TF2 Pyro Guide to Airblast, Flares and Close Combat

By Ollie Brannigan · Fact-checked by Desmond Ayodele · Published November 12, 2026

Valve has kept the Pyro’s face hidden since Team Fortress 2 launched in 2007, and the official class bio still asks whether the Pyro “even is a man.” This page starts with the character: who the Pyro is, what the outfit and cosmetics look like, and every weapon by slot. The second half covers play. The stock Flame Thrower carries 200 ammo and an airblast costs 20, so a full tank allows 10 airblasts. Everything is checked against the October 2026 Halloween patches.

Pyro TF2 class profile

The Pyro is one of Team Fortress 2’s three Offense classes. It fights up close with the Flame Thrower and uses airblast to reflect projectiles, put out burning teammates and shove enemies around. It’s easy to pick up and hard to master: at first the fire does the work, and later your airblast decides how good you get.

Attribute	Value
Class type	Offense
Base health	175
Max overheal	260
Movement speed	100% (baseline)
Height	About 178 cm (5’10”) per fan wikis; Valve has published no official height
Voice actor	Dennis Bateman
Debut	2007, Team Fortress 2 in The Orange Box
Signature weapons	Flame Thrower, Shotgun, Fire Axe
Signature ability	Compression blast (airblast), added in 2008
Special trait	Asbestos suit cancels most afterburn

The official Team Fortress 2 Wiki lists the Pyro at 175 base health, 260 with full Medic overheal, and 100% movement speed. That 100% is the baseline speed shared with classes such as the Engineer and Sniper, well below the Scout’s 133%. Against the Scout’s 125 health, the Pyro has exactly 50 more. The asbestos-lined suit cancels afterburn from enemy Pyros and every flame weapon except the Dragon’s Fury and the Gas Passer. It gives no protection from direct fire damage.

Stat	Value	Notes
Base health	175	Same pool as the Demoman
Max overheal	260	Needs a Medic’s full overheal
Movement speed	100%	Baseline tier; Scout runs at 133%
Primary ammo	200	Shared between flames and airblast
Airblast cost (stock)	20 ammo	10 airblasts from a full tank
Airblast cooldown	0.75 s	Spamming it wastes ammo and timing
Afterburn immunity	Yes, with exceptions	Dragon’s Fury and Gas Passer still burn Pyros

Who is the Pyro? Mask, gender, pronouns and Pyroland

Nobody outside Valve knows who the Pyro is. Valve has never shown the face, never confirmed a gender and never named a condition. The official material treats the mystery as part of the joke, so any page that gives you a definite answer is presenting fan theory as canon.

Is the Pyro male or female?

Valve has never said. The official class bio calls the Pyro “a fearsome, inscrutable, on-fire Frankenstein of a man,” then adds “If he even is a man.” Some readers take that as a gender joke and others as a joke about whether the Pyro is human at all. Valve hasn’t said which.

Some development-side evidence points toward male. The TF2 Classified wiki notes that the character was mostly drawn and discussed as male during development. It cites Dennis Bateman saying the voice director called the Pyro “he,” and points to concept art of a middle-aged man. In the game, though, Scout’s lines switch between male and female pronouns when he talks about his teammate. The evidence contradicts itself on purpose, and there is no official answer.

What are Pyro’s pronouns?

“He” is the official default, used in the class bio and most Valve material. “She” turns up in some official lines. “They” is a community convention that grew because the canon is so ambiguous, and wikis and forums often use it to stay neutral. Using “he” isn’t wrong, but you can’t cite Valve to say it’s the only right answer.

What’s wrong with the Pyro? Pyroland explained

The game names no disorder or diagnosis. What Valve does show is a split in perception. Meet the Pyro came out on June 27, 2012, alongside the Pyromania Update. In it, the Pyro sees the battlefield as Pyroland, a pastel world of candy, rainbows and giggling cherubs. To everyone else, the same scenes are enemies screaming as they burn.

So the canon shows a character whose sense of reality is badly broken and who seems happy because of it. GamesRadar’s coverage of the release called the video both amazing and horrifying, and that contrast is the point. Labels like “schizophrenia” come from fans. Valve has never used them, and trying to diagnose a fictional, masked, mostly silent character tells you more about the theory than about the canon.

Pyroland also exists in the game. Pyromania-era items such as the Rainblower and the Pyrovision Goggles let players turn on Pyrovision and see the colourful version of the world themselves.

What’s under the mask?

