800 health. So don't expect to live long if things go badly. As you prestige her, that health goes up, but you'll always be the scav with the least amount of health in the team if you and your squad are all of equal level/prestige. That said, she's got the sprinting skill tree, and as 1 of 2 scavs with access to those skills that makes her top tier for my own playstyle. However she's still not my top pick.

Other big negative is her weapon skills. With access to only pistols and SMG's, she has not many options early game for modifiable weapons. I've yet to find a SMG with a slot for a Suppressor attachment. Also most pistols and SMG's use the same ammo and deal the same damage. So combat ability is REALLY bad. However, she comes out as a good pick with access to the Rig skill tree and Sprinting Skill tree as I said before.

Weapons She Can't Use: Heavy Rifles, LMG's, HMG's, and Grenade Launchers.

So how's my girl rank?

• Speed: 3 - That sprinting skill tree is everything man. Everything. Full prestige and level 5 Sprinting Expert means this girl gonna be one hard to catch honey.
  
  
• Loot: 1 - Oh man, speed's all this girl has going for her. If you want to be able to carry more than a standard gun runner rig, you're really quickly SOL with this chick.
  
  
• Squad: 1 - While pistols and SMG's are just fine, they're more so the tools of a stealth operator in this game, as they're very powerful at point blank, and with suppressors become the tool of an assassin. In a combat focused team she quickly becomes a problem because of her health and survivabiltiy. It gets better as you prestige, but as the lowest health Scav in the game, even at max prestige you're behind fellow Scavs of similar rankings.

From my personal experiences: Scav girl plays well for my "speedy solo" playstyle. Though she's not my top pick. I prefer to be able to carry more valuable loot, and the valuable stuff tends to be heavier. Shaman just comes out ahead.

Update: I've updated her ranking after additional playtime.

I have a feeling a lot of folks will like Mask Man based on his looks. That said, there's nothing about him that interests me from a play style perspective. Mask Man is all about guns, guns, and more guns. All of his skills are weapon types. He can unlock LMG and Grenade Launchers, but can't use them out the gate, but both weapon types ammo can pack some serious damage numbers from what I've seen.
So if you're looking to kill stuff, this is your boy. I guess. I wouldn't know, I avoid shooting stuff as much as possible.

Weapons he can't use: HMG's

How does he rank?

• Speed: 1 - No sprint tree means stock speeds. Means more likely to get run down by a hoard of cyborgs. Don't care how good your guns are, if they corner you, they'll overwhelm and kill you.
  
  
• Loot: 2 - If you have the money for a good Rig, Mask Man is actually a solid looter. He doesn't have access to 2 of the 3 biggest Rigs in the game, but that's not really a bad thing.
  
  
• Squad: 3 - This guy's a dedicated combatant pretty much. With access to GL and LMG skill trees, his whole purpose is to spew death. So in a squad that's looking to shoot and scoot, and especially tackle the bigger and more valuable enemies, he's pretty much an auto include. Closest alternative is Bag Man. Having played in teams with a Bag Man and a Mask Man... they're a nasty duo to cause a distraction or mow down Hunter Killers or Scramblers as needed.

From my personal experiences: Played him a bit, and realized he and I weren't gonna get along. He only becomes useful to a combat focused player with a lot of time spent into putting XP into prestige. I am a sneaky lad.

UPDATE: I've updated the guide after some time with this a friend playing Mask Man on my team.

Ready to meet my Scav of choice? Sure he looks like a rejected Star Wars Bounty Hunter design, but this guy... oh man this guy is the king of the Scavs as far as I'm convinced. Sure, I'm mostly a solo player who prioritizes speed and carry weight, and since Shaman here is the only Scav with both the Sprint and Carry Weight Skill trees... well butter my buns and call me a biscuit, Shaman and I are officially BFF's. Also, his voice is very pleasant. I know that's more a cosmetic choice, but Shaman here has a very calm and philosophical kind of approach to being a Scav. He also has voice lines where he shows great concern for the well being of those in the Innards. So he's been endeared to me on both levels.

To be blunt, for my play style he's king. He's sort of a "middle of the road" scav. He is effective as he mixes the best of 2 other scavs, but lacks their mastery. Your mileage may vary.

Weapons he can't use: Heavy Rifles, LMG's, HMG's, and Grenade Launchers.

How's he rank on my scales?

• Speed: 2 - That sprint skill tree baby. I will say, his starting run and sprint speed are behind Scav Girl, and she'll always be the fastest on that base alone. Also this skill maxes out at only level 4 for him. So I can't in good consciousness give him a 3 as he'll always be 2nd fastest of the Scavs.
  
  
• Loot 2 - The Carry Weight Skill tree is handy. While you won't be able to take advantage of unique Rig types, but his skill only caps at level 4. This just means he's going to be able to carry more heavier (and arguably more valuable) loot. He's a step behind Bag Man in this category, as he can pump his carry weight up to level 5. That's why he doesn't score a 3.
  
  
• Squad 2 - A scav that only specializes in Shotguns and SMG's means this guy's primarily a close quarters brawler in combat with the right guns. Potentially useful, but his speed and carry weight won't get you far in a gunfight, and with guns that have lower ranges than the bigger, harder hitting weapons he's just not the best pick. That said, he has the potential to be the squad's brawler, as he's the only Scav with the shotgun skill tree, and shotguns are powerful!

