So you want to set things on fire in cm. Well pyro or sl with the pyro kit is for you. But one thing some people do not understand is your mostly support. I have only played like a few games using the flamethrower. So in my very humble opinion this is how to play pyro proper. I am going to write this assuming that you have at least basic knowledge of how cm works. If not play rifleman and learn what the xenos do first. Read the wiki as well its very helpful. I might add to or edit this as I play more pyro and such. I will be using pyro to refer to sl and pyro specialists in this.
Basic tips.
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If your using the boiler pack and you fall over your flamethrower will go back into it. Kinda like a mag harness.
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Try to tell people in your squad that your going flamer as it can change the way they play the game.
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Sometimes your flamers safety is on. Turn that off.
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The flamer the spec gets is not the same as the one In the kits the sl can get. The sl kit one is not completable with the boiler pack the spec gets.
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Carry fire extinguishers just do it.
Defensive play
Pyro on defense as pyro can make your cad walls a tough nut to crack. Especially if the enemy does not have there queen up yet. If she is up well your not really making it worse I guess. Just flame the other xenos and stuff. So here’s some tips for.
1- Try to make big lines of fire that cut deep into the enemy lines, or lines that go sideways to block cads. This is a good way of not only keeping them back but also funnels them where you want them to go. Unless there a ravager or the queen I guess. See most xenos hate fire and will avoid it even if they can tank the damage. It makes sense because they are going to shot with bullets no need to take extra damage. So they often walk around it so if you place your flames right you can make a nice artificial chock point.
2- So try to look out for damaged or broken cads and put a line of flame to cut off xeno advance to it. In the heat of battle most xenos might not even notice especially if you’re using tip number one. If they do notice just keep flaming I guess. This can give your engis time fix the cads.
3- So burn xeno structures especially resin nods. If the xenos are attacking, there likely to place down weeds. Your flames can destroy resin nods even behind the cads. If you have people covering, you it might be worth it to go out and flame one farther away. But before you do that read the part about pyro on offence first.
4- Keep an eye out for runners and spitters. Runners go so fast that sometimes tip one can get them. But for spitters and sentinels they tend to stick away but sometimes just sometimes they get too close and your range can be very deceptive. Most aliens won’t die from it but the ability to send most xenos running away in a single click is not to be underestimated. This works on most xenos just very well on runners and spitters due to their low hp and tendency to be near cad walls.
Okay so now its time to take the fight to the enemy going on offence. So this can be very tricky. This is when different fuel types can really shine I think. So first things first stick with your team as usual you want to be close to the front but not quite the point man. That way you can block off flanks or flame the front if you need to run away. Just have a good firing line and carry a fire extinguisher okay.
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So your very useful for blocking off flank routes for the enemy. If your squad goes into a room and there are two hallways or doors. Flame the one with the least marines nearby. If your on the move occasionally flame behind your squad in tight hallways to avoid getting ambushed. Sure this could mean you might not be able to retreat so use with caution and carry an extinguisher. If your at comms just flame all the entry ways except maybe the one you came from. At least until the cads are up.
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Flame resin doors if there open. This will send a large ling of flame that stops the enemy’s advance. If the door is two wide but only one was open just put flame in front of the other one. That way when they try and go around, they might run into the fire. Plus the drones inside might have to spend time putting out the flames and not putting down weeds or building walls. This also works on resin nods as well and you can sometimes get multiple nods in one shot if your aim is good. So this is weird but sometimes you can put fire under a door even when its closed. This can eventually destroy the door. You cannot see the fire under the door very well when its closed. So yeah more fire door traps.
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So if your pushing the front lines they say don’t flame the front. Ignore them for the most part and do it correctly. Remember how I said you can funnel xenos using fire well you can still do that on offence. Marines can shoot past fire so its kinda like a impromptu cad wall in some cases. It also work to make an open field less open and exposed. Since most xenos are melee based this can be very useful. This is why you should stay near the front but not the point man. Other marines have better range then you plus your weapons slow fire rate means you need to wait a bit. That’s time your other marines can buy you. What I suggest is when a marines starts shooting walk by and flame in front of them but leave a tunnel of open ground for them to keep advancing. There already at range so its not like they need to get closer anytime soon. Sure it might slow down aggressive pushes but it can result in less deaths. If done correctly it might not effect momentum very much.
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So keep an eye out for tight hallways, especially caves where there are a lot of xenos in tight spaces. This where your fire as a weapon can shine. If mariens have hit a stand still just go around set as many xenos on fire as you can. Just block that place off with fire, mariens will likely shoot at the walls or door. When those go down flame the inner parts of the hive. Slowly push forwards as a massive ball of marines with a wall of fire moving forwards. I suggest using a mix of fuel x and b. X for damage and b to reduce their armor. Fire is fire and xenos still tend to avoid it even if green does little damage. The good thing is that the reduced armor means that bullets can make up for it.
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So defenders when dug are some tough girls to deal with using normal rounds. That is unless you use green fire to lower there armor and make them run away exposing there backside. Then your marines can just shoot them. Same goes with crushers and such. Use x fuel on other stuff in the caves, no use saving it for later this is probably the end.
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By the way don’t be afraid to shoot some flame, you have probably way more fuel then you think and if you run out its fine to just go to fob and get more. Plus if need be you can always send an ammo runner or call req. If you’re an sl using a flamethrower then maybe don’t go back to fob if your on the front.
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So during a push often boilers will shoot gas bombs. If your near the front of the push then as you all retreat flame into the cloud as xenos like to charge after you. Now this is when marines can get set on fire so use discretion. But if your near the front friendly fire is very common in cm but with your gun its way worse. You do so much damage to marines so be carefully they will get very mad. However sometimes marines will kinda walk into fire or push each other into fire and still get mad at you.