Scythe

Overview

Lore

Dialogue

Gallery

Skins

Scythe
"May I have this dance?"
Class	Ranged
Faction	Lost Temple
Statistics
Health	75
Shield	75
Other
Version added	V0.8.0
Chat color	#23806F

Scythe is a ranged Phighter. She was released on 24 February 2024 with V0.8.0 and the Dove vs. Crow Phestival.

Overview

Scythe is a ranged Phighter who plays more so as a hybrid between melee and ranged combat, using Switcheroo to alternate between her Scythe and Rifle forms as needed. In Rifle form, Let 'Er Rip dishes out high and consistent mid-range damage, complemented by Bull's-eye and Bullet Blaze for burst damage at both long and close ranges. Scythe's best mobility comes in her Scythe form, using Harvest and Chasing Flourish to dance around the enemy while chipping away at them, and Flat-hat to hover above danger while bursting them down at range. Her two forms also grant her two unique Phinishers, allowing her to chase down enemies with ease using Stalking Ambush and handle meddling groups through Final Serenade. Nearly all of Scythe's abilities depend on an 'ammo' resource that she must manage wisely to maintain a consistent damage output. This is done through her passive, Eye on the Target, which requires her to swiftly and efficiently eliminate her target to replenish her ammo. Overall, Scythe is an elegant but deadly Phighter, challenging to master but highly rewarding when played well.

Abilities

Scythe has two different forms which give different sets of abilities: Scythe form and Rifle form. These forms can be switched around by using Switcheroo.

Type Passive

Eye on the Target

A random enemy is chosen as your target, shooting them for the first time deals bonus damage and grants ammo, attacks on them grants ammo. Your target will switch if you do not attack them. Damage: 10% of current hitpoints (min. 5) Ammo gain: +50 (first hit) / +75 (elimination) Ammo regeneration rate: 1.67/second Max. ammo: 250 Target duration: 30 seconds If Scythe is over 50 studs away from the target, she will gain 20% Haste, and the target's mark will become more visible. However, passive Haste is lost for a short period if Scythe attacks a non-target enemy. The targeted enemy is highlighted and can be seen through walls. Killing a target generates bonus Phinisher points, granting 12 Phinisher points or 10% Phinisher charge. While in Rifle form, Scythe cannot passively regenerate ammo past 50. All Rifle form abilities apart from Final Serenade cannot be casted if ammo is at 0. 1/3 of ammo is retained after respawning, with a minimum of 25. Contrary to the in-game description, the bonus damage and ammo are activated upon any damage from Scythe.

Type Primary

Harvest / Let 'Er Rip

Harvest In Scythe form, swing your scythe, dealing bonus damage at its tip. Let 'Er Rip In Rifle form, shoot your gun, losing accuracy the longer you shoot. Harvest Damage: 12 Tip damage: 7 + 10% of current hitpoints (min. 12) Fire rate: --- Ammo gain: +2 / +5 (tip) Range: 20 studs Dash force: --- Let 'Er Rip Damage: 3 per bullet Fire rate: --- Projectile speed: --- Ammo cost: 1 per bullet Max. bullet spread and recoil: after ~30 shots Spread recovery time: 0.4 seconds Slow penalty: 10% Bound penalty: 25% Harvest Plays a critical hit indicator when hitting enemies at its tip. Will gain 2 ammo each swing if a non-target is hit. Its tip damage is calculated differently from its base damage, it is not added bonus damage.

Type Secondary	Switcheroo
	Switch between Scythe form and Rifle form. Casting time: 1 second Cooldown: 1 second There's nothing here yet...

