Editing Firebug (section)

==Class Tactics==

* The Firebug is a very versаtile class, capable of either being ‘bunkered’ inside a room, or using ignite and kite tactics. Although he can deal rapid damage on the move and can burn his way through most obstacles, most of his main weapons will recoil or will frequently restrict his view and offset his aim. He will usually find locking a room down and holding a doorway is a lot easier, where specimens funnel in front of him and he can ignite them at range and safely allow them to burn out before reaching him.  

* At Rank 3, the Firebug gains incendiary grenades.  He can make good use of these incendiary [[grenade]]s when he is surrounded, since his fire damage resistance will shield him from the blast while wounding or killing all the specimens around him. He can also use these grenades to damage greater specimens or to ignite large mobs of lesser enemies at once. Setting off incendiary grenades should be considered when your burst damage dealing teammates like Demolitionists emptied their shots and ensure Support Specialists are clear away from your sightline to prevent any unfortunate accidents in a hurdle of chaos.

* Any weapons in the Firebug's arsenal will cause his ignited foes to "crisp up" after a period of time. This gives the Firebug more time to kite and allow the specimens to burn out or crack down on them if they get too close. Even if you can't kill a big target alone you can crisp them up easily with your incendiary grenades. You can set them off with your [[Flamethrower]] after tossing one onto the ground. Since your grenades are pretty valuable and low on count, it's not recommended to stack them. Any crisped specimen will take extra damage from attacks and will be slowed down for a while, which is invaluable for heavy hitting team members. The "crisping" effect comes with a downside. If a greater specimen is raging when the "crisping" takes effect, its movement will become sporadic and unpredictable, making it difficult for teammates to take it down, and causes the specimen's head hitbox to move unpredictably, making it difficult for a Sharpshooter to get a bead on them.

* "Hosing down" enemies is a very good way for lower-ranked Firebugs to run out of ammo. "Hosing down" individual enemies is only recommended if the Firebug is being charged by an enemy and needs them to die as quickly as possible. The Firebug must be disciplined and use as little ammunition killing their targets as possible to avoid running out of fuel or other ammunition. The "Hosing Down" tactic is also very poor against the Fleshpound or Scrake, who will usually rage and kill the player before he can deal any substantial damage. At very few situations being exception Flamethrower always should be fired in short bursts while in a crouched position at the front, aiming for further corners to delay spawns bulking up and thin the crowd.
**When setting off grenades, Flamethrower tend to get stuck in the firing state when you hose them down, to prevent this either player have to use a very short burst for setting them off or switch weapons.

*At rank 3 or up, the Firebug can all but ignore the Husk, who will do minimal to no damage to them, leaving them for last. This is a 2-way street, however, as a Husk has 50% resistance to the flamethrower. In a team setting, Firebugs can also tank the Husk's shots, protecting their vulnerable teammates from the Husk's damage while his more capable teammates take the Husk out. Watch out you don't "catch" a fireball near a vulnerable teammate, however, as the splash damage will affect them. If you are soloing, handle it with a [[MAC-10|Mac-10]], [[Flare revolver]], or an off-perk weapon. The [[Trenchgun]] is also a useful weapon, but can be a little costly in ammo on higher difficulties.

* When attempting to deal with the greater specimens solo, the Firebug can stack his fire grenades safely, due to his grenades dealing incendiary damage and being immune to fire at ranks 5 and 6 (4 with armor). Coupled with rapid or continuous fire from his [[Flamethrower]], Trenchgun, or [[Husk fireball launcher]], he can deal significant damage to his target, and make use of the crisp effect to slow them down. Usually, this will still not be enough to kill them alone, but another good trick is to use the flamethrower or Husk fireball launcher to detonate a fire grenade just as a [[Scrake]] or [[Fleshpound]] reaches it, to ensure maximum damage. 

* The main aspects of a Firebug's survival are teamwork and careful analysis of incoming specimens to decide on the best course of action. If a Scrake or Fleshpound are approaching, and a better suited class is available to kill it, inform your teammates of it and avoid attacking it unless it has enraged and is attacking another player. You could also attack a raging Fleshpound or Scrake if you want to "pull" it and tank the damage for another player.

*When using the Husk fireball launcher try to use charged shots on larger targets (like [[Scrake]]s, [[Fleshpound]]s, or the [[Patriarch]]) rather than just the rapid firing of uncharged fireballs. A fully charged shot from the Husk gun can instantly stun a Scrake as well as ignite any surrounding specimens.

*You can either join the Berserkers and Support Specialists at the front lines or stay in the middle of the group with the Field Medics and Demolition Experts. Wherever you choose to fight your purpose is still helping the others by crisping the large targets and cutting down the smaller zeds in the crowd.

*[[Siren]]s are a frustrating target for the majority of the classes with their ability destroy grenades and cause the screen to rattle with their Scream while players attempt to tackle big targets. The Firebug's weapons can usually ignite and kill Sirens hidden amongst a horde with little difficulty thanks to the Siren's vulnerability to fire damage. Eliminate her early before she causes some real problems.

*Take advantage of the way the stream of fire from your [[Flamethrower]] drops with range; you can hit a specimen even if you can't get direct line-of-sight on it because there's a vehicle or a hillock in the way. If you position yourself correctly it's entirely possible to fire along a corridor and down the stairs at the end.

*Aim for the head. Decapitated, burning specimens either die outright, or fall shortly.

*Stalkers and Crawlers may sneak up on you and chip away your armour or cause you to burn yourself with panicked fire from your Flamethrower. Commandos excel at removing both kinds of specimens; make sure you're in sight of one when you're in an enclosed dark space if you're a lower rank.

*As large specimens move in on the team switch your focus to igniting the foes following behind the larger zeds to prevent anything from getting a free kill on any teammates that get wounded taking the big boys down. Try to avoid lighting the bigger guy though as this can cause some problems, including them switching focus to you.

* As a lower rank you can burn yourself deliberately between waves letting a [[Medic|medic]] heal you so that he can level up faster. Take care not to waste more ammo than you can afford though.

*Weapons and ammo are fairly cheap for a high-level Firebug so he can share his extra money with the team.

*The fire of the flamethrower has a detonating effect, therefore grenades, pipe bombs or rockets passing through the flame disappear. Be careful not to neutralize your team's fire. Alternatively, you can use this to eliminate a [[Husk]]'s missile attack or a [[Patriarch]]'s rocket. This is also possible with the Husk Fireball Launcher, although it requires good timing and aim.

*A nice tactic to use for the firebug is to use a [[MAC-10|Mac-10]] with Dual [[.44 Magnum|Magnums]] and simply shoot enemies, igniting them, then use the Dual Magnums to finish off higher priority enemies such as the Siren and the Husk. It's quite possible to solo a Scrake on Normal Difficulty using a Mac-10 on semi-automatic and firing the .44 Magnums at its head until it's dead. The Scrake should die before you run out of ammo.

*If you set the Patriarch on fire right before he cloaks, it will allow your teammates to track him for a short period of time, giving them a chance to either shoot at him or run away.