# Flame Follower (local RuneWaker 494051) source review

Status: unresolved; no runtime mechanic was added from this review.

## What the local catalog contains

The generated RuneWaker row is the Mage-primary / Warden-secondary elite passive at level 25, source skill ID `494051`, named **Flame Follower**. Its tooltip says it reduces Fireball's cooldown by 1 second and increases Fireball critical rate. Its source component list is empty, so the generated data supplies no critical-rate value, proc or application details, rank curve, or targeting rules. The local general Fireball row is ID `490204`.

## Current Chronicles of Arcadia identity

The current [CoA Mage/Warden skills page](https://chroniclesofarcadia.com/en/wiki/skills/list/4-7) assigns **Flame Follower** ID `490244`, Mage/Warden level 25. It is an active spell: 10% MP, range 1, instant, 60-second cooldown, and summons a Flame Incarnation for 30 seconds. The summon cannot attack or be attacked. While active, Fireball gains Earth damage, increased critical-hit chance, and reduced cooldown; using Fireball also reduces Flame Follower's cooldown.

The same current page uses ID `494051` for **Purgatory Fire**, a Mage-primary level-26 active spell, not Flame Follower. It also lists the Mage/Warden-modified Fireball as ID `490248`; the local RuneWaker catalog uses `490248` for the general Fire Ward row and `490204` for Fireball. These identity conflicts mean current CoA IDs cannot be copied onto the old RuneWaker rows by numeric ID alone.

## Revision history relevant to the conflict

- [CoA patch 11.1.1.5000](https://chroniclesofarcadia.com/patch/11-1-1-5000) says Flame Follower was changed so Fireball additionally inflicts Earth damage. It provides no critical-chance amount.
- [CoA patch 12.1.0.4000](https://chroniclesofarcadia.com/patch/12-1-0-4000) reworked Flame Follower into the 30-second Flame Incarnation summon and describes Fireball reducing its active cooldown by 4 seconds. That patch gives the initial 3-second cast, 60-second cooldown, and 10% MP cost.
- [CoA patch 12.1.0.5000](https://chroniclesofarcadia.com/patch/12-1-0-5000) made it usable while moving, shortened cast time from 3 to 2 seconds, and raised Fireball's cooldown reduction from 4 to 5 seconds.
- [CoA patch 12.1.0.6000](https://chroniclesofarcadia.com/patch/12-1-0-6000) changed the spell to trigger global cooldown instead of having a cast time. The current skill page now reports it as instant.

This is a later active-summon revision, not evidence for the missing number or trigger semantics of the older local passive. In particular, the current page's phrase “increased critical hit chance” still has no numeric amount.

## Source-backed fields and unresolved fields

| Question | Evidence | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Current name, ID, and pair | Current CoA skill list | Flame Follower is `490244`, Mage/Warden active level 25. Local `494051` is a different, old passive row. |
| Old passive's critical amount | Local RuneWaker tooltip only says “increasing ... critical rate”; current CoA page says “increased critical hit chance” without a value | Unknown. Do not substitute critical damage/effectiveness or a guessed critical chance. |
| Eligible Fireball triggers | Old local tooltip names Fireball; current reworked page and patch history say casting/using Fireball reduces the summon skill's cooldown | Old passive's trigger phase (cast, landed hit, or another event) is unknown. The current Fireball row is ID `490248`, while local general Fireball is `490204`; do not bridge by name alone. |
| Rank behavior | Local row is a single passive elite level-25 row with no components. Current CoA active entry is level 25; its separate Fireball is rankable to 105 | No old passive rank curve or amount is source-backed. Current active skill rank data does not establish old passive ranks. |
| Duration/cooldown | Current CoA active skill and patch history | The **new active summon** lasts 30 seconds with a 60-second cooldown; the old passive's duration and cooldown are not applicable/known. |
| Target conditions | Current active description: summoned pet cannot attack or be attacked; skill summons it on self | No old passive target condition beyond naming Fireball. No crit condition (for example, target type, hit requirement, or crit roll timing) is specified. |

## Implementation decision

Keep the local old passive unresolved and do not add a helper or runtime effect. A correct CoA-era replacement would require a deliberate migration of the Mage/Warden class-pair catalog to the active `490244` identity, plus reconciling the current CoA Fireball `490248` against local Fireball `490204` and deciding how to represent an untargetable summon. This review does not silently make those cross-version identity changes. If the older passive must be reproduced instead, an authoritative historical CoA tooltip or implementation detail giving its critical chance and trigger timing is still needed.