M2 Flamethrower

The M2 flamethrower is a Call of Duty: World at War Tier 1 perk that allows a player to use an M2 Flamethrower. It is used in the same way between online and offline game modes. It doesn't use any ammo, but overheats, and requires you to wait for it to cool-down before firing again. It originates from Call of Duty: United Offensive, where it can be used throughout the Russian campaign. However, that was its only appearance and usage before Call of Duty: World at War, where its usage both in singleplayer and multiplayer was expanded. This perk is unlocked at level 65.

Singleplayer
In the single-player campaign, the flamethrower can be used by the player in the Pacific Campaign, although German soldiers sometimes use flamethrowers in the Soviet Campaign. It is also possible to kill enemy soldiers by shooting the fuel tank, causing the flamethrower to explode and killing nearby enemies during the missions Vendetta and Downfall. The M2 Flamethrower is not effective at long range, however is very effective in close range, especially in Hardcore. It can be used to 'spray' an entire area in a very small amount of time. It is particularly effective in Hardcore Team Deathmatch, Hardcore War, Hardcore Free-for-All, and Headquarters. The only flaws could be the one second charge it needs before projecting flames, limited range, and in multiplayer, it overheats much faster than its single player counterpart. It is generally less effective than a submachine gun or a shotgun, but for players using long range weapons, such as rifles, it can be a good alternative to using Overkill.

Multiplayer
Unlocked at level 65, the M2 is a potent close-quarters weapon. A player with a flamethrower will have a different appearance than what their primary weapon would provide, as well as a large fuel tank on their back. It does not do continuous damage, contrary to what one would expect from a flamethrower. It does 50 damage to the target every 0.2 seconds (it will do damage the first time it hits and is incapable of damaging the same target again for 0.2 seconds), requiring two hits to kill, five if the target is using the Fireproof perk. It can be used to clear rooms or tunnels. This weapon never runs out of fuel, it only overheats. The weapon cannot fire while it is cooling off and flashing yellow. It is very useful on smaller or maps with a lot of enclosed areas. However, a major downside is it creates lots of smoke and flame, effectively blocking vision. Taking out the Flamethrower will cause the player to move at the same speed as a sub machine gun or shotgun user.

This can be very useful for a sniper, as they may sometimes need a close quarters weapon and will not want to lose their second perk such as stopping power in order to use overkill.

Nazi Zombies
In Nazi Zombies, the flamethrower is received as a weapon that loses its ability to kill efficiently at round (10 on Nacht Der Untoten, 8 on Verruckt, 6-8 on Shi no Numa, and 6 on Der Riese), from then on it becomes useless unless upgraded. On Shi No Numa and Der Riese it will slow you down as if you were carrying a machine gun. It is not recommended for Co-op matches as it does little to no damage while obscuring other players' vision. However, the fact it never runs out of ammo makes it useful if the players are camping and give the flame user support.

Can be very useful on Nazi Zombies with insta-kill. The flames wash over zombies and pass them unlike most bullets. A short burst can clear an entire room.

On Der Riese you can upgrade the flamethrower with the Pack-a-Punch machine, making it more mobile, reducing its cool-down time, and increasing the time it can fire without overheating. When upgraded, the flames stay the same color. The Flamethrower is the only weapon that does this. However, the tube that connects the tank to the weapon will glow blue (easy to see when aiming down-sight)

Double Tap affects the flamethrower in Nazi Zombies, making it overheat faster yet doing slightly more damage.

Tactics

 * It is extremely effective against dogs in multiplayer, though it is less useful against the Hellhounds of Nazi Zombies.


 * For the reason mentioned above, a good idea is to get yourself cornered to a wall and let the dogs come in.


 * Firing the flamethrower in bursts helps avoid overheating.


 * It is never wise to aim down sights of a flamethrower, it will obstruct your movement.


 * Always take cover when activating a flamethrower as you need to charge the weapon.


