Obtaining Pyro achievements

Arsonist Destroy 50 Engineer buildings. Difficulty: Easy How to obtain: Try to take out unguarded enemy Teleporters and Dispensers, or attack an Engineer who is just starting to set up, as buildings that are still under construction also count towards this achievement. While it is possible to circle-strafe active Sentry Guns, this only works reliably with those that are level 2 or below. Don’t bother trying this with level 3 Sentry Guns unless you are already positioned behind it or are under the effects of an ÜberCharge. If using the Flamethrower, try to use your compression blast to compromise level 3 Sentry Guns with its own rockets. Carrying the Backburner or Homewrecker may assist in destroying buildings more quickly. Destroying enemy Sappers with the Homewrecker count towards this achievement.

Attention Getter Ignite 100 enemies with the flare gun. Difficulty: Easy How to obtain: Unlike the Flamethrower, the Flare Gun requires precise aim to hit a target. As flares travels in an arc, you must lead and aim above your intended target accordingly. Shooting flares at areas where players tend to congregate, such as control points, Payload carts, and narrow corridors will work well. Snipers, Engineers, and Heavies make great targets for your Flare Gun. Snipers tend to stand still while aiming. Engineers working on their buildings can safely be hit from outside the normal range of a Sentry Gun (beware of the Wrangler. Heavies are large targets and lack the mobility to dodge when spinning their gun.

Baptism by Fire Force 10 burning enemies to jump into water. Difficulty: Very Easy How to obtain: Simply patrol areas with bodies of water and ignite any enemies you encounter. They will likely head for the nearest body of water to extinguish themselves. Note that the water has to be deep enough for a player to completely submerge themselves. Thus, certain bodies of water, such as the shallow rivers on Hydro, cannot put players out. It is possible to “help” your opponents into the water by using the compression blast.

BarbeQueQ Cause a dominated player to leave the server. Difficulty: Very Easy How to obtain: While this achievement is largely out of your hands, eventually someone you are dominating will leave the server, so never leave a server when you are dominating another player. Try to avoid direct confrontation with the dominated player to cut down the chance of them taking their revenge. You can get this achievement by dominating a player as any class, then switching to Pyro before they leave the server. Beware that the player you are dominating may be playing as a class that is strong against the Pyro, such as the Soldier or Heavy.

Burn Ward Ignite 3 Medics that are ready to deploy an ÜberCharge. Difficulty: Easy-Medium How to obtain: It is not necessary to kill the Medic for this achievement. You only need to set the Medic on fire, so it is possible to use the Flare Gun at a distance to accomplish this. Coming across a lone Medic who is fully charged is rare. Use alternate routes to flank the Medic and his escorts, attacking before the Medic can activate his charge. Competent Medics will have an ÜberCharge ready before the setup phase on a CP or Payload map ends, presenting an opportune time to ignite them as the round begins. Firing the Flare Gun into the enemy spawn room will occasionally hit a Medic.

Camp Fire Kill 3 enemies in a row, all within the same area. Difficulty: Easy How to obtain: This will usually happen incidentally. Make use of the Pyro’s excellent close-quarters ability and ambush enemies from behind in a busy area or chokepoint. You can attempt to achieve both this and Pyrotechnics at the same time while on the offensive while ÜberCharged. The kills do not all have to be within a certain amount of time, so it is possible to retreat if you run low on health or ammo, and return later.

Clearcutter Kill 6 people with your axe in one life. Difficulty: Hard How to obtain: See Lumberjack. On most maps it is very hard to survive long enough and find enough targets to safely get this achievement. One option is to go onto 24/7 servers running CTF maps like 2Fort with the time and capture limits disabled or greatly extended, and play extremely conservatively while targeting Scouts and Spies trying to go for the Intelligence. Occasionally you may get lucky in Sudden Death melee fights and kill enough players to get this achievement. Alternatively, you can try your luck in a melee only server. This achievement also works with the Powerjack.

Combined Fire Use your shotgun to finish off 20 players you've ignited. Difficulty: Easy-Medium How to obtain: Just remember to switch to your Shotgun whenever someone moves outside of the range of your Flamethrower (Scouts particularly), and you should get this eventually. Remember to have your Shotgun as your quick-switch weapon, so that you can quickly hit Q to equip it. If a foe retreats out of Flamethrower range while firing at you (such as Soldiers, Engineers, and Spies), taking out your Shotgun should be the default course of action. If obtained, you can use the Degreaser, making the weapon switch time much faster and your opponents less likely to be killed by the after burn. These attributes will allow you to kill ignited players with your shotgun more efficiently.

