The Flamethrower attack has a high Rate of Fire (the highest of all units) and deals splash damage with strong multipliers against infantry, buildings, and ships. However, it is countered easily by cavalry and other artillery as an infantry unit. Unlike true artillery units such as the Mortar, the Flamethrower can take some time to destroy buildings, especially with its short siege range. The Flamethrower is best used as a support unit for infantry against massed enemy infantry.
Though the Flamethrower has damage multipliers against ships, its attack range is too short to attack them.
Artillery and Flamethrowers get +15% attack; grenade troopers get +20% attack
Siege Combat
Artillery get +15% hit points and attack; Flamethrowers and grenade troopers get +20% hit points and attack
Fire Dragon Manual
Ships 1 Flying Crow and 2 Flamethrowers; upgrades Flamethrowers to Disciplined and Honored (if not already); Flying Crows and Flamethrowers get -10% Rate of Fire
When destroyed, the Flamethrower will explode, although the explosion causes no damage and is purely aesthetic.
History[]
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The flamethrower was the first use of gunpowder in warfare, before it was imbued with enough saltpeter to explode. The Chinese flamethrower design, the Pen Huo Qi, was based on a seventh-century Byzantine model, which featured an inconsistent spurting action. The Chinese desired a more continuous flame, and achieved it by developing a dual bellows system. Two bellows allowed for the creation of an unbroken stream of the chemical fuel naptha, which could then be ignited.
The Chinese flamethrower was used both as a defensive weapon and a siege unit. It was often fixed on a wall, positioned to fire down on incoming soldiers and siege weapons. However, the most common depiction of the flamethrower portrays it as mounted on a four-wheeled pushcart. This mobility most likely allowed the flamethrower to be used on the battlefield, to deter enemy attacks, as well as to project a shield of flame for advancing soldiers.
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Gallery[]
An in-game Flamethrower
The Flamethrower's history portrait
The icon from the website
Flamethrower in the original version and Definitive Edition
In-game Flamethrower in the Definitive Edition
In-game Disciplined Flamethrower in the Definitive Edition
In-game Honored/Exalted Flamethrower in the Definitive Edition