Image taken from Planet Fortress.
| Tactics | Pyro Strategies and Tactics |
| - | Weapons - How to use the Pyro's arsenal. |
| - | Classes - Things to watch out for with specific TF classes. |
| Statistics | Statistics about the Pyro - Weapons, Health, Armor, etc. |
| Objectives | List of objectives for the Pyro player |
| Bindings | Tips for useful bindings (Configs) |
| Links | Links to major TF sites, map downloads, clans, my stats. |
| Contact Me | How to contact me. |
Pyros aren't the most devastating class in TF: they don't rack in the frags like the Soldier or the Sniper, they aren't as efficient as Scouts for capping the flag. Unfortunately, this seems to have made Pyros a less popular class, and advice to the young Pyro generally consists of two words: "Burn stuff".
When I started playing multiplayer Quake and Team Fortress, I was looking to kick some ass, as are most people I expect. I tried the Soldier, but I don't like the idea of having to reload your primary weapon every four shots (Hint: Grenades work while you're reloading) or the fact I moved like a slug. I tried Sniper but I didn't like how easily I got taken out if someone got close to me while taking aim (Hint: Bind a key to zoom instead of using autozoom). I wanted a class with decent speed and armor, and the ability to do some damage.
If you're interested in playing a Pyro, you can forget about being frag king. Pyros do a lot of damage, but often the kill goes to someone else. Get used to having your frags stolen. If you want frags, go with a Soldier or Sniper.
Its important to remember that each class has its own niche. If you try to
match the standards of any other class, you're bound to be disappointed. Once
you accept this, you'll be much happier, and you'll also be prepared to start
learning how to be a good TF player.
Just as a quick note, I generally play on a Mega TF server. The reason I play on this server is because I have friends there, not because the Pyro is more effective. Straight TF, in my experience, is by far the better environment for the Pyro. Mega TF adds the Lava Pool and the Toaster (Which everyone gets), but the damage a Pyro does is much less.
I can't really say why they chose to make these changes to the Pyro in Mega.
Most of the changes they made were an attempt to balance the classes (e.g.,
Slower rockets), and make certain things seem more realistic (e.g., Knife
instead of Axe). I can't really see the changes falling into the latter
category, though. Perhaps they intended to make the Pyro more of a team player.
Weapons
- How to use the Pyro's arsenal.
Maps - Tips on a few specific maps.
Offense - Attacking with the Pyro.
Defense - Defending with the Pyro.
Classes
- Things to watch out for with specific TF classes.
Basics:
Armor: Max. 150 Yellow (50 Asbestos to start)
Health: Max 100
Speed:
Medium (300)
Note: Asbestos armor absorbs 50% of fire damage. However, not all maps contain Asbestos armor; so when you have to grab more, chances are you're going to be taking more damage from flame.
Weapons:
| Impulse | Weapon | Ammunition | Restrictions |
| 1 | Axe (Knife) | N/A | Range: Touch |
| 2 | Shotgun | Shells | Must reload every four (Mega TF) to eight (TF) shots |
| 6 | Flamethrower | Cells | Can light walls and floor on fire |
| 7 | Incendiary Cannon (Rocket Launcher) | Rockets | Uses 3 rockets per shot. -- Fairly ineffective for rocket jumping. |
Special:
| Weapon | Console Command | Restrictions/Comments | Count (Mx) |
| Regular Grenade | +gren1 | Can be used for grenade jumping. | 4 |
| Napalm Grenade | +gren2 | TF - Explodes flame onto nearby area. -- Mega TF - Explodes 9 times. | 4 |
| Lava Pool | drop1 | Good for defending a single spot (e.g. Flag) -- Mega TF Only | 1 at a time |
| Toaster | drop2 | Toast anyone in water. -- Mega TF Only | 2 (uses 2 Napalm Grenades) |
Important bindings:
"discard" - Drops all ammunition you can't use (i.e., Nails). Supposed to make you run faster, but I haven't noticed any real difference as a Pyro. Be sure to discard on levels that don't use backpacks in respawns; don't want to leave your teammates unarmed or stuck waiting for the nails to respawn.
"flaginfo" - On some maps, tell you info about current flag status (e.g., "In enemy base", "in your base", "being carried by ...").
"fov x" - Set Field of Vision to "x" (a number from 0-180).
Note: Standard FOV is 90. Anything greater than 90 will not display your weapon on the screen.
"+gren1" - Prime type 1 grenade, throws grenade when key is released.
"+gren2" - Prime type 2 grenade, throws grenade when key is released.
Note: Without the "+", this binding will still function, however it will not toss the grenade when the key is released. If you don't use the "+", you will need to give the command "throwgren" to throw the grenade.
"inv" - Displays inventory (Team, color, armor type (e.g., asbestos), number and type of grenades, etc.).
"lay" - On Mega TF only. Lay down when you stop moving.
"reload" - Reloads current clip. Pyros only need to reload their shotgun.
"special" - Mega TF - Switch to Flame-thrower. -- TF - Switch between Flame-thrower and Incendiary Cannon.
Here is a
link to my own config file.
Team Fortress Home Page:
Maps: