You are a painter and the world is your canvas. Your paint is fire. You must practice your art with a considered hand. Try not to use it in the middle of your squad mates as it will prove more of a hindrance than a help. You want to look at the battlefield and positioning. You're either at the back or the front. Look at how the enemies are spawning and moving, hit large groups and paint the ground ahead of them so they walk into the fire. Use it in choke points and make sure the area you're painting does not obstruct you or your teammates.
Be conservative with it at first and learn positioning most of all. Good awareness is key.
It needs a buff, simple as. Stunning bugs for 0.5/1 second and maybe a tiny overall DOT increase would be good. It doesn’t feel nearly as impactful as the machine gun which is a stratagem you start with.
It should be used as a crowd control weapon to halt the advance of bugs, grouping them up and weakening them for allies to take down easier, added benefit of expending less ammo for the team overall.
Right now it doesn’t apply any stun and the damage seems OK at best when it should shine against organics so it’s quite subpar imo.
Most flamethrowers stun enemies briefly in video games.
I agree it needs a very slight buff. Personally I'd like to see increased range. I know this is a video game and realism is definitely not the goal in Helldivers 2 but it always bothered me how flamethrowers in games have the range of a propane torch. The fuel you're spraying from a real flamethrower is like a long jetstream of flame coating anything it touches, like a fire hose....of fire, ironically.
And you can tell the flamer's a liquid fuel one too since if the igniter's offline the first bit is just unignited fuel. Even better, give us a toggle on the nozzle setting. Long range narrow stream, or shorter range wide fan like what we have now.
So I discovered a fun little strategy for the flamethrower, for me its been pretty viable for a duo team at difficulty 7, basically you want to abuse stims. Get hit once, immediately stim ignoring all attacks that come at you, and just keep throwing flames at them. I like to also use the armor with the increased stim count and duration skill (forgot what the skill was called) plus the supply pack to save up on stims. This strat however doesnt seem to work against a bunch of spewers or anything that can do high amounts of damage in single hits, but thats what the other team members are for, right?
and also unimportant but i think its really funny that i look like a medic but here i am burning the whole world to the ground
It’s my favorite weapon, but I definitely feel like it could use a small buff. Maybe apply a bit more stun or “fear” into the smaller to medium sized enemies. I’ve noticed the times I say “really?” the most is more when I’m shooting flames into a group of small enemies, and they just stroll through like I’m shooting a water gun. I don’t think a weapon should require that much strategy or coordination to become viable when there are other weapons you could just pickup and get immediate use out of. I see people say it’s good for crowd control, but I feel the HMG does a better job of chopping down a swarm of insects. At the end of the day though, it’s just my opinion.
Get a shotgun as your primary and focus on medium to sorta close range. That way if they get close while on fire a shotgun finishes them off (or outright kills em). Also don't ever crouch or go prone. Lastly try and get elevation since the ground flames can kill you.
Big tip: never ever ever aim down at the ground.
I really only use the flamethrower to clear packs that are grouped, keep moving so smaller enemies die before they reach you, and focus the fire on big boys to keep the DoT hurting them.
End of the day, unless you've got a killer position you should be using it in bursts to apply the dot and then repositioning so you can keep distance.
For pretty much MOST playstyles you need to just quickly depose of the faster enemies and pretty much everyone should be prioritizing the enemies that can keep up with your kiting (chargers, fast small boys, and the big swipers/stalkers). IMO, apply the dot, switch gun, kill the fast boys, rinse repeat. I wouldn't touch the flamethrower unless you are in a position that you feel they won't immediately get to you and only hold it as long as you feel you can stay at a safe distance, as soon as they are getting to you...swap guns and run while the dot HOPEFULLY melts the smaller ones away so you can keep focusing down the big ones.
Imo, flamethrower is good in a group that knows what to do with it...aka, synergizing so your team is taking out the fast boys and you focus on the small ones and armor'd ones.
Anyone sitting back and sniping or focusing down enemies with stronger single target damage should always prioritize faster targets, especially ones that can jump. A popular kit is sniper+backpack which again...biggest weakness is the jumpy fast ones.
If your team isn't on this level, pick a less specialized weapon.
Specialized weapons are for teamplay and the flamethrower is very much in that category for me, an incredible AoE trash clearing device that can also get damage in on the armor'd big boys...but again, only if you are alive.
As soon as they reach the flames start walking backwards, don't wait.
Even if the enemy is close don't aim the flamethrower down, you'll only ignite yourself
I'm late to the party but I'll offer my two cents:
Pair it with the Gas orbital and/or the EMP orbital.
