How to beat the Pyromaniac in The First Descendant

Monetization aside, the high DPS checks in The First Descendant might be the worst thing about the looter shooter. These usually take the form of the Colossi battles in Void Intercept missions. Descendants must battle against these titans in a timed arena for a chance at rare rewards and to progress the story. Most of them are challenging, but not awful. The Pyromaniac, on the other hand, has a reputation for stalling out all but the most stalwart Descendants.

The Pyromaniac is pretty spry for something that’s been cut in half

The Pyromaniac is a level 66 fight in terms of average gear level, since Descendants cap out much lower than that. The only thing it’s weak against is Chill damage, specifically Chill attacks like those from Viessa as this Colossus is highly resistant to firearms damage. Throw in some punishing Fire attacks with massive AoE and the Pyromaniac isn’t a foe to be taken lightly.

Recommended Descendants, weapons, & mods

• Descendant: Viessa
  • At level and without a much higher level Descendant carrying, Viessa is the go-to choice for taking on the Pyromaniac thanks to her arsenal of Chill attacks. Due to their limited range, you’ll need to be closer than is ideal, so play smart and be aware of the Pyromaniac’s attacks, which can be deployed nearly anywhere.
• Weapon: Tamer
  • This machine gun absolutely shreds and is a personal favorite for nearly any activity. Despite the Pyromaniac’s resistance to firearms, any damage is good damage due to the timer in effect. Throw on a Chill Enhancement Mod to further your cause.
• Descendant Mods
  • Heat Antibody: Provides Fire resistance.
  • Increased DEF: Provides a percentage-based buff to defense.
  • Maximize Fire Resist: Provides Fire resistance at the cost of maximum HP.
  • Technician: Enhances Skill Power based on a percentage.

Pyromaniac attacks

Summon and Burn: The screen will turn white as the Pyromaniac summons each Descendant in the battle to a single point and casts a large AoE. As soon as the screen turns white, begin moving forward to get away from the center of the attack. Once you can see the arena again, grapple away from the area.

Inferno Chains: The Pyromaniac will summon several circular chains that expand outwards. Touching them will inflict a burning DoT effect. While you can outrun them, due to the random nature of their placement, I recommend jumping over them instead.

Hellfire Orb: The Pyromanic summons a large fiery orb that tracks a random Descendant. This orb will also spawn several other tracking orbs that will go after the nearest target. These orbs move fast and cannot be outrun. To mitigate additional orbs, run toward the initial orb and roll underneath it, which will ideally cause it to crash into the ground.

Pyromaniac strategy

At the start of the fight, grapple up to the floating platforms to make use of them before they’re destroyed. Focus your fire on the destructible shoulders. Once they turn yellow, grapple on and break them off to stagger the Pyromaniac. Once the shoulders are broken, target the area around its knees for a similar effect.

Focus your fire on the Hummingbirds and Kingfishers when they spawn as they’re an invaluable source of ammo and health pickups. Be mindful of where they die, and it’s an unnecessary risk to go into the lava for a health pickup.

If you’re playing as Viessa and there are other Descendants like Bunny or Sharen in your party, let them handle the adds while you focus on the Pyromaniac with your Skill Powers. That being said, don’t let the adds run so rampant that they pose too great a threat to the party.

When the Pyromaniac goes immune, attack the cylinder that appears on its back. Once enough damage has been done to it, the cylinder will retract back inside and the Pyromaniac will become vulnerable again.