Tips and Tricks
Although the early hours of Scorn mostly rely on environmental storytelling and puzzle-solving, Ebb Software's grotesque horror adventure will eventually begin to shift its sights towards tricky combat encounters and run-ins with relentless entities.
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For those looking to maximise their potential of surviving Scorn's various horrors, below you'll find some tips and tricks to ensure you fight another day.
Tips and Tricks
Looking for a specific tip or trick? You can jump between each of the entries in this list via the table below:
Conserve Ammo
Although you'll get your hands on Scorn's first weapon during the opening act of the game, you won't actually be able to access a true ranged-based firearm until Act 3. Considering you've spent hours using the game's low-damage, melee-based bolt rifle, it can be tempting to think of the addition of guns like the pistol and shotgun as an opportunity to blast enemies away with reckless abandonment.
However, unless you want to make sections of Scorn significantly harder, your best bet is to use ammo sparingly. Ammo stations are few and far between, and even when you do find one, they'll offer such a small amount of ammo that you can spend it all in seconds if you aren't careful.
If you're trying to make ammo last longer, don't be afraid to switch back to the bolt rifle when running into weaker enemies like the standing spitter. It's also a viable tactic to run away from foes completely if they aren't guarding essential items. Play things smart and keep yourself well-stocked if you want the best chance of escaping Scorn's nightmarish world intact.
Make Every Shot Count
An extension of the previous point, shooting in Scorn is about much more than blindly firing at the first monstrosity you see. Shooting without properly aiming will cause most of your shots to miss, so you'll need to take your time if you want to make every bullet count.
When approached by a monster, maintain distance, stand still, take aim at the creature's head and wait for the crosshairs to focus in. When the crosshairs are at their closest point, fire the gun. If you fire as soon as you lift the gun to aim, your shots will frequently miss, giving the enemy the chance to take you down. The image above shows the crosshairs at their closest point.
Keep Healed Up
It may seem like a silly one, but Scorn actually never officially tells you how to use healing items. Once you've accessed your first health station in Act 2, you'll possess healing orbs that can be inserted into your wrist to replenish your health.
To use a healing orb, hit RB if you're on Xbox (or generally using a controller) or the E key if you're playing with a mouse and keyboard. After using a health orb, your health will continue to replenish over a few seconds, so don't use all your health orbs at once. They'll have to last you until you find another health station after all.
Use Terrain as Cover
Bar the chargers you encounter in Act 3 and Act, every enemy in Scorn will rely on ranged combat to attack, whether that's spitting acid, firing grenades or launching projectiles. That can be a real problem, especially early in the game when you'll have to rely on the bolt rifle to inflict melee damage.
To avoid taking unnecessary damage from foes, your best course of action is to utilise cover wisely. Most of Scorn's battlegrounds will be covered in fallen pillars, jutting architecture or fleshy masses. Use these to your advantage. When using the bolt rifle, aggro an enemy and then run back to cover, waiting for them to get close enough to hit while blocking their ranged attacks.
Meanwhile, when using guns, make a mental note of nearby terrain for when you have to reload or switch weapons. Cover is essential to surviving in Scorn and you'd be wise to take advantage of it.
Don't Be Afraid to Flee
If enemies aren't in the way of a crucial item or puzzle you need to solve, it's often worth avoiding them entirely. Although defeating some enemies is required to progress, others are merely standing in the way of the path ahead and will quickly de-aggro if you decide to sprint past them.
If you're out of ammo or attempting to reserve some for a big fight ahead, try luring enemies into open spaces and then circling around them. Once you leave an area, your pursuer won't follow you far and will likely even disappear if you head far enough.
Keep an Eye on Your Inventory
This may seem like an obvious one, but with Scorn having no real tutorial, it's very easy to miss. If you're ever wondering how much ammo or health you have in stock, check your inventory by aiming the camera down.
The protagonist will peer at their feet and you'll be able to see the stock spider in the parasite's hand below, giving you a visual representation of what's currently sitting in your inventory. Health orbs can be seen surrounding the spider, while both the pistol and shotgun ammo glow yellow and can be seen in the centre of the spider.
Always Remember to Reload
Another one that may seem like second nature but can really mess up a combat encounter, reloading in Scorn is a lengthy endeavour. When you're out of ammo, the protagonist will need to spend a good few seconds restocking his chosen gun while blocking the screen and preventing himself from sprinting.
