In Path of Exile 2, the Stormweaver ascendancy offers powerful elemental spellcasting with a focus on weather-like effects, chills, and elemental status manipulation. One particularly fun and effective build taking advantage of this design is the Freeze & Self-Chill Ice Nova Stormweaver — a POE 2 Currency cold-themed sorceress that freezes enemies in place, slows packs into submission, and moves at breakneck speed thanks to a quirky “self-chill” interaction.

What Makes This Build Special

At its core, this build uses Ice Nova as the main offensive spell. Ice Nova releases a burst of icy projectiles in all directions, knocking back enemies and applying chill and freeze effects in a wide radius. In Path of Exile 2, Ice Nova inherently inflicts a high magnitude of chill and freeze buildup, making it excellent for controlling crowds and proccing status effects quickly.

The build’s philosophy is simple: if enemies can’t move or hit you, then you dominate the battlefield. By stacking cold damage, freeze-buildup modifiers, and status effects like Temporal Chains curse, you can slow and freeze enemies so effectively that they are unable to retaliate. Casting Ice Nova against chilled or frozen foes not only deals heavy damage but also reinforces your control over the encounter.

Self-Chill Explained

One of the standout quirks of this setup is the self-chill mechanism — an affordable way to boost your clear speed and spellcasting mobility. Typically, chill slows players and enemies alike. But with certain unique items such as Sierran Inheritance and carefully configured gear, chill effects applied to your character can be reversed into bonus movement and cast speed. You literally “freeze yourself” to move and act faster, turning what is usually a hindrance into a powerful mobility buff.

This self-chill synergy makes this Ice Nova build feel fast and fluid even while focusing on cold damage and crowd control. Instead of feeling stuck while freezing enemies, you’re zipping through maps while everything else moves like it’s stuck in quicksand.

Playstyle & Rotation

The basic spell rotation for this build revolves around Ice Nova and several supporting cold spells:

Ice Nova: The foundation of your damage and crowd control. Cast it often to freeze/chill groups and create heaps of chilled ground.

Snap (Secondary Skill): Used to generate infusions that empower Ice Nova and increase its potency.

Frost Wall / Frost Bomb: Defensive and damage utilities that support your main ice barrage by applying more chill or creating terrain obstacles.

Temporal Chains via Blasphemy: Curses further slow enemies and give your chilling effects even more control.

Against tougher foes or bosses, layering infusions and combining Ice Nova with complementary spells like Frost Wall or Frost Bomb can yield devastating results — particularly when enemies are already chilled or frozen.

Pros & Cons

Pros

Excellent crowd control with freeze and chill effects.

Smooth, mobile gameplay thanks to self-chill interaction.

Strong league-starter damage without requiring ultra-expensive gear.

Cons

Can feel squishy without proper defenses and energy shield stacking.

Requires smart positioning and cooldown management.

The Freeze & Self-Chill Ice Nova Stormweaver is a refreshing alternative to fire- or lightning-centric builds in Path of Exile 2. By turning chilling effects into both crowd control and speed bonuses, this build offers a buy POE 2 Currency Orbs satisfying blend of spectacle and performance — perfect for players who want to dominate the battlefield with frost and finesse.