Official media has never shown it. Meet the Pyro, the comics and the in-game material all keep the gas mask on. The only clues are the muffled voice (Dennis Bateman’s lines are deliberately unintelligible) and the fireproof suit.

What does the Pyro look like? Mask, suit and cosmetics

The Pyro is a figure covered head to toe in fireproof gear: a full gas mask, an asbestos-lined suit, heavy gloves and boots, a tank on the back that feeds the flamethrower, and three incendiary grenades on the chest. Nothing of the person underneath shows. That is why cosmetics and cosplay of the Pyro rely so much on the mask.

The canonical outfit

These are the parts of the default model, from top to bottom:

Component	Description	Gameplay link
Gas mask	Full-face mask with dark round eye lenses and a single front filter canister	Muffles every voice line
Asbestos-lined suit	One-piece fire suit in team colour (red or blue)	Cancels most afterburn
Gloves and boots	Thick, heavy-duty protective gloves and boots	Visual only
Back tank	Tank connected to the Flame Thrower by a hose	Ammo is the shared 200-unit pool
Incendiary grenades	Three grenades strapped across the chest	Purely cosmetic, never throwable

Fan wikis put the Pyro at about 178 cm (5’10”). Valve has never released an official height chart, so treat that figure as a community estimate taken from the model, not canon.

Notable Pyro cosmetics and item sets

The Pyro has one of the biggest cosmetic catalogues in TF2. Most items change the head, the mask or the back tank. The official wiki keeps dedicated Cosmetic items and Item sets sections for the full list. These are well-known examples:

Item	Type	What it is
Brigade Helm	Hat	Classic firefighter’s helmet, one of the earliest Pyro hats
Respectless Rubber Glove	Hat	A rubber glove worn on the head
Pyrovision Goggles	All-class cosmetic	Lets the wearer see Pyroland
Attendant	Hat	Gray soft cap with a yellow band, black visor and a small bowtie
Gas Jockey’s Gear	Item set	Attendant, Degreaser and Powerjack; community-made, added in the September 30, 2010 Mann-Conomy Update
Clowning Cowl	Cosmetic with Tucked and Untucked styles	Patched on October 5, 2026 to fix Pyro shoulder-strap clipping and texture warping

The Attendant can also be crafted from four Refined Metal plus a Degreaser and a Powerjack, according to the official wiki. That is still a cheap way into the Gas Jockey’s Gear look.

Pyro cosplay and costume checklist

A recognisable Pyro costume needs five things, in this order of importance:

1. A gas mask with round dark lenses and a front filter. It’s the part people recognise first, so spend the most on it.
2. A one-piece suit in red or blue. Fire-suit or coverall material works. Red (RED team) is the more common choice.
3. Heavy gloves and boots. Black or dark brown, chunky rather than slim.
4. A back tank and hose. A lightweight tank prop connected to the flamethrower with a flexible hose.
5. A prop flamethrower and three chest grenades. Foam or 3D-printed props keep the build light and safe for conventions.

All Pyro weapons by slot

The Pyro has five distinct primaries, seven secondaries and nine melee weapons, not counting reskins. The table lists each one’s main upside and downside. The guide’s recommendations come from the official wiki’s current stats and the competitive community’s consensus.

Primary weapons

Weapon	Key upside	Key downside	Airblast	Recommended
Flame Thrower (stock)	Full afterburn, cheapest airblast	No special effects	20 ammo	Yes, default
Rainblower / Nostromo Napalmer	Reskins of stock; the Rainblower grants Pyrovision	Same stats as stock	20 ammo	Cosmetic choice
Degreaser	Much faster weapon switching	Afterburn reduced by 66%	25 ammo	Yes, for combos
Backburner	Crits from behind within a 90° arc	Expensive airblast	50 ammo	Ambushers only
Phlogistinator	Taunt for guaranteed crits once the Mmmph meter fills	No airblast at all	None	Situational
Dragon’s Fury	Fireball does 75 to ignited targets (25 base); can burn Pyros	Must land repeated hits	Yes	Pyro-heavy pubs

Secondary weapons

Weapon	Key upside	Key downside	Recommended
Shotgun (stock)	Hitscan, reliable at any range past your flames	Lower burst than flares on burning targets	Yes, default
Reserve Shooter	Mini-crits targets launched airborne	Smaller clip	Combo with airblast pops
Panic Attack	Deploys faster, more pellets per shot	Less damage per pellet, wider spread	Situational
Flare Gun	Crits on burning targets	Slow projectile, easy to dodge	Yes, for finishing
Detonator	Detonate flares early, flare jump	Jumping costs health	Mobility
Manmelter	Faster flares, no ammo, extinguishing teammates banks guaranteed crits	Cannot be crit-boosted	Situational
Scorch Shot	Knockback, flares ignite nearby targets on impact	Less direct damage	Situational
Thermal Thruster	2 charges, the class’s best mobility	No ranged damage	Yes, for mobility
Gas Passer	Gas area ignites enemies, burns Pyros too	Meter must refill between uses	Situational

The Reserve Shooter and Panic Attack are multi-class shotguns. The Pyro can pair the Reserve Shooter’s airborne mini-crits with its own airblast, which launches enemies into the air.

