With all the recent changes, the class is now in an awkward state…
- Elemental build vs CC build
Up to now, the class used to be part of CC builds, like cryo-kino-sage or cryo-kino-onmy. But since the split between elemental and non elemental classes, you’re now supposed to play it with elemental classes. And everyone will pick pyro-ele-tao, leaving cryo aside for non-meta builds.
- Rod+shield vs rod+dagger vs staff+trinket
If you want to use cryo in a DPS build, you will pick classes that pretty much require staff+trinket. With cryo-pyro you will use the pyro Vaivora. With cryo-kino you will use the kino Vaivora. Both these choices will leave you with skills that take two seconds to cast unless you sacrifice a class for Chronomancer or use Asio ichor + Lynnki Sit accessories. And cryo Vaivora is a rod, not mentioning the extra damage you deal with a rod if you activate the attribute. So the clear choice is go rod+dagger with cryo Vaivora, activate the attribute to transfer dagger atk to main weapon and benefit from the -50% casting time of the rod. But then you have Subzero Shield… which requires a shield. So if you want to use that skill, you need rod+shield combo, which obliterates your damage output.
- Freeze sucks
Okay it works vs mobs and bosses in CM, but if you want to use it against top bosses or in PvP it simply almost never work…
So to improve the class again:
- make “thin ice” effect not only turn debuff into Chill, but change ice to non property damage (with Chill increasing ALL damage by 10%, not only ice property)
- change “Subzero Shield” to not require a shield (same as Magic Shield for Wizard), remove the Counterattack attribute
- buff Freeze effect again so that the first time is a guaranteed freeze and consecutive times have more chances to freeze