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

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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 Renegade - Boon Support Power DPS 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, or as off-quickness in squads with a Chronomancer - Utility Boon Support and Renegade - Boon Support Power DPS.

Keep in mind that fractal and raid variants of this build slightly differ. Default traits and skills on this page are set for fractals. For raid setup please check out skill and trait variants.

Skill Bar

StaffHealingUtilityElite

Axe/Shield

Weapon Variants

• 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.
• 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.)
• Mace provides an extra block and improved healing to your subgroup.

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

• - Main source of Stability for your team. Easier to use than .
• - Instant AoE stun break and stability, also provides quickness if is traited.
• - Popular choice for raids where you don't need that much Stability. Burst heal that can be cast from range.
• - Popular choice for raids. Provides tons of Regeneration and Condition Cleanse.
• - alternative signet if the DPS in your subgroup deal mainly condition damage.
• - if you think a ranged revive will be needed.
• - more protection and regeneration uptime.
• - could be used if you need to apply Aegis in a larger AoE than , or for more Aegis uptime in general.
• - destroys projectiles in fights like Arkk.
• - reflects projectiles. Take it if
  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
  is not enough for the fight.
• - even more CC.
• - very situational skill. Works well in situations where mobs heavily outnumber your team:
  • Subject 6 in Thaumanova Reactor Fractal, prevents mini oozes from coming 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 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

• - multiple instant AoE stun breaks and stability (and quickness if is traited).
• - personal invulnerability and cooldown reset on tomes.

Traits

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Variants

• Worse might uptime for slightly better heal potential. Popular choice for Raids.
• 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.
• great trait for reviving, can revive up to 30% down bar upon using passive with .
• if you want spam a lot of tome skills.

Virtues Variant

Take Virtues instead of Radiance for Raids. This sacrifices the damage buff from and should only be done if you literally can't keep people alive otherwise. Taking this trait line makes

Bane Signet

¾

40

Bane Signet

Signet Passive: Improved Power.
Signet Active: Knock down and damage your foe.

Signet Passive: 180 Power

Damage: 244

Knockdown: 3 seconds

Range: 1,200

a suboptimal skill in a support build and should be replaced with either Mantra of Lore or

Bow of Truth

1½

60

Bow of Truth

Spirit Weapon. Summon an arcane bow to cure conditions on you and your allies.

Duration: 20 seconds

.

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 fractals have Frailty) or tanking.

Consumables

Food

Utility

• (if you use minstrel variant)

Usage

Fitting Into Party Compositions

If you’re planning to play Support Firebrand in raids and high-level fractals, take note that Support Firebrand provides Quickness, Fury, and a large amount of Might, though likely not enough for the maximum 25 stacks solo. You will often find yourself paired with a Renegade - Boon Support Power DPS, who should use . This, combined with and , should be enough during burn phases to maintain enough Might.

• If you’re in a raid squad that already has one Druid but no second healer, you can effectively fill a second healer slot as well as provide quickness. This effectively allows the second chronomancer in a squad to be replaced with a Renegade - Boon Support Power DPS.

• If you're in a fractal party, you will cover healing, provide Quickness, Might, Fury and Stability.

An important note is to make sure your teammates know you are a Support Healer and not Firebrand - Quickness Support Power DPS (Fractal) or Firebrand - Condi DPS . This lets your group adapt their builds and avoids awkward moments where you have to explain why you're lowest on the DPS meter.

General Tips

• Keep on one charge as often as possible.
• Know you should use Aegis via mob/boss attack (example: Ensolyss use his Upswing (orange AoE) , Lunge, etc...)
• You don't have to use all charges on your books. Often using 1-2 abilities is enough and more efficient.
• Use F2 for heavy pressure situations and Condi cleanse ( Skill 2 and 5 remove conditions).
• Use F3 for Stability, Reflects and bonus toughness for your group from
  Epilogue: Unbroken Lines

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  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
  .
• Use F1 in low pressure situations for additional damage.

