Frost and Holy are both non-physical damage types common in Elden Ring builds. Frost works as a status effect; Holy works as direct elemental damage. Which is more reliable across PvE content?
Frost
Damage amplification on tough enemies
Strengths
- 20% absorption debuff amplifies ALL damage
- Flat HP chunk on proc
- Can be reset with fire for multiple procs
- Works on most enemy types
- Cold infusion is widely available
Weaknesses
- Frost-immune enemies exist
- Requires buildup before proc
- Reduced effectiveness on some bosses
- Less impactful on weak enemies
- DLC enemies have higher frost resistance
VS
Holy Damage
Consistent elemental damage
Strengths
- Effective against undead (bonus damage + prevents revival)
- Many Faith weapons deal holy innately
- Sacred infusion is widely available
- Consistent damage without proc dependency
- Good exploration damage type
Weaknesses
- Many endgame bosses resist holy (Radagon, Elden Beast, Maliketh)
- DLC bosses frequently resist holy
- No absorption debuff
- Weaker against late-game content
- Falls off significantly in endgame
Verdict
Frost is better for endgame content — the absorption debuff is universally useful. Holy is better for early-to-mid game exploration, especially against undead. In the final areas and DLC, holy resistance is so common that frost becomes the clearly superior choice.