- Melt All The Ice flamethrower is the premier heat weapon for clearing thick ice layers quickly
- Unlock requirement: Progress through the early frozen zones and complete the furnace trial stage
- Best strategy: Pair with crowd-control supports to hold frozen enemies inside the flame cone
- Critical tip: The flamethrower excels against ice armor but struggles versus fast, spread-out targets
- Top choice: For most stages, a sustained burn build outperforms burst damage builds
Flamethrower Overview
The Melt All The Ice flamethrower is the signature heat-type weapon of the game, built around one core fantasy: turning walls of frost into puddles. It trades long-range precision for a short-range cone of continuous flame that applies melting stacks to ice formations and frozen enemies alike. Understanding where the flamethrower shines — and where it falls flat — is the first step toward using it efficiently.
Core strengths and weaknesses:
- Massive sustained damage inside its flame cone
- Rapidly strips ice armor and frozen barriers
- Excellent synergy with burn and heat amplification effects
- Short effective range forces aggressive positioning
- Weak against mobile enemies that escape the cone
The flamethrower rewards players who corner enemies against walls or ice chunks. Funnel targets into narrow corridors so every tick of flame connects.
How to Unlock the Flamethrower
The flamethrower is not available from the start. Follow the standard progression path to add it to your arsenal:
| Stage | Requirement | Reward |
|---|---|---|
| Prologue | Complete tutorial zone | Basic heat weapons access |
| Frozen Ridge | Clear all 5 stages | Furnace trial unlocked |
| Furnace Trial | Survive 3 waves without freezing | Flamethrower unlocked |
| Upgrade Bench | Collect 20 heat cores | First flamethrower upgrade |
Progress the Main Story
Play through the opening frozen zones until you reach the Frozen Ridge area. The trial gate opens automatically after clearing stage 5.
Complete the Furnace Trial
Survive three escalating waves while staying warm. Keep moving between heat vents to avoid the freeze meter filling.
Claim the Weapon
The flamethrower is granted as a trial reward and added to your weapon bench permanently.
Gather Heat Cores
Farm heat cores from ice-armor enemies in mid-game stages to fund your first upgrades.
During the furnace trial, standing still too long lets the freeze meter climb. Once it fills, you fail the wave and restart from wave one.
Flamethrower Stats & Upgrade Path
The flamethrower scales primarily with heat amplification and fuel capacity. Below is the general stat profile and how each upgrade branch changes your playstyle.
| Stat | Base Value | Fully Upgraded | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Damage per second | Moderate | Very high | Scales with burn stacks |
| Range | Short | Medium | Never reaches long range |
| Fuel capacity | Low | High | Upgrades reduce refill downtime |
| Ice-melt speed | High | Excellent | Main reason to bring it |
| Mobility while firing | Reduced | Slightly reduced | Plan your positioning |
Upgrade branches:
Burn Path
- Focus: Damage over time
- Best for boss fights
- Stacks burn on frozen elites
- Weaker initial impact
Fuel Path
- Focus: Sustain
- Longer continuous fire
- Fewer refill windows
- Ideal for wave defense
Melt Path
- Focus: Ice destruction
- Fastest barrier removal
- Speeds up stage clears
- Lower damage versus enemies
Choose the Fuel Path first. Extra fuel capacity immediately improves every stage type, while the other paths are more situational early on.
Best Stages & Matchups
The flamethrower is a situational powerhouse. Bring it to the right fights and it carries the run; bring it to the wrong ones and you will spend the whole stage chasing enemies.
| Stage Type | Flamethrower Rating | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Ice wall/barrier stages | ★★★★★ | Melting speed is unmatched |
| Frozen elite bosses | ★★★★☆ | Burn stacks shred ice armor |
| Narrow corridor defense | ★★★★★ | Cone covers the whole lane |
| Open-field swarm | ★★☆☆☆ | Targets scatter outside the cone |
| Fast ranged enemies | ★★☆☆☆ | Range disadvantage is punishing |
Loadout tips:
- Pair with a slow or freeze support to pin enemies inside the flame cone
- Bring a long-range secondary for enemies that kite you
- Heat amplification gear multiplies both damage and melt speed
- Avoid stacking multiple short-range weapons on one team
Enemies with layered ice armor lose a layer per melt threshold. The flamethrower is the fastest weapon in the game at triggering these thresholds.
Mastery Checklist
Track your flamethrower mastery with these practical milestones:
Flamethrower Mastery Goals:
- Unlock the flamethrower via the furnace trial
- Complete the first Fuel Path upgrade
- Clear an ice wall stage using only the flamethrower
- Defeat a frozen elite boss with full burn stacks
- Finish one branch of the upgrade tree
Replay early Frozen Ridge stages with the flamethrower equipped to safely learn its range and fuel rhythm before tackling harder content.
FAQ
Q: Is the Melt All The Ice flamethrower good for beginners?
Yes, once unlocked. Its simple point-and-hold usage makes it beginner friendly, though new players should watch fuel levels and avoid overextending into enemy groups.
Q: Which upgrade branch should I choose first?
The Fuel Path is the safest first choice. Longer continuous fire helps in every stage type, while Burn and Melt paths are better as second investments once your playstyle settles.
Q: Can the flamethrower replace my main weapon entirely?
Not recommended. Its short range is a real liability on open maps. Treat it as a specialist tool for ice barriers, corridor defense, and frozen elites, and keep a ranged secondary.
Q: How do melt stacks work on ice armor?
Each threshold of accumulated heat removes one layer of ice armor. The flamethrower applies heat faster than any other weapon, so it triggers these thresholds quickest.