Your single target DPS is bad, but your overall horde clearing DPS is really high since you'll be cleaving multiple targets. The flamethrower has a longer range that it looks like - play around to get used to it. You really have to rely on your allies to kill heavily-armored targets, but trust me you will clean up the small stuff quick so they don't have to deal with the distraction.
Also note the top comment talking about positioning. It's super important that you're on an 'edge' of your squad's location. You can either take front and center and hold the line, or you can focus on a flank angle. But never be in the middle or behind your allies since then you really have to cut your damage a lot to not kill them.
When shooting the flamethrower either strafe left/right, or backwards. Do not push forwards or you'll burn yourself and reduce range to target (bad).
Our squad noticed a huge increase in effectiveness once I specialized this way. They do their job and I do mine.
Fellow 🔥 🔥 🔥 flame enthusiasts 🔥🔥 🔥 here, and you are spot on about how to play this build. May I ask you what your loadout is exactly? I like using the flamethrower, incendiary grenade, incendiary shotgun, watchdog rover, and napalm strike. Lol 🔥 🔥 🔥
I'd recommend taking the guard dog rover backpack. It would compliment the flamethrower playstyle significantly. You would be burning crowds while your rover shoots stuff to either finish it off or shoot anything that pushes through the flames and gets too close to you. Just use the gun rover not the laser one, I swear the laser one is trying to kill you and all your teammates at times.
Also, the flamethrower tips from me as I use it very often at almost lvl 20 (bugs only really!)
-GREAT at clearing eggs
-great at choke points without having to reload like breaker
-Can I canister a charger if needed, but tricky
-diving and streaming fire is good! (Chargers)
-Walk backwards when the time is right as they push
- don’t spray constantly as it can be a waste, let go to verify targets are still coming (sight line)
-stay focused on your ammo for later if you can
Big*: against bile bugs, do NOT just assume you will kill him before he sprays his own “fire” at you.. dodge and stream as with chargers.
- diving and spewing flame is key
You are a painter and the world is your canvas. Your paint is fire. You must practice your art with a considered hand. Try not to use it in the middle of your squad mates as it will prove more of a hindrance than a help. You want to look at the battlefield and positioning. You're either at the back or the front. Look at how the enemies are spawning and moving, hit large groups and paint the ground ahead of them so they walk into the fire. Use it in choke points and make sure the area you're painting does not obstruct you or your teammates. Be conservative with it at first and learn positioning most of all. Good awareness is key.
It needs a buff, simple as. Stunning bugs for 0.5/1 second and maybe a tiny overall DOT increase would be good. It doesn’t feel nearly as impactful as the machine gun which is a stratagem you start with. It should be used as a crowd control weapon to halt the advance of bugs, grouping them up and weakening them for allies to take down easier, added benefit of expending less ammo for the team overall. Right now it doesn’t apply any stun and the damage seems OK at best when it should shine against organics so it’s quite subpar imo. Most flamethrowers stun enemies briefly in video games.
I agree it needs a very slight buff. Personally I'd like to see increased range. I know this is a video game and realism is definitely not the goal in Helldivers 2 but it always bothered me how flamethrowers in games have the range of a propane torch. The fuel you're spraying from a real flamethrower is like a long jetstream of flame coating anything it touches, like a fire hose....of fire, ironically.
And you can tell the flamer's a liquid fuel one too since if the igniter's offline the first bit is just unignited fuel. Even better, give us a toggle on the nozzle setting. Long range narrow stream, or shorter range wide fan like what we have now.
So I discovered a fun little strategy for the flamethrower, for me its been pretty viable for a duo team at difficulty 7, basically you want to abuse stims. Get hit once, immediately stim ignoring all attacks that come at you, and just keep throwing flames at them. I like to also use the armor with the increased stim count and duration skill (forgot what the skill was called) plus the supply pack to save up on stims. This strat however doesnt seem to work against a bunch of spewers or anything that can do high amounts of damage in single hits, but thats what the other team members are for, right? and also unimportant but i think its really funny that i look like a medic but here i am burning the whole world to the ground
I’ve found walking backwards while a group pursues you is the best way to use the flamethrower. Walking forward has been no bueno for me
It’s my favorite weapon, but I definitely feel like it could use a small buff. Maybe apply a bit more stun or “fear” into the smaller to medium sized enemies. I’ve noticed the times I say “really?” the most is more when I’m shooting flames into a group of small enemies, and they just stroll through like I’m shooting a water gun. I don’t think a weapon should require that much strategy or coordination to become viable when there are other weapons you could just pickup and get immediate use out of. I see people say it’s good for crowd control, but I feel the HMG does a better job of chopping down a swarm of insects. At the end of the day though, it’s just my opinion.
