One of the best early Elden Ring weapons capable of carrying you through at least the mid-game is the Icerind Hatchet. Though finding it requires a long detour into Liurnia of the Lakes, The Icerind Hatchet is one of the first, and easiest, Frostbite weapons you can acquire. It’s a trip worth taking, though, as this strong physical weapon comes with an equally powerful ability that damages enemies while keeping them away from you.
Where to Find the Icerind Hatchet Frostbite Weapon in Elden Ring
The Icerind Hatchet is in the middle of Liurnia of the Lakes, nestled away in a chest with no boss guarding it. Despite being located in the area beyond Stormveil Castle, you can still reach it as soon as you acquire Torrent, the spirit horse.
Go north from Stormhill Shack and follow the road under the ramparts leading to the Limgrave Divine Tower. You emerge near a broken bridge and a Finger Reader. Hug the cliffside and carefully work your way along the path there until you reach a plateau near a graveyard. Follow the road around the back of Stormveil, and find the Church of Irith with a new Site of Grace.
Head north from the Church of Irith and into the lake’s shallow waters. If you skipped Stormveil and have yet to upgrade your weapons, avoid combat as much as possible. The crawling Glintstone monsters in the lake’s southern portion can easily overwhelm you. Carry on further north, avoiding the giant lobsters and octopus, until you reach the ruins outside Academy Gate Town and the Site of Grace there. Activate it, then turn west.
Your destination is the Temple Quarters, the set of ruins directly southwest of the Academy Town on the map. A number of Glintstone and poison plants call the Temple Quarters home, along with cartwheeling, club-wielding enemies. These agile creatures pose the greater threat. Their cartwheels put them in easy reach of you, and the larger enemies’ club attacks deal heavy damage.
The chest with the Icerind Hatchet is in the location shown above. It’s the low tower opposite the larger tower near the giant flower.
Why the Icerind Hatchet is Worth Your Time
The Icerind Hatchet requires 11 Strength and 16 Dexterity, so you may need to farm some Runes and level up a bit before you can use it. Its base attack stat of 111 makes it the most powerful Frostbite weapon in the early game, stronger even than the Frozen Needle in one of Liurnia’s mini-dungeons.
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Hoarfrost Stomp, the Icerind Hatchet’s built-in skill, is what makes it so valuable. Activating the skill uses only 10 FP, and it sends a fan of ice crystals out in a wedge shape. The initial wave does little damage, but after a second, the crystals explode, dealing much higher damage and adding to the enemy’s Frostbite meter. Frostbite weakens defense and deals extra damage in a burst, similar to Blood Loss, so it’s a handy ailment to inflict. The status effect also triggers much, much faster than bleeding. The tradeoff is that you cannot apply Frostbite again right away; there’s a “cooldown” as the frost debuffs your enemies’ defense a bit. However, dealing any fire damage to the afflicted foe — be it from arrows, elemental weapons, spells, etc. — will reset Frostbite. The defense debuff will disappear, but you can apply Frostbite again in rapid succession for more burst damage.
Most intelligent enemies, including humanoids and stronger foes such as Caelid’s centipede warriors, dodge the ice fan. You can use it multiple times, though, which makes it easier to catch your target in the blast. It’s also fantastic against large enemies. The ice wave is large and can catch them easily. Assuming they don’t jump or fly off the ground, of course.
