Piercing Cold is a mutation in the Blood and Wine expansion, which allows adding abilities from the Sign tree to the additional slots.
Description[]
- When the Aard Sign is cast, it additionally has a 25% chance of freezing opponents. Opponents knocked down and frozen simultaneously die immediately. Opponents who are not frozen are dealt an additional 2972 damage.
- Patch 4.0 description:
- When the Aard Sign is cast, it additionally has a 30% chance of freezing opponents. This chance scales with your available adrenaline points. Opponents knocked down and frozen simultaneously die immediately. Opponents who are not frozen are dealt an additional 2972 damage.
Tips[]
- The effect will apply a frost effect on opponents which will either immobilize or slow them down.
- The damage will often exceed that of Igni.
- However, since Igni can also burn opponents the overall damage will often be much lower.
- A common misconception is that the "instant death" effect occurs very often, which is not true. In reality the effect simply rips apart any opponent that either dies due to the instant death effect or due to the additional damage.
- The instant death effect is actually a very rare occurrence as most opponents can only be staggered by Aard.
- Even when dealing with opponents that are susceptible to knockdown, like Wolves, the effect is very rare, even while under the effects of Superior Petri's Philter which causes the knockdown effect to occur every time.
- If the instant death effect does occur, time will slow down for a short period.
- The power of this mutation is questionable as the damage will not adapt to the current level. Thus it is most effective when doing a regular playthrough, but on New Game + the effect will quickly become weak.
- Even when fighting opponents that are much lower level the damage will be minute.
- As of Patch 4.0 it appears to be even less effective due to adjusted resistances of enemies.