Speaking of the Pyro, he’s an odd one. His flamethrower is not only incredibly gratifying (“I’m on fire! Doktorr!”), it’s a devastating weapon that covers a wide area. In a way, he’s the opposite of the medic. The Medic dispenses a short-range defensive buff to teammates, while the Pyro spits out a close-quarters dose of pain to the opposition.
Sure, the poor guy’s a bit misunderstood. He’s got that low-rent Darth Vader look going on, he can’t say anything more articulate than, “Mrphh,” and the only real thing he’s good at is setting things on fire. We all knew kids like the Pyro in high school.
If it helps, consider the Pyro an ambush predator. He waits at doorways and corners, pouncing on hapless opponents and spraying them with napalm. Sure, it’s not the most charming M.O., but it’s got its uses.
Again, the Pyro is not an offensive class, and it’s important to understand his limitations. That flamethrower’s only good out to about 12 feet. He fares a bit better at distance with a shotgun, but when you’ve just pissed off a 300HP Heavy with a minigun at point-blank, a shotgun’s not going to do it.
As the Pyro, you must aspire to be a ballerina: nimble and quick on his feet. Circle opponents and spray them–then get the heck out of Dodge before they can retaliate. In maps like 2Fort, hang back towards the courtyard or control room; it’s not much use to set someone on fire if they can just jump in the water to douse themselves.
The Pyro is master of the ambush. Jump down on opponents from high places while they’re clumped together, and you can spray four or five people (and their sentries) and be out before they knew what hit them. Nothing says “satisfaction” like a quadruple kill.
One of the best spots for him is next to the Engineer. Remember, there’s no friendly fire damage in TF2, so he’s free to spray away at anyone coming into the room. Allies will be unharmed, but enemy spies (who frequently masquerade as engineers) will light up and run before placing sappers.
Bear in mind, you get points for assists as well as solo kills, so you don’t have to strike the death blow–you just have to get the ball rolling.