Flame Boomer
From Gears of War
- "BURRRRRRN!"
- — Flame Boomer, just before firing its Scorcher
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The Flame Boomer is new Boomer variant recently fielded by the Locust Horde, first appearing in Displacement, the fifth chapter of Act 3 in Gears of War 2. They are equipped with a Scorcher Flamethrower fueled by a set of Imulsion filled canisters on their back, similar to their Flame Grenadier counterparts. They wear slightly more armor than standard Boomers, including a helmet that fully covers their face and head. Despite their helmets, they are susceptible to headshots, like most Boomers.
[edit] Fighting the Flame Boomer
These Boomers have a different strategy than regular Boomers. They will charge and fire the Scorcher (even when ridiculously out of range) and reload while on the move. Firing their flamethrower while on the move, even when out of range, appears to be a screening tactic, as it obscures the Boomer from view if seen from the front, and hampers sniping attempts. While they can be considered "easier" than regular Boomers, they can still be lethal. Unlike others, these Boomers will try to flank you which suggests that they could be slightly more intelligent. Also, due to their lighter weapons, the Flame Boomer can move considerably faster than other Boomers, matched only by the Mauler. To know if the Flame Boomer is coming, listen for him to shout "BURN". If he is about to burn you with the scorcher, he will laugh. Also listen for its thundering footsteps, they are not hard to hear at all. You will hear your screen thud and if your controller is on vibration, then your controller will vibrate, getting louder as it approaches. As it does with all Boomers.
An interesting note is that a Flame Boomer will attempt to melee you at closer ranges, making you able to kill them by melee by hitting them, backing up to avoid its own melee, and then coming back for another melee, repeat.
A quicker, and most likely easier, way to kill them is to simply shoot the canisters on their backs, causing the tanks to rupture and blow the unwitting brutes to bits. This usually gives the ammo in the scorcher a significant boost as well. Generally, the easiest way to accomplish this is with a few blasts from the Gnasher Shotgun - this is effective from almost all angles, even at considerable range. Alternatively, a single Bolo Grenade close enough will cause its canisters to explode along with the Flame Boomer. The Boomshot also kills the Flame Boomer in one direct hit and if you're a good shot with the Longshot Sniper Rifle, you can kills it at long range before it gets close.
See also: Flame Grenadier
[edit] References
| Boomer variants | ||
|---|---|---|
| Butcher · Flame Boomer · Grinder · Mauler | ||
