Truth

Couple notes on Ice Storm and Blizzard:

These are "pet" powers, and use the base pet damage modifier for attacks (0.8 ranged) rather than the class modifier. The upshot is that these attacks do the same damage for every class that has them.

For Blaster's: Ice Storm has a BI of 5.83
For Corrupters: 7.29 BI

(representing that for all other attacks corrupters do 80% of Blaster damage, but for this attack do the same damage as blasters.)

So, comparitively speaking, these attacks are even better for Corrupters than for Blasters.

Changes made! There may be other numbers off in a similar fashion.

(I never left, just been scaling back time playing since the weather is so much nicer now!)

Updated Ice-Cold Guide, for Issue 7

North Star's Guide to the Ice-Cold Corrupter (I7 Version)

North Star's Guide to the Ice-Cold Corrupter
(Issue 7 Version)

Disclaimer:
Corrupters are a balanced hybrid; they do both damage and group support (in the form of heals, buffs, and debuffs.) Both roles are important; a corrupter overly focused on damage is just a gimped blaster; a corrupter focused on support is nothing but a gimped defender. As a personal preference, I want a character who can solo effectively, bring a lot to groups, and be solid in PvP. There's a lot of ways to play a corrupter; this is my personal opinion. Your mileage may vary.

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Ice-Cold Overview
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Ice-Cold has a little bit of everything; single target damage, AE damage, control via holds, targetted debuffs, anchor debuffs, group buffs, targetted buffs, area debuffs. You have a very diverse set of tools, and a lot going on at all times. That makes it a very challenging and interesting class to play. There is a very strong synergy between the two power sets; the complement each other well. Snare/slow is a superb side-effect for PvP. Ice-Cold is a very tight set: you've got a lot of really good powers to choose from.

Rain Attacks (Ice Storm, Sleet, Blizzard):
These attacks have a chance to scourge on every pulse; that makes them far more attractive for the corrupter compared to blasters or defenders. It also does a lot to compensate for the fact that these attacks take 10+ seconds to do their damage rather than be instantaneous. Ice-Cold corrupters have another advantage over Ice Blasters: a great tool for keeping mobs under the rain with Snow Storm. Your foes slowed, snared, feared and dissolving... this is what being a corrupter is all about. As of I7, damage and accuracy buffs now affect these powers. 2*75 ticks of damage over 15 seconds (cold and lethal every 0.2 sec)

With Ice Storm + Sleet you have a 7.34 + 1.34 Brawl Index attack (8.68 BI) with a 30% resist and 20% defense debuff. (1.30 * 8.68 = 11.28 BI attack) That's a lot of damage against all enemies in a wide area.

Problems:
You have a lot of very important high end powers; in particular sleet (35) and heat loss (38). You don't get your 3rd attack (Bitter Ice Blast) until 18. Ice-Cold is very endurance intensive and stamina at 20 is a must. Ice-Cold is a slow set to start off, gets better at 20, but doesn't really come into its own until the late 30s.


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Ice Blast Primary Powers:
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The advice here is mostly applicable for 'cold' corrupters, although the general advice should also apply to Radiation and Dark defenders, which also have snare abilities. The ability to make use of Ice Storm (via snow storm or other snare) really changes the way the primary works.

Ice Bolt, Ice Blast, Bitter Ice Blast
Ice Bolt: 2.78 Brawl Index; -Speed,-Recharge = 16% (6 sec)
Ice Blast: 4.54 Brawl Index; -Speed,-Recharge = 16% (10 sec)
Bitter Ice Blast: 6.31 Brawl Index; -Speed,-Recharge = 16% (12 sec), -ToHit = 10% (6 sec)
All 3 are "must haves". This is your primary attack chain. Fast activating with good side-effects. They need to be taken as soon as possible, slotted as soon as possible. I have them 6 slotted (1*accy, 3*dmg, 1*end rdx, 1*rchg.)

Frost Breath
Frost Breath: 3.89 Brawl Index; -Speed,-Recharge = 16% (10 sec)
I have been under-impressed with this power; range is too small, damage too low, endurance too high. Its one of your AE attacks; and AE rules the PvE game. All the same, I think its very skippable. Its not very useful solo (you need 3 things in it to make the endurance cost worthwhile), and pretty much worthless in PvP. Unlike a blaster, I think corrupters have a lot of other choices for powers. Not a terrible power, but not great either.