Controlled Burn Ignite 50 enemies capturing one of your control points. Difficulty: Easy How to obtain: This should happen eventually after some time playing as a Pyro. Just stay around the control points and burn enemies, then let your team-mates finish them off or simply knock them off the point with compression blast. The Payload counts as a control point, so igniting enemies pushing it will count towards this achievement. If you can hide when the BLU team overpowers the defense and then ambush them from behind or above as they push the cart en masse, you can net a whole bunch of points at once. As a safer alternative, you can also shoot flares at the cart from a distance.

Cooking the Books Ignite 5 enemies carrying your intelligence. Difficulty: Easy How to obtain: Simply camp the intelligence on a CTF map; the beginning of a round usually starts with Scouts rushing at the other team's intelligence before the Engineers can set up proper defenses. You do not have to kill the one carrying the intelligence, only ignite them, so you will not get points if another Pyro is carrying it.

Dance Dance Immolation Kill 3 enemies while they're taunting. Difficulty: Medium How to obtain: Keep an eye out for other players attempting to get various taunt achievements and light them up. You may also have luck hitting taunting enemies behind the gates in levels such as Gold Rush or Dustbowl if they stand too close during the setup phase. Also, enemies often taunt during humiliation after they have been defeated so try and be near enough to the front lines to take them out then. A Heavy eating a Sandvich also counts as a taunt, and he usually have low HP while doing it, so it will be easy to kill him and obtain this achievement.

Dead Heat Kill an enemy in the same second that he kills you. Difficulty: Easy-Medium How to obtain: Usually an enemy will already be on fire from your Flamethrower and close to death from burning when he kills you, so hope that you did enough damage to kill him in time. If you're fighting an enemy Pyro, there's a chance you'll both flame each other to death due to the lag time of the flames, though this largely depends on which flamethrower each Pyro is carrying, as the Backburner does more damage and can leave one Pyro with considerably more health than the other.

Fire and Forget Kill 15 players while you're dead. Difficulty: Easy-Medium How to obtain: This one should come eventually after some time playing as a Pyro. Just try and get in as much fire damage as possible before you are taken down. It may also help to grab any medkits in an area beforehand (or attack in places devoid of them), as well as going after groups that do not have any Medics, Pyros, or Snipers with them, so that there are no nearby sources of healing, compression blast, or Jarate, respectively.

Fire Chief Kill 1000 enemies. Difficulty: Easy How to obtain: A grind achievement, this should happen eventually after some time playing as a Pyro. Use the same tactics as Firefighter and apply them to the same situations.

Firefighter Kill 500 enemies. Difficulty: Easy How to obtain: Simply play Pyro over a period of time and you will get this achievement eventually. Remember that you have to get kills, not assists, so always try to finish off players whenever possible. Play to your strengths and kill Scouts and Spies, and always fight enemies on your own terms by ambushing them from unexpected places and in enclosed areas where they cannot run away as easily.

Firewall Ignite 5 Spies who have a sapper on a friendly building. Difficulty: Very Easy How to obtain: Hang around friendly Sentry Gun nests in high-action choke points on maps such as Dustbowl and Gold Rush, where the Spies will come along more frequently. Watch the kill reports for Sappers, and spray around randomly with your Flamethrower if you see Sappers appear on the buildings. Listening for friendly Engineers reporting that someone is sapping one of their buildings is also a very useful warning. Remember that some Spies may refuse to decloak to sap buildings if you patrol the area too closely, so try to occasionally wander away to coax them into revealing themselves, and jump them when they least expect it.

Firewatch Ignite 10 Snipers while they are zoomed in. Difficulty: Easy-Medium How to obtain: Inattentive Snipers are often irresistible targets for many Pyros, though getting to their perches can be challenging. This achievement is significantly easier with the Flare Gun, which allows you to ignite the Snipers at long range, although attempting this too frequently may result in the Sniper deliberately targeting you. Strafe and duck a lot to make yourself a harder target, and try to fire from cover, or from an angle outside of his view. This is particularly easy in 2Fort; simply stand on the battlements and aim at the height level of the top of the two door frames to have the optimum range. Note that the Huntsman does not have a scope, so be sure to target Snipers that have the default Sniper Rifle.

Freezer Burn Provide enemies with freezecam shots of each of your taunts. Difficulty: Very Easy How to obtain: Just kill an enemy with any of your weapons and taunt over their body immediately upon their death. If you're quick at switching weapons, you don't have to use different weapons for the different taunts. Simply try to kill lone enemies to reduce the chances of being ambushed as you taunt. Spies and Scouts attempting to infiltrate your base are the easiest to get this achievement for. You don't have to show all three of your taunts to a single person or in a single life, simply provide freeze shots of your three taunts.

Got A Light? Ignite an enemy Spy while he's flicking a cigarette. Difficulty: Medium-Hard How to obtain: Try to get a Spy who is attempting to get the "For Your Eyes Only" achievement. Most Spies will be cautious about getting this achievement and will only attempt it if they are sure that they will be safe for the duration of the taunt, so make sure to stay hidden until you see them taunt, or try to camp a lone teammate from a distance and hit the Spy with your Flare Gun.

