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I actually prefer the backburner to the airblaster. While the airblaster can put out allies on fire and can do more stuff you won't actually use, the backburner is 25% more powerful even without the critical hits when attacking opponents from behind.
Use the Flare Gun and Axetinguisher when you get them. The Flare Gun is a VERY useful weapon! If you're often near allied sentrys, the sledgehammer is a much better choice, you won't be meleeing people often.
Remember that they key to being a Pyro is to get as close as possible without them seeing you first. Look for places you can reach that are very close to checkpoints, but where you're unlikely to be noticed; on ledges above doorways works great, if you can. But always keep in mind that merely hiding behind an object or next to a doorway still works if your opponent is distracted.
The alternative is to baiting them into close combat. Either by trying to get them to chase you, or by hiding in cover where they can only attack if they go up close. The latter will really only work in King Of The Hill (only on the point) or Arena, because the enemy doesn't normally have a reason to chase a cowardly pyro, but it works very brilliantly on maps like KoTH Neucleus. Occasinally sniping them with the flaregun works brilliantly for aggravating them into charging you.
Also, while charging head-first by yourself into enemies is suicide, a pyro is a much needed addition to any group charge. Use your own allies as cover until you can get close enough.
The downside to all that is that it's hard to actually keep all that in mind when you're in the middle of a battle. It's why I prefer classes like the Engineer, where you get time to properly think and formulate tactics!
As for playing Engineer, there's not really much tips. It's mostly about where you set up your sentry/dispenser base. You need to consider between:
A: Visibility. It should be as out-of-the-way as possible but without restricting its area of view.
B: Vulnerability. Watch out for places the opponent can attack it without it being able to attack back.
C: Defensiveness. The more congested the place is with your allies, the better defended the sentry will be from formulated anti-sentry tactics and spies.
D: Effectiveness. Choke points work best. Building in your intelligence room in a Capture The Flag may seem like a good idea, but is often too predictable and counterable (spies can often take the intelligence and ge out before you can unsap your sentry), and building it more forward may be able to take down enemies just as well. Additionally, in non-CTF maps, a sentry that's holding a strategic location (such as the middle ground of the second section Payload Race map. Trust me, a sentry there works wonders) is usually more important than a sentry getting lots of kills.
E: Teleportyness. As in, how good the position is for building a teleport there too. While it's not necessary, and a teleport may be better built further up (or be used as a pre-emptive check to see if someone's coming; if a teleport is attacked, it means someone's at that location), a teleport in a fortified location will not only ensure it lasts longer, but will also add to the defensiveness of the area.
The best example of all this would be on CTF_Well. Building just after the river, behind the large container in the middle, is not only out of the way and can't be hit out of range, but is a mandatory chokepoint meaning that it will both be well defended by allies and be effective at stopping anyone coming through.
Last edited by Plasma on Sat Jun 12, 2010 7:46 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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