Prefer visual lore for Scapegoats? Check out the lore drop on TikTok or YouTube!
In The Outlast Trials, you’re constantly hunted, tested, broken, and rebuilt; But some subjects are stripped of even that twisted purpose. Meet the Scapegoats, former Reagents turned into expendable set pieces for Murkoff’s most dehumanizing experiments.
Scapegoats are Tools, Not Threats
Scapegoats aren’t traditional enemies. They aren’t here to hunt you. They’re here to die for the show.
First encountered in the Vindicate the Guilty trial, these frail, trembling men act as “witnesses” in Murkoff’s mock trials. They shiver in corners. They mutter nonsense. They don’t attack unless pushed to the edge, but when they do, they can floor you with the raw power of a Big Grunt.
Still, they’re wired to flee, not fight. If chased, they’ll bolt, shove Reagents aside, and disappear through Ex-Pop doors. Their fear isn’t just performance – It’s deeply, chillingly real.
Microwave Execution: The Scapegoats Lamb Bulbs
Here’s where things get really sadistic.
Scapegoats wear three lightbulbs on their head, connected to a microwave-triggered explosive jammed in their mouth. When a Reagent hits them with the microwave device, a bulb lights up. Hit all three, and…
Boom.
The bulb explodes.
The mouth detonates.
And the Scapegoat dies screaming.
This isn’t just cruelty, it’s conditioning. Murkoff doesn’t want Reagents to kill easily. They want you to hesitate. To look that broken man in the eyes. To hear him beg. And then pull the trigger anyway.
Mutilated Past, Forgotten Future
Scapegoats are covered in filth and trauma. Words like “She’s guilty” are carved into their flesh; not tattooed, not written. Carved.
These markings mirror the behavior of Sergeant Leland Coyle, a Prime Asset known for etching his judgments into victims. It’s very likely that Coyle personally prepared these poor souls for their role in the Trials.
Some Scapegoats cry out for wives, children, or salvation, suggesting they were once Reagents themselves. Or maybe those cries are a final plea. One last hope to manipulate their attacker into showing mercy.
But mercy has no place in Murkoff’s world. Scapegoats are meant to die. They are living props built to break you emotionally, not physically.
Enjoying these lore drops? Check out our other lore drops on enemies like the Leland Coyle, Grunts, and Big Grunts!
