Like all classes the Pyro has strengths, weaknesses, and its own style of gameplay. Unlike most other classes, there are some players that look down on the class claiming that it takes no skill to play. This is a bunch of garbage. All the classes take skill to play well, the difference with the Pyro is that it takes a slightly different set of skills to play the Pyro well than the other classes. One of the big differences is that an excellent aim isn’t needed to play the Pyro well. It can be helpful of course, but isn’t needed as much. The most important skill for the Pyro is situational awareness. The skill to read what is going on and being able to position yourself in location to be effective. The only other class that needs this skill as much is the Spy, though the Pyro and the Spy are looking for totally different things.

As the Pyro has the shortest range Primary Weapon in Team Fortress, it means that in order to engage the Pyro is going to need to get close to the enemy. And sometimes this is not easy. If a Pyro goes running at the enemy, the Pyro is probably going to die quickly. What’s more there is a good chance the Pyro is not going to be able to do much damage to the enemy before they die. The fact is most classes do damage faster than the Pyro does. So how does the Pyro manage to stay alive long enough to do anything? Set someone on fire and back off. Flank the enemy so the Pyro can kill them before they can retaliate. Use secondary weapons to finish off an already damaged foe. Reflect projectiles such as rockets back at the enemy. Harass the enemy and keep them off balance. Do NOT be predictable. And remember sometimes forcing an enemy back is as good or even better than killing them if it helps the team full fill the goal. And sometimes dying to help the team is the best thing to do.

One thing I need to really focus on is not being predictable. If the Pyro makes the same kind of attack from the same direction three times in a row the enemy is going to catch on and make the Pyro suffer for it. There is a YouTube Video where a Pyro with a Thermal Thruster on 2Fort kept flying to the same location on the map and trying to attack the enemy spawn point. Well, the other team figured out what the Pyro was doing and Demomen would lay a Sticky Bomb trap for him and blow him up. Often without even taking any damage. This Pyro did the same thing over and over again, refusing to change and getting his ass handed to him. If something doesn’t work, don’t repeat it. If something DOES work don’t repeat too often because the enemy will learn and come up with a counter.

Airblasting is one skill that is very different than any other in Team Fortress 2 and is a key to the Pyro’s survival and a way for the Pyro to control a fight. To Airblast you "rightclick" while using the Flamethrower. While most Pyros use the airblast to reflect rockets back at the Soldier who fired them, they can reflect any enemy projectile, not just rockets. This mean a Demoman’s Pipes and even an arrow from a Sniper’s bow (Though that is more luck than anything). When an airblast reflects a projectile, the Pyro becomes the “owner” of it. That means if it hits another player on the Pyro’s team, it will not damage them. So if the Pyro see some enemy Demoman’s pipes just about to go off near a teammate, the Pyro should give them an airblast and save the Teammate. If a Pyro manages to hit an enemy with a reflected projectile, it gives them an extra 35% more damage called Mni-crit damage to the enemy. Airbasts can also move Stickybombs, though the Demoman who launched them still keeps control and can detonate them on command. But moving the Sticky trap can save the Pyro or a teammate from taking damage. One time I moved a Sticky trap and the Demoman didn’t notice. When the trap was detonated, the Demoman blew himself up.

Airblasts can also extinguish teammates if they are on fire. Pyros really should be doing this whenever they can. I have saved many teammates from dying by doing this and most players will appreciate it. The Pyro also benefits as they heal 20 points of damage and get points.

The Pyro’s airblast can also reposition enemy players. This means force them away from the Pyro or if angled correctly bounce them into the air. Now this may not seem to be a big thing most of the time, but when used correctly it can win a fight. The most obvious use of airblasting an enemy is to knock them into an environmental hazard such as a saw blade on Sawmill or off the edge of a cliff. But you can also airblast an enemy off a Capture Point or into a corner. A good way to deal with a Scout is airblast them into a confined space where they can’t use their mobility very well. Knocking away a Spy that’s trying for a trickstab, forcing a Heavy around a corner so he can’t see the Pyro any more, punting a Soldier off the roof of a building on Harvest. These are all examples of controlling the enemies ability to feely move or put them in a less advantageous location. If a Pyro is positioned properly, an airblast can move an enemy into the kill zone of a friendly Sentry.

Now for all my talk about how useful the airblast is, one thing that must be remembered is not to airblast too much. Airblasts used ammunition and a Pyro can swiftly find themselves without their primary weapon due to being out of ammunition. So, a Pyro should airblast, but only do so with a good reason. Another problem with airblasting too much is that it irritates enemy players and they may make the Pyro a priority target.

