Bleed and Frost are the two strongest status effects in Elden Ring. Bleed deals percentage HP damage. Frost reduces absorption by 20% and deals a flat HP chunk. After patch 1.06 nerfed bleed, is frost the new king?
Bleed Builds
Percentage-based boss damage
Strengths
- Hemorrhage deals % max HP damage
- More weapons with innate bleed
- Arcane scaling boosts bleed buildup
- Lord of Blood's Exultation + White Mask synergy
- Still S-tier despite nerfs
Weaknesses
- Nerfed in patch 1.06
- Useless against bleed-immune enemies
- Requires Arcane investment
- Dependent on status proc, not raw hits
- Some bosses have high bleed resistance
VS
Frost Builds
Damage amplification and burst
Strengths
- 20% absorption debuff boosts ALL damage types
- Frost was BUFFED in 1.07
- Works on more enemies than bleed
- Cold infusion adds magic damage
- Can reset frost (with fire) for multiple procs
Weaknesses
- Lower per-proc damage than bleed
- Fewer dedicated frost weapons
- Frost-immune enemies exist
- Requires fire setup for frost reset
- Less synergy gear than bleed
Verdict
Bleed is still stronger for raw status damage against bleed-vulnerable targets. Frost is better as a support status that amplifies your team's total damage. Post-nerfs, frost is the safer long-term investment. Ideally, use both in different situations.