Melee weapons

Weapon	Key upside	Key downside	Recommended
Fire Axe (stock), Lollichop	65 damage per hit, no penalties	Nothing special	Fine default
Axtinguisher, Postal Pummeler	Mini-crits burning targets; 35% speed boost on kill	33% lower base damage	Yes, burn-and-axe
Homewrecker, Maul	Removes Sappers, extra damage to buildings	Less damage to players	Yes, Engineer duty
Neon Annihilator	Removes Sappers, crits wet players	Lower damage to players	Engineer duty
Powerjack	+25 health on kill, 15% faster while active	20% damage vulnerability while active	Pubs
Back Scratcher	+25% damage, +50% health from packs	Far less healing from Medics and dispensers	Rarely
Sharpened Volcano Fragment	Ignites on hit	20% less damage	Rarely
Third Degree	Hits every player linked by a Medi Gun beam	No other bonus	Anti-Medic niche
Hot Hand	Fast slaps, speed boost on hit	Lower damage	Rarely

Taunt kills and the ability taunt

The Pyro has three taunt kills, and each one ends the target’s life if it connects. Use them in pubs only. Each one locks you in place for about three seconds.

Taunt	Weapon	Damage	Notes
Hadouken	Shotgun, Flare Gun and most secondaries	500 (instant kill)	3 s taunt; the Scorch Shot uses Execution instead
Execution	Scorch Shot	Up to 420 at close range	3.3 s; fires where you aim, including straight up or down
Armageddon	Rainblower	Up to 400	Wide area, can hit several enemies, delayed

The Phlogistinator has the Pyro’s ability taunt. Once 300 points of fire damage fill the Mmmph meter, taunting restores your health and grants 10 seconds of critical hits.

TF2 vs Team Fortress Classic vs TF2 Classified Pyro

“TF Classic Pyro” can mean three different things, and the “is TF Classic Pyro female” question comes from mixing them up. Team Fortress Classic is Valve’s 1999 game. TF2 Classic is a fan-made mod of TF2, now renamed TF2 Classified. Team Fortress 2 is the live game this guide covers. None of the three has an officially female Pyro.

Team Fortress Classic (1999)

Team Fortress Classic was Valve’s own remake of the original Quake Team Fortress mod, built on the Half-Life engine. Its Pyro carries a flamethrower and an incendiary cannon. The classes have no backstory, personality or gendered dialogue. Searches for a “female TF Classic Pyro” are almost always mixing in fan art or one of the TF2-based versions.

TF2 Classified (formerly TF2 Classic)

TF2 Classified is a community mod. It reuses TF2’s characters with its own balance and weapons. Its wiki still sits on the old tf2classic domain while its pages carry the TF2 Classified name, a leftover from the rebrand. That wiki lists its Pyro at 175 health plus 60 armor. The Flame Thrower runs on a “heat” system, airblast is lag-compensated there (unlike in TF2), and its unique unlocks include the Twin Barrel and the Harvester.

The same wiki treats Meet the Pyro as non-canon for the mod’s own setting and calls the Pyro “he,” citing the development history above. That’s a fan project’s stance, not a Valve ruling.

Version	Health / armor	Afterburn and airblast	Unique Pyro weapons	Gender portrayal
Team Fortress 2 (Valve, 2007 to now)	175 HP, 260 overhealed	Afterburn builds with flame time; airblast not lag-compensated	Backburner, Degreaser, Phlogistinator, Dragon’s Fury, Thermal Thruster and more	Never confirmed; bio says “if he even is a man”
TF2 Classified (fan mod)	175 HP plus 60 armor	Heat-based Flame Thrower; lag-compensated airblast	Twin Barrel, Harvester	Wiki uses “he”; treats Meet the Pyro as non-canon
Team Fortress Classic (Valve, 1999)	Classic health-plus-armor system	No airblast	Incendiary cannon	No personality or gendered dialogue

Players coming from Overwatch often ask whether the Pyro is TF2’s “tank.” It isn’t. Overwatch heroes have fixed roles, while TF2 classes are loose specialists. The closest Overwatch comparison is Genji’s Deflect (Genji is a Damage hero) or D.Va’s Defense Matrix, attached to a short-range brawler.