Different enemies need to be handled differently and here is a brief overview. This a very general overview and specific cases can vary greatly depending on the loadout of the enemy.

Demoman: If attempting to engage from a distance use a secondary weapon, but be read to airblast any pipes fired. Don’t attempt to chase a Demoman as you are a great target for pipe bombs and can easily be led into a Sticky bomb trap. Take an evasive course when closing in to make it harder for the Demoman to target. An airblast is one of the few things that can stop a Demoknight charge, though it has to be timed right.

Engineer: Avoid Sentries whenever possible, unless you can get almost on top of it before it can fire and even then, it’s probably a bad idea. Without the Sentry the Engineer is vulnerable, but can still kill a Pyro unless they can get close quickly. A special case is an Engineer equipped with the Gunslinger. They have more health and will often have a Mini Sentry set up nearby. That makes the Pyro choose between the Engineer and the Mini Sentry. Most often it’s best to get on top on the Mini before it can fire and then go after the Engineer. The Mini Sentry is very vulnerable to damage while it’s building and it’s best to destroy it then.

Heavy: Taking on a Heavy with a spun up Minigun is a VERY bad idea. If a Pyro does have to fight one close up, the Pyro should try to get on the Heavy’s back or airblast the Heavy someplace where they cannot shoot. The exception to the rule is if a Backburner is being used. If the Pyro can get a back attack in, the Heavy will go down before they can react. Otherwise the best way for a Pyro to take on a Heavy is with the Flare Gun or Scorch Shot from long range. The Flare Gun can cause a huge amount of damage to the slow-moving Heavy.

Medic: While the Medic should always be a priority for the Pyro, it can be a bit tricky to kill one. As Medics recover health naturally it makes the afterburn effect of many of the Pyro’s weapons much less affective. The Medic is also faster than the Pyro meaning that a surprise attack is generally the only way to get close. A Pyro also has to watch that the Medic does not have their melee weapon out (particularly the Ubersaw) as the Medic often gets Critical Hits with melee attacks.

Pyro: Hunting another Pyro can be dangerous. In most cases it’s all about who gets the drop on who. However, this is one time where a better aim will determine who wins if both Pyros are aware of each other ahead of time.

Scout: Scouts are often a major threat to the Pyro. They are fast enough to stay out of the range of the Flame Thrower as well as avoid fire from secondary weapons such as the Flare Gun and Shotgun. As standard, it’s best to ambush and do heavy damage before they can react. Also lure or force them into a confined area to reduce the Scout’s speed and mobility advantage.

Sniper: Most of the time the Sniper will be an easy kill for the Pyro so long as they can get close. If the Pyro can surprise the Sniper it likely the Pyro can get a kill without taking any damage. The Pyro should not get overconfident though as melee weapons can get random Critical hits and bows are lethal close up.

Soldier: The Soldier can be a relatively easy foe for the Pyro or one of the most difficult depending on the skills of the players. A good Soldier will Rocket Jump to get into a superior position (often above the Pyro) if possible and fire at the Pyro’s feet to bounce the Pyro into the air. This makes it difficult to reflect the next rocket which will probably kill the Pyro. If unwilling to risk the Pyro reflecting a Rocket the Soldier can switch to a shotgun which can cause a great deal of damage that way.

The Spy is the Pyro’s preferred target. Many of the Pyro’s weapons will reveal a disguised Spy or one that is hidden by setting them on fire. This mean that the Pyro should be spending time doing what is known as “Spy Checking”. Spy Checking is basically flaming the Pyro’s own teammates and seeing if they catch on fire. Now you don’t have to Spy Check everyone you see. While Spies can imitate teammates, there are things they cannot do. For one they can’t attack and keep their disguise intact. That means if a teammate is firing a weapon, they are not an enemy Spy. Spies also cannot imitate other classes special abilities such as the Scout’s Double Jump or even the Scout’s speed while running. Now this does not mean a Spy will not disguise as a Scout. They most certainly will. One reason they will do so is because the Spy will think the other team would not expect them to imitate being the Scout and the Scouts different hitbox makes it more difficult for a Sniper to get a Headshot on them. Speaking of Snipers, sometimes Spies will disguise as them as well. They will stand or crouch in a location that a Sniper would often use pretending to aim. You can tell it’s not a real Sniper was the Spy cannot raise the rifle up to his eye. Sometimes a Spy will pretend to be a Spy from the other team. In general, a Pyro should always be looking for a teammate that seems out of place or is acting strangely in some way. Out of place can mean they standing in a slightly out of way area such as a corner or behind a wall, running and slowing down or retreating when they see a Pyro ahead of them, run after a “teammate” clearly aiming to get on their back rather than run off to one side. There are more things to watch for but those are some of the main ones.

