In this guide we will take a look atFrostvault Dungeonand provide tips on how to beat the many challenges that this dungeon throws at you. Frostvault was introduced toElder Scrolls Onlinewith theWrathstone DLC, which launched February 25th 2019 on PC, and March 12th on Xbox One and PS4.
Elder Scrolls Online Frostvault Dungeon Guide
As you voyage with the treasure hunterTharayya, to help assist her in their quest to explore the ancient Dwemer area, you will uncover the Vault of Mhuvnak. It has been frozen shut eons ago, but a mythical artifact lies within its depths. The Vault of Mhuvnak although now accessible to explorers, its icy path is well guarded by goblin tribes andDwemer Automatons. There seems to be more than just these enemies that are along the way.
This dungeon comes with 2 modes: Normal and Veteran. Sets that can be obtained are:
Frostvault has some unique mechanics and can be very difficult defeat without knowing what to do. Let’s start off by talking about trash mobs. There are some problematic ones on Veteran difficulty, the biggest problem threat here areGoblin Skysplittersthat summon Ice Comets.
They do lots of damage to the players and the best thing to do here stack close to other players because that way the dealt damage will be shared across the players. Usually these goblins stick behind the others and might be somewhat difficult to spot amidst all the chaos, but now that you know they are there, it shouldn’t be an issue.
Harrierarchers can also do big enough damage if left unchecked.Toothbreakersdo shield charge that does significant damage and knock players down.Goblin Frostbitersare massive damage dealers that use an Uppercut ability, and need to be taunted at all times.
Tanks will have their hands full with these trash pulls on Veteran due to danger they pose towards DPS and Healer.
Ice Stalker Boss
Ice Stalker is the first boss in this dungeon, the main thing to do here is to have tank of the group turn the Troll away from other party members because of the conal attack, that could otherwise harm the whole party. By doing so, it will only harm the tank and tanks should be able to walk right through it.
The unique mechanic here is the uppercut that the troll does. It stuns the player and afterwards the troll starts attacking the stunned player until they die. Players need to act quickly to bash the troll in order tointerruptthe troll’s attacks to save the targeted player.
Healer also needs to focus heals on the stunned player during this mechanic. Everyone should stay a fair distance from the troll, but not stand too far otherwise it will pounce and create chaos that can lead to party wiping.
Upon getting the boss down to a certain Health percentage, this will trigger adds to spawn.Ice Wraithscan be quite problematic at this point, because they target players that are knocked down with aggressive attacks. They need to be controlled and dealt with ASAP.Spidersaren’t as troublesome thankfully, so prioritise the Ice Wraiths first and afterwards kill the pesky spiders.
Warlord Tsogvin Boss
Tsogvin is a boss with wide variety of attacks. Let’s start off with the tether mechanic. Occasionally 2 random players become tethered to each other, in that case they need torun in separate directions to break the tether, otherwise both will receive damage.
During the fight Tsogvin may turn towards any player andchargethem. Tanks can survive his attack, but if a DPS and Healer does not block or dodge, they will most likely be killed instantly.
At times the boss will jump into the air and land at a random location. Upon landing everyone nearby will be knocked back upon impact. Immediately after Tsogvin castsflameson every player which is apparent by red circles around each player. It is important to not to stand too close to each other when this occurs, otherwise damage will stack and likely cause instant death.
At around the 30% Health stage,tornadoeswill spawn and will need to be avoided. During these tornadoes, the boss jumps again and lands in the center of the arena, summoning a blizzard around him. This makes avoiding tornadoes harder but still required nonetheless. Tornadoes move counterclockwise at the edge of arena, except for the one that is summoned randomly later on.
During the fight there will be some Goblin trash to kill as well. Archers can do some damage so it is recommended to take them out immediately.
Vault Protector Boss
This boss is quite dangerous due to its deadlylasermechanic. Besides the lasers there is nothing really special about this boss. Your best bet is to have tank keep the boss at the center of the room. That will give everyone enough time to position themselves properly when lasers arrive.
At first only 1 laser occurs but then more will start to appear as the fight progresses. Rolling through these lasers does not deal full damage to the player, but to avoid them completely, a player needs to stand behind the boss' barrier since the lasers have a start and an end point.The barrier interrupts lasers.
Adds spawn throughout the fight, making the task to avoid the lasers that much tougher, especially as Spiders can immobilize players. Small Spiders can also charge Dwemer Spheres, making them do significantly more damage. Because of all the additional problems that these adds bring to the fight, it is highly recommended to take them out as fast as possible.
Rizzuk Bonechill Boss
The 4th boss actually consists of 2 bosses, Rizzuk and his Frost Atronach, Avalanche. To finish the fight, Rizzuk is the only one that actually needs to be killed. Tank needs to focus on Avalanche and stay close to it. Avalanche casts apowerful AoEability around itself and in order for Tank to survive it, they will need to stay close to Avalanche. If the Tank steps out of the circle, a massive DoT will be placed on them, that will kill any tank after a while.
Other players should stay clear of the AoE and focus on Rizzuk. It is important for all players to start moving towards the bosses at the same time, otherwise Rizzuk will summon a storm that willinsta-killones that are standing at the entrance.
Rizzuk has a couple more mechanics to be wary of. At the edge of arena he will summonbig blue circlesthat do significant damage, and can kill most players outright so obviously stay clear of them. Eventually there will be text that says ‘Rizzuk is chilling the air’. This means Rizzuk is going to move near the arena center and slowly summon red circles beneath every player that cannot be avoided. Eventually they freeze every player and receive damage at the end. It is important when the text appears to have the whole party at high health, otherwise a comet will kill the ones that aren’t. Party members at this time need to be away from each other since damage can overlap which leaves no chance for survival.
