- "It hurts. It hurts too bad and still I don't want to die. Not like this."
- ―The Scapegoat
The Scapegoats, also known as The Witnesses, are some of the antagonists in The Outlast Trials. They are timid and hapless Ex-Pop whose heads have been rigged to blow up with pipe bombs and microwave receivers. In the trials, Reagents are tasked to hunt the Scapegoats down with remote Trackers, and kill them with Microwave Triggers designed to remotely detonate their explosives.
Background[]
Scapegoats are yet another victim of the Murkoff Corporation subjected to inhumane torture. Scapegoats are primarily used to fill the role of "witnesses" in the faux trial of Vindicate the Guilty. Judging by their quotes, they are likely former Reagents who were very shy and struggle to cooperate with their allies, despite claiming themselves to be a 'get-along guy'. They also mention about having children and a wife, likely being false claims to persuade Reagents into not killing them.
Characteristics[]
Scapegoats are very timid members of the Ex-Pop who prefer flight over fight. They will find an area to hide and stay idle until they encounter a Reagent from which they will attempt to flee but will fight back if cornered. They are the same size as Grunt Ex-Pop, but they are just as strong as Big Grunts, outright shoving and knocking down Reagents that corner them.
The Scapegoats are one of the few Ex-Pop that the Reagents can directly attack using the microwave trigger. When targeted at close range, the microwave trigger will begin to detonate one of the three small explosive bulbs on the Scapegoat's head. After triggering first and second bulb, he will attempt to search for Reagent before fleeing. If he is unable to find a clear escape route, he will attempt to fight back but will not actively seek combat. If in close proximity to one, the Scapegoats will use the metal doors used to release Ex-Pop into the trial to escape and relocate to another position.
Once all of them are set off, the bomb in the Scapegoat's mouth explodes violently, resulting in his death. When Reagent gets near the explosion from Scapegoat, they will receive certain damage and stun depending on the range. When Scapegoat explodes near the Ex-Pop, it can knock down weaker Ex-Pop such as Screamer and Grunts, while tougher ones such as Prime Assets, Big Grunts, and the Jaeger are only briefly staggered.
Story[]
The Outlast Trials[]
Physical description[]
The Scapegoats are injured looking males of above average weight. They are dressed in nothing but a pair of underwear and a set of oversize, loose fitting work boots. The Scapegoats' heads are covered in bandages with a microwave receiver around their scalp, which has been fitted with vacuum tubes and up to three lamp bulbs. The Scapegoats have pipe bombs jammed into their mouths, which causes their voices to be very muffled and difficult to understand.
Their bandages on the face are bloody, and their bodies are is seemingly unwashed. The skin of the Scapegoats has been mutilated, with words carved into their deltoid, underarm, and thigh. It is likely that these carvings are courtesy of Leland Coyle, who is known to engage in such activity, carving into the body of The Snitch as well. The most prominent carving located on their thigh reads "She's guilty", in reference to the Avellanos mannequin whose innocence the Reagents are there to defend in hunting down the Scapegoats.
In any non-Courthouse trial, the Scapegoats share the same physical characteristics as those in the Courthouse, but lack the thigh carving that reads "She's guilty."
Patch notes[]
October 26, 2023 (Early Access Update # 3 / Program Geister)
March 25, 2025 (Under Surveillance)
April 22, 2025 (Project Relapse)
October 21, 2025 (Program Geister & Invasion)
December 9, 2025 (Project Messiah)
December 12, 2025 (Project Messiah / Hotfix #1)
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Trivia[]
- According to game files from the early access launch version, the original name for Scapegoat was Stalker.
- Scapegoat claims to be a parent who has a son who barely walks and a wife named Suzie Q.
- Suzie Q may not be the actual name of their wife, but rather just an endearing nickname, as 'Suzie Q' used to be a term used to refer to a number of different things; ranging from a dance move from the 1930's, to singer and actress Suzi Quatro.
- Unlike The Judge and The Snitch, Scapegoats are much more subtle in revealing they were previously a Reagent.
- The Scapegoats are the only Ex-Pop that the player can kill, basically doubling them as Victims.
- When using the X-Ray rig shortly after killing a Scapegoat, the X-ray vision will still show his skull intact, despite his head exploding.
- In a line of dialogue, they tell the Reagents to not trust the Nurse or any of them. With Emily Barlow being the only nurse the Reagents can interact with, there is a high chance that this is in reference to her, though with Barlow's receding trust in Easterman and Murkoff, it is unclear if the Scapegoat's assertions about her are founded in reality, or in their distrust in anything related to Sinyala Employees collectively.
- In Downtown, the Scapegoats do not have any subtitles especially the one re-used from the Courthouse.
- In the game files, these Scapegoats use separate sound files recycled from the Courthouse and its unused variations. Unlike in the Courthouse, the Scapegoats' voice lines are mixed together, causing players to hear both Courthouse and unused variations within the same character.
- In the game files, the Scapegoats in Downtown are called "Capo", a term that, due to portrayals of the Mafia in Franco Barbi's trials, may be associated with positions of leadership within organized crime circles, such as the "caporegime" rank in the Mafia.[1]
References[]
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| Minor Characters |