Scythe

Are my staff still doing their jobs?

This Phighter has recently had balance changes that may not yet be reflected in this article. Take care when reading through their abilities!

Reason: All Phighters have received a +100% buff to their Health, Shield, damage, and healing output as of 29 December 2024. This article currently uses the old values.

Overview

Lore

Dialogue

Gallery

Skins

Scythe is a ranged Phighter. She was released on 24 February 2024 with V0.8.0.

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 quickly handle groups of enemies 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

Type Passive

Eye on the Target

In-Game DescriptionDetailsNotesAbility Demonstration 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 HP (min. 5) Ammo gain: +50 (first hit) / +75 (elimination) Ammo regeneration rate: 1.67/sec Max. ammo: 250 Base 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. 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. Load video Local File Local File might collect personal data. ContinueDismiss

Type Primary

Harvest / Let 'Er Rip

In-Game DescriptionDetailsNotesAbility Demonstration 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 (base) / 7 + 10% of current HP (min. 12) (tip) Swing interval: 0.7 seconds Range: 20 studs Ammo gain: +2 (base) / +5 (tip) Let 'Er Rip Damage: 3 Fire rate: 16/sec Projectile hitbox: 1x1 Ammo cost: 1 per shot Max. recoil: after ~30 shots Recoil recovery time: 0.4 seconds Slow penalty: 10% Bound penalty: 25% Harvest Triggers a critical hitmarker on tip hit. Grants 2 ammo each swing if a non-target is hit. Before each swing, Scythe is slightly pushed in the direction she is moving. Load video Local File Local File might collect personal data. ContinueDismiss Load video Local File Local File might collect personal data. ContinueDismiss

Type Secondary	Switcheroo
	In-Game DescriptionDetailsNotesAbility Demonstration Switch between Scythe form and Rifle form. Endlag: 0.8 seconds Cooldown: 1 second Cooldowns between both forms are separate. Any active cooldowns in one form will continue in the background when switching to the other form. Load video Local File Local File might collect personal data. ContinueDismiss

Type Q Ability

Flat-hat / Bull's-eye

In-Game DescriptionDetailsNotesAbility Demonstration 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 HP (min. 12) Fire interval: 0.3 seconds Ammo gain: +10 Ammo cost: 50 per recast Windup: 0.7 seconds Jump height: 15 studs Cooldown: 12 seconds Bull's-eye Damage: 4-40 Stun applied: 0-1 second Ammo gain: +50% of ammo used Ammo cost: 1-50 Endlag: 1.5 seconds Charge time: 0.2-1.5 seconds Slow penalty: 10%-30% (charging) / 100% (after firing) Bound penalty: 100% Recast cooldown: 0.2 seconds 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. Primary can also be used to recast. Cooldown will start only once Scythe stops firing. Bull's-eye Applies Stun only after at least 33 ammo has been used or at least 26 damage dealt. Will reach full charge and stop consuming ammo after 1.25 seconds. Will still recover ammo if a non-target is hit. Recasting or using primary will fire Bull's-eye early. Cooldown will start only once it fires. Load video Local File Local File might collect personal data. ContinueDismiss Load video Local File Local File might collect personal data. ContinueDismiss

Type E Ability

Chasing Flourish / Bullet Blaze

In-Game DescriptionDetailsNotesAbility Demonstration Chasing Flourish In Scythe form, dash forwards before slashing in an area around you, use 50 ammo to dash an additional time. Bullet Blaze In Rifle form, shoot 20 bullets forwards. Chasing Flourish Damage: 10 (dash) + 15 + 5% of current HP (min. 15) (slash) Ammo gain: +10 (dash) + 25 (slash) Ammo cost: 50 per recast Dash distance: 20 studs Recast cooldown: 0.2 seconds Cooldown: 8 seconds Bullet Blaze Damage: 3 per shot Projectiles: 20 Ammo cost: 20 Endlag: 1.5 seconds Slow penalty: 30% Bound penalty: 25% Cooldown: 3 seconds Chasing Flourish Using other abilities will cancel the slash and cause Scythe to levitate for a moment. Grants 5 and 10 ammo from the dash and slash, respectively, if a non-target is hit. Cooldown will start only once Scythe stops dashing. Bullet Blaze When using Bullet Blaze while below 20 ammo, all remaining ammo will be shot. Fires its bullets in an 8-pointed star pattern. Load video Local File Local File might collect personal data. ContinueDismiss Load video Local File Local File might collect personal data. ContinueDismiss

Type PHINISHER!

Stalking Ambush / Final Serenade

In-Game DescriptionDetailsNotesAbility Demonstration 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 HP (min. 30) Ammo gain: +50 Max. duration: 15 seconds Windup: 0.5 seconds Endlag: 1 second Haste: 300%-75% over 3 seconds Bounce: 50% Phinisher points: 125* Phinisher cutscene: 1 second Final Serenade Damage: 9 * 19 + 25 (final hit) Ammo gain: +1 per hit Duration: 2 seconds Slow penalty: 30% Bound penalty: 100% Phinisher points: 125* Phinisher cutscene: 1 second Phinisher points are shared between both forms. Stalking Ambush Scythe is unable to use any other abilities or gain Phinisher points while in Stalking Ambush. The translucent form of the player during Stalking Ambush is visible to all allies. All enemies are highlighted and can be seen and targeted through walls. Only teleports to the location an enemy was before the teleport windup. Scythe will be launched forwards upon completing the Phinisher animation. If casted while airborne, Scythe will levitate for a moment before gradually falling. Final Serenade Its hitbox extends much farther vertically than its visuals show. Load video Local File Local File might collect personal data. ContinueDismiss Load video Local File Local File might collect personal data. ContinueDismiss

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.
    • 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 slash on groups of enemies.
  • The dash and slash grant more ammo compared to Scythe form's other abilities, use for a quick burst of ammo if needed.
  • Canceling Chasing Flourish's slash with Harvest can double the horizontal distance of a single dash, though it sacrifices the slash 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.

