Basic Pyro strategy

The Pyro is a moderately tough, close-range combat and utility class. He ambushes his enemies, inflicts heavy damage by combining the abilities of his unique weapons, or pushes the enemy around with a burst of air. Fleeing enemies can die from his afterburn, making him a good hit and run class. He has a low difficulty curve so it's an easy class to start playing, but his other skills give him some depth to master.

General

• The Flamethrower's Compression Blast ability is useful for clearing away projectiles, stopping enemy Übercharges, and can knock enemies off ledges.

• Fragile classes like the Sniper, Scout, Spy and Medic die quickly when attacked by Flamethrower. As such, players should not normally bother swapping to their secondary or melee weapons unless the foe moves out of range, as the fire damage from the Flamethrower will kill enemies faster than a combination attack.

• Heavier classes like the Soldier can kill a Pyro faster than the Flamethrower can kill them. Players should use the compression blast to reflect their rockets and, if the opportunity arises, combo attack them with the Flare Gun, Shotgun or Axtinguisher in order to inflict significant damage.

• The Pyro can easily destroy a Level 1 Sentry Gun using only the Flamethrower. If a Level 2 or 3 Sentry is close to a corner, players can sometimes circle-strafe it, successfully burning down both the Engineer and his nest at the same time.

• The Flamethrower has a deceptively short range, and many new Pyros empty their weapon at a fleeing or strafing enemy to no effect. Players should remember to aim ahead and listen for the sizzling sound of a frying foe, as that will confirm that the enemy is being damaged.

• Keep in mind that an enemy moves 10% slower while running backwards, so the pursuing Pyro has the advantage of speed in most cases.

• Pyros wear flame-retardant suits and do not suffer from afterburn, however they still take damage from an enemy Pyro's flames.

• Using the Flamethrower on team-mates is a good way to Spy-check. Only a momentary burst of flame is needed to ignite an enemy Spy, and briefly shooting every team-mate is a cost-effective method of minimizing Spy encounters. Should an enemy Spy be located and be killed, it is a good idea to spend another 3-4 seconds spraying nearby areas with fire to ensure that the Spy was not using the Dead Ringer.

• Most players will fire straight into a Pyro's flames while being chased. Using the Flamethrower while strafing sideways while still pursuing the enemy will allow the Pyro to dodge some attacks.

• The Pyro can defend Engineer nests surprisingly well since they can keep up a steady stream of fire in order keep Spies at bay, as well as reflect incoming projectiles away from the buildings.

• The Pyro can take out many enemies at once, especially if they are gathered together in a group, due to the large radius of the Flamethrower's attack.

• The Pyro becomes a dominant force when it comes to flanking from behind, especially with the Backburner because of its bonus critical hits.

Weapon Specific

A list of useful tidbits about the Pyro's tools.

Flamethrower

• Medics, Dispensers, the team's Payload Cart, Jarate, Mad Milk, Health Kits, Resupply lockers, compression blasts from other Pyros, and water will extinguish afterburn.

• The Flamethrower is a reliable choice, and has no strengths or weaknesses when compared to the Degreaser or Backburner. It lacks the highly-damaging effects of the Backburner, but has has the compression blast ability. Similarly, the Flamethrower deals more afterburn damage than the Degreaser, but is more difficult to use in conjunction with the Axtinguisher or other weapons for combination attacks.

Compression blast

• Players can use the compression blast to knock enemy players into map hazards, or to repel enemies if the player cannot beat them one-on-one.
• Blasting enemies away from Health pickups they are trying to collect can be an effective strategy when fighting wounded or burning opponents.
• Players should remember that they can airblast invulnerable Medics (or their buddy) and phasing Scouts, even though they cannot be damaged.
• Airblasting foes into a corner where the player or a friend can easily dispatch them can be a useful tactic, especially when used against the faster classes such as the Scout.
• It can be difficult to reflect projectiles at close range, so players should learn the timing of their foes. Ambushed Soldiers will fire a rocket as soon as they turn, and reloading foes will generally fire as soon as possible.
• As of the Sniper vs. Spy Update, the compression blast can be used to extinguish allies that are on fire.
• The compression blast gains any on-hit effects of the projectile that is reflected. For example, a Black Box rocket will restore 15 health to the Pyro rather than the Soldier if reflected, and a long-range flare will Crit on a burning enemy. All reflected shots will at least mini-crit.
• Most reflected projectiles (with the exception of grenades and baseballs) are redirected to the point underneath the Pyro's crosshair. Players can use this to accurately aim the projectile in a new direction and target enemies.
• When facing a Soldier, Demoman or a Sniper using Huntsman in a confined space (such as the vents in ctf_turbine), reflecting the enemy's projectile(s) can be very effective.

Backburner

• Without the compression blast, players must rely on surprising enemies and use the Backburner's high damage to quickly dispatch foes.
• The Backburner's criticals register up to approximately a 45° angle to the back of a target's left or right, i.e. roughly a 90° angle centered behind the direction the enemy is facing. This is significantly smaller than the Spy's Backstab angle, which appears to be 160°.
• Players are more likely to set off crits by strafing across the foe's back when they are first attacked.
• The Backburner's extra 15% damage makes it very effective in face-to-face combat.
• A skilled Pyro can effectively mimic the Spy's "stairstab" technique by using the Backburner's criticals.

Degreaser

• Due to the 65% decreased weapon switch time, the Degreaser is recommended for Pyros that wish to quickly ignite enemies and Compression Blast them into the air for quick Shotgun blasts, Flare Gun or Axtinguisher kills. Some of these combinations are significantly more difficult to perform without it.
• The Degreaser's negative attribute only applies to afterburn, so players should not rely on it to finish off enemies. As such, players should try to deal as much damage as possible before the enemy retreats.