Type Q Ability

Flat-hat / Bull's-eye

Flat-hat In Scythe form, jump and fire a projectile, use 50 ammo to fire an additional projectile. Bull's-eye In Rifle form, charge a bullet that stuns and deals knockback if charged long enough. Flat-hat Damage: 12 + 3% of current hitpoints (min. 12) Fire rate: --- Projectile speed: --- Projectile lifetime: --- Ammo gain: +10 Ammo cost: 50 per recast Jump height: 15 studs Cooldown: 12 seconds Bull's-eye Damage: 4-40 Stun duration: 0-1 second Ammo gain: +50% of ammo used Ammo cost: 1-50 Max. charge time: 1.25 seconds + 0.25 seconds after max. Knockback force: --- Slow penalty: 10%-30%, 100% (after firing) Bound penalty: 100% Cooldown: 2 seconds Flat-hat Pushes Scythe backwards when jumping. Using other abilities will cancel firing the initial projectile and cause Scythe to levitate for a moment. Projectiles can pierce through multiple enemies. Bull's-eye Applies Stun only after at least 33 ammo has been used or at least 26 damage dealt. Will still recover ammo if an unmarked target is hit.

Type E Ability

Chasing Flourish / Bullet Blaze

Chasing Flourish In Scythe form, dash forwards, use 50 ammo to dash an additional time. Bullet Blaze In Rifle form, shoot 20 bullets forwards. Chasing Flourish Damage: 12 (dash) / 15 + 5% of current hitpoints (min. 15) (spin) Ammo gain: +10 (dash) / +25 (spin) Ammo cost: 50 per recast Dash distance: 20 studs Spin height: --- Cooldown: 8 seconds Bullet Blaze Damage: 3 per bullet Projectile speed: --- Projectiles: 20 Ammo cost: 20 Endlag: 1.5 seconds Knockback force: --- (recoil) Slow penalty: 30% for 0.5 seconds Bound penalty: 25% for 0.5 seconds Cooldown: 3 seconds Chasing Flourish The dash follows the camera's direction. The spin can be canceled by using other abilities and causes Scythe to levitate for a moment. Will gain 5 and 10 ammo from the dash and spin, respectively, if a non-target is hit. Bullet Blaze When using Bullet Blaze while below 20 ammo, all remaining ammo will be shot. The self-knockback can occur in any direction. Fires its bullets in an 8-pointed star pattern.

Type Phinisher

Stalking Ambush / Final Serenade

Stalking Ambush In Scythe form, become invisible for 15 seconds and be able to teleport to and apply your target to a nearby enemy. Final Serenade In Rifle form, rapid fire in a circle around you, shoot a high damage blast at the end. Stalking Ambush Damage: 25 + 10% of current hitpoints (min. 30) Ammo gain: +50 Endlag: 1 second Max. duration: 15 seconds Haste: 300%-95% (over 3 seconds) Bounce: 50% Phinisher points: 125 Final Serenade Damage: 9/0.1 seconds Ammo gain: +1/0.1 seconds Radius: 20 studs Duration: 2 seconds Slow penalty: 30% Bound penalty: 100% Phinisher points: 125 Stalking Ambush Scythe is unable to use any other abilities or gain Phinisher points while in Stalking Ambush. The semi-transparent outline of the player during Stalking Ambush is visible to all allies. Enemies are highlighted and can be seen and targeted through walls. The teleport occurs 0.5 seconds after targeting an enemy, only to the location they were when initially targeted. If casted while mid-air, Scythe will levitate for a short moment before gradually falling. Final Serenade Its hitbox extends much farther vertically and slightly more horizontally than its visuals show.

Strategy

Pros	Versatile both at range and in close-quarters. High damage potential and short cooldowns with Rifle form. Exceptional mobility and advantage against higher health enemies with Scythe form. Two unique Phinishers.
Cons	Passive's target is chosen at random. Fewer options if unable to kill target or ammo runs out. Fairly squishy for a melee playstyle at 150 hitpoints. Vulnerable while in Rifle form. Long cooldowns in Scythe form.

Scythe is a ranged Phighter who uses her unique trait of both melee and ranged capabilities to weave in and out of the battlefield. When playing as Scythe, it is important to keep track of your ammo, a limited resource that most of your abilities consume, and make decisions and change playstyles based on how much ammo you can afford to use and how much you'll need to keep. The best strategy to keep ammo up is to play aggressively, always keeping track of your target to eliminate them and cycle through targets faster to gain more and more ammo. Despite this, Scythe must also know when to disengage from a fight as her health pool of 150 hitpoints can only sustain her for so long. Harvest and Chasing Flourish still grant ammo on non-target enemies, giving Scythe an option to fall back on.

