Help with playing Frost

[MayuriK12]

I'm a person who likes the cold, and also a person who always enjoys some good cc.  That and the visual design of Frost enticed me and my friend to try and get him.  And after many repeated efforts of only getting the helmet and the chasis, we finally got the systems and I was able to play Frost.

And it was horrible, and I hate that I'm having such a horrible time with him.

Bear in mind, before this I played Limbo (whom I adore), and I knew I'd be sacrificing a lot of sprint speed.  But what I didn't anticipate was that  Freeze would have such a slow projectile speed.  I can't accurately freeze anyone, and the aoe slow if I miss is worthless.  Ice Wave is also lackluster: the cone is quite narrow, and the damage isn't really that great in my opinion.  I've only just gotten Avalanche, so I haven't gotten to use it yet.

That being said, his Snow Globe is everything I could have asked for.  I can shoot at enemies at my leisure from the safety of my sphere.  And while his outfit is a pain to color, I still like the overall visual appearance.  I want to love this frame and get a lot of use out of him, especially with how long it took to get him, but I don't want to relegate him to merely being a Snow Globe slave.

TL;DR -- Does anyone have any tips or suggestions for Frost?  Is there a certain way I should mod him?  What sort of playstyle should I keep in mind when playing him?

[DuskLegendary]

Frost is basically great when it comes to anything defensive. He excels in excavations, defense, mobile defense, and even survival. You should decide what type of build you want. Are you looking for a CC build, or a Snow Globe build? If you want CC, his Globe is going to be sacrificed. If you want the best Snow Globe build possible, his CC is going to be sacrificed. I do not recommend a mixed build though, because it doesn't shine when you need it too, it always comes up short, and this is why I have 2 separate builds. 

If you opt for a CC build, the entire strategy relies on spamming Avalanche to keep your enemies frozen for as long as possible, all while making them squishy. Even lv. 80 Bombards get cut through like wet paper after being hit by an Avalanche. Now, with a Snow Globe build, it's pretty self explanatory. You make the strongest Globe possible so you can protect your team, and your objective. Sit behind it all day, stay safe, kill anything that gets close or inside your globe, this is how I like to play. 

Now, there is an Ice Wave build that uses his Ice Wave Impedance augment, it's also pretty good and focuses on his CC potential. If you need any ideas on how to build him, I can screenshot my 2 separate builds for you, both the Snow Globe, and the Avalanche armor reduction build.

Edited April 18, 2016 by DuskLegendary

[GinKenshin]

well, I don't think you're modding him right because he's basically my 'perfect' warframe

as you know, he has everything in his abilities. a tip for freeze is to anticipate where your enemy is moving and then aim there. or just get in their faces and freeze them. I usually don't freeze far enemies cos like you said, the flight speed is slow (which is suppose to be since it's a big ball of ice >.>) 


for ice wave....I don't believe what you say there, since it's just a perfect ability XD 
I take out - lvl 40 with it pretty easily, and the slow effect of it is wonderful. if you want more range just slap on a stretch mod. the range will be satisfying that way, as for avalanche, it's pretty good for decent and fast CC 

here's my build: 

streamline, fleeting expertise R3, power drift (in exilus slot), transient fortitude, stretch, constitution, steel fiber, redirection, primed continuity (or normal). you can also switch redirection for intensify if you like 

if you want a globe build, here's mine too: 

primed flow (or normal), steel fiber, armored agility, stretch, blind rage (max), transient fortitude, streamline (or intensify for mod globe health), and chilling globe augment (and power drift in exilus slot). 
most of the time, there's an EV trinity supplying me with energy, so I didn't concern myself with the efficiency, and you don't really need duration on snow globe, but it's still good if you want to use your other abilities  

[Rambit23Z]

You can slap 150% additional power strength to get 100% armour shred on Avalanche. Really useful late game.

Also, Frost is in a really good spot these days. Before, snow globe was invulnerable but with a duration and Ice Wave was just a line as opposed to the cone.

[(PSN)whiskey_14]

I use blues and browns for my frost colours.

[rawr1254]

So was actually very recently going back to my Frost and screwing around with his builds and made this one which I myself was surprised how well it worked. The range is more than enough to defend a target and allies from bombard attacks. And the range on IW and Avalanche is actually pretty good as well. And the duration helps Avalanches armor reduction scale later on since it needs a tiny bit of duration between cast and you shooting the enemy. Globes health stacks on top of itself so be sure to stack them in the beginning of a defense so you don't have to worry about it melting later on cause the health is too low. 

In terms of playstyle you CAN hide in the globe like most players do but I personally dont. I tend to make the globe and then move around the map and maybe come back to it here and there. If you're in an infested mission switch to max range you're needed for the slow not the globes health. Also Zenurik is very beneficial to Frost like more frames, it helps him cast whenever he needs to.

Edited April 18, 2016 by rawr1254

[MayuriK12]

@DuskLegendary

I'll try and play more defense-type missions with him.  I've mostly been doing exterminate with him, which isn't the best idea.  It also explains why I seem to be falling short -- I keep trying to buff both Snow Globe and his other abilities. If I have to choose CC or Snow Globe I'll have to go with the Globe -- especially since I use bows too much.

 

@Kenshin98

Thanks for the freeze tip -- since I'm awful at aiming, I'll try and just freeze the enemies that get too close, or else priority targets like Bombards or Eximus.  I'll do my best to get the mods I don't have for the Globe build, especially the Chilling Globe augment.  In the meantime, I'll make do with Vitality and Steel Fiber.  

 

And both of you, thank you so much for your help!

[Stratego89]

Firstly- don't try to use freeze except for special situations. It won't work out well.

Secondly- get ice wave impedance augment for ice wave. It's amazing. It COMPLETELY elevates how amazing frost already is into a god-tier state.

Thirdly- don't judge his skills based on your experience with them before they're FULLY leveled. He's one of those frames that's a bit of a pain when leveling. But with mods on and his skills fully functional, he's a total beast.

[(PSN)A_SimpleName]

1) Fully level to 30 before judging abilities.

2) Freeze is useful for big target (Heavy Gunners, Bombards) but you wouldn't want to be close to them anyway. So avoid using it except certain situation.

3) Ice wave is amazing with some range and Ice Wave Impedance augment mod.

4) Snow Globe is snow globe; just be mindful that Power Strength and Armor affect its health. (Since you mentioned slow sprint speed, use Armor Agility mod to get both armor and movement speed boost)

5) Avalanche is amazing with AOE CC plus Armor stripping and decent damage. 

After the rework, Frost is one of the better frames in your arsenal. Contrary to many opinions, he is one of the best frame against Infested enemies. 

[Aergarda]

Some duration some efficiency and some power strength. That's for his all around build vitality mod in there for some survival. I have 5 different frost builds that i change for whats needed.  Just play with different mods settings till it fits your play style.

[(XBOX)DataStorm 8Bit]

He might just not be your frame. Try Ember if your looking for elemental CC

[MayuriK12]

Thanks for all the help everyone!  I've taken your advice to heart, and performed more defensive mission types.  Even so, I still had my doubts about the frame.

Until I came across a Grineer Mobile Defense mission.  The last node of which had two ramparts in place, pointed at the defense point.  Now, I believe the ramparts offer too little counter-play, and I tried destroying an earlier one to minimal effect.  So, I place down my snowglobe, and refresh it as the damage started coming in.

It was at this moment I was converted.  My bane could no longer hurt me.  Frost will remain in my warframe arsenal.  Thank you so much once again to everyone and your suggestions!  You've all been so helpful and kind -- the best community I've seen for a game!