Team Fortress 2 Strategy

The aim of this guide is to give you a few useful pointers which will hopefully improve your pyro performance.

Here are my load outs that I use, I have a number of them, depending on what type of role I am going to fill during the map or round, and also what classes my team are playing.

Engie/Spychecking Pyro:

Flamethrower

• The compression blast as well as the flame is good for spy checking and saving your pals from an imminent stab.
• It’s also important for getting rid of the stickybombs, rockets, and such if you love your engies.

Flare Gun

• Because setting things on fire is more noticeable than a glowing spy for a second.
• That, and the fire is more useful than the shotgun against higher HP classes. Psychological effect and whatnot.

Homewrecker

• Unless your teammates are a few sandwiches short of a picnic, they’ll take care of the burning spies, and you can unsap your engie’s stuff in case of an emergency.
• That, and it’s always hilarious to take down a high HP class with it.

Offensive Pyro:

Either flamethrower

• It depends on: Proficiency with compression blast, if you’re out in the open or in an enclosed space, and if the entire team are nutty soldiers.
• Or if there are good flanking routes, at which point you would be forgiven for using the backburner (just this once though!)

Shotgun

• Those evil pyros you come across shall fall to your mighty buckshot. It’s a good counter to other pyros, especially if you are using the axtinguisher.

Axtinguisher

• You’re not going to come across any sentries on the front usually, and if you’re setting things on fire they oughta die just that much faster anyway.
• If you are playing offensive pyro then you should be setting people on fire rather than buildings, so the crit you receive when you hit a burning person will be more useful. Remember, Heavies (and only heavies) take TWO Axe shots before they die!

NB. Defensive Pyros are the same as the Engy Pyros, usually. I’d go for the fire axe instead, personally.

General Tips

• If you’ve a mind to attack, don’t charge in…WM1ing will just get you killed quicker.. EVERY MAP HAS IT’S FLANKING ROUTES. 2fort has the sewers, for example. The pyro is meant to be an ambushing class, taking the enemies unaware.
• If there’s a dispenser nearby, run around with your attack button clicked. It’s worth the 30 seconds if you catch a spy, and besides, the dispenser will replace anything you lost.
• Don’t be an idiot! Use your head, harass if there’s a bunch of them far away from you, run away at low health and run if they get close! Burning stuff is fun! Dying is not! If you are being chased by an enemy you have two options, if you think that they are at low health or your chances of escaping are very slim, turn around and shot your shotgun or flaregun at them, if you think that you can run away then face forward and run (if you run backwards you incur a 10% speed penalty)
• FIRE HAS A PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECT! It causes panic! Adrenaline! FEAR! The feeling to retreat! Set things on fire whenever you can! I’ve died a lot from a surprise Pyro setting me alight, causing me to panic and fire at everything! (even as a heavy!)

Versus Classes

Scout:

• As a flare gun user, I usually fire it at them. If it sets them alight, fire again and head to cover.
• Scouts are far too fast for you to get near with the flamethrower. Leave them alone after that, for if they get close enough to do damage it’ll be hot roasted crazy-legs for dinner!
• Don’t circle if he circles, it will make both of you guys dizzy. Don’t go shotgun to shotgun, the Scattergun IS MORE POWERFUL than the shotgun.
• You have the health advantage, stay back and pepper them with your shotgun, or if you have a flaregun it’s best to retreat, if the scout comes towards you, it’s easy to set them on fire
• In order for the scout to kill you, they need to get in close and meatshot you, this means that they will have to risk your flamethrower
• If you’re facing a jumping scout, wait for the to get in close and set them on fire, then puff them in the air, try to push them into a corner where you can axtinguish them.
• Most scouts aren’t smart enough to use the double jump after they’re been airblasted. This makes them extremely easy to kill since you’ve taken away one of the main features of the class, mobility. Either use your shotgun or go for the puff n sting if you’re feeling lucky. The opportunity for sandman reflects don’t come often but, at long ranges if the scout pulls out the wooden bat at long range you should expect the ball to come soon.

Soldier:

• With the backburner? Flank him. You have NO CHANCE head on.
• With the Flamethrower, do your best to compression blast his rockets away, and use your secondary weapon against him if you’re retreating.
• I usually harass these guys, they’re a toughie!
• Most “average” soldiers will spam all 4 rockets if they encounter you from close range… if you have some experience with reflecting you can usually “sync” your airblasting to the rate they’re firing rockets… think of it like a rhythm game. Of course the problem with this tactic is that if you get used to it too much bad soldiers will fire their rockets sporadically, whereas good soldiers will know to change their rhythm.