Scythe's role in the battlefield is as a 'jack of all trades', similar to Sword. She can focus on an enemy's frontline with her high DPS potential, as well as take a Biograft-like approach to harass low mobility targets who usually sit in the backline, such as Hyperlaser and Vine Staff. Scythe works best in one-on-one fights as she can easily be overwhelmed taking on multiple. Rifle form's abilities are very good at providing supporting damage at range for your teammates, catching enemies off-guard and being able to rack up damage extremely quickly. Scythe form is best at movement and taking on enemies by yourself. The nature of Scythe form's abilities, dealing a percentage of an enemy's health, means they excel against tankier and more healthy enemies. Prioritizing Scythe form against enemies close to or at full health lets you chip them down easier to finish them off however you please. Attempt to use your two Phinishers often, as the relatively low cost of 125 Phinisher points along with gaining bonus points by killing your target lets Scythe provide as much impact as possible.

Positioning correctly is very important with Scythe, as it allows her to get in and out of fights easier, get a better line of sight for ranged attacks, and lets enemies get into range of her melee attacks quickly. Being caught in a bad spot could lead you to wasting movement abilities and ammo as Flat-hat and Chasing Flourish have long cooldowns. Despite having melee capabilities. Scythe cannot hold a frontline as well as actual melee Phighters, Scythe works best with frontliners (Katana, Ban Hammer, Boombox, etc.) to draw attention away from her and let her get damage in with less risk. Staying near map terrain is useful if you ever need to escape or kite an enemy.

Ability usage

• Eye on the Target
  • Any damage to the target will activate its bonus damage and ammo. Use Scythe's faster ranged attacks like Let 'Er Rip or Bull's-eye to damage them as soon as possible.
  • The target can be seen through walls, use this to your advantage for surprise attacks.
  • Be careful to not focus solely your target. If at sufficient enough ammo or in an unfavorable position to kill your target, focus on other enemies as well.
  • Know how aggressive you can afford to be based on your ammo and who your target is. For instance, if you know a fight with an enemy will leave your ammo reserves low, try taking the next fight more safely. If your target is in a fight with you and your team, you can use more abilities as your target can replenish that ammo.
• Switcheroo
  • Constantly switch between forms to maximize Scythe's kit and be as versatile as possible.
  • Stay in Scythe form while out of combat, as passive ammo regeneration stops above 50 while in Rifle form.

Scythe form:

• Harvest
  • Distance yourself from the enemy to make use of Harvest's % of current health tip damage. Use its quick and hard to predict movement to kite enemies and around terrain.
  • Use Harvest as your main ammo source when running low, as it costs no ammo to use and provides consistent ammo gain even on unmarked enemies.
  • Movement with Harvest has a few unique interactions:
    • Walking into a wall while attacking with Harvest causes Scythe to cling to it and fall much slower. Use this to stall if needed.
    • Walking backwards into a wall while looking down will instead cause her to climb up. The speed at which you climb is dependent on FPS, climbing faster the higher it is.
    • Using Harvest when walking into a steep slope launches Scythe upwards.
• Flat-hat
  • Can be a more favorable ranged option over Rifle form abilities as it does not leave Scythe as vulnerable, is more accurate at longer ranges than Let 'Er Rip, and makes use of Scythe form's percentage damage.
  • Fire only a couple projectiles to conserve ammo.
  • Can pierce multiple enemies for some small crowd control.
  • Could be used for movement with its height and hover time, though not recommended to be its main use due to its long 12-second cooldown.
  • The backwards push force while jumping can be negated by turning around before casting Flat-hat then immediately turning back.
• Chasing Flourish
  • Use Chasing Flourish as a quick escape tool, to kite enemies, and for closing medium to short distances.
  • Can be used for crowd control by dashing into enemies multiple times and using its spin on groups of enemies.
  • The dash and spin grant more ammo compared to Scythe form's other abilities, use for a quick burst of ammo if needed.
  • Canceling Chasing Flourish's spin with Harvest can double the distance of a single dash, though it sacrifices the spin damage and extra height.
• Stalking Ambush
  • Use Stalking Ambush on enemies at half health or lower to confirm the kill and significantly boost your ammo, or to place your target on more high-priority enemies: frontliners such as Ban Hammer, Katana, and support Phighters such as Medkit.
  • Can be used if Eye on the Target rolls an unfavorable target, like a difficult to hit Skateboard.
  • Its decently long 15-second duration allows Scythe to stall for a while. Scythe can stay in Stalking Ambush while waiting for a more favorable position to attack, such as an enemy leaving their team.
  • Avoid using it on fast-moving enemies, as Stalking Ambush only teleports to where the enemy was when initially targeted, causing you to miss the extra damage.
  • Could be used for escaping fights with its short Phinisher animation and burst of Haste.
  • Scythe can still be damaged while in Stalking Ambush, be careful as to not walk into enemy attacks.

