Destiny 2’s Advance Scout mod is a weapon mod that improves the detection capabilities of a weapon. When equipped on a weapon, the Advance Scout mod highlights enemies that are behind cover or around corners when you aim down sights. This allows you to see enemy locations that would normally be hidden, giving you a tactical advantage in combat.
The Advance Scout mod is an excellent choice for PvE activities where situational awareness is key. Being able to see enemy positions allows you to plan engagements carefully and take out threats before they can overwhelm you. In difficult PvE content like Nightfalls, Raids, and Legendary campaign missions, the enhanced detection of the Advance Scout mod can mean the difference between success and failure.
In this guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about Destiny 2’s Advance Scout mod including:
- How the Advance Scout Mod Works
- Advance Scout Mod Perks
- How to Get the Advance Scout Mod
- Best Weapons to Pair with the Advance Scout Mod
- Advance Scout Use Cases and Strategies
- Frequently Asked Questions about the Advance Scout Mod
How the Advance Scout Mod Works
The Advance Scout mod provides enhanced detection and highlighting of enemies when aiming down sights with the weapon it is equipped on. When you aim down sights, any enemies that are behind cover or around corners within a certain radius will be highlighted in red. This allows you to see the location of hidden enemies that you would normally not be able to detect.
The highlight effect persists for a few seconds after you stop aiming down sights. This gives you a short window to observe enemy positions without having to continuously aim down sights.
The radius of the highlight effect is not extremely large. You will usually see enemies highlighted within 10-20 meters. So the Advance Scout mod is most effective when you are actively scouting an area and aiming down sights frequently.
It’s important to note that the Advance Scout mod does not mark enemies through walls at unlimited range. You need to be aiming in their general direction for it to detect and highlight them. So you still need to sweep and scan areas methodically to get full value from the mod.
Advance Scout Mod Perks
The Advance Scout mod doesn’t have any perks to upgrade like some other mods. It provides its highlighting effect by default.
However, the detection radius can be increased by using the Scout Rifle Targeting weapon armor mod. This armor mod states that it “improves target acquisition, accuracy, and aim down sights speed for Scout Rifles.” But it also buffs the radius of the Advance Scout mod’s highlighting effect since it is classified as a scout rifle perk.
So by using both the Advance Scout mod and Scout Rifle Targeting mod together, you can maximize the area of enemy detection.
How to Get the Advance Scout Mod
The Advance Scout mod is acquired randomly from Banshee-44, the Gunsmith vendor in the Tower. Banshee sells a daily rotating selection of mods which can include the Advance Scout mod.
You can repeatedly check Banshee’s stock each day to try and acquire the Advance Scout mod. But this may take some time due to the random nature of his inventory.
The Advance Scout mod can also rarely drop from rank-up packages earned from Banshee-44. You earn these packages by gaining Gunsmith reputation which increases when you turn in Gunsmith Materials to Banshee.
So in summary, the two ways to get the Advance Scout mod are:
- Check Banshee-44’s daily rotating mod inventory
- Earn Gunsmith rank-up packages
The quickest way to acquire the mod will likely be through checking Banshee’s daily stock frequently over a number of weeks. But earning rank-up packages can help as well if you play a lot and turn in a high volume of Gunsmith Materials.
Best Weapons to Pair with the Advance Scout Mod
The Advance Scout mod can be equipped on any eligible Legendary or Exotic primary ammo weapon. This includes hand cannons, pulse rifles, scout rifles, sidearms, submachine guns, and bows.
But certain weapon types tend to pair better with the Advance Scout mod due to their optimal engagement ranges and aiming down sights functionality.
Scout Rifles
Scout rifles are likely the best pairing for the Advance Scout mod. Scout rifles naturally excel at ranged engagements. Aiming down sights with a scout is ideal for spotting enemies at a distance. And as noted previously, you can further augment the detection radius by using a Scout Rifle Targeting armor mod.
For PvE content, high impact or rapid-fire frame scout rifles can both be very effective when paired with Advance Scout. In PvP, high impact scouts like Jade Rabbit or Polaris Lance can be potent pairings.
Pulse Rifles
Pulse rifles can also benefit greatly from the Advance Scout mod. Their mid-long range capability complements the mod nicely. By pre-scouting and highlighting enemies with Advance Scout, you can pick off targets accurately at range with a pulse rifle.
