How to be a good recon player ?

[I_am_noob]

I wanna be a good recon player , what i have to do ? Also here , my caster always slower than my army , and when i want to use them , they cast slower than i thought , if i bring them first , it will be hard to be controlled . What i have to do ?

[Chris]

Human recon:
-Cloak a Knight, Gryphon, Dragonhawk rider or any unit with a fast movement speed.
-Send a Flying Machine around the map
-Mechanical Critter
-Mortar Team Flare
-Learn Magic Sentry and use the Arcane Tower's Reveal

Orc Recon:
-Wyverns and Batriders
-Sentry Wards at bases and base enterances
-Blademaster under Wind Walk
-Farseer's Far Sight
-a Blademaster's Mirror Image

Undead Recon:
-Skeletons from Necs or Rod
-Gargoyles (Frost Wyrms are too slow)
-Shades (best method)
-Crypt Fiend or Carrion Beetle in burrow

Night Elf Recon:
-Wisp on a tree outside the base
-POTM's Owl Scout
-Huntress Sentinel
-DoTT Faerie Fire
-Crows/Hippogryph

Neutral
- Beastmaster Hawks
- Dark RAnger Skeletons

Other Methods
- Potion of Invisibility
- Sentry Wards from the enemies
- Pay 50 Gold for Reveal
-Use the Barbed Arachnitid from the Mercenary Camp and burrow it (Only works in Icecrown Mercenary Camps)
- Use Harpies from the Desert terrain Camps.


If you decide to use a unit that isn't invisible. Send them and try to keep them out of sight or make base runs fast. If they invisible on hte ground, don't let them get stuck.

[Revelade]

As a UD players, most of the time I harass my enemy if it's a small map. After I creep and have leftover skeletons, I just send them in.

Also, if you have those mirror image things, it's a great idea to send one in after you use it for creeping.

[I_am_noob]

So . you mean i have to scout always and scout fast ? But ( i play orc + HM ) , heli is easy to be kill , if it killed , it will give enemy exp and lost my money ( the same with other flying units ) , mortar team is ok ( i like it ) but critter is slow and small sight .hard to be use . Should i keep my units when scoting survice ?

[Chris]

That is why I suggest flyers that are not in sight or cloakable units. That way, you can escape them or make sure they cannot be killed. I often used cloaked knight are flares for human. As for Orc, I plant Sentry Wards as I creep or near the mouth of thier bases. But also away from trees so NEs can't use sentinels.

[I_am_noob]

Should i banish knight instead of invisible it ?

[Chris]

If you do that, here is what will happen.

One. It won't last long
Two. People can see it
Three. It is slown down, banish reduces movement speed
Four. IF magic attacks hurt it, the magic damage will be further multiplied; not good when you see Gryphons and chims.

Scouting unseen is the best form of scouting, remember that.

[TheoStormhawk]

Originally Posted by I_am_noob

Should i banish knight instead of invisible it ?

banish isn't the best idea, look what Pan said about ethereal form units:

Originally Posted by Pan

Spirit walkers are taurens with teh ability to cast spells and become Etheral (unable to be hit by physical attacks, but Spells/spell attacks do 66% extra damage.)

66% percent more damage!, just think what a lvl3 storm bolt for example will do to your ethereal knight, not to mention about the magic attack units like Frost Wyrms, chims, gryphons. The knight already takes alot of damage from this kind of units because of his armor ( heavy armor takes extra damage from magic attaks).

[Chris]

Plus. you are obviously your scout is seen. AND your speed is reduced along with the fact that Banish doesn't last long enough to see what you want.

[Emperor Pan I]

Mechanical critter at like 3 minutes into the game can be bought, and start to scout immediately. Very useful early in a FFA game to discover where enemys location.

[TheoStormhawk]

Originally Posted by Pan

Mechanical critter at like 3 minutes into the game can be bought, and start to scout immediately. Very useful early in a FFA game to discover where enemys location.

Yes, and if the players are unexperienced and do not notice it, the criter will provide useful information throughout the entire game.

[Chris]

Originally Posted by Pan

Mechanical critter at like 3 minutes into the game can be bought, and start to scout immediately. Very useful early in a FFA game to discover where enemys location.

Its a good scout, too bad the animal spawned is usually the freaky one. For example, if sheep are all over the place, a chicken could spawn.

[TheoStormhawk]

Originally Posted by Hellwolf_36

Its a good scout, too bad the animal spawned is usually the freaky one. For example, if sheep are all over the place, a chicken could spawn.

usually on maps like winter lost temple, the critter is very easy to recognise because there are no sheeps on that tileset.

[Chris]

See what I mean! Mostly noobs fall for it, but putting the sheep in the outskirts of the base and not inside it is often a good way to still scout and keep the "critter" secure.

[Emperor Pan I]

Originally Posted by TheoStormhawk

Yes, and if the players are unexperienced and do not notice it, the criter will provide useful information throughout the entire game.

I'm talking about just base locations, without sacraficing the work of a peasent.

[TheoStormhawk]

Originally Posted by Pan

I'm talking about just base locations, without sacraficing the work of a peasent.

The thing is that the critter has a very low movement speed and observing area, and at the start of the game the position of the opponent isn't the only thing important, u must see what strategy he is going fast. I mean a critter will never be as fast as a militian and there is the time until he is buyabble counting too.

[Chris]

But a critter is more "blending" than a worker. Unless you get a sheep in say Northrend.

[I_am_noob]

Well , in my opinion , it's best to summon a critter when you are fighting with enemy , and sent them to enemy town . They wont detect them cuz they are controling their troops , also set the critter movement is patrol for a long way , so , the private dont even know . But dont too long , "patrol" it again with anather way

[Chris]

Good call, but most people depend on survival over summoning the scout. Plus, the critter can be killed by splash, spells or by effects like pulverize.

[TheoStormhawk]

Originally Posted by I_am_noob

Well , in my opinion , it's best to summon a critter when you are fighting with enemy , and sent them to enemy town . They wont detect them cuz they are controling their troops , also set the critter movement is patrol for a long way , so , the private dont even know . But dont too long , "patrol" it again with anather way

Good ideea man, because not only they are controlling the troops, some of them have the buildings hotkeyed and they don't check the base too much.

About the patrol thing I don't know, that critter moves very slow, and also has a short seeing range, I think it is better ti keep it hided in the base of the enemy.