Rifle form:

• Let 'Er Rip
  • Use Let 'Er Rip for softening up targets at mid-range and picking off low health enemies.
  • Use in very short, less than 1-second bursts as it quickly loses accuracy and gains more recoil the longer it is held.
• Bull's-eye
  • Use Bull's-eye to pick off enemies from afar or to interrupt them constantly with its Stun, knockback, and short cooldown.
  • Very punishing if missed, as it consumes up to 50 ammo and leaves Scythe vulnerable while charging and after firing. Use Bull's-eye from a safe position or while not in immediate danger.
  • Can be charged quickly for a faster but weaker attack, useful for activating your target's bonus damage and ammo from a longer distance.
• Bullet Blaze
  • Use Bullet Blaze at close-range as its damage decreases dramatically at longer ranges. 15 or less studs from the enemy is its most effective range.
  • The knockback from recoil can launch Scythe up vertically if aimed downwards. Use for vertical movement over Flat-hat as it has a much shorter cooldown and gains about the same height. Can also be used as a pseudo-"double jump".
• Final Serenade
  • Surprise enemies with Final Serenade as its short duration and radius could lead to enemies walking out of range and reducing its effectiveness.
    • Use Bullet Blaze, Flat-hat, or Chasing Flourish for vertical height before casting and dropping down on enemies. Depending on the map, terrain could be used as well.
    • Cast while enemies are distracted and looking away from you, such as being focused on your other teammates.
  • Has a much higher vertical hitbox than it seems, being able to hit enemies stuck in Subspace's Noxious Void if casted at ground level.
  • Katana's Foul Counter can soak up nearly all damage from Final Serenade and massively punish Scythe. If targeting a Katana, make sure their Foul Counter is on cooldown.

Counterplay against Scythe

• Very vulnerable while in Rifle form with much slower movement. A Scythe switching to Rifle form gives you a window to attack.
• Scythe's damage output is significantly reduced if she runs out of ammo, making her more vulnerable to being targeted with less ways to counter it or escape.
• Being able to kite around terrain using Harvest is one of the strongest parts of her kit, leading Scythe into an open area gives her less options for dodging attacks.
• If you are a Scythe's chosen target, attempt to avoid or kill her as much as possible to reduce her ammo gain. Try to avoid getting isolated and stick with your team.
  • Being a marked target could be used to lure her away, such as from the Conquer point objective or away from her own team.
  • If a Scythe might target you with Stalking Ambush, try to lure her into an unfavorable position, such as into the middle of your team.

Badge

Name	Icon	Description	Reward
N/A		N/A	N/A

Trivia

General:

• Scythe is based on the Laser Scythe gear.
• Scythe's character theme is "THE MOST WANTED".
• Scythe speaks with a Southern accent.
• Scythe has a darker skin tone in comparison to other Phighters, being a darker shade of gray rather than the typical white.
• During April Fools' 2024, Scythe was renamed to alastor, and remodeled to reference Alastor from Hazbin Hotel.

