Achieving: TF2, Pyro Edition... Part III

Okay, the third part of the guide, explaining how I got me my Axtinguisher. The first 2 parts are easy, you got a choice which achievements you want to get first. As you progress however, the choices become more limited. There can only be so much grind-able achievements in one pack.

Pilot Light - Ignite a rocket-jumping soldier while he is mid-air.
As usual, there are 2 ways to do this one. The easy one, using a friend, which is obvious or the hard(er) one. Find an enemy soldier and depending on his skill level, there are many ways to get it. Either ambush the soldier on places where he uses rocket jump alot. Think of the sniper balconies in 2fort or something. Or, if he is a total nubcake, he will try to use it in close range. Before you ask, I've seen it happen before. I have seen a pyro just spamming his flamethrower at a soldier, who fired his rocket at the ground accidentally, earning the pyro his achievement. But I used a friend.

Dance Dance Immolation - Kill 3 enemies while they are taunting.
Har har. If only puns made achievements easier, but then they wouldn't be achievements anymore. It seems that all achievement titles are meant to be witty and punny. With the exeption of Forza2 ofcourse. But let's get to the point. On one side, it's easy to get. On the other, it takes a while. I managed to kill 2, mostly medics and pyro's who were trying to get their achievement. You can't really hunt for this one, you just have to be lucky. I had a friend helping me with the axestreak achievements and he taunted, filling the last kill.

Hot Shot - Kill a soldier with a reflected critical rocket.
Reflected CRITICAL rocket. That is all I can say. Just joking. Have fun, play some tennis using your flamethrower or get a friend to help. Not much to say so enjoy this video:

TF2 Rocket Tennis from Imran Maq on Vimeo.

Hot Potato - Reflect 100 projectiles with your compressed air blast.
I haven't got this one (yet), because once I got my Backburner, I couldn't be assed to use the normal one. However, I am on about 75/100 returns. How? Play rocket tennis or play CP maps with a demoman in the other team. Then treat control points like a busy road. Look left. Look right. Look out for dangers. Use your compressed air blast to remove them. If it's a Fiat Panda or a sticky bomb, you should be able to send it flying, netting you about 4-5 points for the achievement.

Milestone 1 - Achieve 10 of the achievements in the Pyro pack.
Funnily enough, the achievement counts! How to get it is found in part one of this guide.


Milestone 2 - Achieve 16 of the achievements in the Pyro pack.
Same as with Milestone 1, but then part two.


Now you should have your mean looking axe. The last part will be the remaining 16 achievements with tips and tricks, containing the hardest or most boring achievements. I suggest you bring a friend.

Achieving: TF2, Pyro Edition... Part II

On to part deux. this time we're going for the Backburner. I've explained what it does here, so we'll get right to the achievements.

BarbeQueQ - Cause a dominated player to leave the server.
Dominate someone and then just wait. And wait. And wait, until he leaves the server. Even if he took revenge, this still works. It just takes a while... Zzzzz...

Hot on your Heels - Kill 50 enemies with your flamethrower, from behind.
A simple one aswell, it just takes time. Ambush and flank your opponents. Often, your enemy tries to flee, that's a free score for this achievement aswell.

Baptism By Fire - Force 10 burning enemies to jump into water.
Play Well or 2Fort for this one, since you need water. Set your enemy ablaze and then watch him cool off in the water. Rinse (har har) and repeat.

Burn Ward - Ignite 3 medics that are ready to deploy an Uber-charge.
Step 1: Find medics.
Step 2: Just burn them whenever you see them. Kamikaze if needed.
Step 3: ?????
Step 4: Profit!

Weenie Roast - Have 2 enemy Scouts on fire at the same time.
The hard part is getting 2 Scouts in your vicinity. After you manage that, by luck or by having friends, singe them both.


OMGWTFBBQ - Kill an enemy with a taunt.
The only taunt that can cause damage is the Haduoken taunt. It has almost no range, but is an instant kill. Try to find an enemy that is AFK, a Sniper that's zoomed in or a friend to help.

Well, that's it for Part 2. Enjoy your Backburner. Part 3 will be even shorter, since the Milestone achievements count too.

