Builds & Equipment

Crimson Moon Frost Build for Your First Full Clear

Build around Frostbound Charge, Winter Sun, safe ranged pressure, and sprint attacks without treating one creator's drops as guaranteed.

Updated September 30, 2026 Trinket options added September 30; earlier value checks noted below

Start this Frost setup with Frostbound Charge for sprint attacks and a weapon carrying Winter Sun: Revenant Blade or Sword of the Lunar Sentinel. Add Reaper Poleaxe for ranged pressure, then fill gaps with recovery, Mana support and defense. You do not need every optional Boon before trying the basic loop.

Choose your next step

Check the target pieces, follow the attack sequence, or use the substitutions for missing equipment. Frost slows and damages enemies; enough stacks freeze them and stop their actions. Exact thresholds and boss resistance values remain unconfirmed.

This setup comes from PhaseShifter's first-clear video, not a playtest by this site. The effect values below were checked against the official catalogs; the creator's two-to-three-Run assembly time is one result, not a drop guarantee.

Target Components and Verified Roles

Component	Current official description	Purpose in this build
Frostbound Charge	Sprint Attack hits apply 1000 Frost.	Main way to engage and build Frost.
Winter Sun	Encase nearby foes with Frost. The official Weapons table pairs it with the Revenant Blade and Sword of the Lunar Sentinel.	Area control, damage window, or time to heal and reposition.
Reaper Poleaxe	Officially paired with Homing Projectiles, which casts homing orbs that deal Fire Damage.	Second weapon and ranged pressure while kiting.
Judgment of Winter	Heavy Attack hits apply 350 Frost. The official Trinkets catalog includes the Ring of the Judgment of Winter.	Adds Frost to the Heavy Attack used after a sprint engage.
Angelic Bulwark	Create a zone of defense for you and allies. The official Weapons table pairs it with Shield of the Zealot and Sovereign's Shield.	Safer damage and recovery window.
Crusader's Might	The current Boon catalog lists +20 Physical Damage.	Raises ordinary Weapon Attack damage.
Reaper's Respite	The current Boon catalog lists 15 Health recovered on kill.	Restores Health while clearing regular enemies.
Martyr's Gift	Taking Damage restores Mana equal to 25% of the amount taken.	Supports repeated use of Weapon Arts.
Aegis	The official Wiki describes Aegis as a direct battlefield combat form built around overwhelming force.	The creator saved Angelic Grace for bosses and dangerous moments.

This is a shopping list, not nine fixed slots

The video does not identify the exact slot for every Boon. Official Trinkets provide known ways to start with some effects, but only two Trinket slots exist and Gear can carry Boons elsewhere. Look for the same functions across the drops available in your current Run.

The Winter Sun entry links to both compatible swords; the Reaper Poleaxe entry identifies its ranged Art.

Current Official Values vs Creator Footage

Effect	Creator footage	Official Wiki checked September 3
Frostbound Charge	1000 Frost	1000 Frost
Judgment of Winter	350 Frost	350 Frost
Crusader's Might	+50 Physical Damage	+20 Physical Damage
Reaper's Respite	20 Health on kill	15 Health on kill
Martyr's Gift	25% of Damage taken restored as Mana	25% of Damage taken restored as Mana

The developers confirm that some Gear Boons scale with item Quality. The mismatch could come from item Quality, balance differences in the review build, or a later Wiki update, but the footage does not reveal which one applies. Use the tooltip shown by the item in your current game.

How to Play the Build

Approach from outside the enemy's immediate attack range.
Use a Sprint Attack to apply Frostbound Charge. A Heavy Sprint Attack can also trigger Judgment of Winter when both Boons are active.
Use Winter Sun when several enemies close in. Attack during the control window or use it to heal and reset position.
Leave space before enemies recover. The creator warns that an enemy can resume an interrupted attack animation after thawing.
Switch to the Reaper Poleaxe and Homing Projectiles when direct contact is unsafe.
Place Angelic Bulwark before trading hits, and use kill recovery plus Martyr's Gift to sustain Health and Mana.
Hold Aegis for a boss, elite pack, or failed control cycle instead of spending Angelic Grace on routine enemies.

The attack-animation warning and Aegis timing are tips from the creator, not published combat rules.

Nexus Gate Boon Priority

Boon	Current official effect	Why the creator chose it
Sundering Strikes	Light Attack hits have a 50% chance to apply Sunderance.	Reduces the target's resistance to damage and status effects during fast Light Attack strings.
Sanctified Rhythm	Light Attack hits have a 25% chance to grant Rage.	Builds Rage, whose damage bonus increases with its stack count.
Relentless Momentum	+20% Damage from Sprint Attacks.	Directly strengthens the main engage.
Oathbound Arts	+20% Elemental Damage.	Supports the build's Frost output.

Duplicate stacking is not an official rule

PhaseShifter says Relentless Momentum and Oathbound Arts can stack. The official Status Effects page confirms that Sunderance reduces resistance to damage and status effects, while Rage increases damage according to its stack count. It does not provide a universal formula for duplicate Boons, exact stack bonuses or caps. Check the current UI before building around duplicate Boons.

