Synopsis[edit]
Flameway is built around the Burning Barrage paragon and heros designed to maximize its potential. Burning Barrage provides mass damage and degen and both offensive and defensive support for the team, but in order to make the most of this build we need more burning (since Burning Refrain by itself is not enough), damage buffs such as Splinter Weapon, Judge's Insight, Cracked Armor, snaring capability and additional damage for spiking groups quickly. The team below is what I consider to the the optimal companions for Burning Barrage at present but it is certain to be improved over time. The reduction of armor levels in hardmode has made this build stronger since Barrage does more damage and the elementalist and ritualist skills do more damage as well. Some characters are secondary Paragons so that they can bring Signet of Return; this is not required, but I like this skill because it resurrects fallen comrades at 40% health and 8% energy even at 0 Leadership, it costs nothing to activate and recharges quickly. In short, a good combat resurrection skill.
Key features:
- Burning Barrage has Imbagon-like damage resistance for the team while delivering massive damage; with damage buffs applied the paragon can deliver 1500+ damage in one barrage while giving the team up to 59% damage reduction against any kind of damage.
- Mass burning, weakness, and cracked armor on foes.
- AoE snaring and knockdown to keep foes in the killzone
- AoE damage from Barrage, Splinter Weapon, Ray of Judgment, Searing Flames and other skills
- Ebon Battle Standard of Honor boosts elemental damage as well as arrow damage.
Advantages vs. melee teams:
- All team members stay in the ward and shout zone to gain maximum benefit from them
- Not affected by crippled, snares, kiting, etc.
- Can switch targets instantly
Team Build[edit]
- Player: P/R Burning Barrage : OQKjkxmDKTLGtYWYAh9YoYzk5iA
- Hero 1: Mo/P Ray of Judgment : Owkj4wQjJPLEfG13lY99x1Y5NA
- Hero 2: Rt/P Channeling/Restoration : OAmjEyiM5MYsfJlbcO5kmDT5NA , OAmjEyiM5MYsrZ5saKNncMT5NA
- Hero 3: E/Mo Unsteady Ground : OgNDkMnfO1DovqbHy06zIjUB
- Hero 4: E/N Searing Flames 1 : OgRDcpycOfC62uYs2IQG0CcB
- Hero 5: E/N Searing Flames 2 : OgRDcpycO+C62uYsaHQG0CcB
- Hero 6: Me/P Domination mesmer : OQlDApwTO0ATHyPHkBaCFV5N , OQlDApwTOF1gqpbDkByBkO5N
- Hero 7: Mo/Me Healing Burst : OwUTMwGDV6uxLqB0fICECMDoHAA
If you don't have all of these heroes, don't worry, henchmen will do fine. For the remainder of the group, the following henchmen are best: barrage ranger (Aidan), mesmer (Odurra/Dunham), elementalist(Cynn), healer(Mhenlo). If you are with another player, physical attackers and elementalists have good synergy, especially those that can cause Burning.
Author's note: I bind keys so that 9, 0, and - activate skill 1 on each of the first three heroes, so I get Judge's Insight, Splinter Weapon and Protective Spirit on demand... it's like having 11 skills on your bar.
Burning Barrage[edit]
Paragon / Ranger
|
Marksmanship
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12
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Leadership
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12+3+1
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Command
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3+1
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Mass damage and strong team defense. PvE skills can be changed as required; for example, replace "I Am The Strongest" with "You Move Like A Dwarf" when doing The Deep. This can provide roughly 60% damage reduction against everything, including armor ignoring damage. Team skills such as Enfeebling Blood and Stand Your Ground reduce damage even further. PvE skills can be swapped out as needed, I usually replace IatS with something else when required.
More info and screenshots at http://wiki.guildwars.com/wiki/User:Khomet/Burning_Barrage
Ray of Judgment[edit]
Monk / Paragon
|
Command
|
12
|
Smiting Prayers
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12+3+1
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Divine Favor
|
3+1
|
Ray of Judgment delivers armor ignoring AoE damage and burning, Judge's Insight increases Barrage damage and destroys undead, and command shouts protect and heal the group.
