Flare Gun

“

Click to listen

— The Pyro on long-range cooking.

”

The Pyro's Flare Gun replaces the Shotgun in the secondary weapon slot. With the Flare Gun equipped, a Pyro can ignite an enemy at long range, though this does require careful aim. It is particularly useful for causing havoc on Snipers and Engineers who want to keep their distance. It is listed as a Level 10 Flaregun in the loadout menu, and is unlocked after obtaining ten Pyro achievements.

The Flare Gun's shot travels in a straight line for a relatively long range (from 2fort's battlements to the end of the bridge roof on the opposite end), and then its trajectory curves down drastically. The projectile can still ignite enemies while it's "falling", but disintegrates on contact with any surface. It has a speed of approximately 1450 HU/second (90.625 feet/second).

The Flare Gun is one of the few weapons not subject to distance indexed damage falloff or ramp up.

A hit on an already-burning enemy with a flare will result in a Mini-crit; at 800 units or greater distance (a few inches shorter than 2fort's bridge) it becomes a Critical hit.

The Flare Gun cannot fire while you are underwater, but it can still damage enemies if fired into water.

Taunting with your Flare Gun equipped as a Pyro will activate the special Hadouken taunt attack.

Flare Gun concept design

Damage

Base: 30
Max Ramp Up: 100% (30 damage)
Max Fall Off: 100% (30 damage)
All Ranges: 30
After burn damage: 3 damage every 0.5 seconds for 10 seconds (60 damage total), Mini-crits cause 4 damage every 0.5 seconds.
Minicrit: 41
Critical Hit: 90

Function times

Attack Interval: 2.02

Trivia

The Flare gun was first seen in Meet the Sniper without being publicly revealed at the time of the video's release.
The Flare Gun is most likely a remake of the Incendiary Cannon from Team Fortress Classic, although there are a few big differences. The most prominent differences are that the Incendiary Rockets have a large area of effect, while the flare gun requires careful aim. Flares travel a bit faster than the rockets, although both follow an arced path. The flare gun also does more damage (due to the Pyro's general increase in killing power since TFC), has to be reloaded after every shot (rather than being semi-automatic like the Incendiary Cannon), and its appearance is much more compact and small (since the Incendiary Cannon was almost as large as the Soldier's Rocket Launcher).
A flare gun with similar functionality (lighting enemies on fire) was originally going to be a weapon in Half-Life 2, another Valve game, but was ultimately cut.
- A weapon called the I-Rifle (Incendiary Rifle) was also cut from Half-Life 2, and was used in a comparable way to the flare gun.
In real life, flare guns are used for calling for help from a distance, as the flares make a visible flash allowing people to locate the position of whoever fired it. They also have been reported being used as improvised weapons, as they are able to ignite flammable material like clothing and human flesh.
Oddly, when the flare itself hits an opponent it disappears, even though flares are solid, blunt objects.
The Flare gun is the only incendiary-based weapon in the Pyro's arsenal which does not have flames depicted in its kill icons.

