Firebrand
“"Let the ancient magics of Vabbi burn away our foes."
Firebrands harness the power of ancient Vabbian tomes to burn away impurities and conquer their foes. Each tome contains raw, powerful magic and must be used with patience and care.
— In-game description
Firebrand is an elite specialization for the guardian unlocked with the Path of Fire expansion. These lore keepers were once the chroniclers of the achievements of the Elonian people, and their culture. They stand against Palawa Joko, who seeks to rewrite history in his own image. Empowered by the fiery hearts of the Elonians fighting for their lives and lands, firebrands have manifested the traditional guardian virtues as tomes: repositories of lore that firebrands bring forth to burn away the oppressors, lift the spirit of their allies, and courageously protect them from harm. They inspire allies by shouting mantras that heal and provide powerful boons, purging their impurities and their enemies alike. Firebrands can use axes on their main hand, combining fire and light to burn foes with vengeance, and pull them to their reckoning. Firebrands are very versatile, and can specialize as either damage dealers, supports, or healers.
List of firebrand skills[edit]
- See also: List of guardian skills
Profession mechanic[edit]
“Knowledge is power!
— Firebrand
Tomes replace virtues as the firebrand's profession mechanic. Their passive effects are identical to virtues, but using a tome replaces your weapon skills with tome skills. Each tome skill costs a certain amount of pages to cast, and the available page count is shared by all tomes. By default, firebrands have a maximum of 5 tome pages and it takes 8 seconds to generate a tome page.
Using all available pages will automatically exit a tome. Tomes can also be put away early by using the Stow Tome skill.
# | Skill | Type | ![]() |
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Description |
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F1 | Tome of Justice | Virtue | Virtue: Burn foes every few attacks. Activate: Pull forth a magical tome on the dangers of the blazing heat in Kourna. | ||
F2 | Tome of Resolve | Virtue | Virtue: Regenerate health. Activate: Draw forth an enchanted tome that recounts the trials undergone by the people of Vabbi. | ||
F3 | Tome of Courage | Virtue | Virtue: Gain aegis periodically. Activate: Conjure a mystic tome containing stories about the heroes of Istan. |
Tome of Justice[edit]
# | Skill | ![]() |
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Description |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Chapter 1: Searing Spell | ½ | Tome. Fueled by tales of the desolation in Istan, incite a great swelling of heat before you. | |
2 | Chapter 2: Igniting Burst | ¾ | 8 | Tome. Ignite the air around you in an expanding burst. |
3 | Chapter 3: Heated Rebuke | ¾ | 10 | Tome. Call forth a heated vortex to collapse your enemies together. |
4 | Chapter 4: Scorched Aftermath | ½ | 15 | Tome. Detail the suffering in fire and blood inflicted during Vabbi's occupation. |
5 | Epilogue: Ashes of the Just | ¾ | 20 | Tome. Recall the memory of fallen heroes, granting allies the searing blades of justice. |
Tome of Resolve[edit]
# | Skill | ![]() |
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Description |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Chapter 1: Desert Bloom | ½ | Tome. Tales of desert blooms create a wave of healing for your allies. | |
2 | Chapter 2: Radiant Recovery | ¾ | 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 | ¾ | 8 | Tome. Inspired by countless poems describing the comforting powers of the water-reflected sun, grant boons to allies. |
4 | Chapter 4: Shining River | ¾ | 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 | ¾ | 20 | Tome. Purify your allies with the waters of Amnoon and increase the healing they receive. |
Tome of Courage[edit]
# | Skill | ![]() |
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Description |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Chapter 1: Unflinching Charge | ½ | Tome. Roused by tales of mythical Sunspear charges, ground and motivate allies before you. | |
2 | Chapter 2: Daring Challenge | ¼ | 4 | Tome. As the tales recount of Turai, taunt your enemies by issuing an insightfully inciting challenge. |
