Blast of fresh air

I’m an avid pyro player; always have been, most likely will always be (at least until I finish all the achievements). I remember when I first started playing, and unlocked my first item for the game, which was coincidently The Backburner.  I took one look at it and decided that I wanted to use it forever. It gave me guaranteed critical hits when I flame an enemy from behind, and all I have to give away is the ability to blast compressed air! Easy trade.
However, after playing some more, I’ve swapped back. I’ve grown as a player and learned that while the Backburner is a useful item, the air blast ability is not something to be tossed idly aside. I’m aware though, that many people continue to play with the backburner for the same reason I did; because they didn’t understand the power of the air blast properly. It seems the flamethrower’s alt attack is something that is often glazed over while the player is too busy lighting everything around him or her on fire, so I thought I’d share the uses of the air blast for those who aren’t quite aware of them.

1. It puts ignited teammates out. The game is all about getting the different classes to work together as a team, and the pyro certainly isn’t left out of the equation. To counter other pyros, the air blast allows the player to extinguish a player who was lit on fire, stopping them from taking the continuous flame damage they’d otherwise sustain, and allow them to participate longer.
   Of course, just as many pyro players don’t know about this, neither do many other players, and they’ll run the opposite way of a friendly pyro, and make a desperate and pointless attempt to get to a medkit instead.
2. It reflects projectiles. The pyro can be lethal to soldiers and a pain for demoman with the air blast ability. It allows a player to reflect rockets away and back at the enemy soldier, as well as a demoman’s grenades. As an added perk when they’re reflected, they become your team’s projectiles instead, and any kills made with them are attributed to you. Imagine that soldier’s frustration when his easy critical rocket kill is turned around and he finds himself gibbed and respawning.
   Also, you can air blast sticky bombs, moving them away from the demoman’s intended location. Frustrating him and clearing the way for your teammates.
3. It pushes enemies away. Not only does the flamethrower’s alternate attack blow away projectiles, it also pushes away actual enemies, leading to lots of tactical advantages. For example, if you run into a scout who’s trying to rush a point, you can push him back, and if you’re on a bridge, you could really piss him off and throw him off the bridge with it. If an enemy is trying to kill you with his melee weapon, the time you buy from pushing him away could be crucial to your survival too.
   Another use which will really help your team is when an enemy medic ubercharges one of their teammates and tries pushing past your team. The medic has to keep a connection with the teammate to be effective, so what better way to ruin their plans than to split them up by getting between them and pushing the medic back. Most of the time their teammate will be too concerned with running forward and killing to even notice, leaving them defenceless.

That’s what the air blast is capable of. Of course, the air blast ability is useful in a lot more situations than what was listed above, but these were just examples so you can get in your head the power contained in this often overlooked ability.

Tagged as: flamethrower, pyro, strategy, team fortress 2