Effect: 7.5% chance to freeze enemies on hit. Instantly executes enemies below a certain HP threshold.
Unlock: Get 50 kills with the Frostwalker weapon
Ice Crystal is a Common item with two distinct effects. Each hit has a 7.5% chance to freeze the enemy it connects with, briefly stopping their movement and actions. Separately, any enemy that falls below a certain HP threshold is instantly executed - killed outright regardless of remaining HP.
The combination of these two effects is what makes Ice Crystal useful beyond its Common rarity. Freeze buys time against dangerous enemies, slowing rushdowns and giving burst weapons time to fire. The execute threshold then ensures that frozen enemies at low HP do not thaw and escape - they are eliminated on the next hit.
Ice Crystal also sits at the end of the frost unlock chain and is a prerequisite for unlocking the Noelle character, making it a significant item for players working toward that goal.
Ice Cube is a separate Legendary item with a 20% freeze chance that is available by default. Ice Crystal is a Common item unlocked through the Frostwalker quest. Despite the similar names they are different items at different rarities with different unlock paths. A common confusion among new players.
Ice Crystal sits in the middle of a three-step unlock chain that leads to Noelle. Understanding the full chain is useful if you are working toward any part of it.
| Step | Requirement | Unlocks |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Freeze 1,000 enemies using Ice Cube | Frostwalker weapon |
| 2 | Get 50 kills with the Frostwalker | Ice Crystal (this item) |
| 3 | Duplicate Ice Crystal 3 consecutive times using the Microwave | Noelle character |
The Noelle unlock requires three consecutive Ice Crystal duplications with no other items duplicated in between. If you duplicate any other item during the sequence, the counter resets and you must start from the first Ice Crystal duplication again. The Microwave and Ice Crystal both need to appear in the same run for this to be possible.
The wiki confirms the base effect is 7.5% freeze chance with an execute below a HP threshold. Community testing documented at megabonkinfo.org adds further detail: the actual freeze proc rate with one copy is approximately 9.1% due to hyperbolic scaling rather than linear addition, mirroring the same mechanic as the Key item.
Freeze duration starts at 2.5 seconds per community testing and increases by +0.1 seconds per additional copy, capping at 6 seconds at 35 copies. Duration Tome also extends freeze time directly - the wiki confirms freeze duration scales with your Duration stat.
Because Ice Crystal's freeze duration scales with your Duration stat, Duration Tome investment directly increases how long enemies stay frozen. This makes Duration Tome one of the highest-value tomes in a frost build - it extends freezes from Frostwalker, Ice Cube, and Ice Crystal simultaneously. Noelle's Enduring passive also adds +1% Duration per level, making her the best character for maximizing freeze uptime.
| Property | Details |
|---|---|
| Unlock condition | Get 50 kills with the Frostwalker weapon |
| Frostwalker unlock | Freeze 1,000 enemies using Ice Cube |
| Purchase | After unlocking, buy with Silver from Main Menu - Unlocks - Items |
| Rarity | Common |
Frostwalker is the weapon that leaves a damaging frost trail on the ground as you move. Getting 50 kills with it is straightforward - run Tier 1 or Tier 2 with Ice Cube already in your pool to generate freezes that Frostwalker's trail finishes off. One solid run with Ice Cube active is usually enough to hit 50 Frostwalker kills.
Noelle - Noelle's entire kit revolves around freeze duration and Frostwalker. Her Enduring passive adds +1% Duration per level, which directly extends Ice Crystal's freeze duration. In a fully built Noelle run, Ice Crystal's execute threshold ensures frozen enemies at low HP are removed instantly, keeping her freeze coverage clean.
Athena - Athena's Aegis weapon blocks incoming damage and fires a shockwave counterattack. Frozen enemies cannot retaliate, which means each Aegis block against a frozen enemy is essentially free - no incoming damage to survive while the shockwave fires. Ice Crystal's freeze window also keeps enemies stationary during Aegis's counterattack animation, ensuring the shockwave connects cleanly.
Calcium - Calcium's movement-speed-based damage works naturally alongside Frostwalker's trail mechanic. Ice Crystal's freeze chance adds crowd control to Calcium's aggressive movement playstyle, and frozen enemies taking damage from the trail are more likely to hit the execute threshold.
Ice Crystal gives each hit a 7.5% chance to freeze the enemy, stopping their movement and actions briefly. It also instantly executes enemies that fall below a certain HP threshold. The wiki confirms both effects. Community testing puts the actual freeze proc rate at approximately 9.1% for one copy due to hyperbolic scaling.
Get 50 kills with the Frostwalker weapon. Frostwalker itself requires freezing 1,000 enemies using Ice Cube to unlock. After getting 50 Frostwalker kills, purchase Ice Crystal from Main Menu - Unlocks - Items with Silver.
Ice Cube is a Legendary item with a 20% freeze chance, available in the default item pool with no unlock requirement. Ice Crystal is a Common item with a 7.5% freeze chance that also executes low-HP enemies, unlocked by getting 50 Frostwalker kills. Despite the similar names they are completely separate items.
Yes. Duplicating Ice Crystal three consecutive times using the Microwave in a single run unlocks the Noelle character. The three duplications must be consecutive with no other items duplicated in between - if you duplicate anything else, the counter resets. Both the Microwave and Ice Crystal need to appear in the same run for the sequence to be possible.