Freeze Ray, Bitter Freeze Ray
Freeze Ray: 9.53 sec Hold Mag3; -Speed,-Recharge = 16% (6 sec)
Bitter Freeze Ray: 9.53 sec Hold Mag3; 3.67 Brawl Index; -Speed,-Recharge = 16% (18 sec)
Freeze Ray is a must-have; to be taken and slotted as soon as possible. In many ways it defines the Ice attack set, and fundamentally changes the way you play. (2*accy, 3*hold, 1*rchg). Bitter Freeze Ray is crippled by a insanely long animation (~4 sec) and is easily skippable. Its main use is to be able to lock down bosses while soloing. I personally find it too situational to pickup.

Aim
Aim: +Dmg = 42.5%; +Accy = 42.5% (10 sec)
A 'must have' PvP power; with the new changes that allow Aim to enhance rain powers, its functionality for PvE is greatly enhanced. (3 * recycle)

Ice Storm
Ice Storm: 7.34 Brawl Index, -Speed = 32%; -Recharge = 8% (6 sec)
I -love- this power. It does a lot of damage (more than Bitter Ice Blast) and works over a very wide area. Snowstorm + Ice Storm + Sleet is one of the best combo's in the game; does a massive amount of damage. It has a secondary effect of fearing everything under it... so you need a snare effect going to really use this power. Once snared, most of them will (slowly) try to run away... very effective as a control + damage mitigation. (3 * dmg, 3 * recycle)

Blizzard
Blizzard: 21.56 Brawl Index; -Speed,-Recharge = 16% (12 sec); Knockdown (8%/tick)
A devastating rain attack that totally drains your endurance. Its probably less effective for corrupters than it is for blasters (you have a lot more things to be doing with your endurance), but its still a superb power. Heat Loss + Sleet + Ice Storm + Blizzard will devastate anything short of an Elite Boss. (3 * dmg, 2 * recycle)

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Cold Mastery Secondary Powers:
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Most cold corrupters will agree that the set would have been much more playable if Sleet was availble earlier, for example swapped with Glacial Shield. Compared to more front-weighted power sets, you will weaker early on. Don't give up, the set does come into its own at 35.


Infrigidate and Benumb
Infrigidate: -Speed,-Recharge = 56%; -Def = 25%; -FireDmg = 25% (20 sec)
Benumb: -Dmg = 50%; -Regen = 90%; -Effects = 50%; -Endurance = 55% (30 sec)
Your two targetted debuffs. Infrigidate is decent for a power that you have to get anyway. Devastating in PvP, really good against AVs and Heros, doesn't really need a lot of slotting. Benumb is a boss killer; reduces the damage something does by ~50%, and greatly weakens any secondary effects. Also pretty handy in PvP. Benumb is a "must have", and benefits greatly from some accuracy and recharge enhancing. Infrigidate (1 * end rdx, 2 * accy, 1 * slow), Benumb (3 * recycle, 1 * accy)

Snow Storm
Snow Storm: -Speed,-Recharge = 40%; -Fly (toggle)
This makes Ice Storm work. Its very hard to see, so I use Freeze ray to indicate the anchor. Its a very effective snare/slow and a total endurance hog. As an added bonus, it has -fly on it. Being able to fly, while your foes are grounded and snared, has a lot of survivability advantages. It gets more effective as you level up. (2*end rdx, 2*slow)

Arctic Fog
Arctic Fog: Stealth, +Def(all) = 3.75%; +Res(Energy,Fire,Cold) = 15%; +Res(slow) = 60%
This is an AE buff, and extremely effective. Fire, Ice, and Energy resists, the ability to resist slow effects, stealth, and a defense bonus... at an affordable endurance cost. What's not to like here? In particular, arctic fog is very useful for buffing minions against AE attacks. Fire is much more common in CoV than it ever was in CoH, this buff is corresponding better. There is a good synergy with the resists on the ice shields. The resistance is worth slotting, the defense is not. (2* end rdx, 2 *res buff)