Development:

• Scythe is largely inspired by Bayonetta.
  • Her voice would sound similar to a 'southern Bayonetta'.
• Scythe's render pose is inspired by one of the covers for Chainsaw Man.
• The three lenses that cover one of Scythe's eyes are inspired by Kopaka from the Bionicle series.
• Scythe uses the alias Rifle as shown in her reveal trailer, though this alias is never mentioned again outside of this trailer, whether it be in-game or otherwise.

Skins:

Version history

25 June 2024 Added new SFX for Harvest. 24 May 2024 BUG FIX: Fixed bug where Scythe would get softlocked. 14 May 2024 Released changes from 9 May 2024 to public servers. 9 May 2024 This version released in private servers only. Adjusted positioning of all bullet spawns. Now gains ammo from Harvest and Chasing Flourish even when not hitting passive-assigned target. Let 'Er Rip Let 'Er Rip now loses control faster, but has a lower max spread and recovers after 0.4 seconds rather than 0.5 seconds. Bullet Blaze Cooldown increased from 2 seconds to 3 seconds. Bull's-eye Is now a hitscan attack rather than projectile. Max damage decreased from 50 to 40. Max charge time decreased from 1.5 seconds to 1.25 seconds (shot can still be held for 1.5 seconds). 23 April 2024 Added new dialogue lines for first bloods, revenges, shutdowns, and resurrects. 22 April 2024 Added new dialogue lines for first bloods, revenges, shutdowns, and resurrects. 6 April 2024 Chasing Flourish Adjusted Y force to make up for the new gravity change (from 15 -> 10). 27 March 2024 Hitpoints adjusted from 100 to 75 Health and from 50 to 75 Shield. BUG FIX: Fixed an issue where the ammo count upon respawning was inconsistent. 15 March 2024 BUG FIX: Fixed issues with damage calculations and detection on Protecting Overtone and Vine Staff's sprouts. Final Serenade Can now damage through Protecting Overtone. 12 March 2024 Harvest Hitting the tip of the hitbox now plays a critical hit sound effect. Let 'Er Rip BUG FIX: Fixed hit detection through Protecting Overtone. Bull's-eye BUG FIX: Hitting a wall no longer grants ammo. 10 March 2024 All projectiles will now check line of sight from the tip of her gun where the projectiles spawn rather than her torso for hit detection. Let 'Er Rip BUG FIX: Should be more consistent with its hitbox through Protecting Overtone and walls. Bull's-eye Projectile speed increased from 20 to 25. Now recovers 50% of ammo used on hit. Final Serenade Damage increased from 8 per tick to 9 per tick. 2 March 2024 Harvest Height lowered from 10 to 5. Bull's-eye Can no longer replenish ammo. Bullet Blaze Can no longer replenish ammo. 24 February 2024 Eye on the Target Max ammo reduced from 300 to 250. Passive ammo regeneration stops above 50 while in Rifle form. Let 'Er Rip Shots before max recoil is reached lowered from 100 to 75. Flat-hat Can now use primary instead of holding or reactivating Flat-hat to send out more projectiles. Bull's-eye Now charged by tapping rather than holding and fired by recasting or using primary. V0.8.0 Scythe is released and available to play. 2 January 2024 Scythe is revealed to the public.

References

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Characters
Phighters Melee Sword • Skateboard • Biograft • Katana • Ban Hammer Ranged Rocket • Slingshot • Hyperlaser • Shuriken • Scythe Support Medkit • Boombox • Subspace • Vine Staff • Coil
Other Swords Darkheart • Firebrand • Ghostwalker • Icedagger • Illumina • Venomshank • Windforce NPCs Broker Doll • Dom • Ghosdeeri • Graffiti • Lightblox • Lord Pwnatious "Moneybags" the III • Mx. Bot • Paint Buckét • Rainbeau • Roger • Spray Paint • The Broker • The Dollmaker • Traffic • Valk • Void Star • Zuka Miscellaneous Carnage • Ducky • Grav • Sparkles • Uni • Warp