If you're in front of a group of enemies, that's a death sentence, so remember to always reload your guns between combat encounters. That also goes for when you're restocking ammo. Grabbing ammo won't automatically reload your gun, so make sure you're doing it manually whenever you get a chance.
Switch Guns During Fights
Tying into the tip above, reloading during fights is one of the riskiest plays you can pull. To minimise damage, make sure both your pistol and shotgun are reloaded before entering a fight and switch when one firearm runs dry.
Switching guns is much quicker than reloading, so it'll save you a lot of time and health to interchange them both while in battle.
Reserve the Shotgun For Bigger Foes
Once you receive the shotgun during Act 4, you'll be tempted to use it on everything. However, this powerhouse of a firearm is best kept for more troublesome enemies. Once you unlock it, mainly rely on the pistol unless you come up against a charger or a group of unmanageable foes.
If you're up against standing spitters or a single crawling spitter, the pistol will make short work of them, so it's a waste to hit them with your most powerful firearm.
Use the Shotgun To Stun Enemies
Although you won't actually unlock the gun until Act 4, the shotgun is a particularly useful weapon that makes the latter half of the game much easier. As we mentioned in the previous point, however, it's not exactly the most ammo-rich firearm. You won't get many bullets for the shotgun, but if you use it tactically, there is a way to save a ton of ammo.
Alongside cutting most enemies to ribbons, the shotgun will also briefly stun them. Of course, this makes it easier to land subsequent shots, but it also allows you to very effectively escape and evade enemies. If a charger or another foe is coming towards you and you don't have much ammo, get close, hit it with one shotgun round and then run around it while it's dazed. You'll get past the foe with most of your ammo intact.
Always Explore Off The Beaten Path
Throughout Scorn, there will be several sections where the path splits. Remember to try both routes whenever this happens. Scorn has a tendency to hide most of its resources just out of sight, whether that's additional ammo or health.
A good trick is to get a feel of how difficult the current section of the game is. If you're finding you're overwhelmed by enemies, there's a good chance a useful supply of ammo or health is hidden nearby. This is more prevalent in Act 4, where the game begins to hide ammo and health machines down optional corridors.
Make A Mental Note of Everything You Can't Interact With
One for those finding Scorn's puzzles tricky, the best way to figure out the solution to a problem you're stuck on is making a mental note of every item you've attempted to interact with so far. Excluding Act 1
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's minecart puzzle that has two solutions, every puzzle in the game will require you to use all the interactive objects in a puzzle's given area to solve it.
That means if something glows white when you approach it, you'll need to use it in some capacity to complete the puzzle you're currently solving. That can seem daunting at first but it's actually a very useful way to narrow down what you need to do next. If there are six objects in a room and you've already used four of them, chances are the next step will require the final two objects to complete.
Master The Bolt Rifle Early
As I'm sure you've gathered from the other tips on this list, ammo is an essential resource in Scorn and one you'll want to fiercely horde. However, there's one weapon that doesn't use any ammo: The Bolt Rifle.
You'll be stuck with this retractable bolt gun for the vast majority of the game, but there's a good chance it won't be your go-to. It's slow, clunky and can often leave you in the middle of tricky scenarios, only firing twice before initiating a cooldown period of a few seconds. However, you'll make Scorn much easier for yourself if you become a pro with the Bolt Rifle early into the game.
Learn how far the bolt's range is, how long its cooldown period takes to wear off and how many hits most enemies take to kill. It'll usually range between 2 and 6 if you're fighting spitters. You can also get into the routine of running from enemies while the Bolt Rifle's cooldown is in effect, learning how far spitters' ranged attacks travel and how much cover you'll need to avoid them. If you can get to grips with the bolt rifle, ammo will rarely be a problem.
Use Sound To Pinpoint Enemies
There will be several sections in Scorn where enemies will spawn from the fleshy masses emerging from the wall and floor. Quite often, they won't appear in front of you, entering the area from behind you or emerging in other rooms. To avoid a spitter ambush, your best course of action is to listen out for enemies nearby.
If you hear squelching or small screeching sounds, enemies are in the area. You can then either find a position to take a stand or track them down. Regardless, your first hint will always be audible, so make sure to keep an ear out.