Effects that reduce the cost of spells reduce the total cost, including any escalate costs added.

Additional costs don't affect a spell's mana value.

You can't choose any one mode multiple times.

If an effect allows you to cast a spell that has escalate without paying its mana cost, you pay escalate costs for that spell if you choose more than one mode.

You choose all of your modes at once. You can't wait to perform one mode's actions and then decide to choose more modes.

If two of the chosen modes of an escalate spell target a creature, you may choose the same creature for each mode's target, or choose different creatures. The same is true if the chosen modes target a player (or opponent).

When determining how much damage a creature with trample may assign to the player or planeswalker it's attacking, take into account damage that has already been dealt to the blocking creatures. For example, a 4/4 creature with trample blocked by a 4/4 creature with 2 damage marked on it may assign 2 damage to that creature and 2 damage to the defending player.

If you choose the second and third modes, and the targeted creature is controlled by the targeted opponent, that creature will take 2 plus 1 damage for a total of 3 damage. An ability that triggers whenever that creature is dealt damage will trigger twice.

If one target of an escalate spell becomes illegal, the other targets will still be affected. If all of the targets become illegal, the spell won't resolve.