The Pyro is one awesome class in TF2. His personality (while odd) is probably one of my personal favorite characters in TF2 (and probably all of gaming history). His arsenal is anything but ordinary, and rightfully so, his arsenal some weapons that are hot hot hot, and others that are not so hot. So that's why this guide even exists.

Here you'll find some of the most practical and useful weapons for the Pyro listed here. Granted some weapons that are praised and worshipped may be put low on this guide or not featured at all, and for a variety of reasons.

Some praised Pyro weapons that are used by Pyro mains everywhere will not be featured on this list because of the fact that while some dedicate themselves to the fighting style of the mumbling mercenary, players who don't train themselves day and night in the art of making others spontaneously combust may not know how to use it as well.

This guide/list is a bit different from my previous guide Top 5 Spy Weapons because this list has a few more fun elements implemented into it since the Pyro can be more of a class to mess around and experiment with. So without further ado, let's get right into it!

Maybe if I list this, any Pyro main that decides to set their eyes on this guide will be a bit more forgiving and not come after me in the middle of the night with their Australium variants of the weapon I'm about to talk about. Getting the Badass o' the Year Award 2015, the Axtinguisher comes in at #5.



Stats:

• Mini-crits burning players and crits burning players from behind
  
• -50% damage penalty on non-burning players
  
• No random critical hits

The Axtinguisher is an unlockable Pyro melee which you can get from random drops, crafting it using a Pyro Class Token, a Melee Slot Token, and Scrap Metal, or you can unlock it via the Pyro MIlestone 3 achievement (22 Pyro achievements earned).

While I personally don't use this weapon that much, I simply cannot deny the potential and power of this glorified axe. The Axtinguisher is a favorite of a lot of Pyro mains because of the damage it does against burning players. With the ability to mini-crit burning players when attacking from the front, and dishing out full on critical hits if you hit a burning sucker in the back, this weapon is without a shadow of a doubt probably one of the most useful weapons featured on this guide.

This weapon did get a huge nerf from over a year ago, but that hasn't deterred people away from it, as it's essential properties were kept in tact. Sadly though, this weapon didn't get any higher on this list for a few reasons, the main being the fact that unless you're a Pyro main or very proficient at Pyro, you aren't going to use this weapon to its full potential. While it's deemed the most powerful melee weapon in TF2 (minus any of the Spy's knives or the Ubersaw), it's power can only be unlocked for those who practically sleep with this thing (like what Heavy does with Sasha).

Another reason it's ranked so low is because of the HUGE damage penalty is does against non-burning players. 50%? FIFTY FRICKIN' PERCENT?! What the hell?!? Yes other Pyro melees like the Homewrecker have similar damage penalties, but the Homewrecker isn't used to bludgeon in people's skulls, it's used to counter sappers and destroy enemy Engineer buildings.

So sadly this is why the Axtinguisher gets a lower rank than the rest. At least be thankful I didn't do something stupid and put the Sharpened Volcano Fragment on this list.

A long time ago (a.k.a anytime before the Gun Mettle Update), if I said the #4 spot on this list goes to the Scorch Shot, I'd be VAC banned for the next 1000 years and receive eternal hate from the TF2 community. But thanks to the Gun Mettle update, the Scorch Shot made itself onto this list thanks to the huge buff it received during the update. So ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the iconic Scorch Shot.



Stats:

• -35% damage penalty against non-burning players
  
• Mini-crits burning players
  
• Flare knocks back target on hit (increased knockback on burning players)
  
• -35% self damage force

The Scorch Shot is a community-created secondary weapon for the Pyro which can be earned via random drops or crafted using a Degreaser, a Flare Gun, and one Reclaimed Metal.

Making its big debut and recognition in the Meet the Pyro video, the Scorch Shot over its existence quickly became something to avoid using or even owning as a Pyro. The stats it had at the time made the Flare Gun and even the Detonator look much better and more viable. So why is the Scorch Shot on this list instead of the Flare Gun or even the Detonator? The Flare Gun full on crits against burning players and the Detonator functions similarly to the Flare Gun except you can actually use it like a mini rocket jump for Pyros. So why is the Scorch Shot #4 let alone on this list?

Once again, the Gun Mettle update blessed the Scorch Shot with a huge buff, making it more useful, powerful, and most importantly more versatile than its cousins. The Gun Mettle update made the Scorch Shot look like the Flare Gun and Detonator got drunk, drove home, one thing led to another, and you get the picture. Basically the Scorch Shot became the love child of the Flare Gun and the Detonator, which made it that much more useful and more importantly, more versatile.

Why could the Scorch Shot be considered the love child of the Flare Gun and the Detonator. Well it knocks back the target upon hit (Detonator) and mini-crits burning players (Flare Gun). Now see what I'm talking about? The knockback mechanic can be used for most of the gamemodes, and is especially useful on Special Delivery. That's why the Scorch Shot made it to #4 instead of its beloved cousins.

Hitscan weapons in TF2 and most games in general are pretty easy to aim with. Their spread of course makes it easier to aim and time with, but sadly the farther you are away from your target, your rapid fire pump action bullet spreader gets less accurate and therefore does less damage at range. However, thanks to the #3 spot on this entry, you can make up for that lost range damage with mini-crits for days. Please welcome our #3 contestant, the Reserve Shooter



Stats:

• +15% weapon switch speed
  
• Mini-crits airborne targets 5 seconds after being deployed
  
• -34% clip size

The Reserve Shooter is a community-created secondary weapon for both the Pyro and Soldier. It can be found via random drops and crafting by combining two Reclaimed Metal and a Frontier Justice.

