A Guide to the Blazing Priest

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BustroQuick
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A Guide to the Blazing Priest

#1 Post by BustroQuick »

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Bhekar Ro
The Blazing Priest


I - Introduction
II - Statistics
III - Abilities
IV - Strategies
i - Strategy 1
ii - Strategy 2
iii - Strategy 3

V - Spell Combinations

I - Introduction

Of any hero, the Blazing Priest shines the most when it comes to support and outpost siege. His high hitpoints and strong supportive abilities make him a very tough opponent to defeat. In the right hands, the Blazing Priest can prove unstoppable in battle.

Strengths

High hitpoints and armor make him tough to kill
Powerful healing and buffing power
• Explosive summons and debuffs can chase off enemy heroes
• Very good at destroying structures
Combos well with other heroes

Weaknesses

Not a good hero killer
• Very prone to dispels
Positioning is very important and can be difficult to master
All skills can be interrupted in one way or another

II - Statistics

Primary Attribute: Strength
Strength: 22 (+2.35 per level)
Agility: 13 (+1 per level)
Intelligence: 18 (+1.6 per level)

III - Abilities

Innate - Blazing Hammer
Whenever the Blazing Priest attacks a structure, its attack speed is reduced by 10% and it takes 5 additional damage per second. Lasts 20 seconds.
• It is a good idea to spread the debuff around to all enemy structures, not just the one being attacked.

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A tower under the effects of Blazing Hammer.

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Backfire
When target hero casts a spell, they receive damage over time.
Hotkey - W
Spell Type - Enchantment
Cooldown - 16 seconds
Debuff Duration - 30 seconds
Damage Duration - 20 seconds
Level 1 - 40 mana, 4.5 damage/second
Level 2 - 48 mana, 7.8 damage/second
Level 3 - 56 mana, 11.1 damage/second
Level 4 - 64 mana, 14.4 damage/second
Level 5 - 72 mana, 17.7 damage/second
Level 6 - 80 mana, 21 damage/second
• One of the Blazing Priest's weaker abilities, but is useful for whittling down the health of enemy heroes as well as annoying them.
• Combines with the Rune Knight's Siphon Glyph for instant Area of Effect damage.

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The Arcane Mistress under the effects of Backfire.

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Flame of the Devout
Creates a flame that heals nearby allies. Healing diminishes over time.
Hotkey - E
Spell Type - Conjuration
Duration - 30 seconds
Level 1 - 60 mana, 5 + .05Int healing/second, 50 second cooldown
Level 2 - 83 mana, 10 + .06Int healing/second, 55 second cooldown
Level 3 - 106 mana, 15 + .07Int healing/second, 60 second cooldown
Level 4 - 129 mana, 20 + .08Int healing/second, 65 second cooldown
Level 5 - 152 mana, 25 + .09Int healing/second, 70 second cooldown
Level 6 - 175 mana, 30 + .10Int healing/second, 75 second cooldown
• The Blazing Priest's staple ability. Position to hit an optimal amount of spawns, preferably while they're in combat so they get the full effect of the ability.
• Combines with the Mystic Swashbuckler's Dash ability to make a wall of damaging flame.
• Can be dispelled.

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Combating units being healed by Flame of the Devout.

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Kindle Faith
Buffs the combat capabilities of allies.
Hotkey - R
Spell Type - Enchantment
Cooldown - 15 seconds
Duration - 60 seconds
Level 1 - 40 mana, +8% attack damage, +3 armor
Level 2 - 65 mana, +14% attack damage, +5 armor
Level 3 - 90 mana, +20% attack damage, +7 armor
Level 4 - 115 mana, +26% attack damage, +9 armor
Level 5 - 140 mana, +32% attack damage, +11 armor
Level 6 - 165 mana, +38% attack damage, +13 armor
• A decent ability. Useful in any situation, especially in a siege in combination with Flame of the Devout.
• When facing heroes with great Area of Effect strength, this might be the ability to avoid. Casting this on spawns that can die from a single spell is a waste of mana.

