I think there ' s a difference between knowing one ' s strengths and arrogantly trying to be the hero . I felt like Pyrrha ' s choice to face Cinder was one of desperation , a chance she saw to cut off the head of the snake with an ambush and get the walking WMD off the battlefield . The thing is , she didn ' t know what Cinder would do if left unattended . With the Maiden ' s power , she could have rained death down on Beacon ' s defenders from that height if she so chose . I don ' t think Pyrrha made the right decision or the wrong one given the circumstances , but she had to make a decision and do something . I don ' t believe she was simply looking for death in battle , but that she had accepted it as a likely outcome that she had to risk regardless . One point I do agree with is that yes , there were other potential options to use in delaying Cinder . But I understand the sense of urgency that would lead someone to see only one path .