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

• All of Rifle form's abilities self-apply Slow and Bound, making her much easier to chase down or hit while in this form.
• Her 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.
• She performs the best in one-on-one situations; getting a teammate to help you will make the fight much harder for her, likely forcing her to run away.
• If you are Scythe's chosen target, attempt to avoid or kill her in order to reduce her ammo gain. Try to avoid getting isolated and stick with your team.
  • Being a target could be used to lure her away, such as from the Conquer point objective or away from her own team.
  • If Scythe might target you with Stalking Ambush, try to lure her into an unfavorable position, for example, with another teammate who can help deal with her.
• Due to Final Serenade not extending far downwards, keeping her airborne during the Phinisher can effectively negate all its damage. The safest option is by using Subspace's Fallen Star, only recasting it once the Phinisher ends.

Badge

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

Trivia

General:

• Scythe is based on the Laser Scythe gears.
• Scythe's character theme is "THE MOST WANTED".
• Scythe speaks with a Southern accent.
• During April Fools' 2024, Scythe was renamed to alastor, and remodeled to reference Alastor from Hazbin Hotel.

Development:

• Scythe is largely inspired by the character Bayonetta from the game franchise of the same name.
  • Her voice would sound similar to a 'southern Bayonetta'.
• Scythe's render pose is inspired by one of the covers for Chainsaw Man.
• Scythe's animations were influenced by Soul Eater.
• The three lenses that cover one of Scythe's eyes are inspired by the character Kopaka from the Bionicle franchise.
• Her gear's design is based on the MP34 submachine gun.

Skins:

• Dutchman Scythe was created by a guest modeler, shinon.
  • Its concept art was made by 23sanx.

Version history

V0.9.0 - 7 December 2024 In private servers only: Stalking Ambush Maximum invisibility duration decreased from 15 seconds to 10 seconds. Phinisher charge now visually drains on the UI to represent its duration. V0.9.0 - 14 September 2024 The Dutchman Scythe skin was added to the game. V0.8.0 - 26 August 2024 Harvest Damage increased from 10 to 12. V0.8.0 - 28 July 2024 BUG FIX: Rifle mode no longer randomly stops working. Eye on the Target No longer locks onto spectating players. V0.8.0 - 24 July 2024 Updated Scythe's skintone. V0.8.0 - 25 June 2024 Harvest Added new SFX. V0.8.0 - 24 May 2024 BUG FIX: Fixed bug where Scythe would get softlocked. V0.8.0 - 14 May 2024 Released changes from May 9th to public servers. V0.8.0 - 9 May 2024 In private servers only: Adjusted positioning of all bullet spawns. Harvest Now gains ammo from all enemies instead of only enemies affected by Eye on the Target. Let 'Er Rip Now increases bullet spread at a faster rate but has a lower max spread and recovers after 0.4 seconds rather than 0.5 seconds. Chasing Flourish Now gains ammo from all enemies instead of only enemies affected by Eye on the Target. Bullet Blaze Cooldown increased from 2 seconds to 3 seconds. Bull's-eye Is now a hitscan attack rather than a 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). V0.8.0 - 23 April 2024 Added new dialogue for first bloods, revenges, shutdowns, and resurrections. V0.8.0 - 6 April 2024 All changes made to Scythe during PHIGHTING! 4 were reverted. Chasing Flourish Adjusted Y force to make up for the new gravity change (from 15 to 10). PHIGHTING! 4 - 1 April 2024 Renamed from "Scythe" to "alastor". Visually reworked to reference Alastor from Hazbin Hotel. Now has a unique splash screen that appears behind Scythe when activating her Phinisher. V0.8.0 - 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. V0.8.0 - 15 March 2024 BUG FIX: Fixed issues with damage calculations and detection on Boombox's Tempo Change and Vine Staff's sprouts. Final Serenade Can now damage through Protecting Overtone. V0.8.0 - 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 Boombox's Tempo Change. Bull's-eye BUG FIX: Hitting walls no longer grants ammo. V0.8.0 - 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 Boombox's Tempo Change 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. V0.8.0 - 2 March 2024 Harvest Height lowered from 10 to 5. Bull's-eye No longer replenishes ammo. Bullet Blaze No longer replenishes ammo. V0.8.0 - 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 the left mouse button as well as holding or pressing Q again to fire more projectiles. Bull's-eye Now charged by tapping rather than holding Q and fired by recasting Q or using the left mouse button. V0.8.0 - 24 February 2024 Scythe is released and available to play. 2 January 2024 Scythe is revealed to the public.

References

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