Firebrand - Support Healer

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Overview

A Firebrand support build for raids and fractals. This build brings a massive amount of healing, unique stat auras via

, and a wide range of defensive utility including

Stability,

Resistance, heavy condition cleanse, and projectile destruction. With the right skills and traits, it can also provide high

Might and

Quickness uptime.

This build occupies an awkward spot in the current meta because its buffs overlap with Chronomancer - Utility Boon Support and Druid - Boon Support Healer. It is usually inferior in boon support to Chronomancer as it doesn't provide

Alacrity. However, it makes a strong healer in fractals, or in raid squads that already have buffs covered.

Skill Bar

Mace/ShieldHealingUtilityElite

Weapon Variants

Your secondary weapon set is fairly versatile and can include any of the following weapons:

Sword provides Fury to your subgroup with
. It also provides a teleport on a low cooldown, useful on fights like Matthias where you move around a lot.
Staff provides additional burst healing and good Might generation with
. This is the best weapon choice for fractals where you are effectively replacing a Druid.
Hammer provides a knockback, immobilize, and
, useful on fights like Samarog where pushing/CC is required.
Greatsword provides an AoE pull and good mobility, useful on fights like Slothasor for pulling adds and dropping poisons.
Scepter is your only ranged weapon, useful for kiting mechanics like poison on Siax or flak on Sabetha. (But try not to kite if you can help it, as Firebrand loses a lot of effectiveness when not with the main group.)
Axe provides Fury to your subgroup with
. It also provides pull via

If your group doesn't need the healing from Mace, you can also consider going without Mace entirely and running a Sword or Scepter. This results in better DPS and more consistent fury or might for your group respectively.

Skill Variants

As Firebrand is a defensive support, it's important to swap skills to fit the encounter. All of the following utility skills and elite skills are viable depending on the situation:

Utility Skills

- provides might and quickness, mandatory if replacing Druid in fractals.
- alternative signet if the DPS in your subgroup deal mainly condition damage.
- in condition-heavy fights like Slothasor/Soulless Horror.
- instant AoE stun break and stability, also provides quickness if
is traited.
- alternative stability/quickness option.
- more protection and regeneration uptime.
- destroys projectiles in fights like Arkk.
- reflects projectiles.
- more CC.
- burst heal that can be cast from range.
- ranged resurrect and minor healing increase.

Elite Skills

- multiple instant AoE stun breaks and stability (and quickness if
is traited).
- helps to fill gaps in fury and quickness.
- personal invulnerability and cooldown reset on tomes.

Traits

Variants

if you're running staff and need to provide boons.
if your party can't stay stacked in your symbols.
if you're the only source of quickness or you need to split quickness with the Chronomancer.
if you're having a hard time catching people in your regeneration-granting skills.
if you want more protection for your party.
if you want spam a lot of tome skills.

Virtues Variant

Take Virtues instead of Radiance if you need more healing. This sacrifices the damage buff from

and should only be done if you literally can't keep people alive otherwise.

Variants

if running

Hallowed Ground

1

80

Hallowed Ground

Consecration. Consecrate the ground around you, granting stability to allies inside.

Stability (2s): Cannot be knocked down, pushed back, pulled, launched, stunned, dazed, floated, sunk, feared, or taunted.

Hallowed Ground (2s): Boon duration is increased by 20%

Number of Targets: 5

Pulses: 10

Duration: 10 seconds

Radius: 240

Combo Field: Fire

or

Wall of Reflection

40

Wall of Reflection

Consecration. Protect the targeted area with a wall of mystic power that reflect projectiles.

Duration: 10 seconds

Combo Field: Light

.

Valor Variant

Take Valor instead of Radiance if you need more

Fury and self-heal via

and

. Only use if you are second support / healer in group.

Variants

if you want extra Aegis.

Equipment

6x

Superior Rune of the Monk

18x

Mystical +5 Agony Infusion

Remember to also get alternate weapons with the same stats and sigils. At minimum you should have a Hammer and Sword. Depending on personal preference/raid tactics, you can also get a Greatsword, Staff, and/or Scepter.
If you're the only source of might in a fractal party, you should run
and
, and have a staff in your second weapon slot.

Equipment (Minstrel Variant)

6x

Superior Rune of the Monk

18x

Mystical +5 Agony Infusion

This build give you more toughness and vitality for surviving (especially when fractal have Frailty). Also, you will grant 20% healing effectiveness with
.

Consumables

Food

Utility

Usage

Fitting Into Party Compositions

If you’re planning to play Support Firebrand in raids and high-level fractals, take note that Support Firebrand is not commonly accepted in party compositions. As of this writing, the commonly accepted or "meta" support classes are Chronomancer - Utility Boon Support and Druid - Boon Support Healer.

Chronomancer grants Quickness and Alacrity to allies.
Druid grants healing, Might, Fury, and unique buffs such as
and
.

As a Support Firebrand, you will be hard pressed to find a place in groups that already have these roles covered. However:

If you’re in a raid squad that already has one Druid but no second healer, you can effectively fill a second healer slot. This is the most common scenario where a Support Firebrand will be accepted.

If you're in a fractal party, you can replace the Druid and cover healing, Might, and Fury. You can also split the responsibility of Quickness with the Chronomancer, allowing the Chronomancer to swap out
for more utility or DPS.

In disorganized parties that have no Chronomancer or no healer you can just carry them with your CC, boons, and healing.