Ice Shield, Glacial Shield
Ice Shield: +Def (lethal,smash,melee) = 11.25%; +Res(cold) = 9.37%, +Res(Fire) = 7.5% (240 sec)
Glacial Shield: +Def (energy,dark,ranged,ae) = 11.25%; +Res(cold) = 9.37% (240 sec)
With the I7 defense changes, as well the the addition of positional defenses, these shields are greatly improved and now work with the stalker/brute defense sets. These shields do dramatically reduce the amount of damage your group will take. You probably only will want to take one or the other; most will go for Ice Shield, but its not as obvious a decision as it was pre-I7. To put the values in context, you can give a stalker/scrapper defense power to every member of your team, and with a 4 minute recycle its not close to as bad as keeping speed boost up. The defense is worth slotting for, the resistance, recycle or endurance reduction are not. (2 * def buff)

Frostwork
Frostwork: +HP (20%); +Res(toxic) = 15% (120 sec)
This is a really solid power; but deferable for a long time; it can be tremendously powerful in PvP. Heal enhancements increase the amount of hp added. (2 * heal, 1 * recycle)

Sleet
Sleet: -Res = 30%; -Def = 20%; -Speed = 40%; -Recharge = 24% (5 sec); Knockdown 8%/tick
Sleet: 1.34 Brawl Index
This is it. This is what you have been waiting for. Sleet is the work-horse of the cold mastery set. A Must Have. Get it, slot it, its worth the wait. (3 * recycle, 1 * slow enh, 1 * def debuff)

Heat Loss
Heat Loss: -Res = 30%; -Speed,-Recharge = 24%; +End = 50% + 20; -End = 30
Another great power. A Must Have. An AE resistance debuff that increases your groups endurance and endurance regeneration. (1 * accy, 3 * recycle, 1 * end mod)


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Power Pool Powers:
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Hover, Fly
I think the best choice of travel powers for Ice-Cold. You can fly, and your enemies can't. Useful for moving around minions. You need to see what is going on to debuff priority targets... hover is good for that. Any travel set will work; I think fly works best. Superjump is primarily useful as a way to access to acrobatics; status effects are the bane of corrupters.

Swift/Hurdle, Health, Stamina
Ice-Cold is a very endurance hungry set. Stamina is not optional. You have no way to heal yourself, so Health is not a -wasted- pick either.


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Patron Pool Powers:
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I personally favor Black Scorpion for the -jump of the web grenade; it is very useful for both PvP and in normal groups to keep things under the rains. I don't think you will go wrong with any of the patrons though.

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Sample Template
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01) --> Ice Bolt
01) --> Infrigidate
02) --> Ice Blast
04) --> Snow Storm
06) --> Swift or Hurdle
08) --> Freeze Ray
10) --> Hover*
12) --> Aim
14) --> Fly*
16) --> Health
18) --> Bitter Ice Blast
20) --> Stamina
22) --> Arctic Fog
24) --> Ice Storm
26) --> Ice Shield*
28) --> Benumb
30) --> Frostwork*
32) --> Blizzard
35) --> Sleet
38) --> Heat Loss
41) --> Web Grenade*
44) --> Assault*
47) --> Tactics*
49) --> Scorpion Shield*


* powers I think you might consider swapping out for others, based on playstyle

Oh, for sleet I believe the actual Brawl index is 1.68. I had an error with my math before. The -res debuff adds to this.

Blizzard seems more like 20.16 ... I think I cut the damage in half (missing the fact that there were both lethal and cold damage being applied.)

[ QUOTE ]
Well, if Slows and Holds can't save your team, then nothing will. . . . Except running away.

[/ QUOTE ]


I really think Ice Shield is very effective. I think its so effective that anything else you would take would be a real step down in total power (I assume you have already taken all the 'must have' stuff.). You can certainly do a build without them... but you aren't going to add as much to a group.

That may not be a problem... you may mostly solo. If you always solo; yeah, its a wasted power. On the other hand, its a really good power if you group at all (PvP or PvE!)

