Wizard Firebird Explosive Blast

[Damien 1,514]

This thread is for comments about our Wizard Firebird Explosive Blast build.

[Guest Reaper]

Almost perfect guide as far as GR pushing is concerned, only thing missing is that there is no mention of Sliver of Terror (ring of fire version), which seems to be superior to the Shard of Hatred once you get high enough. The build is relatively simple to gear for and easier to play compared to the other competitive Wizard builds, so I can definitely recommend it. The farming variants are fairly effective as well.

[Guest Hayduke]

FYI, the "when you kill an enemy, you deal damage done by the death blow to all enemies within 25 yards" of the "Essence of Anguish" gem is considered poison and will proc the stacking baseline poison proc.

This allows you to go for lightning damage on your weapon and get all the damage type benefits while still being able to proc the gem stacking buff.

[Guest Wand of Woh?]

Just curious if Wand of Woh is at all desirable for this build. Being the majority of damage comes from explosive blast with the 6 piece debuff, wouldn't hyper charging the blast be more effective than having more CDR from in-geom? Cool downs are already really low with Zodiac.

I'd try it out but I just started the season and don't have any of the aforementioned gear. ¯\\\_(ツ)\_/¯

[albabe 33]

"...the ceaseless detonations of this skill into a fiery source of burning destruction."   Shakespeare?

I love the old "Wand Of Woh-Dood" Build!  Lots of fun.  So, this one is a lot better?  

[albabe 33]

On 1/25/2022 at 7:28 AM, Guest Wand of Woh? said:

Just curious if Wand of Woh is at all desirable for this build. Being the majority of damage comes from explosive blast with the 6 piece debuff, wouldn't hyper charging the blast be more effective than having more CDR from in-geom? Cool downs are already really low with Zodiac.

I'd try it out but I just started the season and don't have any of the aforementioned gear. ¯\\\_(ツ)\_/¯

Have you messed with this build yet?

[albabe 33]

I played around with this build.  Kinda fun, but I must be doing something wrong.  It sure doesn’t seem Godly at all.

[Bubble181 14]

On 4/4/2022 at 3:20 PM, albabe said:

I played around with this build.  Kinda fun, but I must be doing something wrong.  It sure doesn’t seem Godly at all.

 

Considering this is one of the strongest builds in quite a few game modes....Yes, you probably are doing something wrong - or your playing style simply doesn't mesh with the build (I mainly play WD and necro and there are some builds that I just don't use because, well, they're not how I like to play). But if you want any poiinters or assistance in how to make your build better, you're going to have to give some more info.

Do you have ALL necessary items? Do they have the right rolls? Are you using all the same runes? Most builds can definitely be varied from quite a bit (the builds as presented on IV tend to be for the absolute endgame, sacrificing survivability for raw damage - it is assumed you can compensate with Paragon levels). 

Post a link to your build, or list what you do/don't have, and someone experienced might be able to pinpoint a weakness or problem you have.

[albabe 33]

On 4/7/2022 at 8:54 AM, Bubble181 said:

 

Considering this is one of the strongest builds in quite a few game modes....Yes, you probably are doing something wrong - or your playing style simply doesn't mesh with the build (I mainly play WD and necro and there are some builds that I just don't use because, well, they're not how I like to play). But if you want any poiinters or assistance in how to make your build better, you're going to have to give some more info.

Do you have ALL necessary items? Do they have the right rolls? Are you using all the same runes? Most builds can definitely be varied from quite a bit (the builds as presented on IV tend to be for the absolute endgame, sacrificing survivability for raw damage - it is assumed you can compensate with Paragon levels). 

Post a link to your build, or list what you do/don't have, and someone experienced might be able to pinpoint a weakness or problem you have.

I’m doing ok with build now.  It’s much easier to play on a PS4 than on my Computer.  Assigning which Powers to which Keys on the Computer is odd.  Using the Left Button on the mouse to Move and to Red Beam everyone is especially odd and makes it hard to get around.

Edited May 12, 2022 by albabe

[Bubble181 14]

4 hours ago, albabe said:

I’m doing ok with build now.  It’s much easier to play on a PS4 than on my Computer.  Assigning which Powers to which Keys on the Computer is odd.  Using the Left Button on the mouse to Move and to Red Beam everyone is especially odd and makes it hard to get around.

I've heard others say pretty much the same. Personally I can't use a controller to save my life, but if it works better for you, so much for the better! Glad to hear you're having more success now.

[albabe 33]

On 5/12/2022 at 10:01 AM, Bubble181 said:

I've heard others say pretty much the same. Personally I can't use a controller to save my life, but if it works better for you, so much for the better! Glad to hear you're having more success now.

It’s all about muscle memory.  I hadn’t played on my computer for a long time, and when I just picked-up a Mac Studio, I loaded-up D3 on my new 32” to check it out.  It took a little while to figure out the mouse again but it’s fun now… but still a little strange.

Edited May 16, 2022 by albabe

[Guest Wand of Woh]

On 1/25/2022 at 10:28 AM, Guest Wand of Woh? said:

Just curious if Wand of Woh is at all desirable for this build. Being the majority of damage comes from explosive blast with the 6 piece debuff, wouldn't hyper charging the blast be more effective than having more CDR from in-geom? Cool downs are already really low with Zodiac.

I'd try it out but I just started the season and don't have any of the aforementioned gear. ¯\\\_(ツ)\_/¯

I'm surprised Wand of Woh is not even mentioned as an alternative. I find it far more effective. Instead of standing in one spot channelling disintegrate, you can use it in short bursts to keep combustion stacks up and apply ignite. Then you can spam explosive blast while teleporting in and out of range. When you get good at alternating quickly, you can still get taeguk stacks up, and it allows a lot more mobility and keeps you away from ground effects and molten bombs. I'm up to G100 so far, so not sure if the theory holds up in higher tiers, but so far I find it more fun to play. 

[Bubble181 14]

On 7/21/2022 at 9:59 AM, Guest Wand of Woh said:

I'm surprised Wand of Woh is not even mentioned as an alternative. I find it far more effective. Instead of standing in one spot channelling disintegrate, you can use it in short bursts to keep combustion stacks up and apply ignite. Then you can spam explosive blast while teleporting in and out of range. When you get good at alternating quickly, you can still get taeguk stacks up, and it allows a lot more mobility and keeps you away from ground effects and molten bombs. I'm up to G100 so far, so not sure if the theory holds up in higher tiers, but so far I find it more fun to play. 

 

Haven't played this build in quite a while, but IIRC, while I agree that it was more fun, at the top end the WoW simply couldn't keep up. 
It's something that comes up on occasion: the builds here tend to be made for absolutely end-game trying to squeeze out the last bits of extra damage, often assuming high Paragon levels. Though it's gotten better (in my opinion) there are still quite a few builds where the build as presented is absolutely the best choice for GR150, but not necessarily the most fun way to play at (much) lower difficulty levels. There used to be (I can't say if it's still the case) a number of builds that on lower difficulty levels wouldn't even work because they lacked the density to maintain/sustain the flow. 

In a speedrunning GR version or such, WoW can definitely be easier/more fun to play, but it won't help you get the muscle memory to switch over to the build as presented for the top tier.

[mspector 1]

I've been playing Typhon Wizard and doing fairly well. That said, I have read more than once that the Wizard is "all about hydras". Which I believe; hydras are your advance guards as well as bodyguards. So what is the reason for not using hydras in the Firebird build?