Pyro Weapon Stereotypes from a Pyro Main

Rose

whoppers
=(e)=
As I play Pyro, I notice that some weapons carry stereotypes for good and bad reasons. So I wanted to give my, (get this) OPINION. So if you have a problem with what I say then...well...sorry, your wrong, I'm right. ^w^

Now the REAL intro, I am assuming that if you are reading this, then you are knowledgeable, even a little bit on Pyro. So I won't go into the basics of Airblast and how the Flame Thrower works and what each weapon does in depth. I also will NOT be covering RESKINS like the Postal Pummeler or the Alien Isolation Flame Thrower. With that being said, lets go...

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Primary Weapons: A rundown on skill/how the Flame Thrower is used.

1. Stock Flame Thrower/Rainblower - The 'General' Pyro

-The general all around Flame Thrower.
-The skill range come down to 3 things: Strange, Killstreak, or Australium. Meaning that if either are ks OR strange with kills above ~150, they have some idea of what they are doing.
-If the kills are above ~1000 then they are quiet competent and can hold their own to most classes in a 1v1.
-If above ~2000 kills I would switch classes to something that can take them out at a range or ask for a Medic to assist you.
-Australium Flame Thrower Pyros are perfect players who make no mistakes and are-, fine, I'll be serious. Aussie Flame Throwers tend to be very good and you should prob take them more serious then the pyros with ~2000 kills.
-These Pyros tend to have a shotgun of some kind or they might have a Flare gun like the Scorch Shot or maybe even the Flare Gun itself.
-When it comes to the melee I would say 90% of the time they run either PoweJack, Back Scratcher, or Neon Annihilator depending on the map. So on 2Fort, expect the Annihilator for Spies and Pyro-Shark, on Hightower or Harvest the PowerJack and Back Scratcher can be interchanged, so you can take that into account on how to approach.

2. Backburner - OML, WHY ARE YOU THERE PASTRY?

-The Backburner really has two stereotypes, the clueless newbie, or the Pyro that is somehow ALWAYS behind you.
-The same rules apply to this Flame Thrower when it comes to kills, however, fighting them can be a bit easier because of how the Backburner works.
-With the mechanic of Airblast costing 50 units of ammo instead of 20, Valve wanted you to use this weapon to either chase fleeing players or sneak around to get behind them. So fighting them as Soldier and Demo is much easier the with the other Flame Throwers (except one).
-Secondaries can also apply to Stock as well.
-Melee weapon applies as well, but tend to be PowerJack.

3. Degreaser - The 'Meta'

-From my 5 years playing this game, the Degreaser is the most common weapon on Pyro other than Stock when the item servers are down.
-The Degreaser is viable in most situations. One of the main reasons is that it encourages you to use your other weapons when in combat. This can come to either switching to the Homewrecker to remove sappers, switch quickly to a shotgun to finish off enemies out of your Flame Thrower range, or to pull out your Flame Thrower to reflect projectiles quickly.
-The Degreaser also is used to 'combo'. Which when used with the proper weapons, can be infuriating to fight and encounter. These 'combo' Pyros are either very deadly with their weapon combos or are inept. The 'combo' aspect of the Degreaser makes it idle for 1v1 fights against a Soldier, Demo, Scout, or Spy. Medics are grunts, other Pyros can be delt with Stock or Backburner, Engie and Sniper are fodder unless they are out of your range. The Degreaser however isn't idle for Afterburn damage as you do 1 damage every 0.5 seconds compared to all the other primaries doing 4. The Airblast on the Degreaser costs 5 more units of ammo meaning that you only have 8 chances to Reflect/Airblast.
-Secondaries are most likely to be either the Panic Attack or the Flare Gun. The Panic Attack can have a very high damage burst that can rival the old 'puff and sting' tactic. The Panic Attack also as the benefit of being a shotgun that can be used as a Flare. The Flare Gun is used to do a consistent 90 damage to players on fire, which can be used to be a finisher on low health enemies. I.E. a scout jumps you and you 'puff' him for ~15-20 fire damage, you could Airblast him into a corner to stun lock him or have good aim to do 90 damage and at this point the Scout has taken ~110-120 damage and will most certainly die.
-Melee weapons can be dependent on the map or playstyle, but some Pyros still use the Axtinguisher. The Axtinguisher can be used to chew threw a lot of health with the Flare Gun to do upwards of ~300 damage when timed right.

4. Phlogistinator - fukin scorch shot

-The Phlog is the most hated Flame Thrower in the game for good or questionable reasons.
-This Flame Thrower is used by Pyros who are looking to piss people off or are using it in MvM.
-The Phlog is used when Soldiers and Demos are little to none. This is because of the lack of Airblast, which without it fighting Soldiers and Demos is nearly impossible. Also if you want to know what it's like to play Pyro in 2007, use the Phlog without using your crits.
-The Phlog can be used to play as a 'vampire', as in you build a little bit of damage here and there with a Flare gun or with the Phlog itself, and when you can full 'Mmmph' you can catch people off guard and drain them of their HP. This Flame Thrower is seen as one of the best in MvM for on demand crits, so it's not all bad. However, when you taunt to get your crits, you will be Ubered for the full taunt, and will be normal the second it stops, so be careful where you do this as you can die right away.
-Secondaries are 90% Flare guns to build 'Mmmph' at a distance, and most likely it's the Scorch Shot based on it's area of effect and mini crit damage. Shotguns are useless in building 'Mmmph' so it's not recommended.
-Melee weapons don't really matter as the Phlog is your main weapon, but the PowerJack and Back Scratcher are very helpful as utilities.

5. Dragon's Fury - 'Long ago, the Four Flame Throwers lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when Jungle Inferno was shipped.'

