Flamethrower

Description

The Flamethrower is the Pyro’s main weapon. It has a very limited range, but makes up for it with massive amounts of damage. If an enemy turns a corner and a Pyro is waiting on the other side, chances are good that the Pyro will incinerate them before they can retaliate effectively. This makes the Pyro one of the best ambushers available.

The Flamethrower's cone of fire is not obstructed by enemies or buildings, making it possible to easily light up groups of enemies or burn a turtling Engineer through his Dispenser.

Enemies lit on fire by a Pyro will continue to burn and take damage for a while even after they escape the direct assault of the Flamethrower. This afterburn can be extinguished by picking up a health pack, being healed by a Medic, getting airblasted by a friendly Pyro, or being doused with Jarate or Mad Milk by a teammate.

The Flamethrower's alternate fire shoots a blast of compressed air which can be used to deflect projectiles such as rockets or grenades back at their owner, applying a mini-crit boost to the projectile. It can also be used to push enemies around and disperse sticky bombs laid by Demomen. The airblast makes a Pyro a particularly effective counter against Übercharged enemies as the Medic can be effectively separated from his target or the Über target can be juggled for the duration of the charge, hampering its effectiveness.

A common tactic with the Flamethrower is to set an enemy on fire then quickly switch to the Axtinguisher and finish them off with the guaranteed critical hit. This is colloquially known as the Puff n' Sting.

The Flamethrower is perhaps the most useful weapon for detecting cloaked Spies, as enemy Spies hit with even one flame particle will instantly burst into flame, ruining their disguise. This also applies to Spies who are cloaked with any of the various Invisibility Watches.

Statistics

Stat	Value
Ammo Capacity	200
Damage (Point-Blank)	6.2 per particle
Damage (Max Flame Range)	3.72 per particle
Mini Crit Damage	5-8 per particle
Critical Hit Damage	11-19 per particle
Afterburn Damage	60 total over six seconds
Afterburn Mini Crit Damage	80 total over eight seconds
Airblast Cost	20 ammo per blast
Rate of Fire	Very Fast (~22.5 particles/second)
Projectile Type	Particle/Continuous
Reload Type	No Reload

Miscellaneous

• The Flamethrower will not function underwater, but will produce a stream of useless bubbles.
• Huntsman arrows of friendly Snipers can be lit on fire and will deal afterburn damage to a struck enemy.
• The Flametrhower did not initially include the airblast ability. This was added to the game in the Pyro Update.
• Enemy Pyros are immune to the Flamethrower's afterburn effect. Engage them with the Shotgun instead.