(Its not like you are going to not take Snow Storm or Freeze Ray and take Ice Shield instead. If you think Bitter Freeze ray is better at mitigating damage for a team: you seriously need to reevaluate things. Here's a Hint: its not even close. BFR is an ok soloing power... it isn't adding anything to a group.)

I really think you should try it before you knock it. I think Ice Shield is the most under-rated power in the set; I was very pleased with how well it works.

(Glacial Shield really is a dog of a power and seriously needs help. Status protection, endurance drain protection, something. Maybe a lot of somethings. Don't mistake this as me advocating that power... pretty much ANYTHING else will be more effective.)

IB, IB, BIB: 1*accy, 3*dmg, 1 rchg, 1 end rdx
Ice Storm: 3*dmg, 2*rchg
Sleet: 2*rchg
Blizzard: 3*dmg
Freeze Ray: 3*hold, 2*accy

-----------------
Stamina is 3 slotted, Health 2 slotted, Swift 1 slot

assault: 1 end rdx
tactics: 3 accy, 1 end rdx
arctic fog: 3 resist, 1 end rdx

hover: 3 flight
fly: 3 * flight, 1 end rdx

snow storm: 1 slow, 2 end rdx
infrigidate; 1 accy
benumb: 1 accy, 2 rchg

Ice Shield: 3*def


I think that's basically it; I might have a second slow in snow storm as well. (Can't remember.)

[ QUOTE ]

What's brawl index? (what do these numbers mean)
How is it calculated?


[/ QUOTE ]


Its a way to rate the damage of various attack relative to other attacks, within the same set and accross sets.

Its sort of all attacks normalized against "brawl"

It doesn't exactly work in all cases, defenders (and I believe corrupters, thought I have -nothing- to back that up) have lower melee damage than ranged damage. In a case like Ice Blast, it has a known damage ratio against brawl for a Blaster (with even damage for ranged and melee), and so othe rattacks can be measured against that. The corrupter attacks scale the same way, except that out attacks are only 75% the damage... but the ratio of "ice blast" vs. "ice bolt" stays the same.

ANYWAY, what's important is that a Brawl Index of 2 does twice as much damage as a Brawl Index of 1. and a 4 does twice as much damage as a 2. and so on.

Take the ratio of the damage vs. an attack of known damage and Brawl index, and you have a new brawl index. When fighting other hero's you will need to account for any regeneration or resists they might have.

[ QUOTE ]
No way... Blizzard is the most damaging attack in the game. Don't have time to test ATM.

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree, that number seems fairly low very low to me; in respect to how it turns out in practice. If you can provide me "more accurate" numbers, I would appreciate it.

Think I double counted the -res debuff in sleet the first time around. Redoing tests, it really seems like a 1.68 BI as a base.

[ QUOTE ]
No shields for me either.

[/ QUOTE ]

I think that first shield (Ice Shield) is actually very good; it will greatly reduce the amount of damage your teammates takes.

Its essentially a Stone Brute's (Rock Armor + Brimstone Armor), and it will stack with anything else they have going for them. You can just give a buddy the defense of a pre-granite stone brute. That's a pretty good power.

Fire is a very important resist in CoV... with all the longbow flamers everywhere. Having fire and cold makes it a very good shield for PvP play. Smashing / Lethal rock for defense types... a very large percentage of attacks have at least a small smashing/lethal component to it.

I didn't take it originally, I respecced into it (after doing some testing with it.) I wish I'd taken it earlier. Its definately the winner of "most pleasent surprise in the set" power.

Glacier Armor is a dog. Anyone with this power should respec out of immediately and get "heal other" or "teleport friend" or something.

Brawl Index for Ice-Cold Powers:

<font class="small">Code:[/color]<hr /><pre>
Ice Bolt: 2.78
Ice Blast: 4.56
Frost Breath: 3.89
Ice Storm: 7.34
Bitter Ice Blast: 6.33
Bitter Freeze Ray: 3.67
Blizzard: 10.08
Sleet: 1.34 (1.68 if you add in the impact of its -res effect)
</pre><hr />

I retrospect, I would take Ice Shield at 24, Assault at 26, and Tactics at 30. It doesn't make a huge difference, but I think it would make some mid-level grouping a bit easier.

