Scouting Guide
Scouting is information warfare. What you know about the opponent's intent directly shapes every decision you make for the rest of the game. Blind opponents react late. Informed opponents build the right counter before the attack lands.
Why Scouting Matters
In a standard game, the opponent could be doing any of dozens of viable builds. Without scouting, you have to build a "safe-enough" defence against all of them simultaneously — which is expensive and slow. A single scout confirming "no early Barracks rush" lets you cut corners on wall-off and invest that production time into economy.
The value of a scout is not the unit that delivers it — it's the decision trees it prunes.
When to Scout
| Supply / Time | What to send | Looking for |
|---|---|---|
| ~14–16 supply | Worker / Overlord | Spawning pool / Barracks / Gateway timing |
| ~40–45 supply | Ling / New Overlord / Probe | Tech buildings, 2nd CC, expansion timing |
| ~70–80 supply | Observer / Scout / Scan | Army composition, tech branch, 3rd base |
| Ongoing | Map presence / Drops | Army position, expansion count, tech upgrades |
Scouting by Race
- › Is the Barracks building?
- › 1 Barracks = macro; 2+ early = pressure
- › Starport + Reactor = Hellion or Medivac mass
- › Second Command Centre = safe safe macro
- › No Engineering Bay early = aggressive
- › 1 Gate = expand / macro
- › 2+ Gates very early = 2-Gate pressure
- › Twilight → Blink Stalker / Chargelot
- › Stargate → Oracles, Phoenix, or Void-Ray
- › Robotics Facility → Immortal / Colossus
- › Hatch before Pool = greedy macro
- › Pool before Hatch = early pool all-in
- › Roach Warren early = Roach aggression
- › Spire early = Mutalisk harass
- › Lurker Den late = defensive positioning
Passive Vision Tools
Park Overlords at watchtower positions and common army paths. A well-placed Overlord gives 10+ seconds of warning before an attack reaches your natural. Replace any that are killed — the map blindspot is more expensive than the 100-mineral Overlord.
Observers are free once a Robotics Facility is built. Keep one in the enemy's natural constantly. Terran should save one Scan per engagement to spot Burrowed units, Cloaked Banshees, or Lurkers before engaging.
Reacting to Intel
Scouting is only valuable if you act on it. Common failure mode: seeing an early Barracks rush wave but not pulling workers to defend — dying and saying "I saw it coming."
After a scout confirms aggression: immediately assess — your current unit count, when their wave arrives, and what you need to hold. Then queue the right units and adjust wall placement before they reach you.
After a scout confirms a safe macro opening: relax safer counter-build, expand earlier, or commit to your planned timing attack with confidence.
Map Coverage Analysis
Review your replays to see how much map vision you had and at what supply you made first contact with the enemy base.
Upload a Replay