Firebrand - Quickness Support Healer

Part of the current metagame

Our curator decided this build is in the current metagame regardless of rating. The community gave this build a rating, making it top-tier: Great

Focused on: Boon support, Healing and Utility

Designed for: Raids and Fractals

Expansions required:

Difficulty:

TBD

This build was last updated on August 10, 2022 and is up to date for the October 8, 2024 patch.

Overview

A Firebrand support build for raids and fractals, providing permanent Quickness and high Fury and Might uptime. This build brings a massive amount of healing, and a wide range of defensive utility including Aegis, Protection, Resistance, Resolution, Stability, heavy condition cleanse, and projectile destruction.

This build will usually be paired with a DPS-focused source of Alacrity, and it is especially popular in fractal groups as it doesn't have to give up any utility in order to provide healing.

Key to a guardian's strength is its versatility, so be sure to read the skill and trait variants to know what you should be bringing.

Skill Bar

Staff

Axe/Shield

Utility

Weapon Variants

• Sword also generates Fury to your subgroup with Symbol of Blades, and provides a teleport on a low cooldown, useful on fights like Matthias where you move around a lot.

Other weapon variants sacrifice your Fury or Might generation, so make sure someone else is covering these boons before using!

• Hammer provides a knockback, immobilize, and Ring of Warding, useful on fights like Samarog where pushing/CC is required. The auto chain also drops a symbol, providing a lot of healing and Protection for your subgroup.
• 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 while offering a bit of Might on the symbol. (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, as well as easy access to Protection and Regeneration.

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

• Hallowed Ground - A source of pulsing Stability for your team. Longer duration, but harder to use than "Stand Your Ground!", and only 5-target.
• "Stand Your Ground!" - Instant AoE stun break and Stability.
• Bow of Truth - Popular choice for raids where you don't need that much Stability. Burst heal that can be cast from range.
• Mantra of Lore - Popular choice for raids. Provides tons of Regeneration and Condition Cleanse.
• Signet of Wrath - alternative signet if the DPS in your subgroup deal mainly condition damage.
• Signet of Mercy - if you think a ranged revive will be needed.
• "Hold the Line!" - more Protection and Regeneration uptime.
• "Advance!" - could be used if you need to apply Aegis in a larger AoE than Mantra of Solace, or for more Aegis uptime in general.
• Shield of the Avenger - destroys projectiles in fights like Arkk. Isn't always reliable as the shield has very low health and can be killed easily.
• Wall of Reflection - reflects projectiles. Take it if Chapter 3 Valiant Bulwark is not enough for the fight.
• Hammer of Wisdom - even more CC.
• Sanctuary - very strong CC. Also 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)

Elite

• Mantra of Liberation - multiple instant AoE stun breaks and stability (and quickness if Stalwart Speed is traited).
• Renewed Focus - personal invulnerability and cooldown reset on tomes.

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Specializations

Trait Variants

• Pure of Heart Worse Might uptime for slightly better heal potential. Popular choice for Raids.
• Force of Will if your party can't stay stacked in your symbols.
• Legendary Lore if you're having a hard time catching people in your Regeneration- or Protectiongranting skills.
• Protector's Impact if you want more Protection for your party.
• Protective Reviver great trait for reviving, can revive up to 30% down bar upon using passive with Shield of Absorption .
• Archivist of Whispers if you want spam a lot of tome skills. Note that if you are responsible for Quickness, you will need 100% boon duration, "Feel My Wrath!", Stalwart Speed and either "Advance!" or "Stand Your Ground!" (to trigger Stalwart Speed) in order to make up for the loss of Liberator's Vow.

Equipment

Head
Harrier

Shoulders
Harrier

Chest
Harrier

Hands
Harrier

Legs
Harrier

Feet
Harrier

Backpiece
Harrier

Accessory
Harrier

Accessory
Harrier

Amulet
Harrier

Ring
Harrier

Ring
Harrier

Staff
Harrier

Sigil

Sigil

Axe
Harrier

Shield
Harrier

Sigil

Sigil

Rune
x6

Infusion
x18

Minstrel Variant

This version gives you more toughness and vitality for surviving or tanking.