How the Pyro works: the numbers that matter

Pyro fights come down to three numbers: flame damage over distance, how long afterburn lasts, and how much ammo each airblast costs. Learn these and most “why did I lose that fight” moments start to make sense.

Flame damage and range

The official wiki’s competitive Pyro weapons page puts Flame Thrower damage at 6.82 per particle from 0 to 200 units. Beyond 200 units it falls in a straight line down to 4.09. The flames still reach that far, but each particle carries about 60% of its close-range damage.

Range (Hammer units)	Damage per particle	Share of max damage
0 to 200	6.82	100%
Just past 200	Slightly under 6.82, falling linearly	Just under 100%
Far end of the flame	4.09	About 60%

Worked example. Compare a Soldier strafing at the edge of your flames with a Soldier you’ve cornered in a doorway. Hold time and particle count are the same. Damage isn’t: the cornered Soldier takes up to 40% more per particle. That’s why good Pyros close the distance through corners, doors and flank routes. They don’t chase across open ground hoping the far edge of the flame does the work.

Flames also have travel time and spread. A target moving across your aim takes fewer particles than one running straight at you or away from you.

Afterburn after Jungle Inferno

Afterburn deals 4 damage per tick, or 5 when mini-crit, which works out to about 8 damage per second. Since the Jungle Inferno Update in 2017, the burn lasts longer the longer the target stays in your flames. A quick touch gives a short burn. Holding flames on someone builds toward the cap, which the official wiki’s community-tested fire page puts at around 10 seconds.

Before Jungle Inferno, one particle applied the full-length burn, so Pyros could sweep a crowd and walk away. That doesn’t work any more, and two things follow from it:

1. Finishing kills with afterburn needs commitment. If an enemy on 30 health runs after a quarter-second of flames, the short burn may not finish them. Keep the flames on them longer before they break away.
2. Long burns still matter. A full burn at about 8 per second adds up to roughly 80 damage, enough to finish most classes after a trade. The official wiki also notes that afterburn cuts Medi Gun healing by 50%.

An enemy Pyro with the Dragon’s Fury or Gas Passer can still set you burning. The suit does nothing against direct fire either, so mirror matches go to whoever lands more particles from closer up.

Airblast economics

Every airblast spends primary ammo, and that ammo is also your damage. On the stock Flame Thrower each blast costs 20 of 200 ammo with a 0.75-second cooldown, so a full tank holds 10 airblasts and no flames. Each primary changes the cost.

Primary	Airblast cost	Airblasts per full tank	Key trait
Flame Thrower (stock)	20	10	Baseline flames and airblast
Degreaser	25	8	Faster weapon switching, afterburn reduced by 66%
Backburner	50	4	Crits from behind within a 90° arc
Phlogistinator	Cannot airblast	0	Builds a crit buff by dealing fire damage

Worked example. You’re holding a doorway on the stock Flame Thrower. A Soldier fires three rockets and you reflect all three: 60 ammo, 30% of your tank, gone before you’ve dealt any direct damage. A Demoman then spams six pipes. Reflect them all and you’re down to 80 ammo with a Heavy on the way. Pyros who run dry halfway through a push usually reflected something that didn’t need reflecting.

Basic Pyro strategy: how do you play as Pyro?

The Pyro’s core loop is ambush, burn, airblast, finish. The class is strongest where enemies have to come close: corners, doors, hallways and enclosed capture points. It’s weakest on open ground against a Sniper, a Soldier with the high ground, or a Heavy with a Medic behind him.

How the loop plays out in public matches:

• Ambush from cover. Wait round a corner on a route the enemy has to use. Coming from the side or behind can put you inside 200 units, where the damage numbers favour you.
• Spy-check constantly. A quick burst of flame at any teammate who looks wrong, or into empty space near your Engineer’s nest, sets disguised and cloaked Spies alight. The flame particles reveal a cloaked Spy without damaging him, so your team can follow him.
• Protect the Engineer. A Pyro near a Sentry Gun covers its two weak points: Spies with Sappers, and Soldiers and Demomen hitting it from outside its range. Reflecting one rocket back at a sieging Soldier can win the whole exchange.
• Fall back for health and ammo. With 175 health and no ranged primary, you can’t stay at the front long. Retreating after a kill keeps you alive.
• Use the secondary for range. When a target leaves flame range, switch to the Shotgun or a flare rather than chasing at reduced damage.