Magnitude of difference powers

<font class="small">Code:[/color]<hr /><pre>Infrigidate: -Speed,-Recharge = 60%; -FireDmg = 25%
Snow Storm: -Speed,-Recharge = 40%
Benumb: -Dmg, -Effects = 50%
Sleet: -Res = 30%; -Def = 25%
Heat Loss: -Res = 30%</pre><hr />

(thanks to gSOLO for the numbers)

A couple things to make the trial easier:

(a) Everyone in the group needs to be 28-30, or lackeyable into that range. I can't stress this point enough.

(b) The trial is easier with less than 8 people. 5-6 seems like an optimum number.

(c) The leaders difficulty must be set to the minimum

(d) Everyone needs several revives and a bunch of break-frees. If you can break out of the tree's DoT of death, you can almost always survive it.

-----
Masterminds are an excellent AT for this trial, but they really need their final pet. I wouldn't bother taking a mastermind who wasn't at least 28. They add a lot of survivability when fighting the tree (as mentioned above), and they probably have the highest sustained DPS (not being endurance limited.)

The vines are usually level 29, the tree level 30. I think a full 8 man group bumps those levels up by one. Anyone less than level 27/28 is going to have a significant penalty both in damage and accuracy.

You have at least 5 minutes to clear the vines; and each person only needs to kill 10 of them. (slightly more with an 8 man team). That averages out to 30 seconds per vine per person. Any class, not facing the level based penalties, can handle that. Easily handle that.

[ QUOTE ]
Blast’s Note: Try and stay at 1 +/- your own level when recruiting or the spawns may be too high for people at the low end.

[/ QUOTE ]

The number of vines and the level of vines and tree are a fixed number determined by the size of the group and the difficulty of the mission. It is not dependent on the level of the group (or group leader). Don't treat the trial as a 24-30 trial; its a 28-30 trial.

Going in with a lower level team will be one of the worst game experiences ever, notable only for the progress made toward your debt badges. Go in with the appropriate level team and it is a relatively straightforward and interesting encounter.

I'd have to sort of disagree with the advice; my rule of thumb for any task force is # of (corrupters + dominators) &gt;&gt; # of (brutes + stalkers)

Corrupters are going to outdamage brutes in most situations... significantly outdamage where they can AE, and also somewhat outdamage on bosses, elites, and AV's... where they drop all the debuffs. Corrupter's archtypes are among the least fungible (interchangeable) in the game; so it make a lot of different what type of corrupter you are getting.
I'd be careful about taking more than 1 thermal corrupter in; you want to load up with dark/rad/cold/kinetic.

The same is true to a lesser extent with masterminds... /dark and (shockingly!) /poison are the best for TFs/Trials.

Every AT in CoV does good damage, its the secondary effects that diffierentiate them. Brutes are mainly there to manage aggro and take alpha strikes. Neither function is very useful in the respec.

(Adding a corrupter to a team might raise the damage of everyone by 25%, in addition to their own damage. That's a very useful effect.)

Massed debuffs win AV fights.

In this fight, you need a bunch of masterminds. The tree has a very long recycle "death ray" attack. If you have a lot of pets around, they'll generally take it. It goes without saying, all masterminds need their high end pet, so 28 minimum. Because pets are lower level, its critical that masterminds be at the high end of a group in order to contribute.

----
My Advice to winning the trial:

The major trick at all to the respec is get a team the appropriate level: 29-30. Everyone has to be in that range, or lackeyable to that range. Its not a 25, 26, or 27 mission.

This trial is somewhat easier with less than 8 people; 5-6 is a good number.

Everyone needs to go in with 4 revives or something. People will die when clearing the place.

The leader needs to be set to the minumum possible difficulty.

Teleport friend is seriously useful.

Its a difficult trial, but not as difficult as most people make it. Levels make a huge difference. I don't see how any but the most perfect 25-26 team could do this... a 29-30 team can be full of rejects and people who made very poor character choices.

[ QUOTE ]
Addtionally its nice for some extra blizzard and Ice storm damage

[/ QUOTE ]

Aim has no effect on Ice Storm, Sleet or Blizzard. They are "pet" powers and unaffected by any buffs, including leadership, inspirations, 'forge', etc.

