Guildrun gives you a roster of heroes with very different damage profiles, and Funke sits at the top of the ranged options for one simple reason: he burns everything. As a fire mage, he fires fireballs across a wide area, stacks burn on multiple targets per cast, and scales his damage through magic rather than raw attack. He is one of the safest heroes to open a run with because his damage comes online immediately and compounds as you rank him up.
How does Wildfire work?
Wildfire is Funke's active ability, and it does two things at once. Each fireball deals 175 direct damage with a 200% magic boost, and every hit also applies 15 burn with a 66% magic boost. Because both the direct hit and the burn stack off magic, every point of magic you add makes the whole ability hit harder.
His base attack range is 4, which is wide enough to cover most enemy formations from the back line. Position him in a rear or corner slot so his fireballs reach the full enemy line on every cast. Keeping him out of melee range also means he stays alive long enough to keep burn stacks building throughout the fight.
What are Funke's base stats at Rank C?
These are the numbers you work with when you first recruit Funke.
The starting Magic value of 25 is what drives his kit from turn one. His HP and Defense are modest, which reinforces why back-line positioning is non-negotiable.
Funke's Rank C base stats
Which passive ability should you pick at Rank B?
Rolling a second Funke upgrades him to Rank B and unlocks one of three passive abilities. Each one changes how his burn behaves, so the choice matters more than it might look.
The Detonator is the pick for an aggressive fire build. The 20-second delay on The Inferno makes it unreliable in faster fights, and The Stoked's 1 damage per tick is too slow to matter early. The Detonator fires on every single cast with no conditions attached, and that burn damage increases by 10 each time you rank Funke up further. The compounding value makes it the most consistent passive across a full run.
What are the best Rank A and Rank S modifiers for Funke?
Funke's modifier picks should push damage forward at every rank. Defense upgrades are wasted on a hero who wins by killing things faster than they can reach him.
Rank A: Arcane Destruction
Arcane Destruction raises his critical hit chance by 100 every time he casts Wildfire. Because Wildfire fires repeatedly, the crit chance stacks up quickly across a fight, turning his later casts into consistent heavy hits. This is the standout choice at Rank A.
Rank S: Burning Casts or Stalled Cold
Burning Casts is the natural fit for a burn-focused build. It applies 50% burn to all enemies in range, doubling down on the damage type you have been building toward since Rank C. If you want to add crowd control instead, Stalled Cold applies 35% frost to all enemies in range, which is an unconventional option on a fire mage but functional if you need to slow enemy movement.
For most runs, Burning Casts is the better call. Frost is useful situationally, but a dedicated burn build hits harder and benefits more from the gear and passives you have already invested in.
Rank S modifier choices for Funke
Who are the best teammates for Funke?
Funke needs two things from his team: a front line that absorbs hits so he can keep casting, and a second source of status damage to speed up kills. Two heroes cover both.
Ming
Ming is a melee vanguard who also spreads burn with his attacks. He occupies the front row, takes the hits that would otherwise reach Funke, and contributes to burn stacks at the same time. Having two heroes applying burn means enemy health drops faster and the burn stacks themselves stay refreshed throughout longer fights.
Pimenta
Pimenta is a tank who applies poison. Layering poison on top of Funke's burn runs two damage-over-time effects simultaneously, which compounds enemy health loss in a way that neither hero could achieve alone. Pimenta's durability also adds a second body to the front line, giving Funke even more cover to keep firing from range.
With Ming and Pimenta in front, Funke rarely takes meaningful damage, and the triple-status setup (burn from Funke and Ming, poison from Pimenta) drains enemy health faster than most teams can match.
Putting the full build together
The complete Funke build follows a clear path from recruit to Rank S:
- Rank C: Recruit Funke, position him at the back, prioritize magic gear
- Rank B: Roll a second Funke, select The Detonator passive
- Rank A: Take Arcane Destruction to build crit on repeated casts
- Rank S: Pick Burning Casts to add 50% burn on every cast
- Team: Pair with Ming for front-line burn and Pimenta for poison layering
This build punishes grouped enemies hard and stays effective deep into a run because every rank upgrade adds more burn output rather than changing how you play him.
For more on how heroes rank up and what stats matter most, the Guildrun beginner's guide covering heroes, stats, and core mechanics covers the fundamentals that make builds like this work. If you want to compare Funke against the full roster before committing, the Guildrun heroes tier list ranks every hero based on real run data. The full Guildrun strategy guides collection has everything else you need to clear both acts consistently, and it sits alongside a broader library of strategy games coverage on GAMES.GG.