Invisible Spies are harder to deal with for obvious reasons. In order to find an invisible Spy, a Pyro should shoot flames into areas where the Spy might sit and wait for an enemy to run past. These would be in corners and on top of things like barrels, concrete blocks or anywhere else the enemy team would not normally walk. When an enemy walks past the invisible Spy, it gives the Spy a great opportunity to get a backstab in. Now there are limits on being invisible for the Spy and the invisibility cloak isn’t perfect. If someone runs into an invisible Spy or damages one, the cloak with flicker allowing the Spy to be partially seen. Cloaks also have a time limit on them and they need to recharge before being able to be used again. Another problem is that when a Spy decloaks, it makes noise and if the Pyro is paying attention they can be alerted to the Spy’s presence. One type of cloak bears special mention, the Dead Ringer. With this cloak the Spy can’t turn invisible at will, but when the Spy takes damage, the cloak will activate and create a fake dead body leading the enemy team to think they killed the Spy when they didn’t. The Spy with the Dead Ringer gets a measure of damage resistance and a speed boost as well when the cloak activates. This can make it hard to kill a Dead Ringer Spy. The Dead Ringer does have downsides as the de-cloak is rather loud and the Spy has to wait to replenish the cloak. Spy’s using the Dead Ringer will sometimes try to lead members of the enemy team into a trap by decloaking early in an out of sight location and wait for anyone chasing the Spy to run in front of them and try to get a backstab in.

While the Pyro does have a lot of advantages in a Pyro vs Spy battle, the Spy is not helpless by any means. Some Spies will target Pyros and get them out of the way so they don’t have to worry about them before going after the Pyro’s teammates. Spies also carry revolvers which can damage or even kill a Pyro at longer ranges. If facing a good Spy, care needs to be taken so the Pyro doesn’t get too close. Good Spies can perform a move commonly called “The Matador”. This is when a Pyro is flaming a Spy at close range and the Spy sidesteps to get a backstab on the Pyro. Yes, a Spy can get a backstab from the side, so a Pyro needs to be careful. Take the time to learn the Spy’s tools and weapons as they will help a great deal in dealing with them.

The Pybro is kind of subclass of the Pyro. Most of the time the Pyro is more of a offensive class that can act defensively. The Pybro focuses much more on defense and trying to defend the Engineer’s building from enemy Spies. Usually the Pybro carries a Stock Flamethrower, a Shotgun, Flare Gun or Scorch Shot (I prefer the Scorch Shot as you don’t have to directly hit the Spy) and a melee weapon that removes Sappers. These are the Homewrecker, Maul and Neon Annihilator. The Neo Annihilator isn’t used by a Pybro as often (unless there is water around) as it takes two hits to remove a Sapper rather than a single hit as with the Homewrecker and Maul. Not only does the Pybro remove Sappers, they stay near the Engineer’s nest to keep Spies from planting Sappers, stabbing the Engineer in the back, airblasting rockets and pipe bombs away and destroying Sticky bombs. While useful only on certain game modes, the Pybro can be the difference between a win and a loss

These are the Pyro’s main damage dealers.

Stock Flamethrower (And reskins): The flamethrower against all other are compared. This weapon is versatile and does good damage close up. The airblast is costs relatively little ammunition.

Back Burner: Similar to the Stock Flamethrower, but does critical damage to enemies if the Pyro is directly behind the enemy. The downside of this weapon is that airblasts cost a great deal more ammunition. This is a weapon for a Pyro who is good at flanking and getting behind the enemy team.

Degreaser: The main advantage of this weapon is the ability to switch to other weapons and back again much faster than other weapons. The cost for this is that is does a much smaller amount of afterburn damage.

Dragon’s Breath: A weapon that launches a fireball at the enemy. If the target is already on fire, this weapon does triple damage. If the fireball from the Dragons’s Breath hits a target the weapon the next shot can be fired more quickly. This weapon requires good aim to use effectively though it does have a much longer range than a flamethrower. While able to airblast, the rate it able to do so is significantly slower than that of the Stock Flamethrower.

Phlogistinator: Lacking the ability to airblast, this science fiction styled weapon has a chargeable “Mmmph” meter that tracks how much damage the Pyro does. When the meter is full, the Pyro can active a short phase where the weapon does critical damage for all its attacks.

Most secondaries give the Pyro the ability to damage enemies at long range or give an ability that compliments a Primary.

Shotgun: Good damage close up, but only able to do a small amount of damage at long range. Often used by Pyros who are fighting other Pyros frequently. Also useful against Scouts if the Pyro can aim well enough.