Hot on Your Heels Kill 50 enemies with your flamethrower, from behind. Difficulty: Easy How to obtain: Ambush enemies and try to circle-strafe behind them if they turn to face you. If you can get behind a Medic healing another player, make sure to burn through the Medic first; if you are lucky, his patient will not notice until it is too late. Inattentive Snipers are also good target, provided you can sneak your way behind them. The Backburner makes this achievement easier, due to getting guaranteed crits from behind. Classes that are weak against Pyros (like Scouts and Spies) will often turn to run away if they encounter you, presenting their backs for you to attack.

Hot Potato Reflect 100 projectiles with your compressed air blast. Difficulty: Very Easy How to obtain: The compressed air blast from your Flamethrower can be a bit tricky to time at first, especially in high-latency servers, but practice makes perfect. Demoman explosives, especially sticky traps, are easy to blow away, so rolling away sticky carpets can net you lots of points. Just don't stand to close, lest the Demoman decides to detonate them in your face. Projectiles that you can reflect are: baseballs (from the Sandman), Soldier rockets, flares, Demoman bombs (both pipes and stickies), Sentry Gun rockets, Jarate, and arrows.

Hotshot Kill a Soldier with a reflected critical rocket. Difficulty: Hard How to obtain: There are two challenges to getting this achievement: learning how to deflect rockets back at the Soldier who fired them, and actually deflecting a Critical rocket when it appears. Once you learn how to alter the trajectory of a rocket, start specifically targeting Soldiers and you will eventually deflect a Crit. Watching for Soldiers who have been Übered by the Kritzkrieg makes this easier: if you can coax him to fire at you, you will have a perfect opportunity to return his Crit rocket. Alternatively, you can attack a Soldier at close-range, causing him to aim his rockets nearby and thus hurting himself. If you're lucky, he might fire a Crit and suicide, giving you the kill credit and achievement. Also if you are Kritzkrieged and reflect a rocket, it becomes Critical, and still counts toward the achievement. While this can be done against Soldiers with the Direct Hit, normal rockets make this achievement easier since they move slower and the larger radius means you can still kill the Soldier even if your aim is slightly off.

I Fry Ignite 10 disguised Spies. Difficulty: Very Easy How to obtain: Routine Spy checks should get you this eventually. Simply puff any teammates that are acting strangely, and you will inevitably reveal a Spy. However, be sure to check all your teammates occasionally since experienced Spies can imitate your teammates fairly well.

Lumberjack Kill 3 people with your axe in one life. Difficulty: Medium How to obtain: Use the 'Q' key to quick-switch between your axe and Flamethrower; use the Flamethrower to do the bulk of your damage, then switch to the axe to finish off opponents quickly. Play cautiously and retreat for health if your enemy has the upper hand. The Axtinguisher makes this achievement easier, especially if combined with the "Puff and Sting" tactic (see Pyro strategy for more information). If Spy-checking, taking out your Axe to add insult to injury after igniting them can get this achievement relatively quickly and safely. Going for easy kills and lone targets (such as Scouts and Medics, as well as ambushing Snipers and Spy-checking) also helps. This achievement can also be obtained in Sudden Death melee battles. Alternatively, you can try your luck in a melee only server. This achievement also works with the Powerjack.

Makin' Bacon Kill 50 Heavies with your flamethrower. Difficulty: Medium-Hard How to obtain: The Heavy's Minigun will shred Pyros from the front, so try to take an alternate route and ambush them, or attack them at the same time as another teammate to decrease the chances that the Heavy will focus on you. Heavies will almost always have a Medic following them, so be sure to take them out first. Remember to circle-strafe around Heavies to avoid their Minigun, and try to also jump around to throw off their aim. Assists count towards this achievement, so when you see an enemy Heavy under fire try and get in the last shot. The Backburner can make getting this achievement significantly easier due to its higher raw damage and guaranteed Crits from behind.

Next of Kindling Ignite an enemy, and the Medic healing him. Difficulty: Very Easy How to obtain: This should happen eventually after some time playing as a Pyro. Try and ambush the pair from behind to increase your chances of setting them on fire before you are killed. As with all ignite achievements, this will not work if the Medic is healing another Pyro. As always, killing the pair is optional (but helpful), you need only set them on fire.

