PoE 2 Glacial Cascade – Path of Exile 2

PoE 2 Glacial Cascade

It is a Skill Gem.

Attack
AoE, Cold, Melee
Tier: 1 (Monk)
Level: 4
Cost: 17 Mana
Attack Speed: 75%
Attack Damage: 46%
Requires: Level 12, 14 Dex, 14 Int
Requires: Quarterstaff

Sweep a Quarterstaff upwards, releasing a thin wave of frost which deals damage in a series of small bursts. The final burst of the wave then surges out futther with a large spike of ice. Any Frozen enemies hit by the final burst also take another, more powerful hit.

  • Converts 60% of Physical Damage to Cold Damage
  • Burst radius is 0.5 metres
  • Wave length is 4.8 metres
  • Causes 8 Bursts

Skills can be managed in the Skills Panel.

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Glacial Cascade is a unique Melee attack skill in Path of Exile 2 that brings the power of cold damage to the Monk archetype. Using your Quarterstaff, you sweep upwards to unleash a wave of frost, dealing damage in small bursts that culminate in a powerful ice spike. The skill’s ability to convert physical damage into cold damage and trigger extra damage on Frozen enemies makes it an excellent choice for builds that combine cold damage with physical damage or crowd control effects.

Key Details of Glacial Cascade

  • Gem Type: Skill Gem
  • Skill Type: Attack, AoE, Cold, Melee
  • Tier: 1 (Monk)
  • Level Requirement: 4
  • Mana Cost: 17 Mana
  • Attack Speed: 75% of base
  • Attack Damage: 46%
  • Requires: Level 12, 14 Dexterity, 14 Intelligence
  • Requires: Quarterstaff
  • Effect: Sweeps a Quarterstaff upwards, releasing a wave of frost that deals damage in small bursts. The final burst surges out further with a large spike of ice, applying additional damage, especially to Frozen enemies.

How Glacial Cascade Works

Glacial Cascade functions as a melee skill with AoE effects, unleashing a wave of frost that grows in strength with each burst, culminating in a larger spike of ice. This skill excels at both damage output and crowd control due to the freeze effects and cold damage it delivers. Here’s how it works:

1. Wave of Frost

  • The Monk swings their Quarterstaff upwards, creating a thin wave of frost that travels in front of them. The wave deals cold damage in small bursts with a burst radius of 0.5 metres.
  • The skill’s main effect is the wave length of 4.8 metres, meaning the wave travels a fair distance before the bursts start to affect enemies.

2. Burst Effects

  • Each wave of frost creates eight bursts, each dealing cold damage to enemies in its radius. These bursts are quick and area-based, allowing you to hit multiple enemies at once.
  • The final burst in the wave extends further, with a larger spike of ice that deals more damage. This final burst is particularly powerful, especially against Frozen enemies, as they take additional damage from it.

3. Physical to Cold Damage Conversion

  • Glacial Cascade converts 60% of physical damage into cold damage, making it ideal for builds that focus on physical damage weapons like Quarterstaffs. This conversion allows you to boost your cold damage output while maintaining strong physical damage scaling.
  • Cold damage scaling from passive tree nodes or support gems can significantly improve the effectiveness of this skill.

4. Frozen Enemy Interaction

  • The most powerful aspect of Glacial Cascade is that the final burst of ice hits Frozen enemies with extra damage. This synergy with freeze effects makes the skill incredibly effective when paired with freeze and chill-based builds.
  • If enemies are Frozen by other cold effects (like from Frostbite or cold damage-over-time skills), they will receive a much stronger hit from the final burst, dealing devastating amounts of damage.

Synergies with Other Skills and Builds

Glacial Cascade can be the centerpiece of several build types that leverage cold damage, freeze mechanics, and physical-to-cold conversions. Here are some synergies to consider:

1. Freeze and Chill Builds

  • Glacial Cascade works exceptionally well in freeze and chill builds. By maximizing the freeze chance or freeze duration on enemies, you can take full advantage of the final burst that deals more damage to Frozen enemies.
  • Pairing this skill with Frostbite (to reduce enemies’ cold resistance) or other freeze-boosting effects (such as Cold Snap or Hypothermia) will make it easier to freeze enemies and trigger the extra damage on the final burst.

2. Physical to Cold Damage Builds

  • Builds focused on physical damage scaling will find Glacial Cascade an excellent way to add cold damage to their attacks. The 60% physical-to-cold conversion makes this skill adaptable to a wide range of quarterstaff builds, especially those with high physical damage.
  • Items that increase cold damage or damage with weapons (especially Quarterstaff-specific items) can further improve the effectiveness of Glacial Cascade, allowing you to scale both cold and physical damage.

3. Quarterstaff Builds

  • Glacial Cascade requires a Quarterstaff, making it ideal for Quarterstaff-based builds. These builds typically have high physical damage, and with the cold conversion, Glacial Cascade brings excellent AoE damage and crowd control to the table.
  • Pairing this skill with passive tree nodes that increase melee damage, cold damage, or attack speed will increase both its damage output and area coverage.

4. AoE Damage and Crowd Control Builds

  • As an AoE skill, Glacial Cascade benefits from AoE scaling support gems and items. Increasing the burst radius and wave length will allow the skill to hit more enemies, providing excellent crowd control while dealing substantial cold damage.
  • Adding AoE damage increase via support gems like Increased Area of Effect or Cluster Jewel passives that enhance AoE radius can make Glacial Cascade a powerful tool for clear speed in high-density areas.

Pros and Cons of Glacial Cascade

Pros:

  • Freeze and Chill Synergy: The skill’s ability to deal extra damage to Frozen enemies makes it highly effective in freeze-based builds.
  • AoE Coverage: With a wide wave length and burst radius, it covers a large area and hits multiple enemies at once.
  • Physical to Cold Conversion: Converts 60% of physical damage to cold damage, making it ideal for hybrid physical-to-cold builds.
  • Crowd Control: The ice bursts and final ice spike can slow or even freeze enemies, adding crowd control alongside damage.

Cons:

  • High Mana Cost: At 17 mana per use, Glacial Cascade can be expensive for builds without mana regen or mana reduction.
  • Limited Freeze Scaling: While the final burst hits Frozen enemies harder, this requires additional freeze or chill effects from other sources (making it dependent on other skills or effects).
  • Physical Damage Focus: While versatile, it relies on physical damage scaling, so builds that don’t focus on physical damage may find it less effective.

Tips for Using Glacial Cascade

  1. Focus on Freeze and Chill: Maximize the freeze and chill effects by adding cold penetration or freeze duration modifiers to increase the final burst’s damage potential.
  2. Support with AoE Gems: Use support gems like Increased Area of Effect or Concentrated Effect to modify the wave length and burst radius, enhancing both your crowd control and damage output.
  3. Hybrid Physical-to-Cold Build: If your build revolves around physical damage, use Glacial Cascade as a way to convert some of that damage into cold and benefit from freeze mechanics.

Conclusion

Glacial Cascade is a dynamic and powerful skill in Path of Exile 2, perfect for players looking to combine physical damage with cold for both damage output and crowd control. Its ability to trigger extra damage against Frozen enemies and create large AoE bursts of cold damage makes it ideal for Monk builds that use Quarterstaffs. Whether you’re looking to increase your freeze potential or scale your AoE damage, Glacial Cascade offers a reliable and impactful option for your melee cold damage needs.

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