Detonator: This weapon fires an incendiary explosive that can be detonated in flight by the Pyro. The explosion sets nearby enemies on fire and can be used to destroy Sticky Bombs. If the enemy is already on fire the damage done is Mini-crit damage. There is a small knockback with this weapon that can be disruptive to an enemy when they are hit. The Detonator can also be used to “Flare Jump” which increases the height and distance a Pyro can jump.

Flare Gun: A long grange weapon that does moderate damage and sets the enemy on fire. However, this weapon does Critical damage to enemies that are already on fire. Best used on slow moving enemies like the Heavy as good accuracy is needed to get multiple hits.

Gas Passer: When used, the Pyro tosses a can that unleashes a cloud of gas that coats any enemy that it touches for a short time. If that enemy then takes damage, the gas ignites and causes afterburn damage (even enemy Pyros are affected). The recharge rate for this weapon is very slow, only boosted somewhat by the Pyro doing damage with other weapons. The best use of the Gas Passer is to keep enemies out of an area for a short time.

Man Melter: A science fiction style companion to the Phlogistinator. This weapon does not have ammunition and does similar damage to the Flare Gun, though it does not give burning enemies critical damage when hit. Instead, the alternate fire mode of this weapon extinguishes teammates who are on fire and gains an automatic critical hit on the next shot (up to 35 critical hits can be stored). The shot from the Man Melter travels much faster than that of the Flare Gun or Scorch Shot making it easier to hit with. A big problem with this weapon is that teammates have to be on fire in order to build Critical hit charges.

Panic Attack: A variant shotgun that deploys quickly, but does less damage after repeated shots.

Reserve Shooter: This weapon does Mini-crit damage to enemies who are blast jumping or launched into the air by some other force (Someone jumping around will not receive Mini-crits). The Reserve Shooter can do Mini-crits only in the first five seconds of being deployed.

Scorch Shot: Similar to the Detonator, the Scorch Shot fires an incendiary explosive, but this explosive only goes off when it hits something. The explosion sets nearby enemies on fire and can be used to destroy Sticky Bombs. If an enemy is already on fire the weapon doe Mini-crit damage. As with the Detonator there is some knock back when hit by this weapon, but if the target is already on fire, there is a huge knockback. This knockback is very disruptive and able to force enemies into environmental hazards. Many players consider the Scorch Shot to be a harassment weapon.

Thermal Thruster: Basically, this is a jet pack that enables the Pyro to move around a map at great speed. Fuel is limited though, but it does regenerate over time. This equipment can extinguish nearby teammates who are on fire when taking off and knocks back nearby enemies at the landing location. If the Pyro happens to land onto of an enemy, the enemy landed on will receive damage. Given the great amount of mobility this gives, many Pyros will use the Backburner with the Thermal Thruster.

Most melee weapons give some sort of additional ability that enhances the Pyro in combat, but with a cost, or helps out in an indirect way.

Fire Axe (and the many reskins): A standard melee weapon that does standard damage and swings at normal speed.

Axtinguisher/Postal Pummeler: Gives Mini-crit damage to burning enemies, but also extinguishes the fire so they no longer take burn damage. This mean doing damage quickly at the cost of more total damage over a longer period of time.

Back Scratcher: Does extra damage when attacking and gives the Pyro extra health from health packs. But the Pyro receives only 25% healing from Medics and Dispensers.

Hot Hand: With this the Pyro slaps the target twice. Yep, that’s it. The two attacks do less damage than a normal melee attack, but the Pyro receives a temporary speed boost upon a successful hit.

Homewrecker/Maul: Does less damage than normal, but can remove a Spy’s Sapper from an Engineer’s buildings. Used by Pybro’s the world over.

Neon Annihilator: Does less damage, but can remove a Sapper for an Engineer’s buildings in two hits. Has the added bonus of doing critical damage to enemies who are wet or are in water. Pyros that use this weapon and hang around in pools of water are called “Pyrosharks”.

Powerjack: Gives a speed boost to the Pyro and heals 20 health if they kill an enemy. The cost is that they take 20% more damage while using it.

Sharpened Volcano Fragment: Does less damage, but sets an enemy on fire when they are hit. Widely considered to be the Pyro’s worst melee weapon.

Third Degree: A melee weapon with the bonus that any damage done transfers down healing beams. That means if a Pyro hits a Medic healing a Soldier, both the Medic *and* Soldier take full damage from the hit. No known downside for this weapon.

I hope this short guide has been of use and never forget what the Pyro says: “Mmmmf!”