Wintertide BrandSpell, AoE, Cold, Duration, Brand Level: (1-20) Cost: (6-16) Mana Cast Time: 0.70 secRequires Level 12Creates a magical brand which can attach to a nearby enemy, dealing cold damage over time and chilling them. It periodically activates while attached, gaining stages that raise the damage. When removed, a short-duration debuff dealing the same damage over time and chill is applied to each nearby enemy. The brand keeps its charges while detached.Activates every 0.25 seconds while Attached Increases and Reductions to Cast Speed also apply to this Skill's Activation frequency Deals (13.7-261.2) Base Cold Damage per second Can have an additional Brand Attached to an Enemy Modifiers to Spell Damage apply to this Skill's Damage Over Time effect Can be Detached for a total Duration of 6.00 seconds Can be Attached for a total Duration of 2.00 seconds Base Debuff Duration is 1.00 seconds Debuff deals 20% more Damage per Stage Maximum 20 Stages
Additional Effects From 1-20% Quality: Debuff deals +(0.25-5)% more Damage per StagePlace into an item socket of the right colour to gain this skill. Right click to remove from a socket.
Wintertide Brand is a spell that creates a brand at the target position. While attached, the brands deals colddamage over time to the attached target and chills them. When the enemies it attached to die or the attached duration end, it creates an area of effect that applies the total amount of DoT that it has dealt to the enemy it attached to the surrounding enemies.
Debuffs: Wintertide Brand applies two separate debuffs: Wintertide and Wintertide's End.
Wintertide: While a Wintertide Brand is attached to an enemy, it continuously applies a durationless Wintertide debuff. This debuff chills and applies ColdDamage over Time based on the brand's current stage.
The Wintertide debuff's cold damage over time scales with number of times the Wintertide Brand has activated, up to 20 stages by default.
Multiple instances of this debuff stack and will each deal damage. This means that multiple wintertide brands applied to the same enemy will each deal damage. Each brand will keep track of its own stages and each Wintertide debuff will apply damage accordingly.[1]
This debuff has no duration and will be removed immediately when the brand detaches from the enemy.[2]
Wintertide's End: When a Wintertide Brand is removed from an enemy, a Wintertide's End debuff is applied to all enemies in an area centered on the previously branded enemy.
This debuff chills and deals Cold Damage over Time equal to the previously applied Wintertide debuff damage, including the stacking damage from the modifier Debuff deals % more Damage per Stage.
This debuff will be applied to the previously branded enemy, if it is still alive.
This debuff has a base duration of 1 second and can be modified by Increased Skill Effect Duration and Brand Skills Have Increased Duration.
Multiple instances of this debuff can be applied to an enemy at the same time, but only the strongest instance of Wintertide's End will deal damage at any given moment.[3]
An enemy can be affected by both Wintertide and Wintertide's End at the same time and will take damage from both.
Brands can be removed from an enemy by being overwritten by a freshly cast brand, the branded enemy dying, Brand Recall, or the brand attaching to a new target by Brand Mastery.
Stages: Each brand separately tracks its own stage, independent of other Brands.[4]
With each brand activation the brand gains a stage, scaling its debuff damage.
The brand keeps its stages while detached.
Activation Frequency: While attached, each Brand gains one stages every time it activates.
The activation rate (and hence the stage-gaining rate) can be affected by modifiers such as Activation Frequency or cast speed and Swiftbrand SupportSwiftbrand SupportBrand, Support Icon: t Level: (1-20) Cost & Reservation Multiplier: 130%Requires Level 31Supports skills which create brands.Supported Skills have 65% less Attached Duration Supported Skills have 65% less Detached Duration Supported Skills have (30-44)% more Activation frequency
Additional Effects From 1-20% Quality: Supported Skills have (0.25-5)% more Activation frequencyThis is a Support Gem. It does not grant a bonus to your character, but to skills in sockets connected to it. Place into an item socket connected to a socket containing the Skill Gem you wish to augment. Right click to remove from a socket. or Brandsurge.
By default, with a 0.25 second activation frequency and 2 second attached duration, Wintertide Brand will only reach 8 stages. Investment into Activation Frequency, cast speed, Increased Skill Effect Duration, and Brand Skills Have Increased Duration is needed to reach maximum stage.