Achieving: Penny Arcade's ORPOD Ep. 1

Penny Arcade is one of the few regularly updating webcomics that is actually funny too. ORPOD, or On The Rain-Slick Precipice Of Darkness, is a Paper Mario/Super Mario -ish Role Playing Game. That said, it simply means that it's a turn-based RPG, with interactive combat. You can block attacks and special attacks are powered by pressing buttons, instead of simply selecting attack.
But, I am getting off-topic here. This is an Achievement Guide, not a review of the game.
You can get all of the achievements in one playthrough, if you have the patience to keep loading if you fail.

Stray Cat - 5G - Earn a support character.
Most likely the easiest achievement, all you need to do is meet T. Kemper, the support kitty. He is the first of three support characters. Meow.

Nine Lives - 15G - Kill an enemy using T. Kemper's basic attack.
Unlockable as soon as you get your special attack, use your special on one of the starter robots, but miss ONE of the targets. this should bring it down to 1 HP. Then unleash the kitty. Only do this with T. Kemper ready, as you apply a bleed effect with the rake's special. This should unlock it, unless you have T. Kemper crit ofcourse.

Pacifist - 15G - Only use counterattacks, health items, or distraction items to win one battle.
Another easy achievement. In the first area, in the beginning, there are robots that do not deal alot of damage. Don't attack them, but only block instead. This can be done even in the first fight. As you progress in the game, the enemies become tougher and the achievement harder to get.

All Together Now - 5G - Do a Team-Up attack involving all three party members.
This one can be done as soon as Tycho's special unlocks. Don't expect the animation to be fancy though. Keep blocking untill the entire party has it's special ready, Tycho will be the last to have it ready and Gabriel the first.

Fight 'Em With Items - 20G -Find and use every item in the game at least once.
Simple, use all of the items. There are 3 items in each of these catagories: Healing, Damage, Buffs and Debuffs in that order. And there are 2 distraction items. One for robots, one for mimes. However, make sure that you have enough of each for the last boss.

Level Awesome - 20G - Get all party members to Level 15.
No tips here, just fight every foe you can find.



Steel Devils - 15G - Find and destroy all the robots in the game.
Look out for thing like milkbottles, suitcases and even seagulls. In the map, you can see if you still have parts to collect. Sweep the area's systemmatically, one panel at the time.

Immortal - 20G - Play and win the game without allowing a character to die during combat.
Save ALOT. And, if you haven't mastered blocking, prepare to load ALOT. Especially the "Now I'm a Fencer"attack from the mimes and the fat hobo's attacks are hard to block. Especially the latter deals ALOT of damage... to the entire party. Also, heal! Exept for the last boss, if you want the Silent, But Deadly achievement.

Silent, But Deadly - 30G - Fight, and destroy the final Boss without using any healing items.
Okay, keep your support characters ready, items fully stocked, be skilled in blocking and use only your special attacks. No healing though... Oh, and have your weapons fully upgraded.

Clean Sweep - 30G - Kill all enemies.
Another self-explainatory one. Defeat every enemy in the game, this includes all of the robots and the bosses. This one unlocks after the final boss, so before you go fight him, check all of the area's for hostiles.

Pack Rat - 15G - Find and collect all of the hidden collectibles scattered around the game.
Gotta catch them all!.. Oh wait, wrong game. You need to collect 12 concept arts and 5 albums. Here is where they are, Area, panel, w/e you need to inspect:

• Desperation Street - Cul-De-Sac - In your neighbour's mailbox.
• Desperation Street - Cul-De-Sac - Mailbox on the opposite side of the road of the house where T. Kemper is sitting.
  
• Desperation Street - The Orange Tree - Mailbox in front of 1121 Desperation St.
• Desperation Street - Cul-De-Sac - Mailbox at the house where you meet T.Kemper.
• Anne-Claire’s Room - The photo above the window.
• Anne-Claire’s Room - The lamp next on the nightstand.
• Anne-Claire’s Room - Behind Anne-Claire on the shelf.
• Hobo Alley - Cheswick & Grove - The wanted poster on Witch-B-Gone.
• Hobo Alley - West Chesnut Park - Rubbish Pile, easily regocnizable because during the Animated Trash mission, that's the only place where you will find three bins at once.
• Hobo Alley - Grove Bend - Poster on the pub’s window.
• Hobo Alley - The Sh*thole - Picture next to the entrance.
• Hobo Alley - The Sh*thole - Meat Grinder in the robot room.
• Pelican Bay - Tollbooth - At the big icecreams hanging next to the red token minigame.
  
