Start with Fire Mage and build toward Side Flamethrower, supported by Fire Crew. Napalm rewards fire kills on enemy vehicles, Tinderbox spreads burning between touching enemies, and Magma Core gives a cannon a separate way to leave fire craters. Establish a working fire attack before chasing the full artifact package.
Build notes Choose the effect you need: direct damage helps enemies standing in a fire zone, while burn duration supports damage after ignition. Napalm requires an enemy vehicle to die from fire; simply setting a target alight does not create its crater.
Wanderburg build list: compare all 9 loadouts →Complete loadout and each piece’s job
Keep the core pieces first. Add support only when your vehicle offers the matching slot; crew and captain are separate selections.
Fire MageCore · topFires automatic projectiles and supplies a ring-of-fire active. Start here while working toward the Side Flamethrower unlock.
Upgrade tree →
Side FlamethrowerCore · sideAdds side-facing flames and automatic fire projectiles. Keep the enemy beside the castle when using the active.
Upgrade tree →
FrontCannonOptional · frontAdds a forward shot and automatic cannonballs. With Magma Core, cannonballs that hit the ground leave fire craters; until then it is a separate damage source.
Upgrade tree →Captain and crew
- Contact-ignition variant: Pyromaniac. Ignites enemies on contact and has a luck penalty. Treat contact ignition as a bonus during a safe pass; do not trade away your health just to apply a burn.
- Simpler starting option: Norbert The Normal. Learn the flame coverage and escape route with a neutral captain before adding Pyromaniac’s trade-off.
- Burn support: Fire Crew. Adds fire attacks while you drive. Fire Crew is a crew selection, separate from your top-slot Fire Mage.
What to unlock first
Reach Fire Mage upgrade level 10 to open the Side Flamethrower unlock, then purchase it between runs. FrontCannon has a different route: reach Side Cannons upgrade level 10. Use a vehicle with top and side slots for this core; Spiderburg has no side slot and cannot carry this exact loadout. The front cannon is optional, so its unlock should not delay learning the fire core.
Key upgrades: what to pick and why
Use this as the direction for your draft. The alternatives below are choices to compare, not extra cards that must all fit into the same branch. Open a card for its exact target and tier details.
| Pick priority | Why it matters | When to choose the alternative |
|---|---|---|
| Opening: Fire Mage Auto Projectiles | Adds automatic projectiles to support the attack you use while moving. | Auto Attack Fire Star changes the projectile explosion into additional fireballs. Compare coverage rather than assuming both special choices fit the same branch. |
| Established zone: Fire Zone Direct Damage | Improve damage when enemies already spend time standing in your active fire zones. | Fire Zone Duration is useful when the fight returns through the same ground. A longer-lived empty zone does not solve a positioning problem. |
| Second core: Bonus Auto Projectile | Develop Side Flamethrower’s automatic coverage once Fire Mage can handle the opening. | Keep improving the first module if dividing upgrades leaves both attacks too weak to clear your route. |
| Moving targets: Auto Burn Duration | Choose a longer burn when enemies are ignited but leave the immediate firing area. | Auto Direct Damage serves the initial hit. Choose it when immediate damage is the part your current encounters need. |
| Area-control branch: Fire Field | The active lays a large field of fire. Place it on ground the enemy is about to cross. | Fire Barrage sends repeated fire projectiles to each side. Treat it as an alternative branch and line up your flank before firing. |
Artifacts that make this build work better
The module core works before the full artifact package appears. Take a useful replacement when the named artifact is missing.
Napalm
After reliable fire killsEnemy vehicles killed by fire leave fire craters. It helps turn a successful kill into useful ground for the next enemies; it is less valuable when your fire cannot finish targets.
Tinderbox
Crowd ignitionBurning enemies ignite one another on contact. Lead a clustered pursuit across your flame coverage; the effect needs enemies to touch.
Magma Core
Only with cannonballsCannonballs leave a fire crater when they hit the ground. Take this for the optional cannon connection, not as an automatic upgrade to every Fire Mage projectile.
Top Hourglass
Core ability supportFaster top-module cooldowns support Fire Mage’s active. This does not speed up Fire Crew; they occupy different categories.
Build order: opening, middle and finishing picks
- Opening: improve Fire Mage’s automatic attack and use the active in manageable encounters. Keep space for a turn. Add Fire Crew when available; the build can start before Napalm or Magma Core appears.
- Middle: add Side Flamethrower and bring your flank alongside the pursuit. Choose fire-zone damage or duration according to whether targets stay on the ground you cover. Add Napalm when fire is finishing enemy vehicles.
- Finishing: choose one legendary direction, add Tinderbox for clustered enemies, and use Magma Core only with a working cannon. Spend picks on movement or recovery if escaping has become the limiting factor.
The combat rotation
- Pick open ground with a turn available beyond the enemy group. Start burning targets with your automatic attacks.
- Bring the side flamethrower into alignment and use the Fire Mage active while enemies are within its useful area.
- Curve away so the pursuit crosses the fire coverage. Keep the next exit visible rather than driving back through a crowded centre.
- If using a cannon, align its shot separately. Fire Mage and Side Flamethrower still do the core work when the cannon angle is poor.
- Reposition when the ground is no longer useful. Do not stop to defend an old fire crater while enemies surround the castle.
How to play the boss fight
Build the fight around direct module damage and a safe turn. Napalm needs a vehicle kill, and Tinderbox needs touching enemies, so neither supplies the same chain reaction against a lone boss. Bring the boss across a useful fire area, use the side active when aligned, and leave before contact closes your escape. In Overtime, keep movement and steering effective rather than spending every remaining pick on burn damage.
If a key piece is missing
No Side Flamethrower: keep Fire Mage as the core while completing its level-10 unlock task. No Pyromaniac: choose Norbert. No Magma Core: keep the cannon as optional burst support or skip it. If recovery repeatedly ends the run, use Carpenters instead of Fire Crew and accept the damage trade-off.
Do not break the build this way
Do not choose Magma Core without a cannonball source, assume every burning enemy creates a Napalm crater, or drive into a boss just to use Pyromaniac’s contact ignition. Side Flamethrower and side Cannon compete for the same slot; the optional FrontCannon avoids that conflict.
Spiderburg mage and Fire Storm variant
For Spiderburg, replace the side-flamethrower loadout with Fire Mage and Lightning Mage in the two top slots, Force Mage in front and Wizard Crew as crew. Spiderburg has no side slot. Prioritise one top mage first instead of dividing early upgrades equally between both.
Develop Fire Mage automatic damage, choose the Fire Storm legendary branch for a moving fire threat, and add Napalm once fire kills on enemy vehicles are occurring reliably. Fire Ring is the alternative legendary choice, not an extra effect to promise alongside Fire Storm. Force Mage supplies front-facing tornadoes and an active field that cancels incoming projectiles.
Use Wizard Crew slow and Lightning Mage control to give damage time to work on susceptible targets. Keep a route out of the fire area: a burn-immune enemy will not enable a burn-based chain, and Napalm cannot produce a vehicle-kill crater simply because a lone boss is burning.
Dieter The Drunk offers a luck-focused option with wobbly controls; start with Norbert if precise turns are still difficult. This variant has no cannonball source, so skip Magma Core unless you change the equipped modules to include one.