Diablo 4 Best Sorcerer Builds - Top 3 D4 Sorc Leveling Builds (Skills & Gears) in Open Beta

Diablo 4 Best Sorcerer Builds - Top 3 D4 Sorc Leveling Builds (Skills & Gears) in Open Beta

3/25/2023 2:25:26 AM

Want to try out the Sorcerer in Diablo IV Open Beta? Here are the Top 3 Sorc builds for you, we also go over the skills, the codex of power options, and legendary gears for each build!

Diablo IV Sorceress Builds Guide - Top 3 Best Sorcerer Leveling Builds in Diablo 4 Open Beta

If you feel like playing a spell caster, the Sorcerer (aka sorceress) will answer the call in Diablo IV. Freeze your enemies with Blizzard, electrocute them with lightning chains, or pulverize them with meteors. The Sorcerer of Diablo 4 allows you to play in very different ways, whether by changing the element, or the type of spells used. Here we present the top 3 sorcerer builds that you can use in Open Beta to level fastest and enjoy unstoppable gameplay.

Top 1 - Hydra Sorc Build

Overpowered builds that emerged on the Diablo IV open beta, but the Summoner Sorcerer is probably the most OP. At the same time almost immortal, and endowed with an overpowered DPS, Sorc lets the hydras do the work. Almost all the DPS of the build relies on the summoning of Hydras, which get lots of bonuses via legendary equipment and skills. On his side, the Sorcerer is immortal, since he benefits from the passive offering of a barrier, each time he uses a technique with a recharge time. Since he has plenty of defensive techniques with cooldown, he can power up a huge permanent barrier while the Hydra decimates his enemies. We also use as many conjurations as possible to trigger the extra damage bonus via the passive. This involves Ice Blades applying the Vulnerable effect, even though we don't rely directly on these spells for their pure damage.

Active Skills

Here is our suggested choice of abilities in the skill bar. However, you will have to spend some unnecessary points on basic abilities to unlock the next one. Also, be aware that there are alternatives in the ability choices. Look for Diablo 4 items that give bonus points in these skills whenever possible, especially for the Hydra.

Conjuration skills: Ice Blades (Rank 1), Enhanced Ice Blades, Summoned Ice Blades
Conjuration skills: Hydra (Rank 1), Enhanced Hydram, Invoked Hydra
Conjuration skills: Lightning Spear (Rank 1), Subsequent ranks and upgrades are optional, you can replace this spell with the ultimate Intense Cold, to gain both a very powerful defense and AoE tool. But its recharge time is much longer.
Defensive skills: Teleport (Rank 1), Subsequent ranks and upgrades are optional.
Defensive skills: Ice Armor (Rank 1), Subsequent ranks and upgrades are optional.
Defensive skills: Flame Shield (Rank 1), Enhanced Flame Shield, Shimmering Flame Shield

Passive Bonus

We only list the most important passives, required for the operation of the build, and those used to reach the points requirement towards the next level. There are other useful passives.

Devastation (Rank 1) - Point required to unlock next tier.
Potent Warding (Rank 3) - Other points required to unlock the next level.
Conjuration Mastery (Rank 3) - Bonus damage for each conjuration.
Align of Elements (Rank 1) - A solid defense bonus, which also unlocks the desired passive.
Protection (Rank 1) - Your cooldown abilities provide barriers, it's fundamental for this build.

Enchantment

At level 15, you unlock a quest that allows you to choose a spell that will passively grant you a specific bonus. You have a lot of choices, the possibilities are numerous. Be aware that you must place at least 1 point (via equipment if necessary) in a skill to be able to activate it. To make certain choices profitable, you must improve the selected spell as much as possible, when it is a copy that is activated by the enchantment (Ex: Ice Nova, Fire Ball, Meteor). Here are some suggestions:

Fire Bolt - As your Hydras will blast enemies with projectiles, they will rack up tons of fire damage over time. The bosses will melt.
Fire Ball - The build lacks AoE, so with this enchantment, slain enemies will unleash large devastating explosions.

Legendary powers and aspects

Powers are no longer necessarily tied to specific items, you can extract and infuse them through the Occultist and the Power Codex. Here is a list of the most important powers you need for this build:

Allows you to summon an additional active Hydra, but reduces their duration.
Increases damage dealt based on your remaining mana. As you are almost always at the maximum, it hurts.
Increases damage while protected by a Barrier.
You deal more damage to vulnerable targets when you are under the effect of a barrier.

Top 2 - Frost Sorc Build

Frost Sorc build specializes in freezing enemies completely, before exploding them into devastating shards that spread to the surrounding area. This is far from being the only ice build possible, but it is certainly one of the most effective. Almost all of the build's DPS relies on Ice Shards, which will pierce enemies and blast frozen ones, causing more shards to appear. You can reduce hordes of enemies to icicles in moments with this build. Thanks to the defenses of the build and the vulnerable effect applied by its various abilities, it is also effective on bosses, even if it is not its specialty. Builder's link.