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Units with Kindled Faith.

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Phoenix Touch
Summons a fiery minion from the corpse of an enemy.
Hotkey - C
Spell Type - Necromancy
Cooldown - 7 seconds
Level 1 - 25 mana, 30 + .01Int duration, summons a swordsman
Level 2 - 35 mana, 30 + .03Int duration, summons a swordsman
Level 3 - 45 mana, 30 + .05Int duration, summons an archer
Level 4 - 55 mana, 30 + .07Int duration, summons an archer
Level 5 - 65 mana, 30 + .09Int duration, summons a phoenix
Level 6 - 75 mana, 30 + .11Int duration, summons a phoenix
• Another good ability. The Kaboom ability of the summoned units is good for hurting enemy heroes, especially at levels 5 and 6 when the summons can fly.
• Their flying ability makes these Phoenixes very good at harassing enemy heroes from unreachable places.

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The Blazing Priest summoning a skeletal minion.

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Minions can be used as bombs.

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The Arcane Mistress being harassed by Phoenixes.

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Firestorm (Ultimate)
Creates a blazing spiral of death over a target area, dealing damage over time while channeling.
Hotkey - T
Spell Type - Evocation
Cooldown - 180 seconds
Level 1 - 175 mana, 45 damage/second, 50 second duration
Level 2 - 250 mana, 65 damage/second, 40 second duration
Level 3 - 325 mana, 85 damage/second, 30 second duration
Level 4 - 400 mana, 145 damage/second, 20 second duration
• Beware of stuns and knockbacks when using this ability, as it is only good when effective for a long period of time and it has a long cooldown.
• Consider hiding yourself in the flames to decrease chance of interruption.
• Enemies on the edge of the flames take less damage from Firestorm, so make sure that your primary target is in the middle of targeting reticle.

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The Blazing Priest using Firestorm on some giant enemy towers.

IV - Strategies


i - Strategy 1

Primary - Flame of the Devout
Secondary - Phoenix Touch
Ultimate - Yes
Items - Consumables
Upgrades - Intelligence and possibly Strength or Armor

USAGE

This build is primarily designed for pushing, sieging and scaring off enemy heroes. Against low hit-point heroes it's easier to use, but if facing a strength-based hero it is more difficult. Use Mana Potions and Potions of Clarity to keep your mana up, as it is an essential part of this build and spells are fairly costy.

In battle, place Flame of the Devout and turn Phoenix Touch on Autocast. If there is another hero nearby, order your summons to Kaboom it. If there is a great deal of enemy spawns, feel free to Kaboom them and lower their hit points or use a Frozen Skull to take them down.

Due to Flame's long cooldown, if you are near a siegable outpost and have a fairly hefty group of spawns, save it until you're fighting by the towers. At this point, use any summon consumable you have on you (Blighted Skull, Bottle of Ooze, Serpent Wards) and slap down Firestorm. Be wary of nearby heroes that can interrupt you. It is also wise to conceal yourself in the flames so enemy heroes don't know where to target their interrupts. During Firestorm you're free to manipulate your Phoenix spawns, Kaboom or attack accordingly. If your Blazing Priest is taking heavy damage, move him away to avoid death.

If Firestorm is interrupted or achieves its full duration, attack the buildings to prevent them from being repaired. If you have another Frozen Skull on you, you may also want to use that for further DPS.

In a heavy siege like this, it would be wise to hire some mercenaries to make sure the siege goes all the way through and they have to chance to recover. Asking an allied hero for help also makes it much easier.

• The Arcane Archer combos really well with this build. Using Ice Wall helps huge amounts for blocking out enemy reinforcements. Mass Haste with Kindle Faith makes the spawns even more powerful, and Meteor Swarm can decimate all opposition.