From my personal experiences: As I've said before, Shaman's my dude. He's second fastest, and second best in carry weight but that makes him the ideal choice. A middle of the road character that actually excels based on the combination of his 2 non combat skills.

Sadly we can't play this fellow yet, but I can speculate on what exactly our boy here is gonna bring to the table.

There's promo images of this guy with rifles, shotguns, and SMG's in his head slot. He's also typically shown using LMG's in his hands. So I suspect he'll be able to probably use LMG's. I suspect however that his ability to use 2 guns at the same time will likely mean his skills will be kneecapped like Shaman, and he will be something of an alternative to Mask Man. I mean he's got a gun for a head, how can he not be combat focused?

However he's a robot, so he might get carry weight and rig skill trees. Making him a combat effective pack mule.


Pure speculation on my part.

Bag Man's been featured along Old Man in a lot of promo materials. He's the sole survivor of the Cinematic Trailer (RIP Old Man and Gunhead). His focus is on, well, the bag. Which is to say he put the loot over saving his friends... but honestly no one kills Toothy. I digress.

Bag Man is slow, but he's got the most starting health. Meaning he's gonna be the toughest Scav of the bunch. He's something of an alternative to Mask Man. Featuring the same skill trees as him minus Rifles. This is replaced with his carry weight skill tree, which maxes at 5. Putting him as ahead of Shaman who caps at 4. He's also the only Scav so far who can use HMG's, or Heavy Machine guns. I've yet to see one of these in action. That said, he can't expert that weapon type. Meaning either the HMG is effective on it's own without skills, or it's a "dev trap." That said, as one of 2 scavs who can bring grenade launchers, and with a high carry weight that will allow him to pack lots of ammo... Bag Man looks to be something of a squad tank, or at least the closest we'll ever have to one.

Guns he can't use: Pistols and SMG's. He ain't got time for small caliber crap apparently.

How's he scale?

• Speed: 0 - He's got the slowest starting speed, meaning even at full 25 prestige he'll be the slowest compared to any other Scav at the same level. I can't even in good consciousness give him a 1. It's that bad honestly. He's our only 0 in any ranking.
  
  
• Loot: 3 - He's one half of shaman, but can cut out ahead of him with that level 5 cap of his carry capacity skill tree. Also he can use any of the Rigs in the game without any skill point sinks. Bag man is just a good choice for an aggressive looter.
  
  
• Squad: 3 - For a combat focused team that's looking to kill the big bads and take the good loot, this dude is an auto include. A good friend of mine is a Bag Man main, and ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ is this guy effective. HMG's and LMG's are devastating. Grenade Launchers are damn useful.

From my personal experiences: I've yet to survive a run as Bag Man myself, but that's due to how I play this game. My friend who plays him has discovered how to be successful as this big dude. It is an aggressive play style. He can keep up if you're playing things careful and quiet. When things go bad, you'll be glad a Bag Man is in your team.

UPDATE: Have included some better insight into this fellow thanks to experiences in multiplayer.

So after putting in some time to play with friends after the multiplayer hot fix, we all got to know some real strengths behind certain Scavs that aren’t so obvious.

• Each Scav has a different crouch speed. Bag Man is the fastest when crouched apparently. Not sure if it was a bug but effectively when moving crouched Bag Man is just slightly speedier than everyone else. He’s still slow as hell when sprinting though.
  
  
• Melee attacks are great for putting down Walking Cyborgs. 1 or 2 hits will take them out and usually not alert the horde. Usually. Mileage may vary.
  
  
• Suppressed Guns will alert an entire squad but not nearby enemy or allied AI’s.
  
  
• Some enemies have tougher armor values and some guns are better at piercing armor than others. Heavy Rifle calibers are great for taking down armored enemies like Hunter Killers and Scramblers. Pistol calibers don’t pierce armor so good but will kill smaller, lighter enemies incredibly quickly.
  
  
• Shotguns can stun lock enemies! At close ranges you can stun lock enemies like Hunter Killers and Scramblers. Just lay into them and they won’t be able to react. Allowing a friend with a better armor piercing ability the time to put the enemy down. As suggested in my earlier posts, this makes Shaman really useful as a Squad Brawler. His speed on the flank and tighter spread pattern with shotguns means he’s that much better at stun locking a dangerous enemy and allowing the squad the time to kill the target.
  
  
• As far as we can tell, you can’t heal your team mates! You can only revive them when they are down. Which means Old Man is really only better at keeping himself alive and not others. Just to keep that in mind.
  
  
• Scav Girl really is made of paper. To the point that in an aggressive squad, she’s next to useless.
  
  
• A 4 man squad of players with the right equipment, and communication really is a force to be reckoned with. Me and 3 friends played as a squad consisting of Shaman, Bag Man, Mask Man, and Old Man. We just slaughtered anything that wasn’t an EXO class enemy pretty much. Hunter Killers, Scramblers, they could throw them at us constantly and we hit them hard every time. There was a learning curve to working as a squad. You really do have to spread out but stay within a proximity.
  
  
• There is friendly fire. You can kill your fellow Scavs. Mind your firing lanes. A good way to keep PID is to put laser sights in your guns. They don’t alert enemies unlike the flashlight attachments. Also the Scav lasers look different from the NPC lasers.