• Pelican Bay - Midway - Behind the Mimes at the far end of the area where you get the green tokens on a door.
• Pelican Bay - Promenade - At the huge anchor.
  
• Pelican Bay - Unlocks when you entertain Madam Zodora Fortune Teller.
• And the last one is unlocked on defeating the Final Boss.

Yeah, it took me a while.

A Winner Is You - 10G - Complete Episode 1.
I assume this achievement needs no explaination. This one is unlocked at the same time you unlock Clean Sweep, Silent,But Deadly and Immortal... Meaning after the final boss. I hope you enjoyed the game.

(Please note that I say robot instead of the robot's real name due to obscenity. It might offend someone)

Achieving: TF2, Pyro Edition... Part I

Hello again and welcome to the first part to the TF2 Pyro Achievement Guide. The prelude/prologue can be found here. In this guide I'll give pointers on the 10 easiest achievements to unlock both the Milestone 1 achievement and the Flaregun.
To the left you can see the gun in question.
It replaces the shotgun and is a ranged incendiary. In my experience (meaning that you may experience otherwise), the following 10 achievements were the easiest (in difficulty, not time needed). Also, not that my methods are done without caring about my kill per death ratio, so most can be a bit kamikaze-ish. But now, here they are, with pointers how to get them (if possible):

Cooking the Books - Ignite 5 enemies carrying your intelligence.
This is an easy one, just camp at your intelligence at 2fort or Well. After a while, someone will come to get it eventually. Just burn them and then flee if you wish, you got 1 for the achievement. Just stay hidden untill they get the intel.

Combined Fire - Use your shotgun to finish off 20 players you've ignited.
This one is easy, but requires quite a bit of grinding. remember that the Q-key makes you switch to your last equipped weapon, usually switching between primary and secondary. Set them on fire, then spam your shotgun at them. Reason why this is in the first section is because I like the flaregun so much (It fits the class) that I always have it on me. And since it replaces the shotgun... Yeah.

Second Degree Burn - Kill a burning enemy who was ignited by another Pyro.
You'll need either a friend as a pyro or just a random pyro for this one to work, let the other set him on fire and then finish the job. While each server had about 6 Pyro's, it was terribly easy. Got it on one of the first kills. For the helper: The Flaregun counts as an ignition too. Might be useful.

Next of Kindling - Ignite an enemy, and the Medic healing him.
Okay... For this one you most likely need to go kamikaze. Find a medic paired with another player and either flank them or attack them in the back. don't try to kill, don't waste time. Ignite the medic then continue running to the medic's buddy to set him ablaze too. Doesn't matter if you die afterwards, you'll get the achievement as soon as you got both on fire. Medic + Heavy is nice, since the Heavy is kinda slow.

Freezer Burn - Provide enemies with freezecam shots of each of your taunts.
Another kamikaze one. Kill an enemy with whatever weapon and as soon as he dies hit the G-key. Atleast, if that's your taunt mapping. Don't worry about dying, aslong as he sees your taunt on the killcam, you score. Note that you need one with each weapon, being the flamethrower, shotgun/flaregun and the axe. Tip: Using Q to switch to another weapon quickly and then immeadiatly hitting G has a chance of working too, if you can't get a melee kill or a shotgun kill.

Firewatch - Ignite 10 snipers while they are zoomed in.
Snipers have a severe case of tunnelvision when zoomed in, so most of the time they won't notice you coming. The Flaregun works as well, incase you have it already. 2fort is a good map to pull this one off, since there are relatively easy to reach sniper nests. It's easy to see when they're zoomed in, so it should be a piece of cake (unless that cake is a lie).

Dead Heat - Kill an enemy in the same second that he kills you.
Unfortunatly, this is more of a luck than a skill based achievement. Use the flamethrower often and it'll unlock eventually if duels (one on one fights) end up in draws.