I don't think Aim is terrible, but a lot of the tools in the cold set really reduce its importance. Infrigidate in particular seems like a very large -def component to it as well as being an excellent snare and slow.

(I respec'd out of Aim + Hasten because I felt they were underperforming.)

The trade off of Assault vs. Aim: Assault is basically +5% per person increase in damage, Aim (over time) is a +10% increase in damage for yourself. (and neither affects your rains, which will be your largest component of your damage in teams.)

Assault is also important to set the stage for Tactics, which also helps offset accuracy issues... but helps everyone on the team as well.

-----------------------------------
[ QUOTE ]
I was wondering how you like to use the AoE dmg/debuff powers?

[/ QUOTE ]

well, for one thing... I -don't- use AEs when soloing; I don't really even bother with debuffs; they are pretty inefficient. They only become efficient if you are fighting groups of mobs large enough to cause you severe downtime from damage.

With Arctic Fog, you can usually drop one mob before the rest respond. In a group of 3... you drop one, the other two turn, you iceblock one of those, drop the next.

In groups I normally snowstorm, (sleet), icestorm. At which point I start freeze raying things outside the AE, debuffing bosses, or otherwise rotating thru targets to maximize scourges.

The main value of icestorm when soloing is as a "fear" effect to buy yourself extra time against an elite boss, like a ballista.

North Star's Guide to the Ice-Cold Corrupter
http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showf...Number=4408154

North Star's Guide to the Ice-Cold Corrupter
(Issue 6 Version)

Disclaimer:
Corrupters are a balanced hybrid; they do both damage and group support (in the form of heals, buffs, and debuffs.) Both roles are important; a corrupter overly focused on damage is just a gimped blaster; a corrupter focused on support is nothing but a gimped defender. As a personal preference, I want a character who can solo effectively, bring a lot to groups, and be viable in PvP. There's a lot of ways to play a corrupter; this is my personal opinion. Mileage may vary.

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Ice-Cold Overview
-------------------------------
Ice-Cold has a little bit of everything; single target damage, AE damage, control via holds, targetted debuffs, anchor debuffs, group buffs, targetted buffs, area debuffs. You have a very diverse set of tools, and a lot going on at all times. That makes it a very challenging and interesting class to play. There is a very strong synergy between the two power sets; the complement each other well. Snare/slow is a superb side-effect for PvP. Ice-Cold is a very tight set: you've got a lot of really good powers to choose from.

Rain Attacks (Ice Storm, Sleet, Blizzard):
These attacks have a chance to scourge on every pulse; that makes them far more attractive for the corrupter compared to blasters or defenders. It also does a lot to compensate for the fact that these attacks take 10+ seconds to do their damage rather than be instantaneous. Ice-Cold corrupters have another advantage over Ice Blasters: a great tool for keeping mobs under the rain with Snow Storm. Your foes slowed, snared, feared and dissolving... this is what being a corrupter is all about. As a side note, damage and accuracy buffs do not help these powers; only their slotting matters. Don't let previous experience with these powers for other Archtypes turn you off; they really come into their own for corrupters.

You are not a Ice Blaster:
Some powers don't have the same importance as they did for blasters; in particular, Aim and Frost Breath. In part, this is because rain powers are far more effective for corrupters. Frost Breath was useful if you didn't have other AE's... but with Ice Storm being much more useful, the appeal just isn't there. Aim is great for a class that is only doing damage, but a corrupter has a lot of other things to be doing. Aim also does not affect your rain powers... and those will do the bulk of your damage in large group PvE. These aren't 'bad' powers... but the relative value has changed.

Problems:
You have a lot of very important high end powers; in particular sleet (35) and heat loss (38). You don't get your 3rd attack (Bitter Ice Blast) until 18. Ice-Cold is very endurance intensive and stamina at 20 is a must. Ice-Cold is a slow set to start off, gets better at 20, but doesn't really come into its own until the late 30s.


