Slide effortlessly across the ground in any direction. Attacking with
while sliding can temporarily freeze enemies.
Description
Cold Snap is Clive's Eikonic Feat ability in Final Fantasy XVI, used (default controller scheme) with 
when Clive has Shiva equipped in battle. It manifests the Eikon's cape and allows Clive to slide along the ground to any direction as well as to freeze enemies; when used to precision-dodge an enemy's attack, it briefly freezes all enemies within radius.
Precision-dodging an enemy's attack with Cold Snap ten times (excluding battles in Hall of Virtue) earns the trophy Oh, Snap!.
Obtained[]
Clive gains access to Shiva's powers as part of the story, during "Through the Maelstrom", usable in his loadout after the events at Naldoa Narrow.
Mechanics[]
Clive can use Cold Snap in battle whenever he is equipping his ice loadout, though the player can assign other elemental Eikons' mastered Eikonic Abilities as the rechargeable skills to use. Eikonic Feats have no cooldown.
Using Cold Snap with has Clive glide along the floor to any direction. When used again while Clive is still sliding, he will follow up with Frostbite, briefly freezing an enemy in place with an ice crystal.
Precision-dodging an enemy's attack with Cold Snap freezes all enemies within a radius with Permafrost, whose duration is determined by the dodged attack; precision-dodging stronger attacks results in a longer freeze. Precision-dodging with Cold Snap has a tighter window than regular precision-dodging, so the player needs to be highly accurate to pull it off.
Frozen enemies cannot move and their stagger gauges are frozen in place as well.
Cold Snap is mastered in the abilities menu by expending 3000 AP to lengthen Permafrost's duration.
| Technique | Effect |
|---|---|
| Frostbite | Freeze an enemy with Frostbite. |
| Permafrost | Freeze an enemy/enemies with Permafrost. |
| Shatter | Defeat a frozen enemy. |
Use[]
Cold Snap is a great ability to have at Clive's disposal. It can be used instead of Phoenix Shift to quickly move about the battlefield. It can be used to briefly freeze enemies with Frostbite, to stunlock enemies and to freeze their stagger gauge.
Cold Snap's best boon is its ability to dodge enemy attacks while freezing the attacker for several seconds; the feat is worth upgrading to lengthen the time enemies stay permafrozen. Using the Ring of Timely Focus allows the player to always precision-dodge. No enemy is immune to the freeze effect, which allows the player time to counterattack.
Cold Snap's downside is that Permafrost is tougher to time than a normal precision dodge, unless the player is using the Ring of Timely Focus. To be able to trigger Permafrost, the player needs to dodge almost at the last possible moment. The player must choose between an easy precision dodge that leads into into a regular counterattack, or take a risk with Cold Snap with higher pay off in successful precision dodges leading to Permafrost and freezing all nearby enemies. The normal precision dodge has a upgrade purchasable in Ifrit's section of the Ability menu to make the timing more lenient, whereas Cold Snap's upgrade only lengthens the duration permafrozen enemies stay trapped.
Cold Snap can also be fiddly to use, Clive sliding past the player's intended target. The player can avoid engaging the directional input altogether when using Cold Snap to avoid Clive sliding to an unwanted direction, and just use it when an enemy is right in front of him.
The time an enemy is frozen and unable to act can allow Clive to pull off moves that might easily be interrupted otherwise, like Windup or Dancing Steel. Rift Slip into Cold Snap against a staggered boss can be used to halt the stagger recovery.