Compare the documented status rules before treating more Rage or Sunderance as a known numerical multiplier.

How to Assemble the Build

Look for the core effects on field drops instead of waiting for one perfect full set.
Equip a useful drop for the current Run or Store it until the next Nexus Gate.
Secure and Purify new Gear so its base version enters the Armory.
Upgrade only the pieces that supply a core Art, Frost trigger, recovery effect, or Mana loop.
Start later Runs with the strongest functional version available, then improve it with field drops and Nexus Gate Boons.

PhaseShifter reports needing about two or three Runs. No official drop table, target-farming location, or guaranteed acquisition count is published for this setup.

If a drop returns at Common quality, follow the permanent upgrade steps. The quality of a field drop does not automatically set its permanent Armory quality.

Functional Substitutions

If this piece is missing	Preserve this function
The exact Winter Sun sword	Use either currently documented sword paired with Winter Sun.
The preferred defensive Shield	Use either currently documented Shield paired with Angelic Bulwark.
Reaper's Respite	Keep another verified recovery source and play shorter attack windows.
Martyr's Gift	Carry Mana Flasks and reduce unnecessary Weapon Art use.
A matching Gate Boon	Choose survival or damage that strengthens actions already used by the build.

What Is Still Unknown

The Frost threshold, decay rate, Freeze duration, Shatter formula, and boss resistance values.
Whether a Heavy Sprint Attack always resolves Frostbound Charge and Judgment of Winter in the same order.
Whether duplicate percentage Boons stack in every current game version and on every platform.
Which item Qualities produced the +50 and +20 values shown in the creator footage.
The exact drop source and chance for each required effect.

Choosing Trinkets for this Frost setup

If you already have Frostbound Charge, keep it as your sprint trigger. Ring of the Judgment of Winter supplies another trigger for heavy hits. If heavy attacks keep getting interrupted, compare Ring of Frozen Vow and a light-attack loop instead. This changes the combat sequence; it does not reproduce the sprint effect.

For your other slot, choose a missing function. The Martyr’s Medal supports Mana after you take damage. Crimson Ring supports elemental damage. Frostbitten Amulet adds Frost through blocking. Compare the two-slot tradeoffs before replacing a recovery or defensive effect.

Adapting the setup before Hellish

Start from a difficulty you can complete reliably with your permanent equipment. Before moving up, identify what is ending your attempts. The adjustments below follow the documented effect triggers; they are preparation advice, not a tested Hellish loadout or a guarantee that enemies can be kept frozen.

What goes wrong	Adjustment to try	What to keep in mind
You die while trying to recover Mana	Keep Mana Flasks available and shorten your Art sequence. Do not rely on Martyr’s Gift as your only Mana plan.	Mana after a hit cannot save you from a lethal hit.
Boss fights exhaust your healing	Keep a recovery plan that does not depend on killing nearby enemies. Save Flask windows for after you create distance or control.	Reaper’s Respite needs a kill. It does nothing in a phase with no kills.
The heavy follow-up gets interrupted	Use shorter light strings, or test Frozen Vow if you need those light hits to build Frost.	Light and heavy triggers are alternatives with different attack timings, not interchangeable values.
Enemies recover before you can disengage	Use fewer follow-up attacks and keep the ranged option available.	Freeze duration and boss resistance are not quantified here. Do not plan around permanent control.
A damage upgrade leaves you too fragile	Keep Angelic Bulwark. Consider Hardened Fury only if you already have a reliable source of Rage.	Conditional resistance is not always active, and duplicate stacking remains unverified.

Compare one change at a time on the same difficulty and Mission, noting your item Quality, installed patch and whether you are solo or in co-op. A lower difficulty with repeatable clears can be more useful for assembling the build than repeated failed Hellish attempts. See the difficulty guide and patch status before comparing results.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this a guaranteed first-clear build?

No. It is the setup PhaseShifter used for a first full clear. Drops, player execution, difficulty, enemy variation, and patches can change the result.

How many Runs does the build take to assemble?

PhaseShifter reports about two or three Runs, but no official acquisition time or drop guarantee exists.

Why does Crusader's Might show +20 here instead of +50?

The current official Wiki lists +20. The creator footage shows +50, and the developers confirm that some Gear Boons scale with Quality. Version or Quality may explain the mismatch.

Do Relentless Momentum and Oathbound Arts stack?

PhaseShifter says they did in that build. The official catalog does not publish a universal stacking rule, so check the current item and Boon UI before planning around duplicates.

Which Angel should I use?

PhaseShifter used Aegis and saved Angelic Grace for bosses. That is one successful approach, not an official best-in-slot rule.

Can I replace the Reaper Poleaxe?

Yes, if the replacement preserves the ranged or spacing tool the build needs. The documented Reaper Poleaxe is valuable because Homing Projectiles gives the setup a Fire-damage ranged option.

Sources and Evidence

Official sources explain the rules. Third-party gameplay reports are identified by author and describe the version or session shown; they are not our own tests.