Unit | Old version(s) | Quotes | Gallery | Changelog |
The Pyro is a dedicated anti-infantry and anti-structure Soviet soldier capable of wiping out squads of infantry with ease.
Official description[]
Flamethrowers have been used by the Soviets in the Second Great War to terrorize local villages; torching man and structures to ashes. Now, known as Pyro, the flame-throwing infantry is making a comeback. The Soviet army has dug into its pockets in order to improve the effectiveness of Pyros by issuing standard flame retardant suits and longer ranged, more powerful flamethrowers. The Pyro is a definite threat to structures and groups of enemy infantry and is not to be underestimated.[1]
Overview[]
Along with the Tesla Trooper, the Pyro is a cornerstone of the Soviet midgame and is perhaps the single best excuse for a player to delay building their Battle Lab. Providing a cheap, flexible, and easily produced infantry killer with quite the durability that the Soviets otherwise lack until the Desolator becomes available, squads of Pyros are also absurdly threatening to enemy buildings and defenses, burning them to the ground in no more than a few grouped shots. A sneaky Borillo filled with Pyros will cripple a base faster than any tank rush could ever hope to do. Even though the Desolator is a superior infantry unit in many regards, Pyros still retain some strong advantages over the former - namely, being over twice as cheap, possessing the ability to inflict massive splash damage against infantry squads, and being able to devastate structures.
Pyros are of particular note versus Epsilon players, due to Epsilon's tendency towards infantry units. Clumps of Pyros are fantastically effective versus Brutes, and their resistance to each others' flamethrowers effectively counters mind control attacks. However, the presence of Viruses and Dybbuk-Evolvers in the late game ruins the chance of a Soviet infantry army staying effective forever. They will also suffer against Bloaticks due to the former dealing lethal splash damage upon death and the short range of the Pyro's attack.
While Pyros form a strong midgame army when paired with Tesla Troopers, one should watch out for aerial attacks and build some anti-air to defend if necessary. On the ground, the big threats are fast units that can outrange and outrun the Soviet infantry doom blob, such as Gatling Tanks, Duneriders, Navy SEAL IFVs, and Jackal Racers. They also don't work well with other infantry units as their weapons' immense splash damage can cause very harmful friendly fires, meaning a Soviet general must be careful to ensure his/her troops don't get caught in the crossfires of the trigger-happy pyromaniacs.
AI behavior[]
Pyros controlled by the AI have the following attack patterns:
All difficulties[]
- 2x targeting anything, accompanied by Morales
- 4x targeting structures
- 6x targeting structures, accompanied by 2 Buratinos
Medium/Hard[]
- 2x targeting anything, accompanied by 2 Flak Troopers, 2 Attack Dogs and 4 Tesla/Shock Troopers
- This task force will only be constructed if a Radar Dish is built
- If available, Rage, Kinetic Barrier and Regen/Wonder Drugs may be applied
- 2x targeting anything, accompanied by 2 Tesla Troopers, 2 Attack Dogs and 4 Mortar Quads
- If available, Rage, Kinetic Barrier and Regen/Wonder Drugs may be applied
- 3x targeting anything, accompanied by 2 Attack Dogs, 2 Tesla/Shock Troopers and 1 Crazy Ivan
- 4x targeting anything, accompanied by 4 Tesla/Shock Troopers and 2 Crazy Ivans
- 6x loaded inside a Borillo
- 6x targeting structures
- 6x targeting structures, accompanied by 2 Crazy Ivans
- If available, Rage, Kinetic Barrier and Regen/Wonder Drugs may be applied
- 6x targeting structures, accompanied by 2 Scud Launchers
- 8x loaded inside an Armadillo
Appearances[]
“ | Pyros are resistant to their own weapons. Use them in large numbers against the enemy. | ” |
—Soviet intel during Operation: Awake and Alive |
Act One[]
- Pyros debut in Red Dawn Rising as enemy and Bleed Red as trainable unit, at the beginning of the Third Great War.
- In Golden Gate, Road Trippin', Needlehead, Low Rider, Heaven and Hell, Happy Birthday and Good Old Times, Pyros use the white phosphorus fire that is brighter than normal. Their firepower is increased by 33%, effective against infantry increased by 66-45%.
Cooperative[]
- In Burned Alive, two commanders can only command an elite squad of Pyros to drove out a Pacific Front occupation force from Dalnegorsk.
Assessment[]
Pros | Cons |
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Behind the scenes[]
The Pyro's original SHP sprite (known as Soviet Flametrooper) is a public asset and can be used by other modders. The link can be found here(includes other sprites for Flak Trooper and Conscript) .
Trivia[]
- The Pyro bears resemblance to one of the conceptual artworks for the original Conscript, with the designation Heavy Shock Trooper provided to it.
- The Pyro's muffled voice in response quotes is similar to how the Pyro from the video game Team Fortress 2 speaks.