What is your Firebrand build?

[Cave Rock.4869]

> @Garimeth.8725 said:

> After playing around live I changed my build to this:

> http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vVAQRAnf7ensABNDhFBD2BDkCjF/BbfiuRHpZJhKUGyKAUBqTA-j1hAQBA4JAYWlfrVJIM2f4Tq/AtTCQ/05IKAeC-w

> Unless I spec into concentration I don't have enough quickness to make hammer feel good with how mantras are working, I just don't feel comfortable building my character around quickness and quickfire, hallowed ground is only giving quickness on initial cast not every pulse, which really reduces the effectiveness of my original build idea.

>

> I haven't taken it anywhere but open world and LS so far, but I did decide that the condi emphasis is better than the retal RI thing I kind of wanted to do. Gets 9 stacks of burning just from auto attacking, I open with mantra of potence to stack that higher and have the axe trait so symbol dazes. Use the pull to grab more enemies into the symbol and get some aoe PW procs going, I usually save purging flames for a combo condi clear and dps or i use it from a distance on a pack of mobs to open the fight.

>

> That said I did a few things people may think to be odd:

> 1. The axe trait for bleeding instead of more virtue pages. I honestly just switch into tomes and burn through them asap then back out to fighting normal again. I do so much damage (in the content I've taken it into) that I'm better off killing stuff than camping my tomes for support. I suspect in WVW I will spec for the increased pages and just pull back from the frontline.

>

> 2. Also I went with shelter for my heal because after playing with the mantra one... well it kitten. I would run it with the quickness on heal trait, but mantra range is too low for me to reliably proc it on anyone but myself.

>

> 3. Quickfire: Man I want to like this trait, but 10 seconds cooldown is too long, and I feel like it unreliably procs, maybe just due to the range of abilities i am trying to proc it with (mantras). I may run this with shouts in wvw, we'll see.

>

> 4. Elite: man I love the mantra elite. So much stunbreak.

>

> For wvw most/all my carrion gear will probably be changed to dire.

 

Hey Garimeth, that idea about selecting the bleeds trait over the extra pages is certainly a good point. Why not do more condition damage outside of tomes (it would save you pages)? should be the question that many might consider with this trait. That is especially true in the open world whilst continuing the story or completing the PoF zones. But in WvW you may well just need those pages to stack up the burns for best burst damage potential. But i guess these are the choices that we have to make with trait selection, some times it just comes down to personal preference over what is better etc.

[Cave Rock.4869]

> @SemmlerTh.2685 said:

> I am running this: http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vVAQNgf7fnsADdBjFBDWBBEEhl4BbPmWT3pWbgXwjqKAslGAA

>

> It's kinda working, I think. I am not sure about the spirt sword, it does surprisingly a lot of damage and causes a decent amount of burning. I have one torch in the offhand and switch between axe and scepter - that's because the Radiant Fire Trait will be kitten constantly and cast zealots flame.

>

> Armor and trinkets are berserkers. I do have trouble against certain mobs. Also, I tend to cast tome of justice very often. Renewed Justice will reset it completly when something is killed. I cast a few skills on it and then I just spam 1 to increase the burning. This works really well when you have a group - because when you run through your tome skills and keep the quickness of your party up, burning will accumulate rather quickly.

 

SemmlerTh, i had not really considered bringing back the spirit sword for burns and vulnerability stacks. Isn't it interesting how old utilities like this one might get a chance to come back again in the new meta, possibly.

 

Cheers for the nice trick, From Cave Rock & Bluevoltron42.

[Cave Rock.4869]

> @MidnightO.8632 said:

> How do you all feel about ditching a torch for condi FB? I'm honestly getting kind of sick of it and with the amount of burns FB can use it might just be viable. You could always pad out your roation with the burning mantra if need arises. Torch feels a bit like overkill with axe to me, I would rather take sword with torch for some moblity and blind (and it does seem to do a bit more damage, though that could just be burst).

 

Hey Midnight, i am not entirely sure one could ditch the torch but perhaps you might be able to, why not give it a try if you dislike the torch. Also your ponderings made me think of something. You know how we get alot of aegis on the Tome of Courage 1 and 5 skills, plus the healing mantra. Well what if we used that rune of the guardian, to get the burns on block. Hmm i wonder how that would work out? Also maybe some one could come up with a trailblazers tanky build that burns on block. That would be awesome if a person got the time to investigate it.

 

Cheers for participating in the discussion and go ahead and say good bye to that torch if ya like :) It is always good to test new things. One trick i have thought about is the fact that we could now use control or supportive weapons and do our damage off the tomes. I hope that give you the incentive to ditch the torch and try a different weapon and build setup. Link a build if you come up with something Midnight, it would be much appreciated.

[Cave Rock.4869]

Also just to help out those folks that are undecided or not sure that the Firebrand (Although it is a great elite, some may be having trouble with their old main and want a change) is the new elite specialization for them, well how about checking out my video. It is an overview of the new expansion and a brief discussion about each of the nine new elites specializations. All, I feel blessed because so many have viewed it already and i hope it helps out some one be it an old or a new player who just joined Guild Wars 2. As a past beta player and a veteran of the game it is well time that i passed on my some of my knowledge to the community, i hope you all enjoy it. Thanks for watching and cheers everyone for the support and kind words.

 

[Cave Rock.4869]

> @Grimheart.2853 said:

> http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vVAQNApeWn8ABNCjtDBuCBkCjlHCbveuPDoYBgGQWK79MfyAA-jlxHQBg7JF6beoSwfs/AAOlCwT9HAq8LAACwP7z+8n5zf+zf+n/8n/8n/sv7zf+zf+zf+zf+zfWKA/WpB-w

>

> I like my cleric more.

 

Hey Grimheart, thanks for the build as i appreciate you time pondering on builds. I see plenty of healing and support in your build which is great, but we will need to see if there is a cap on out going healing, if anyone knows it would be really great to find out. So far Hadan thinks 100% which would make sense, but if anyone else can negate that it would be interesting to hear from you about it.

 

Once again Grimheart, thanks for participating with the build and comment, Cheers from Cave Rock and Bluevoltron42.

