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# Vortex
[[Vortex]] is a cold spell that deals damage in an area around the character and leaves a ground effect that chills and deals heavy cold damage over time. If the player has any active [[Frostbolt]] projectiles, Vortex will be cast on those projectiles instead.

## Skill functions and interactions

- <span class="text-mod">Modifiers to Spell Damage apply to this skill's Damage Over Time Effect</span>: Modifiers to spell damage only affect the damage over time effect of Vortex granted by the gem and do not affect other sources of damage over time which may be applied by the skill, such as poison or [[Decay Support]].

- [[Frostbolt]]: The player may cast Frostbolt and subsequently cast Vortex on the Frostbolt projectiles. If Vortex is cast this way, it will have 20% less area of effect and it may cast on up to 5 Frostbolt projectiles, consuming them.
  - If the player has any active Frostbolt projectiles and Vortex is triggered by an effect (such as [[Cast On Critical Strike Support]]), Vortex will automatically be cast on the Frostbolt projectiles.

- **Overlap**: If an enemy is standing on multiple Vortex ground effects, only the one with the highest damage per second will deal damage at any given moment. This is consistent with other damage over time ground effects, such as burning ground.

- **Cast time**: Vortex is an instant spell; it has no cast time and does not interrupt your character's other actions.

- **On hit effects**: Because the initial explosion counts as a hit, Vortex can be used with on hit effects such as [[Hextouch Support]].