Is firebug actually as bad as so many people think it is?

[Montenico, Lord of Boxes]

I've heard that firebug is trash, but I've used it a little (in low difficulties, I am not prepared for anything above Hard yet) and I had no problems with it, so, is this perk actually trash or is it just the people who doesn't use it properly?

Note: I am not saying I am really good with it, since I haven't played with it that much.

[Zero Taicho]

It is more that his CC makes enemies move erratically, and that pisses off Sharpshooters and Demos trying to kill Scrakes and FPs. Part of this is your standard forum whining, part of this is uneducated Firebugs.

He's unparalleled in trash removal, and has powerful CCs. He's good at knocking back and slowing a raging Scrake or FP as well as cutting down any adds that are moving with them. As long as you try to AVOID non-raged FPs and Scrakes you'll be fine. Catching them on fire, especially without telling your team's big zed killers that he's there, is basically lighting a fuse on a stick of dynamite and throwing it into your team. Someone is going to get mauled by an angry Scrake, and when they see that its crisped they'l come here to whine about Firebugs.

[Leon]

no, it is just bad people not understanding how to play it, plus fire panic at most applies to big zeds and not the trash, as they have low hp and dies fast, so this this basically irrelevent when they generalizing "fire panicing all zeds".

He is one of the best if not the best at CC and clearing trash zeds, has both average and long range weapons, and can be both equipped with different set ups, can keep choke point better than other perks even when things get messy, and can get your team to safety by clearing the way a with heatwave.

also if u want to learn more about it, here is a guide i made for firebug and everything you would want to know about it, from weapons, to loadouts, to fire panic mechanics.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1448798750

[m550]

Not the perks but the players using it. (despite that burning effect indeed somewhat annoy others)

[Niichts]

You need to stop listening to people and form your own opinions, because this community is filled with smartasses who pretend they know what's best by playing the game solo non-stop, example being the Hoe debate.

[Underdog]

It's by far the best crowd control perk in the game. As long as you don't set Scrakes on fire recklessly (sometimes, you just have no choice), you should be fine. Fleshpounds shouldn't really matter as the demo is probably going to aim for center mass anyway.

Firebug works best when you are holding a doorway/lane by yourself away from others. This way, you don't have to worry about people complaining. However, be sure to call out Scrakes so your sharpshooter can take care of it swiftly

I would say the best teams are comprised of: medic, support, commando, sharpshooter, demo (or second sharpshooter), and firebug (I consider this spot an auxilary spot... can be anything, but firebug is my preferred one for holding doorways himself)

[MrPurple]

Yep Firebug is Awesome! and as said, just dont set big ones on fire and let them attack your teammates and you be fine

[iPhッlon]

Firebug can be a beast. I suggest you try it out for a while :)

[Josh Hutcherson]

The main issue with Firebug is the fire mechanic, and how it makes Zeds move sparatically and makes it really hard for precision classes to headshot. At lower levels it doesn't matter but at higher levels headshots from Demos (Armor Piercing Rounds) and Sharpshooters become extremely important for taking out big Zeds. It becomes a lot harder to headshot them when they're doing the safety dance.

[Ghoul Hunter]

Some people live 2 or more years behind the actual time. They live in 2016 or earlier, you see, while we are living in 2018. They don't keep up with updates or new ways of playing that people discover.

It was discovered quite a while ago that firebug is a very powerful berserker-like perk. He's an alternate tank that is great at crowd control and AoE, by using groundfire to blanket areas or the team, zoning zeds away. Berserker for comparison is mostly a single target tank, he can only control what is in his immediate swing radius.

This is a key factor in small maps, which are generally considered the harder ones.

[Tenryudan]

Originally posted by Montenico:

I've heard that firebug is trash, but I've used it a little (in low difficulties, I am not prepared for anything above Hard yet) and I had no problems with it, so, is this perk actually trash or is it just the people who doesn't use it properly?

Note: I am not saying I am really good with it, since I haven't played with it that much.

It's bad perk, don't let fanboys blind you from the truth.

Firebug role in a team is Crowd Control and Big Zed Killer (microwave gun).
However there are better perks who utilized CC(zerk who is also a tank) and kill big zeds(Gunslinger), therefore making FB a useless perk. Not to mention they enrage zeds making other perks miss their targets.

Any half brain can write a guide, doesn't mean they understand about the subject they are writing about, since there is no requirement whatsoever to write a guide.

inb4 fanboys start raging in denial.

[Montenico, Lord of Boxes]

Originally posted by Tenryudan:

Not to mention they enrage zeds making other perks miss their targets.

I am pretty sure anyone can just avoid enraging big zeds.

[Tenryudan]

Originally posted by Montenico:

Originally posted by Tenryudan:

Not to mention they enrage zeds making other perks miss their targets.

I am pretty sure anyone can just avoid enraging big zeds.

You would be surprised, it's hard to find a good FB these days. Most people simply spray'n pray dual spitfire or flamethrower at every direction in HoE.

[iiTzHentai]

Firebug is good if :
A - You can't aim.
B - You wanna troll the other 5 people in the server by playing a useless perk that enrages big zeds that will lead to a complete wipeout.

[Tenryudan]

Originally posted by iiTzHentaiPT:

Firebug is good if :
A - You can't aim.
B - You wanna troll the other 5 people in the server by playing a useless perk that enrages big zeds that will lead to a complete wipeout.

+ 1 , this dude is my hero

[Blue]

Tbh, a good demo with the m79 or even m16 will beat a firebug in trash clearing. Then you get the added benefits of easy scrake and FP take downs with the rpg. Plus you don't annoy teammates with the flames and zed burning/flailing.

Yeah firebug can burn large areas of trash, making them dance around until they die (or sometimes survive), but a demo only needs 1 shot from the m79 and the area is instantly cleared.

Firebugs usually use heat wave to knock back zeds, to keep themselves alive, but that can be harmful to teammates. A pushed back fleshpound will only stop for a moment before continuing its charge, sometimes even switching targets to unsuspecting teammates. Scrakes will flail around making them much harder to hit. The medic grenade from survivalist or medic will do almost as much damage as the molotov while also having the healing benefit.