[Garimeth.8725]

> @MidnightO.8632 said:

> How do you all feel about ditching a torch for condi FB? I'm honestly getting kind of sick of it and with the amount of burns FB can use it might just be viable. You could always pad out your roation with the burning mantra if need arises. Torch feels a bit like overkill with axe to me, I would rather take sword with torch for some moblity and blind (and it does seem to do a bit more damage, though that could just be burst).

 

Dude, you can totally ditch torch. I've even thought about it myself. It will drop your dps, sure, but its not going to make it suck. The build I posted above was getting 9 burn and 6 bleed stacks just from symbol and AA on a single target and hitting physically for around 400 or 500 a hit, make it aoe and it goes up even more. If you do shield and have the quickness on aegis trait, which I do, it makes shield that much better. I personally am not a fan of running double melee weapons on any toon though, so I'd still have scepter in my other hand, and I prefer shield or torch with scepter over focus. Also while I like focus, I feel it just doesn't synergize as well as shield or torch. I might run axe/shield and staff, but staff is basically a melee weapon now, which means I will almost never use it.

 

> @"Cave Rock.4869" said:

> Hey Garimeth, that idea about selecting the bleeds trait over the extra pages is certainly a good point. Why not do more condition damage outside of tomes (it would save you pages)? should be the question that many might consider with this trait. That is especially true in the open world whilst continuing the story or completing the PoF zones. But in WvW you may well just need those pages to stack up the burns for best burst damage potential. But i guess these are the choices that we have to make with trait selection, some times it just comes down to personal preference over what is better etc.

 

In WVW the pages wouldn't even be so much for the burning as the extra buffs from TOR and TOC. I think that a situationally aware frontliner can use a build like this:

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vVAQRAnf7ensAB9ChNDBuCBkCjF/Bb/i2RHpWBgKQdKLJUhyQA-jliAQBJSXgg0K0PNMoRJG0OJAnS9Hzq8YtKBBwTAAG7PIKAeC-w

 

To push with the front line, stick on tag and keep stability up, but then when the push is resetting or reforming plus out tomes and heal and protect the recovery phase. We'll see. Honestly I really wanted Hallowed Ground to give quickness on every pulse, not sure if its WAI or a bug, but I'm a bit disappointed.

 

 

[Grimheart.2853]

> @"Cave Rock.4869" said:

> > @Grimheart.2853 said:

> > http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vVAQNApeWn8ABNCjtDBuCBkCjlHCbveuPDoYBgGQWK79MfyAA-jlxHQBg7JF6beoSwfs/AAOlCwT9HAq8LAACwP7z+8n5zf+zf+n/8n/8n/sv7zf+zf+zf+zf+zfWKA/WpB-w

> >

> > I like my cleric more.

>

> Hey Grimheart, thanks for the build as i appreciate you time pondering on builds. I see plenty of healing and support in your build which is great, but we will need to see if there is a cap on out going healing, if anyone knows it would be really great to find out. So far Hadan thinks 100% which would make sense, but if anyone else can negate that it would be interesting to hear from you about it.

>

> Once again Grimheart, thanks for participating with the build and comment, Cheers from Cave Rock and Bluevoltron42.

 

It defintely goes up to 50% +, since resolve's default tick of ~200 goes up to ~300 on allies with 50 percent, I think I'll try testing out firebrands + 33% right now in WvW, if I find the right people. But even if it's capped on 50 (which is unlikely), resolve 5 still inproves firebrand's icoming healing as well, so it's useful anyway.

 

Also a small update to my build: "battle presense" is 99.99% useless, since it doesn't synergize with "loremaster", as I expected it to. I really hope it's a bug, because those traits look like they're just meant to be together.

[Ashtaeroth.3940]

So this is my Firebrand build that is still in testing but it's feeling promising: http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vVAQRAnf7ensArBiuglDZ5QmhwaIrQQKsgIL+D2V4KF8B2roZ0QqVAoCUnA-jVDBABU8EAO4ECEwBBoiDQADHIAA1lAwBQYZlfDqhgPtCus/w0q/QpSQSBc5yK-w

 

It is quite selfish build but it's for damage and self sustain. I run this through WvW, PvE and Fractals without a worry and I'm carrying my own weight just fine. I've ran this build with sword/torch before as Dragonhunter and it has worked just fine. I am unsure if I'll keep the axe or go back to sword because of the mobility/Fury symbol and ranged block. For now it seems like axe is hitting slightly faster than sword so I'm going with that. Self sustain comes from food, sigil(they stack afaik) and meditations(with Dragonhunter I get alot of Aegis). I keep the mantras active all the time and am learning to time them correctly so I can utilize Smiter's Boon trait to full effect since it triggers on the healing mantra as long as it's off cooldown and I never expend the mantras unless I really, really have to. The reload is fast enough to sustain the skills. If I time my rotation right I seem to push out a max of 15 burn stacks on first attack but I need more testing on that and how many stacks I can actually sustain. Against players this is different but I have beaten up players before if I can survive their initial burst in my Dragonhunter build.

 

For the current rotation I'm trying is:

**Healing Mantra:** To activate Quickfire for 2 stacks

**Zealot's Flame:** Try to throw this for the 3 stacks

**Judge's Intervention:** Teleport to target and add 3 more stacks

**Flame Rush:** Trigger this for 1 more stack

And then the **Radiant Fire** trait has probably triggered so I can throw the flame again and **Virtue of Justice** passive has probably triggered once or twice aswell by now.

 

What happens next is anyones guess depending on what you are up against. In PvE I don't take much rush since I got all the time in the world to do damage so this is more of a practise to WvW. I have Judges to replace the sword teleport but it's on a long cooldown and I'm kinda missing the Dragonhunter's Wings of Resolve for added mobility. The axe pull is kinda okay and quite fast so it might work okay. For now healing seems quite adequate but only with meditations and Fury uptime is less. Then again the mantras add alot more burn damage so it kind of compensates for that. And with almost 50% crit chances I trigger the food and sigils quite often and the healing is noticeable. I haven't managed to test this in WvW yet because I need to practise and learn the skills first but I'm thinking I'll be missing the pull from Dragonhunters Spear of Justice and the interrupt on Dragon's Maw. Maybe the axe trait is better than quickness but it's kinda important to get a steady Quickfire. I am unsure how the tomes will come to play but that remains to be seen.

