There are several ways to deal cold damage in Baldur’s Gate 3, and that’s beyond the ideal frost spellcasting build. Aside from Wizards and Sorcerers, Monks are a class that can also manipulate frost and ice, and other than damage in combat, these spells can have handy uses outside of fighting.
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The environment of the Sword Coast can be a treacherous one, and sometimes an adventurer needs to cool off. Cooling lakes of boiling lava, freezing and slowing down charging enemies, or putting out fires are just some of the things a player can do with the various cold and ice spells and related abilities in BG3.
Updated on December 2, 2023, by Kristy Ambrose: It’s been a few months since Baldur’s Gate 3 was officially released, and after the game has received several awards and accolades, players are still exploring the vast amount of content, which includes hidden secrets, obscure locations, and advanced spells and abilities. Aside from the conventional spells that are cast from memory or scrolls, some items buff the powers of cold or classes that bend the element of cold to use as a weapon. The powers and items that can be found in BG3 provide a myriad of possible interpretations depending on how creative the player wants to be.
11 Blade Of Rime
Throw Shards Of Ice Like Exploding Knives
- 1d10 of piercing damage
- 2d6 AoE cold damage
Only Monks that follow the Path of the Way of the Four Elements have access to this spell. The Monk uses two Ki points as an Action to throw a shard of ice at a target, which deals 1d10 of piercing damage.
There’s also a small but handy AoE effect. When the shard hits the target, it explodes, dealing 2d6 cold damage to anyone standing nearby. This spell also creates an ice surface, so players can use it to put out fires or freeze surfaces covered in water.
10 Heart Of Ice
A Buff, A Cantrip, And An Elegant Staff
- Bonus of +1 to all cold damage, the Chill effect, and Ray of Frost as a cantrip
Players building a spellcaster with a penchant for cooling off need to get Mourning Frost, a weapon that’s hidden in the Underdark. While exploring this dark and dangerous location, players will come across three pieces of a staff, and after assembling them, they will have a two-handed weapon that gives them some extra cold-based spells and abilities when equipped. The first one is Heart of Ice and the second is Insidious Cold.
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Every time the wielder of this staff deals cold damage, either by using a spell or the regular bludgeoning power of the staff, Heart of Ice gives them a cold damage bonus of +1. Insidious Cold, which causes the target to become Chilled, which slows them down. Throw the cantrip Ray of Frost on the pile and this is some of the best ice damage in one weapon.
9 Wall of Ice
Crowd Control And AoE Damage
- 0-60 Cold Damage to all creatures in its path, plus the same damage as AoE
This powerful spell is one of those brutal level 6 spells that make leveling a Wizard or Sorcerer worth the low armor class. As the name says, when this spell is cast, it creates a Wall of Ice that does an impressive 10 to 60 cold damage to anyone standing in its path.
That’s just the start of what this spell can do. After the initial bout of cold damage, the wall creates a zone of frigid air that damages any living creatures within for the same amount. It’s a spell only certain casting classes can learn, but it also comes in scroll form, which any character can use.
8 Sleet Storm
Silence Casters And Control The Battlefield
- Creates an area of Difficult Terrain and total silence
This is a Conjuration spell that doesn’t do cold damage but still does everything that a BG3 player would expect a spell called Sleet Storm to do. It’s an ice spell that requires Concentration, and as long as it holds, the storm lasts for 10 turns.
Sleet Storm puts out fires, freezes wet surfaces, and breaks the concentration of any spellcasters that are also caught in the storm. It covers a decent area, large enough for the party to travel through, should the need arise.
7 Chill Of The Mountain
Call Down A Cold Wind
- 1d10 of cold damage and slows the target
Another ice spell that only Monks of the Way of the Four Elements can use, this only requires a single Ki point and does 1d10 of cold damage. It also calls a cold mountain wind to slow the target down in addition to the elemental damage.
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There are several other types of handy ice-related abilities exclusive to this subclass, and one of them is the spell Shaping of the Ice. It doesn’t deal any damage, but the character can use it to make a cube of ice that can be moved, thrown, or used for climbing.
