Corona Burst

Strike nearby foes and begin to store up energy, gaining boons and heat each pulse. After charging, the energy explodes, inflicting conditions on nearby foes. — In-game description

Animation

Corona Burst

Profession

Engineer (skill list)

Specialization

Holosmith

Parent skill

  Engage Photon Forge

Slot

Transform

Game link

API

44530

Gallery
Click to enlarge

“

0.5½  6  

Corona Burst

Strike nearby foes and begin to store up energy, gaining boons and heat each pulse. After charging, the energy explodes, inflicting conditions on nearby foes.

 Initial Damage: 586 (1.5)^?

 Initial Damage: 235 (0.6)^?

 Initial Damage: 195 (0.5)^?

 Explosion Damage: 586 (1.5)^?

 Explosion Damage: 391 (1.0)^?

 Explosion Damage: 555 (1.42)^?

 Heat Gained: 2%

 Might (8s): 30 Condition Damage, 30 Power

 Might (6s): 30 Condition Damage, 30 Power

₈ Vulnerability (8s): +8% Incoming Damage, +8% Incoming Condition Damage

₂ Burning (5s): 1,310 Damage

₈ Vulnerability (6s): +8% Incoming Damage, +8% Incoming Condition Damage

 Number of Hits: 2

 Number of Targets: 5

 Pulses: 5

 Radius: 300

 Explosion

— In-game description

Mechanics

Skill animation (click to play).

• In PvE game mode only, the stacks of Might are granted to up to 5 nearby allies, including the caster.
• Heat will continue to be gained, and the explosion will trigger at its normal time, even if Photon Forge is ended before the explosion.
  • Reaching maximum heat this way while Photon Forge is inactive will not trigger an Overheat.
• Pulses 5 times.
• Killing blows with Corona Burst count towards the Staff Master achievement from Weapon Master.

Related traits

Explosives

• Short Fuse — Gain fury when you hit a foe with an Explosion.
• Steel-Packed Powder — Explosions cause vulnerability.
• Explosive Temper — Explosions grant stacking ferocity when they hit.
• Shaped Charge — Deal increased strike damage for each stack of vulnerability on your target.
• Shrapnel — Explosions have a chance to cripple and cause bleeding on hit.
• Big Boomer — Deal increased strike damage to foes with a lower health percentage than you. Hitting with an Explosion heals you over a few seconds.

Firearms

• Juggernaut — Gain might while wielding a flamethrower. Might applied to you gains increased duration. Napalm grants you stability and a fire aura.
• Modified Ammunition — Deal increased strike damage for each condition on a foe.
• Incendiary Powder — Burning you inflict lasts longer, and your critical hits inflict burning.

Alchemy

• Compounding Chemicals — Heal yourself when you grant yourself a boon. Remove a condition from yourself when you use an elixir skill. Gain increased concentration.

Holosmith

• Crystal Configuration: Eclipse — Corona Burst grants a barrier for each target struck.

Version history

For a detailed skill history, see here.

Patch	Changes
April 14, 2026	Increased the burning duration from 3 seconds to 5 seconds in PvE only. Reduced the initial power coefficient from 0.96 to 0.5 in PvP and from 0.8 to 0.6 in WvW. Increased the delayed power coefficient from 0.96 to 1.42 in PvP and from 0.8 to 1.0 in WvW.
April 15, 2025	Reduced the power coefficient from 0.96 to 0.8 in WvW only.
September 26, 2023	Reduced burning duration from 5 seconds to 3 seconds in PvE only.
May 02, 2023	This skill now inflicts 2 stacks of burning for 5 seconds when striking an enemy in PvE only.
November 29, 2022	Increased power coefficient per hit from 1.2 to 1.5 in PvE only.
August 23, 2022	(PvE only) Might stacks per pulse reduced from 2 to 1, but they are now applied to up to 5 nearby allied targets.
February 25, 2020	Competitive content update: (Competitive split) Reduced might and vulnerability durations from 8 seconds to 6 seconds.
October 01, 2019	Reduced might gained in WvW to the same amount as granted in PvP. Reduced the damage of this skill by 20% in PvP and WvW.
March 27, 2018	Reduced the might stacks granted per pulse from 2 to 1 in PvP only.
September 22, 2017	Path of Fire release: Corona Burst has been added to the game.