 

For comparison this is my Dragonhunter build: http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vVAQRAsf7en8cqBiqhkDZzQmhwoTrQQ2pgIL+DlVAUB15V4mCfgc4f+vPA-jVDBABVcACo4JAQpSQAOACHcCB4Trw0q/wwBCYQNEus/QAHEAA1lssyvAAJASZWmlZZiUAXusC-w

[Cave Rock.4869]

> @Garimeth.8725 said:

> > @MidnightO.8632 said:

> > How do you all feel about ditching a torch for condi FB? I'm honestly getting kind of sick of it and with the amount of burns FB can use it might just be viable. You could always pad out your roation with the burning mantra if need arises. Torch feels a bit like overkill with axe to me, I would rather take sword with torch for some moblity and blind (and it does seem to do a bit more damage, though that could just be burst).

>

> Dude, you can totally ditch torch. I've even thought about it myself. It will drop your dps, sure, but its not going to make it kitten. The build I posted above was getting 9 burn and 6 bleed stacks just from symbol and AA on a single target and hitting physically for around 400 or 500 a hit, make it aoe and it goes up even more. If you do shield and have the quickness on aegis trait, which I do, it makes shield that much better. I personally am not a fan of running double melee weapons on any toon though, so I'd still have scepter in my other hand, and I prefer shield or torch with scepter over focus. Also while I like focus, I feel it just doesn't synergize as well as shield or torch. I might run axe/shield and staff, but staff is basically a melee weapon now, which means I will almost never use it.

>

> > @"Cave Rock.4869" said:

> > Hey Garimeth, that idea about selecting the bleeds trait over the extra pages is certainly a good point. Why not do more condition damage outside of tomes (it would save you pages)? should be the question that many might consider with this trait. That is especially true in the open world whilst continuing the story or completing the PoF zones. But in WvW you may well just need those pages to stack up the burns for best burst damage potential. But i guess these are the choices that we have to make with trait selection, some times it just comes down to personal preference over what is better etc.

>

> In WVW the pages wouldn't even be so much for the burning as the extra buffs from TOR and TOC. I think that a situationally aware frontliner can use a build like this:

> http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vVAQRAnf7ensAB9ChNDBuCBkCjF/Bb/i2RHpWBgKQdKLJUhyQA-jliAQBJSXgg0K0PNMoRJG0OJAnS9Hzq8YtKBBwTAAG7PIKAeC-w

>

> To push with the front line, stick on tag and keep stability up, but then when the push is resetting or reforming plus out tomes and heal and protect the recovery phase. We'll see. Honestly I really wanted Hallowed Ground to give quickness on every pulse, not sure if its WAI or a bug, but I'm a bit disappointed.

>

>

 

Hey once again Garimeth, So your saying that it would be best to use your pages wisely with buff to increase your quickness etc and then unload the damage from your axe. Am i right in saying that is what you meant. I will check out your build also. Playing a front line burn Firebrand sounds like plenty of fun. I am sure folks from the opposing server would back up quickly if they saw your flaming axe coming right for them :)

 

Again Garimeth thanks for your time pondering on how to make your and other peoples Firebrands all that much better.

 

Cheers from Cave Rock and Bluevoltron42.

[Cave Rock.4869]

> @Grimheart.2853 said:

> > @"Cave Rock.4869" said:

> > > @Grimheart.2853 said:

> > > http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vVAQNApeWn8ABNCjtDBuCBkCjlHCbveuPDoYBgGQWK79MfyAA-jlxHQBg7JF6beoSwfs/AAOlCwT9HAq8LAACwP7z+8n5zf+zf+n/8n/8n/sv7zf+zf+zf+zf+zfWKA/WpB-w

> > >

> > > I like my cleric more.

> >

> > Hey Grimheart, thanks for the build as i appreciate you time pondering on builds. I see plenty of healing and support in your build which is great, but we will need to see if there is a cap on out going healing, if anyone knows it would be really great to find out. So far Hadan thinks 100% which would make sense, but if anyone else can negate that it would be interesting to hear from you about it.

> >

> > Once again Grimheart, thanks for participating with the build and comment, Cheers from Cave Rock and Bluevoltron42.

>

> It defintely goes up to 50% +, since resolve's default tick of ~200 goes up to ~300 on allies with 50 percent, I think I'll try testing out firebrands + 33% right now in WvW, if I find the right people. But even if it's capped on 50 (which is unlikely), resolve 5 still inproves firebrand's icoming healing as well, so it's useful anyway.

>

> Also a small update to my build: "battle presense" is 99.99% useless, since it doesn't synergize with "loremaster", as I expected it to. I really hope it's a bug, because those traits look like they're just meant to be together.

 

Yo Grimheart, I just investigated the issue with Battle Presence and this link (https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Battle_Presence) suggests that it only works on allies and not yourself like it has done in the past. So therefore it is useful on allies but will not help you out (solo) one bit really; except keeping your friends/team mates alive which can ultimately be beneficial in the end (grouped).

 

Also are you able to do further testing to see if the outgoing healing stat goes beyond 50%? You can use runes of the monk and other outgoing healing stats to check it out. But they come from Ascalonian catacombs, so a little tricky to get.

 

Cheers, from Cave Rock and Bluevoltron42.

[Cave Rock.4869]

> @Garimeth.8725 said:

> > @MidnightO.8632 said:

> > How do you all feel about ditching a torch for condi FB? I'm honestly getting kind of sick of it and with the amount of burns FB can use it might just be viable. You could always pad out your roation with the burning mantra if need arises. Torch feels a bit like overkill with axe to me, I would rather take sword with torch for some moblity and blind (and it does seem to do a bit more damage, though that could just be burst).

