Often Used yet Little Understood: The Flamer

[StephenNelson]

So I've been digging through the forums and the wiki and I have yet to see much about tactics with the flamer. Sure we all know that Queens and Ravs are immune to fire, (the latter actually being aided by it) but are there any strategies for the use of the flamer? I've so far only used a flamer twice, and each time there were mixed results. Typically I use it to clear weeds and hold choke-points. I find that using a flamer while pushing against a hardened xeno defense 1. Deprives them of weeds. 2. Deprives MOST xeno classes of movement through the area. 3. Illuminates the area temporarily. Unfortunately, the flamer suffers from lack of range and lack of effectiveness against ALL xenos. Also, one must be very close in order to use this weapon against the xenos. Friendly fire with the flamer is also a huge issue as one miss-click can roast a marine. (I always grab a mini-extinguisher if I use a flamer. shout out to a squad leader for that advice.)

TLDR;

Please share any tips/tricks/advise you have regarding the flamer. (Also I know it's called an incinerator, flamer is just easier to type.)

[Stripetail]

Flamethrowers are really powerful in certain situations, but mainly their strength is in defense.

Although the queen and rav are immune to fire, the other aliens are not, so blanketing a cooridoor with fire deters aliens from rushing through, even if the queen is going in for a screech.

You can fire a flamethrower through girders, and if you fire one diagonally the range on it can be frightening and surprising for aliens caught in it.

If you see an alien dancing around marines think about the exit paths the alien must choose, if it's in a room position yourself near the exit, undoubtedly when they start taking damage they'll use their escape ability 'jump or pounce' to get away from the main group attacking them, this is when you strike and set the bitches on fire. If you light an alien on fire and you have overwhelming numbers CHASE IT DOWN unless you absolutely cannot. The alien will either have to resist out of the fire or if it has previously been damaged will likely be curled up on the ground in crit. A confirmed kill is better than wondering and having that alien be wiser in its next attack.

Also, always bring a fire extinguisher with you if you use a flamethrower, jesus christ even I'm guilty of lighting someone on fire by accident.

[Bronimin]

It's primarily a zoning tool, use it to protect a retreat, guard flanks or even the front while marines clear weeds behind the line of fire with their bootknives. Don't expect to catch anything with it, though occasionally you'll get to roast a runner if they try to go after you anyway.

The miniflamer is almost as good at this, with the new update and I think that honestly I'd rather have one dedicated flamer with three spare tanks and then four mini-flamers with one tank each than two dedicated flamers. Ammo isn't a problem when you carry 5 shots in your gun and then another 25 shots in a tank in your backpack (which you can refill with welding fuel). Downside is the decreased range (one tile less) and reduced fire lifetime, might do less damage too but that is hard to compare. Xenos won't run through it anyway and if they burst into flames they'll still run away.

[StephenNelson]

What do you carry with it? Just hold it and have an M41A on your back?

[Casany]

What do you carry with it? Just hold it and have an M41A on your back?

Then where do you carry the tanks? I always have a pulse rifle in suit storage and a flanker in my hands if st all possible

[Renomaki]

I always viewed the flamer as more of a tool than a weapon.

Sure, you can really fuck up xenos with a good spew of napalm, but it can be insanely dangerous in violent combat situations that it becomes much too difficult to really use on xenos.

However, as a weed clearing tool, it is a real dandy beauty. Able to clear a row of upwards of 5 tiles a shot, it can clean up even the most heavily weeded areas in half the time it would take for a group of marines with knives. Even gets rid of those pesky pods and sticky gunk.

And when a tank runs out of fuel, a wielder tank can refill it and allow you to continue burning weeds, but with a shorter range due to the lower quality of the fuel. Despite that, it still burns just as well as normal napalm and still cleans just as quickly.

Yes, it can still make for a great defensive weapon, provided you have the proper defenses to take advantage of it's ability to fire through girders, grills and other objects that block bullets, but I'll always look at it as Weed-B-Gone, a tool that makes drones cry as all the weeds they spammed early in the round was quickly burned away.

[Bronimin]

SMG holster on your belt if you can get it, or a pistol in your backpack and an ammo belt full of M41A rounds if you can't. The M41A magazines can keep your friends supplied, though you could also try carrying a medical load belt stocked with goodies for your medic as well.

Always put a mag harness on your incinerator, you can put a raillight on it sure but your fire emits light anyway and if you're on the front lines and not shitting that out in the direction of the enemy then you're doing something wrong.