Compression blast
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— The Pyro
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The Compression Blast (also known as the Airblast) is the alternate fire for the Pyro's primary weapons. It appears to be a blast of sphere-shaped gas that emits from the end of the weapon. When the alternate fire button is used, the Pyro will use twenty ammunition (fifty ammunition with the Backburner equipped) to force enemies away several feet. This will also reflect most projectiles, and instantly extinguish burning teammates.
Contents
Deflection
Projectiles within the area of effect are redirected so that they will be launched towards the Pyro's cursor. When these projectiles are deflected, they are not simply "bounced" as if from a mirror; rather, the Pyro can redirect them. Deflected projectiles are essentially stopped and fired again from the Pyro's current position, aimed directly at the Pyro's crosshairs. With the right timing and position, a skilled or well positioned Pyro can deflect projectiles at right angles to their original path. Stickybombs that are already on a surface will roll in the direction pointed by the cursor.
The following projectiles can be compression blasted:
- Rockets (all types, including Level 3 Sentry Gun rockets)
- Grenades
- Stickybombs
- Baseballs
- Flares
- Jarate and Mad Milk
- Huntsman Arrows and Crusader's Crossbow Bolts
Grenades and baseballs are not naturally given any additional vertical velocity when they are reflected. Aiming these deflected projectiles is more difficult, but their trajectory can be controlled by the Pyro's angle and position. They must be reflected upward in order to arc as they do when fired normally.
Deflected projectiles are considered to have been fired by the Pyro deflecting them for the purposes of friendly fire and kill awards. For example, a RED grenade will turn BLU when deflected and hurt any RED team players in the approximated area when it explodes. It can also hurt the Pyro who deflected it, similar to a Soldier damaging himself with his own Rockets. The only exception to these rules is the Stickybomb. Although they can be pushed away, they do not change ownership. The only change to a deflected Stickybomb is that if the Demoman who fired the Stickybomb detonates it while within its blast radius the Pyro will be credited for the kill. Deflected Mad Milk and Jarate will soak enemy players, and will have all the attributes of normal Jarate or Mad Milk. The Pyro will be given kill assists if a teammate kills an enemy under the effects of reflected Jarate. On hit effects are applied to the Pyro that reflected it. For example it is possible to gain the +15 health bonus from a Black Box rocket if the deflected rocket successfully hits a target. Likewise the Crusader's Crossbow's arrows will heal teammates if reflected.
Deflected projectiles will always turn into Mini-Crits, although it is possible to get a full Crit depending on Critical status. Additionally, a deflected baseball will only stun, as it would for the Scout who launched it. If the Pyro is under the effects of the Kritzkrieg's ÜberCharge, reflected projectiles will turn into Critical projectiles.
Demonstration
Associated Kill Icons
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Deflected arrow |
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Deflected arrow headshot |
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Deflected flaming arrow |
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Deflected flaming arrow headshot |
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Deflected flare |
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Deflected grenade |
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Deflected sticky |
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Deflected rocket |
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Deflected Sandman ball |
Strategy
- The reflective abilities of the airblast can be used offensively and defensively.
Defensively
- Reflecting projectiles prevents them from harming your allies even if the projectile is not relocated. This is particularly effective against grenades or rockets.
- The compression blast can be used to blow away Stickybombs, making an enemy Demoman's job more difficult. This is especially useful when defending an Engineer's Sentry Gun as Stickybombs can be difficult to destroy by a single Engineer with his Shotgun and Pistol.
- It can also be used to repel enemies trying to attack friendly Engineer buildings at close range.
- In Control Point (game mode), King of the Hill, or Payload matches, it can be used to remove attacking players from the point, in order to stave them off until your allies can get there for reinforcement.
- Any normal projectiles reflected with airblast will automatically become Mini-Crits after being deflected.
Offensively
- In combat situations, use the surroundings to your advantage and try to blast your enemies off ledges and towards other hazards on the map.
- This is particularly effective on the map Sawmill. Enemies can be airblasted into one of the two sawblades moving back and forth in the room in the center of the map.
