Level: (1-20)
Cost: (11-20) Mana
Cooldown Time: 1.80 sec
Can Store 1 Use(s)
Soul Gain Prevention: 0 sec
Cast Time: Instant
Critical Strike Chance: 6.50%Requires Level 28An icy blast explodes around the caster, dealing cold damage to enemies, and leaving behind a whirling vortex which deals cold damage over time and chills enemies caught in it. If the caster targets near their Frostbolt projectiles, it will explode from a number of those projectiles instead, destroying them.Per 1% Quality:1Superior2Anomalous3Divergent4Phantasmal0.5% increased Area of Effect1% increased Cold Damage1% increased Cooldown Recovery Rate
1% less Skill Effect Duration2% increased Damage when Cast on FrostboltDeals (38-524) to (57-787) Cold Damage
Base duration is 3 seconds
Deals (106.5-1456.9) Base Cold Damage per second
Can explode from up to 5 Frostbolt Projectiles
20% less Area of Effect when Cast on Frostbolt
Modifiers to Spell Damage apply to this Skill's Damage Over Time effect
(0-76)% increased Cooldown Recovery RatePlace into an item socket of the right colour to gain this skill. Right click to remove from a socket.


Area level: 28Vendor Prices
Normal | 1x Orb of Chance |
1x Scroll FragmentMetadata
Item class: Active Skill Gems
Metadata ID: Metadata/Items/Gems/SkillGemFrostBoltNova

Vortex is a cold spell that deals damage in an area around the character and leaves a ground effect that chills and deals heavy cold damage over time.[1] If the player has any active FrostboltFrostboltSpell, Projectile, Cold
Level: (1-20)
Cost: (6-25) Mana
Cast Time: 0.75 sec
Critical Strike Chance: 5.00%
Effectiveness of Added Damage: 220%
Projectile Speed: 375Fires a slow-moving projectile that pierces through enemies, dealing cold damage.Per 1% Quality:1Superior2Anomalous3Divergent4Phantasmal1% increased Cold Damage5% reduced Damage
1% chance to inflict Cold Exposure on Hit1% less Projectile SpeedProjectiles have 1% chance to Return to youDeals (9-972) to (13-1458) Cold Damage
Projectiles Pierce all TargetsPlace into an item socket of the right colour to gain this skill. Right click to remove from a socket. projectiles, Vortex will be cast on those projectiles instead.
Contents
Skill functions and interactions
- Modifiers to Spell Damage apply to this skill's Damage Over Time Effect: Modifiers to spell damage only affect the damage over time effect of Vortex granted by the gem and do not affect other sources of damage over time which may be applied by the skill, such as poison or
Decay SupportDecay SupportChaos, Support
Icon: D
Level: (1-20)
Cost & Reservation Multiplier: 120%Requires Level 38Supports any skill that hits enemies.Per 1% Quality:1Superior2Anomalous3DivergentSupported Skills deal 0.5% increased Chaos DamageSupported Skills have 0.5% increased Skill Effect DurationSupported Skills have 0.5% of Physical Damage Converted to Chaos DamageSupported Skills inflict Decay on Hit, dealing (120-843) Chaos Damage per second for 8 secondsThis 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 Active Skill Gem you wish to augment. Right click to remove from a socket..
FrostboltFrostboltSpell, Projectile, Cold
Level: (1-20)
Cost: (6-25) Mana
Cast Time: 0.75 sec
Critical Strike Chance: 5.00%
Effectiveness of Added Damage: 220%
Projectile Speed: 375Fires a slow-moving projectile that pierces through enemies, dealing cold damage.Per 1% Quality:1Superior2Anomalous3Divergent4Phantasmal1% increased Cold Damage5% reduced Damage
1% chance to inflict Cold Exposure on Hit1% less Projectile SpeedProjectiles have 1% chance to Return to youDeals (9-972) to (13-1458) Cold Damage
Projectiles Pierce all TargetsPlace into an item socket of the right colour to gain this skill. Right click to remove from a socket.: The player may cast Frostbolt and subsequently cast Vortex on the Frostbolt projectiles. If Vortex is cast this way, it will have 20% less area of effect and it may cast on up to 5 Frostbolt projectiles, consuming them.
