The Icerind Hatchet is one of the best early Elden Ring weapons capable of getting you through at least the middle of the game. Although finding it requires a long detour in Liurnia of the Lakes, The Icerind Hatchet is one of the first and easiest Frostbite weapons you can acquire. It’s a journey worth taking, as this powerful physical weapon comes with an equally powerful ability that damages enemies while knocking them away from you.

Where to find the Icerind Hatchet Frostbite weapon in Elden Ring

The Icerind Hatchet is in the middle of Liurnia of the Lakes, tucked away in a chest with no boss guarding it. Although it is located in the area beyond Stormveil Castle, you can still reach it as soon as you acquire Torrent, the Spirit Horse.

Go north from Stormhill Shack and follow the road under the ramparts to Limgrave’s Divine Tower. You emerge near a broken bridge and a fingerprint reader. Walk along the cliff and proceed carefully along the path until you reach a plateau near a cemetery. Follow the road to the back of Stormveil and find the Church of Irith with a new Grace site.

Head north from the Church of Irith and into the shallow waters of the lake. If you’ve ignored Stormveil and haven’t upgraded your weapons yet, avoid combat as much as possible. Glintstone crawling monsters in the southern part of the lake can easily overwhelm you. Continue further north, dodging giant lobsters and octopuses, until you reach the ruins outside Academy Gate Town and Grace Site. Activate it, then turn west.

Your destination is the Temple Quarters, the set of ruins directly southwest of Academy City on the map. A number of Brillstone and Poison Plants inhabit the Temple Quarters, along with enemies that cartwheel and cudgel-wield. These nimble creatures pose the greatest threat. Their cartwheels put them within easy reach, and club attacks from larger enemies deal heavy damage.

The chest with the Icerind ax can be found at the location shown above. It’s the low tower opposite the taller tower near the giant flower.

Why the Icerind Ax is Worth Your Time

The Ice Ax requires 11 strength and 16 dexterity, so you may need to farm some runes and level up a bit before you can use it. Its base attack stat of 111 makes it the most powerful Frostbite weapon in the early game, more powerful even than the Frozen Needle in one of Liurnia’s mini-dungeons.

Hoarfrost Stomp, Icerind Hatchet’s built-in skill, is what makes it so valuable. Activating the skill only uses 10 FP and sends out a fan of wedge-shaped ice crystals. The initial wave does little damage, but after a second the crystals explode, dealing much greater damage and adding to the enemy’s Frostbite meter. Frostbite weakens defense and deals bonus damage in a burst, similar to blood loss, so it’s a handy disease to inflict.

The status effect also triggers much, much faster than the bleed. The tradeoff is that you can’t reapply Frostbite right away; there is a «cooldown» as freezing weakens your enemies defense a bit. However, deal fire damage to the afflicted enemy – be it arrows, elemental weapons, spells, etc. – will reset Frostbite. The defense debuff will wear off, but you can reapply Frostbite in quick succession for more burst damage.

Most intelligent enemies, including humanoids and more powerful enemies such as Caelid’s centipede warriors, dodge the ice fan. You can use it multiple times though, making it easier to catch your target in the blast. It’s also fantastic against large enemies. The ice wave is big and can catch them easily. Assuming they’re not jumping or flying off the ground, of course.