Ice Queen

Glacial spins beneath the winter aurora

Arriving on Wave 11 of the Frost Moon, the Ice Queen acts as the aerial monarch of the holiday invasion. She flies with blistering speed and erratic trajectories, challenging players with 34,000 life in Classic, scaling to 44,200 in Expert and 56,355 in Master mode. Her defenses sit at 38 across all modes, while direct contact inflicts 120 damage in Classic, climbing to 180 in Expert and 270 in Master.

Her attack rotation consists of three distinct routines. During her wave sweep, she glides horizontally across the sky, launching wide crescent waves of frost that penetrate solid tiles. Next, she hovers directly above your head, firing rapid vertical streams of sharp icicles straight downward. Finally, she initiates her ice spin, twirling in place like a spinning top while scattering a dense spiral of frost shards across the entire screen. Getting struck by these attacks inflicts Chilled, and taking repeated hits can trigger the Frozen status, freezing you solid in mid-air.

Thawing out the chilled aerial dance

The greatest danger during this encounter is losing mobility. Because the Frozen status cannot be blocked by an Ankh Shield, a single freeze can leave you helpless against consecutive shard hits. Consuming a Warmth Potion before the wave begins is critical, as it substantially cuts incoming damage from all of her frost projectiles.

To counter her high-speed movements, prepare a long horizontal runway constructed from Asphalt blocks, or rely on a fast flying mount like the Witch's Broom or Cosmic Car Key. When she begins hovering overhead to rain down icicles, dash laterally to slip outside the vertical bombardment column. When she locks into her twirling spin, retreat to medium range rather than flying directly over her, since the expanding shard ring is densest near her body. Homing attacks like Chlorophyte ammunition, the Razorblade Typhoon, or tracking summoner whips ensure steady DPS against her agile frame while you focus on evasion.

Arsenal forged from perpetual winter

Conquering the Ice Queen rewards players with some of the strongest offensive tools in late Hardmode. Mages covet the Blizzard Staff (31.1% drop rate), which summons an unrelenting cascade of ice shards from the top of the screen to obliterate heavy targets. Ranged specialists gain the Snowman Cannon (31.1%), a rocket launcher whose rockets aggressively track targets and deal zero self-inflicted blast damage, making it exceptionally safe in close quarters.

Melee fighters can claim the North Pole (31.1%), a throwing spear that leaves a dense canopy of falling snowflake projectiles that shred enemies beneath its flight path. Collectors can also obtain the Reindeer Bells (6.67%), summoning a swift reindeer mount, or the Baby Grinch's Mischief Whistle (6.67%) pet. Master mode rewards include the Frozen Crown (25%) pet and the Ice Queen Relic (100%), alongside the Ice Queen Trophy (100%).

Trivia

• The Frozen debuff inflicted by Ice Queen's frost shards cannot be prevented by an Ankh Shield.
• A Warmth Potion significantly mitigates the damage dealt by all of Ice Queen's cold-based attacks.