Firebrand - Support Healer

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The community gave this build a rating, making it top-tier: Great.

Focused on: Healing, Support, Utility, Control.

Designed for:

Fractals

 

Raid

Expansions required:

Overview

A Firebrand support build for raids and fractals. This build brings a massive amount of healing, unique stat auras via Perfect Inscriptions, 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 Symbol of Blades. 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 Empower. This is the best weapon choice for fractals where you are effectively replacing a Druid.
• Hammer provides a knockback, immobilize, and Ring of Warding, 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 24px Symbol of Vengeance. It also provides pull via 24px Blazing Edge

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

• Mantra of Potence - provides might and quickness, mandatory if replacing Druid in fractals.
• Signet of Wrath - alternative signet if the DPS in your subgroup deal mainly condition damage.
• Mantra of Lore - in condition-heavy fights like Slothasor/Soulless Horror.
• "Stand Your Ground!" - instant AoE stun break and stability, also provides quickness if 24px Stalwart Speed is traited.
• Hallowed Ground - alternative stability/quickness option.
• "Hold the Line!" - more protection and regeneration uptime.
• Shield of the Avenger - destroys projectiles in fights like Arkk.
• Wall of Reflection - reflects projectiles.
• Hammer of Wisdom - more CC.
• Bow of Truth - burst heal that can be cast from range.
• Signet of Mercy - ranged resurrect and minor healing increase.
• Sanctuary - effective skill works well in situations like mobs overnumber your team:
  • Subject 6 in Thaumanova Reactor Fractal, prevent mini oozes come to subject 6 when your teammates take down Veteran Ooze
  • Elite Molten Flame Shaman(before crossing bridge)/Champion Molten Effigy in Molten Boss Fractal
  • Abyss chamber and Last boss prevent spectral flames from reaching your team / The Voice in Deepstone Fractal
  • Siren's Reef (Black Peter,Deposit treasure, last 3 bosses)
    • Note: ONLY take Sanctuary if your team's dps is low/can't cleave mobs fast. Or there are Mistlock Instabilities (We bleed fire, Outflank, Frailty, Adrenaline Rush) active.

Elite Skills

• Mantra of Liberation - multiple instant AoE stun breaks and stability (and quickness if 24px Stalwart Speed is traited).
• "Feel My Wrath!" - helps to fill gaps in fury and quickness.
• Renewed Focus - personal invulnerability and cooldown reset on tomes.

Traits

Variants

• Honorable Staff if you're running staff and need to provide boons.
• Force of Will if your party can't stay stacked in your symbols.
• 24px Stalwart Speed if you're the only source of quickness or you need to split quickness with the Chronomancer.
• 24px Legendary Lore if you're having a hard time catching people in your regeneration-granting skills.
• Protector's Impact if you want more protection for your party.
• 24px Archivist of Whispers 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 Perfect Inscriptions and should only be done if you literally can't keep people alive otherwise.

Variants

• Master of Consecrations 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
  or
  Sanctuary

  1½

  120

  Sanctuary

  Consecration. Form a protective healing shelter for allies. Foes and projectiles cannot enter.

  Healing: 266

  Number of Targets: 5

  Pulses: 6

  Duration: 6 seconds

  Radius: 120

  Combo Field: Light
  .
• Virtuous Solace similar to
  Sanctuary

  1½

  120

  Sanctuary

  Consecration. Form a protective healing shelter for allies. Foes and projectiles cannot enter.

  Healing: 266

  Number of Targets: 5

  Pulses: 6

  Duration: 6 seconds

  Radius: 120

  Combo Field: Light
  only take if your team's dps is low/can't cleave mobs fast. Or there are Mistlock Instabilities (We bleed fire, Outflank, Frailty, Adrenaline Rush) active.

Valor Variant

Take Valor instead of Radiance if you need more Fury and self-heal via Smiter's Boon and Monk's Focus . Only use if you are second support / healer in group.

Variants

• Communal Defenses if you want extra Aegis.

Equipment

6x

Superior Rune of the Monk

48px18x

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 Mantra of Potence and Honorable Staff, and have a staff in your second weapon slot.

Equipment (Minstrel Variant)

6x

Superior Rune of the Monk

48px18x

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 Force of Will.

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 Spotter and Frost Spirit.

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 Well of Action 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 Faithful Strike and Symbol of Faith off cooldown.
• For burst heals use Shield of Absorption, your 24px Tome of Resolve skills, and Merciful Intervention.
  • 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 24px Holy Strike and Empower for healing.
• The most powerful tool you can provide as a firebrand is Aegis. Watch for big incoming hits, then mitigate them with Protector's Strike, Shield of Judgment, or 24px Restoring Reprieve.
  • This also improves your healing due to Invigorated Bulwark.
• Cleanse conditions if needed with Mantra of Lore 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

• Bane Signet and Signet of Wrath give a large damage buff for 10 seconds after activation thanks to Perfect Inscriptions. Use them off cooldown and only delay them if CC will be needed soon.
  • You can also go into 24px Tome of Justice and press any skill to get an additional signet proc from Wrath of Justice.
• Depending on your alacrity uptime, you can output 15-20 stacks of Might by using Empower and 24px Potent Haste. If running Virtues, you can also dip into 24px Tome of Justice 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 24px Stalwart Speed you can keep up permanent Quickness with Mantra of Solace, Mantra of Potence, and your aegis-granting weapon skills. Note that 24px Stalwart Speed has an internal cooldown of 8 seconds, so space out your aegis-granting skills appropriately.
• Symbol of Blades will pulse Fury to your subgroup or party.
• Use "Feel My Wrath!" to cover gaps in quickness and fury.

Pre-stacking Buffs

• Before boss fight and also have Mistlock Singularity. you can pre-stack buff for your party before enter boss fight:
  • Swap Radiance to Virtues (you don't need choose trait in virtues because you only need Inspired Virtue for boon)
  • Swap Invigorated Bulwark to Protector's Impact in Honor
  • Empower and Symbol of Swiftness from Staff.
  • Shield of Judgment from Shield.
  • Depend on your main hand weapon or team component. you can use Symbol of Faith from Mace / Symbol of Punishment from Scepter/ 24px Symbol of Vengeance from Axe.
  • Use 2x Mantra of Solace (it will drop lesser Symbol of Protection if you use Protector's Impact) and 2x Mantra of Potence.
  • Use "Hold the Line!" and "Feel My Wrath!".
  • Active 24px Tome of Justice.
  • Active 24px Tome of Resolve then use 4 , 3.
  • Active Tome of Courage then use 5 , 4 and three times 1
  • Interact with Mistlock Singularity

CC

Baseline CC:

• Bane Signet/ Signet of Wrath
• Shield of Absorption
• 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 Wrath of Justice)
• 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:

• Hammer of Wisdom - 2 charges of knockdown.
• Banish and Ring of Warding 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.
• Line of Warding if using staff.
• Chains of Light 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.
• Binding Blade 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 Mantra of Liberation, Tome of Courage, "Stand Your Ground!", or Hallowed Ground if stability is needed.
• Use Shield of Absorption,
  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
  , Shield of the Avenger, or Wall of Reflection to counter projectiles.
• Use Symbol of Swiftness when running between encounters.