(named in honor of the BL2 gun the Fatale is based on (since it’s my main gun for this build) … and my ex)
So we have a slew of Tombstone builds, and a few cryo/explosive builds.
Time for someone to post a bona fide Full-on Cryo Build centered around crits, no compromises!
(Gameplay demo, curtesy of @Charrisx. Thanks dude 
)
I mean this build as a versatile frame with which to play with almost anything you like (as long as it’s cryo of course)
You like shotguns ? Snipers ? SMGs ? all of these work, no problem (I’m still gonna suggest some guns with great synergy for the build, don’t worry 
)
It also works just as well if you like to ADS or if you’re more the Hip-shooting type.
#So, what’s the deal with Cryo ?
Cryo is an element that has no special strengths when talking about matching element to target: It does normal damage to flesh, normal damage to armor and it’s weak Vs shields… BUT! it has a special trick up it’s sleeve: Enemies suffering from a Cryo DoT will often stop in their track (which is already pretty cool on it’s own) and increase the damage this enemy will take from different sources:
Melee attacks will do 3.5x the damage
Explosive element will do triple damage
And critical hits will get a 200% type A bonus ( confused ? read this)
This build aims at taking advantage of the last one of these.
The cornerstone of this playstyle is the Chronicler of Elpis COM:
- It boosts cryo damage
- It boosts our chance to inflict the cryo status (the most important part)
- and it boosts Tombstone (which means more crits that benefit from this debuff)
This is the only piece of gear that is required to play this build, but it’s VITAL.
So there are 2 things you need to do to get this combo rolling:
-
The first one of these is You gotta freeze your target. This is relatively simple: shoot them with a cryo gun and they should. The Chronicler COM bonus to freeze chance helps us here, but the higher chances you have on your gun, the better it works. Note that shields will cut your chances of inflicting a freeze effect to about 1/3 … so be careful of that, especially with bosses.
-
And next, you have to crit. Two main ways to do this. You can either aim for the crit points yourself (which Showdown conveniently does for you when you ADS) or you can rely on Tombstone once it’s been activated. If you have a precise weapon in hand, Using ADS while in showdown is VERY efficient. If what you have in hand is a bit more “spray-and-pray”, Relying on tombstone (and on trick shot) will still net decent results. Both methods work great, and there is nothing preventing you from using both at the same time
The build
Fairly standard build, nothing there that should raise eyebrows. If you have questions about my skill choices, i’ll be happy to answer them.
The gear
Guns:
You need a cryo gun, Obviously. Preferably 2-3 of them in fact. And spread across several different ammo types. the most important factors to consider are a high freeze chance, and (if possible) a bonus to crit damage. High DPS on it’s own is also a plus.
Here’s a short list of guns that work particularly well for this build:
-
Fatale: For mobbing, this is the best gun I have found… NOTHING lives more than a few seconds. The Crit bonus coupled with the pinpoint accuracy makes this the perfect weapon to ADS inside showdown. And SMGs have a very big ammo pool… which I don’t remember seeing the bottom of outside of the Holodome.
-
Maliwan Sniders: 100% crit bonus (like all snipers) and a VERY high chance to freeze (twice, since it also has splash) means instant death for almost anything you aim at. This gun also takes advantage of Hell’s much better than most since it’s so slow. The only things holding it back are a small ammo pool, and the fact that the Fatale exists.
-
T4S-R: High fire rate, doubled with OFEOY, and a VERY high freeze chance makes this a very good choice. Add to that almost perfect accuracy for being Hyperion and you have one of the most solid package for this build. If only it had some crit bonus…
-
Tediore Splitters: maliwan splitters might have the Edge in DPS and accuracy, but 6 beams beat 3 when you’re trying to inflict a status effect, and the difference in freeze chances (7.7 to around 9) is not enough to tip the scale back the other way (and the accuracy is less important here since we have 9/5 trick shot). This one has the advantage of having a very big ammo pool and a slow fire rate (which means it can be improved through Hell’s easily) If it had higher freeze chances, it would be my go to.
