Attack
AoE, Cold, Melee
Tier: 7 (Monk)
Level: 6
Cost: 19 Mana
Attack Speed: 55% of base
Attack Damage: 77%
Requires: Level 21, 20 Dex, 20 Int
Requires: Quarterstaff
Flip backwards while sending a freezing wave of ice to damage an area in front of you.
Converts 80% of Physical Damage to Cold Damage
Hits are Freezing
Hits Freeze as though dealing 350% more Damage
Base radius is 6 metres
Skills can be managed in the Skills Panel.
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Wave of Frost is a Cold Damage melee Attack skill gem in Path of Exile 2, ideal for Monk builds that want to combine physical and cold damage. This skill allows the player to flip backwards while generating a wave of frost that damages and freezes enemies in front of them. With its ability to freeze enemies and convert a significant amount of Physical Damage to Cold Damage, Wave of Frost is an excellent choice for players who want to incorporate crowd control and damage scaling into their melee combat strategies.
Skill Gem Details
Category: Attack, AoE, Cold, Melee
Level: 6
Cost: 19 Mana
Attack Speed: 55% of base
Attack Damage: 77%
Required Level: 21
Required Attributes: 20 Dex, 20 Int
Required Weapon: Quarterstaff
Effect: Flip backwards and send out a freezing wave of ice to damage and freeze enemies in a specified area.
Skill Mechanics
Cold Damage Conversion:
Wave of Frost converts 80% of Physical Damage into Cold Damage, meaning that the skill’s damage will largely scale with Cold damage bonuses. For players focusing on Cold damage effects, this provides a seamless way to integrate Physical and Cold damage.
This conversion allows players to benefit from Cold Damage-specific modifiers, such as Increased Cold Damage, Cold Penetration, and Elemental Status Effect modifiers like Freeze.
Freezing Effects:
Wave of Frost applies Freeze on hit, causing enemies to be temporarily immobilized. This is an essential tool for crowd control, especially when you’re dealing with large packs of enemies or tougher bosses.
The hits freeze as though dealing 350% more damage, making the freezing effect significantly more potent. Enemies hit by this skill are not only damaged but also frozen for a longer period, allowing you to control the battlefield and keep enemies at bay.
AoE and Radius:
The wave itself has a base radius of 6 metres, which allows it to cover a wide area in front of you. This is especially useful for dealing with packs of enemies or for controlling crowd-heavy situations. The ability to freeze a large portion of enemies at once makes Wave of Frost an effective skill for clearing content.
Movement and Utility:
As part of the skill’s animation, the character performs a backflip while sending out the freezing wave. This adds a layer of mobility to the skill, allowing you to position yourself better in combat, create distance from enemies, or avoid incoming damage while attacking.
The backflip mechanic ensures that you’re able to dodge attacks, giving you a form of defensive utility while dealing damage.
Strategic Uses
Crowd Control and Clearing:
Wave of Frost works exceptionally well in crowd control situations, especially in group encounters where you need to freeze multiple enemies at once. The freeze effect combined with the AoE damage ensures that you can deal with several enemies simultaneously, freezing them to keep them from attacking while you continue to deal damage.
Boss Fights:
While Wave of Frost is particularly strong in clearing mobs, it can also be used in boss fights, especially against bosses that summon adds or have phases where you need to avoid heavy damage. The backflip combined with the freeze mechanic helps keep your character safer during critical moments by freezing adds and creating distance.
Hybrid Builds (Physical + Cold):
This skill is ideal for hybrid builds that focus on both Physical and Cold damage, as the 80% conversion allows players to scale their Cold damage without sacrificing Physical damage scaling. The freezing effects and the ability to deal with large packs of enemies make this skill great for builds that aim to exploit Physical-to-Cold conversion and freeze effects.
Synergies with Cold Damage:
If your build focuses on scaling Cold damage or Freeze effects, Wave of Frost is an excellent synergy tool. The ability to convert most of your damage into Cold damage allows you to take advantage of Cold damage amplifiers like Cold Penetration, Increased Cold Damage, or Freeze Effect.
You can also pair Wave of Frost with Ice-based support gems or Cold Damage-over-Time effects like Frostbite or Cold DoT to further increase its overall damage output.
Pros and Cons
Pros
Freezing Effect: The skill freezes enemies on hit, providing both crowd control and a damage boost. Freezing enemies in large groups or in boss fights is extremely beneficial for handling tough enemies.
Wide AoE: With a 6-metre radius, Wave of Frost can hit multiple enemies, making it ideal for clearing mobs or controlling groups of enemies.
Physical to Cold Conversion: Converts 80% of Physical damage to Cold damage, making it an ideal skill for builds that focus on Cold damage and Freeze effects.
Mobility: The backflip mechanic provides mobility, allowing you to reposition during combat and avoid incoming damage while executing the skill.
Cons
Mana Cost: The skill costs 19 Mana per use, and while it is not overly expensive, it can be difficult to sustain in longer fights or without proper Mana regeneration.
Attack Speed: The skill’s attack speed is 55% of base, meaning it’s not as fast as some other melee skills. This can make it harder to stack effects like Frenzy charges or quick burst damage compared to faster attack skills.
Requires Specific Weapon: The skill requires a Quarterstaff, limiting the type of builds that can use it. If you’re planning to use Wave of Frost, you’ll need to commit to a Quarterstaff-based build.
Gameplay Tips
Utilize Mobility: Take advantage of the backflip animation to reposition and avoid incoming damage. This adds defensive utility to an otherwise offensive skill, helping you maintain control over the battlefield.
Freeze Enemies Strategically: Wave of Frost is great for freezing enemies, especially those that are swarming you or attacking at range. Use it to stop large packs of enemies or to freeze dangerous bosses or adds.
Mana Management: Given the Mana cost of Wave of Frost, make sure to pair it with Mana regeneration or leeching effects to ensure you can keep using it effectively without running out of Mana in the middle of combat.
Cold Damage Synergies: Pair Wave of Frost with Cold damage modifiers like Cold Penetration or Freeze Effect to maximize the Cold damage output and the freeze duration.
Conclusion
Wave of Frost is a versatile and potent Cold Damage melee skill that combines high AoE damage with crowd control capabilities. Its ability to freeze enemies with 350% more damage makes it a powerful tool for Monk builds that want to incorporate Cold damage into their arsenal. Whether you’re looking for a skill to clear packs of enemies or control boss fights with freeze effects, Wave of Frost delivers solid damage and utility. With its AoE freezing and physical-to-cold conversion, it is an excellent choice for players who want to scale Cold damage while maintaining mobility and damage output.