Notably, merely reaching maximum stages before the brand expires does not maximize Wintertide brand's damage. This is due to the brand's stages resetting with each recast/brand expiration. Increased duration and activation frequency will continue to scale the ability's average damage.
Hit: Wintertide Brand does not hit. This prevents it from being supported by support gems such as Hextouch SupportHextouch SupportSupport, Hex, Trigger Icon: & Level: (1-20) Cost & Reservation Multiplier: 130%Requires Level 38Must support both a skill that hits enemies, and a hex curse skill to work. The hex will be applied when enemies are hit by the other skill. Cannot support totems, traps, or mines. Minions cannot apply hexes this way.Supported Skills apply supported Curses on Hit You cannot Cast Supported Curse Spells 35% less Effect of Supported Curses Supported Skills have (50-31)% reduced Curse Duration
Additional Effects From 1-20% Quality: Supported Skills have (0.5-10)% increased Curse DurationThis is a Support Gem. It does not grant a bonus to your character, but to skills in sockets connected to it. Place into an item socket connected to a socket containing the Skill Gem you wish to augment. Right click to remove from a socket., triggering Elemental Equilibrium, or having its damage reflected back to the player.
Area: Neither Wintertide nor Wintertide's End apply area damage and increased Area Damage will not scale this skill's damage. However, modifiers to Increased Area of Effect will modify the application area of Wintertide's End.
Chill: Both Wintertide and Wintertide's End cause the enemy to be chilled.
By default, both debuffs cause a typical base chill of 10% reduced action speed.
This chill can be scaled with Increased Effect of Cold Ailments and Increased Effect of Non-Damaging Ailments.
This skill does not create a chilling area.
After an undocumented change in Version 3.15.0, when supported by Elemental Focus SupportElemental Focus SupportSupport Icon: F Level: (1-20) Cost & Reservation Multiplier: 130%Requires Level 18Supports any skill that hits or burns enemies, or inflicts elemental ailments.Supported Skills deal (20-34)% more Elemental Damage Supported Skills cannot inflict Elemental Ailments
Additional Effects From 1-20% Quality: Supported Skills deal (0.5-10)% increased Elemental DamageThis is a Support Gem. It does not grant a bonus to your character, but to skills in sockets connected to it. Place into an item socket connected to a socket containing the Skill Gem you wish to augment. Right click to remove from a socket., the debuffs no longer chill enemies.
Duration: Increased Skill Effect Duration and Brand Skills Have Increased Duration will affect Wintertide brand's total attached duration, total detached duration, and Wintertide's End debuff duration.
Gem level progression
Level
Mana Cost
Cold DPS
Exp.
Total Exp.
1
12
33
6
13.7
0
0
2
15
39
6
16.9
15249
15249
3
19
48
7
22
41517
56766
4
23
56
8
28.1
81983
138749
5
27
64
9
35.4
147968
286717
6
31
73
9
44
250557
537274
7
35
81
10
54.1
405086
942360
8
38
88
11
62.9
447718
1390078
9
41
94
11
72.8
615318
2005396
10
44
100
12
83.9
834639
2840035
11
47
106
12
96.5
1570760
4410795
12
50
113
13
110.7
1633987
6044782
13
53
119
13
126.6
2151030
8195812
14
56
125
14
144.5
2812189
11008001
15
59
132
14
164.6
5099360
16107361
16
62
138
15
187.1
9400731
25508092
17
64
142
15
203.6
15273366
40781458
18
66
146
16
221.3
26286582
67068040
19
68
151
16
240.5
62890590
129958630
20
70
155
16
261.2
212046017
342004647
21
72
159
17
283.4
N/A
N/A
22
74
N/A
17
307.4
N/A
N/A
23
76
N/A
18
333.1
N/A
N/A
24
78
N/A
18
360.9
N/A
N/A
25
80
N/A
18
390.8
N/A
N/A
26
82
N/A
19
422.9
N/A
N/A
27
84
N/A
19
457.4
N/A
N/A
28
86
N/A
19
494.6
N/A
N/A
29
88
N/A
20
534.5
N/A
N/A
30
90
N/A
20
577.5
N/A
N/A
31
91
N/A
20
600.1
N/A
N/A
32
92
N/A
20
623.6
N/A
N/A
33
93
N/A
21
647.9
N/A
N/A
34
94
N/A
21
673.1
N/A
N/A
35
95
N/A
21
699.2
N/A
N/A
36
96
N/A
21
726.3
N/A
N/A
37
97
N/A
21
754.4
N/A
N/A
38
98
N/A
22
783.4
N/A
N/A
39
99
N/A
22
813.5
N/A
N/A
40
100
N/A
22
844.8
N/A
N/A
Item acquisition
Wintertide Brand can drop anywhere.
