Firebrand

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These zealous lorekeepers are skilled in conjuring magical fire, and they use axes and mantras in close combat. Their virtues are replaced by conjured tomes, which act as weapons to rebuke enemies and protect allies.

— Official site

Firebrand is an elite specialization for the guardian focusing on mantra skills. It converts their virtues into offensive and defensive tomes. It also allows the guardian to equip an axe in the main hand.

List of firebrand skills

See also: List of guardian skills

Profession mechanic

Tomes replace virtues as the firebrand's profession mechanic. Their passive effects are identical to virtues, but using a tome replaces your weapon skills and gives you a certain amount of skill uses ("pages") before the tome disappears. Tomes can also be put away early by using the   Stow Tome skill.

#	Skill	Type			Description
F1	Tome of Justice	Virtue, Tome	0.25¼	30	Virtue: Burn foes every few attacks. Activate: Pull forth a magical tome on the dangers of the blazing heat in Kourna. Each tome skill use consumes a page.
F2	Tome of Resolve	Virtue, Tome	0.5½	50	Virtue: Regenerate health. Activate: Draw forth an enchanted tome that recounts the trials undergone by the people of Vabbi. Each tome skill use consumes a page.
F3	Tome of Courage	Virtue, Tome	0.25¼	75	Virtue: Gain aegis periodically. Activate: Conjure a mystic tome containing stories about the heroes of Istan. Each tome skill use consumes a page.

Tome of Justice

#	Skill			Description
1	Chapter 1: Searing Spell	0.5½		Tome. Fueled by tales of the desolation in Istan, incite a great swelling of heat before you.
2	Chapter 2: Igniting Burst	0.75¾	4	Tome. Ignite the air around you in an expanding burst.
3	Chapter 3: Heated Rebuke	0.75¾	8	Tome. Call forth a heated vortex to collapse your enemies together.
4	Chapter 4: Scorched Aftermath	0.5½	10	Tome. Detail the suffering in fire and blood inflicted during Vabbi's occupation.
5	Epilogue: Ashes of the Just	0.75¾	12	Tome. Recall the memory of fallen heroes, granting allies the searing blades of justice.

Tome of Resolve

#	Skill			Description
1	Chapter 1: Desert Bloom	0.5½		Tome. Tales of desert blooms create a wave of healing for your allies.
2	Chapter 2: Radiant Recovery	0.75¾	4	Tome. Release magic from pages detailing the rebuilding of Vabbi, cleansing conditions on nearby allies. Allies are healed for each condition removed.
3	Chapter 3: Azure Sun	0.75¾	8	Tome. Inspired by countless poems describing the comforting powers of the water-reflected sun, grant boons to allies.
4	Chapter 4: Shining River	0.75¾	10	Tome. Release a torrent of pages describing the water cycle of the Elon River. Heal allies and grant them swiftness.
5	Epilogue: Eternal Oasis	0.75¾	12	Tome. Purify your allies with the waters of Amnoon and increase the healing they receive.

Tome of Courage

#	Skill			Description
1	Chapter 1: Unflinching Charge	0.5½		Tome. Roused by tales of mythical Sunspear charges, ground and motivate allies before you.
2	Chapter 2: Daring Challenge	0.25¼	4	Tome. As the tales recount of Turai, taunt your enemies by issuing an insightfully inciting challenge.
3	Chapter 3: Valiant Bulwark	0.75¾	8	Tome. Manifest the shimmering purity of the desert sun, reflecting enemy missiles.
4	Chapter 4: Stalwart Stand	0.25¼	10	Tome. Recount the stand of Elonian loyalists against Palawa Joko, granting resistance to your allies.
5	Epilogue: Unbroken Lines	0.75¾	12	Tome. Recalling the memory of heroes past, enchant nearby allies with formidable defenses.

Weapon skills

#	Skill			Description
Axe
1	Core Cleave	0.5½		Cleave at your enemy with a physical and a magical axe.
1	Bleeding Edge	0.5½		Slice through your foe again, physically and magically, as your weapon is heating up.
1	Searing Slash	0.5½		Unleash your searing axe in an overhand slash, following it up with a magical edge.
2	Symbol of Vengeance	1	8	Symbol. Cleave your axe into the ground, reducing enemy movement and carving a razor-sharp symbol of vengeance.
3	Blazing Edge	0.75¾	12	Conjure a magical axe to rake your enemies toward you.

Slot skills

Healing

Skill				Description
Mantra of Solace		20.75¾	30	Mantra. Prepare to heal yourself and grant allies aegis. The final charge of this ability is more powerful.
Restoring Reprieve			1	Gain health. Grant aegis to you and allies in front of and around you.
Rejuvenating Respite			1	Final Charge. Gain significant health. Grant aegis to you and allies before and beside you.

