As mysteriously as it appeared some months or so ago my problem with fire visuals in Warlord has seemingly disappeared.
My rig has been degrading to the point where I just learn to put up with things like a tiny backup screen and failing mouse with misfiring/dead buttons/worn off feet, So, when Warlord fire visuals went away for the most part (I would see them sometimes, like right before my HPs drained away) I just learned to live with it.
Nice when things work like they should, tho. Much better Alurt when I can see the Boss's main attack. I do have 1 fairly up to date piece of hardware, video (GTX 660) and I keep drivers up to date. We did just have a patch tho....