Pyro:

• Another tough one. Your flame will do nothing to him. Use your secondary weapon, but if he’s WM1ing towards you, run BACKWARDS and M1 as well. More flame will hit him most of the time.
• Don’t go around corners, or he’ll get the jump on you and burnt asbestos does NOT smell good!

Demoman:

• Compression blasting is very hard against these guys for a lot of people. Run around a corner and pop out and hit him with your secondary. RETREAT IF HE PLANTS STICKIES AROUND THE CORNER.
• He’ll advance then and just run away if you pursue him. Zig and zag or he’ll kill you with the Grenade Launcher. If he gets close, zigzag and hold down that mouse button.

Heavy:

• Don’t even touch him. He’ll eat you and then eat his sandvich before anything happens most of the time.
• If you can get the jump on him, set him alight, CB him and use the axetinguisher. DO NOT GET NEAR HIM IF HE HAS A MEDIC, HE’LL KILL YOU.
• Kill his medic if you get the chance, though.
• Just NEVER run head on into him. If he HAS to go down, pelt him with the secondary and run if he revs. You would be surprised how many pyros run into a spun up heavy.

Engineer:

• Alone? Pfah, no problem. Roasted hardhat. Pelt him with the secondary if he’s far away.
• But if you hear beeping noises don’t follow him around that corner!

Engineer’s Sentry Gun:

• That thing’ll kill you without an uber. Listen for the beeps and don’t go near it.
• However, if there is a nearby corner, try hugging it are burning the sentry around it.

Sniper:

• Close range, roasted Australian. Run backwards and compression blast him if he gets melee-happy.
• Long range, pelt him with the secondary and DO NOT STOP MOVING. Crouch, jump, side to side, just move! Hitting zoomed snipers screws up their aim.
• Reflecting arrows takes a bit of practice. Luckily though you generally have the visual cue of them pulling back/charging their arrows so it makes them slightly more predictable than soldiers once you’ve gotten the timing down. (Unless they’re smart enough to shoot without charging at close range)
• Another tip for reflecting arrows is if you attack a charged hunstman from close range and you’re either not dead from the arrow or the arrow hasn’t reflected than it’s likely that the sniper let go of m1 while you airblasted meaning the arrow won’t fire until he’s touched the floor again, this means you have a good chance of knowing exactly when the arrow is going to fire

Medic:

• Roasted medic most of the time. His Syringe Gun DOES pack a punch close range, so don’t get cocky. Dodge.
• Pull back a bit if he gets melee-happy. With ANY patient, the patient will likely rip you apart.
• Flank, and take out the doctor even if you go down with him. He may very well have been at 90 percent charge, and you would be credit to team. ;D

Spy:

• Pyros are the ULTIMATE COUNTER for these guys. Run around and set everything on fire, especially corners.
• If one of your teammates start burning from your fire, HIT HIM HIT HIM HIT HIM. He’s a spy.
• A pyro with airblast is the spy’s worst nightmare. If at any point you catch a DR spy trying to sneak past your lines airblast him in a corner until his DR wears off and finish him off with any weapon at your disposal. The 90% damage reduction while he’s cloaked means you’re unlikely to kill him and following him blindly could easily bring you towards a group of enemy players.

Compression Blast

This thing reflects everything except bullets. It also makes those things YOURS! (except for stickybombs) Hitting those things back at your enemies makes them minicrit!

You can read all about using the compression blast to great effect in the Compression Blast Guide.

Use it against an Uber. Even if you die, half the uber wasted (or all of it) can make a huge difference.

Things you can reflect:

• Rockets
• Demoman grenades
• Sticky Bombs
• Flares
• Jarate
• Sandman Balls
• Huntsman Arrows
• People (doesn’t deal any damage, but it can give you room to breathe or knock them into dangerous positions, and give you time to retreat if you met a heavy on your way!)
• Mad Milk (Thanks Jermy!)
• Black Box Rockets, which give you HP upon hit (Thanks Jermy!)

Homewrecker Information

Ammo: N/A
Damage: Unknown

Destroys Sappers in one swing
Destroys Buildings in 1-2 hits (Sentry two, all others one)

Sledgehammers are commonly used for building or taking things apart. With the Homewrecker, you can stop Sappers in their tracks with one swing. This hammer is perfect if you’re friendly towards Engineers, and for embarrassing your enemies! The Homewrecker can also destroy an Engineer’s buildings much faster than any other weapon. With 1-2 swings, that sentry is no more!

This is the PERFECT weapon if you want to focus on helping the engineers on your team, or just attack the odd teleporter.