Competitive players give Pyro mains the same three priorities: learn reflect timing, learn each map’s flank routes, and measure yourself by survival and picks, not by how many people you set on fire.

Airblast masterclass

Airblast, officially the compression blast, is what makes the Pyro worth picking at high skill levels. It reflects projectiles back at whoever fired them, puts out burning teammates, pushes enemies (including ÜberCharged ones) off points and ledges, and breaks up spam. A Pyro who airblasts well forces the enemy Soldier and Demoman to change how they play.

What reflects actually do

The official wiki’s compression blast page sets out the rules. A reflected projectile switches owner to the Pyro who reflected it. Reflecting doesn’t make it a full critical hit, though a reflected rocket can deal mini-crit damage when it hits its original owner. Stickybombs are the exception: airblast pushes them but doesn’t take them over. Syringes from the Syringe Gun, Blutsauger and Overdose can’t be reflected, and neither can the Righteous Bison and Pomson 6000 beams.

What to reflect and what to ignore

Reflect what you’re most likely to catch and what costs the enemy most. In order of priority:

1. Rockets aimed at you or your Medic. They’re big, steady targets, and a reflected rocket comes back as a mini-crit on a Soldier who rocket-jumped in with low health.
2. Pipes and stickies heading for a choke. Pushing grenades away saves health even if they don’t fly back at the Demoman. Stickies near your Sentry are worth a blast too.
3. Projectiles aimed at teammates who are about to die. One airblast that keeps your Medic alive is worth more than anything else in the tank.
4. Burning teammates. Airblast puts them out, and the official wiki notes that extinguishing a teammate gives the Pyro 20 health.

Ignore stray spam that won’t hurt anyone, pipes rolling to a stop away from your team, and anything you’d need to turn your back on a closer threat to reach.

The Direct Hit is the hardest common rocket to reflect. Its rockets are much faster than stock, so your timing window is smaller. Watch the Soldier’s launcher instead of the rocket. If you can see the shot being lined up, airblast when he clicks rather than reacting to the projectile.

Breaking Über pushes

Airblast moves ÜberCharged enemies even though they take no damage. That’s the Pyro’s biggest strategic tool. An Über’d Heavy or Soldier only matters if they can get somewhere useful, and airblast can push them off the point, away from your Sentry, or into a pit on maps that have them.

A good Über break needs three things:

• The right target. Splitting the Medic from the Über target ends the invulnerability early once the beam breaks.
• Survival. A Pyro who walks out to meet the Über just dies. Wait at the corner or doorway the push has to come through.
• Ammo. If you spent your tank reflecting pipes before the push, you won’t have any airblasts left for it.

That’s why 6v6 teams sometimes still bring a Pyro to the last point. One Pyro with a full tank can make an Über push a wasted charge.

Why does my airblast not reflect things it clearly hit?

Airblast isn’t lag-compensated, so where your screen shows the projectile and where the server has it can differ. On a 60 ms connection the rocket you see is behind its true position, and a reflect that looks perfect on your screen misses. Nothing is broken. That’s how the mechanic works, and it’s the most common complaint on Reddit.

The fix is to reflect a little early, earlier the higher your ping. On low-ping regional servers you can react almost as you see things. On cross-region servers, airblast well before the projectile looks like it’s in range. TF2 Classified made its airblast lag-compensated, which is one reason it feels more consistent there.

Practice routine

Practise reflect timing on dodgeball community servers, where nothing else gets in the way. Every player is a Pyro, and a homing rocket targets one player at a time: reflect it or die. Rocket speed rises with each reflect, so the early rockets are slow and easy to read.

Best Pyro loadouts in 2026

The best loadout depends on your job in the match. In pubs, the stock Flame Thrower or Degreaser with a Shotgun or flare covers almost everything. Highlander pocket Pyros want reliable airblast and a hitscan secondary. Anti-Spy duty calls for a melee that removes Sappers. The picks below put reliability in ordinary play first and situational payoff second, based on the official wiki’s current stats and competitive consensus.