This US Army-esque shotgun is probably my favorite shotgun of all my gaming career in TF2 (minus the Widowmaker and maybe the stock shotgun). While it can be only used for two classes, these two classes can use the Reserve Shooter to dish out insane amounts of power and damage. The Reserve Shooter is better used by the Pyro than the Soldier because a Pyro can mini-crit anyone airborne, whereas the Soldier has to MAKE his target airborne via explosive damage. The Pyro can randomly shoot a flying player or air blast someone into the air and then pump a couple shells into their chest, which is usually what you do with the Reserve Shooter as a Pyro.

Probably one of the best methods to use the Reserve Shooter is to light a target on fire, airblast them fairly high, unload a couple mini-crits from the Reserve Shooter, and let fall damage and afterburn do the rest. If they don't die, pump the remainder of your clip into their stomach to give them their final meal before they tragically fall to the ground, their corpse seared to a perfect 137 degrees. Yummy!

While the Pyro's arsenal may be vast, his melee weapons have a range of uses from chopping people into untreated, charred Soylent Green to blocking pesky Spies trying to sap your Engineer's precious sentry. Luckily for those who just want to have a bit of fun with the Pyro, Valve blessed us with a car battery strapped to a car jack that crushes people's chests and self esteem, better known as the Po-

No not Hammer Time, it's the Powerjack for God's sake!



Stats:

• +15% faster movement speed (while equipped)
  
• +25 health on kill (while equipped)
  
• Damage vulnerability increased by 20%

The Powerjack is a community-created melee weapon for the Pyro. It can (as always) be found on random drops as well as be crafted by using an Axtinguisher and one Reclaimed Metal.

For all you Muselk fans out there, no I'm not getting the name wrong. It's called the Powerjack, not the Hammer Time (although if it was the Hammer Time, I wouldn't be mad at all), and I don't hate Muselk at all, it's just his fan base can be a bit, how shall we say this... Cancerous?

Anyway, the Powerjack is on this list purely because how frickin' fun this thing is to use. A Pyro alone can be terrifying to his enemies. It doesn't matter what he/she looks like, you know as soon as those gates open, you'll be set on fire faster than listening to Daquan's mix-tape for the first time. So what's more terrifying than a Pyro ready to spew the flames of Hell upon the surface of the Earth? How does a Pyro charging at you at the speed of a Scout while wielding a car battery attached to a vintage 1950s car jack sound to you? Exactly. It's pretty f*ckin terrifying.

Charging at people with the Powerjack is awesome. It's not only fun but allows you to get around the battlefield very quickly, but it also allows you to be a bit more aggressive since you can pursue your target, which is great for running down Scouts. Combined with the health you get and the butterlicking feel you get everytime you kill with this is so worth the +20% damage you take each time you get hit. Since random crits are enabled on this weapon, if you manage to crit someone with this lovely Pyro melee, the feeling is pretty awesome, so much in fact that pretty awesome greatly understates the feeling, and that's why the Powerjack hits #2.

Since I've probably ticked off a few Pyro mains from reading this, if they've managed to get this far into the guide and not toss their monitor or laptop across the room, then here is your sanctifying grace. When I thought up this list, I only had to think of what would be below #1 because the #1 spot on this list was easy to decide. I present to you the #1 spot on this list, probably the most useful, practical, fun, and overall best Pyro weapon in TF2, the Degreaser.



Stats:

• 65% faster weapon switch
  
• -10% damage penalty
  
• -25% afterburn penalty

The Degreaser is a community-created (holy crap how many weapons has the community created for the Pyro?) flame-thrower for the Pyro. It can be obtained via random drops or crafting by putting a Backburner and one Reclaimed Metal together.

If I didn't mention the Degreaser anywhere within this guide, not only would others hate me but I'd probably hate myself for not noting how awesome this is. Even when the Powerjack is my favorite Pyro weapon, I had to give the Degreaser the #1 spot. Not only is it useful whenever and wherever you go, it's also a pretty fun flame-thrower to use, and that' saying something, since (let's face it) it's a fricking flame-thrower, a hose attached to a gas tank that spews fire at your command, like a tiny dragon (that's metal and lifeless).

To be completely honest, there really isn't much to say about the Degreaser, it's just a good weapon. Combining it with the Reserve Shooter gives the player an 80% faster weapon switch, meaning you can air-blast and mini-crit someone square in the face before they even realize what the hell happened.

The after-burn penalty isn't that big of a deal, seeing that the after-burn on the stock Flamethrower is 10 seconds, meaning the Degreaser's after-burn will last 7.5 seconds. Normally that amount of time is practically nothing, but in gaming terms that's a pretty long time. The damage penalty of 10% isn't that big of a deal either considering it's a flamethrower that (once again) spews hell on Earth (until it runs out of ammo that is).

So overall the Degreaser certainly deserves its #1 spot on the guide for just being one of the best designed weapons in TF2. It's fast, deadly, dangerous, but also balanced in a way so that it's not too OP by itself, but combine it with a good secondary and awesome melee, and you become the Devil's Agent, showing your enemies a vision of their future (a grim and toasty one to be sure). A cheerful, girlish, quirky Devil's agent. Hey, maybe he's into that sort of thing...

Hey! Enjoy the read? I hope you did, and if not, then leave and NEVER return. In all seriousness though, if you didn't like it, let me know what I did wrong to well, wrong you I guess, so I can fix it in future guides. I'll respect your opinion and take into consideration your suggestions and even use them for future guides, or if you don't leave any suggestions, I'll just keep doing what I'm doing.

I was thinking of adding some fire related puns into the guide, but fell short because of the fact that most of the weapons I talked about already had some fire pun somewhere in it. So I'd like to hear your best fire puns in the comments below. I don't care whether they're original or puns you looked up on Google nor do I care if they're funny, outright bad, or as dry as my sense of humor (which is as dry as the Sahara Desert), I'll read them all, and maybe return the favor with another pun.