Utility

Skill				Description
Mantra of Flame		20.75¾	25	Mantra. Prepare a chant to sear your enemies. The final charge of this ability is more powerful.
Flame Rush			1	Unleash a wave of purging fire in front of and around you.
Flame Surge			1	Final Charge. Unleash a powerful wave of flame.
Mantra of Lore		20.75¾	25	Mantra. Recite the ritual of cleansing, removing conditions and speeding recovery. The final charge of this ability is more powerful.
Opening Passage			1	Recite a cleansing word, purifying allies of conditions and helping them recover.
Clarified Conclusion			1	Final Charge. Recite the concluding passage, converting corruption into enhancements for your allies and aiding them in recovery.
Mantra of Truth		20.75¾	25	Mantra. Prepare the tenets of truth to debilitate your foes. The final charge of this ability is more powerful.
Echo of Truth			1	Recount a truth to enemies in front of and around you, inflicting them with conditions.
Voice of Truth			1	Final Charge. Reveal a harsh truth to enemies before and beside you, devastating them with conditions.
Mantra of Potence		20.75¾	25	Mantra. Recite a hymn from the annals of Turai to hasten yourself and allies. The final charge of this ability is more powerful.
Potent Haste			1	Inspire allies before and beside you, enhancing their speed and strength.
Overwhelming Celerity			1	Final Charge. Inspire allies before and beside you, greatly enhancing their speed and strength.

Elite

Skill				Description
Mantra of Liberation		20.75¾	40	Mantra. Echo remnants of an ancient pamphlet from Vabbi that urged Elonians to freedom. Grant stability and swiftness to allies while breaking stun. The final charge of this ability is more powerful.
Portent of Freedom			1	Hints of freedom echo around, stabilizing and breaking stuns on you and your allies.
Unhindered Delivery			1	Final Charge. Your whispers guard your allies, stabilizing and breaking stuns on them while weakening enemies.

List of firebrand traits

See also: List of guardian traits

Tier	Trait		Description
Minor Proficiency	Axe Proficiency		You can wield axes.
Minor Adept	Purity of Word		Gain knowledge of Elonian lore, igniting a fierce drive to purge corruption and manifesting your Virtues as mystic tomes. Gain access to Mantras.
Major Adept	Unrelenting Criticism		Axe skills gain a chance to inflict bleeding. Symbol of Vengeance now dazes on its initial strike.
Major Adept	Liberator's Vow	7	Grant allies quickness when you use your heal skill.
Major Adept	Archivist of Whispers		Your Virtues gain additional pages.
Minor Master	Swift Scholar	8	Equipping or stowing a Virtue grants you quickness.
Major Master	Weighty Terms	10	The final charge of your Mantra skills inflict immobilize. Mantras gain reduced charge-recovery time.
Major Master	Stalwart Speed	7	When you grant aegis or stability, grant quickness. This can affect multiple targets simultaneously.
Major Master	Legendary Lore		Tome skills gain bonuses from scribbling in the margins by ancient bards.
Minor Grandmaster	Imbued Haste		Gain increased attributes while affected by quickness.
Major Grandmaster	Stoic Demeanor		Inflict burning and slow on foes you disable or immobilize. Disables include stun, daze, knockback, pull, knockdown, sink, float, launch, taunt, and fear. This trait can only affect the same target once per interval.
Major Grandmaster	Quickfire	7	Granting quickness to an ally also grants Ashes of the Just This can affect multiple targets simultaneously.
Major Grandmaster	Loremaster		Tome skills gain reduced recharge. Retain Virtues passives while they are on cooldown.

Associated items

•   Superior Rune of the Firebrand
•   Firebrand's War Miter
•   Firebrand's Axe
•   Expurgation
•   Mini Firebrand Roni Gehianu

Related achievements

• Specializations: Adept Firebrand — Begin training the guardian's firebrand elite specialization. (5)
• Specializations: Master Firebrand — Completely train the guardian's firebrand elite specialization. (10)
• Specialization Collections: Expurgation — Collect these 14 items and skins to receive the firebrand's axe, Expurgation. (3)

Gallery

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  Wallpaper

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Notes

Bug:

After first unlocking Axe Proficiency and equipping the Firebrand trait line, even before unlocking the next minor trait Purity of Word, Virtue of Courage is replaced with Tome of Courage. When activated, the player receives the Tome and their weapon skills are replaced with the tome skills. However, while tome skills can be used and go on cooldown, they have no effects. The player is therefore effectively unable to fight until the tome is stowed.

Trivia

• Two of the original elite skills for the guardian were also tomes.
• The Firebrand's mantras were one of the reasons why ArenaNet developed the Ammunition System. The old mantra system was inconvenient as once a mantra charge was used and the fight ended, players could either waste the next charge and wait for it to recharge or go into the next fight with one less mantra charge.
• The Elonian Firebrand Roni Gehianu can be found east of Derelict Delve in the Desert Highlands.

External links

• Guild Wars 2: Path of Fire Elite Specializations—Firebrand (Guardian)

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Guardian