The Blowtorch is a destructive tool in Teardown, which is used for cutting through materials that the Sledge cannot break, and setting nearby voxels on fire.
Description[]
A gray device with a long nozzle (the Head), the Blowtorch releases a stream of fire that deals considerable damage to voxels and can even destroy things if the fire is large enough. The spray itself is able to cut through all the weaker materials that the Sledge can break, such as glass, wood and plastics, with an added utility of being able to cut through most metals with enough sustained fire. Spraying and breaking voxels will also have a chance for surrounding voxels to catch fire, being able to spread out and destroy more surrounding flammable voxels. In tandem with the control of the Extinguisher, one could only use a little bit of flame to rage into a large fire without triggering the fire alarm.
The Blowtorch when used by the player
For its position within the campaign progression, the Blowtorch unlocking the ability to burn through metals is an important utility for a new player. Many areas found within Lee Chemicals and the West Point Marina are closed off with metal gates, so a few seconds of blowtorch flame at their hinges will have them taken down and ready for access for larger vehicles during a mission. Another key strength is how the blowtorch does not follow a strict shots system like other limited-use destruction tools, but goes by the number of seconds before emptying. This allows for a short burst of flame to take out only a few voxels at a time, often taking less than a second, making the removal of some obstacles much more efficient with the blowtorch compared to other tools. It also destroys very little voxels, making it the most precise tool to be unlocked.
The largest areas of weakness for the blowtorch lies within its inability to destroy rock-based voxels such as brick and plaster, an ability that many other early limited-use destruction tools have by default. This limits the effect of the blowtorch significantly, especially in later areas such as Villa Gordon, where a large majority of the villa is made of stone walls with little amounts of metal to get the best utility out of the blowtorch.
To unlock the Blowtorch, the player needs to achieve an Amateur Rank within the campaign, requiring a score of five or more. It, like many tools unlocked after ranking up, has several upgrades that can be purchased with cash.
The one and only upgrade path for the Blowtorch is increasing the number of seconds it can be used within a mission, increasing the time by ten seconds per upgrade. The Blowtorch initially has twenty seconds of flame to use within a mission without upgrades. With maximum upgrades and base settings, this time extends to sixty seconds, or a whole minute of use time.