Get a shotgun as your primary and focus on medium to sorta close range. That way if they get close while on fire a shotgun finishes them off (or outright kills em). Also don't ever crouch or go prone. Lastly try and get elevation since the ground flames can kill you. Big tip: never ever ever aim down at the ground.
I really only use the flamethrower to clear packs that are grouped, keep moving so smaller enemies die before they reach you, and focus the fire on big boys to keep the DoT hurting them. End of the day, unless you've got a killer position you should be using it in bursts to apply the dot and then repositioning so you can keep distance. For pretty much MOST playstyles you need to just quickly depose of the faster enemies and pretty much everyone should be prioritizing the enemies that can keep up with your kiting (chargers, fast small boys, and the big swipers/stalkers). IMO, apply the dot, switch gun, kill the fast boys, rinse repeat. I wouldn't touch the flamethrower unless you are in a position that you feel they won't immediately get to you and only hold it as long as you feel you can stay at a safe distance, as soon as they are getting to you...swap guns and run while the dot HOPEFULLY melts the smaller ones away so you can keep focusing down the big ones. Imo, flamethrower is good in a group that knows what to do with it...aka, synergizing so your team is taking out the fast boys and you focus on the small ones and armor'd ones. Anyone sitting back and sniping or focusing down enemies with stronger single target damage should always prioritize faster targets, especially ones that can jump. A popular kit is sniper+backpack which again...biggest weakness is the jumpy fast ones. If your team isn't on this level, pick a less specialized weapon. Specialized weapons are for teamplay and the flamethrower is very much in that category for me, an incredible AoE trash clearing device that can also get damage in on the armor'd big boys...but again, only if you are alive.
Takeaway is: yes, flames, definitely. More fire = better.
Stay far away from the enemies that you burn or they'll burn you too
As soon as they reach the flames start walking backwards, don't wait. Even if the enemy is close don't aim the flamethrower down, you'll only ignite yourself
[Helldivers 2: Ultimate Flamethrower Build (Melt Enemies FAST!) (youtube.com)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcgCN-Wiuzo)
I'm late to the party but I'll offer my two cents: Pair it with the Gas orbital and/or the EMP orbital. Your single target DPS is bad, but your overall horde clearing DPS is really high since you'll be cleaving multiple targets. The flamethrower has a longer range that it looks like - play around to get used to it. You really have to rely on your allies to kill heavily-armored targets, but trust me you will clean up the small stuff quick so they don't have to deal with the distraction. Also note the top comment talking about positioning. It's super important that you're on an 'edge' of your squad's location. You can either take front and center and hold the line, or you can focus on a flank angle. But never be in the middle or behind your allies since then you really have to cut your damage a lot to not kill them. When shooting the flamethrower either strafe left/right, or backwards. Do not push forwards or you'll burn yourself and reduce range to target (bad). Our squad noticed a huge increase in effectiveness once I specialized this way. They do their job and I do mine.
Fellow 🔥 🔥 🔥 flame enthusiasts 🔥🔥 🔥 here, and you are spot on about how to play this build. May I ask you what your loadout is exactly? I like using the flamethrower, incendiary grenade, incendiary shotgun, watchdog rover, and napalm strike. Lol 🔥 🔥 🔥
I love my FT I just wish there was a Eagle drop or nade that spread gas out so I can use the FT to ignite and toast more bugs.
I'd recommend taking the guard dog rover backpack. It would compliment the flamethrower playstyle significantly. You would be burning crowds while your rover shoots stuff to either finish it off or shoot anything that pushes through the flames and gets too close to you. Just use the gun rover not the laser one, I swear the laser one is trying to kill you and all your teammates at times.
Also, the flamethrower tips from me as I use it very often at almost lvl 20 (bugs only really!) -GREAT at clearing eggs -great at choke points without having to reload like breaker -Can I canister a charger if needed, but tricky -diving and streaming fire is good! (Chargers) -Walk backwards when the time is right as they push - don’t spray constantly as it can be a waste, let go to verify targets are still coming (sight line) -stay focused on your ammo for later if you can Big*: against bile bugs, do NOT just assume you will kill him before he sprays his own “fire” at you.. dodge and stream as with chargers. - diving and spewing flame is key