 * A flamethrower will provide lighting in dark, tight areas where CQC is usually present, such as Makin and the heavy trench like fighting and dark lower floors in the Dome.


 * Stopping Power does have a noticeable effect on the flamethrower. Though, it doesn't seem cancel out Juggernaut or Flak Jacket.


 * Switching to the M2 flamethrower the first time after a spawn/re-spawn will cause a short delay like most other weapons, prevent this by switching to the M2 flamethrower when you spawn then quickly switch back.


 * Can be used on Headquarters effectively because the majority of the HQs are inside buildings as in Upheaval.


 * The flamethrower is a great substitution for smoke grenades when in buildings (for your teammates, not you), as you distract, kill, and blind, making it easier for your team to win a War match.


 * Equipping the flamethrower with Juggernaut, flares, and Extreme Conditioning allows you to use the above tactic to get to the battle early and provide cover fire.

Call of Duty: World at War (DS)
On the Nintendo DS version the flamethrower is found in a supply drop on Mission 2, but instead comes with 999 seconds of fire. Unlike the console and PC versions, where one burst will take down a troop, in the DS version enemies take time to die, and they can still shoot as well. This makes the flamethrower a less desirable weapon. It is also not avalible on DS Wi-Fi play.

Trivia

 * Via a glitch on the Wii version players can transfer this perk with any tier 2 and tier 3 perk to a different profile.


 * You can get the Trophy/Achievement "Firestarter" if you only use the flamethrower as a main weapon through any mission. Grenades and knives do not count. If you fire even one bullet, you will not get the trophy/achievement.


 * Strangely enough if an enemy is hit in the head with a flamethrower in single player, they will not burn to death as normal, but instead simply fall over. This might be because it is being registered as a head shot.


 * The flamethrower will remove the ghillie suit/leaves from players equipped with bolt action rifles.
 * The Flamethrower is the first gun that is a perk excluding the M9A1 Bazooka (World at War) and RPG-7 (Modern Warfare).


 * It is possible to aim down the sights with this weapon, the result being elimination of the circular cross hair, and slower movement speed.


 * Numerous types of vegetation can be burned with this weapon.


 * In the Iphone version of Nacht der Untoten, the M2 Flamethrower can be obtained from the sniper cabinet for 2000 points.


 * In reality the M2 flamethrower can run out of fuel in 10 seconds. Instead it overheats in 4 seconds in single player and 3 seconds in multiplayer. Also, when the fuel tank is shot it explodes, which is very unrealistic. This never happens when the player gets hit in Call of Duty: World at War, more like real life.


 * The flamethrower in reality during WWII was used by all Allied or Axis factions, however, they had different flamethrower designs.


 * The Marine Raiders used the M2 flamethrower, the Imperial Japanese Army used the Type 93 Flamethrower / Type 100 Flamethrower, the Red Army used the ROKS-2 Flamethrower/ ROKS-3 Flamethrower and the Wehrmacht used the Flammenwerfer 35. Interestingly, the ROKS-3 was designed to look like a rifle, so as to minimise the chance that the flamethrower operator and crew will be prioritized as critical targets, while the Type 93/100 had very long 'barrels'.


 * Due to the graphical limitations of the Wii, the tube connecting the flamethrower to its fuel tanks will sometimes be disconnected from the tanks.


 * On the level Blowtorch and Corkscrew, the flamethrower grip will be coated with rust.


 * The Wii version of the flamethrower uses the Hardcore reticule.


 * In WaW (DS), the flamethrower is only available in the mission Into The Jungle. Unlike other special weapons in the game (Panzerschreck, sniper rifles), it can not be found lying around in multiplayer maps.


 * In the PC edition of WaW, in the mission Vendetta, if you use the cheat give_all, you can get it, but it makes no noise


 * In reality, the M2 flamethrower was 70 Lbs and only had 60 gallons of gasoline, making it cumbersome and difficult to employ outside of bunker-clearing and MOUT combat.

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