Are Scorpions OP?

scorpions are one of the most intimidating builds in the game they're also one of the oldest and have been in the game since before the devs even added the terrestrial server dlc their combination of powerful claws and deadly stinger create an imposing threat to anyone looking to challenge them in combat but has their ancient strategy held up in the face of the immense power creep the game has seen let's take a closer look at the stats and abilities scorpions employ and ultimately decide where they fall on the tier list this video was made in partnership with curiosity stream first they're stats the scorpion's stats are fairly decent across the board nothing completely overtuned but not really lacking in any areas other than mobility and intelligence their power is obviously quite strong as the scorpion sports multiple types of damage dealing equipment their claws act as potent grappling weapons which can also deal minor crushing and slicing damage their venom sting is their ace move though being able to one shot most players if the move connects big if there but we'll come back to that their defenses are quite sturdy though they sport the fairly standard kite and armor found in most arthropod builds this is all they really need to be able to deflect most attacks from players within their own weight class giving it ample time to counter-attack with its piercing stinger it gets easily crushed by larger foes however this armor is also crucial for avoiding passive environmental damage from things like sandstorms which are common in the biomes scorpion mains favor despite the fact that humans have a way to completely negate the scorpion's camouflage against most opponents the scorpion's stealth is quite effective in addition to camouflage the scorpion's flat shape allows it to easily wedge itself into more defensible positions and their digging ability enables them to take cover in a pinch which is good because stealth is basically their only option against more powerful players they have very little defense against attacks from larger builds you'd think their potent venom would make for an effective deterrent against attacks but as we'll see this defense falls apart rather quickly when it's truly tested their intelligence being below average is no surprise intelligence builds weren't viable at all when scorpions were first added to the game and while it's by far the most power crept stat in the game now back during the ordovician expansion intelligence as a strategy was largely ignored and most players didn't level it beyond the point of granting basic sensory capabilities so with all that said scorpions are a solid build with a straightforward strategy and a respectable history however as alluded to earlier power creep has massively undercut the viability of scorpion builds a good player will have very little difficulty playing around the scorpion's strengths and exploiting its major weaknesses so let's talk about those weaknesses the straightforward nature of the scorpion strategy is great for new players to be able to learn quickly the scorpion's core strategy is to grapple an opponent immobilizing them so that the scorpion's sting attack can connect without issue the problem is if they miss their grapple attempt things can get dicey pretty quickly without claws holding the target in place the venom sting attack has a pretty terrible accuracy rating it's easily dodged blocked or avoided worse still this stinger is not a disjointed hitbox it can be damaged just the same as the rest of the scorpion's body in fact when dealing with a scorpion this is the optimal strategy scorpion claws are fairly weak compared to other clawed arthropods hermit crabs and lobsters can both deal far more damage via their vice grip attacks scorpions rarely deal lethal damage in such a way so if an opponent attacks and disables their stinger it's often game over for the scorpion scorpions also have very little counter play when faced with multiple opponents with no multi-target or aoe attacks and no means of quick escape they're quickly overwhelmed from a multi-directional onslaught their grab attacks are also not as effective as they need to be at times because they mostly rely on the pointed ridges of their claws to maintain grip armored targets that can resist being punctured by these spines can often slip right out of their grip with ease not that the scorpion had much hope of landing a sting against a target with high puncture resistance anyway now let's talk about match-ups first the bad of which there are many the scorpion's worst match-ups are going to be builds that spec into puncture resistant armor or venom resistance several mammal builds like the shrew and mongoose opt for venom resistance solely for the purpose of subverting the scorpion's defenses which makes this a borderline unwinnable matchup the round shape of beetle armor is perfect for deflecting sting attacks and extremely difficult to secure via grappling beetles tend to also be fairly lacking in their offensive stats so it is rare to actually be defeated by one but as a hunting target they present quite a challenge ants obviously must be avoided at all costs as scorpions have no outs against a swarming attack birds have high accuracy on their packing attacks and are often quite good at targeting their stingers their quick movement presents very little opportunity for counter-attack making this a tough matchup certainly not impossible though as one hit from the stinger is likely enough to ko any bird and their feathers provide zero puncture resistance reptiles are kind of a toss-up an attack from a lizard or snake is usually powerful enough to deal heavy damage through the scorpion's armor however these attacks usually present ample opportunity for a stinging counter attack too if it connects it may one shot the reptile but not before it has already dealt potentially lethal damage anyway scale armor is also somewhat puncture resistant so this combined with the sting's low accuracy means these fights tend to favor the reptile for good matchups scorpions are actually quite effective against spiders they lack strong armor and need to get in close to deliver their own lethal strike presenting lots of opportunity for counter-attacks their webbing is of course a threat but it's difficult for a spider to wet down all three weapons especially since the claws can slice through silk scorpions are also fairly decent at defending themselves from mammals like cats and dogs as their claws cannot do much damage against the scorpion's armor but the scorpion can easily counter attack for lethal if the mammal gets too careless there are a few abilities i think could turn scorpions into a top tier threat a more versatile grappling option would be a solid start their claws struggle to secure opponents with puncture resistance or round shape both of which are fairly abundant in the current meta but there are plenty of other grappling techniques they could spec into instead of pincher claws the velvet worms glue spray attack could work well to immobilize prey though this might not be super effective when trying to pin a player to a sandy surface they could spec into the sort of tether grab attack like the chameleon uses though this requires a level of precision and accuracy that i don't think the scorpion's current perception perks can quite support scorpions could really benefit from catching up to the other arthropods who run the compound eyes perk as this would really help alleviate their accuracy problem one strat i think would work really well would be to min max for the burrowing play style a bit more deliberately the antlions play style of building a trap could be really effective and the scorpion is already fairly decent at digging holes the added protection of staying out of sight would help against some of their worst matchups too as they are now though to be honest i do think scorpions have been powercraft pretty hard and that their glory days of being a top meta threat are long gone their powerful grab sting death combo is still quite powerful but their strategy is too easily subverted to make a dent in high level play i place them firmly in d tier on the tier list scorpions are a fascinating build that i do hope eventually get buffed if you'd like to learn more about scorpions there's an excellent documentary i can recommend called animal armor it's part of a series called nature's fight club and this episode centers on animals which prioritize their defensive abilities it has a substantial section all about scorpions but also features incredible builds like the pangolin and porcupine you can check it out on curiositystream the sponsor of today's video curiosity stream is a subscription streaming service where you can watch thousands of high quality documentaries and non-fiction titles including a bunch of my personal favorites like leaps in evolution and out of the cradle in addition every new curiosity stream member also gets access to nebula a streaming service made by and for creators like myself i've made a few exclusive videos on there but i also recommend some of the originals made by fellow creators such as the modern conflicts series made by real life lore it's especially relevant in today's meta to get access to both of these awesome services for only 299 a month head to curiositystream.com tierzoo or click the link in the description thank you so much for watching thanks especially to my patrons on patreon and i'll see you all in the next video [Music] you

Channel: TierZoo

Views: 12,473,885

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Length: 9min 39sec (579 seconds)

Published: Thu Mar 17 2022