3 | Chapter 3: Valiant Bulwark | ¾ | 15 | Tome. Manifest the shimmering purity of the desert sun, reflecting enemy missiles. |
4 | Chapter 4: Stalwart Stand | ¼ | 20 | Tome. Recount the stand of Elonian loyalists against Palawa Joko, granting resistance to your allies. |
5 | Epilogue: Unbroken Lines | ¾ | 25 | Tome. Recalling the memory of heroes past, enchant nearby allies with formidable defenses. |
Weapon skills[edit]
# | Skill | ![]() |
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Description | |
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Axe[edit] | |||||
1 | Core Cleave | ½ | Cleave at your enemy with a physical and a magical axe. | ||
1 | ![]() |
½ | Slice through your foe again, physically and magically, as your weapon is heating up. | ||
1 | ![]() |
½ | 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 | ¾ | 12 | Conjure a magical axe to rake your enemies toward you. |
Slot skills[edit]
Healing[edit]
Skill | ![]() |
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Description |
---|---|---|---|---|
Mantra of Solace | 1 | Mantra. Gain health. Grant boons to you and allies in front of and around you. |
Utility[edit]
Skill | ![]() |
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![]() |
Description |
---|---|---|---|---|
Mantra of Flame | 1 | Mantra. Chant a wave of purging fire to sear enemies in front of and around you. | ||
Mantra of Lore | 1 | Mantra. Chant the ritual of cleansing, removing conditions and speeding recovery. | ||
Mantra of Truth | 1 | Mantra. Chant tenets of truth to debilitate your foes. | ||
Mantra of Potence | 1 | Mantra. Recite a hymn from the annals of Turai to quicken yourself and your allies. |
Elite[edit]
Skill | ![]() |
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Description |
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Mantra of Liberation | 1 | Mantra. Echo remnants of an ancient pamphlet from Vabbi that urged Elonians to freedom. Grant stability and resolution to allies while breaking stun. |
List of firebrand traits[edit]
- See also: List of guardian traits
Tier | Trait | ![]() |
Description |
---|---|---|---|
Minor Proficiency | ![]() |
You can wield axes. | |
Minor Adept | ![]() |
Gain knowledge of Elonian lore, igniting a fierce drive to purge corruption and manifesting your Virtues as mystic tomes. Gain access to Mantras. Using Tome skills consumes pages. You regenerate pages every interval. | |
Major Adept | ![]() |
Axe skills gain a chance to inflict bleeding. Symbol of Vengeance now dazes on its initial strike. | |
Major Adept | ![]() |
7 | Grant allies quickness when you use your heal skill. |
Major Adept | ![]() |
Your Virtues gain additional pages. | |
Minor Master | ![]() |
8 | Equipping a Virtue grants you quickness. Every third Tome skill grants you pages. Stacks reset when exiting a tome. Quickness can only be gained once per interval |
Major Master | ![]() |
10 | Your Mantra skills slow nearby foes. This effect may only occur once per interval. Mantras gain reduced charge-recovery time. |
Major Master | ![]() |
7 | When you grant aegis or stability, grant quickness. This can affect multiple targets simultaneously. |
Major Master | ![]() |
Tome skills gain bonuses from scribbling in the margins by ancient bards. | |
Minor Grandmaster | ![]() |
Gain increased attributes while affected by quickness. | |
Major Grandmaster | ![]() |
1 | Retain Courage passive while it is on cooldown. Grant boons to nearby, allies when you disable, immobilize, or slow an enemy. Disables include stun, daze, knockback, pull, knockdown, sink, float, launch, taunt, and fear. |
Major Grandmaster | ![]() |
7 | Retain Justice passive while it is on cooldown. Granting quickness to an ally also grants Ashes of the Just. |
Major Grandmaster | ![]() |
Retain Resolve passive while it is on cooldown. You generate pages more quickly. |
Lore[edit]
“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
Associated items[edit]
- Superior Rune of the Firebrand
- Firebrand's War Miter
- Firebrand's Axe
- Expurgation
- Mini Firebrand Roni Gehianu
Related achievements[edit]
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[edit]
- Promotional material
- Icons
Notes[edit]
Trivia[edit]
- 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.