Pyromancer Update

[Kervik]

Hey all,

Now that things are settling down a bit with Stormcaller, its time to rock the boat again and give you a look at changes coming to the Pyromancer. These are some pretty big changes to the soul, but should hopefully get things back to a more appropriate place for the Pyromancer's role.

One of the biggest changes is the removal of Combust. No more managing stacks, worrying about build up time, or issues it caused with target switching. The rotation should hopefully make more sense now and not be quite as random, though some of the random procs have been left in.

The bad news on these updates is they won't see PTS for another 1 - 2 weeks and they won't be going to Live until update 2.8. We're using some new tech with these updates that really isn't something that can go out with one of the weekly hotfixes. However I still wanted to give you guys a heads up on the changes and give you something to look forward to. That or just taunt you about the new hotness that you can't play yet...

I'll let you all know as soon as I have a better idea on when exactly to expect these changes on PTS. Until then though, feel free to look through the list below.

Soul Tree

Tier 1

• Improved Bolt (3 Points) – Increases the chance for your Primary Bolts to critically hit by 2/4/6%.
• Ignition (5 Points) - Decreases the cast time of your Fire spells by 4/8/12/16/20% and all other spells by 1/2/3/4/5%. Reduces the mana cost of non-instant Fire spells by 4/8/12/16/20%. Increases the range of non-melee damaging abilities by 1/2/3/4/5 meters. Increased range does not stack with the other range increasing effects.
• Fiery Concentration (3 Points) - Reduces the amount of pushback suffered while casting single target spells by 33/66/100%.

Tier 2

• Burning Focus (3 Points) – Increases the damage of your single target abilities by 2/4/6%.
• Fire Starter (2 Points) – Reduces the cooldown of Countdown by 4/8s.
• Burning Fury (3 Points) – Increases the critical hit chance of your abilities by 2/4/6%.
• Burning Bonds (1 Point) – Roots for 8 seconds or until damaged. Instant. 30s cooldown.

Tier 3

• Stoke the Flames (3 Points) – Increases the damage of your cast time abilities by 2/4/6%.
• Flicker (1 Point) - Removes all crowd control effects. Teleports forward 15m. Instant. 20s cooldown.
• Innate Fire (3 Points) – Increases the damage bonus of Internalize Charge by 2/4/6% and the number of abilities affected by 1/2/3.

Tier 4

• Improved Flame Bolt (3 Points) - Gives your Flame Bolt spell a 33/66/100% chance on hit to increase your spell damage by 10% for 10 seconds.
• Ravenous Flames (3 Points) - Your non-Physical attacks ignore 3/6/9% of your target's Resistances.
• Fire Storm (1 Point) – Channels Fire damage to up to 5 enemies over 8s within the targeted area. Generates 6 Charge each second channeled.

Tier 5

• Wildfire (3 Points, Requires Improved Flame Bolt) - Your Fireball casts have a 10/20/30% chance to reset and reduce the cooldown of your next 3 Flame Bolt casts to 0 seconds.
• Pyromancer’s Blessing (1 Point) - While Pyromancer's Armor is active, damaging Fire spells have a 20% chance to reset the cooldown on Cinder Burst, allow it to be cast instantly, reduce its mana cost by 50%, and cause it to not trigger a global cooldown.
• Smolder (1 Point, Requires Fire Storm) – Causes Fire Storm to spread Countdown to up to 5 enemies is it hits an enemy you have Countdown active on.
• Unbreakable Bonds (1 Point, Requires Burning Bonds) – Your Burning Bonds no longer breaks on damage.

Tier 6

• Pyromania (5 Points) – Increases the effect of Spell Power on your Fire abilities by 3/6/9/12/15%.
• Pyromancer’s Vengeance (2 Points, Requires Pyromancer’s Blessing) – While Pyromancer’s Armor is active, casting Fireball generates a stack of Pyromancer’s Vengeance. Each stack increases the chance for Pyromancer’s Blessing to proc by 1/2%. Max 5 stacks. Lasts 10s.
• Chain Reaction (1 Point, Requires Smolder) – Upon triggering naturally, your Countdown causes Countdown debuffs you have on up to 5 other enemies within 7m to trigger early.

Tier 7

• Accelerant (4 Points) – Your Countdown increases your damage against the affected enemy by 3/6/9/12%. Countdown deals 15/30/45/60% of its damage to the enemy if it is cleansed.
• Heat Wave (1 Point) – Reduces Fire ability cast time by 50% for 15s. Instant. No GCD. 1m cooldown.
• Flash Burn (1 Point) – Your Scorch now stuns the enemy for 5s. Scorch cannot stun the same target more than once every 45s.

Tier 8

• Pyromancer’s Fury (3 Points, Requires Pyromancer’s Vengeance) - While Pryomancer's Armor is active, damaging Fire abilities, excluding Fireball, apply a stack of Pyromancer's Fury. Fireball consumes a stack of Pyromancer's Fury to increase its damage by 10/20/30%. Max 5 stacks. Lasts 30s.
• Incinerating Flames (1 Point, Requires Heat Wave) – Heat Wave now removes all Crowd Control effects on cast and reduces incoming damage by 20% while active.
• Spark (2 Points) – Reduces the global cooldown of your Fire abilities to 1.25/1s. Reduces the mana cost of your instant Fire abilities by 15/30%.

