Pyro

From TF2 Wiki

Contents 1 Information 1.1 Bio 1.2 Taunts 2 Strategy 3 Weapons 3.1 Standard 3.2 Unlockable 3.3 Special 4 See also 5 External Links

Information

The Pyro has the unique ability to set enemies on fire at close range with his Flamethrower, inflicting damage over time through burning. With only a secondary Shotgun to supplement his short range, he must rely on Ambush tactics to catch opponents off-guard.

Pyros are major assets in locating enemy Spies. The Flamethrower will ignite both Cloaked and Disguised Spies; which, when combined with its spread, makes it ideal for finding a Spy attempting to hide or blend in.

Despite his place in the offensive category, the Pyro can also be a useful asset in defense, confusing incoming attackers and defending a Sentry or group of Sentries from meddling Spies. Another useful defensive application is defending Sniper spots from Spies, so the Snipers can do their jobs without fear.

Another useful asset of the Pyro class is their compression blast, allowing skilled Pyros to reflect projectiles back at their opponents and to clear areas of deadly sticky bombs.

Bio

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Voice actor: Dennis Bateman

AKA: 'Frankenstein'

Country of Origin: Unknown

Job: Pyrotechnics

Motto: "Mmmphh mphhhh mphh"

Only two things are known for sure about the mysterious Pyro: He sets things on fire and he doesn't speak. In fact, only the part about setting things on fire is undisputed. Some believe his occasional rasping wheeze may be an attempt to communicate through a mouth obstructed by a filter and attached to lungs ravaged by constant exposure to his asbestos lined suit. Either way, he's a fearsome, inscrutable on-fire Frankenstein of a man. If he even is a man.

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Taunts

	Flamethrower / Backburner The Pyro thrusts his Flamethrower in the air while cackling triumphantly, a sly nod to the Tusken Raiders of the Star Wars films.
	Shotgun / Flare gun The Pyro charges up and performs a Hadouken, complete with a burst of flame emerging from his hands. (Note- Instant Kill for anyone unlucky enough to be hit by it)
	Fire axe / Axtinguisher The Pyro plays air guitar on his axe.

Strategy

Main article: Pyro strategy

• Playing a Pyro requires a different mindset. Pyros are weak on frontal attacks -- they will lose to most other classes if they see him coming. However, if they catch the enemy by surprise, Pyros are the most dangerous class in the game. Always try for an Ambush. Learn the maps and use side corridors rather than main ones. Use your speed to your advantage to flank Soldiers and Snipers.

• Pyros have low health but they are fast, so keep moving and circling behind the enemy. Use your flames to keep enemies confused as to where you are. It is possible (but difficult) to take down a Heavy this way. Or you can simply blaze and escape and then attack from another angle after they have taken damage from burning.

• The flamethrower's new compressed-air blast ability now makes the Pyro an invaluable minesweeper class, allowing him to push stickybombs away from important game objectives like control points or intelligence. It can also be used to deflect rockets and grenades back at the attacker or just to push enemies away. Airblasting a grenade or rocket will make it change its team allegiance, rendering them harmless against team-mates, but allowing you to hit any enemy with them, not necessarily the soldier/demoman who fired them; this is also useful for "disarming" grenades on the ground before they deal damage to your team-mates. Just remember that each blast of compressed air consumes 25 units of fuel for the flamethrower.

• Weaker classes like Scouts, Engineers, Medics and Snipers retreat when they are on fire. Light them up and quickly retreat, then return with your Shotgun drawn. They often give you an exposed back for your Shotgun shells. If set on fire, Medics may attempt to extinguish themselves by shooting at you with the Blutsauger - either leave them to burn or switch to the shotgun and pursuit from a distance.

• If an Engineer has left a Sentry near a corner, you can try to pop around the corner and take out the Sentry at point blank range before it kills you. This works against Level 1 Sentries but rarely Level 2 or 3, because they push you out of range. If the turret is positioned somewhere other than a corner, it is possible to circle strafe around even a Level 3 turret and burn it down, but only if the turret is not already aimed at your entry point.

• An ubered Pyro can lay waste to a Sentry nest faster than any other class, but they are more susceptible to knockback from Sentries. They must get to point blank range before the Sentries start firing. Use corners to your advantage, and the Medic should go first to draw the Sentries' fire. An ubered Pyro may be the most destructive force in the game.

• The flames you see on the screen do not match the flames' "real" presence on the server. The "real" flames seem to lag the graphics. This is why you often miss fast classes like Scouts and Demomen with your initial burst. Lead them a little to compensate. This can be exploited to your advantage, especially against enemy pyros - if you fire while retreating backwards in a straight line, an enemy pyro pursuing you will not be damaging you due to the lagging flame hitbox, but will be taking damage from your flames despite visually being just outside them.

• The Flame thrower has a deceptively short range. Many new Pyros empty their weapon at a fleeing enemy to no effect. Also, when an enemy is fleeing, the lag between the "real" flames on the server and the graphics on your screen makes the range even shorter. If an enemy is more than a few feet away, switch to your Shotgun.

• When flaming an enemy, it's best to listen for the higher pitched sizzling sound to know when you're actually hitting the enemy. The flames might be hitting the enemy on screen, but they won't cause damage unless you hear the sound.

