Fire and lightning are devastating forces of nature, primeval elements that innately strike fear in the hearts of animal and man alike. The Wizard handles these volatile energies with ease, and prFly’s “Pyrolysis” build melds them beautifully into a medley of breathtaking destruction.

About the Build

Frying your enemies is, as any Wizard will tell you, pretty darn satisfying regardless of whether it's achieved through electricity or fire. Rather than settle for just one method of crisping critters across Sanctuary, prFly#1247 asked “Why not both?” Harnessing the stunning strength of Paralysis with the powerful results of Conflagration has paid off, and the “Pyrolisis” build was born.

Effective and visually impressive. The definition of the Wizard, really (which they'll gladly confirm).

While popular skills like Hydra (Mammoth Hydra) make an appearance, this isn’t your standard fare Firebird’s Finery build. Supportive skills like Slow Time (Point of No Return) and Black Hole (Supermassive) bring a lot more variety to this build and open it up to earlier accessibility if you haven’t been able to put a full set of gear together just yet.

The Skills

The Pyrolysis build features no Signature spell, so it’s important to stack sources of Arcane Power regeneration wherever possible. Plenty of cooldown skills help fill in the blanks when you don’t have enough power to keep Arcane Torrent going.

Active Skills:

• Arcane Torrent (Static Charge)
  • Primary damage dealer
  • Procs frequent stuns from Paralysis
• Hydra (Mammoth Hydra)
  • Brings the flame in this fire-and-electricity combo
  • Stacks the critical hit chance buff from Conflagration consistently
  • Provides persistent damage when unable to channel Arcane Torrent
• Black Hole (Supermassive)
  • Offers supreme crowd and map control
  • Procs the stun from Paralysis
• Slow Time (Point of No Return)
  • Additional crowd control keeps you out of danger longer when channeling
  • Provides another method of stunning your enemies
• Magic Weapon (Conduit)
  • Provides much-needed Arcane Power regeneration
  • Direct increase to damage is always welcome
• Energy Armor (Force Armor)
  • Direct increase to defense when you need to stand your ground
  • Massively reduces damage from the spikier, dangerous encounters

Passive Skills:

• Evocation
  • Reduces the many cooldowns at your disposal
• Astral Presence
  • Provides much-needed Arcane Power regeneration
  • Counters the loss of Arcane Power from employing Energy Armor
• Conflagration
  • Offers a party-wide increase to Critical Hit Chance
• Paralysis
  • Copious stuns keep enemies at bay while you channel your heart out

The Items

One of the best aspects of this build is its accessibility. A prolific number of items benefit the build, and no single piece is necessary to make it function.

I love that prFly’s weapon and offhand genuinely represent the theme of this build.

Complementary Items:

• Ancient Parthan Defenders
  • Frequent stuns from Paralysis will return sizable defenses with these bracers
• Triumvirate
  • Boosts both Fire and Lightning damage
• Tal Rasha’s Elements (3-piece)
  • 2-piece bonus boosts both elements of the build
  • 3-piece bonus offers even more precious Arcane Power regeneration
  • Recommended pieces include Chest, Amulet, and Source
• Firebird’s Finery (4-piece)
  • 4-piece offers a second-life ability to keep you going should you fall in combat
  • 6-piece, if you can acquire it, will boost your Hydra (Mammoth Hydra) damage through the roof
  • Recommended pieces include Pants, Gloves, Helm, Shoulders, and Boots
• Illusory Boots
  • With no Teleport, these boots will help you move through seas of enemies
• Fulminator
  • Synergizes well with the Lightning damage theme
  • An additional source of area of effect damage is always welcome
• Serpent Sparker
  • Double Hydras, what does it mean? (More damage, of course)
• The Witching Hour
  • Offers strong stats in an unusual slot
  • Great for any build

Recommended Legendary Gems:

• Gem of Efficacious Toxin
  • Adds an additional layer of damage over time from even minor hits
• Taeguk
  • You’ll nearly always be spending primary resource, benefitting from a consistent damage boost
  • Additional Toughness keeps you out of trouble when channeling
• Bane of the Trapped
  • Paralysis will allow you to frequently utilize this gem’s damage boost

Recommended Stats:

• Cooldown reduction keeps Slow Time and Black Hole available for both defensive and offensive purposes
• +% Bonus to Lightning damage will benefit you slightly more than +% Bonus to Fire, but either is good if it’s available
• Arcane Power on Critical Hit is welcome to keep Arcane Torrent active as long as possible

Recommended Difficulty and Game Mode

prFly runs his Pyrolysis build in Normal game mode between Torment V and VI. With plentiful crowd control and group buffs, this could well serve as a stepping stone while attaining a full set of Firebird’s Finery for other builds. It’s a nice change of pace, but a dangerous one; while there’s plenty of stuns to offer, without the 4-piece of Firebird’s Finery or substituting a passive for Unstable Anomaly, I wouldn’t recommend stepping into Hardcore with this build lightly.

Why We Like This Build

Admittedly, the Pyrolysis build caught my eye with its super apt and catchy name. It tells you exactly what this build is about (fire and lightning) and what you expect out of it is what you get. If you’re working towards an end-game set of gear explicitly for pushing Greater Rifts, this is a fun interlude on that journey that doesn’t include the stress of needing “that one piece” to make it work.

I think those zombies are debating their wisdom in wading through the carnage ahead.

Tell Us What You Think!

Are you rocking Firebird’s Finery on your Wizard? How is your build different from others? Have you diverted from the norm to make use of a great item that’s come your way? Tell us in the comments and be sure to submit your builds for next week, when we’ll be brooding with the best with the Demon Hunter.

See you in Sanctuary!