External links

TF2 Official Blog- The Flare Gun

Weapons
v • d • e	Scout	Soldier	Pyro	Demoman	Heavy	Engineer	Medic	Sniper	Spy
Primary	Scattergun	Rocket Launcher	Flame Thrower	Grenade Launcher	Minigun	Shotgun	Syringe Gun	Sniper Rifle	—
Primary	Force-A-Nature Shortstop Soda Popper Baby Face's Blaster Back Scatter	Direct Hit Black Box Rocket Jumper Liberty Launcher Cow Mangler 5000 Original Beggar's Bazooka Air Strike	Backburner Degreaser Phlogistinator Rainblower Nostromo Napalmer Dragon's Fury	Loch-n-Load Ali Baba's Wee Booties Bootlegger Loose Cannon B.A.S.E. Jumper Iron Bomber	Natascha Iron Curtain Brass Beast Tomislav Huo-Long Heater	Frontier Justice Widowmaker Pomson 6000 Rescue Ranger Panic Attack	Blutsauger Crusader's Crossbow Overdose	Huntsman Sydney Sleeper Bazaar Bargain Machina Hitman's Heatmaker AWPer Hand Fortified Compound Classic Shooting Star	—
Secondary	Pistol	Shotgun	Shotgun	Stickybomb Launcher	Shotgun	Pistol	Medi Gun	SMG	Revolver
Secondary	Bonk! Atomic Punch Lugermorph Crit-a-Cola Mad Milk Winger Pretty Boy's Pocket Pistol Flying Guillotine Mutated Milk C.A.P.P.E.R	Buff Banner Gunboats Battalion's Backup Concheror Mantreads Reserve Shooter Righteous Bison B.A.S.E. Jumper Panic Attack	Flare Gun Detonator Reserve Shooter Manmelter Scorch Shot Panic Attack Gas Passer Thermal Thruster	Chargin' Targe Scottish Resistance Sticky Jumper Splendid Screen Tide Turner Quickiebomb Launcher	Sandvich Dalokohs Bar Buffalo Steak Sandvich Fishcake Family Business Robo-Sandvich Panic Attack Second Banana	Lugermorph Wrangler Short Circuit C.A.P.P.E.R Giger Counter	Kritzkrieg Quick-Fix Vaccinator	Jarate Razorback Darwin's Danger Shield Cozy Camper Cleaner's Carbine Self-Aware Beauty Mark	Ambassador Big Kill L'Etranger Enforcer Diamondback
Melee	Bat	Shovel	Fire Axe	Bottle	Fists	Wrench	Bonesaw	Kukri	Knife
Melee	Sandman Frying Pan Holy Mackerel Boston Basher Candy Cane Sun-on-a-Stick Fan O'War Three-Rune Blade Saxxy Atomizer Conscientious Objector Unarmed Combat Wrap Assassin Freedom Staff Bat Outta Hell Memory Maker Ham Shank Golden Frying Pan Necro Smasher Crossing Guard Batsaber Prinny Machete	Equalizer Pain Train Frying Pan Half-Zatoichi Saxxy Disciplinary Action Market Gardener Conscientious Objector Escape Plan Freedom Staff Bat Outta Hell Memory Maker Ham Shank Golden Frying Pan Necro Smasher Crossing Guard Prinny Machete	Axtinguisher Homewrecker Frying Pan Powerjack Back Scratcher Sharpened Volcano Fragment Maul Saxxy Postal Pummeler Conscientious Objector Third Degree Lollichop Neon Annihilator Freedom Staff Bat Outta Hell Memory Maker Ham Shank Golden Frying Pan Necro Smasher Crossing Guard Prinny Machete Hot Hand	Eyelander Pain Train Scotsman's Skullcutter Frying Pan Horseless Headless Horsemann's Headtaker Claidheamh Mòr Ullapool Caber Half-Zatoichi Saxxy Persian Persuader Nessie's Nine Iron Conscientious Objector Scottish Handshake Freedom Staff Bat Outta Hell Memory Maker Ham Shank Golden Frying Pan Necro Smasher Crossing Guard Prinny Machete	Killing Gloves of Boxing Frying Pan Gloves of Running Urgently Fists of Steel Warrior's Spirit Saxxy Eviction Notice Conscientious Objector Apoco-Fists Holiday Punch Freedom Staff Bat Outta Hell Memory Maker Ham Shank Golden Frying Pan Bread Bite Necro Smasher Crossing Guard Prinny Machete	Golden Wrench Gunslinger Southern Hospitality Jag Saxxy Eureka Effect Golden Frying Pan Necro Smasher Prinny Machete	Ubersaw Frying Pan Vita-Saw Amputator Saxxy Solemn Vow Conscientious Objector Freedom Staff Bat Outta Hell Memory Maker Ham Shank Golden Frying Pan Necro Smasher Crossing Guard Prinny Machete	Tribalman's Shiv Bushwacka Frying Pan Saxxy Shahanshah Conscientious Objector Freedom Staff Bat Outta Hell Memory Maker Ham Shank Golden Frying Pan Necro Smasher Crossing Guard Prinny Machete	Your Eternal Reward Conniver's Kunai Saxxy Big Earner Wanga Prick Sharp Dresser Spy-cicle Black Rose Golden Frying Pan Prinny Machete
Primary PDA	—	—	—	—	—	Construction PDA	—	—	Disguise Kit
Primary PDA	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Secondary PDA	—	—	—	—	—	Destruction PDA	—	—	Invis Watch
Secondary PDA	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	Cloak and Dagger Dead Ringer Enthusiast's Timepiece Quäckenbirdt
Building	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	Sapper
Building	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	Red-Tape Recorder Ap-Sap Snack Attack
Taunt	Grand Slam	Grenade	Hadouken Armageddon Execution Gas Blast	Barbarian Swing	High Noon	Arm Blender Guitar Smash	Oktoberfest Uberslice Medicating Melody	Arrow Stab	Fencing