-------------------------------
Ice Primary Powers:
-------------------------------
The advice here is mostly applicable for 'cold' corrupters, although the general advice should also apply to Radiation and Dark defenders, which also have snare abilities. For every other secondary, I would take Frost Breath and skip Ice Storm (and Aim is also more appealing.) The ability to make use of Ice Storm (via snow storm or other snare) really changes the way the primary works.

Ice Bolt, Ice Blast, Bitter Ice Blast
All 3 are "must haves". This is your primary attack chain. Fast activating with good side-effects. They need to be taken as soon as possible, slotted as soon as possible. I have them 6 slotted (1*accy, 3*dmg, 1*end rdx, 1*rchg.)

Frost Breath
I have been under-impressed with this power; range is too small, damage too low, endurance too high. Its one of your AE attacks; and AE rules the PvE game. All the same, I think its very skippable. Its not very useful solo (you need 3 things in it to make the endurance cost worthwhile), and pretty much worthless in PvP. Unlike a blaster, I think corrupters have a lot of other choices for powers. Not a terrible power, but not great either.

Freeze Ray, Bitter Freeze Ray
Freeze Ray is a must-have; to be taken and slotted as soon as possible. In many ways it defines the Ice attack set, and fundamentally changes the way you play. (2*accy, 3*hold, 1*rchg). Bitter Freeze Ray is crippled by a insanely long animation (~4 sec) and is easily skippable. Its main use is to be able to lock down bosses while soloing. I personally find it too situational to pickup.

Aim
See the explanation above. This one is definately skippable; as shocking as that may sound if you ever played a blaster. Primary use is for PvP; but even then I find myself leading off with infrigidate.

Ice Storm
I -love- this power. It does a lot of damage (more than Bitter Ice Blast) and works over a very wide area. Snowstorm + Ice Storm + Sleet is one of the best combo's in the game; does a massive amount of damage. It has a secondary effect of fearing everything under it... so you need a snare effect going to really use this power. Once snared, most of them will (slowly) try to run away... very effective as a control + damage mitigation. Buffs don't improve it, so it needs to be heavily slotted.

Blizzard
A devastating rain attack that totally drains your endurance. Its probably less effective for corrupters than it is for blasters (you have a lot more things to be doing with your endurance), but its still a superb power. Heat Loss + Sleet + Ice Storm + Blizzard will devastate anything short of an Elite Boss.

-------------------------------
Cold Secondary Powers:
-------------------------------

Infrigidate, Benumb
Your two targetted debuffs. Infrigidate is decent for a power that you have to get anyway. Devastating in PvP, really good against AVs and Heros, doesn't really need a lot of slotting. Benumb is a boss killer; reduces the damage something does by ~50%, and greatly weakens any secondary effects. Also pretty handy in PvP. Benumb is a "must have", and benefits greatly from some accuracy and recharge enhancing.

Snow Storm
This makes Ice Storm work. Its very hard to see, so I use Freeze ray to indicate the anchor. Its a very effective snare, a moderately effective slow, and an endurance hog. As an added bonus, it has -fly on it. Being able to fly, while your foes are grounded and snared, has a lot of survivability advantages. It gets more effective as you level up; I have 1 end rdx, 2 slow enhancers in it.

Arctic Fog
This is an AE buff, and extremely effective. Fire-Ice-Energy resists, the ability to resist slow effects, stealth, and a defense bonus... at an affordable endurance cost. What's not to like here? In particular, arctic fog is very useful for buffing minions against AE attacks. Fire is much more common in CoV than it ever was in CoH, this buff is corresponding better. There is a good synergy with the resists on the ice shields. The resistance is worth slotting, the defense is not.

Ice Shield, Glacial Shield
Lets go over why these are bad. Targetted buffs have an annoying mechanic to use. They have typed defenses which don't stack with the most common stalker positional defense sets (reflexes, ninjitsu). They -probably- don't stack with the defenses from invulnerability. They are ugly. They don't help you when solo. OK, now we are past all that, I still strongly recommend taking Ice Shield. As a corrupter, you really want to unleash AE destruction and mayhem. AE means you are going to get splattered if you take the initial attacks. You need someone else to take that intial strike. For all the problems that these shields have, Ice Shield does greatly improve the survivability of your team. The fire/cold resists work well with the resists on arctic fog as well. Glacial Shield is probably the worst power in the set; it has all the problems of Ice Shield... as well as the fact that energy and dark attacks are much rarer, a lot of energy/dark have a smashing/lethal component, and you dont have the fire resistance. Get over the fact that Ice Shield does nothing for you solo; its benefit in PvP and groups is substantial. Take Ice Shield; skip Glacial Shield.

