Cast on Freeze Guide for Path of Exile 2 – Path of Exile 2 (PoE 2) continues to expand the creative boundaries of character customization, introducing unique skills and mechanics that allow players to experiment with unconventional playstyles. Among these innovative mechanics is Cast on Freeze, a skill gem setup that triggers linked spells when enemies are frozen. In this guide, we’ll dive deep into how to utilize Cast on Freeze effectively, explore its synergies, and provide practical tips for creating a powerful build.
What is Cast on Freeze in Path of Exile 2?
Cast on Freeze is a trigger mechanic that activates linked spells whenever an enemy is frozen. This enables the player to create dynamic, reaction-based gameplay where spells are automatically unleashed in response to crowd control effects. Here’s a breakdown of how the mechanic works:
- Trigger Condition: Linked spells are triggered when an enemy is frozen.
- Scaling: The effectiveness of Cast on Freeze depends on your ability to reliably apply the freeze status to enemies, which is influenced by cold damage, critical strikes, and freeze duration.
- Utility: This setup allows for seamless damage output while focusing on movement and survival.
Cast on Freeze opens the door to diverse builds, combining cold-based attacks, crowd control, and explosive spellcasting.
How Does Freeze Work in PoE 2?
Freeze is a status ailment applied by cold damage that immobilizes enemies for a duration. To successfully freeze an enemy, the cold damage dealt must meet or exceed a percentage of the enemy’s maximum life. This makes high-damage cold attacks and critical strikes essential for reliable freezing.
Key Mechanics of Freeze
- Cold Damage Threshold: Freeze duration scales with the amount of cold damage dealt relative to the enemy’s life.
- Critical Strikes: Critical strikes significantly increase the chance of applying freeze. Builds with high critical strike chance and multiplier are ideal for Cast on Freeze setups.
- Duration Modifiers: Passive tree nodes, gear modifiers, and skill gem supports can enhance the duration of freeze effects.
Setting Up a Cast on Freeze Build
To maximize the potential of Cast on Freeze, you need a well-planned build that balances cold damage, critical strikes, and spell synergies. Here’s a step-by-step guide to crafting a Cast on Freeze setup:
1. Choosing Your Primary Attack
The core of a Cast on Freeze build is the attack or skill used to apply freeze. Popular options include:
- Frostbolt: A ranged projectile skill that deals cold damage. Its high base damage makes it ideal for applying freeze.
- Ice Shot: A bow attack that converts physical damage to cold damage and creates chilled ground for additional crowd control.
- Glacial Cascade: A hybrid physical-to-cold skill with overlapping damage zones, increasing freeze potential.
When selecting your primary attack, prioritize skills that scale well with critical strikes and cold damage.
2. Linking Cast on Freeze
The Cast on Freeze support gem should be linked to the spells you want to trigger. Here are some common choices for linked spells:
- Ice Nova: Deals area-of-effect cold damage around frozen enemies, amplifying crowd control.
- Frostbite: Applies a cold damage vulnerability curse to enemies, enhancing subsequent freezes and cold damage.
- Cold Snap: Creates chilled ground while dealing cold damage and generating Frenzy Charges.
Experiment with different spell combinations to find the most effective setup for your build.
3. Scaling Freeze Effectiveness
To ensure consistent freezes, focus on the following key stats:
Cold Damage
- Increase cold damage through passive tree nodes, weapon mods, and support gems.
- Use gear that converts physical or elemental damage to cold damage for higher freeze potential.
Critical Strike Chance and Multiplier
- Invest in critical strike nodes on the passive tree, such as Heartseeker or Assassination.
- Equip weapons with critical strike bonuses, like daggers or wands.
- Use support gems like Increased Critical Strikes to enhance your chance of freezing enemies.
Freeze Duration
Increase freeze duration through passive nodes like Deep Chill or gear modifiers with cold ailment bonuses.
4. Choosing Gear and Items
Your gear should complement the Cast on Freeze mechanic by enhancing cold damage, critical strikes, and survivability. Here are some recommended gear types:
- Weapons: Wands, daggers, or bows with high critical strike chance and cold damage bonuses.
- Body Armor: Use gear with defensive stats like life or energy shield, alongside cold damage modifiers.
- Rings and Amulets: Seek increased cold damage, added cold damage to attacks, and critical strike bonuses.
- Flasks: Use Diamond Flasks for critical strikes and utility flasks like Sapphire Flask for elemental resistance.
5. Allocating Passive Tree Points
The passive skill tree in PoE 2 offers a wealth of options for customizing your Cast on Freeze build. Focus on nodes that enhance cold damage, critical strikes, and freeze duration. Key passive clusters include:
- Cold Mastery: Increases cold damage and elemental ailments.
- Critical Strike Mastery: Enhances critical strike chance and multiplier.
- Elemental Overload: Provides a significant damage boost after landing a critical strike.
- Deep Chill: Extends freeze duration and enhances chill effectiveness.
6. Incorporating Ascendancies
Ascendancy classes provide powerful bonuses that can elevate your Cast on Freeze build. Consider the following options:
- Elementalist (Witch): Offers bonuses to elemental ailments, increased cold damage, and additional exposure effects.
- Assassin (Shadow): Focuses on critical strikes and poison, ideal for scaling freeze applications.
- Deadeye (Ranger): Enhances projectile-based skills, making it a great choice for Ice Shot builds.
Strategies for Using Cast on Freeze in Gameplay
Once your build is complete, it’s time to take your Cast on Freeze setup into the world of PoE 2. Here are some practical tips for success:
1. Positioning and Movement
Stay mobile to avoid incoming damage while positioning yourself to land critical strikes. Use movement skills like Dash or Frostblink to reposition quickly.
2. Crowd Control
Leverage freeze effects to control the battlefield. Frozen enemies can’t retaliate, giving you the upper hand in fights against large groups.
3. Boss Fights
In boss encounters, focus on maximizing critical strike uptime to maintain freeze effects. Use utility flasks and positioning to stay safe during high-damage phases.
Advanced Tips and Tricks
- Synergize with Chilled Ground: Skills like Ice Shot and Cold Snap create chilled ground, slowing enemies and increasing their vulnerability to freeze effects.
- Use Totems or Mines: Supplement your primary attack with totems or mines to increase damage output and freeze reliability.
- Optimize for Map Mods: Be cautious of maps with freeze immunity or reduced ailment effectiveness. Adjust your build or playstyle accordingly.
Conclusion
The Cast on Freeze mechanic in Path of Exile 2 offers a unique and engaging playstyle that combines crowd control and automatic spellcasting. By carefully crafting your build, selecting the right gear, and optimizing your passive tree, you can unlock the full potential of this dynamic setup. Whether you’re freezing entire packs of enemies or unleashing devastating spells in boss fights, Cast on Freeze provides a versatile and satisfying experience.
Start experimenting with this mechanic today, and watch as your enemies are frozen in their tracks while your spells wreak havoc!