Active Skills

Here is our suggested choice of abilities in the skill bar. Also be aware that there are alternatives in the choice of abilities. Look to hoard items that give bonus points in these skills whenever possible, especially for Ice Shards.

Basic skills: Fire Bolt (Rank 1), Enhanced Fire Bolt, Flickering Frost Bolt
Conjuration skills: Ice Blades (Rank 1), Enhanced Ice Blades, Summoned Ice Blades
Core Skills: Ice Shards (Rank 5), Enhanced Ice Shards, Destructive Ice Shards
Defensive skills: Teleport (Rank 1), Ice Armor (Rank 1), Enhanced Ice Armor, Mystical Ice Armor, Frost Nova (Rank 1), Enhanced Frost Nova, Mystical Frost Nova

Passive Bonus

We only list the most important passives, required for the operation of the build, and those used to reach the points requirement towards the next level. There are, however, other useful passives.

Align The Elements (Rank 1) - A solid defense bonus, which also unlocks the desired passive.
Protection (Rank 1) - Your cooldown abilities provide barriers, which is quite useful with this build.
Permafrost (Rank 1) - One point required for continuation. It also helps on bosses.
Hoarforst (Rank 1) - A substantial damage bonus on controlled targets.

Enchantment

At level 15, you unlock a quest allowing you to choose a spell that will passively grant you a specific bonus. You are spoiled for choice, the possibilities are numerous. Be aware that you must place at least 1 point (via equipment if necessary) in a skill to be able to activate it. To make certain choices profitable, the selected spell must be improved as much as possible, when it is a copy that is activated by the enchantment (Ex: Ice Nova, Fireball, Meteor). Here are some suggestions:

Ice Shards - As the build strengthens Ice Shards to the maximum, having this enchantment that will automatically make them appear on frozen targets will greatly facilitate your life.
Frost Bolt - All of your damage will inflict a chilling effect, which has good synergies with the build.

Legendary Powers and Aspects

Ice Shards pierce multiple targets, losing power each time.
When you hit a controlled target, there is a chance that the effect will be transmitted to another enemy.
Increases critical strike chance against injured enemies, and duration of control effects.
Prolongs control effects, and increases damage dealt to uncontrollable enemies.
Increases damage while protected by a barrier.
You deal more damage to vulnerable targets when you are under the effect of a barrier.

Top 3 - Chain Lightning Sorc Build

For those who fancy rolling over the bosses and enemy packs of Diablo 4, here's an OP build for the Sorcerer, based on Lightning, Ice, and Fire. While the Barbarians are struggling with the Diablo 4 beta bosses, the Wizards are almost at summer camp next door. This is especially true for their best builds. The Ice and Fire builds do very well, but the Lightning build offered here makes it really easy to progress without getting tired or needing fantastic equipment.

Active Skills

Here is our proposal for the distribution of the first few talent points, to get the Build working at low level. Alternatives can be chosen, and then you can invest in passives, or extra ranks for main spells as you approach level 25. This is not completely rigid. The priority is to learn new spells whenever possible, before improving old ones.

Basic Skills: Arc Lash > Enhanced Arc Lash > Later on, you can take Glinting Arc Lash you feel like it.
Core Skills: Chain Lightning > Enhanced Chain Lightning > Greater Chain Lightning
Defensive skills: Teleport > Later you can take Enhanced Teleport and Shimmering Teleport
Defensive skills: Ice Armor > Enhanced Ice Armor > Later, Mystical Ice Armor
Conjuration skills: Hydra > Enhanced Hydra > Invoked Hydra or Summoned Hydra
Defensive skills: Frost Nova > Enhanced Frost Nova > Mystic Frost Nova

Enchantment

At level 15, you unlock a quest allowing you to choose a spell that will passively grant you a specific bonus. You are spoiled for choice, the possibilities are numerous. Here are some suggestions:

Chain Lightning: Chain Lightning automatically forms when you spend 100 mana. More lightning is always good.
Flame Shield: Automatically activates when you take damage that would kill you. This effect can only occur once every 120 seconds. This is mostly a choice for characters in Extreme mode.
Frost Nova: Your Conjure skills have a 30% chance to cast a Frost Nova when they hit the Opponent. Hydras throwing Novas, anyone? Very interesting to maintain vulnerability on bosses and afflict them.

Legendary powers and aspects

Powers are no longer necessarily linked to specific items. Here's a list of powers we've come across that is perfect for this build:

Allows you to summon one more active Hydra but reduces their duration.
The duration of the effects of loss of control that you inflict is increased and you inflict more damage to the unstoppable opponents.
You deal more damage to immobilized, stunned or frozen targets.
You deal more damage to vulnerable targets while under a barrier.
Each time Chain Lightning ricochets off you, you gain 4 mana.