6 Otiluke’s Freezing Sphere
A Globe Of Ultimate Cold That Can Be Moved And Saved
- 10D6 of cold damage to anything it touches, plus it creates an icy surface
Otiluke’s Freezing Sphere is one of the advanced spells that some players might never learn or find. It’s from the Evocation School and is often of very rare quality when found in scroll form, but it’s so useful it’s better to keep than sell.
The caster summons an oversized globe of ice that they can control, and it can be moved around to freeze or crush enemies or used as an explosive to blow them up. Another fun extra option is storing it in the inventory for later use than a giant unmeltable snowball.
5 Ice Storm
Deadly AoE Damage And Difficult Terrain
- An AoE spell that does 4d6 of cold damage and 2D8 of bludgeoning damage
A classic AoE spell that’s also popular in tabletop versions of Dungeons & Dragons, and Wizards, Druids, and Sorcerers can learn it in Baldur’s Gate 3 at level 4. This isn’t a snowstorm, but just like the name says, causes a storm of ice and hail to erupt from the sky and strike everyone within range.
The spell does an impressive 4d6 of cold damage and 2D8 of bludgeoning damage, which is great when targets are immune to slashing or piercing. Even targets that succeed in a saving throw still have to take half the damage, and the storm lasts for two turns.
4 Hunger Of Hadar
An AoE Spell That Blinds Enemies
- 2D6 of cold damage and 2D6 acid damage for 10 turns
Cold and necrotic damage go so nicely together, it’s not a surprise that Warlocks would have access to a spell that combines Eldritch tentacles with a chilling side effect. It’s a spell from the Conjuration school that creates a frosty cloud that surrounds enemies, gives them the Blinded condition, and includes difficult terrain so they can’t get out of it.
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There’s more to this dark void than the 2D6 of cold damage that lasts for 10 turns, easily enough time to finish even a tough battle. There’s also the possibility of an additional 2D6 acid damage for anything or anyone also lost in the shadowy fog.
3 Cone of Cold
Focused Area-Of-Effect
- AoE spell that does 8D8 damage
Playing a spellcaster might feel like a grind in D&D until 5th level comes along and the character starts to learn attacks like Cone of Cold. It’s not only Sorcerers and Wizards that have access to this spell, but also Druids that have committed to the Circle of the Land.
Ensure that no allies are standing in the way of this brutal spell, which causes a cone of cold air, frost, and wet snow to burst from their hands and do 8D8 damage to anyone it touches. As if that wasn’t enough, it has an extra effect of lightning and more cold damage on targets that have the Wet condition.
2 Ray Of Frost
A Frost Wizard’s First And Most Useful Spell
- Does 1d10 of damage and slows down the target
An early option that Sorcerers and Wizards have access to from level one, Ray of Frost is a single-target spell that slows an enemy down in addition to doing 1d10 of damage. It’s an Evocation spell that a variety of other BG3 subclasses can use eventually, such as Arcane Tricksters and Eldritch Fighters.
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When the caster uses this spell, a single beam of frigid white light erupts from their hands toward the target. It has a range of 18 meters, and at level 5, the damage it deals is raised to 2D8.
1 Armour Of Agathys
A Defensive Spell That Also Deals Damage
- Grants an additional 5 hit points and deals 5 cold damage to any creature that hits the caster with a melee attack
Some players don’t even notice that this common magical armor spell, often used by Warlocks, Bard of the College of Lore, Clerics, and Eldritch Fighters, also can deal cold damage in addition to its defensive abilities. Armour of Agathys grants the character an additional 5 hit points, in addition to dealing 5 cold damage to any creature that hits the caster with a melee attack.
The armor itself is made with spectral frost, which also looks really cool, and lasts until the character takes a long rest. It’s best to cast it early in the day, before combat starts, rather than waste an Action during combat.
Baldur’s Gate 3
- Developer(s)
- Larian Studios
- Platform(s)
- PC, Stadia, macOS, PS5
- Genre(s)
- RPG
- Released
- August 3, 2023
- Metascore
- 96