-
Thinking: 6 pellets, high fire rate (for a shotgun) and the possibility of either 2 extra pellets or a 50% crit bonus makes shotguns (and Hyperion ones particularly) prime choices for this build. The ammo pool is quite small, but it’s still good.
-
Mining laser Very high freeze chance, a crit bonus, 3 beams, incredible synergy with trick shot (beams can hit, penetrate, bounce off the wall behind, and ricochet back), a big ammo pool …seems like a winner, no? Well, yes… it’s very good, but it’s slow fire rate hurts it a bit.
-
There are other very good choices for this build, but I don’t want to suggest more than one or 2 per weapon types, as the point of having more than one cryo gun is ammo diversity… so here’s a list of runner-ups: Boganella, Zim, Fridgia, Torrent, Droog, Dahl Railers, Maliwan blasters, Shootarang, Shredifier, Major Tom, Absolute Zero
Guns part 2
“But papa Chuck, what happens if I’m facing an enemy that has Cryo resistance/A BIG shield/I’m out of ammo”
Yes… Save a spot in your lineup for a utility gun. You’re gonna need a SHOCK weapon to go with that. For the above reasons: Some enemies resist cryo, some have huge shields and stripping them makes our job easier. Some bosses have a huge shield that you have to go through first (Eclipse/Eos, Shadow-TP, Zarpadon, Denial Subroutine) This time though, ammo conservation is less of an issue as it’s a backup tool. So go for DPS first, and swap speed second (so lasers or Pistols should be your first picks). Still, conveniently the COM we use boosts the only swap speed skill Nisha has… it’s almost as if the devs thought of it
When mobbing, you probably won’t need it 95% of the time (those cryo-adapted viruses are a bother though) …most things you face will die VERY fast, shield or no shield.
Thinking shotguns, Splitter lasers, Shock T4S-R and Anarchists are all great choices. Try to chose one that doesn’t share it’s ammo pool with your main gun(s).
And lastly, you will need one last gun if you plan to take on every boss in the game. There are a couple misfits out there that resist cryo as much as if they had a shield on at all times. I’m talking about the metallic trio of Felicity, RK-5 and Eclipse/Eos. those 3 just won’t comply with this build…
Conveniently though, they all share the same vulnerability to corrosive damage!
So for you last slot, you will need a corrosive gun. Accuracy in not an issue at all as all 3 of those PITAs are huge. I’ve had the most success with Droogs, Pitchfork, Splitters and Anarchists pistols. This time, it doesn’t matter if they share your main gun’s ammo pool, as they will effectively become your main gun for the next fight, and they all have ammo machines right before you face them. (though if they are different from your shock gun, it would be a great help against EOS) For those fights, you can also totally get away with changing your COM too: you won’t get much out of the cryo boosts and your crits will hurt far less anyway. A Sheriff COM is a nice all-around pick, or the Celestial Lawbringer maybe. In Eos’ case though, you could get away with just sticking to your shock gun: you only have to deal with 1/4 of his health at a time anyway. So you can get away with spending all your corrosive ammo on Eclipse.
…Those are special cases: When going through the game, you can totally stick to your main cryo gun 99% of the time. Yes, even against the Sentinel.
Shield
It doesn’t matter.
…for real. Just use what you like. If you main a Laser, the Bulwark becomes the obvious best pick, but otherwise, go have a look at the Nisha Top Gear for ideas 
Remember that the Chronicler COM boosts your shield capacity.
Grenade
There are 2 things you might want here: explosions to take advantage of the freeze, or shock to be able to strip shields without swapping guns. Ultimately though, a grenade is not required for this build to work, do as you wish there.
Oz Kit
I use a Tranquility. I almost never slam… still a good place to do as you please I suppose. If you do slam a lot, you might want to go for an explosive one since you’ll be slamming frozen enemies, might as well do so at 3x the damage.
I hope you enjoyed reading this. Give me some feedback if you decide to try it out 