Tier 9

• Flame Volley (1 Point) – Deals Fire damage over 3s. Deals additional Fire damage after 3s. Moving Channel. 1m cooldown.

Root – Point numbers here represent the number of points needed in the soul to unlock each ability.

• Fireball (0 Points) – Deals X Fire damage. 2.5s cast time.
• Flame Bolt (0 Points) – Deals X Fire damage. Instant. 8s cooldown.
• Pyromancer’s Armor (2 Points) – Increases all Fire damage dealt by 5%. Counts as a Mage Armor. Lasts 1h. Instant.
• Countdown (4 Points) – Deals X Fire damage after 8 seconds. Max 1 stack. 8s cooldown. Instant.
• Internalize Charge (8 Points) – Increases the damage of the next 3 damaging abilities by 10%. Instant. Off GCD. Costs 50 Charge.
• Burning Shield (12 Points) – Absorbs 50% of damage taken up to X total damage absorbed. Lasts 30s. Instant. No GCD. 30s cooldown.
• Cinder Burst (20 Points) – Deals X Fire damage. 6s cast time. 30s cooldown.
• Cerebral Flare (24 Points) – Restores 5% mana per second. Channeled.
• Scorch (28 Points) – Interrupts. Instant. No GCD. 10s cooldown.
• Inferno (32 Points) – Deals X Fire damage. Only usable on enemies below 40% health. Instant. 10s cooldown.
• Burn (40 Points) – Debilitates the enemy for 5s. Instant. 30s cooldown.
• Fulminate (51 Points) – Deals X Fire damage. Instant. 45s cooldown. Consumes 60 Charge.
• Searing Bolt (55 Points) – Deals X Fire damage. Triggers your Countdown. Instant (with travel time). 15s cooldown.
• Fusillade (61 Points) – Procs Fireball on the enemy once every 0.5s for 2.5s. Channeled. 1m cooldown.

[Hasmonean]

Dear Kervik,

Thank you very much for your work on RIFT! I appreciate your work on Pyro, but I have a favor to ask. During this process, please don't make it so much better than our other ranged souls that I have to play it again to compete. I've been absolutely enamored with what you did to Warlock.

Thanks,
Hasmonean

[OwnaGeJuiCe]

Yay 1 minute heatwave. Also pyro doesnt need buffs to aoe we have lock for that.

[turtleman]

I think I will be the only one that misses the Aegis mechanic.

[Livandria]

I think I will be the only one that misses the Aegis mechanic.

I can't speak for everyone, but I know I won't. But, hey, it feels like that "filler" style of DPS mechanic will still exist in alternating fireballs with other abilities for the Fury buff.

[Lokken`]

Woha. Kervik is on fire (pun intended).

I just hope that these changes won`t make pyro weaker in pvp beacuse it`s our only usefull range pvp soul (pyrochon relies heavly on pyro).

[Necrologist]

no more double lava fields. oh well, it had to happen sometime.

[Tollwutig]

Also pyro doesnt need buffs to aoe we have lock for that

Actually that is part of what is wrong with Pyro, no real ability to spread any form of AE when needed aside from Firestorm. This hurts Pyro on DPS meters since Lock is actually spreading DoTs on targets on "single target" fights and Pyro has no similar ability.

I think I will be the only one that misses the Aegis mechanic.

Probably I know I won't.

I like the changes and can't wait to test them.

[BOT007]

From the description, Heat Wave will no longer reset the cooldown on all fire spells? Or is it a typo?

[Tollwutig]

Woha. Kervik is on fire (pun intended).

I just hope that these changes won`t make pyro weaker in pvp beacuse it`s our only usefull range pvp soul (pyrochon relies heavly on pyro).

You'll get the benefit of both Flicker and Heatwave breaking CC. Overall it looks like more Damage, just slightly less burst.

[Kervik]

From the description, Heat Wave will no longer reset the cooldown on all fire spells? Or is it a typo?

Correct. This version of Heat Wave is just the cast time reduction. No more cooldown reset.

[evantide]

I don't like this. 2s Fireball casts and, without Aegis, the fireballs hit weaker. The other skills better be massively powerful to compensate for just the damage loss from this.

Also with the heatwave change and no more cast time on spark, you've effectively ****ed over pyrochon.

[Fiskerton]

Hmm i dunno if i like this move to static charge consumption rotations. Also I want to request the return of backdraft. As a pvp spell, it has a good amount of usage, especially if we dont have instant fireballs anymore.

[Xirxe]

Yay 1 minute heatwave. Also pyro doesnt need buffs to aoe we have lock for that.

1 min heatwave is nice, but the new fussilade looks even more interesting.

i dont think pyro gets a buff in aoe here. cumbust increased firestorm dps greatly and without it, spreading countdown is just some kind of compensation...in the end aoe dps probably will be less than it is now.

i am just happy that combust and that filler, filler fireball stuff is gone.

[Tollwutig]

I don't like this. 2s Fireball casts and, without Aegis, the fireballs hit weaker. The other skills better be massively powerful to compensate for just the damage loss from this.

Also with the heatwave change and no more cast time on spark, you've effectively ****ed over pyrochon.

Fireballs will hit 64% harder when consuming stacks without using Internalized charge, this is just the base increases in damage, not calculating the extra effects of ignoring resists or what you SP will increase. You should also have a base 12% chance to critically hit with 0 Spell Crit.

The burst is going to come from cool downs and using the new Fullisade.

Kervik - any chance you make Fullisade a moving channel as well?