OMGWTFBBQ Kill an enemy with a taunt. Difficulty: Medium-Hard How to obtain: Use the Shotgun or Flare Gun taunt to create a Hadouken. Stand by the gates at start up, or ambush a Sniper that isn't aware of his surroundings. Occasionally, you may also find a lone Engineer or Heavy who is ignoring his surroundings, or even another player attempting to kill someone else with a taunt. On certain maps with indoor vantage points with small openings (such as the lofts overlooking the final point on Badwater Basin or the buildings overlooking the points on the first two stages of Pipeline), ambushing distracted Soldiers, Demos, and Snipers can be easier since you can perform the taunt right behind or next to the opening (depending on whether they're moving forward/backward or left/right) and let them strafe into your attack. But beware that because that the Pyro does make mumbling sounds while executing the taunt, it might alert your victim and result in your death instead.

Pilot Light Ignite a rocket-jumping Soldier while he's in midair. Difficulty: Easy-Medium How to obtain: Keep on the lookout for Soldiers trying to reach high places, such as the battlements on 2Fort. They'll have to rocket-jump to get there, and that's your chance to light them up. Incidentally, reflecting a rocket back at an enemy Soldier with the compression blast and then igniting him also counts towards this achievement. If you see a Soldier rocket-jumping at a distance, you can also try to ignite him with the Flare Gun.

Plan B Kill 10 enemies while you're both underwater. Difficulty: Medium How to obtain: Simply prowl bodies of water, and try to kill anyone who jumps in. Use your Shotgun on anyone that enters the water, and keep the axe handy if they get close. You can also ambush enemies near water and ignite them, then pushing them in and chasing them. Defending the underwater areas in Well may also help. Remember that the Flare Gun does not work underwater and the Axtinguisher does reduced damage to enemies that are not on fire, so be sure to carry the Shotgun and Fire Axe. Depending on the location, sometimes enemies who jump into the water will have already been injured, making them easy to finish off.

Pyromancer Do 1 million points of total fire damage. Difficulty: Easy How to obtain: This should happen eventually after a long time playing as a Pyro. The Backburner is a better choice if you're going for raw damage, and the Critical hits help as well if you can attack from behind. Gold Rush is a good map choice for ramping up damage, as players are often forced into choke points with plenty of ambush spots. Note that this is 1 million points of fire damage, so using your Shotgun or melee weapons to damage, kill, or finish off enemies will not add to this score.

Pyrotechnics Kill 3 enemies in a single ÜberCharge. Difficulty: Medium How to obtain: Find a Medic trying to get the Autoclave achievement, or one with a full Über who needs to make a push. In general, charging an enemy choke point should usually result in at least a couple of kills unless you get unlucky (an enemy Pyro uses his compression blast or multiple Sentry Guns push you away).

Second Degree Burn Kill a burning enemy who was ignited by another Pyro. Difficulty: Very Easy How to obtain: This one should be fairly straightforward if you work in a pack of two or more Pyros, and should happen fairly frequently in large games. Use your Shotgun or Axtinguisher to finish off players who have been ignited by a friendly Pyro, or simply charge a crowded area with a friendly Pyro, one or both of you will hopefully kill something in the confusion that results.

Spontaneous Combustion Ignite 10 cloaked Spies. Difficulty: Very Easy How to obtain: Look for telltale puffs of smoke or shimmering and chase down your target in his probable hiding area. Puff flames into corners and hidden recesses, or patrol narrow chokepoints frequently with your Flamethrower ready. It may also help when playing on a control point map to immediately flame the area around the setup gates as soon as they open, and to block narrow passageways throughout the match. Consistently checking areas where Spies often try to hide to recharge their Cloak and Dagger will often reveal Spies.

Trailblazer Ignite 10 enemies that have recently used a teleporter. Difficulty: Medium How to obtain: This is not a difficult achievement, but it may take a while. Whenever you take out an Engineer's nest, try to leave their exit intact. A good place to check is the sewers in 2Fort. Assuming no teammates come over to destroy it, sooner or later an enemy will teleport in. It is fairly simple to incinerate them before they even realize what is going on, especially if you stand behind the teleporter and use the Backburner (though beware, telecamping is looked down upon by many players). Otherwise, look for the telltale glowing trail to identify players who have recently teleported. Rushing choke points or forward staging points while on defense is a good way to net points for this as enemy Engineers often set up Teleporters nearby, although you should always beware of Sentry Guns. Upgraded Teleporters charge faster, but will still have the sparkle effect on a player for the full 10 seconds, allowing you to burn many players if they use an upgraded teleporter in quick succession.

Weenie Roast Have 2 enemy Scouts on fire at the same time. Difficulty: Medium How to obtain: Play on a map that suits Scout rushing and defend a choke point as they come through; Granary and 2Fort are ideal choices. This may also happen incidentally at the beginning of CP and CTF maps. Should you have trouble encountering two Scouts at the same time, try igniting and chasing away one and then looking for a second one to ignite before the first one puts himself out or succumbs to the flames. As enemies only burn for ten seconds after you ignite them, a lot of this achievement is based on luck and circumstance.