please for the love of god buff the flamethrower

[Adult Human Chicken]

It's the last weapon I have to clear True Nightmare with for the 100% and I've come to find that among all weapons in the game, it is in a league of its own. The worst range of all weapons, terrible accuracy, the 2nd slowest reload, tied for lowest base damage at a whole 2, inability to use well with freeze, and laughably bad proc coefficients. How do you make a flamethrower and then make it bad at lighting things on fire? This weapon is truly irredeemably awful in its current state and it desperately needs literally anything going for it at all.

Btw for anyone else attempting diamond wins with it I suggest just ignoring it entirely. I started just not even firing it and using melee & grenades for all my damage instead and my times to clear islands have gotten FASTER. It's hilarious, but also ♥♥♥♥♥♥ up that it's true.

[Adult Human Chicken]

I got the win btw. And all it took was an insane god run where the game gave me almost everything I could possibly ask for the whole damn run.

[Alpagaus]

Wait till you get to ultra nightmare, you will realize how little that "bad balance", even if it was true, matters. Most weapons quickly get weak if you don't get good, appropriate stuff.

But unlike any other weapon, with few exceptions, you need only one thing to make this weapon the most bonker weapon: orbiting shots.

I failed miserably 10 times in a row now, trying to record how it looks like, got it, got so far I forgot to save recording that's how nice it works.

It pierces all enemies, at least initially - if you make them bounce or add faster projectiles and they go further than normally you might notice they're no longer flames but projectiles, and I am not sure if they also pierce, but let's assume not.

This weapon hits multiple times or at least the flames do, this is "the" neat part, and it's not fire, it's weapon damage. Not to mention the fire left on the ground also hits - add even one flat damage to it and it melts quite well.

But with orbiting projectiles that pierce enemies, are almost constantly inside enemies, and now you can take your pick with basically 20~ hits per second: flat damage (because yeah, have fun stacking % on 1-2 base damage), on hit effects, elemental, fire once in a while because it already has some, more projectiles for even more hits - everything adds much more. The only downside is that without bouncing projectiles shots might get "wasted" on terrain, but overall this weapon, will keel. With that one thing.

On that note, most other weapons, even my beloved sniper that only needs split shot to be good and has easier time with % increases, won't manage against bosses if there's not enough damage and/or bonkers defenses. This, with built in fire, you only need to go for health and protections if you get orbiting shots.

[Rideps]

I just tried it out to see what sort of build would even work, sitting here in the shop at 63 with it.

I am 95% sure the only reason I've made it here is because I have 3 stacks of firestorm and a crit explosion build with time shot.

[GunofBrixton]

Grab Aura shots and big shots

[Bug Guy]

Its not even close to the weakest weapon. as mentioned above the fire it places on the ground is the real killer. dont use it like a submachine gun that burns, set up traps and melt anything underneath it. It can struggle against far away skulls, and burn damage is definitely on the weaker side, especially with how the enhancement totem can grab your ghoulies, but its still solid

[Adult Human Chicken]

Originally posted by Bug Guy:

Its not even close to the weakest weapon.

are you high? actually no I shouldn't say that given I did 14 of the runs while baked out of my mind (it's legal here, chill). Flamethrower was the only weapon that sucked so much I purposely did the attempts sober. The only weapon that gave me a comparable amount of trouble was the Cluster Launcher and that was straight up just me playing bad and choking in the last 10 islands several times.

I'll have to try the orbiting shot thing that first dude mentioned, but even if that's god tier it's not gonna change my thoughts on the weapon since it really shouldn't require 1 specific upgrade to feel decent.

[Bug Guy]

Originally posted by Adult Human Chicken:

Originally posted by Bug Guy:

Its not even close to the weakest weapon.

are you high? actually no I shouldn't say that given I did 14 of the runs while baked out of my mind (it's legal here, chill). Flamethrower was the only weapon that sucked so much I purposely did the attempts sober. The only weapon that gave me a comparable amount of trouble was the Cluster Launcher and that was straight up just me playing bad and choking in the last 10 islands several times.

