Ephen/SupportFirebrand

Overview

Firebrand build guide for EBG. The primary role of a Firebrand in WvW is boon support with an emphasis on Template:Gw2skill and Template:Gw2skill to prevent damage/CC before they even happen. Provides some healing support, but typically less than support scrappers and support druids. Provides very minor condition cleanse support. Backbone of every subgroup.

General Gameplay

• The main reason for a Firebrand is Template:Gw2skill and Template:Gw2skill and this is what makes them the backbone of every party. No other class can bring these boons at the scale a Firebrand can.
  • Aegis and stability are different from other support mechanics in the game in that they prevent something from happening (other mechanics like cleanse are done after the condi). They need to applied before the enemy skill or cc to be effective. E.g. stability applied after a CC does nothing to affect that CC
  • This means that a Firebrand needs to try to anticipate what is needed rather than reacting to what has already happened. It is far better to apply one of these boons a little early than too late.
  • Finding the balance to apply Template:Gw2skill and Template:Gw2skill just before they are needed (rather than too early after they were needed) is what separates great Firebrands from mediocre ones.

• Firebrands absolutely need to stay on tag as much as possible. Their subgroup should be staying on tag and this centralizes support around the area that they should be.

• Dodge roll is a very strong heal thanks to Selfless Daring. Your dodges will heal nearby allies and even if you don't need to evade an attack it can be advantageous to dodge for additional heal support. This is why Sigil of Superior Sigil of Energy is recommended.

• Mantra of Liberation is an incredibly strong aoe stun break and should be used to break CC on the Firebrand as it This skill will save allies from death to CC and should primarily be used to break CCs. The additional Template:Gw2skill and Template:Gw2skill

• Management of Book 2 and Book 3 skills is also critical to Firebrand play. Book 2 brings strong heal/cleanse support while available and Book 3 provides extra defensive support in the form of reflect (Page 3), resistance for CC mitigation (Page 4), and stability/aegis/toughness (Page 5)

Skillbar

| profession = Thief | specialization = | set1 = Dagger/Dagger | set2 = Shortbow | healing = Hide in Shadows | utility1 = Shadowstep | utility2 = Blinding Powder | utility3 = Shadow Refuge | elite = Basilisk Venom

Variants

Required Utilities

• Always run Mantra of Solace, "Stand Your Ground!", "Retreat!", and Mantra of Liberation
• Mantra of Solace group Template:Gw2skill and Template:Gw2skill. Minor self-heal. 3 charges.
• "Stand Your Ground!" personal stun break, strong group Template:Gw2skill and Template:Gw2skill, Template:Gw2skill, and condi cleanse. One of the most powerful skills in the Firebrand's arsenal
• "Retreat!" group Template:Gw2skill, Template:Gw2skill, and Template:Gw2skill and condi cleanse. 2 charges.
• Mantra of Liberation AOE stun break. Group Template:Gw2skill, Template:Gw2skill, and Template:Gw2skill. 3 charges

Preferred Third Utility

• Hallowed Ground AOE pulsing stability & resolution. Best option against CC
• Bow of Truth strong AOE heal. Best option for more healing
• Mantra of Lore condi cleanse and minor heal; if running, make sure to run the Firebrand trait Weighty Terms

Situational Third Utility

• Wall of Reflection projectile reflect
• Sanctuary area denial, projectile block, minor boonstrip w/ Sigil of Superior Sigil of Absorption, or minor heal, depending how used
• Signet of Mercy concentration passive and single target full res. EBG usually has enough mesmers with Illusion of Life for this to not be needed

See usage section for more information.

Traits

Relevant Traits and Variants

• Invigorated Bulwark improvement to mace skills and significant healing increase. Preferred option in this tier
• Protective Reviver rez support variant
• Pure of Heart causes your Template:Gw2skill to heal on all blocks. Preferred option in this tier
• Pure of Voice cooldown reduction on 2 of Firebrand's most important skills "Retreat!""Stand Your Ground!" effectively increasing stab/aegis output. Adds condi cleanse to shouts. Preferred option in this tier
• Force of Will personal health gain and increased healing output

