The Pyro is a dedicated anti-infantry and anti-structure Soviet soldier capable of wiping out squads of infantry with ease.
Description
Flamethrowers have been used by the Soviets in the First Great War to terrorize local villages, leaving nothing but ash and cinders. Now rechristened as the Pyro, the Flamethrower infantry has made its 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 now a definite threat to structures and groups of enemy infantry and is not to be underestimated.
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.
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 in the late game ruins the chance of a Soviet infantry army staying effective forever.
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.
Assessment
Pros
- Effective against infantry and structures.
- Durable and resistant to fire.
- Flamethrower deals splash damage.
- Decent firepower and speed.
- Quite cheap ($400).
Cons
- Weak against anti-infantry weapons.
- Weapon not effective against armored tanks.
- Flamethrower can cause friendly fire.
- Relatively short range.
Quotes
The Pyro is voiced by Gabriel Wolf, but the speeches are difficult to comprehend as they are filtered through their flame-retardant suit's gas masks.
As of version 3.3, some of the Pyro's speeches were made a bit clearer.
When selected
- Let's get it started.
- What's cooking around?
- I hate my friggin' life.
- Start it up!
- Ashes to ashes!
- Here it comes!
When ordered to move
When ordered to attack
- The flames... heh... they speak to me!
- Fire, fire![3]
- Soon we'll play.
- (muffled laughter)
- (muffled chortling)
When under fire
- I'm on fire!
- (frenzied yelling)
Trivia
- The Pyro bears resemblance to one of the conceptual artworks for the original Conscript, with the designation Heavy Shock Trooper provided to it.
References
- ↑ Or possibly Dust to dust!
- ↑ Or possibly TERROR!
- ↑ Pronounced much like Feuer frei!
