The Cryomancer may not be as bombastic as the Pyromancer class in Dungeonborne, but it offers a unique and familiar experience like summoning snow storms in large areas, armor made of ice, and frostbite. Unlike Pyromancers, the Cryomancer is all about control and DoTs (damage over time spells) as opposed to big damage. In solo and groups, the goal of the Cryomancer is notably different in Dungeonborne, so it’s important to go in with the best build.
Best Solo Cryomancer Build
Playing as a solo Cryomancer requires patience and positioning because unlike the Pyromancer, you aren’t in the business of burst damage, you whittle down your foes slowly and painfully, while keeping them at a safe distance.
Cryomancer Class: Best Passives in Solo
| Passives | Effect |
| Permafrost (requires 31 Dexterity) | Restore 2 Soul Energy when dealing critical damage. |
| Frostbite (requires 59 Intelligence) | The damage dealt by the first phase of Ice Storm/Frostbite Curse is increased by 50%. |
| Cryotherapy (requires 24 Faith) | When dealing cold damage, gain stacks of Cryotherapy. Consume all stacks on the next use of Frost Barrier/Ice Armor to recover 0.5 Life per stack. |
Conveniently, the position of the passives is also their priority: Permafrost > Frostbite > Cryotherapy, in that order. If you can manage to get 49 Will too, you’ll unlock Bone Chilling, but that takes better gear.
Permafrost is non-negotiable; Cryomancers are undead, so casting spells require Soul Energy. If you don’t have any, you can’t cast spells unless you kill something. The damage Ice Storm and Frostbite Curse deal over time can crit, quite often too, and that’ll hold off starvation.
Cryomancer Class: Best Skills in Solo
| Skills | Effect |
| Ice Storm (Q key) | Deals damage in a small area and slows by 40% while channeling, then deals more damage after the cast is done and slows by 80%. You can move the Ice Storm while channeling, but not after. |
| Frost Barrier (E key) | Encases you in ice for 8 seconds; you are immune to damage and heal life per second. |
Even in solo games, Ice Storm is going to be your bread and butter, but I should preface that with this: keeping other players within Ice Storm is crucial. That’s how you batter them with your orb and staff, while they’re perpetually slowed.
That said, the Cryomancer’s Frostbite Curse is pretty consistent too, considering it can’t miss, but deals damage a little slower than Ice Storm. Use Frost Barrier or Ice Armor as your secondary skill and you’ll dance around your enemies for a while.
Best Group Cryomancer Build
The Cryomancer’s affinity for crowd control cannot be overlooked in Dungeonborne, especially if you roll with a group that has damage already covered, like a Pyromancer with a Fighter or Death Knight. There’s also a dash of support via the Ice Armor skill, granting you or your ally with damage absorption.
Cryomancer Class: Best Passives in Groups
| Passives | Effect |
| Permafrost (requires 31 Dexterity) | Restore 2 Soul Energy when dealing critical damage. |
| Frostbite (requires 59 Intelligence) | The damage dealt by the first phase of Ice Storm/Frostbite Curse is increased by 50%. |
| Bone Chilling (requires 49 Will) | The further you are away from enemies affected by Ice Storm/Frostbite Curse, the more damage it deals. At 15 meters, it deals a maximum 30%. |
Not much has changed for the Cryomancer when we’re talking about the best build for groups in Dungeonborne. The one notable change is that Bone Chilling has replaced Cryotherapy; Frost Barrier isn’t as beneficial in groups. In groups, you’ll want to stick to the back of the party, where you’ll benefit from Bone Chilling the most.
Cryomancer Class: Best Skills in Groups
| Skills | Effect |
| Ice Storm (Q key) | Deals damage in a small area and slows by 40% while channeling, then deals more damage after the cast is done and slows by 80%. You can move the Ice Storm while channeling, but not after. |
| Ice Armor (E key) | Applies a shield to an ally (or yourself), lasting 60 seconds. When damage is taken, the attack is slowed by 60% for 2 seconds. |
Ice Storm once again is the gift that keeps on giving because unlike Pyromancers, the Cryomancer’s Ice Storm does not hurt friendlies. Isn’t that great? Your buddies can stand in the middle of your blizzard and not feel a thing or be slowed. Ice Armor is self-explanatory; it’s there for support.
Frostbite Curse is by no means a bad option in groups, either. Being a targeted ability as opposed to a skillshot does mean more consistent damage, but you’ll have to balance the cost of casting it on every single player in the enemy group, multiple times. If you go this route, bring along a class with burst damage, like the Pyromancer.
