Pyromaniac

At a Glance

Pyromaniac is a Named 850 RPM AR that hits +30% weapon damage and +10% critical hit chance against burning targets, making it a holster-slot finisher rather than a primary — devastating in burn meta, mediocre without a status source.

• What makes it special: conditional buffs that only fire against ignited enemies, plus a kill-refresh on burn duration that lets you chain packs without re-applying the DoT
• Who it's for: Status Effects builds, Iron Lung holster combos, Ongoing Directive 4-piece players who already have Bleed and want a second DoT layered on top
• Key highlights: 850 RPM (fastest tier for ARs), 30-round mag, 2.3s reload, 1.55× headshot, 65,000 base damage
• DPS model: flat AR damage when targets are cold, big multiplicative spike the moment a burn lands on them

Full Stats

Weapon Talent

Pyromania: +30% weapon damage and +10% critical hit chance against burning targets. Killing a burning enemy refreshes the burn duration on nearby burning enemies.

The talent does two things and both matter. The first half is a straightforward conditional damage amp — point the gun at someone who's on fire, eat a 30% weapon damage bonus and a flat 10% to your crit chance pool. That second number is bigger than it looks; if you're already at 50% CHC from gear, jumping to 60% on a burning target nudges you closer to the cap and tightens up your damage variance noticeably.

The second half is the part that turns Pyromaniac from "decent named AR" into a build piece. Killing a burning target refreshes the burn duration on every other burning enemy nearby. In a packed room of red bars where Iron Lung or Pestilence has set the floor on fire, every kill resets the timer on the rest. You stop having to babysit burn applications and start chaining the DoT until the room is empty.

DPS numbers from the calculator

• vs burning targets, sustained: ~3-4M DPS depending on stack ramp
• vs non-burning targets: ~2.5M DPS — competitive but not special
• Burst window after burn lands: the +30% WD is multiplicative with most damage rolls, so the first second of fire after a target ignites is where the gun earns its slot

The gap between burning and non-burning is the entire point. If you're shooting Pyromaniac at unignited mobs you're using a slightly above-average AR. The talent only pays out when the precondition is met.

Top Builds

Pyromaniac × Iron Lung Holster — S-tier Burn Combo

The flagship combo. Iron Lung's Ardent talent ignites everything past the heat threshold, you swap to Pyromaniac in the holster slot, and every shot lands with the +30% WD bonus baked in. The kill-refresh on Pyromania means you only need Iron Lung to set the room on fire once — Pyromaniac kills do the rest of the duration management for you. Status Effects rolls scale both weapons. → /builds/pyromaniac-iron-lung

Pyromaniac × Ongoing Directive — Double DoT Stack

Ongoing Directive 4-piece converts your AR ammo to hollow-points that apply Bleed. Pair it with a burn-source weapon (Iron Lung in holster, or a Pestilence as primary) and you get Bleed and Burn ticking on every target Pyromaniac shoots. Two independent DoT channels, both scaling with Status Effects, both refreshed by the AR's high RPM. The Pyromania kill-refresh extends Burn on packs while Bleed handles single-target pressure.

Pyromaniac × Hard Wired Heat — Skill/Burn Hybrid

Niche hybrid for skill builders who run Striker Drone with Burning Mod or a Firestarter Chem Launcher. The skill applies the burn, you finish with Pyromaniac for the +30% WD spike, and the kill-refresh keeps the DoT running between drone reloads. Less common than the Iron Lung combo but works if you're already committed to a hybrid red/yellow setup.

PvE vs PvP

In PvE, Pyromaniac is a top-tier holster pick in any burn-meta build and forgettable outside of it. Legendary missions and incursions where you're stacking Status Effects and running with at least one burn-source teammate let Pyromaniac shine — the kill-refresh especially scales with group play, since anyone lighting enemies on fire enables the AR. Solo without a burn source, you're carrying a 65,000-damage AR with a dead talent against half your engagements.

PvP is a harder sell. Players don't stay on fire long enough for the talent to be reliable, applying Burn in a duel takes either a build commitment or a status grenade, and the +30% WD only kicks in during the burn window. Pyromaniac in PvP works in conquest objectives where you can drag a fight through fire zones, but in 1v1 trades you're better served by a flatter AR like Eagle Bearer or even a vanilla P416 with a real talent.