• The Flamethrower doesn't work when you are too close to an object (floor, wall, tire, etc.). You can roast a Sentry just around a corner by using the edge of your flames, but it is hard to get the angle just right. You can often roast an enemy's toes if he is standing on a wall above you if you jump up and give him a quick shot of flame, but again the timing is tricky.

• Pyros may wear flame retardant suits and be unable to catch fire, but they still take damage from an enemy Pyro's flames. The Shotgun may be more useful in some cases for fighting another Pyro.

• The Flamethrower's short range forces the Pyro to sneak up on opponents and attack while they are distracted. Shepherd fleeing players into hallways or corners.

• Charging into a group of enemies and setting them all on fire is a good way to sow chaos and disrupt an offensive push.
  • If there is a medic in the group make sure he dies first, otherwise your chaos and disruption will be turned into just so much wasted ammunition.

• Use caution when fighting near water or a source of enemy healing (be it Health pickups or Medics/Dispensers): both can extinguish a burning character immediately. If you believe the flames did enough damage before

• Switching to the shotgun can often be more effective for finishing off a fleeing opponent.

• Using your Flamethrower on team-mates is a good way to Spy-check. Only a momentary burst of flame is needed to ignite an enemy Spy; briefly shooting every team-mate is a cost-effective method of minimizing Spy encounters.

• Without the need to reload, the Flamethrower can immediately use any ammo with which it is supplied. Standing next to a Dispenser can allow the Pyro to act as a stationary flame turret for guarding an Engineer fortification or the Intelligence room of CTF maps.

• Use alternate routes to organize a synchronized attack on the enemy, igniting them from behind while team-mates attack from the front. This can be very effective on Defense, especially on 2fort, running down alternate corridors to sneak behind Medics partnered with a Heavy.

• While the Pyro is a good offensive character, he can also be an effective defensive choice. Stand near the Capture point or Intelligence and ignite anyone who comes near with your Flamethrower.

• Pyros teamed up with Spies are great in crushing enemy defenses.The Spy goes on a rampage sapping enemy buildings which allows the Pyro to quickly rush in and destroy the buildings using his Flame thrower. Engineers will be too busy removing Sappers to notice you. It is the quickest way to take down lone Sentries (or even big groups if there are more Pyro-Spy teams working with you) within tight spaces (ex: 2fort bases)

• Pyros teamed with a Medic / Heavy combo make an effective combination, the Pyro protects them both from close range attackers while they can take out fleeing enemies on fire.

• The flamethrower's alt-fire is great for pushing off enemies from a high place, such as the last CP in Gravel Pit or the bridge in Dustbowl Stage 3, and separating/holding back ÜberCharged pairs. You can also easily pin an enemy to a wall or keep him suspended in mid-air, as long as you have the ammo for it.

• Contrary to popular belief, the flamethrower can be used while in water: so long as the user isn't completely submerged (enemies still cannot be ignited due to the water though). Holding the jump button ensures you'll remain surfaced, allowing you to still damage anything within the flamethrower's range and possibly get some highly unexpected kills.

• When guarding the last point, stick with an Engineer and spycheck, if using the flamethrower, use the air compression to blow Ubered enemies away from the sentry. (JSA [1])

Weapons

Note: Weapon damage is approximate and measured at point blank range. See individual weapon pages for details.

Standard

Type	Weapon	Ammo Loaded	Ammo Carried	Damage Range
Primary	Flamethrower	200	200	22.5 fire particles each second - 4 to 6.8 damage per particle, according to range - max of 153 damage/sec. Short range, no reload. Crits do 3x damage, up to 459/sec. Additionally, victims burn for 5-6/sec for 10 seconds. Alternate fire blasts compressed air to knock back enemies and redirect projectiles, using 25 ammo per blast.
Secondary	Shotgun	6	32	80-90 (180 crit) [slow reload]
Melee	Fire axe	N/A	N/A	43-87 (195 crit) [a little more than 1 hit per second]

Unlockable

Type	Weapon	Ammo Loaded	Ammo Carried	Damage Range	Special Ability
Primary	Backburner	200	200	22.5 fire particles each second - 4 to 6.8 damage per particle, according to range - max of 153 damage/sec. Short range, no reload. Crits do 3x damage, up to 459/sec. Additionally, victims burn for 5-6/sec for 10 seconds.	Guarantees critical damage when attacking an enemy from behind. No random criticals. No alternate fire.
Secondary	Flare gun	1	16	13-15 (60 critical hit) impact damage + 5-6/sec for 10 seconds afterburn damage vs non-pyro	Ignites any enemy that it strikes
Melee	Axtinguisher	N/A	N/A	23-43 (195 crit)	Does half the damage of the ordinary axe but gains 100% crit chance when hitting a burning enemy.

Special

Type	Weapon	Ammo Loaded	Ammo Carried	Damage Range
Taunt	Hadouken	Must have ammo in shotgun or Flare gun	Must have ammo in shotgun or Flare gun	433 damage (Instant Kill on all but the overhealed Heavy), and lights on fire.

See also

• Fire
• Hadouken
• How to play the Pyro
• Ambushing
• Pyro rush
• Obtaining pyro achievements
• Pyro achievements
• How to play Pyro's Unlockable Weapons
• Pyro match-ups
• Pyro responses
• Pyro scripts
• Pyro strategy
• Pyro voice commands

External Links

• "The Pyro Update"

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Classes
Offensive	Defensive	Support
Scout • Soldier • Pyro	Demoman • Heavy • Engineer	Medic • Sniper • Spy