Relevant Traits and Variants

• Resolute Subconscious gain defensive boons when disabled. Preferred option in this tier
• Master of Consecrations cooldown reduction for Consecrations. Variant option if running Hallowed Ground, Wall of Reflection, or Sanctuary
• Absolute Resolve increases the passive self-healing of Tome of Resolve and adds Condition cleanse to the active effect (5 targets, 3 conditions each). Only option in this tier
• Battle Presence grants the passive effect of Tome of Resolve to up to 5 nearby allies. Better healing option
• Indomitable Courage makes Tome of Courage grant AOE stun break, Stability, and more frequent passive self-Aegis generation. Better option against CC

Relevant Traits and Variants

• Liberator's Vow for Template:Gw2skill application when using Mantra of Solace
• Archivist of Whispers 3 additional pages each time you enter a tome. Tomes are among the guardians most powerful tools and 60% more skill usage is strong. Preferred trait in this tier.
• Stalwart Speed for Template:Gw2skill application when applying Template:Gw2skill or Template:Gw2skill. Preferred option in this tier
• Loremaster significant CD reduction on tome skills and the passive effects remain when the tome is entered. Only option in this tier

Variants

Valor over Virtues for more Aegis and Book 3 use for a trade off of less passive healing and slightly less condition cleanse. Relevant Traits and Variants

• Strength of the Fallen passive self-condi cleanse and slower decay in downstate. Only option in this tier
• Communal Defenses every time the Guardian blocks an attack, nearby allies gain Aegis. Significantly increases Aegis output and synergizes well with Pure of Heart. Preferred option in this tier
• Altruistic Healing strong self-heal, especially useful for saving downs and people in trouble
• Tenacious Defense reduces the CD of Book 3 by 1s every time an Aegis you applied blocks an attack. Can significantly reduce CD of Book 3 from 75s to as low as 35-45s if used effectively

Equipment

Head
Minstrel

Shoulders
Minstrel

Chest
Minstrel

Hands
Minstrel

Legs
Minstrel

Feet
Minstrel

Backpiece
Minstrel

Accessory
Minstrel

Accessory
Minstrel

Amulet
Minstrel

Ring
Minstrel

Ring
Minstrel

Exotic is fine until you are able to upgrade to ascended/legendary.

Variants

Stats

• Always run Minstrel's.
• Template:UC/Healing WvW Infusion offer a healing oriented option

Sigils

• Sigil of Superior Sigil of Energy more dodges for additional survivability and healing through Selfless Daring
• Sigil of Superior Sigil of Concentration additional boon uptime
• Sigil of Superior Sigil of Transference additional healing on allies
• Sigil of Superior Sigil of Benevolence or Sigil of Superior Sigil of Life additional healing on allies. Only use if confident you can maintain 25 stacks
• Sigil of Superior Sigil of Absorption minor boonstrip variant when running Sanctuary

Runes

• Rune of Superior Rune of Durability tanky boon support option. Generally best option for boon support and tankiness
• Rune of Superior Rune of the Monk additional healing. Generally best healing option
• Rune of Superior Rune of Mercy rez support variant
• Rune of Superior Rune of Sanctuary tanky option that can make support Firebrand nearly unkillable in zerg

Consumables

Feasts are always preferable to personal food for the additional stat from the ascended herb. They also give bonus WXP.

• any fruit salad feast will work but mint garnish is generally best
• , personal food options
• healing utility item
• concentration utility item

Usage

Weapon Skills

Staff:

• Holy Strike ranged mark that heals 5 allies over 4 pulses. Blast finisher
• Symbol of Swiftness ranged Symbol that grants swiftness to allies. Light field. Follow it up with Holy Strike on the same spot to blast it for condi cleanse.
• Empower channeled heal in an area around the Guardian. 3 pulses each apply 4 stacks of Template:Gw2skill to those affected (12 total). Used on "Empower" or "Might up" call outs
• Line of Warding ranged area denial. Can be used to block enemy retreat or in the middle of enemy zerg for CC/eating stab stacks. Used on "Lines" call out.