ITEMS

Primarily consumables, meaning Healing Salve, Potions of Clarity, Health, and Mana, Serpent Wards, Bottles of Ooze, Blighted Skulls and any charms of your choice. Heavy items such as the Sorceror's Robe can also boost effectiveness, but are not a necessity. If you wish for Firestorm to deal more damage, buy some evocation damage increasing items. Do not put this as a priority over other more important purchases.

UPGRADES

Intelligence increases Flame of the Devout's healing power and the duration of Phoenix Touch, which are the primary and secondary skills of this build. Intelligence should be the first upgrade choice. If you find that the Blazing Priest is not tough enough defensively, Strength and Armor can be upgraded to give you an edge.

ii - Strategy 2

Primary - Flame of the Devout
Secondary - Kindle Faith
Tertiary - Backfire
Ultimate - Yes
Items - Intelligence items
Upgrades - Intelligence, Strength, Damage, Armor

USAGE

This strategy is primarily for combination with the Rune Knight, utilizing the spell combo between Siphon Glyph and Backfire. Together, these two spells provide instantaneous Area of Effect damage. Use this combination whenever possible.

Again, the BP is primarily a pusher, so all action should be taken with an accompaniment of spawns, unless you're going on a hero killing rampage with Alexander. Flame of the Devout should be placed as mentioned in the previous strategy, with regard that it will hit the optimal amount of spawns. Using Kindle Faith will help the spawns in combat, so use it whenever possible and use potions to keep mana up. The same sieging rules also apply.

When sieging, the Rune Knight can use Grand Rune to destroy any nearby foes so that Firestorm can achieve its full potential without danger of interruption. After this, it may be a good idea for the Rune Knight to use Sigil of Stunning on enemy heroes to keep them from interrupting Firestorm. Rune Shell can be provided to aid the Blazing Priest defensively.

iii - Strategy 3

Primary - Kindle Faith
Secondary - Phoenix Touch
Ultimate - Yes
Items - Intelligence items, Consumables
Upgrades - Intelligence

USAGE

This strategy is based around having a powerful conjured army, using Kindle Faith in conjunction with Phoenix Touch. Assist combat with Phoenix Touch, using the minions as bombs or just as normal fighters. Buff summoned units with Kindle Faith.

Use summoning consumables, such as Water Elementals or Blighted Skulls, and then use Kindle Faith on them to make them even more powerful. Because these summons are permanent, feel free to stash them somewhere until you really need them.

Fight as normal using Healing Salves and Potions of Clarity to keep on summoning Phoenix minions. Boosting intelligence helps twofold here, because it expands your mana pool as well as making Phoenixes last a great deal longer.

The army can be used however you see fit. It can aid in sieges along with Firestorm, or help with hero kills. It may even defend a base or obelisk if need be.

ITEMS

Sorceror's Robe helps immensely, consumable Healing Salves, Potions of Clarity, and conjuration items like the Blighted Skull.

UPGRADES

Intelligence for Phoenix Touch and for general expansion of the mana pool.

V - Spell Combinations


Fiery Dash (Combination with Mystic Swashbuckler) - If the Mystic Swashbuckler Dashes through Flame of the Devout, it creates a line of flame that deals damage to nearby enemies. Very useful if used across the front lines.

Burning Glyph
(Combination with Rune Knight) - If Siphon Glyph is used on a Backfired Target, the Glyph explodes instantly, causing AoE damage.

Blazing Banner (Combination with Tactician) - If the Blazing Priest right-clicks on the Tactician's Banner, it will start to deal damage per second to nearby enemies.
Last edited by BustroQuick on July 11th, 2007, 10:29 pm, edited 21 times in total.

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SeasonsOfLove
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#2 Post by SeasonsOfLove »

The Kindle Faith and Phoenix Touch strategy should also get touched upon - It can be very useful if up against heroes without significant AoE spells.

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BustroQuick
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#3 Post by BustroQuick »

As finished as it's going to get.

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