Inferno

*Infernos swirl up devastating fire tornados that sweep zombies back, burning and damaging them.*

## In-game statistics

### Codename alias

inferno

**Inferno doesn't feel like he gets enough credit. "Of course I burn zombies," he fumes. "That's a given. But what about how I sweep them down the lane through the sheer force of hot air? Where's my prize for that?"**

**Inferno** is a premium plant in *Plants vs. Zombies 2: Reflourished*. He costs 75 gems to purchase.

Inferno swirls up fire tornadoes every 7.95-8.05 seconds, sweeping up the first zombie it meets and damaging them. The zombie in the fire tornado is damaged five times, with each tick of damage after the first dealing 5x the usual damage. Any frozen blocks that come into contact with a fire tornado are destroyed instantly.

## Almanac entry

**Inferno**

Infernos swirl up devastating fire tornados that sweep zombies back, burning and damaging them.

Special: immune to frost
Special: warms nearby plants
Inferno doesn't feel like he gets enough credit. "Of course I burn zombies," he fumes. "That's a given. But what about how I sweep them down the lane through the sheer force of hot air? Where's my prize for that?"

## Plant Food effect

When given Plant Food, Inferno will swirl up a stronger tornado that lasts for 3.05 seconds. The tornado deals a base damage of 17 and can attract zombies from adjacent lanes to it.

## Strategies

Although infrequent, Inferno's fire tornadoes are very powerful. Zombies that are swept take massive damage and are sent back a considerable amount of tiles, while also softening up other zombies that take splash damage along its path. It is worth mentioning that Inferno's knockback is significantly increased if the zombie is within 3 tiles of Inferno's range, due to his tornado having faster speed when initially thrown.

Alongside his offensive power, Inferno's tornadoes pass through grid items, such as Tombstones. This allows him to damage zombies that hide behind them and snipe zombies off-screen. He also melts ice blocks instantly, providing a very powerful counter to the freezing world of Frostbite Caves, with a single Inferno able to keep an entire lane of plants warm. This comes with a heavy price tag, though, so it may be wise to bring other fire plants to keep plants warm early on in the level.

Interestingly, Inferno's tornado can temporarily disable almost any zombie's special ability/attack, including: Gargantuar Prime's laser, Hunter Zombie's snowball throwing, Tomb Raiser Zombie's grave summoning, Surfer Zombie's surfing, All-Star Zombie's charge attack, Newspaper Zombie's speed boost and many others. There are some exceptions, though, such as Shield Zombie's shield. Inferno's tornado can also instantly destroy zombie critters attempting to pass through. However, his slow firing rate and single target attack will still leave moments of vulnerability & weaknesses to zombie ambushes and swarms. As such, it is best to use Inferno as a secondary attacker, supporting other offensive plants that can address his weak points.

If seeking a knockback-centric plant that can work as a primary attacker, consider using Primal Peashooter instead. While his peas are much less powerful and have less significant knockback, the higher frequency of attacks makes it easier for Primal Peashooter to handle large hordes. This handling can be accentuated through the use of Draftodil to momentarily apply powerful slowing effects to pushed zombies.

## Balance changes

### Initial launch

* ▲ -20 second recharge
	+ Listed in the changelogs as -15 seconds
* ▼ +150 Sun
* ▼ -11 damage
	+ Not listed in the changelogs
* ▼ -0.15 tornado duration
	+ Not listed in the changelogs

## Trivia

* Inferno's "Gong the Hawtkeye" costume is based on the character Gong the Hawkeye from the *Patapon* series of video games.
	+ Additionally, it is one of Poss' developer costumes.