-The Dragon's Fury is weird, in the sense that it acts like a boxing glove on a spring. I say this because once you hit a person with a fire ball moving at around the speed of a Direct Hit rocket, it does 30 damage, and when you hit them again, it does ~80 damage. Each subsequent hit halves the time to fire and you can get insane damage and kill a Heavy in ~3 seconds. So it works like a fire shotgun.
-The DF is not advised to use when trying to reflect projectiles constantly, as the cooldown is double that of the normal fire rate. So you got the first rocket, but by the time you can reflect again, the 3rd rocket has killed you.
-Secondaries can be either a shotgun or a Flare gun, but the Scorch Shot can be used as it sets the person on fire with the AoE and you can crit them.
-Melee weapons vary on the map.

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Secondary Weapons: Not much to say here. Just a quick run through.

1. Shotgun - normie

-All around good secondary and best used on Stock, Backburner, and maybe Degreaser. This Pyro can/is a better Pocket because you don't have to be perfectly accurate with Flares and have a backup with more shots.

2. Flare Gun - big pp

-Best Flare gun for consistent damage and best used with Degreaser. Can be used on other Primaries, but not the best choice compared to others.

3. Detonator - discount rocket launcher

-The Detonator is like a mini rocket launcher. In the sense that if you use it like a RL you can do a rocket jump, granted you take more damage and don't go as high or as far. This Flare gun is best used on the Backburner for flanking.

4. Reserve Shooter - Jumper Tears

-After Airblast was changed in Jungle Inferno, the RS no longer mini crits with with Airblast, so it's really only useful on jumping Soldiers and Demos. Use at your own desecration.

5. Manmelter - oh that's right you exist

-A Flare gun with infinite ammo and you get crits by extinguishing players with it and is very useful when used with the Phlog. Kind of redundant when used with a Flame Thrower that can Airblast.

6. Scorch Shot - smol pp

-The Scorch Shot is the Flare gun is the 'least' skillful of the main Flare guns because of the AoE effect and this AoE effect can greatly help with building 'Mmmph' on the Phlog. This Flare gun has a mini Detonator jump effect as well, though not nearly as effective or useful.

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Melee Weapons: I'll cover the main four because if you use the others then you need go back to playing Spy.

1. PowerJack - The 'Meta'

-PowerJack is the main melee/utility weapon as it helps you move faster and if you kill someone with it you gain 25 health on kill at a cost of 20% damage vulnerability when active.

2. Back Scratcher - Medic sux 'laughs at Charli'

-The BS (heh), is used best without a Medic or a consistent source of healing. Is also useful in melee fights as you do more damage as well.

3. Neon Annihilator - 'Pyro-Shark'

-Best used as an Anti-Spy weapon and on maps with water like 2Fort. Why not use the Homewrecker? B/C the NA has two uses while the Homewrecker has only one main use.
-It also is not used enough to be expected and when it is used it can surprise some people.

4. Axtinguisher - 'bAcK iN My dAy...'

-Best burst damage for melee option on Pyro.
-Takes time getting used to deploy speed and damage penalty, but once used enough, one will gain an appreciation for the weapon.

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So that's that! After revising and reading over this I think I have a good grasp of Pyro . If you have any thoughts/opinions or improvements that could be made please post them as I will try to read and reply to every one!
Thx 4 reading! ^w^ R053 ^w^
 

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Wow, dude!!!! amazing post!! I don't play pyro much but I think I'm gonna start with the help of you're guide! very well done Sir!
 
I'll make a few points. First off, yeah I'm there, what of it ha yiff etc. Second, while the Scorch Shot is the least skillful, if you've ever been utterly bullied by me with the Scorch Shot, I can juggle people with an airblast, SS flare, then another airblast (might even reflect whatever rocket that poor sap is trying frantically to get out of a corner); they die. I really should use the flare gun more, because I have a knack for lighting people on fire then hitting them with a SS flare even after they've jumped away, sending them flying into bumfuck nowhere. I use BB with SS because I use it as I mentioned before, but I use it as a retreating weapon and harassment if someone tails me when my ambush fails. And if you've ever played with me, only having 3 airblasts isn't really an issue with the BB as I tend to avoid open combat with it. Just small fights or 1v1s, in which ammo will be dropped by corpses. Also phlog can take skill in how timing is used to know when to throw caution to the wind and eat people. Timing itself is a skill to master. ❤
 
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OML, WHY ARE YOU THERE PASTRY? - Saber ( most of the time)
 
I'll make a few points. First off, yeah I'm there, what of it ha yiff etc. Second, while the Scorch Shot is the least skillful, if you've ever been utterly bullied by me with the Scorch Shot, I can juggle people with an airblast, SS flare, then another airblast (might even reflect whatever rocket that poor sap is trying frantically to get out of a corner); they die. I really should use the flare gun more, because I have a knack for lighting people on fire then hitting them with a SS flare even after they've jumped away, sending them flying into bumfuck nowhere. I use BB with SS because I use it as I mentioned before, but I use it as a retreating weapon and harassment if someone tails me when my ambush fails. And if you've ever played with me, only having 3 airblasts isn't really an issue with the BB as I tend to avoid open combat with it. Just small fights or 1v1s, in which ammo will be dropped by corpses. Also phlog can take skill in how timing is used to know when to throw caution to the wind and eat people. Timing itself is a skill to master. ❤
lul ur wrongggg. But seriously tho, you are right on how the SS can be used very effectively and I could have gone into a bit more detail on how the knockback can be used. I should have also gone into using crits safely on Phlog too.
 
lul ur wrongggg. But seriously tho, you are right on how the SS can be used very effectively and I could have gone into a bit more detail on how the knockback can be used. I should have also gone into using crits safely on Phlog too.
Wrong about what?
 
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