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Beginner Condition Holosmith

Published Jan 8, 2024 Updated Aug 30, 2024
Raids - Janthir Wilds
Quack editor
Hand Kite Enthusiast
Beginner Condition Holosmith
Pros +
High damage Short ramp-up Sustained damage Lots of cleave
Cons -
High learning curve High mastery curve Lacks utility Fast paced rotation
Attributes
Power 2149
Toughness 1000
Vitality 1297
Precision 1670
Critical Chance 36.9%
Ferocity 0
Critical Damage 150%
Condition Damage 1922
Healing Power 0
Expertise 782
Condition Duration 67.13%
Concentration 0
Boon Duration 0%
Gear
Item Stat

Viper'sHelm

SinisterShoulders

Viper'sCoat

SinisterGloves

Viper'sLeggings

Viper'sBoots
Item Stat

SinisterBackpiece

Viper'sAccessory

Viper'sAccessory

Viper'sAmulet

Viper'sRing

Viper'sRing

Relic
Primary Weapon Set

Viper's SpearMain Hand
Other Items

Infusionx18

Food

Utility
Traits & Skills
Skills

The Toolbelt skill has no cast time. Add it into the rotation when you are ready and use it off Cooldown.
Skill Reference Guide
Pistol & Pistol Default Keybind
2
3
4
5
Grenade Kit Default Keybind
2
4
5
Bomb Kit Default Keybind
2
3
Flamethrower Kit Default Keybind
2
3
4
Photon Forge Default Keybind
F2
F3
F4
F5 F5
Photon Forge Default Keybind
3
4
The Photon Forge

Thanks to , this build wants to as quickly as possible. To achieve this, during downtime you want to Preheat. This is done by using and spamming Auto Attacks. can also be used if immediate Breakbar damage will not be needed. Make sure to around 80 Heat, erring on the side of deactivating a little early.

80 Heat

Before combat, make sure to face away from and do not target any enemies. gives Photon Forge Auto Attacks 600 range, so be careful.

One trait of note is . With it there is a strong incentive to use the most damaging skills when entering, exiting, or overheating Photon Forge. The rotation already takes this into consideration, but avoid stray Auto Attacks getting the bonus damage instead of or .
Rotation & Extras

Introduction

The unique mechanic of Holosmith adds a new Toolbelt skill, , that behaves like a standard Kit, changing out your weapon skills for Photon Forge skills. This build uses these skills to quickly for a significant amount of Burning. The build has a very short ramp compared to most condition damage builds thanks more than half the damage coming from Burning.

As this build will use all three utility skills quite a bit, consider setting up custom keybinds for your 7, 8, and 9 skills. An MMO Mouse or adding Alt/Shift + 2/3/4 keybinds can greatly simplify the rotation. Experiment and find what works best for you.
Step One - Overheat

Before each combat, or between each phase, Preheat the Forge to about 80 Heat. See The Photon Forge sidebar for more guidance on this. When the encounter or phase begins, to quickly and continue with the rest of the loop to build up Heat to do it again!

  2. Auto Attack until
  3. 3x Kit Cycles
  5. Fill with Auto Attacks
  7. 1 x Kit Cycle, then Loop

For now, each Kit Cycle is to cast and fill with Auto Attacks until you can cast it again. In the next few steps more skills will be added, culminating in very few Auto Attacks on Spear being used.

After the single cycle at the end of the loop, immediately loop back and . Delaying this delays which is a big damage loss.
Step Two - Basic Kit Cycling

Every Engineer build draws its tempo from using at least one Kit. Condi Holosmith runs 3 Kits, which may feel daunting at a glance, but in reality is very simple and fluid.

 

Kit Cycle

  1. enter
  2. enter
  3. enter

This cycle is great practice since it only uses the 2 skill in each Kit. You will know you are cycling kits efficiently when there are about two Auto Attack chains on Spear before is off Cooldown.
Step Three - More Spear Skills

The first Spear skill used, , applies a unique effect on the target: Focused. This allows your other Spear skills to have additional effects.

Whenever you use immediately use your 3 skill afterwards. Skill 3 is a flip skill that will start as and then a few seconds later flip to . The Cooldowns line up so that one will always be available to cast immediately after each .

Additionally, cast whenever it is available. This skill has an automatic follow-up attack on your Focused target, . An easy way to use the skill is to use it after or .

Note, is not used in the rotation for damage, but will provide decent Defiance Break to your Focused target.
Step Four - Advanced Kit Cycling

At this point, add in the other skills listed below for each Kit. These can be added to the rotation in any order, and at your own tempo so long as you fully complete the number of cycles to not delay . Prioritize using these skills during the 3x Kit Cycles and not the single Kit Cycle.

Weapon/Kit Skills to use
,
,

The challenge of this step is making sure to not cancel any skills. See the Intro to Engineer guide for additional guidance.
Step Five - Big Ol' Light Beam Barrage

The last three skills to add into the rotation are , , and . Each of these skills add significant damage and should be worked into the rotation off Cooldown. An easy way to cast the first two is to replace Auto Attacks while in and waiting for to come off Cooldown. You can also cast if over 50 Heat then, but it can also be used immediately after .

Make sure to cast after in the opener! This skill is easy to cancel, so make sure to not move during the casting.
Transitioning to the Full Build

At this point, you are ready for the Full Build. As you keep practicing, aim to use all of your non-Kit skills as soon as they are available. For the Kit Cycles, get a better feel for the individual Cooldowns and slowly break from the rigid cycle. For example, you can drop a to faster or swap into if you know or will be available. Each Kit also has multiple other skills which have extra utility in encounters such as Defiance Damage. Comparing your logs to the bench's is a great way to highlight these opportunities.

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