>

> Dude, you can totally ditch torch. I've even thought about it myself. It will drop your dps, sure, but its not going to make it kitten. The build I posted above was getting 9 burn and 6 bleed stacks just from symbol and AA on a single target and hitting physically for around 400 or 500 a hit, make it aoe and it goes up even more. If you do shield and have the quickness on aegis trait, which I do, it makes shield that much better. I personally am not a fan of running double melee weapons on any toon though, so I'd still have scepter in my other hand, and I prefer shield or torch with scepter over focus. Also while I like focus, I feel it just doesn't synergize as well as shield or torch. I might run axe/shield and staff, but staff is basically a melee weapon now, which means I will almost never use it.

>

> > @"Cave Rock.4869" said:

> > Hey Garimeth, that idea about selecting the bleeds trait over the extra pages is certainly a good point. Why not do more condition damage outside of tomes (it would save you pages)? should be the question that many might consider with this trait. That is especially true in the open world whilst continuing the story or completing the PoF zones. But in WvW you may well just need those pages to stack up the burns for best burst damage potential. But i guess these are the choices that we have to make with trait selection, some times it just comes down to personal preference over what is better etc.

>

> In WVW the pages wouldn't even be so much for the burning as the extra buffs from TOR and TOC. I think that a situationally aware frontliner can use a build like this:

> http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vVAQRAnf7ensAB9ChNDBuCBkCjF/Bb/i2RHpWBgKQdKLJUhyQA-jliAQBJSXgg0K0PNMoRJG0OJAnS9Hzq8YtKBBwTAAG7PIKAeC-w

>

> To push with the front line, stick on tag and keep stability up, but then when the push is resetting or reforming plus out tomes and heal and protect the recovery phase. We'll see. Honestly I really wanted Hallowed Ground to give quickness on every pulse, not sure if its WAI or a bug, but I'm a bit disappointed.

>

>

 

Hey Garimeth, i did a check over the build and add a couple of things to it for you. I hope they help out for the furthering and development of your Firebrand.

 

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vVAQRAnf7ensAB9ChNDBuCBkCjF/BzKAUBqT7X0O6INLJUhyQA-j1iAQBrVJIaUilIdB9TDTCOQAA4JAAtTCgg0KAj9HOl6PmV5RAgDgxLexLexHf8xP+4jP+4j30jP+4jP+4jP+4jXKAeWWB-w

 

I will keep an eye out to hear how deadly this build might become for you in competitive WvW fight for you.

 

Once again thanks for taking part in the discussions. Plus your very welcome to ask me any more questions that you might have or want investigated.

 

Cheers from Cave Rock and Bluevoltron42.

[Cave Rock.4869]

> @Ashtaeroth.3940 said:

> So this is my Firebrand build that is still in testing but it's feeling promising: http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vVAQRAnf7ensArBiuglDZ5QmhwaIrQQKsgIL+D2V4KF8B2roZ0QqVAoCUnA-jVDBABU8EAO4ECEwBBoiDQADHIAA1lAwBQYZlfDqhgPtCus/w0q/QpSQSBc5yK-w

>

> It is quite selfish build but it's for damage and self sustain. I run this through WvW, PvE and Fractals without a worry and I'm carrying my own weight just fine. I've ran this build with sword/torch before as Dragonhunter and it has worked just fine. I am unsure if I'll keep the axe or go back to sword because of the mobility/Fury symbol and ranged block. For now it seems like axe is hitting slightly faster than sword so I'm going with that. Self sustain comes from food, sigil(they stack afaik) and meditations(with Dragonhunter I get alot of Aegis). I keep the mantras active all the time and am learning to time them correctly so I can utilize Smiter's Boon trait to full effect since it triggers on the healing mantra as long as it's off cooldown and I never expend the mantras unless I really, really have to. The reload is fast enough to sustain the skills. If I time my rotation right I seem to push out a max of 15 burn stacks on first attack but I need more testing on that and how many stacks I can actually sustain. Against players this is different but I have beaten up players before if I can survive their initial burst in my Dragonhunter build.

>

> For the current rotation I'm trying is:

> **Healing Mantra:** To activate Quickfire for 2 stacks

> **Zealot's Flame:** Try to throw this for the 3 stacks

> **Judge's Intervention:** Teleport to target and add 3 more stacks

> **Flame Rush:** Trigger this for 1 more stack

> And then the **Radiant Fire** trait has probably kitten so I can throw the flame again and **Virtue of Justice** passive has probably kitten once or twice aswell by now.

>

> What happens next is anyones guess depending on what you are up against. In PvE I don't take much rush since I got all the time in the world to do damage so this is more of a practise to WvW. I have Judges to replace the sword teleport but it's on a long cooldown and I'm kinda missing the Dragonhunter's Wings of Resolve for added mobility. The axe pull is kinda okay and quite fast so it might work okay. For now healing seems quite adequate but only with meditations and Fury uptime is less. Then again the mantras add alot more burn damage so it kind of compensates for that. And with almost 50% crit chances I trigger the food and sigils quite often and the healing is noticeable. I haven't managed to test this in WvW yet because I need to practise and learn the skills first but I'm thinking I'll be missing the pull from Dragonhunters Spear of Justice and the interrupt on Dragon's Maw. Maybe the axe trait is better than quickness but it's kinda important to get a steady Quickfire. I am unsure how the tomes will come to play but that remains to be seen.

>

> For comparison this is my Dragonhunter build: http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vVAQRAsf7en8cqBiqhkDZzQmhwoTrQQ2pgIL+DlVAUB15V4mCfgc4f+vPA-jVDBABVcACo4JAQpSQAOACHcCB4Trw0q/wwBCYQNEus/QAHEAA1lssyvAAJASZWmlZZiUAXusC-w

 

Hey Ashtaeroth, thanks heaps for posting your build and very detailed explanation of what your going for with it. Those explanation help me out when seeing the direction that you intended and i can see that it is a very clear one, as you grand plan by the look of it is to: solo, be sustainable and put out a lot of condition damage through burns. I think you also managed to cover all your bases very well. You have sustain through the food and meditations plus ToR. Your applications of burns will be incredible and damaging. Plus you are able to control your opponent with immobilize, and as well all know many classes have a lot of get out of jail or escape methods, like the engineer with rocket boots and the thief with stealth/teleport etc, or even a warrior with dashes. So having a couple of immobilizes is exceptionally useful. Additionally being able to have high hits and being relatively durable you will have the time to consider what to do in a fight, and that is a big plus on an elite like the Firebrand which has some gated skills that take time to activate or access.

