'Mourning Frost' Weapon Question

[Chaosolous]

This weapon here, the Mourning Frost: https://bg3.wiki/wiki/Mourning_Frost

I have a question, does the "Heart of ice" apply to the damage it gives your melee attack with it? Like, since it says "When dealing cold damage, the wielder deals an additional 1 cold damage" does that mean that the 1d4 of ice damage it adds to your melee attack is really 2-5 cold damage because it's always adding 1? Or is that only for like cantrips and spells that deal cold damage?

I can't seem to get the game to give me a concrete answer in the battle log or whatever.

[Mike Garrison]

[edit see below] but typically using a staff as a melee weapon is not the best option for anybody. Martial types can get better weapons, and wizard types do better with spells unless they are silenced or something like that.

[Mike Garrison]

I suppose you could swing it at people a few times and see if it ever does 1 or 5 cold damage.

[Chaosolous]

Originally posted by Mike Garrison:

As far as I know, yes, but typically using a staff as a melee weapon is not the best option for anybody. Martial types can get better weapons, and wizard types do better with spells unless they are silenced or something like that.

I'm running a melee warlock build with additional types of damage as buffs to the melee. I wear that ring that does 2 acid, I bind my weapon (pact weapon warlock) and then I have Hex and a few other items (IDR what) that do other damage types when I hit. It's like 6 different damage procs when I swing, plus I get two swings.

Warlock's only level 6 right now but per melee swing they do 13-26 damage per swing. As a pure warlock.

I don't run min-max optimal builds in the traditional sense. In the early game though I like the eek out every bit of damage I can. I was asking about this weapon because it's a tossup between using this weapon or another weapon that does 1 more max damage. That 1 more only counts IF the +1 from Heart of Ice doesn't apply though, otherwise this staff is actually my strongest melee weapon (outside my Great Weapon Master fighter in the party).

That's why I use it.

[Mike Garrison]

Originally posted by Chaosolous:

Originally posted by Mike Garrison:

As far as I know, yes, but typically using a staff as a melee weapon is not the best option for anybody. Martial types can get better weapons, and wizard types do better with spells unless they are silenced or something like that.

I'm running a melee warlock build with additional types of damage as buffs to the melee. I wear that ring that does 2 acid, I bind my weapon (pact weapon warlock) and then I have Hex and a few other items (IDR what) that do other damage types when I hit. It's like 6 different damage procs when I swing, plus I get two swings.

Warlock's only level 6 right now but per melee swing they do 13-26 damage per swing. As a pure warlock.

I don't run min-max optimal builds in the traditional sense. In the early game though I like the eek out every bit of damage I can. I was asking about this weapon because it's a tossup between using this weapon or another weapon that does 1 more max damage. That 1 more only counts IF the +1 from Heart of Ice doesn't apply though, otherwise this staff is actually my strongest melee weapon (outside my Great Weapon Master fighter in the party).

That's why I use it.

My recent blade warlock used Phalar Aluve as her melee weapon. In the endgame she got the Silver Sword (she was a gith). Lae'Zel was happy with Nyrulna. I always give Mourning Frost to Gale and focus him on cold damage spells.

[Chaosolous]

Originally posted by Mike Garrison:

Originally posted by Chaosolous:

I'm running a melee warlock build with additional types of damage as buffs to the melee. I wear that ring that does 2 acid, I bind my weapon (pact weapon warlock) and then I have Hex and a few other items (IDR what) that do other damage types when I hit. It's like 6 different damage procs when I swing, plus I get two swings.

Warlock's only level 6 right now but per melee swing they do 13-26 damage per swing. As a pure warlock.

I don't run min-max optimal builds in the traditional sense. In the early game though I like the eek out every bit of damage I can. I was asking about this weapon because it's a tossup between using this weapon or another weapon that does 1 more max damage. That 1 more only counts IF the +1 from Heart of Ice doesn't apply though, otherwise this staff is actually my strongest melee weapon (outside my Great Weapon Master fighter in the party).

That's why I use it.

My recent blade warlock used Phalar Aluve as her melee weapon. In the endgame she got the Silver Sword (she was a gith). I always give Mourning Frost to Gale and focus him on cold damage spells.

My first playthrough I made Gale a sorcerer and had him focus cold. Using that staff he was pumping out some mad damage near the End Game.

I had debating using Phalar Aluve on this warlock, but the fact that the additional thunder damage came from the skill being on short rest was why I chose to go with the staff instead. The 1d4 cold didn't need a short rest.

The whole question about the 1 extra ice damage was because I'm torn between Sword of Screams and the FrostMourn. If the 1 extra ice damage doesn't apply to the melee swing ice damage, then Sword of Screams does 1 more max damage than the staff. Otherwise the staff eeks out over the sword.

[Mike Garrison]

Originally posted by Chaosolous:

I had debating using Phalar Aluve on this warlock, but the fact that the additional thunder damage came from the skill being on short rest was why I chose to go with the staff instead. The 1d4 cold didn't need a short rest.

I use Phalar for the singing buff rather than the shrieking buff. Shriek benefits you (only if you hit), but sing benefits your whole party, most especially your melee DPS people.

[Chaosolous]

Originally posted by Mike Garrison:

Originally posted by Chaosolous:

I had debating using Phalar Aluve on this warlock, but the fact that the additional thunder damage came from the skill being on short rest was why I chose to go with the staff instead. The 1d4 cold didn't need a short rest.

I use Phalar for the singing buff rather than the thunder buff.

Ahhh, alright. I think that was still tied to the short rest though, and even though I literally always have enough food to sleep forever in the game, I try to do it minimally.

Not a bad choice of a weapon though. I haven't planned this build out yet so IDK what I'll end up using as a final weapon.

I focus my Warlock into Heavy armor and high AC though so it'll most likely be one handed.

[Mike Garrison]

OK, quick update:

I just had Gale swing Mourning Frost at a shadow and it did 1 point of cold damage. That should be impossible if it does 1d4+1, so I guess it doesn't apply the +1 to this.

[Chaosolous]

Originally posted by Mike Garrison:

OK, quick update:

I just had Gale swing Mourning Frost at a shadow and it did 1 point of cold damage. That should be impossible if it does 1d4+1, so I guess it doesn't apply the +1 to this.

Mike you're a champion.

Thank you for your efforts.

[Mike Garrison]

Oops. I just checked the stats, and Shadows are resistant to cold. So that means they take half damage. Meaning I may have done 2 damage, reduced in half to 1. So maybe that wasn't a good test.

[Mike Garrison]

OK, now I actually do know the answer.

So I had Gale swing this staff at a zombie. He hit. I checked the log, and the damage roll very clearly indicated +1 cold for "heart of ice", meaning the +1 cold damage was applied to the melee attack. So yes, effectively the cold damage from this staff as a melee weapon is 1d4+1.

As a side note, this was actually a critical hit, and so the damage in this particular case was 2d4+1, but that extra 1d4 came from it being a critical hit.

[jonnin]

Originally posted by Mike Garrison:

[edit see below] but typically using a staff as a melee weapon is not the best option for anybody. Martial types can get better weapons, and wizard types do better with spells unless they are silenced or something like that.

this is a solid weapon for a monk until empty handed overtakes it at 6th. D8+d4 isnt a bad weapon, with a built-in knockdown. Its also viable for a druid, perhaps, who have limited selection. Ray of frost is pretty good too, (I think the staff grants it) not for damage but to zap blood pools to make a terrain hazard from time to time.