Mace:

• Faithful Strike last attack in mace auto-attack chain. AOE heal to 5 allies in a small radius around the Guardian. Can be used on gates/walls while using siege to break in to an objective
• Symbol of Faith small radius symbol that provides regeneration to allies. Light field
• Protector's Strike powerful block that applies Template:Gw2skill and Template:Gw2wiki to 5 allies when an attack is blocked
• Shield of Judgment applies Template:Gw2skill and Template:Gw2skill to 5 allies
• Shield of Absorption channeled skill that absorbs projectiles and pushes enemies back on first cast
  • Shield of Absorption (sequence) follow-up available while Shield of Absorption is channeling. Can be used quickly for a quick heal or right before end of channel to utilize projected absorption

Utilities

• "Stand Your Ground!" Guardian's bread and butter skill. Applies Template:Gw2skill and 5 stacks of Template:Gw2skill to 5 allies within 600 range. Personal stun break. This is the "big stab" ability and should be used on push into melee engage or immediately before taking a hot portal
• "Retreat!" applies Template:Gw2skill and Template:Gw2skill to 5 allies within 600 range. 2 charges. Also converts 1 condition to a boon on affected allies if running Pure of Voice
• Hallowed Ground large radius ranged consecration that pulses Template:Gw2skill and Template:Gw2skill 8 times on up to 5 allies. 1 second cast time can be interrupted so it is often advantageous to self-Aegis or self-Stability prior to casting. Careful positioning of this ability is key to its use as allies who move off of it will lose boon application and enemy Warrior Winds of Disenchantment can block boon application. When used on melee push, it can help prevent backline from being CC'ed as they push through it
• Bow of Truth strong, large radius AOE heal that pulses healing on an area after a brief delay. 2 charges. Similar positioning and cast considerations to Hallowed Ground although not affected by Winds of Disenchantment
• Mantra of Liberation applies Template:Gw2skill and Template:Gw2skill to 5 allies in a 450 range cone in front of the Guardian. 3 charges. Personal and AOE stun break that can be used to free CC'ed allies.

Tome Skills

Book 1 Skills

• Generally Book 1 should be used sparingly as it does not contribute to defensive support of your group. It can be used to tag guards or lords for capture credit. When used during enemy engages, it is usually best to enter book, use whichever skill you entered for, and leave. Noteworthy that entering and leaving the book provides self-Template:Gw2skill from Swift Scholar
• Template:Gw2wiki small radius pull to a center location. Can be used to harass enemy on "CC ahead" calls or attempt to pull enemies off of walls
• Template:Gw2wiki large radius fire field around the Firebrand that can be blasted (e.g. Holy Strike) to help with Template:Gw2skill stacking. Use very cautiously to not use over a stealth field and mess up "Stealth and Blast" calls
• Template:Gw2wiki grants your group additional damage on their next 3 attacks

Book 2 Skills

• Avoid leaving Book 2 with unused paged unless a fight is over and you'll have time for the cooldown to reset before the next engage
• Template:Gw2wiki light condi cleanse and modest heal. Use mainly if additional cleanse support is needed on your group, but generally a weaker skill
• Template:Gw2wiki strong AOE heal if group isn't moving. Can also be dropped to heal backline as they move through it. Additionally applies Template:Gw2skill
• Template:Gw2wiki modest condi cleanse (2 per target on 5 targets) that more important converts the conditions into boons. Increases the Firebrand's healing 20% so pairs well with Template:Gw2wiki, Bow of Truth, and other heal abilities when cast before them

Book 3 Skills

• Try to avoid blowing or spamming your skills in Book 3, especially not using page 1. All of the abilities (except page 1) are very strong. Gaps between skills can be filled with utilities or dodge roll healing
• Avoid leaving Book 3 with unused paged unless a fight is over and you'll have time for the cooldown to reset before the next engage
• Template:Gw2wiki AOE interrupt that can be used on melee to help with CC. Use if pressure on squad is light to help generate downs
• Template:Gw2wiki reflective bubble. Place between party and enemy zerg during pirate shipping. Location between zergs is highly dependent on movement and pressure applied
• Template:Gw2wiki personal stun break and AOE resistance in a large area. Can drop during melee push to prevent the backline from being controlled by CC. Strong counter to groups using a lot of Template:Gw2skill or Template:Gw2wiki
• Template:Gw2wiki 5-target Template:Gw2skill, Template:Gw2skill, Template:Gw2wiki and additional toughness. Very strong for countering enemy pressure and should be used often to prevent damage/control on your group

Combos

• Point 1
• Point 2
• Point 3

Gameplay Videos

• Video 1
• Video 2
• Video 3