An important note is to make sure your teammates know you are a Support Healer and not Firebrand - Condi DPS. This avoids awkward moments where you have to explain why you're lowest on the DPS meter.

Healing

Get your party to stack as closely as possible to you so they get the full benefit of your heals and mantras.
Your basic healing rotation consists of camping mace and using
and
off cooldown.
For burst heals use
, your
skills, and
.
- Keep in mind that the latter two have very long cooldowns; only use them if someone is in danger of dying even if you do your normal healing rotation.
- Your general Tome of Resolve rotation is 5-4-3-1-1, with 2 thrown in if they need condition cleanse.
If you have a staff you can also use
and
for healing.
The most powerful tool you can provide as a firebrand is Aegis. Watch for big incoming hits, then mitigate them with
,
, or
.
- This also improves your healing due to
  .
Cleanse conditions if needed with
or

Chapter 2: Radiant Recovery

¾

4

Chapter 2: Radiant Recovery

Release a torrent of pages describing the water cycle of the Elon River. Heal allies and grant them swiftness.

[PvE] Healing: 457 (0.77)

[PvP/WvW] Healing: 388 (0.5)

[PvE/WvW] Conditions Removed: 3

[PvP] Conditions Removed: 2

Number of Allied Targets: 5

Radius: 240

. If you expect an incoming condi bomb (e.g. Sloth shake) you can use

Chapter 4: Stalwart Stand

¼

10

Chapter 4: Stalwart Stand

Recount the stand of Elonian loyalists against Palawa Joko, granting resistance to your allies.

Resistance (1s): Conditions currently on you are ineffective; stacks duration.

Number of Pulses (PvE): 4

Number of Targets: 3

Interval: 1 second

Radius: 360

Combo Field: Light

Range: 1,200

Breaks stun

to provide pulsing resistance.

Buffs

and
give a large damage buff for 10 seconds after activation thanks to
. Use them off cooldown and only delay them if CC will be needed soon.
- You can also go into
  and press any skill to get an additional signet proc from
  .
Depending on your alacrity uptime, you can output 15-20 stacks of Might by using
and
. If running Virtues, you can also dip into
to fill gaps in might.
- You can't maintain 25 might solo unless you replace your mace with a scepter. In practice this isn't a huge deal because the remaining 5-10 might is covered by Chronomancers, Weavers, Dragonhunters, and random might blasting.
If you take
you can keep up permanent Quickness with
,
, and your aegis-granting weapon skills. Note that
has an internal cooldown of 8 seconds, so space out your aegis-granting skills appropriately.
will pulse Fury to your subgroup or party.
Use
to cover gaps in quickness and fury.

CC

Baseline CC:

/
Chapter 3: Heated Rebuke

¾

8

Chapter 3: Heated Rebuke

Ignite the air around you in an expanding burst.

Damage: 160 (0.45)

Pull: 240

Number of Targets: 5

Radius: 240

Range: 900

(which also procs
)
Chapter 2: Daring Challenge

¼

4

Chapter 2: Daring Challenge

As the tales recount of Turai, taunt your enemies by issuing an insightfully inciting challenge.

Damage: 497 (1.4)

Taunt (1s): Involuntarily attack foes.

Aegis (3s): Block the next incoming attack.

Radius: 240

If you need more CC:

- 2 charges of knockdown.
and
if using hammer.
Binding Blade
¾
25
Binding Blade
Throw blades at your foes, causing damage over time. Bound foes can be pulled to you. The effect ends when a foe moves out of range.
Damage: 369
Number of Targets: 5
Maximum Blade Duration: 10 seconds
Maximum Leash Range: 600
Combo Finisher: Whirl

Pull
¾
Pull
Pull your foes to you.
Leash Range: 600
Range: 600
if using greatsword.
if using staff.
if using scepter.

Miscellaneous

Be careful of using

Epilogue: Unbroken Lines

¾

12

Epilogue: Unbroken Lines

Recalling the memory of heroes past, enchant nearby allies with formidable defenses.

Aegis (4s): Block the next incoming attack.

Protection (5s): -33% Incoming Damage.

Retaliation (3s): Reflect incoming damage back to its source.

Stability (5s): Cannot be knocked down, pushed back, pulled, launched, stunned, dazed, floated, sunk, feared or taunted.

Unbroken Lines (PvE, 5s): 300 Toughness

Unbroken Lines (PvP/WvW, 5s): 200 Toughness

Radius: 600

because it will grant 300 toughness to yourself and nearby allies, potentially interfering with tank aggro.
or

Chapter 3: Heated Rebuke

¾

8

Chapter 3: Heated Rebuke

Ignite the air around you in an expanding burst.

Damage: 160 (0.45)

Pull: 240

Number of Targets: 5

Radius: 240

Range: 900

can be used to pull adds together.
Use
,
,
, or
if stability is needed.
Use
,

Chapter 3: Valiant Bulwark

¼

10

Chapter 3: Valiant Bulwark

Manifest the shimmering purity of the desert sun, reflecting enemy missiles.

5 seconds.

Radius: 240

Reflects Missiles

Range: 900

,
, or
to counter projectiles.
Use
when running between encounters.

Firebrand - Support Healer

Contents

Overview

Skill Bar

Weapon Variants

Skill Variants

Traits

Virtues Variant

Valor Variant

Equipment

Equipment (Minstrel Variant)

Consumables

Usage

Fitting Into Party Compositions

Healing

Buffs

CC

Miscellaneous