Clamor of Souls / SoS[edit]
Ritualist / Paragon
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Restoration
|
12+1
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Channeling
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12+3+1
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Spawning
|
3+1
|
Ritualist / Paragon
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Restoration
|
12+1
|
Channeling
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12+3+1
|
Spawning
|
3+1
|
This hero is a partial healer but the main reason to bring it is Splinter Weapon at 16 channeling magic. Clamor of Souls and Lamentation are additional AoE damage. Splinter Weapon @ 16 can deliver 1060 armor ignoring damage, and with consumables the hero can reach 17 channeling magic which increases splinter weapon's damage potential from 1060 to 1344 (4 x 56 x 6). Splinter Weapon appears to have a bug, it damages 4 adjacent targets instead of 3... however I am not complaining. :) If you are expecting big mobs bring Clamor of Souls for AoE damage, if there are fewer targets bring SoS for single target damage.
Unsteady Ground[edit]
Elementalist / Monk
|
Earth Magic
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12+3+1
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Energy Storage
|
9+1
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Protection Prayers
|
9
|
This hero brings the ever popular Protective Spirit, AoE snaring (Earthen Shackles), AoE damage and knockdowns, and knockdown immunity.
Searing Flames[edit]
Elementalist / Necromancer
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Fire Magic
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12+3+1
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Energy Storage
|
9+1
|
Curses
|
9
|
Elementalist / Necromancer
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Fire Magic
|
12+3+1
|
Energy Storage
|
9+1
|
Curses
|
9
|
Bring these two elementalists for mass damage, burning, cracked armor, weakness and knockdown. Energy stays high all the time with 4 energy management skills. (!!) The bars are designed such that each one casts a critical skill at the start of the battle (Weaken Armor and Mark of Rodgort, respectively) and then they start blasting.
Domination Mesmer[edit]
Mesmer / Paragon
|
Domination
|
12+2+1
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Fast Casting
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9+1
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Inspiration
|
9+1
|
Mesmer / Paragon
|
Domination
|
12+2+1
|
Fast Casting
|
9+1
|
Inspiration
|
9+1
|
This hero delivers AoE damage and interrupts; I configure it with Panic, Energy Surge, or Enchanter's Conundrum depending on the area. Enchanter's Conundrum + Shatter Delusions is 175 armor ignoring damage to all adjacent, or you can bring Panic for more defense at the expense of damage; also considerer ESurge + Mistrust. Consider bringing Hex Eater Signet and Inspired Hex on this hero in hex-heavy areas.
Healing Burst[edit]
Monk / Mesmer
|
Healing Prayers
|
12+1+1
|
Divine Favor
|
10+1
|
Inspiration Magic
|
8
|
Generic healer. You can use whatever you want, this one works well for me.
Screenshots (The Deep hardmode)[edit]
These were taken during a guild run through The Deep in Hard Mode on 2012-01-06. No consumables were used, we didn't need them. The Hardmode/Elementalist update gave the monsters lower armor and higher health, and this has made the Flameway build even stronger... Barrage and the elementalist spells do more damage and Burning Refrain triggers more often. (Flameway v1)
Screenshots (Urgoz hardmode)[edit]
Doing Urgoz hardmode with a close friend, no consumables were used anywhere in the run. (Flameway v3)
Screenshots (ToPK hardmode)[edit]
The next set of screenshots were taken from a heroes-only run through Tomb of the Primeval Kings in hardmode. As usual, no consumables were used. ToPK is among the harder areas for this kind of build because the enemies don't usually ball up nicely, most groups have both melee and casters and this reduces the effectiveness of all AoE damage including Splinter Barrage, Searing Flames, etc. Still, it works well enough. (Flameway v1)
Screenshots (Villainy of Galrath hardmode)[edit]
Team composition was Flameway v2. No consumables other than some DP removal.
Screenshots (When Kappa Attack hardmode)[edit]
Used a modified Flameway team for this one; I replaced the Unsteady Ground elementalist with a minion bomber, replaced the Healing Burst monk with an N/Rt Icy Veins healer, and replaced the smite monk with a UA monk. Continual improvements to the team eventually led to Flameway v3.