The verdict: PvE flagship in burn builds, niche-to-bad outside of them, situational in PvP.

Pros & Cons

Comparison

Eagle Bearer is the comparison everyone makes and the answer is "they're not for the same job." Eagle Bearer is a primary AR that wants to live in your hands all match, scales unconditionally, and brings auto-heal as a built-in panic button. Pyromaniac is a holster finisher that needs a precondition. If you have one weapon slot to fill on a generalist build, Eagle Bearer wins. If you have a holster slot and a burn-source primary, Pyromaniac out-damages it inside the conditional window.

Versus base ARs like the P416, Pyromaniac is a clear upgrade only in burn builds. Without ignition the P416 with Optimist or Strained outperforms Pyromaniac on raw bullet damage and isn't locked behind a Named drop.

Pestilence is the closest LMG cousin — both punish targets with DoT scaling — but Pestilence applies its own status (Plague) and can therefore self-enable, while Pyromaniac depends on an external burn source to function. They're not competitors so much as potential teammates: Pestilence apply, Pyromaniac amplify.

FAQ

Is Pyromaniac still good in TU22?

Pyromaniac is still strong in TU22.1 if you're running a burn-meta build and dead weight if you aren't. The talent hasn't been touched in recent patches, and the kill-refresh mechanic interacts cleanly with the Status Effects buffs that came in TU22 gear set tuning. The ceiling is the same as before — what changed is that more burn sources are competitive now, so enabling Pyromaniac is easier than it was last season.

Where do I farm Pyromaniac?

Pyromaniac drops from specific named bosses tied to seasonal manhunt and targeted-loot AR rotations, with elevated rates during fire-themed events. The exact source rotates per season — check the activity menu in-game and look for AR targeted loot in zones flagged for Named drops. [verify] for the current rotation as drop tables shift between TUs.

Pyromaniac vs Eagle Bearer, which is better?

Eagle Bearer is better as a primary AR for general PvE because it scales unconditionally and brings utility, while Pyromaniac is better as a holster slot in burn-specific builds where the +30% WD spike beats Eagle Bearer's flat profile. If you only run one AR, take Eagle Bearer. If you have a burn-source primary and an open holster, take Pyromaniac — they're not really competing for the same role.

Does Pyromaniac work without an Iron Lung in my loadout?

Pyromaniac works with any burn source — Iron Lung is the strongest pairing but Pestilence, Firestarter Chem Launcher, Striker Drone with Burning Mod, status grenades, and even teammate-applied burns all enable the talent. The weapon doesn't care who lit the target on fire, just that they're on fire when you pull the trigger.

What's the kill-refresh radius on Pyromania?

Pyromania refreshes burn duration on burning enemies "nearby" the kill — the in-game text doesn't give an exact number but field testing puts it at roughly the same radius as a status grenade's spread, around 8-10m. [verify] for exact value. In practice you don't need to measure it — clustered red bars in a doorway all refresh together, scattered targets across a room don't.

Can I run Pyromaniac as a primary?

You can, but you'll only see the talent fire on targets that are already burning when you start shooting them, which usually means you're either applying burn yourself with a skill/grenade or relying on a teammate. As a pure primary without a burn source the gun is a 65,000-damage AR with a dead talent — fine but unspecial. Most builds slot it in the holster instead so the primary can stay focused on raw damage.

Does the +10% crit chance from Pyromania stack with weapon mods and gear?

The +10% CHC is additive with your other crit chance sources, so if you're at 50% from gear and mods you become 60% against burning targets, then critical hit damage scales off whatever multiplier you've built. It's a flat bump, not a multiplier, but at high base CHC it pushes you toward the cap fast and tightens damage variance during the burn window.

Is Pyromaniac worth using in PvP?

Pyromaniac is situational in PvP and not meta — players rarely stay on fire long enough for the talent to fire reliably, and applying burn to a moving opponent in a duel takes a build commitment most PvP setups don't make. It can work in conquest or DZ skirmishes where status grenades and fire zones extend the burn window, but for general PvP a Named AR with an unconditional talent will outperform it.

Verified vs In-Game

Last reviewed: 2026-04-25 · TU22.1 · Verified vs in-game All DPS numbers calculated by divcalc.xyz — open in calculator to test custom builds.