Pyro: Difference between revisions

The '''Pyro''' is an [[Classes#Offense|offensive class]] who acts both as an independent roamer and a bodyguard for their team, guarding flank routes from enemy assault and having excellent close-range crowd control that punishes enemies who group too close together. With 175 health and 100% speed, they have a good balance between speed and health, and can run straight into enemies who cannot kill them in time, such as [[Medic]] and [[Spy]]. The [[Flame Thrower]]'s ability to cut off entrances is a constant consideration for enemies trying to sneak into allied defences, and a surprise attack with the Flame Thrower, which penetrates through multiple enemies, can be devastating to a frontal assault. The ability to set enemies on fire from a single flame, dealing 10 seconds of [[afterburn]] damage, gives the Pyro the ability to stay comfortably away from enemies on fire, blasting them with the [[Shotgun]] while racking up afterburn damage. They are an extremely hard counter to the Spy, whose trickery is useless when flames are being blasted into every corner. Their [[airblast]] ability also gives them potent crowd control with the ability to push enemies (and their projectiles) where they want them, including [[ÜberCharge|ÜberCharged]] enemies, as well as extinguishing allies. With this wide variety of abilities, the Pyro can change their role as the situation calls for, making for a class that rewards reading the situation with exceptional abilities.

The Pyro's biggest downsides are their reliance on ammo, lack of mobility options, weakness at long range, and an be quite predictable playstyle. Pyro's primary weapon, being automatic and drawing directly from the ammo reserve, spends a lot of ammo. . Since the airblast also uses up 20 ammo per blast, and is an essential option for any engagement, failing to manage ammo can lead to the Flame Thrower running out of gas mid-fight and said Pyro dying. The Pyro is not exceptional in a fair fight, can often get caught off guard by [[Scout|Scouts]] and [[Heavy|Heavies]] who are just outside of their range, and can fail to catch up to enemies who will simply shoot them from afar. But that is what secondaries are for. The [[Twin Barrel]] shores up Pyro's long range weakness in exchange for consistent midrange damage., the [[Shotgun]] helps deal with enemies beyond close range, and the [[Flare Gun]] helps Pyros deal frightening amount of damage to potentially infinite range, scaring off [[Sniper]]s who could otherwise easily deal with a Pyro. In addition, their main option for killing enemies is to run up to them and hold the attack button. However, this is a linear pattern that smart enemies will simply walk backwards from, which means Pyros must get creative with how to approach enemies. There are multiple ways a Pyro can get around their short range. This includes but is not limited to: combining damage-centric secondaries and primary weapons to put out more damage from range, closing the distance with mobility options such as the Twin Barrel, hiding in spaces that and waiting for enemies to come to the Pyro, coming from unexpected angles, and trapping them in tiny spaces they cannot run away from. Creativity is a Pyro's best tool.

While the Pyro is not the best class for every scenario, when there's an opportunity for their strengths to be used, they are the roadblock that prevents enemies from getting what they want. While they are considered an offensive class, they are effectively a jack of all trades, and while not the best in any specific scenario, can be second best in every scenario. On offense, pushing the [[Payload]] or capturing [[Control Points|control points]] is made easy when you can simply push enemies away, and taking flank routes will prevent enemies from trying to sneak in through the back entrance. On defense, defending an allied [[Sentry Gun|Sentry]] nest significantly shores up its weakness against Spies and explosive spam, and sending fire down any route the enemy wants to push through can stop an offensive before it even starts. While the Pyro's weaknesses are obvious, they are mitigated through deliberate play, and they remain a potent situational class for players with an independent nature - whether for low-skill players who just want to watch the world burn, or for high-skill players that want to explore the full spectrum of Pyro's endless nuance and become the world's best enemy team nuisance.