Situation	Primary	Secondary	Melee	Why
Pubs, general	Flame Thrower or Degreaser	Shotgun or Flare Gun	Axtinguisher or stock	Flexible damage plus enough airblast
Highlander pocket	Flame Thrower	Shotgun	Homewrecker or stock	Cheapest airblast plus hitscan to defend the Medic
Engineer and anti-Spy duty	Flame Thrower	Shotgun	Homewrecker, Maul or Neon Annihilator	Removes Sappers while you spy-check
Flank and ambush	Backburner	Shotgun or Flare Gun	Axtinguisher	Crits from behind; few airblasts
Mobility	Degreaser	Thermal Thruster or Detonator	Any	Gets you to flanks and high ground

Primary choices

Flame Thrower (stock). The default for good reason. It has the cheapest airblast in the class and normal afterburn. If you’re unsure, run it.

Degreaser. Weapons switch much faster after using it, which speeds up the flame-then-Shotgun and flame-then-melee combos. In exchange, afterburn is reduced by 66% and airblast costs 25 ammo. Players who finish kills with secondaries and melee prefer it. The official wiki’s competitive page lists it as allowed under the Global 6v6 whitelist.

Backburner. Crits from behind within a 90° arc, at 50 ammo per airblast. It suits confident ambushers and big crowds. Old 2008 descriptions mention +50 health and different crit rules. The weapon has been reworked since, and those numbers are long out of date.

Phlogistinator. It can’t airblast. Fire damage fills the Mmmph meter (300 damage), and a taunt then gives you guaranteed crits. That’s strong for pushing into a team with no answer, but against Soldiers and Demomen you give up the Pyro’s main defensive tool.

Dragon’s Fury. It fires a quick short-range fireball instead of a flame stream. The official wiki lists 25 base damage against unignited enemies and 75 against ignited ones, so landing the second hit on a burning target matters most. It’s one of two weapons that can set an enemy Pyro on fire, which makes it a real answer in Pyro-heavy pubs.

Secondary: shotgun or flare gun?

Take the Shotgun to protect teammates and the Flare Gun to chase burning targets at range. The Shotgun is hitscan, so it hits instantly where your flames stop working. That makes it more reliable against Scouts and fleeing Spies and in Highlander pocket duty. The Flare Gun crits targets that are already burning, which makes it a strong finisher, but flares are slow and easy to dodge for anyone paying attention.

Among the alternatives, the Detonator gives a flare jump, trading health for height. The Scorch Shot knocks targets back. The Thermal Thruster is the Pyro’s real mobility tool, with 2 charges and an unlimited reserve. The Gas Passer covers an area in gas that ignites and, along with the Dragon’s Fury, can burn enemy Pyros.

Melee: when it’s worth it

Most of the time a Pyro’s melee is a backup, but two kinds earn the slot. The Homewrecker and Maul (identical stats) and the Neon Annihilator all remove Sappers, which is a real job when you’re sitting next to an Engineer.

The Axtinguisher is the other good pick. It mini-crits burning targets and puts them out, with 33% lower base damage and a bonus that scales with the afterburn left on the target. A kill gives a 35% speed boost for 4 seconds. Light someone, switch quickly (the Degreaser helps) and hit. It’s satisfying in pubs, but a slow switch gets punished when you miss.

So, is Pyro melee ever worth it? Yes, on anti-Spy duty or with a deliberate burn-and-axe combo. Otherwise stock is fine.

Pyro in competitive TF2

In competitive TF2 the Pyro is a defensive specialist. The official wiki’s competitive page sums it up: short range and limited mobility keep the Pyro off most rosters, so its main jobs are protecting the Medic, especially in Highlander, and holding enclosed control points.

Highlander: the pocket and the bodyguard

Highlander is a 9v9 format with one of each class, so every team fields a Pyro. In leagues such as RGL, ETF2L, ozfortress and UGC, the Highlander Pyro usually does three jobs:

1. Guard the Medic. Reflect rockets aimed at the Medic, spy-check around them and push divers away. A Medic who survives the first fight keeps the Über advantage.
2. Protect the Engineer. Clear Sappers, burn Spies, and reflect the rockets and pipes that would otherwise wear the Sentry down from outside its range.
3. Hold enclosed spaces. Small capture points, doorways and the buildings around last point on maps like Upward and Badwater Basin suit the Pyro’s short range.

In Highlander you’re a bodyguard first and a damage dealer second.

6v6: a situational pick

The standard 6v6 lineup has no room for a full-time Pyro. Teams bring one in for specific defensive moments, most often holding last point against an incoming Über, where airblasting the Über target away can decide the round. Once the push is stopped, the player switches back.

Whitelist notes

Competitive leagues restrict unlocks with whitelists. The official wiki’s competitive weapons page lists the Degreaser, Backburner and Phlogistinator as allowed under the Global 6v6 whitelist. Whitelists change between seasons and differ by league and format, so check your league’s current list before match night.