Head
Minstrel

Shoulders
Minstrel

Chest
Minstrel

Hands
Minstrel

Legs
Minstrel

Feet
Minstrel

Backpiece
Minstrel

Accessory
Minstrel

Accessory
Minstrel

Amulet
Minstrel

Ring
Minstrel

Ring
Minstrel

Staff
Minstrel

Sigil

Sigil

Axe
Minstrel

Shield
Minstrel

Sigil

Sigil

Rune
x6

Infusion
x18

Consumables

Food

Utility

• (if you use minstrel variant in raids).

Usage

Fitting Into Party Compositions

• As you provide Quickness, Fury and Might, you can be paired with any Alacrity-provider. However, if they are able to provide Fury or Might then this opens up your options for traits or weapons.
• If you’re planning to play Support Firebrand in high-level fractals, the high movement uptime can result in lower Might uptime as Empower is harder to use. It might be worth ensuring your Alacrity-provider also provides some Might to fill in the gaps.
• An important note is to make sure your teammates know you are a Support Healer and not Quickness Support Condi DPS or 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

• 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 1-3 abilities is enough and often more efficient.
• Use F2 Tome of Resolve for heavy pressure situations and Condi cleanse (Skill 2 and 5 remove conditions).
• Use F3 Tome of Courage for Stability, Reflects and bonus toughness for your group from Epilogue Unbroken Lines.
• Use F1 Tome of Justice 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 Empower and Symbol of Vengeance as much as possible to maintain Might and Fury.
• For burst heals use Shield of Absorption, your Tome of Resolve skills, and Holy Strike.
  • 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 Protector's Strike, Shield of Judgment, or "Advance!".
  • This also improves your healing due to Invigorated Bulwark.
• Cleanse conditions if needed with Tome of Resolve - Epilogue Eternal Oasis (convert up to 5 condi to boon) or Chapter 2 Radiant Recovery, Mantra of Lore, or Holy Strike + Light Field from your weapon/utility skills.

Buffs

• Depending on your Alacrity uptime, you can output 15-20 stacks of Might by using Empower and Mantra of Potence. You can also dip into Tome of Justice to fill gaps in might via Inspired Virtue.
  • You can't maintain 25 Might solo unless you replace your axe with a scepter. In practice this isn't a huge deal because the remaining 5-10 Might should be covered by others depending on content and composition.
• Symbol of Vengeance will pulse Fury to your subgroup or party.
• Use "Feel My Wrath!" 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 Hallowed Ground and position yourself near Mistlock Singularity while facing your teammates.
• 1. Use Hallowed Ground to provide a fire field for blasting. <-- This is also a signal for your teammates to also start prestacking.
• 2. Use Holy Strike (Staff 2) to blast Fire field then cast Empower.
• 3. While channeling Empower, spam Mantra of Potence and use 1 charge of Mantra of Solace.
• 4. Use "Feel My Wrath!".
• 5. Take Mistlock Singularity.
• 6. Replace Hallowed Ground with your previous skill if needed.
• 7. Use 1 charge each of Mantra of Potence and Mantra of Solace.
• 8. 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 7 while running towards the boss or when the fight is about to start. Remember to always use it on your allies.

CC

Baseline CC:

• Blazing Edge
• Shield of Absorption
• Chapter 3 Heated Rebuke (which also procs Wrath of Justice)
• Chapter 2 Daring Challenge

If you need more CC:

• Bane Signet
• Sanctuary - pulsing knockback for 5 seconds
• Hammer of Wisdom - 2 charges of knockdown
• Banish and Ring of Warding if using hammer
• Binding Blade if using greatsword
• Line of Warding if using staff against non-boss mobs
• Chains of Light if using scepter

General Tips

• Be careful of using Epilogue Unbroken Lines because it will grant 300 toughness to yourself and nearby allies, potentially interfering with tank aggro.
• Binding Blade or Chapter 3 Heated Rebuke 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, Shield of the Avenger, or Wall of Reflection to counter projectiles.
• Use Symbol of Swiftness when running between encounters.