Rapid-fire and adaptive frame pulses work well in both PvE and PvP when paired with Advance Scout. Examples include Outbreak Perfected, Sacred Provenance, and Messenger.
Hand Cannons
For short to medium-range engagements, hand cannons can be deadly with the Advance Scout mod. Quickly scoping corners or aiming down lanes will mark enemies for easy clean up with a hand cannon headshot.
Aggressive frame hand cannons like Igneous Hammer or True Prophecy work well in PvP. In PvE, Fatebringer and Palindrome are great Advance Scout pairings.
Bows
Though not ideal in super close quarters, bows can be used at medium ranges with Advance Scout to quickly tag enemies and then clean up with a bow headshot. This can be a very fast time-to-kill.
Lightweight frame bows like Wolftone Draw and Point of the Stag are good all-around choices. Trinity Ghoul with its lightning arrows can be especially deadly.
Advance Scout Use Cases and Strategies
Here are some top strategies and situations where the Advance Scout weapon mod can be highly valuable:
Clearing corners or blind spots – When you need to push forward into unknown territory or around a corner, equip a weapon with Advance Scout and aim down sights as you traverse to detect any hidden enemies.
Peeking long lanes – Briefly scoping long lines of sight with Advance Scout can spot enemies who would otherwise pick you off with ease.
Scouting chokepoints – Areas like doorways or caves are prime real estate for enemies to be waiting in ambush. The Advance Scout mod allows you to safely scout these chokepoints before entering.
** Spotting snipers** – Snipers often perch in hard to see spots. But a quick ADS will light them up for counter-attack.
Locating enemy spawns – In activities like Battlegrounds where enemies spawn in waves, Advance Scout allows you to quickly spot spawn locations.
Boss damage phases – When damaging a boss, adds will frequently spawn in to disrupt you. With Advance Scout you can see them coming and eliminate them while continuously damaging the boss.
Flanking maneuvers – When flanking around to an enemy position, Advance Scout prevents you from blindly walking into an ambush.
Counter-sniping – Sniper duels become much easier when you can instantly spot all enemy sniper glints, allowing quick return fire.
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Does the Advance Scout mod mark enemies through walls?
No, the Advance Scout mod only highlights enemies that are within line of sight, not through walls across the entire map. You need to be aiming in their general direction for it to detect them.
Does the Advance Scout mod work in PvP?
Yes, the Advance Scout mod functions both in PvE and PvP activities. Highlighting opponents in Crucible gives you a strong situational awareness advantage.
Do the enemy highlights last permanently?
No, the highlighting effect only persists briefly after you stop aiming down sights, for around 1-3 seconds. So you need to continually scan and aim to keep targets marked.
Can the Advance Scout mod go on any weapon?
It can be equipped on any Legendary or Exotic primary ammo weapon, including hand cannons, scout rifles, pulse rifles, bows, sidearms, and submachine guns.
Does the Advance Scout mod take up an armor mod socket?
No, the Advance Scout mod is equipped on weapons in a weapon mod socket. It does not take up an armor mod slot.
Is the Advance Scout mod good in PvE or PvP?
The Advance Scout mod is extremely useful in both PvE and PvP. In PvE it helps locate enemies and in PvP it allows you to track opponent positions and movements.
What is the detection radius of the Advance Scout mod?
The base radius is around 10-20 meters. This can be increased slightly by also using a Scout Rifle Targeting armor mod.
Can I put the Advance Scout mod on Exotic weapons?
Yes, as long as the Exotic weapon is a primary ammo type, the mod can be equipped on it. For example, you can use it on Ace of Spades, Polaris Lance, Trinity Ghoul etc.
Does the Advance Scout mod work when hip firing?
No, you need to aim down sights for the enemy highlighting effect to work. Hip firing will not activate the mod.
And that covers everything you need to know about Destiny 2’s powerful Advance Scout weapon mod! With its ability to detect hidden enemies, this mod provides excellent situational awareness for tactical engagements. If you don’t have it yet, be sure to check Banshee-44’s inventory daily until it appears. And if you do have it, take advantage of highlighting enemy locations to gain a key edge in your next battle.
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