 

One type of opponent that might be a treat will be those that do heavy power damage so your going to have to watch out for those pesky Deadeyes that have unblock-able attacks from stealth. Also you may want to consider a second set of armour for those day when you might be required to have a build that is based on team support for friends. Thanks is all i can really do to give you advice, as you seem to have a really decent build and know your stuff well about the Firebrand/Guardian. Oh one more thing to consider or that i wanted to discuss at least is how you will manage conditions with the build. I know you have smite conditions but with some many new elite having rapid or continual applications of conditions how will you fair with a skill that is on a 16 second time to clear most of you conditions that have been applied to yourself. I know also you have the Tome of Resolve but that is going to be a gated skill once again that you will need to access quickly to clear a condition burst. But they are all hypothetical situations, but still interesting to think about.

 

Many thanks for such a great build Ashtaeroth.

 

Cheers from Cave Rock and Bluevoltron42.

[Grimheart.2853]

> @"Cave Rock.4869" said:

> > @Grimheart.2853 said:

> > > @"Cave Rock.4869" said:

> > > > @Grimheart.2853 said:

> > > > http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vVAQNApeWn8ABNCjtDBuCBkCjlHCbveuPDoYBgGQWK79MfyAA-jlxHQBg7JF6beoSwfs/AAOlCwT9HAq8LAACwP7z+8n5zf+zf+n/8n/8n/sv7zf+zf+zf+zf+zfWKA/WpB-w

> > > >

> > > > I like my cleric more.

> > >

> > > Hey Grimheart, thanks for the build as i appreciate you time pondering on builds. I see plenty of healing and support in your build which is great, but we will need to see if there is a cap on out going healing, if anyone knows it would be really great to find out. So far Hadan thinks 100% which would make sense, but if anyone else can negate that it would be interesting to hear from you about it.

> > >

> > > Once again Grimheart, thanks for participating with the build and comment, Cheers from Cave Rock and Bluevoltron42.

> >

> > It defintely goes up to 50% +, since resolve's default tick of ~200 goes up to ~300 on allies with 50 percent, I think I'll try testing out firebrands + 33% right now in WvW, if I find the right people. But even if it's capped on 50 (which is unlikely), resolve 5 still inproves firebrand's icoming healing as well, so it's useful anyway.

> >

> > Also a small update to my build: "battle presense" is 99.99% useless, since it doesn't synergize with "loremaster", as I expected it to. I really hope it's a bug, because those traits look like they're just meant to be together.

>

> Yo Grimheart, I just investigated the issue with Battle Presence and this link (https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Battle_Presence) suggests that it only works on allies and not yourself like it has done in the past. So therefore it is useful on allies but will not help you out (solo) one bit really; except keeping your friends/team mates alive which can ultimately be beneficial in the end (grouped).

>

> Also are you able to do further testing to see if the outgoing healing stat goes beyond 50%? You can use runes of the monk and other outgoing healing stats to check it out. But they come from Ascalonian catacombs, so a little tricky to get.

>

> Cheers, from Cave Rock and Bluevoltron42.

 

You didn't really understand about battle presense. It's fairly obvious that it only benefits allies, that's what description says. What is not obvious, however, is that it doesn't work with loremaster.

 

Resolve's passive on core guardian works as long as it's off CD and not activated. When you use it up, your passive goes away and so there's no longer anything to be shared with allies. Loremaster retains your passive even after you use your tome, so I thought battle presense would allow me to permanently keep resolve on nearby allies, since my passive never goes away. However, when you use resolve tome, the passive kept by loremaster is NOT shared with allies (only the original one, when your tome is off CD), rendering battle presense almost completely useless, since 300 hp per tick is not worth keeping your tome untouched.

 

I already have the set up I've linked on my guardian, so yeah, I will try to test it, but I'm already confident it'll work correctly, sinse resolve 5 isn't even outgoing healing, but incoming instead, making it, in theory, a different stat.

 

Although my "theorizing" has already bitten me in the arse with battle presense...

 

 

UPD: Everything works with resolve 5 and nothing overcaps.

[Cave Rock.4869]

> @Grimheart.2853 said:

> > @"Cave Rock.4869" said:

> > > @Grimheart.2853 said:

> > > > @"Cave Rock.4869" said:

> > > > > @Grimheart.2853 said:

> > > > > http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vVAQNApeWn8ABNCjtDBuCBkCjlHCbveuPDoYBgGQWK79MfyAA-jlxHQBg7JF6beoSwfs/AAOlCwT9HAq8LAACwP7z+8n5zf+zf+n/8n/8n/sv7zf+zf+zf+zf+zfWKA/WpB-w

> > > > >

> > > > > I like my cleric more.

> > > >

> > > > Hey Grimheart, thanks for the build as i appreciate you time pondering on builds. I see plenty of healing and support in your build which is great, but we will need to see if there is a cap on out going healing, if anyone knows it would be really great to find out. So far Hadan thinks 100% which would make sense, but if anyone else can negate that it would be interesting to hear from you about it.

> > > >

> > > > Once again Grimheart, thanks for participating with the build and comment, Cheers from Cave Rock and Bluevoltron42.

> > >

> > > It defintely goes up to 50% +, since resolve's default tick of ~200 goes up to ~300 on allies with 50 percent, I think I'll try testing out firebrands + 33% right now in WvW, if I find the right people. But even if it's capped on 50 (which is unlikely), resolve 5 still inproves firebrand's icoming healing as well, so it's useful anyway.

> > >

> > > Also a small update to my build: "battle presense" is 99.99% useless, since it doesn't synergize with "loremaster", as I expected it to. I really hope it's a bug, because those traits look like they're just meant to be together.

