Diablo 4: best Sorcerer build guide

Use these skills to make the most of the Sorcerer's powerful skill set

Author:
Oliver Brandt
Updated:
Jun 16, 2023 8:29 AM EDT
Original:
Jun 7, 2023

The Sorcerer is one of Diablo’s most classic character classes, with some variant of the archetype appearing in every game in the series to date. Diablo 4’s take on the Sorcerer doesn’t stray far from what you’d expect, but there are a few neat tricks up this magician’s sleeve, taking some of the best skills from previous games and giving them a brand new twist.

In this guide, we’ll take you through what we think is the best general build for Sorcerers in Diablo 4, including the best level-up skills, which enchantments to pick, and more.

Be sure to check out our Diablo 4 tips and tricks for more handy pointers to make your time in Sanctuary a little bit easier, and read our Diablo 4 review if you’re still on the fence about jumping in. If you haven’t settled on a class yet, you can also check out or guide for the best starting class in Diablo 4.

Other build guides:

Diablo 4: best Sorcerer skills

The Sorcerer has three different magic paths to go down with their skills, and all of them have their own strengths. Lightning magic is fantastic for dealing damage to large groups of enemies, fire magic does stacks of damage over time, and frost magic slows and freezes enemies, giving you ample opportunity to breathe and plan out your attacks. Mixing and matching between disciplines is more viable than in some other classes, but in the late-game you’ll want to be locked into one. Because of the nature of some of the encounters in Diablo 4, we’ve decided to go with lightning magic for this guide.

Basic skill - Arc Lash

Both Spark and Arc Lash have their place in this build, and which you choose is largely going to come down to preference more than anything else. We’ve gone with Arc Lash because its range is a little more practical, it does a bit more damage, and can stun enemies, which is very helpful. Its enhancements also offer a wide range of buffs, making it the more versatile option of the two. Spark is still very good, though.

Core skill - Chain Lightning

If you’ve played Diablo 3, you probably know what you’re getting with Chain Lightning. Yes, it’s definitely one of the more boring core skills, but it’s very consistent in its damage output, and is incredible at tearing through large groups of enemies. Greater Chain Lightning as an upgrade is a high risk, high reward option, requiring you to stand a little closer to enemies, but offering a massive damage buff as a result.

Defensive skill - Teleport

One of the main reasons we went with lightning magic over the other options available is Teleport. It’s an incredible skill that massively increases your mobility, while also dealing a good chunk of damage and making you effectively invincible while it’s active. It’s essentially a second dodge that deals damage while you leap, and it’s hard to go past that in a game as hostile as Diablo 4.

Conjuration skill - Lightning Spear

You’re not gonna believe this, but the lightning magic skill is the way to go here. Shocking, we know. Lightning Spear is basically free damage — you don’t have to aim it, you don’t have to worry about it, you just have to slap the attack button when you need it and let it do its thing. It gets even better with Invoked Lightning Spear, which stuns enemies too. It’s a good skill, even if it’s not particularly exciting.

Mastery skill - Ball Lightning

Yeah, we know, it’s another basic, boring lightning skill. Look, not everything can be a winner. Ball Lightning deals big damage to large groups of enemies, and has the added benefit of being surprisingly effective against most bosses. It takes a decent chunk of mana to cast, but the damage payoff is worth it. If you’re really not feeling it, Blizzard is good enough as an alternative, but Ball Lightning is still probably the best way to go.

Ultimate skill - Unstable Currents

This is the second major reason we went with lightning magic as the core of this set. Unstable Currents turns you into a lightning-producing machine, spawning random lightning skills whenever you cast another lightning skill. It lasts for 10 seconds, and while you can’t choose what it spawns, it will pretty much always do a boatload of damage while it’s active. Its first enhancement, Prime Unstable Currents, even increases your attack speed, making you a force to be reckoned with. This might be the best ultimate skill in the game.

Key passive skill - Vyr’s Mastery

We’ll be honest with you — none of the Sorcerer’s key passive skills are particularly exciting. Vyr’s Mastery wins out just by virtue of being consistently useful, even if it asks that you stand a little closer to some enemies. Overflowing Energy is fine too, it’s just a bit more situational. Basically: pick whatever you like, but Vyr’s Mastery is likely to be a little more useful.

Diablo 4: best Sorcerer passive skills.

Throughout the skill tree, there are a number of passive skills that are worth picking up, and if you’re waiting to unlock the next branch of the tree, it’s worth picking up some of them to round out your skills a bit. They aren’t quite as transformative as the Druid’s passives, but they get the job done.

Here are the passives we suggest picking up when you can, along with brief descriptions:

Elemental Dominance - core skills do more damage when above 50 mana
Elemental Attunement - critical strikes have a chance to reset cooldown on Teleport
Mana Shield - get damage reduction when you expend 100 mana
Shocking Impact - stunning an enemy does extra damage to them
Convulsions - lightning skills have a chance to stun enemies
Conduction - critical strikes increase movement speed

Diablo 4: alternative Sorcerer skills

In addition to the alternatives we laid out above, a fire magic skill set is more than viable, especially when taking on boss fights, since the damage over time really adds up. Fire Bolt is a fantastic basic skill, Incinerate is a channeled spell that can do big damage and snare enemies, Hydra is a lot of fun as a conjuration, and Firewall is good for crowd control. We’d still recommend Teleport as the defensive skill though — nothing comes close to its utility.

Diablo 4: best Sorcerer Enchantments

Enchantments are the unique perk of the Sorcerer, and they add some key improvements to some of the skills we’ve chosen in our set. Chain Lightning is a great skill to put in an Enchantment slot, since it basically gives you free skills if you spend a certain amount of mana, while Teleport replaces your dodge with yet another Teleport, at the cost of a longer cooldown. There’s no right or wrong way to use enchantments, your best bet is to focus on the perks that work best with how you play.