- An ÜberCharge does not prevent the knockback of a compression blast. A Pyro can take advantage of this and separate a Medic from his patient by knocking him or the patient away: This will mean only the Medic is Übercharged and on his own.
- The airblast can be used to increase the space between the airblaster and the enemy, allowing escape when at low heath.
- The knockback from the airblast can be used to cancel a Scout's double jump.
- A Demoman's charge can be rendered useless with the airblast. Beware the extended melee reach that is shared by many of Demoman's melee weapons.
- Huntsman Snipers cannot fire while airborne; the airblast allows you to render them helpless by keeping them in the air.
- Using the airblast, one can juggle an enemy in the air, rendering them helpless in the air for teammates to attack, or to simply advance past them.
- It can be used to push an enemy into a corner, creating a good chance to finish him with your other weapons.
- The airblast can be used to force unsuspecting enemies around corners into friendly sentry range for easy kills.
- In Control Point (game mode), King of the Hill, or Payload matches, it can be used to remove defending opponents blocking the capture, particularly useful when outnumbered or overpowered and the point or checkpoint has almost been captured.
Related Achievements
Soldier
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Pyro
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Update history
- Added alt-fire compression blast to the basic Flamethrower.
- Fixed Compression Blast and Flare Gun trail particles on DX8.
- Compression blast now extinguishes fire on friendly targets.
- Grenades and rockets deflected by a Pyro under the effects of Kritzkrieg will now be criticals.
- Fixed not being able to reflect arrows with the Flamethrower.
- Force-A-Nature & Flamethrower air blast knockback effects no longer work on disguised Spies.
- A Pyro's air blast will now extinguish burning disguised enemy Spies, since knockback no longer affects disguised enemy Spies.
- Reverted Force-A-Nature and airblast knockback on disguised Spies, so that they can once again be knocked back.
- Fixed the Pyro's airblast pushing Spectators in free-look mode.
December 17, 2009 Patch (WAR! Update)
- Fixed being able to affect friendly pipes with airblast (they would unstick).
- Fixed Pyros not getting the proper kill icon for kills with deflected Direct Hit rockets.
- Fixed the Pyro not being able to deflect enemy flares.
- Airblast re-fire delay reduced by 25%.
- Airblast ammo usage reduced by 20%.
- All reflected rockets/grenades/arrows now Mini-Crit.
- Airblasting enemies into environmental deaths now awards the death credit to the Pyro.
- Fixed deflected Stickybombs becoming Mini-Crits when detonated.
- Fixed deflected Stickybombs becoming Crits if the Pyro was Crit-boosted.
- [Undocumented] Pyro's Airblast pushes grounded stickies approximately twice the distance now.
- Fixed a Flamethrower bug that allowed players to rapidly fake the Pyro's airblast effect.
- Removed airblast restriction from Backburner (at a 150% cost).
Trivia
- The size of the air blast is 280 Hammer units.
- If a baseball is airblasted back and stuns the Scout that hit it, it will show the enemy Scout assisting himself if he is killed by the Pyro.
- Despite the fact that syringes are projectiles, they cannot be reflected.
- If a teammate kills an enemy who has been recently airblasted, the Pyro receives a kill assist.
- Reflecting a rocket fired from The Black Box will grant the Pyro 15 health per target hit with the rocket.
- As of the September 30, 2010 Mann-Conomy Update, the Pyro (through editing the items_game.txt file) has the ability to charge airblast. Charging increases the knockback dealt to enemies. It has no effect on projectiles.
- Killing someone with a deflection produces a unique kill icon depending on the projectile. Interestingly, there are a few inconsistencies for kill icons from reflected projectiles.
- Sentry Gun rockets can be reflected, but the kill icon used is the reflected rocket kill icon instead of their own.
- Reflected Direct Hit and Black Box rockets do not have a unique icon of their own, but instead use the kill icon from the generic reflected rocket icon.
- In a similar fashion, reflected Scottish Resistance stickies do not possess their own unique kill icon. The kill icon used is the generic reflected sticky mine icon.
- Reflected flaming arrows, flaming headshots and Sandman balls possess unique kill icons in game files, but are all currently unused.
See also
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