Fire and Forget - Kill 15 players while you're dead.
Same as with Dead Heat, this is luck based. Just use the flamethrower and duel alot. If you die first, you score. Rinse and repeat 14 more times. Enemy Pyro's don't work well for this, since they have flame retardant outfits.

I Fry - Ignite 10 disguised Spies.
Just "spycheck often". It'll unlock eventually. Note that rookie spies often run away from the front towards your base disguised in your colors and behave eratically. they will have their disguise's primary weapon visible and might be easy to spot. Otherwise, just use your flamethrower to let the flames lick any teammate you encounter, even if it's a "teammate".

Camp Fire - Kill 3 enemies in a row, all within the same area.
As usual, this unlocks when you're dead too, use your flamethrowe to wreak massive havok on control points, fronts or bases. Flanking makes this alot easier.

Achieving: Team Fortress 2, Pyro Edition... Prelude

Team Fortress 2, the incredibly fun game by Valve. Makes me think of Pixar movies every time I see it. Anyhow, since the Orange Box, Valve has achievements for their games. Let's start with the Pyro, since that's the latest pack. Some advice though: Achievement servers don't work due to the mindset of the players there. Just go and play on whichever server you usually play on, but than as Pyro. Also, bear in mind that a team with 8 Pyro's isn't the most balanced one, so don't be afraid to play something else untill the madness ends. With each major patch, a class gets alternate weapons, which need to be unlocked. So let's take a look at the Pyro ones:

The Flaregun. Well, it, just as the name implies, fires a flare, allowing you to harass Snipers and other long range foes. It's a projectile, which can be returned with the flamethrower alt fire and sets the target it hits on fire. If it misses, it just burns out, doing no harm.

Replacing the Shotgun, it's not a viable weapon for maps like Well or 2Fort, since it doesn't work underwater. Choose the shotgun instead then. On the other hand, it's fun to see snipers running away once you lit them on fire in 2Fort, so it's your choice. The flaregun is unlocked by gaining the Milestone 1 achievement.

Milestone 1
Achieve 10 of the achievements in the Pyro pack.


It's not hard to unlock, just play alot. but that's just the first unlockable, both Milestone 2 and 3 have their own unlockable. Behold the Backburner:
It doesn't only look mean, it IS mean too. Whenever you hit someone in the back, you get a critical hit. Even Heavies go down fast if you catch them in the back. However, you don't have an air blast. But since that's only fun for Heavy Tennis and some achievements, it's not a loss. You also get 50 additional health to make up for it though when you have it in your weapon selection, increasing survivability. It's hawt. Aaaaand so we take a look at Milestone 2:

Milestone 2
Achieve 16 of the achievements in the Pyro pack.


It's not the end of the world either, just 6 more achievements. That's not much and still doable. But we're not there yet. The most awesome weapon isn't in your hands with Milestone 2. No, Milestone 3 is the one you want. Why? Because you want this:
Like it? Yes? Well, it's different from the normal axe because it only does 50% damage. Well, to non-burning enemies, that is. Once they're set aflame, you'll only deal critical hits. Add a Pyro friend with a flamethrower, with you running after him with the axe. Massacre. however, you need this:

Milestone 3
Achieve 22 of the achievements in the Pyro pack.

This one might be a bit harder. And, I have to admit, I ground a bit of them, being on an empty server with another player. The axe streak achievements are hard, so I did them that way. But, now that we know why we are getting the achievements, we have set ourselves a goal.

The achievements will come in 4 parts: Till Milestone 1, then till 2 then till 3 and what's left.

Part 1: Milestone 1. Unlocks Flaregun.
Contains:

• I Fry
• Dead Heat
• Firewatch
• Campfire
• Fire and Forget
• Cooking the Books
• Combined Fire
• Second Degree Burn
• Next of Kindling
• Freezer Burn

Part 2: Milestone 2. Unlocks The Backburner.
Contains:

• BarbeQueQ
• Hot on your Heels
• Baptism by Fire
• Burn Ward
• Weenie Roast
• OMGWTFBBQ

Part 3: Milestone 3. Unlocks the Axtinguisher! *insert epic music*
Contains:

• Pilot Light
• Dance Dance Immolation
• Hot Shot
• Hot Potato
• Milestone 1
• Milestone 2