Recipes
Wintertide Brand can be created from the following recipes:
Amount
Part
Description
Meta
13
The CataclysmThe Cataclysm13Level 21 Spell Gem CorruptedThe mighty warriors traded in blows, the nimble archers in arrows, yet it was the brazen thaumaturgists who would bring catastrophe to all.
Random corruptedlevel 21 Spell gem
A
6
The FoxThe Fox6Level 20 Gem"Masters of wit, strength and cunning. To survive the harsh winters, you must be like the fox." - Ezomyte Proverb
Random level 20 gem
A
3
Gemcutter's PromiseGemcutter's Promise3Gem Quality:+20%"I swore to use my position to help the people. What good is power when it just accumulates on the already-powerful?" - Erasmus, Imperial Gemcutter
Random gem with 20% quality
A
1
Gemcutter's IncubatorGemcutter's IncubatorStack Size: 10Adds an incubated Quality Gem item to an equippable item Item drops after killing {0} monstersRight click this item then left click an item to apply it. The Incubated item drops after killing a specific number of monsters.
Random gem with 1–20% quality
A
1
The VoidThe Void1Reach into the Void and claim your prize.
Random divination card set exchange
A
Quest reward
This item is given as a quest reward for the following quests:
Note that helmet enchantments are no longer obtainable since version 3.23.0 and can only be obtained in permanent leagues as already enchanted items from before this patch.
The following unique items are related to Wintertide Brand:
Item
Base Item
Stats
Replica AllelopathyReplica Allelopathy Satin GlovesEnergy Shield: (56-72)Requires Level 41, 60 IntGrants Level 22 Wintertide Brand Skill (100-120)% increased Energy Shield 10% increased Area of Effect Immune to Chill Wintertide Brand has (20-30)% increased Chill Effect"There seems to be some innate relationship between the forces of chaos and cold. Perhaps we should consult an occultist."
Grants Level 22 Wintertide Brand Skill (100-120)% increased Energy Shield 10% increased Area of Effect Immune to Chill Wintertide Brand has (20-30)% increased Chill Effect
When supported by Elemental Focus SupportElemental Focus SupportSupport Icon: F Level: (1-20) Cost & Reservation Multiplier: 130%Requires Level 18Supports any skill that hits or burns enemies, or inflicts elemental ailments.Supported Skills deal (20-34)% more Elemental Damage Supported Skills cannot inflict Elemental Ailments
Additional Effects From 1-20% Quality: Supported Skills deal (0.5-10)% increased Elemental DamageThis is a Support Gem. It does not grant a bonus to your character, but to skills in sockets connected to it. Place into an item socket connected to a socket containing the Skill Gem you wish to augment. Right click to remove from a socket., debuffs no longer apply chill. [Undocumented This change was not documented by any official sources. It was discovered through player testing or datamining.]
Swiftbrand SupportSwiftbrand SupportBrand, Support
or 
Brandsurge.
Hextouch SupportHextouch SupportSupport, Hex, Trigger
, triggering Elemental Equilibrium, or having its damage reflected back to the player.
Elemental Focus SupportElemental Focus SupportSupport
, the debuffs no longer chill enemies.
The Cataclysm
The Cataclysm
13Level 21 Spell Gem
The Fox
6Level 20 Gem"Masters of wit, strength and cunning. To survive the harsh winters, you must be like the fox."
Gemcutter's Promise
3Gem
Gemcutter's IncubatorGemcutter's IncubatorStack Size: 10Adds an incubated Quality Gem item to an equippable item
The Void
1Reach into the Void and claim your prize.
Replica Allelopathy
Celestial Brand EffectSkill Gem EffectYour Brand becomes a Celestial Effect.