TF Pyro Strats

by [KoQ] Snare

The Pyro is a great all-around class and can play both offense and defense equally well. He has good speed, decent armor, and good multi-range weapons, and powerful napalm grenades. However, you can't play him like you do other "instant" kill classes -- you have to be mean and methodical in your killing. In general, the Pyro is best at weakening enemies as a first wave of defense, or a general support player on offense.

Defense

When on defense, the Pyro works great as a first line of defense. All of his flame weapons allow the Pyro to basically fire and forget. The incendiary cannon is best used for distance shots, but once the enemy gets in range, switch to the flame thrower. Since TF 2.6, the flame thrower has become very powerful and can kill even soldiers in a few quick seconds.

On 2fort4, one of the best places for a pyro on defense is under the grate area by the front entrances and the stairs to the water. From this area, the Pyro can stop or severely injure all incoming enemies, and is great at slowing down or stopping rocket or grenade jumpers. The important thing is not to leave this post too chase too may enemies. Because fire will injure the enemy for some time, you can let them go if they get by you because they have been weakened enough to help your ramp defense out alot. This way you can continue to fry all incoming enemies to some degree.

One of the keys to using the Pyro is learning how to circle strafe while using the flame thrower. This method can kill most classes very quickly, especially the slow soldier and hwguy. This picture kinda shows it, buts its hard to show without animation

In TF 2.6, the Pyro finally got some useful napalm grenades in the net version. These puppies can cause some major damage and last a very long time. Infact, napalm grenades are very useful for taking out sentries because they cause damage for so long. Anytime you need to cut off an area for a little while, chunk a few napalm grenades and nothing will come that way for some time.

Offense

The Pyro can be a great asset on offense. All though his weapons dont have the raw power of other classes, he can provide great support and really weaken defenders quickly.

The Pyro is the great for taking care of snipers (besides another sniper), or at least keeping them busy. Because rockets have a wide damage radius, getting a sniper on fire is fairly easy. Once they have been hit, they are lit up for all your friends to see -- really great for your friendly snipers.

As stated above, the Pro's napalm grenades are great for taking out sentries. Just get them some what close to the sentry and it will by fried shortly. Another good place to use napalms is while running down the ramp to the basement. This will make sure you are not followed down the ramp and give you some time to checkout the basement defense

The Pyro makes a good flag runner because of his speed. His weaponry will lead you to the flag area, and hopefully the speed will get you out!

One thing to avoid is an enemy Pyro. Why? They take such a long time to kill with their fire resistant armor... its better to use your fire weapons on those who aren't prepared for it! Happy torching!

Overview

+ Multi-range weapons	- No quick kill weapons
+ Long lasting fire damage	- Fire damage relatively weak
+ Can play any role	- Uses alot of rockets (3 per shot)
+ Napalm Grenades

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