Helldivers 1:FLAM-40 Incinerator

“	A compact flamethrower capable of projecting Napalm flames several meters. Enemies hit with this weapon will start to burn and it will leave swaths of fire in its wake.	„
	~ Armory Description

Stratagem Code

In Helldivers, Players must enter the following sequence, using the controller d‑pad, in order to call down this stratagem during a mission;

The flamethrower returns in Helldivers 2 with a more compact design and has lost its "Incinerator" designation. It shares the same code as its former version:

Unlock Requirement

In Helldivers 2, the Flamethrower is unlocked at Level 10 and is purchasable with 6000 Requisition Slips.

In Helldivers, The FLAM-40 Incinerator is granted to the player as a reward for completing all the missions on its associated planet (typically a low level planet - difficulty 1 to 3).

Helldivers 2

The Flamethrower shoots a jet of lit fuel to about fifteen meters, lighting anything in its path including terrain. It performs great against groups of enemies, with light bugs dying from exposure to burning terrain alone. Medium enemies also suffer greatly as damage can bypass armor.

Against heavy enemies, it is advisable to direct the spray at a vulnerable body part—this requires approaching closer to the target than may be comfortable. Enemies such as Chargers may also be stalled by long exposure to flame, causing them to disengage from battle.

Be warned that the spray will spread upon hitting an object or target, igniting nearby targets or terrain. The user should monitor the ground beneath them, lest they walk into a patch of burning fuel and kill themselves.

The Flamethrower requires much more care around teammates, not only from the high potential for "friendly" fire, but also being blinded by open flames to threats just beyond sight. (Enemy vision is not affected by flames.)

Inconsistent production and sourcing has troubled the use of flamethrowers in the current war. Interior investigations by the Ministry of Defense revealed an appalling lack of standardization, including failure to charge canisters to the required pressure, and use of ineffective ingredients such as urushiol and monostyrene. This has been observed mainly against Chargers, with some after-battle reports describing a troubling disregard of thorough fuel application.

Helldivers

This section contains information specific to Helldivers and how the Flamethrower stratagem behaves in that game.

Upgrades

Upgrade		Cost	Effect
	Mk1		Basic variant, no upgrades.
	Mk2	1	A high-pressure tank allows a greater amount of fuel. Fuel capacity per magazine increased from 110 to 150.
	Mk3	3	A pre-igniter step allows for more damage while flaming a target.

Weapon Stats

• The weapon comes with 4 tanks of Incinerator fuel, and can carry a maximum of 6. Each tank holds 110 units of flamer fuel (150 when upgraded to Mk2). A 'low ammunition' warning sound will play when the weapon is fired with less than 30 units of fuel remaining in the tank (40 if upgraded to Mk2).

• As this weapon does not use projectiles, it cannot retain a round in the chamber. Reload time is always 3 seconds, whether the tank is emptied or not.
  • Unlike some bulkier support weapons, the Incinerator can be reloaded on the move.

FLAM-40 'Incinerator' Detailed Analysis
Weapon Info			Additional Notes
Unlock Rank		Difficulty 1-3 planet
Weapon Type		Secondary
Weapon Category		Flamethrower
Fire Mode		Continuous
Damage
	Base	Upgraded	Additional Notes
Damage per Second (DPS)	200/s	300/s*	DPS is higher in practice as this weapon damages directly and simultaneously applies damage over time (DoT); * Requires Mk3 upgrade
Center Mass DPS	200/s	300/s†	No center mass bonus; † Requires Mk3 upgrade
Status Effects	Heavy Burn		Does not stack, additional hits reset DoT timer
Fire Damage/sec	100/s	100/s
Effect Duration	2 s	2 s
AP Ammo Armor Reduction	0	0
Statistics
	Base	Upgraded	Additional Notes
Cyclic Rate of Fire (RPM)	600	600
Capacity	110	150*	* Requires Mk2 upgrade
Starting Mags	4	4
Max Mags	6	6
Reload Speed	3 s	3 s	Can reload while moving; no tactical reload
Spread	N/A	N/A	Fixed firing pattern
Max Range	10 m	10 m

Gameplay Tips

• The FLAM-40 Incinerator is a combination area denial and anti-personnel weapon available early on, offering Helldivers both defensive and offensive capabilities on the move but its limited range forces users to fight in close quarters. Divers should aim to keep enemies towards the outer range of the Incinerator's flames to allow its damage over time to wear down enemies and allow enough time and room to escape if enemies get too close and avoid damaging themselves. Diving to prone immediately puts out any ongoing fire damage over time.

• Flamethrowers are surprisingly effective against crowds of enemies with low total health and little to no armor to negate damage, such as most Illuminate units, faction patrols and especially Cyborg Grotesques, however the Incinerator has a limited range comparable the AC-5 Arc Shotgun. Helldivers must exercise caution when using it against powerful melee units and crowds due to this shortcoming. Keep in mind that vehicles and enemies with heavy armor will block the stream of flames entirely.
• The Incinerator leaves patches of burning fuel at the end of its range or when hitting an enemy or object, similar to the lasting fire effect from Incendiary Grenades, though smaller and only lasting five seconds. While the actual damage this deals is low, enemies will actively avoid it, making it possible to use this feature for improvised area denial.
  • These patches are capable of damaging heavily armoured enemies (such as the Bug Behemoth or Cyborg Warlord) that would normally require anti-tank weapons or Stratagems to defeat. This relies on the puddles setting the target on fire, dealing damage-over-time. Cyborg IFVs cannot be set on fire by the Incinerator.

• The Incinerator's actual damage per second is higher than its raw stats imply: it will deal continuous damage, its status effect's damage over time, and the damage over time of the burning fuel patches simultaneously as long as enemies are in contact with any of these damage sources.

Gallery

• 
  FLAM-40 Incinerator
• 
  Helldiver using FLAM-40 Incinerator

Notes

• The FLAM-40 Incinerator is likely named after the M240 Incinerator Unit used by the United States Colonial Marines in the 1986 James Cameron film Aliens.
• The fuel canisters left behind during reloading are physical objects within the game's engine. They can come into contact with and detonate explosives such as mines and mortar shells or grenades from the M-25 Rumbler and Obliterator Grenade Launcher.

• The FLAM-40 Incinerator was re-balanced in Patch 7.00. The weapon now leaves puddles when used and starts with 4 magazines instead of 3.