Frostwork
Increases HP of the target by 20%, but with heal enhancements this will go up to 40%. That will make a brute significantly tougher. This is a really solid power; but deferable for a long time. (I don't have it now, but intend to grab it when they raise the level cap.)

Sleet
This is it. This is what you have been waiting for. Suddenly the whole power set starts to click. Its good damage. Its an defense/resistance debuff. Stuff is continually knocked down. A Must Have. Get it, slot it, its worth the wait.

Heat Loss
Another great power. A Must Have. An AE resistance debuff (30%?) that increases your groups endurance and endurance regeneration.


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Power Pool Powers:
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Hover, Fly
I think the best choice of travel powers for Ice-Cold. You can fly, and your enemies can't. Useful for moving around minions. You need to see what is going on to debuff priority targets... hover is good for that. Any travel set will work; I think fly works best.

Swift, Health, Stamina
Ice-Cold is a very endurance hungry set. Stamina is not optional. You have no way to heal yourself, Health is not a -wasted- pick either.


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Sample Template
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01) --&gt; Ice Bolt
01) --&gt; Infrigidate
02) --&gt; Ice Blast
04) --&gt; Snow Storm
06) --&gt; Swift
08) --&gt; Freeze Ray
10) --&gt; Hover
12) --&gt; Ice Storm
14) --&gt; Fly
16) --&gt; Health
18) --&gt; Bitter Ice Blast
20) --&gt; Stamina
22) --&gt; Arctic Fog
24) --&gt; Assault*
26) --&gt; Tactics*
28) --&gt; Benumb
30) --&gt; Ice Shield
32) --&gt; Blizzard
35) --&gt; Sleet
38) --&gt; Heat Loss

*optional power. other choices to consider are hasten, aim, frost breath, bitter freeze ray, frostworks, heal other, heal self, teleport friend; customize based on personal preference.

I heavily slotted all of my attacks; moderately slotted the secondary cold stuff. Death is the best status effect.

I think the Longbow at 40 and with a large team are pretty painful to play. I think the whole toggle dropping, endurance draining, and -perception type powers are just miserable to play against.

I think there is a real flaw in the whole mechanism of toggle dropping. They should never have given so much status protection to brutes / scrappers / tankers / stalkers .... but at the same time... being held / disotiented shouldn't cause toggles to drop. Being held is bad; being held and taking 4 times the amount of damage is a whole seperate scale of bad.

The mechanic should be something like: applying a hold or a stun to someone who is already held/stunned should have a (good) chance of dropping a toggle.

and endurance drains should be much smaller... none of this "totally drain a bar of endurance" power.

and -perception... you should always be able to see things in melee range!

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While that may be true from a game quality standpoint, its a financial requirement for MMOs to appeal to as wide an audience as possible.

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There I'd disagree... mostly on what you imply appeals to the widest audience. A game that has both cooperative and PvP elements is something that will appeal to a far smaller segment of the population than a game with one or the other. i.e. it is typically an audience LOSING decision to cater to killers AND explorers AND socializers.

and I think its a mistake to think of those as different 'players'.... it'd probably be more accurate to say that you have a 95% group in the middle with a mix of all of those.

i.e. The same person can enjoy baseball, diving, and martial arts. But baseball would probably not be improved as a game by having people snorkle to second base and then breaking the baseman's neck. What many designers lose sight of is "The Game". Some games will work well for multiple different play-styles... other won't work at all.

(There is a reason that Calvinball is not the world's most popular sport. It has everything right? It has something to appeal to everyone? how could that not be the best game ever?)

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A good MMO tries to make all types of play available in their games.

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I'm not sure thats true.... its certainly not intuitive.

It seems to me that different games do different things well... that specialization in products leads better games. Trying to do too many different things, ends up with none of them being done well.