> >

> > Yo Grimheart, I just investigated the issue with Battle Presence and this link (https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Battle_Presence) suggests that it only works on allies and not yourself like it has done in the past. So therefore it is useful on allies but will not help you out (solo) one bit really; except keeping your friends/team mates alive which can ultimately be beneficial in the end (grouped).

> >

> > Also are you able to do further testing to see if the outgoing healing stat goes beyond 50%? You can use runes of the monk and other outgoing healing stats to check it out. But they come from Ascalonian catacombs, so a little tricky to get.

> >

> > Cheers, from Cave Rock and Bluevoltron42.

>

> You didn't really understand about battle presense. It's fairly obvious that it only benefits allies, that's what description says. What is not obvious, however, is that it doesn't work with loremaster.

>

> Resolve's passive on core guardian works as long as it's off CD and not activated. When you use it up, your passive goes away and so there's no longer anything to be shared with allies. Loremaster retains your passive even after you use your tome, so I thought battle presense would allow me to permanently keep resolve on nearby allies, since my passive never goes away. However, when you use resolve tome, the passive kept by loremaster is NOT shared with allies (only the original one, when your tome is off CD), rendering battle presense almost completely useless, since 300 hp per tick is not worth keeping your tome untouched.

>

> I already have the set up I've linked on my guardian, so yeah, I will try to test it, but I'm already confident it'll work correctly, sinse resolve 5 isn't even outgoing healing, but incoming instead, making it, in theory, a different stat.

>

> Although my "theorizing" has already bitten me in the kitten with battle presense...

>

>

> UPD: Everything works with resolve 5 and nothing overcaps.

 

Hey once again Garimeth, thanks for the clarification with regards to Battle Presence, I was a bit slow on the uptake. I wondered if the lack of interaction with loremaster is a bug, intended or something that slipped through the cracks during development or testing?

 

Also many thanks Garimeth for testing the outgoing healing and overcap theories. The effort and time you took will be much appreciated by myself and other Firebrands.

 

Cheers from Cave Rock and Bluevoltron42.

 

 

[nuaa.4962]

Now firebrand been out for a big, here is my update. on 2 builds i been using. First of not found any grievers stuff yet, so using celestial armor with sinister on everything else.

 

AoE burn build open world/story: http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vVAQRAnf7OnsADFBjNCDkCjF/BL7BVhyQWBgKQdafi2RHpA-jxhAQBA4JFIV9PmS9n1qEEG7PYWlfR7kKIIAFB-e

Same build i posted first time. But 100% mantra utility, for personal reason. So instead i will focus on telling why i found the build good.

First thing, this build pulled me through story and gave me most achivement on first try, other then me failing at eater of souls it felt good. Same time in open world it clears out packs off mobs so easy, and often i was able to fully use ToJ before last mob dies and get instant reset and can keep going F. 5 page > 8 page for that sole reason.

Now damage output is amazing, everytime i go straight into opening ToJ and do combo of 5,4,2,1,1. Yet if i have to use my axe, it still works fine and clears well. Don´t actualy use scepter much.

Now mantras aren´t perfect, but for solo play i been finding em very good. Short cooldown on ammo means i can use em alot, which keeps playstyle active. Mantra of potence and lore i will always recommend, might, quickness, regen and condi clear is at times very helpfull when doing maps. Also got flames, but is still a weak mantra.

Now onto tomes. Already talked about ToJ, so lets go to ToR. ToR has actually save me many times, but it is more used as an "ON ****" button, when health is low and healing mantra is on 3rd ammo.

ToC, almost never sees any use. Often just turned into skill 1 spam for swiftness and protection when doing something like bounties. THough used right it has saved me a few times.

 

 

2nd build:

This is actually same AoE build, just trying it out in spvp instead, though mantra of flame is changed for judg intervention. Let make this clear i am not an high skilled pvp player, so this is not a spec you go for to win tournement. This was simpelly me looking for an high burn build i could have fun with.

First of all i went with carrion, simpelly because i found i need that vit overall, because i am going up and personal and this build is an all or nothing, if you go in either you win or you die, which main reason this is not a good spec for high end spvp.

Now here is the thing, overall this is same build as before. You need to play completly different though.

ToJ and ToJ often casted before you engage in combat. Reason for ToJ is casted before engaging, is becuase skill 5 has cast time and while doing it enemies get free damage in. At same time you can precast skill 4 and teleport in with judge intervention, can be a good opening move that makes some people panic. Otherwise again skill 2 and 1 you use to empty ToJ:

ToC, now see this was suprise to me. I do cast it in combat at times, but i found it far better used as an opener move , just placing down projectile reflect bubble for skill 3 before team fight start. And at other times using for swiftness only, was also fine. After i startet to use all tomes and finding out when to use em, i went from dead weight to being overall usefull for team.

 

Was having alot of fun with it, and won ½ my matchs, where first 3 or 4 matchs was me being close to dead weight not use to my spec.(did 10 matchs today).

[LeDevil.5374]

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vVAQRArf3fnsABFChFBDeBD8Dhl4BzaD8CeU7x0b6OtKAslqXA-jhhAQBrVJoO2fQq6HYo6PA4kAASlfAA-e PVE scrubbing ~

 

The grieving stat weapons I got via fractal npc exchange.

[Cave Rock.4869]

> @nuaa.4962 said:

> Now firebrand been out for a big, here is my update. on 2 builds i been using. First of not found any grievers stuff yet, so using celestial armor with sinister on everything else.

>

> AoE burn build open world/story: http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vVAQRAnf7OnsADFBjNCDkCjF/BL7BVhyQWBgKQdafi2RHpA-jxhAQBA4JFIV9PmS9n1qEEG7PYWlfR7kKIIAFB-e

> Same build i posted first time. But 100% mantra utility, for personal reason. So instead i will focus on telling why i found the build good.

> First thing, this build pulled me through story and gave me most achivement on first try, other then me failing at eater of souls it felt good. Same time in open world it clears out packs off mobs so easy, and often i was able to fully use ToJ before last mob dies and get instant reset and can keep going F. 5 page > 8 page for that sole reason.

