If you’re planning to have a cold-based build for your class or just want to know how to deal with enemies with cold-related powers, this is for you. Item and gear stats or abilities may mention words like cold damage, chilled enemies, freeze/frozen in Diablo 4 and while they all sound the same, there are some differences you must know.
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What is Cold Damage in Diablo 4?
Cold is an elemental damage that can wreak havoc in fights primarily because it makes enemies stuck, after which you can unleash a barrage of attacks eventually taking them down. By stuck, it can mean slowed or completely immobilized due to being frozen in place. After an enemy has taken cold damage, they may turn bluish-white and icy spikes will appear on them. Similarly, enemies from cold regions on the map have skills that can render you frozen via ice whirlpools or icy walls.
What is the Chill Effect Status in Diablo 4?
Chilled is a status ailment that can be applied via Skills, Weapon modifiers, and more. When you chill enemies with cold damage, enemies will become slower and if you keep chilling them repeatedly, they will freeze up.
For example, if you are playing as Rogue, you can use Cold Imbuement to chill enemies with your attacks. You can also use Caltrops which can chill mobs once they walk into it. Apart from that, Necromancer players can use Cold Skeletal Mages to chill enemies and Sorcerers can use Frozen Orb, Deep Freeze, and Blizzard skills. Sorcerer’s Shimmering Ice Armor is a skill that gives you a chance to make enemies Frozen for 3 seconds and there’s a freezing mount skill too.
What is the Difference between Chill and Freeze?
Frozen and Chilled are two separate Status ailments.
- When you attack with cold damage, they will get chilled first. But when you keep chilling them, they will turn Frozen. Consider it like a higher level of Chill.
- When you kill an enemy that is frozen, it will explode into pieces. A few moments before they were killed, they were stopped in their tracks by you while an icy cover took over them, rendering them unable to move or attack. Meanwhile, your character walked towards them ready to use resources/cooldowns to destroy their very existence. It feels pretty cool when you do that every single time.
Does all Cold Damage Chill Diablo 4?
Cold damage will only do that – cold damage to enemies. But those abilities that specify the ability to chill enemies will cause the chill effect in D4.
What is the Difference between Immobilize and Freeze in Diablo 4?
Immobilize is a crowd control mechanic where your enemies won’t be able to move and will stay in place – but they can still attack. So if it’s a ranged enemy you are dealing with, they can still shoot at you. Comparing this with Freeze – if an enemy gets the Freeze status ailment, they won’t be able to move and won’t be able to attack too.
How to Increase Cold Resistance
If you are about to deal with an enemy or boss who uses Cold-based attacks, you need to have Cold Resistance on your character. This can be done by using gear with Cold Resistance stats, Jewelry, adding Sapphire and Diamond gems, drinking Elixirs, using Incense, and using Paragon points for Intelligence. That’s because the Intelligence stat increases skill damage and resistance to all elements.
D4 Elixirs of Cold Resistance
- Weak Elixir of Cold Resistance (Level 15) – Increases Cold resistance by 15% and Experience by 5% for 30 minutes.
- Elixir of Cold Resistance (Level 45) – Increases Cold resistance by 20% and Experience by 5% for 30 minutes.
- Strong Elixir of Cold Resistance (Level 60) – Increases Cold resistance by 25% and Experience by 5% for 30 minutes.
- Potent Elixir of Cold Resistance (Level 75) – Increases Cold resistance by 32% and Experience by 5% for 30 minutes.
- Heady Elixir of Cold Resistance (Level 90) – Increases Cold resistance by 40% and Experience by 5% for 30 minutes.
And that’s everything about cold damage, chill, freeze/frozen status ailments in Diablo 4. If you are curious to know what counts as ‘Stunned’ in D4 – we’ve got a guide you might want to read.