This guide is not meant for beginners. If you're just starting Team Fortress 2 or the Pyro class, you're going to want to get the basics down before attempting a lot of this stuff. That's not to say you can't learn anything from this guide, but most of it is going to require intimate knowledge of maps, weapon ranges, enemies, etc. If you're the type of Pyro that charges across the map popping flames in front of you, you need to get some more basic skill down before taking full advantage of these tips.

Just in case the question of skill comes up, have a look-see: [link]

I'm one of the top 1000 players ranked by HLStatsX on some of the trickiest public servers in the game, and 3 of my top 5 weapons are Pyro-specific.

Note: These tips are for my preferred load-out, the stock Flamethrower, Shotgun, and Axtinguisher. Small adjustments may be necessary for other loadouts.

1: Compression blast is your best fucking friend. A good Pyro should feel damn near naked without it. The Backburner has its advantages on certain maps and for certain playing styles, but all the best Pyros I know use the stock Flamethrower because general combat can be much more effective with a sudden blast of air capable of causing a lot of grief. Experiment with it. Reflected rockets can give even the most stalwart Soldier pause, and while you can now destroy sticky bombs with your shotgun, moving them out of the way is still very effective and faster than switching weapons (as well as putting the Demoman who put them down in danger). Its most endearing power is versus Ubers however - blowing an Uber off course or separating the medic from his target can completely negate a minute or better of the Medics work, and will often result in the medic and his target being killed by your team. It's most effective on Uber Pyros who have only a short range and not much way to fight back. Heavies are also good, mainly since they tend to be a bit stupid and not paying attention to the reason they're flying everywhere. Soldiers and Demomen generally benefit more from being separated from their Medic than being blown around given the nature of their weapons.

Important note: The airblast is not effective on enemies on a downhill slope. Be it a defect in the game physics or an intentional inclusion, airblasting someone running up a ramp towards you cannot be blown back.


2: Things that give health are the fucking enemy. Know the locations of all medkits on the maps, and likely locations for dispensers. Part of your biggest advantage as a Pyro is being able to fire and forget about a target, but if they step on a health pack or squat on a dispenser, you just wasted your time. Hell, if they had a Medic present you just did him a fucking favor by helping him build up an Ubercharge quicker. When in combat with any other class, always gun for medkits and steal them so your target is in danger of dying even if he kills you. If the target has a Medic, take him down first. I'd even go so far as to airblast him out of the way to take down the Medic (or at least set him on fire and hope there's no health around) first. You can get Medics to pop Ubers early and waste them, or simply waste whatever Ubercharge he'd already built up. As the only class that saps health over time, anything that counteracts that effect is not good for you.

Combining 1 and 2, it's very satisfying to airblast someone over/to the side of a medkit and grab it for yourself.

3: Switch to your other fucking weapons. I can't even begin to count the number of kills I've got on enemies I've killed by giving them a quick puff of flame, blasting them back, switching to the Shotgun, and giving them a nice face-full of buckshot while they're a) trying to figure out what's going on and b) unable to do any serious dodging. For slower classes (Heavies especially), a quick burst of flame around a corner to set them on fire, ducking back, switching to the Axtinguisher, and going in for the kill is a highly effective way of dealing a hell of a lot more damage than you would with the Flamethrower. One hit will kill any flaming class in the game except the Heavy, and two hits will finish anything off (or so close that the Heavy won't get any healing in time to burn to death). Get to know all your weapons intimately - the Flamethrower will indeed be your mainstay when it comes to kills, but your secondary weapons will save your ass quite a bit if used properly. You never know - that guy just out of Flamethrower range running to the medkit might only have 15 health left, and one pump from the Shotgun will prevent him from snagging the health and getting back into the fight (possibly killing you).

4: Other Pyros are your worst fucking enemy (in a standalone fight with no Medics of course). One of your greatest advantages is nullified by that nifty asbestos suit he (and you) is wearing. Stupid Pyros can be easy to deal with since they'll chase you down while you run backwards flaming them the whole way, and the guys who prefer the Flare Gun aren't too hard to deal with either, but a standing Shotgun/Flamethrower war wastes more ammo than it's worth and doesn't allow you to fire and forget. By and large I prefer to just blow the other Pyro out of the way and go for someone behind him. If you absolutely must go toe-to-toe with a Pyro, choose your weapons carefully. A few blasts from the Shotgun will soften him up drastically, and going in to finish the job can be much easier. Never turn your back on another lone Pyro, especially one wielding the Backburner.

Note: If you're one of the Pyros that prefer the Backburner, you occasionally get blessed with a stupid Pyro that shows you his back, enabling you to get a few quick criticals in and finishing things up quickly. Backburner Pyros are generally more well-suited for Pyro/Pyro combat, but since you're horribly gimped against Soldiers, Demomen, and generally anyone you didn't sneak up on, I find the con to heavily outweigh the pro.

If you liked this guide or think it helped you out on some of your Pyro skills, I might do a follow-up with more general tips.