Armacham Black Ops Pyros are enemies found in F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin. They are a faction of Armacham Technology Corporation's Black Ops regiment, and work under orders from Richard Vanek.
Monolith Timeline[]
F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin[]
Black Ops Pyros are the rarest type of Black Ops in the game, with their only purpose being to burn evidence and support other troops.
Pyros are the ATC equivalent of the Heavy Armor. Only encountered four times in the game, they are also one of the most dangerous enemies. They're armed with the Balzer LM10 Napalm Cannon, which is extremely potent up close and moderately effective even at medium range. It seems these heavy units were dispatched along with the regular Black Ops squads to burn down any evidence of Genevieve Aristide's inhumane activities; one intel notes the specific procedure for destroying documents is to "stack and burn" them.
They will sometimes use R3 Incendiary Grenades if Becket hides from them for long enough. The first one is seen in the hospital area of the Harbinger Facility burning down an office. He is fought later on in the level immediately after he incinerates a terrified surgeon, and this is when Becket first has a chance to acquire the Napalm Cannon. The second one is sent out from the Black Ops APC to impede Becket's path as he escapes from the outer shell of the Harbinger Facility. The third and fourth are encountered in Interval 03 - Recognition - Ruin, where they are seen supporting an ATC squad battling Replica forces around the fuselage of a crashed airliner.
Black Ops Pyros are immune to being set on fire, so using their own weapons against them will do minimal damage.
Pyros are very dangerous on Hard difficulty; due to their toughness, the danger of the Napalm Cannon and the player's lack of heavy weaponry at first while facing them. SHO Series-3 Combat Shotgun and Vollmer Ultra92 Automatic Shotgun works well on lower difficulties but risky on Hard.
F.E.A.R. Online[]
The Black Ops Pyros appeared occasionally alongside the Black Ops Light infantry in Subway Panic.
Tactics[]
- Shooting the tanks on their backs will cause them to rupture and send out a jet of flame, briefly stunning the Pyro and allowing Michael Becket to take the initiative from them.
- Do not underestimate the Pyro's reach; the Napalm Cannon has longer effective range than many flamethrowers, and Becket will be on fire even when the projectile merely touches him. The best way to avoid fire is avoid direct contact with Pyro.
- The most effective weapon available to Becket when the Pyros are present is the Patten PK470 Assault Rifle; testing shows the two shotguns to be potent, but much more risky, especially when there are other soldiers in the area.
Trivia[]
- This is the only enemy in the entire F.E.A.R. series (aside from Alma) to use fire.
- ATC Pyros carry large twin fuel tanks on their back, but their primary weapon, the napalm cannon, doesn't seem to require such a pack to function.
- They also can be oxygen tanks, because flamethrowers tend to suck away the oxygen in confined spaces. Thus, the flamethrower or other fire based weapons, are not likely to be seen used closed/confined environment, especially underground, for fear that users themselves might die from suffocation as well.
- The oxygen tanks cannot be destroyed.