Frost mage early game is actually viable if you stop trying to freeze everything

[WhiterunModder]

yeah so I've been doing a pure frost playthrough on my second character and I kept hitting this wall around level 12-15 where I'd cast frost spell, enemy would shrug it off, and I'd just... die. but then I realized I was treating frost like it's supposed to do the same thing as fire, when it's actually got a completely different job.

the thing nobody tells you is that frost is about slowing down the fight, not winning it. you're not trying to one-shot anything. you cast frost, the enemy moves slower, you kite backward and cast again. it's genuinely tedious compared to just fireballing everything, which is probably why people say it sucks early on.

but once you grab the perk that increases frost damage and the one that staggers enemies with frost (or at least slows their attacks), it actually clicks. suddenly you're not getting rushed by bandits because they're literally moving at half speed. the damage is lower but the survivability goes way up.

also I'm pretty sure the frost slow effect scales with your frost skill, so if you're leveling it you're automatically getting better at kiting. by the time I hit level 20 I was actually having fun with it instead of just respeccing to destruction and pretending frost doesn't exist.

anyway if you're thinking about trying it don't bail at level 10 like I almost did. it's a patience game, not a damage game.

 

[TamrielTactician]

You're onto something real here. The frost playstyle is genuinely different from fire/shock, but I'd push back a bit on the "patience game" framing - I think it's more that frost is a control game, and once you accept that you're not the damage dealer, it stops feeling bad.

The stagger perk you mentioned (the one in the destruction tree that procs on frost hits) is honestly the turning point. Before that, yeah, you're just watching enemies walk toward you in slow motion while you chip away. After it, you're actually interrupting attacks and power attacks, which means you're trading damage output for survivability in a way that actually works.

One thing though - I'd be careful about the "frost slow scales with skill" thing. The slow effect is definitely there, but I'm not 100% sure it gets noticeably better as your Destruction skill climbs. Might just be placebo from getting better perks and gear. Either way, you're right that the early slog is real and most people bail before the build comes online.

I'd add that having some backup damage helps a ton. Even just a dagger or keeping a fire spell slotted for when you need burst takes the edge off the tedium. And if you're on PC, there are some mods that make frost slightly less of a chore early on without breaking it - though on Switch you're stuck with vanilla, so your patience approach is probably the only way through.

Honestly glad someone's saying this because frost gets dunked on constantly and it's not bad, it's just asking you to play differently.