Rizzuk also has a powerful channelling attack that can kill everyone except the tank. When he starts channelling, make it priority tointerrupt. On top of all that, Rizzuk also spawns some kind of ice ball that follows a random player (that player is marked with target underneath). Block it for reduced damage.
The Stonekeeper Boss
Stonekeeper is the final boss of Frostvault and lets players have a quite unique experience. There are an abundance of mechanics here to be aware of. After clearing mobs, step on the green circle to transform intoSkeevatronand enter a maze.
Every Skeevatron has 4 abilities, the first one is used immediately upon entering the maze on the generator to charge the ultimate. Just tap the first ability near the generator until anultimate has been charged.
The other 2 abilities are increased speed and healing. The ultimate deactivatesShock Conveyorswhich are the goal of this maze. Every player needs to charge their ult and follow the blue lines on the floor to Shock Conveyor. Best way to this is to split up, with everyone taking one path. Upon deactivating all 4 Shock Conveyors, the maze is complete and it is time for first boss phase.
Before you can even damage the boss, you need to destory both of its arms. The right arm hasBlades Gauntletand left one, hasFlames Gauntlet. Focus on one, then proceed to take the other out. The blade arm seems to deal the most damage, so DPS that arm down if possible. Stonekeeper can also performheavy attacks, this sometimes can insta-kill almost any tank and that attack must be dodged at all costs. Animation before that happens is easy to spot because the boss will raise his hand high in the air for a brief moment, before slamming it down on the designated red circle spot. Usually this happens at the beginning of the fight.
Adding further threat, there will be someelectrified ballsrolling around the platform, that explode and stuns players. The small circle around the Stonekeeper is electrified and must be avoided, so try not to get too close!
Upon destroying an arm, theCenturionwill spawn. Kill it ASAP or the total damage that the tank will receive from the boss, as well as the centurion can be overwhelming. Once both arms are destroyed, the Stonekeeper startsspinningand doing massive amounts offire damage. The entire group needs to stay ahead of the flames while DPS-ing the boss and Centurions (if still alive at this point).
When the 70% health threshold is reached, 4 green circles will spawn. Time to return to the Rat Maze once again. Same tactics will apply here, its best to split up and follow the blue lines after ultimate has been charged at the generator. This timetrapsare activated, making path to the Shock Conveyor more dangerous. Do not forget about the Healing ability as it will come in handy in this run. Damage that you take in this form, will be transferred when you’re back in your normal form, so it is better to heal up fully before that happens. Also if a Skeevatron dies, then the player spawns dead after the maze. To stop this from happening, resurrect the dead Skeevatron just as you would resurrect a normal player.
Process here is the same as in first phase:
Arm—>Centurion—>Arm—>Centurion—>Boss
However things get more a little more complicated due to the spawn ofRotary Blades. It will first spawn at outer edge, so everyone should stay closer to boss to avoid damage from its blades. Afterwards it spawns closer to boss, meaning everyone should stay closer to outer edges. They can do a significant amount of damage and stack Bleed. This can be deadly to non-tank roles so stay clear of them. When both arms have been destroyed, the boss will start performing a spinning flame attack again. At 30% Health threshold it is time for another Skeevatron Maze with traps again.
After the maze’s final phase has finished, players will face the boss again. This time the boss does aconal attackthat can push players over the edge causing an instant death. Other than that same course of action applies:
Veteran Mode
There a few difference between the Veteran Mode and the Normal version of Frostvault. These variations include the boss' HP, damage dealt, Skeevatron Maze and Healing Debuff. Immediately in Veteran the boss releases a steam that puts aHealing Debuffon everyone. However, the strategy stays more of less the same but more attention paid to adds. It is recommended to clear Centurions and Spiders before the boss starts spinning with its flame attack, due to all additional dangers such as electrified balls, rotary blades in second phase and steam push attack in the third.
Mazes also become that more deadly in Veteran Mode, but the approach remains the same. There are also little spiders that need to be taken care off in the process. It is recommended to go in groups of two or the entire group, as Spiders and traps can kill Skeevatrons easily, which leads to more problems. This time Skeevatrons also have more abilities at their disposal, which are depedent on their role in the group:
Do not forget that everyone hasMass Reconstructionability in case the Skeevatron dies. attempt to heal up and resurrect everyone before destroying the last Shock Conveyor as you do not want to return to the fight all beaten up or even worse, dead.
Conclusion
Frostvault is a fun dungeon that definitely is not easy by any means, posing a fair few challenges. Players who do not know mechanics should be minimum CP 100 for normal mode. That especially goes for DPS roles because bosses need to be taken care off as quickly as possible. Knowing what lies ahead helps tremendously otherwise needless wipes will occur without a doubt.
For Veteran mode a suggested 350 CP is the bare minimum as long as you know the mechanics. Higher HP on everyone would be advisable, or some very powerful damage shields.Ebon Armory Seton Tank is a good choice for this dungeon, to provide a tad more survivability to the group as a whole.
With this guide you’ll know what to expect going in, so go out there and have fun conqueringFrostvault!
If you’re curious to find out more about new sets, PvP updates, CP cap halt, Racial skill changes and more for Update 21, head over to ourElder Scrolls Online Wrathstone: Racial Changes & New Sets.
You can also read about a couple new sets in detailIcy Conjuror SetandFrozen Watcher Setwhich came with the Wrathstone DLC. If you’re curious about what the future holds for ESO, check out nextElder Scrolls Online: The Champion System & The Future Of ESO In 2019.