> Now damage output is amazing, everytime i go straight into opening ToJ and do combo of 5,4,2,1,1. Yet if i have to use my axe, it still works fine and clears well. Don´t actualy use scepter much.

> Now mantras aren´t perfect, but for solo play i been finding em very good. Short cooldown on ammo means i can use em alot, which keeps playstyle active. Mantra of potence and lore i will always recommend, might, quickness, regen and condi clear is at times very helpfull when doing maps. Also got flames, but is still a weak mantra.

> Now onto tomes. Already talked about ToJ, so lets go to ToR. ToR has actually save me many times, but it is more used as an "ON ****" button, when health is low and healing mantra is on 3rd ammo.

> ToC, almost never sees any use. Often just turned into skill 1 spam for swiftness and protection when doing something like bounties. THough used right it has saved me a few times.

>

>

> 2nd build:

> This is actually same AoE build, just trying it out in spvp instead, though mantra of flame is changed for judg intervention. Let make this clear i am not an high skilled pvp player, so this is not a spec you go for to win tournement. This was simpelly me looking for an high burn build i could have fun with.

> First of all i went with carrion, simpelly because i found i need that vit overall, because i am going up and personal and this build is an all or nothing, if you go in either you win or you die, which main reason this is not a good spec for high end spvp.

> Now here is the thing, overall this is same build as before. You need to play completly different though.

> ToJ and ToJ often casted before you engage in combat. Reason for ToJ is casted before engaging, is becuase skill 5 has cast time and while doing it enemies get free damage in. At same time you can precast skill 4 and teleport in with judge intervention, can be a good opening move that makes some people panic. Otherwise again skill 2 and 1 you use to empty ToJ:

> ToC, now see this was suprise to me. I do cast it in combat at times, but i found it far better used as an opener move , just placing down projectile reflect bubble for skill 3 before team fight start. And at other times using for swiftness only, was also fine. After i startet to use all tomes and finding out when to use em, i went from dead weight to being overall usefull for team.

>

> Was having alot of fun with it, and won ½ my matchs, where first 3 or 4 matchs was me being close to dead weight not use to my spec.(did 10 matchs today).

 

> @nuaa.4962 said:

> Now firebrand been out for a big, here is my update. on 2 builds i been using. First of not found any grievers stuff yet, so using celestial armor with sinister on everything else.

>

> AoE burn build open world/story: http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vVAQRAnf7OnsADFBjNCDkCjF/BL7BVhyQWBgKQdafi2RHpA-jxhAQBA4JFIV9PmS9n1qEEG7PYWlfR7kKIIAFB-e

> Same build i posted first time. But 100% mantra utility, for personal reason. So instead i will focus on telling why i found the build good.

> First thing, this build pulled me through story and gave me most achivement on first try, other then me failing at eater of souls it felt good. Same time in open world it clears out packs off mobs so easy, and often i was able to fully use ToJ before last mob dies and get instant reset and can keep going F. 5 page > 8 page for that sole reason.

> Now damage output is amazing, everytime i go straight into opening ToJ and do combo of 5,4,2,1,1. Yet if i have to use my axe, it still works fine and clears well. Don´t actualy use scepter much.

> Now mantras aren´t perfect, but for solo play i been finding em very good. Short cooldown on ammo means i can use em alot, which keeps playstyle active. Mantra of potence and lore i will always recommend, might, quickness, regen and condi clear is at times very helpfull when doing maps. Also got flames, but is still a weak mantra.

> Now onto tomes. Already talked about ToJ, so lets go to ToR. ToR has actually save me many times, but it is more used as an "ON ****" button, when health is low and healing mantra is on 3rd ammo.

> ToC, almost never sees any use. Often just turned into skill 1 spam for swiftness and protection when doing something like bounties. THough used right it has saved me a few times.

>

>

> 2nd build:

> This is actually same AoE build, just trying it out in spvp instead, though mantra of flame is changed for judg intervention. Let make this clear i am not an high skilled pvp player, so this is not a spec you go for to win tournement. This was simpelly me looking for an high burn build i could have fun with.

> First of all i went with carrion, simpelly because i found i need that vit overall, because i am going up and personal and this build is an all or nothing, if you go in either you win or you die, which main reason this is not a good spec for high end spvp.

> Now here is the thing, overall this is same build as before. You need to play completly different though.

> ToJ and ToJ often casted before you engage in combat. Reason for ToJ is casted before engaging, is becuase skill 5 has cast time and while doing it enemies get free damage in. At same time you can precast skill 4 and teleport in with judge intervention, can be a good opening move that makes some people panic. Otherwise again skill 2 and 1 you use to empty ToJ:

> ToC, now see this was suprise to me. I do cast it in combat at times, but i found it far better used as an opener move , just placing down projectile reflect bubble for skill 3 before team fight start. And at other times using for swiftness only, was also fine. After i startet to use all tomes and finding out when to use em, i went from dead weight to being overall usefull for team.

>

> Was having alot of fun with it, and won ½ my matchs, where first 3 or 4 matchs was me being close to dead weight not use to my spec.(did 10 matchs today).

 

Hey once again Nuaa, one think i notice is that you don't appear to use Ashes of the Just? is it the cooldown that prevents you from using it? Because i heard that the amount of damage that it does is based off of your own condition damage. Am i correct in saying that or not? Also another question bud, how do the pages that are used for tomes work in reseting, if we can let other new players understand that essential Firebrand elite specialization mechanic. I am right is saying it goes like this, you enter a tome and you get 5 pages, use up those five pages and then switch to another tome and it resets your pages once again, correct or not?

 

Plus Nuaa thanks for the build and i am really glad your enjoying your Firebrand elite specialization as much as i am.

 

Cheers from Cave Rock and Bluevoltron42.

[Cave Rock.4869]

> @LeDevil.5374 said:

> http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vVAQRArf3fnsABFChFBDeBD8Dhl4BzaD8CeU7x0b6OtKAslqXA-jhhAQBrVJoO2fQq6HYo6PA4kAASlfAA-e PVE scrubbing ~

>

> The grieving stat weapons I got via fractal npc exchange.

