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 that specializes in both ranged and close-quarters combat. She plays more as a hybrid between a melee and ranged class, switching between them with her Scythe and Gun forms.

Her Gun form allows for a consistent mid-range damage output with Let 'Er Rip as well as high burst damage potential with Bull's-eye and Bullet Blaze. Her Scythe form boasts her best mobilty options with Flat-hat and Chasing Flourish, along with Harvest's unpredictable movement. Her Scythe abilities deal greater damage based on the enemy's current hitpoints, providing an advantage against enemies at higher health. Her two unique Phinishers allow Scythe to have both large crowd control capabilities and single-target kill confirmation. Switcheroo has an extremely short cooldown, allowing Scythe to switch between these forms constantly and be incredibly versatile.

Her passive, Eye on the Target, gives Scythe a limited 'ammo' resource she must use wisely to keep a consistent damage output, the random target it also gives means Scythe must be ready for a matchup against any Phighter.

Abilities

Scythe has two different forms which give different sets of abilities: Scythe form and Gun 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. 8) (first hit) Ammo gain: +50 (first hit), +75 (kill/assist) Ammo regeneration rate: 1.67/second Max. ammo: 250 Mark duration: 30 seconds (without attacking enemy), X seconds (after attacking enemy) Shared between both forms. Scythe will gain 20% Haste and the mark's visuals become larger and clearer if over 50 studs away from the marked target. However, passive Haste is lost for a short period if Scythe attacks an unmarked enemy. The marked target is highlighted and can be seen through walls. Killing a marked target generates bonus Phinisher points, granting 12 Phinisher points or 10% Phinisher charge. While in Gun form, Scythe cannot passively regenerate ammo past 50. All Gun 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 (Scythe form): Swing your scythe, dealing bonus damage at its tip. Let 'Er Rip (Gun form): Shoot your gun, losing accuracy the longer you shoot. Harvest: Damage: 10 Tip damage: 5 + 10% of current hitpoints (min. 10) 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 an unmarked target is hit. Its tip damage is calculated differently from its normal damage, it is not added bonus damage.

Type Secondary	Switcheroo
	Switch between Scythe form and Gun form. Casting time: 1 second Cooldown: 1 second Shared between both forms.

Type Q Ability

Flat-hat / Bull's-eye

Flat-hat (Scythe form): Jump and fire a projectile, use 50 ammo to fire an additional projectile. Bull's-eye (Gun form): Hold to begin charging a bullet that stuns and deals knockback if charged long enough, recast or use primary to fire early. Flat-hat: Damage: X + X% 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, which converts into at least 26 damage dealt. Will fire automatically when fully charged. Will still recover ammo if an unmarked target is hit. Contrary to the in-game description, Bull's-eye is charged by tapping and fired by recasting or using primary.

Type E Ability

Chasing Flourish / Bullet Blaze

Chasing Flourish (Scythe form): Dash forwards, use 50 ammo to dash an additional time. Bullet Blaze (Gun form): Shoot 20 bullets forwards in a spread pattern. Chasing Flourish: Damage: 12 (dash) + X + X% 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 occurs in the direction of the crosshair. 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 an unmarked target is hit. Bullet Blaze: When using Bullet Blaze while below 20 ammo, all remaining ammo will be shot. The self-knockback from recoil occurs in the direction opposite of where it is aimed. Fires its bullets in an 8-pointed star pattern.

Type Phinisher

Stalking Ambush / Final Serenade

Stalking Ambush (Scythe form): Become invisible for 15 seconds and be able to teleport to and apply your target to a nearby enemy. Final Serenade (Gun 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%-75% (over 3 seconds) Bounce: 50% Phinisher points: 125 Final Serenade: Damage: 9 per tick (196 total) Ticks: 20 Ammo gain: +1 per tick 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 imply.

Strategy

Pros	Versatile both at range and in close-quarters. High damage potential and short cooldowns with Gun form. Exceptional mobility and advantage against higher health enemies with Scythe form. Accommodates various playstyles as a stance character.
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 Gun 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. Scythe's 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. Although it is effective to play aggressively, Scythe must also know when to disengage from a fight as her below average health pool of 150 hitpoints can only sustain her for so long. Scythe form's M1 and E still grant ammo on non-target enemies, giving Scythe an option to fall back on. Despite having melee capabilities. Scythe cannot sustain a frontline as well as actual melee Phighters, Scythe works best with frontliners (Sword, Ban Hammer, Boombox, etc.) to draw attention away from Scythe and let her get damage in with less risk of being a main target.

Scythe's role in the battlefield is similar to a "jack of all trades". She is able to deal big damage to an enemy's frontline, harass the backline consisting of support and ranged Phighters, and deal single-target focused and crowd control damage. Scythe is also able pressure to enemies with her far-reaching melee attacks and high mid-range DPS. Scythe maintains her best movement and aggressive capabilities with her Scythe form, able to rush down enemies with E and chip away at them with M1 and Q. Scythe form abilities have a trait of dealing more damage to higher health targets, making them a good opening against more healthy enemies. Gun form boasts the highest DPS of her kit with the trade-off of leaving Scythe much more vulnerable. The low cooldown of Switcheroo allows Scythe to switch between these forms constantly as needed.

Attempt to use your 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 over and over again.

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 to an enemy's backline, and lets enemies get into range of her melee attacks quickly. Being caught in a bad spot could lead you to wasting movement abilities. Try to position yourself at a flanking angle to not let yourself be the main focus. Staying near map terrain is useful if you ever need to escape or juke 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.
• 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 Gun 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 juke 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.
  • Scythe's 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 Gun 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 % of current health damage.
  • Fire only a couple projectiles to conserve ammo.
  • Can pierce multiple enemies for some small crowd control.
  • Flat-hat's projectiles disappear after traveling for a certain distance, avoid using from longer ranges.
  • 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 juke 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 be used for extremely fast horizontal movement, although sacrificing its spin damage and a bit of 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.

Gun 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 Gun form with much slower movement. A Scythe switching to Gun 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 focused and rushed down.
• Flat-hat and Chasing Flourish have relatively long cooldowns, if you know Scythe has these abilities on cooldown, try to rush her down.
• Being able to juke 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, like into the middle of your team or near damaging map hazards.

Badge

Name	Icon	Description	Reward
scythe badge		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 light 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.

Skins:

Version history

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
Other Swords Darkheart • Firebrand • Ghostwalker • Icedagger • Illumina • Venomshank • Windforce NPCs Dom • Ghosdeeri • Graffiti • Lightblox • Lord Pwnatious "Moneybags" the III • Mx. Bot • Paint Buckét • Rainbeau • Roger • Spray Paint • The Broker • Traffic • Valk • Void Star • Zuka Miscellaneous Carnage • Ducky • Grav • Sparkles • The Dollmaker • Warp