Flamer

A Flambe 450 model flamethrower, varmiter variation. Fires a short spray of extremely hot, flammable liquid. Requires specialized fuel to work properly.

Flamer or Flamethrower is a weapon in Fallout, Fallout 2, Fallout 3, Fallout Tactics and Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel.

Fallout and Fallout 2
Can be upgraded into an Improved Flamer in Fallout 2.

Fallout 3
It should be noted that big guns, such as the Minigun and the Flamer, are still pretty effective in Fallout 3 at closer ranges even if the player has no Big Guns skill thanks to the game's first-person shooter design.

The Flamer is by far the most effective Big Gun for close-quarters action, as it doesn't have the spin-up like the Minigun or the risk-to-self of the Missile Launcher or Fat Man, while being more common than the Gatling Laser, it is still extremely rare to see anyone using it. It's ammo is also very rare (except for certain shops).

Tactics

 * The flamer is very good at dealing with very weak/low health enemies, such as radroaches or similar vermin, and a quick spout of flame will use very little ammo while usually killing the offending critter. This is one of the most efficent ways to get through vermin-filled buildings quickly, as little is required other than being close enough to hit.
 * Be sure not to enter an area with a gas leak whilst the Flamer is equipped, as the pilot light ignites the gasses, resulting in moderate damage to the player. Gas leak traps are indicated by faint wispy distortions hanging in the air.
 * Can be very effective against creatures such as Deathclaws and Super Mutant Behemoths. An effective strategy is to cripple their legs thus slowing them down so you can burn them while backing up and avoiding their attacks. This is best used with the pyromaniac perk(+50% Damage with fire based weapons).
 * Another effective strategy for tough creatures is to aim straight at the chest in order to cripple their torso. Because of the weapon's automatic nature, continuous fire will cause the creature to stagger repeatedly until you finish it off.
 * The flamer is also very effective against Trogs in The Pitt
 * Despite what the end user may initially assume, the Flamer does damage specific body parts like any other weapon and thus is most effective at depleting health when aiming high on the body. The wide area of effect of this weapon has the drawback of doing copious amounts of damage to the target's equipped weapon (assuming the target is humanoid), making it a poor choice for scavengers in some cases.

Variations
A unique flamer called the Burnmaster may be found in Fallout 3.

Easy Acquisition
South of the ravine entrance to Evergreen Mills there is a destroyed church very close by. Approaching this church your Pip Boy will pick up a friendly and a hostile. You usually don't see them or detect them until you step into the church's backside through the broken wall. The hostile is a Flamer wielding raider attacking a Wastelander. This has been confirmed on 2 separate consoles with multiple character profiles in each (Xbox360)