 

Hey LeDevil, it might be PvE scrubbing but i like how hybrid based damage it really is, but i just wonder how much power damage the axe and scepter can really put out. It might just be more beneficial trying to stick with condition damage. What do you think?

 

Cheers from Cave Rock and Bluevoltron42.

[LeDevil.5374]

> @"Cave Rock.4869" said:

> > @LeDevil.5374 said:

> > http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vVAQRArf3fnsABFChFBDeBD8Dhl4BzaD8CeU7x0b6OtKAslqXA-jhhAQBrVJoO2fQq6HYo6PA4kAASlfAA-e PVE scrubbing ~

> >

> > The grieving stat weapons I got via fractal npc exchange.

>

> Hey LeDevil, it might be PvE scrubbing but i like how hybrid based damage it really is, but i just wonder how much power damage the axe and scepter can really put out. It might just be more beneficial trying to stick with condition damage. What do you think?

>

> Cheers from Cave Rock and Bluevoltron42.

 

Well in a boss fight or fractal I dont wanna be too close with low hp, so I will prob move back and range a bit when I get close it'll probably be for the tome of justice and axe rotations, or at least thats how I see it. I just dont wanna miss out out on dps while I'm in range thats why I dont wanna go full condi, full viper works just fine as well depends on individual play style .

[Aldath.1275]

Too poor for Viper so... How is this guy doing with Power? How's axe and the rest of the weapons?

[stargear.4905]

> @Aldath.1275 said:

> Too poor for Viper so... How is this guy doing with Power? How's axe and the rest of the weapons?

 

Use sinister.

[nuaa.4962]

> @"Cave Rock.4869" said:

>

> Hey once again Nuaa, one think i notice is that you don't appear to use Ashes of the Just? is it the cooldown that prevents you from using it? Because i heard that the amount of damage that it does is based off of your own condition damage. Am i correct in saying that or not? Also another question bud, how do the pages that are used for tomes work in reseting, if we can let other new players understand that essential Firebrand elite specialization mechanic. I am right is saying it goes like this, you enter a tome and you get 5 pages, use up those five pages and then switch to another tome and it resets your pages once again, correct or not?

>

> Plus Nuaa thanks for the build and i am really glad your enjoying your Firebrand elite specialization as much as i am.

>

> Cheers from Cave Rock and Bluevoltron42.

 

Yes AotJ works like off my condi and burn duration, also shows up as damage numbers for me, even though works like a group buff(Less people around weaker it gets)

I got AotJ from ToJ skill 5. Remeber for pve parts i am doing this resets it so often, i have no need for quickfire giving me AotJ. And when alone, AotJ doesn´t really beat out ToJ passive burn procs.

Now for certain situation like champion and legendaries mobs, you damage would without doubt be higher with quickfire. But right now i am focusing alot on collection, map completion and story(though that is done). So was really no need for it.

 

But when going fractals i would suggest going quickfire over loremaster, because you know you always have 4 people around you to help max out procs of AotJ

 

Resetting does not reset you skills in the tome. But remeber i am running loremaster over quickfire, so longest cooldown in there is 8 sec, so in worst case you just change rotation and cast skill 2 and/or 4 before 5. You will stil get same amount burns, but they just aren´t stacked as fast.

 

BTW, i now decided to run signet of wrath of mantra of fire. perma 180 condi damage seems better then burn mantra of fire offers.

[Kanto.1659]

I feel like I would try to play a scepter guardian since I like playing range instead of melee and it seems like a no frills rotation unlike some who have 30+ steps. But I can't seem to make it sturdy. I drag my scourge to the PvP lobby, equip it with a viper amulet and jump into the blue lord and four of his guards and melt them. My only nod to surviving is picking the talent that gives 10% of my condi damage as a heal.

 

I tried several times with the guardian and I just can't seem to make it happen. Even though the blue lord and four guards at once is a bit extreme and there is a lot of CC flying around.

[phor.7952]

Thought I had [an amazing/cheap open world PvE build](http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vVAQJApen8ABlChtCBGBDEEhlFCbffGQPoYJgOQJ4KA8AGAA-jBSXABSqEUXlfQ/AAUV9HRPBAHO/RT9AAs/AA-e "an amazing/cheap open world PvE build") going.

I was sticking to exotics and avoiding upgrades that I knew were expensive or difficult to obtain like Sigil of concentration, Rune of leadership/durability, etc...

Casual players don't want to worry about food upkeep, so that was nix'd as well.

Yet I still hit nearly 100% boon duration.

 

It was shaping up to be a low damage, but practically un-killable quickness/aegis/heal bot.

A concept that seemed like it would be really fun to play while helping friends complete old content.

 

But then I find out Minstrel's gear might as well be kitten fairy dust.

/sigh

 

How is it that in 2017 the economy and crafting systems are still built to push everyone to only a handful of stat combinations?

This game would be so much more fun if build diversity didn't also come with a 1000g pricetag.

[nuaa.4962]

> @Aldath.1275 said:

> Too poor for Viper so... How is this guy doing with Power? How's axe and the rest of the weapons?

 

Good for you that vipers never seemed like a good options anyway. We have no use for expertise at all(runes and sigil is enough). So either replace it with ferocity or a 3stat combo like sinister, both should beat vipers in damage. Getting sinister shouldn´t be hard at all, and pure grieving seems out of reach for now (Not seen it on armor yet)

 

But firebrand is actually really good condi/power spec, it takes advantage of both. Focusing on just power or cond, won´t really make firebrand shine. Though depending on how this AotJ situation ends up going, sinister could end up being better then grieving.

 

Though when going zeal/radiance/firebrand it is:

200 condi + 15% crit. 1% crit % = 0,5% overall power damage. If someone is sharing ferocity, then that number goes up ofc. But since both stats combo will get same buffs overall, any ferocity shared will only improve the 15% from your gear, since both get same crit damage increase.

vs

210power + 42,2% crit damage. While on other hand, fury this build would be 19,2% power damage increase. Also remeber since higher power damage, the 17% increase damage traits in zeal, also improves this stat combo even more.

 

Sorry that went a bit futher then expect, but i suddenly got curoius what set to go for. But think goal is still as much grieving as possible