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 swapping between staff and axe/shield and using and as much as possible to maintain Might and Fury.
• For burst heals use , your skills, and .
  • Keep in mind that Tome of Resolve has a very long cooldown.
  • Your general Tome of Resolve rotation is 5-4-3-1-1, with 2 thrown in if they need condition cleanse.
• 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 (remove 3 condi, only use in Virtues trait) ,
  Chapter 2: Radiant Recovery

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  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
  ,
  Epilogue: Eternal Oasis

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  12

  Epilogue: Eternal Oasis

  Purify your allies with the waters of Amnoon and increase the healing they receive.

  [PvE] Eternal Oasis (8s): 33% Heal Effectiveness

  [PvP/WvW] Eternal Oasis (8s): 20% Heal Effectiveness

  Conditions Converted to Boons: 5.

  Number of Allied Targets: 5

  Range: 600
  (convert up to 5 condi to boon) or + Light Field from your weapon / utility skills . 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.
• 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 should be covered by the Renegade or Druid depending on content and composition.
• 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.

Pre-stacking Buffs (Fractals only)

You have to prestack buffs for your party before entering boss fight. Prestacking is done near Mistlock Singularities to abuse the skill reset after using it. Don't use mistlocks before prestacking. Fractal meta is heavily dependant on prestacks!!!

• 0. Take and Prepare + . Position yourself near Mistlock Singularity while facing your teammates.
• 1. Activate then use 4 (this is Fire field) and 5. <-- This is also a signal for your teammates to also start prestacking.
• 2. Use (Staff 2) to blast Fire field then cast .
• 3. While channeling use 2 charges of and 1-2 charges of.
• 4. Use and .
• 5. Use .
• 6. Take Mistlock Singularity.
• 7. Replace with your previous skill if needed.
• 8. use 2 charges of and 1-2 charges of.
• 9. Run for the boss as fast as possible.

Often in pug groups teammates might run towards the boss too soon or too late. To prevent that you can do step 8 while running towards the boss or when the fight is about to start. Remember to always use it on your allies.

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

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  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.
• 

  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
    
  

  ¾

  Pull

  Pull your foes to you.

  Leash Range: 600

  Range: 600
  if using greatsword.
• if using staff against non-boss mobs.
• if using scepter.

Miscellaneous

• Be careful of using
  Epilogue: Unbroken Lines

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  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.

Encounter Specific Tips

Fractals

Aquatic Ruins

• Use Pre-stacking Buffs method before boss.
• Use off cooldown, provide Might and 5 , 4 for dps boost
• Can bring for Stability

Swampland

• Bring both and in wisp stage for condi celanse and stunbreak from traps for teammates

Urban Battleground

Uncategorized

Solid Ocean

Underground Facility

Cliffside

Molten Furnace

Deepstone

Thaumanova Reactor

Snowblind

Twilight Oasis

Chaos

Molten Boss

Volcanic

Mai Trin

Aetherblade

Nightmare

• Always try to save a charge of for MAMA's slams so you can aegis your group.
• Always try to save a charge of for Ensolyss' tail lash and hallucinations.
• Avoid dying during Ensolyss' capture phase as you will have to charge your mantras again.

Shattered Observatory

• Bring stability for Skorvald via skills and
  "Stand Your Ground!"

  30

  "Stand Your Ground!"

  Shout. Grant stability to yourself and allies.

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

  Retaliation (5s): Reflect incoming damage back to its source.

  Number of Targets: 5

  Range: 600

  Breaks stun
  if No Pain No Gain is active as your Renegade should be boonstripping with Mallyx.
• During Skorvald's last phase, provide stability to the group. Enter either or both of and .
• Don't hesitate to use
  Bane Signet

  ¾

  40

  Bane Signet

  Signet Passive: Improved Power.
  Signet Active: Knock down and damage your foe.

  Signet Passive: 180 Power

  Damage: 244

  Knockdown: 3 seconds

  Range: 1,200
  on Artsariiv after the splits. Her defiance bar won't trigger until the ball lands and your DPS should already doing their burst.
• You can 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
  in to reflect Arkk's Solar Fury (the red balls).