Diablo 4 Season 1 best Sorcerer leveling and PvP builds

The Sorcerer class in Diablo 4 is quite interesting because there’s no set difficulty when you’re playing this role. Regardless if you’re on World Tier 1 or 4, you can expect to be hit with a lot of challenges. This is because the Sorcerer is built on extremes, it’s either really good — or really bad. The Arc Lash Sorcerer Leveling build and the Ice Sorcerer PVP build both amplify these qualities.  In Season 1 for Diablo 4 it seems like certain builds have been impacted, and that has caused the class to stick out in many ways. Players are finding out the Sorcerer has been hit by the latest waves of patches. However, the following Sorcerer Leveling and PVP builds in Season 1 of Diablo 4  seem to be the best since they haven’t been impacted.

What is the best Sorcerer Leveling build in Season 1 of Diablo 4?

Post Season 1 patch, the Sorcerer has got several nerfs that have made the class somewhat harder to play. On the other hand, there are still some builds that have endured Blizzard Entertainment’s tweaks. Creations such as the Arc Lash Sorcerer leveling build, which is one that we will go into more depth have been saved in Season 1. While the build has its weaknesses such as fighting using melee and not as effective against Unstoppable enemies, it can still hold its own. Mainly because of the flip side of using less mana, taking in a lot of hits, delivering high damage, and being rather quick on the battlefield. In my opinion, the pros severely outweigh the cons. 

Best Sorcerer leveling build for Season 1 tier list

Chain Lighting – This is a lot like the Arc Lash Leveling build because one of the focuses is on absorbing damage. The difference is that the Chain Lighting build uses AoE attacks, whereas the Arc Lash focuses on singular targets. So taking out groups of enemies can be done easier with former

Firewall – The rule of thumb for the Sorcerer is that builds created around Ice generally do more damage. The Firewall build is a great build to use, however, it works well when you’re in a party. You won’t be doing nearly as much damage as you would with the Chain Lighting leveling build, but it’s still a good build to try. 

Arc Lash Sorcerer Season 1 Leveling build

While this build doesn’t do AoE damage, it helps keep Sorcere in control of the fight. Thanks to the basic skill Charged Bolt that stuns enemies, which may cause a chain reaction. While you won’t be doing as much damage to elites at one time, the defensive, and speed traits of this build allows you to dodge their attacks better. But note, you will be playing at close range for this build, and movement will become your best friend if you do everything right. 

Best Arc Lash Sorcerer Leveling skills

• Arc Lash 2 / 5
• Enhanced Arc Lash
• Flickering Arc Lash
• Charged Bolts 1 / 5
• Enhanced Charged Bolts
• Teleport 1 / 5
• Ice Armor 1 / 5
• Frost Nova 1 / 5
• Enhanced Frost Nova
• Mystical Frost Nova
• Arc Lash 5 / 5
• Charged Bolts 5 / 5
• Fire 1 / 5
• Glass Cannon 3 / 3
• Static Discharge 1 / 3
• Shocking Impact 3 / 3
• Unstable Currents 
• Prime Unstable Currents
• Enhanced Charged Bolts 
• Destructive Charged Bolts
• Enhanced Teleporter 
• Shimmering Teleporter
• Elemental Attunement 1 / 3
• Align Elements 1 / 3
• Protection 3 / 3
• Vry’s Mastery 
• Teleporter 5 / 5
• Frost Nova 5 / 5
• Conjuration Mastery 3 / 3
• Icy Veil 3 / 3
• Coursing Currents 1 / 3
• Electrocution 3 / 3
• Conduction 3 / 3

Why these skills are good?

When you start creating this build, it’s good the hit the ground running. This can be done by Arc Lash dealing 46 percent of damage to enemies in front of you. The kicker is that for every tenth enemy you hit with Arc Lash, they get Stunned for 2 seconds. Adding Flickering Arc Lash increases the speed of the attack for 5 seconds, which raises the chances of enemies being stunned. While you’re using Arc Lash for the closer enemies, Charged Bolts can be used at a distance by damaging up to 5 enemies at once. When you have Enhanced Charged Bolt, the third time an enemy is hit with the skill, it deals AoE damage on top of the base damage of 30 percent. 

Teleporter and Ice Armor get defensive skills started. The Teleporter skill causes you to change into a bolt of lightning and zip to an area dealing 25 percent damage around you. Then, you can use your Frost Nova to freeze enemies in place for 3 seconds. Mystical Frost Nova is crucial, it makes enemies Vulnerable for 4 seconds, and elites for 6 seconds. Adding Ice Armor takes in 30 percent of your base health and makes it a barrier. During those dungeons, this will play a massive role. 

The passives of this build help add negative effects to enemies, while also giving you buffs. Glass Cannon yields 18 percent damage, but that cost of being 9 percent weaker. On top of that, every enemy stunned can be hit with 60 percent damage with the Shocking Impact passive. The ultimate Unstable Current causes electricity to course through you whenever Arc Lash is used. While that’s going and if you have Prime Unstable Currents, your attack speed gets even faster by 25 percent. So at those higher level moments, when all things in this build are working overtime, you can easily beat the more brutal enemies. 

