If you’re wondering why that rocky outcropping is continually lamenting about its stolen ship, chances are you’ve stumbled upon a Smuggler hard at work. He brings the pew-pew from afar by using Rogue-like Energy and taking cover behind objects (or just crouching down), thus lowering damage received and enabling access to long-range shots.
Gunslinger
You’re in for a special kind of warm, fuzzy feeling when delivering a friendly “hey, there†via the red-hot muzzles of a pair of blaster pistols. Like the Marksmanship Hunter, the Gunslinger specialization mixes quick, instant shots with inductive abilities thematically similar to Aimed Shot. Plunking points into the Sharpshooter tree hulks up your shots with faster cast times and more demolishing critical strikes.
For appeasement of your inner Demoman, set your sights on the Saboteur tree. DoTs and grenade buffs galore beckon your points like an unencrypted credit safe; Incendiary Grenade, for instance, immolates enemies with a napalm AoE thrown from cover’s comfy confines – just the ticket for Explosive Shot-happy Survival Hunters. Maniacal cackle optional.
Scoundrel
Although the Smuggler’s trustworthy mainstay is the almighty pistol, he nevertheless won’t balk about shortening the gap for a more personalized tussle. Specializing as a Scoundrel (figuratively, of course) will have you strapping on a stealth belt for surprising enemies with the gentle love tap of a sucker punch right in the gut. The Scrapper tree advertises a risky yet rewarding style of play: sneak in, ravage an unfortunate soul with Back Blast, then dance the melee tango with careful management of costly short-range strikes. The Feral Druid’s absolutism on nailing that initial burst damage out of stealth is as crucial a requirement for the Scoundrel’s cocksure grin to see the light of another day.
Of course, the Scoundrel takes every advantage he gets, and that typically includes fixing up his fellow buddies with healing medpacs boosted by the Sawbones tree. Its periodic healing ability improvements echo the Druid’s Restoration tree, even rubbing shoulders against Wild Growth with the AoE Kolto Cloud.