Shotgun

• The Shotgun is an excellent weapon to follow up from an attack with a flamethrower. It allows the Pyro to back off while facing a dangerous foe while still dealing good damage and increasing the effectiveness of any afterburn.
• If the player is a good shot, the Shotgun can actually overpower the Flamethrower for single-target fighting in certain situations.
• The Shotgun is the Pyro's best (and essentially only) ranged option in situations in which fire is ineffective, such as aquatic combat, or fighting another Pyro.
• Demomen using the Chargin' Targe take significantly less damage from fire, however the Shotgun still inflicts full damage making it very effective.

Flare Gun

• The Flare Gun does not have falloff damage, and therefore does just as much damage at close range as at long range.
• The Flare Gun is much less powerful against Pyros because they are fire-retardant.
• Scoped-in Snipers are easy targets, and their aim will constantly shake while they're on fire. This allows the player to approach safely and make the kill.
• The Flare Gun will mini-crit on burning enemies at short range, and fully crit at medium to long range. This makes it a highly effective finisher if the opponent flees.
• Flare Gun shots tend to arc over long distances, and this should be taken into consideration.

Fire Axe

• The Fire Axe is rarely used because the Pyro's other weapons are usually considered superior in close combat.
• If players prefer to score surprise melee crits, then the Fire Axe can be a good choice as the enemy does not need to be on fire in order for critical hits to register. This allows the player to ambush other players and inflict significant damage without warning nearby enemies.

Axtinguisher

• The guaranteed critical hit makes the Axtinguisher very useful when ambushing classes with high health.
• Players should set their foe on fire, knock them into the air with a compression blast, and then finish them off with the Axtinguisher. This is a very effective technique.
• When combined with the Degreaser, the Axtinguisher can be used for super-fast criticals.

Homewrecker

• The Homewrecker can readily two-shot any building at full health in 1.6 seconds, and it kills Mini-Sentry Guns in one hit.
• A Pyro with the Homewrecker is an Engineer's best friend. Constant flames will repel Spies, the Compression Blast reflects projectiles and Übercharged enemies away from buildings, and the Homewrecker can destroy Sappers even if the Engineer is dead.
• Using the Flare Gun with the tactic above can greatly assist an Engineer, as the Flare Gun will take down fleeing targets so that Engineer has time to upgrade and/or repair their buildings.
• Keeping a Homewrecker equipped in the Pyro loadout, even if the player is not currently playing as Pyro, will allow players to quickly switch to Pyro and destroy Sappers on nearby friendly buildings if the Engineer is unable to save them.
• Even though the Homewrecker can destroy any building in two hits, it is inadvisable to use it to attack a Sentry Gun head-on. It is recommended that players arrange to have a friendly Scout with Bonk! Atomic Punch or a Medic with an ÜberCharge distract the Sentry Gun while the player attacks it from a different angle.

Powerjack

• The Powerjack is a good offensive alternative to the Axtinguisher, but it leaves players without a quick and decisive way to take out Soldiers, Demomen and Heavies.
• Even at full health it can be beneficial to try to kill an enemy with the Powerjack, as the +75 healing from a kill can push the Pyro's health over the maximum providing temporary Overheal.
• Players should consider using the Powerjack on maps in which health kits tend to be scarce, and try to surprise an enemy so that they can get the initiative.
• Players do not need to kill someone with the Powerjack in order get the health bonus; the Powerjack simply needs to be held when the enemy dies. This can be very useful if a player is low on health, as they can perform a quick hit-and-run on an enemy using a flamethrower, and then gain +75 health when the enemy dies from the afterburn.

Back Scratcher

• The Back Scratcher is ideal for Medieval Mode due to its extra health recovery from medkits. In addition, the healing bolts fired from the Crusader's Crossbow are unaffected by the healing penalty.
• If there are no Medics on the player's team, the Back Scratcher can be a good choice.
• If playing on a map without many medkits, this weapon can be useful.
• If a Medic has no other priority targets, healing a Back Scratcher Pyro will give him a great deal more ÜberCharge than overhealing a regular player.
• The Back Scratcher may not be a good weapon for Arena Mode, as the only sources of health are Medics and Dispensers.

Sharpened Volcano Fragment

• The Sharpened Volcano Fragment is the only weapon available in Medieval Mode which can reliably set enemies on fire. When teaming up with another Pyro using the Axtinguisher or a Scout wielding the Sun-on-a-Stick, it can be quite devastating.
• Outside Medieval Mode, the Sharpened Volcano Fragment's usefulness is very limited, since the Pyro can already ignite his enemies at short range with his primary weapon.
• The weapon can however, be used to Spy-check foes without using ammo, although even this use is limited by the reduced damage it deals.

The Gas Jockey's Gear

• The 10% movement speed increase this loadout grants players is helpful when flanking, ambushing and chasing enemies.
• Using the compression blast with the Powerjack will allow the Pyro to obtain health from weakened lighter classes such as Scouts.
• The Pyro's increased speed can help the players defeat Spies and Medics, as the Pyro can now outrun both classes.
• With the Gas Jockey's Gear item set equipped, the Pyro can make some jumps that they otherwise could not, such as jumping directly onto the final point on Steel.
• The set makes the Pyro 10% more vulnerable to bullets, making encounters with the Scout, Heavy or Engineer more hazardous. Due to a known bug, the Pyro is also 10% more vulnerable to Medic syringe guns.

See also

• Ambushing
• Team strategy