Screenshot by PC Invasion

Best Arc Lash Sorcerer Season 1 leveling build Aspects

• Rapid Offensive Aspect – Buried Halls, Dry Steppes
• Offensive Aspect of Control – Sunken Library, Kehjistan
• Defensive Aspect of Might – Dark Ravine, Dry Steppes

As mentioned at the top of this build guide, speed is important for the Arc Lash Leveling build. As you’re attacking more, you’ll land more negative buffs. So make sure you get the Rapid Offensive Apsect early on. This aspect increases your overall attack. The Offensive Aspect of Control and the Defensive Aspect of Might help your survivability. Aspect of the Control increases damage to stunned enemies, if you remember most of this build puts enemies in that state. Defensive Aspect of Might increases the damage you can take for up to 6 seconds. Summed up, these Aspects enhance the important parts of the build. 

Follow this guide on how to imprint Aspects in Diablo 4. 

Ice Sorcerer PVP Season 1 build guide 

For this build, you’ll focus on the opposite of what the Arc Lash Leveling build does. Instead of going after single targets, you’ll be attacking areas filled with players. However, just the leveling above, you’ll also be impacting the enemy player with negative buffs. With Chills, Freeze, and Slowing attributes, you may not need to fight as aggressively. This build is easy to use since the mobility and protection stats are high. So going on in PVP with the Ice Sorcerer build may be the play.

Best Ice Sorcerer PVP skills

• Frost Bolt 1 / 5
• Enhanced Frost Bolt
• Ice Shards 1 / 5
• Enhanced Ice Shards 
• Greater Ice Shards
• Glinting Frost Bolt
• Frost Nova 1 / 5
• Ice Armor 1 / 5
• Teleport 1 / 5
• Enhanced Frost Nova 
• Mystical Frost Nova
• Enhanced Ice Armor
• Mystical Ice Armor 
• Enhanced Teleport
• Shimmering Teleport
• Ice Shards 2 / 5
• Blizzard 1 / 5
• Enhanced Blizzard
• Wizard’s Blizzard
• Ice Shards 5 / 5
• Frost Nova 5 / 5
• Glass Cannon 3 / 3
• Devastation 1 / 3
• Elemental Dominance 3 / 3
• Avalanch 1 / 3
• Align the Elements 1 / 3
• Mana Sheild 1 / 3
• Protection 1 / 3
• Icy Veil 1 / 3
• Snap Freeze 1 / 3
• Cold Front 1 / 3
• Permafrost 1 / 3
• Hoarfrost 1 / 3
• Frigid Breeze 1 / 3
• Icy Touch 1 / 3
• Permafrost 3 / 3
• Hoarfrost 3 / 3
• Frigid Breeze 3 / 3
• Icy Touch 3 / 3
• Snap Freeze 3 / 3

Why these skills are good?

As you can probably already tell, a lot of these skills involve ice attacks. While the Arc Lash Sorcerer Leveling build stuns enemies, the Ice Sorcerer PVP build freezes them and causes AoE damage. Taking this build against other players would be your best bet. At the start, the Frost Bolt skill deals 38 percent damage, then Chills for 15 percent. If you can keep players from coming close, this would be the best way. Additionally, Ice Shards does more damage to Chilled enemies as well, at around 25 percent. 

Frost Nova when maxed out freezes enemies as well for 3 seconds, if you’re playing in a group, this could come in handy. Teleport and Ice Armor work the same way in this build as it does in the leveling one. You fly in, and do large AoE damage with the Teleport skill. While that’s happening, Ice Armor will absorb any damage coming your way for 6 seconds at around 30 percent of your base life.

For crowd control use Blizzard since damages 1040 percent and Chills enemies for 18 percent for around 8 seconds. As long as your Chilling and Freeze enemies, you could stop them in their path. For PVP this is crucial since these fights are much harder to win. When you pin players down, PVP becomes a walk in the park.

Screenshot via PC Invasion

Best Ice Sorcerer  Season 1 PVP Aspects

• Aspect of Biting Cold – Forgotten Depths, Dry Steppes
• Snowgaurds’ Aspect – Fetid Mausoleum, Hawezar
• Snowvelied Aspect – Sarat’s Lair, Scosglen
• Storm Swell Aspect – Onyx Hold, Dry Steppes

These aspects make a lot of ice effects do more damage and last longer. Much like several of the passives in the PVP build, you can hold the enemy back better. Freezing an enemy now has a chance of becoming Vulnerable with the Aspect of Biting Cold. If you can inflict more damage while they can’t move, the faster they’ll fall. To add more power, the Storm Swell Aspect increases your damage to Vulnerable enemies, just make sure to use Ice Armor. The Blizzard skill is already overpowered when maxed out, with Snowgaurds Aspect, you take less damage while inside the storm. This could come in handy while running into a fight. Having protection is important in PVP, so with Snowvieled Asepct when you use Ice Armor you also become Unstoppable. For Soreceres being in this state matter quite a bit. 

Diablo 4 is available now via Battle.net.