- If the player has any active Frostbolt projectiles and Vortex is triggered by an effect (such as
Cast On Critical Strike SupportCast On Critical Strike SupportTrigger, Support, Spell
Icon: &
Level: (1-20)Requires Level 38Must support both an attack skill and a spell skill to work. The attack skill will trigger a spell when it critically strikes an enemy. Cannot support totems, traps, or mines. Vaal skills, channelling skills, and skills that reserve mana cannot be triggered.Per 1% Quality:1Superior2Anomalous3DivergentSupported Skills have 1% increased Attack Critical Strike Chance
Supported Skills have 1% increased Spell Critical Strike ChanceSupported Skills deal 1% more Attack DamageSupported Skills have 0.5% increased Attack SpeedSupported Attacks will Trigger a Supported Spell when you Crit an Enemy
Supported Skills deal (20-29)% more Spell Damage
You cannot Cast Supported Triggerable Spells directlyThis 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 Active Skill Gem you wish to augment. Right click to remove from a socket.), Vortex will automatically be cast on the Frostbolt projectiles.
- If the player has any active Frostbolt projectiles and Vortex is triggered by an effect (such as
- Overlap: If an enemy is standing on multiple Vortex ground effects, only the one with the highest damage per second will deal damage at any given moment. This is consistent with other damage over time ground effects, such as burning ground.
- Cast time: Vortex is an instant spell; it has no cast time and does not interrupt your character's other actions.
- On hit effects: Because the initial explosion counts as a hit, Vortex can be used with on hit effects such as
Hextouch SupportHextouch SupportTrigger, Support, Hex
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.Per 1% Quality:1Superior2Anomalous3Divergent0.5% increased Effect of Supported CursesSupported Skills deal 1% increased Damage with Hits and Ailments per Curse on Enemy0.5% reduced Effect of Supported Curses
Supported Skills have 2% increased Curse DurationSupported Skills apply supported Curses on Hit
Supported Skills have (50-12)% reduced Curse Duration
You cannot Cast Supported Curse SpellsThis 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 Active Skill Gem you wish to augment. Right click to remove from a socket..
Gem level progression
Level | ![]() | ![]() | Mana Cost | Cold Damage | Cold DPS | Cooldown Recovery | Exp. | Total Exp. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 28 | 67 | 11 | 38 to 57 | 106.5 | N/A | 0 | 0 |
2 | 31 | 73 | 11 | 47 to 71 | 131.3 | N/A | 199345 | 199345 |
3 | 34 | 79 | 12 | 58 to 87 | 161.1 | N/A | 285815 | 485160 |
4 | 37 | 85 | 13 | 71 to 106 | 196.8 | N/A | 401344 | 886504 |
5 | 40 | 92 | 13 | 86 to 129 | 239.3 | N/A | 554379 | 1440883 |
6 | 42 | 96 | 14 | 98 to 147 | 272.1 | N/A | 477437 | 1918320 |
7 | 44 | 100 | 14 | 111 to 167 | 308.9 | N/A | 583786 | 2502106 |
8 | 46 | 104 | 15 | 126 to 189 | 350.1 | N/A | 710359 | 3212465 |
9 | 48 | 109 | 15 | 143 to 214 | 396.5 | N/A | 1355511 | 4567976 |
10 | 50 | 113 | 15 | 161 to 242 | 448.4 | N/A | 1138877 | 5706853 |
11 | 52 | 117 | 16 | 182 to 274 | 506.5 | N/A | 1368233 | 7075086 |
12 | 54 | 121 | 16 | 206 to 309 | 571.5 | N/A | 1638338 | 8713424 |
13 | 56 | 125 | 17 | 232 to 348 | 644.3 | N/A | 1956648 | 10670072 |
14 | 58 | 130 | 17 | 261 to 392 | 725.7 | N/A | 3655184 | 14325256 |
15 | 60 | 134 | 18 | 294 to 441 | 816.6 | N/A | 3017327 | 17342583 |
16 | 62 | 138 | 18 | 331 to 496 | 918.2 | N/A | 7759995 | 25102578 |
17 | 64 | 142 | 18 | 371 to 557 | 1031.7 | N/A | 15138193 | 40240771 |
18 | 66 | 146 | 19 | 417 to 625 | 1158.2 | N/A | 26083825 | 66324596 |
19 | 68 | 151 | 19 | 468 to 702 | 1299.5 | N/A | 62620247 | 128944843 |
20 | 70 | 155 | 20 | 524 to 787 | 1456.9 | N/A | 211708088 | 340652931 |
21 | 72 | 159 | 20 | 588 to 882 | 1632.5 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
22 | 74 | N/A | 21 | 658 to 987 | 1828 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
23 | 76 | N/A | 21 | 737 to 1105 | 2045.8 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
24 | 78 | N/A | 21 | 824 to 1236 | 2288.4 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
25 | 80 | N/A | 22 | 921 to 1382 | 2558.4 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
26 | 82 | N/A | 22 | 1029 to 1544 | 2858.8 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
27 | 84 | N/A | 23 | 1149 to 1724 | 3192.9 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
28 | 86 | N/A | 23 | 1283 to 1925 | 3564.5 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
