Diablo 4 is finally out and players might be wondering which class best suits their playstyle. If you’re into close-range melee damage, then the Druid or Barbarian will suit your needs. However, arguably the most powerful ranger class in the game is the Sorcerer. Thanks to the Socerer’s ability to harness the elements of ice, fire and lightning, the options for crafting an ideal build are plenty. Today we’re going to look at the best skills and abilities you need to build an awesome Lightning Sorcerer through this handy guide.
Lightning (or Shock) is absolutely one of the most devastating elements in Diablo 4. While many foes might boast strong fire or ice resistance, very few can withstand the might of lightning damage. To get started on your journey to building an ideal Lightning Sorcerer, you’ll have to first start with the basics: choose the Sorcerer class and begin pouring points into skills that are going to boost the overall damage potential.
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Diablo 4 Lightning Sorcerer Build Guide
Below is a list of skills and abilities that are absolutely necessary to begin honing the Lightning Sorcerer build in Diablo 4:
- Arc Lash: Arc Lash is your Basic Skill and a requirement for this build. Perfect for crowd control, a maxed out Arc Lash is also capable of dealing decent damage, though it isn’t mandatory to level it up initially.
- Chain Lightning: Chain Lightning is your Core Skill. This will require you to upgrade the skill to Enhanced Chain Lightning and Destructive Chain Lightning. Perfect for crowd control, the Chain Lightning skill can massacre hordes of enemies in one swoop.
- Teleport: Teleport has been the staple Defensive Skill for every Sorcerer build in Diablo’s history and it’s necessary here too. While most will opt for the Ice Shield, that negates your ability to freely move around for a few seconds. Teleport will let you dash speedily while continuing your damage output. Make sure you upgrade to Enhanced Teleport as well.
- Hydra and Lightning Spear: The Hydra and Lightning Spear fits into your Conjuration Skills. The upgraded Enhanced Hydra will let you summon a perfect AOE-damaging fire ability while the Lightning Spear devastates with its high damage output.
- Unstable Currents: Your Ultimate Skill to focus on is Unstable Currents. An incredibly powerful ability that should be used if you have the mana to spare or have high magic regeneration, this skill requires an upgrade to Prime Unstable Currents.
- Glass Cannon: The Glass Cannon is your Passive Skill. This allows you to deal increased damage at the cost of you receiving increased damage. Since you’ll be hanging back from fights at a distance most of the time, this is ideal for the Sorcerer.
- Coursing Currents: Another Passive Skill that’s vital to the Lightning Sorcerer build is Coursing Currents. This increases your chance of landing critical hits everytime you hit an enemy with a Shock Skill. Since Shock is your bread and butter in this build, it’s a mandatory Passive to have.
Finally, we have to consider Sorcerer Aspects. These will offer significant buffs to your Lightning build, applied via the Codex of Power. Here’s everything you need, what they do and where to find them:
- Aspect of the Expectant: Increases the damage dealt by any Core skill, up to 50%. The aspect is powered by successfully hitting enemies with basic attacks, each basic skill providing a 5% boost to the next Core skill used. In terms of this build, hit targets with Arc Lightning ten times for a 50% boost to Chain Lightning, which could offer upwards of 60% damage. The Aspect of the Expectant can be found in Scosglen.
- Aspect of Efficiency: Efficiency is a great aspect to have with Expectant, as the casting of a basic skill reduces the Mana cost of your next Core skill by 10%. Unlike Expectant, though, this aspect doesn’t stack, so you will only ever save 10%. The Aspect of Efficiency can also be found in Scosglen, along with Expectant.
- Aspect of Splintering Energy: This aspect affects any build using Lightning Spear, as it gives an 11% chance of spawning an additional spear each time the spell is cast. This aspect can be found in Kehjistan.
- Aspect of the Bounding Conduit: This aspect works with Teleport, providing a 20% movement speed increase for three seconds after teleporting. The Aspect of the Bounding Conduit can be found in Dry Steppes.
The enchantment choice for this build is entirely up to you and may require you to reallocate a point on the skill tree if you have one to spare. We would recommend going with the Fireball, which is odd for a Shock build. However, the Fireball enchantment causes enemies to explode when killed, also dealing nearby damage.
Diablo 4 is now available on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and PC.
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