Pyro achievements worth chasing

The Pyro pack is one of TF2’s class achievement sets. The official wiki lists 37 achievements plus three milestones, which unlock at 10, 16 and 22 achievements. The ones below line up with the skills this guide teaches, so working toward them is practice in itself. The official wiki’s Pyro achievements page has the full list.

Achievement	Requirement	Playstyle	Skill covered in
Hot Potato	Reflect 100 projectiles with airblast	Airblast	Airblast masterclass
Hotshot	Kill a Soldier with a reflected critical rocket	Airblast	What reflects actually do
Pilot Light	Ignite a rocket-jumping Soldier in midair	Airblast and aim	Basic strategy
Spontaneous Combustion	Ignite 10 cloaked Spies	Spy-checking	Basic strategy
Firewall	Ignite 5 Spies who have sapped a friendly building	Engineer defense	Highlander jobs
Arsonist	Destroy 50 Engineer buildings	Offense	Melee choices
Next of Kindling	Ignite an enemy and the Medic healing him	Anti-Medic	Afterburn after Jungle Inferno
Burn Ward	Ignite 3 Medics ready to deploy an ÜberCharge	Anti-Medic	Breaking Über pushes
Firewatch	Ignite 10 Snipers while they are zoomed in	Flanking	Basic strategy
Combined Fire	Finish 20 players you ignited with your Shotgun	Combos	Secondary choices
Attention Getter	Ignite 100 enemies with the Flare Gun	Flares	Secondary choices
Lumberjack	Kill 3 people with your axe in one life	Melee	Melee choices

Hot Potato is the natural first target. Every reflect in dodgeball counts toward it, and those 100 reflects are the practice routine above in achievement form.

What changed for Pyro in 2026

In 2026 the Pyro’s changes were all in the Halloween zombie mode, plus one cosmetic fix. Valve made no balance changes to the regular Pyro or its weapons in the October 2026 updates. Zombie Pyro got a new ability and then a round of buffs.

Date	Change	Source
October 1, 2026	Zombie Pyro gets the Sticky Spew tar ability; fire resistance cut from 100% to 70%; medium health kit drop on death removed	Official TF2 Wiki, October 1, 2026 Patch
October 5, 2026	Clowning Cowl fix for Pyro shoulder-strap clipping and texture warping on the Tucked and Untucked styles	Official TF2 Wiki, October 5, 2026 Patch
October 16, 2026 (TF2 site)	Zombie Pyro melee damage raised from 45 to 65; Sticky Spew slows by 20%, plus another 20% in puddles; death explosion now deals 50 damage and ignites	TF2 updates page

The sources disagree slightly on dates. The official TF2 updates page dates the Zombie Pyro buff patch October 16, 2026, while a Steam news post lists October 30. The official site’s October 16 is the one to use. The same update gave Sticky Spew a purple tint on players instead of black and made the puddles bigger, so it’s easier to see who has been slowed.

None of this changes your loadout for normal play. The stats, airblast cost and afterburn rules above are current for regular servers as of November 2026.

Pyro history timeline

The Pyro has been reworked repeatedly, from a launch class with no airblast to one whose kit now spans airblast, mobility tools and area denial. Each step below changed how the class plays.

Year	Event	What it changed
2007	Team Fortress 2 launches in The Orange Box	Pyro arrives with Flame Thrower, Shotgun and Fire Axe; no airblast
2008	Pyro Update, the first class update	Adds the compression blast plus the Flare Gun, Backburner and Axtinguisher
2010	Mann-Conomy Update (September 30)	Adds the community-made Gas Jockey’s Gear set
2012	Meet the Pyro (June 27) and the Pyromania Update	Last of the nine Meet the Team videos; makes Pyroland canon
2017	Jungle Inferno Update	Afterburn length builds with flame time; adds the Dragon’s Fury, Gas Passer and Thermal Thruster
2026	Halloween patches (October)	Zombie Pyro gets Sticky Spew and lower fire resistance, then melee and explosion buffs

Valve’s original 2008 Pyro Update page is still online and worth reading for history. Don’t treat its weapon descriptions as current stats: the Backburner and Axtinguisher described there have both been reworked, and half the page is about the Community Map Pack.

Where to go from here

Start with the stock Flame Thrower and a Shotgun, and use your first sessions to practise one skill: reflecting rockets at the right moment. Once you stop wasting your tank on pipes, the rest of the class gets easier, from holding doorways to guarding the Medic and breaking Über pushes. Try the Phlogistinator, Backburner and Dragon’s Fury once your airblast is reliable. Hot Potato is a good first achievement goal along the way.