29 | 88 | N/A | 24 | 1432 to 2148 | 3977.6 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
30 | 90 | N/A | 24 | 1597 to 2396 | 4436.7 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
31 | 91 | N/A | 24 | 1687 to 2530 | 4685.1 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
32 | 92 | N/A | 25 | 1781 to 2671 | 4946.9 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
33 | 93 | N/A | 25 | 1880 to 2820 | 5222.8 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
34 | 94 | N/A | 25 | 1985 to 2977 | 5513.5 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
35 | 95 | N/A | 25 | 2095 to 3143 | 5819.9 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
36 | 96 | N/A | 25 | 2211 to 3317 | 6142.8 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
37 | 97 | N/A | 26 | 2334 to 3501 | 6483 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
38 | 98 | N/A | 26 | 2463 to 3694 | 6841.5 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
39 | 99 | N/A | 26 | 2599 to 3898 | 7219.1 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
40 | 100 | N/A | 26 | 2742 to 4113 | 7617 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Item acquisition
Upgrade paths
This item can be acquired through the following upgrade paths or vendor recipes:
Amount | Ingredient | General Notes | Type |
---|---|---|---|
8 | ![]() ![]() ![]() Alternative Quality: +19%Moribund, he gazed upon the journey taken as blood trickled down his chin. His eye closed on the city ahead that he would never call home. ![]() | random level 19 gem with 19% alternative quality | Automatic |
1 | ![]() Item drops after killing # monstersQuality GemRight click this item then left click an item to apply it. The Incubated item drops after killing a specific number of monsters. ![]() | random superior gem | Automatic |
6 | ![]() ![]() ![]() - Ezomyte Proverb ![]() | random level 20 gem | Automatic |
13 | ![]() ![]() ![]() CorruptedThe mighty warriors traded in blows, the nimble archers in arrows, yet it was the brazen thaumaturgists who would bring catastrophe to all. ![]() | random corrupted level 21 Spell gem | Automatic |
3 | ![]() ![]() ![]() 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 superior gem with 20% quality | Automatic |
1 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | random divination card set exchange | Automatic |
Vendor reward
This item can be bought at the listed NPC vendors, after completing the following quests:
Class → | Witch | Shadow | Ranger | Duelist | Marauder | Templar | Scion |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Quest ↓ | |||||||
A Fixture of Fate Act 3 Siosa | ✓ | ||||||
Sever the Right Hand Act 3 Clarissa | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
Fallen from Grace Act 6 Lilly Roth | ✓ |
Other sources
The skill is also used by several monster. The UI would display a status icon to show the player character is affected by the skill.
Related helmet enchantments
The following helmet enchantments affect Vortex.
Name | ![]() | Stats | Spawn Weighting |
---|---|---|---|
Enchantment Vortex AoE On Frostbolt 1 | 66 | Vortex has 30% increased Area of Effect when Cast on Frostbolt | helmet 75 default 0 |
Enchantment Vortex AoE On Frostbolt 2 | 75 | Vortex has 45% increased Area of Effect when Cast on Frostbolt | helmet 75 default 0 |
Enchantment Vortex Cooldown Recovery 1 | 66 | Vortex has 20% increased Cooldown Recovery Rate | helmet 75 default 0 |
Enchantment Vortex Cooldown Recovery 2 | 75 | Vortex has 30% increased Cooldown Recovery Rate | helmet 75 default 0 |
Enchantment Vortex Damage 1 | 66 | 25% increased Vortex Damage | helmet 75 default 0 |
Enchantment Vortex Damage 2 | 75 | 40% increased Vortex Damage | helmet 75 default 0 |
Enchantment Vortex Duration 1 | 66 | 20% increased Vortex Duration | helmet 75 default 0 |
Enchantment Vortex Duration 2 | 75 | 30% increased Vortex Duration | helmet 75 default 0 |
EnchantmentVortexRadius1 | 66 | 16% increased Vortex Area of Effect | helmet 0 default 0 |
EnchantmentVortexRadius2 | 75 | 24% increased Vortex Area of Effect | helmet 0 default 0 |
Alternate skill effects
Vortex has the following alternate skill effects:
Item | Effect(s) |
---|---|
Black Hole Vortex Effect![]() ![]() | Your Vortex becomes a stationary black hole. |
Version history
Version | Changes |
---|---|
3.6.4 |
|
3.6.2 |
|
3.6.0 |
|
3.5.0 |
|
3.0.0 |
|
2.3.0 |
|
References
- ↑ Mark_GGG (June 2, 2016). "I think an old and very over-looked unique might gonna get some use in the upcoming Prophecy league". Official Path of Exile Subreddit. Retrieved June 2, 2016.