What are Scars? No this isn’t some existential crisis, it’s actually gaming related. In the world of Anthem, Scars are a collection of critters that are hellbent on making your freelancer’s life miserable. As part of our continuing Anthem campaign gameplay series, this next clip is dedicated one of our battles with, “The little faction that could.”
Not much is known about the Scar species as of yet, but in our footage from the battlefield, you can glean a handful of key pieces of information.
They have the ability to teleport.
I’m sure you noticed that at several points in the combat, Scar units seemed to appear out of nowhere. That isn’t always the case, because they can actually utilize a transportation field (designated by the red hued areas on battlefield) to move from one place to another. Let’s look past the part where it’s an obvious design decision to easily explain unit spawning. I’m sure this was totally done for narrative purposes, right? *Wink*
They’re EVERYWHERE.
If our hands-on time with the game is any indication, the Scar faction will be a constant presence on the map. It was damn near impossible to travel any substantial period of time without running across the pesky little critters. They are usually found in concentrated pockets of troops, which leads to convenient sections of combat located around every corner.
Legendary Enforcers are a PAIN.
At least during the early stages of the campaign, these monstrous brutes are quite tricky to tackle. Their wide range of attack make them a nightmare to encounter in close-range, hand-to-hand combat. Due to their over-sized shields that protect far more of their body than Destiny’s Phalanx unit, they take a bit more deliberation to tackle. Thankfully, they’re far more vulnerable to attacks from above. Also, if you are playing in co-op, this is a perfect opportunity to use teamwork to flank and unleash the pain.
Fire is your friend.
While the build we played wasn’t necessarily final, it was fairly obvious that the AI didn’t do enough to account for any fires that are present on the battlefield. At several points you just see Scar units go barreling through an inferno, instead of going around the flames. For this reason, utilizing a Javelin ability that produces persistent lines of flame will greatly increase your odds of success. Well, at least it will work until it gets patched.
Scars of a feather, flock together.
If you see what appears to be a single Scar unit roaming across the map, be skeptical. As mentioned earlier, these squads tend to stick close together. If they look alone, it’s very likely that you just haven’t found where everyone else is hiding. Tread lightly and be ready for all hell to break loose at any moment.
Are there any other tidbits about the Scar that we missed? Be sure to call them out in the comments below, and stay tuned for more Anthem gameplay reveals over the next couple of weeks!
