Frost Blades

I think this skill is amazing, i think there will be interesting variations of it as well, depending on gear and play style.

Right now im loving it.

Im using Frost Blades > Melee Physical > Chain > Increased Critical Strike Chance and it feels amazing. I cant wait to try it with a 5-6 link.


Really want to try it with Hypothermia soon.

The skill is very funny with multistrike + chain but unfortunately not efficient. It's probably best to use LMP or GMP and have some pierce and projectile speed in the passive. My regret on this skill is to not gain some additionnal blade along the level (like arc gain more target on chaining)

Sometimes I found difficult to focus ennemy especially if there are small and fast (impossible on raging spirit). Maybe it's because I play with magma orb and another cristh ice crush so lot's of effet (maybe it's because I lack skill :p)

The range is very particular because most of the time very near monster so dangerous but allow different melee build :)

PS : I focus my passif in skill tree (for the offensive part) on physical damage (not melee or projectile), physical damage with dagger, crit and attack speed. For now I play with hypotermia, Weapon Increased Elemental Damage and Multistrike and I found it weak comparing with my build mates

The skill seems to be in an odd place right now.
It shares most of it's problems with Lightning Strike, but can't be used without a target. It's advantage is the semi-homing projectiles...but honestly, 3 just isn't enough.

The single target damage is mediocre at best, and without heavy support the 3 blades just don't cut it versus larger packs. The idea of a higher attack range in melee is neat, but it just feels like a more cumbersome to use dex based LS.

Early going leveling, the damage feels weak compared to other melee skills. I'm a bit scared for the skill late game when it will need multiple projectile/splash gems, where the standard melee skills can start using concentrated effect. Early mana cost per kill makes it useless, and worse when it eats up mana when you swing and miss, especially if you are not in lockstep. Why does it cost mana when it isn't generating any projectiles?

The targeting is wonky. Maybe late game with the right supports, but I can't see this targeting competitively and doing damage at the same time.

Suggestion - a small AOE effect on the initial hit and where the missile hits would make the targeting better and make the skill feel more satisfying.

I'm not liking this skill really, Its slow and difficult leveling, half of the time the skill doesn't proc because i'm a millimeter out of range making me me then have to get in closer even when linked with melee splash, i chose dagger and shield and when I got MStrike I was stood in place for too long making me take un=nessacary damage making this skill just painful.

I have played LStrike before and FBlade doesn't even compare to that for fun factor, I'm going to try and get some different links in from what people say from this thread but my 4 link of MSplasg>MelleeDMG>FasterAttacks just isnt doing it for me, i see people have different choices of links and it is noted that i shouldn't get melee dmg and instead should get pure PHYS dmg so the projectiles scale.

I feel the skill just lacks some oomph or range or something.

Ps - Tried putting Mstrike back in but at my current level im just stood there too long. Think i will Re-Roll and try this skill again in a few weeks when i have some leveling kit to see how FBlade is at endgame as it is said somewhere it gets better.

the projectiles confuse me, do they deal 60% physical damage and 40% cold damage, or just 40% cold damage from your weapon?

Question on Melee Splash with this skill. Will the splash hitting more mobs spawn additional blades off of them? If GGG could respond.

Yeah, this is definitely not a leveling skill as it's being billed. It has similar damage to Reave, but with a default cap of four targets and the inability to use MPD or any melee bonuses. I'd really like to switch to it at some point, but I'm currently 76 and there's a long road ahead. It's going to require at least LMP or fork/pierce/chain, if not both, to relax the target cap sufficiently to be able to clear Merciless pack sizes effectively. That's a damage hit that most other melee skills don't have to worry about, so Frost Blades is going to require quite a bit of raw power behind it to compete.

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Uvne wrote:

Yeah, this is definitely not a leveling skill as it's being billed. It has similar damage to Reave, but with a default cap of four targets and the inability to use MPD or any melee bonuses. I'd really like to switch to it at some point, but I'm currently 76 and there's a long road ahead. It's going to require at least LMP or fork/pierce/chain, if not both, to relax the target cap sufficiently to be able to clear Merciless pack sizes effectively. That's a damage hit that most other melee skills don't have to worry about, so Frost Blades is going to require quite a bit of raw power behind it to compete.

Are you using Point Blank, Melee Phys, Weapon Elemental Damage, Hypothermia ? I dont have the slot to test them all at once yet but this ability benefits from soo many more modifiers, its insane, i imagine the end game scaling as crit is crazy.

I think my 6L will be the following...

Frost Blades, Melee Physical, Weapon Elemental, Increased Critical, Hypothermia, Chain.