I'll have to try the orbiting shot thing that first dude mentioned, but even if that's god tier it's not gonna change my thoughts on the weapon since it really shouldn't require 1 specific upgrade to feel decent.

I mean sometimes you just get bad luck. Ive been able to knock out two TN runs with it already, and I didnt need orbiting shot. But hey, youre allowed to dislike the weapon. I wont stop you on that front

[Bug Guy]

Blade launcher is the weapon needing the most love, honestly. Not that I would be mad if flamethrower got some too

[Adult Human Chicken]

Originally posted by Bug Guy:

Blade launcher is the weapon needing the most love, honestly. Not that I would be mad if flamethrower got some too

I've always been a Blade Launcher fan but you're right it isn't what it once was.

[Bug Guy]

Originally posted by Adult Human Chicken:

Originally posted by Bug Guy:

Blade launcher is the weapon needing the most love, honestly. Not that I would be mad if flamethrower got some too

I've always been a Blade Launcher fan but you're right it isn't what it once was.

I love the blade launcher its super fun but even with its light damage buff its just a real stinker

[Kreldin Starfeather]

Blade launcher seems to work insanely well if you can get homing, since it's pierce nature causes it to hit the same target half a dozen times. but as stated above, balancing a weapon around needing a single upgrade to be good is no bueno. 'This weapon CAN be good is not the same as 'This weapon IS good'. Weapons that are reliably decent will always be better thn weapons that are exceptional, but only rarely, imo.

[Adult Human Chicken]

Originally posted by Bug Guy:

Originally posted by Adult Human Chicken:

I've always been a Blade Launcher fan but you're right it isn't what it once was.

I love the blade launcher its super fun but even with its light damage buff its just a real stinker

I wouldn't say that. I think it's still quite powerful so long as you get the right stuff for it. Aura Shot, Arc Shot, and Big Shot all kinda remove its weaknesses entirely. Doesn't feel bad even if you don't get them too.

[Adult Human Chicken]

Originally posted by Kreldin Starfeather:

Blade launcher seems to work insanely well if you can get homing, since it's pierce nature causes it to hit the same target half a dozen times. but as stated above, balancing a weapon around needing a single upgrade to be good is no bueno. 'This weapon CAN be good is not the same as 'This weapon IS good'. Weapons that are reliably decent will always be better thn weapons that are exceptional, but only rarely, imo.

Hard agree. And thats why I feel flamethrower is the worst. It demands too specific of upgrades to perform well. Most weapons you can pull a win with just by grabbing a couple status mods & stacking the unreasonably common bouncing shot mod. I don't know how the community feels about that mod but imo Bouncing Shot is probably the best common damage mod in the game since it adds a lot of damage compared to most & also makes it less likely for a missed shot to stay a missed shot. I don't find it hard at all to bounce all my shots into things for the damage either.

[Bug Guy]

Originally posted by Adult Human Chicken:

Originally posted by Bug Guy:

I love the blade launcher its super fun but even with its light damage buff its just a real stinker

I wouldn't say that. I think it's still quite powerful so long as you get the right stuff for it. Aura Shot, Arc Shot, and Big Shot all kinda remove its weaknesses entirely. Doesn't feel bad even if you don't get them too.

Fighting the first stage 8 Elite with Blade Launcher with no arc shot/triple shot/etc, aura shot, and less than 3 big shot is like throwing peas at Godzilla. I would rather use a base auto shotgun, than a blade launcher with 10 mods that arent the ones listed above

[Adult Human Chicken]

Originally posted by Bug Guy:

Originally posted by Adult Human Chicken:

I wouldn't say that. I think it's still quite powerful so long as you get the right stuff for it. Aura Shot, Arc Shot, and Big Shot all kinda remove its weaknesses entirely. Doesn't feel bad even if you don't get them too.

Fighting the first stage 8 Elite with Blade Launcher with no arc shot/triple shot/etc, aura shot, and less than 3 big shot is like throwing peas at Godzilla. I would rather use a base auto shotgun, than a blade launcher with 10 mods that arent the ones listed above

Auto shotgun best wep in the game imo, so, me too lol