FAQ

Is the Pyro male or female in TF2?

Valve has never confirmed it. The official bio calls the Pyro a man and then adds “If he even is a man.” Development material leaned male, and Scout’s in-game lines use both “he” and “she.” There’s no official answer.

What are Pyro’s pronouns?

Valve uses “he” most often, in the bio and most official material. “She” appears in some official lines, and “they” is a common community convention because the canon is deliberately ambiguous. All three have some basis, and none is the single official answer.

What disorder does Pyro have?

Valve has never named one. Meet the Pyro shows a character who sees violence as Pyroland, a cheerful, candy-coloured fantasy, which suggests a badly distorted sense of reality. Specific diagnoses are fan speculation.

How insane is Pyro in TF2?

Going by the canon, very. The Pyro sets people on fire while seeing a happy world of rainbows and cherubs, and in Meet the Pyro even the other mercenaries are scared of it. Valve plays it as dark comedy, not as a case study.

Is TF Classic Pyro female?

No. Team Fortress Classic (1999) gave its classes no personality or gender. The TF2 Classified mod, formerly TF2 Classic, calls the Pyro “he” on its wiki. A female TF Classic Pyro comes from fan art, not either game.

What does Pyro look like without the mask?

Nobody knows. No official Valve video, comic or in-game asset has shown the Pyro’s face. Every official appearance keeps the gas mask and suit on.

What do you need for a Pyro TF2 cosplay?

A gas mask with round dark lenses and a front filter, a one-piece suit in red or blue, heavy gloves and boots, a back tank with a hose, a prop flamethrower and three chest grenades. Put most of the budget into the mask, because that’s what people recognise first.

How tall is the Pyro?

Fan wikis list about 178 cm (5’10”). Valve has never released an official height chart, so that number is a community estimate.

Who voices the Pyro?

Dennis Bateman. His lines are muffled through the mask on purpose, so most of the Pyro’s dialogue can’t be understood.

How much health does Pyro have in TF2?

175 base health, rising to about 260 (262.5) with full Medic overheal. The Pyro moves at the 100% baseline speed and is immune to afterburn, but takes full damage from direct fire.

Do reflected rockets crit?

Reflected projectiles don’t automatically crit, though a reflected rocket can deal mini-crit damage when it hits its original owner. The Pyro also becomes its owner, except with stickybombs, which only get pushed.

What is Pyroland?

Pyroland is how the Pyro sees the world, as shown in Meet the Pyro (June 27, 2012): rainbows, candy and giggling cherubs instead of burning enemies. Items such as the Rainblower and Pyrovision Goggles let players switch on Pyrovision and see it themselves.

How do you airblast in TF2?

Press alt-fire (right mouse button by default) with a Flame Thrower that supports it. On the stock Flame Thrower each airblast costs 20 ammo and has a 0.75-second cooldown. Airblast isn’t lag-compensated, so reflect slightly early on higher-ping servers.

Is TF2 still active in 2026?

Yes. Steam’s stats page showed about 100,175 concurrent TF2 players on November 11, 2026, so casual servers are easy to find and most of them have a Pyro or two.

Article details

OB

Written by Ollie Brannigan

Ollie writes about hero shooters, battle royales and the rest of the competitive scene, from Overwatch 2 rosters and roles to new games trying to break into esports. He likes explaining how a game actually plays at a high level, not just what the patch notes say.

Covers: Overwatch & Marvel Rivals, Fortnite & FPS, Other Competitive Games

• Fact-checked by Desmond Ayodele against the sources listed below before publication.
• Published November 12, 2026

How this article was checked

• Researched from 8 sources, listed below.
• Every claim is checked by Desmond Ayodele; anything we cannot confirm is corrected, labelled or removed.

Sources (8)

1. Pyro - Official TF2 Wiki (wiki.teamfortress.com)
2. Pyro weapons (competitive) - Official TF2 Wiki (wiki.teamfortress.com)
3. Pyro (competitive) - Official TF2 Wiki (wiki.teamfortress.com)
4. Backburner - Official TF2 Wiki (wiki.teamfortress.com)
5. Backburner - TF2 Wiki (wiki.tf2.com)
6. Axtinguisher - Official TF2 Wiki (wiki.teamfortress.com)
7. Fire - Official TF2 Wiki (wiki.teamfortress.com)
8. Jungle Inferno Update - Official TF2 Wiki (wiki.teamfortress.com)