To find out more general information about leveling as a Sorcerer in Diablo 4, you can check out our main Leveling Guide. Or you can go to our Sorcerer Builds page for a list of other leveling and endgame Sorcerer builds for you to choose from.
In regard to leveling up on the seasonal realm, you might also want to check out our season checklist, as it will give you some useful tips and tricks for Season 1 of Diablo 4.
Season ChecklistThe recommended World Tier to level in is 1 (Adventurer). This will provide you with the smoothest and fastest leveling experience. If you like the added challenge, you can of course play in World Tier 2 (Veteran), but the 20% extra experience from monsters does not make up for the added time it takes to kill them, and this will generally result in a slower and clunkier leveling process.
Before you can engage in endgame activities like the Capstone Dungeon (which unlocks World Tier 3), Nightmare Dungeons, or the Tree of Whispers, you must complete the main storyline.
Getting a mount is an important step in your leveling journey, and we recommend generally saving your explorations of the world (such as for obtaining Altars of Lilith) until after you get it. For more details, read our mount guide.
Build Introduction
The 
Chain Lightning Sorcerer leveling build unleashes a barrage of lightning that jumps to each enemy, electrifying them in a dazzling show of magical power. This is our most recommended Sorcerer leveling guide for Diablo 4, with the maximum Skill Point allocation at Level 50. Let us go over the build mechanics, character progression, and playstyle!
Chain Lightning has received a beneficial buffs in Patch 1.1.1, making it the best starting Skill to level a new Sorcerer character. Chain Lightning Sorcerer is the most Mana efficient leveling build and allows for continuous spamming for a high damage output.
If you get lucky while with a decently rolled 
Elementalist’s Aspect on a dropped Legendary Item while leveling, switch to the Crackling Energy Variant for even more Mana generation.
Once your Sorcerer character reaches Level 50 or enters World Tier 3, switch to the Chain Lightning Endgame Guide to continue this build.
Video Overview and Gameplay Footage
Season of the Malignant
Season 1 Patch Updates
The following list details the changes in the Season 1 Patch Update that may pertain to leveling a Sorcerer.
- Devouring Blaze bonus Critical Strike damage reduced from 10/20/30% to 7/14/21%.
- Devouring Blaze bonus Critical Strike damage to Immobilized reduced from 25/50/75% to 10/20/30%.
- Aspect of Retribution bonus damage to Stunned reduced from 20-40% to 10-20%.
- Aspect of Disobedience maximum stacks reduced from 100 to 60, reducing maximum Bonus Armor % from 25%-50% to 15%-30%.
- Protection Barrier duration increased from 2 to 3 seconds.
- Mana Shield Damage Reduction increased from 5/10/15% to 7/14/21%.
- Fixed an issue where Aspect of Control was applying its damage bonus 3 times for Staggered bosses.
Patch 1.1.1
The second major update for Season 1 brings a few much needed buffs to Sorcerers in Patch 1.1.1, released on August 8th, 2023. The changes directly affecting this build are listed below.
- Greater Chain Lightning
- Each time Chain Lightning bounces, it deals 5% increased damage for its duration.
- Destructive Chain Lightning
- Chance to form Crackling Energy increased from 25% to 30%.
- Aspect of Unbroken Tether
- Additional Chain Lightning bounces increased from 2 to 4.
- Recharging Aspect
- Each time Chain Lightning bounces, you gain 1.5-3 Mana.
Best Malignant Hearts Tier List for Sorcerer Leveling
The Season 1 theme introduces Malignant Hearts that provide build-altering bonuses. The hearts are divided into 4 categories, each with a color that needs to be socketed in the corresponding colored Malignant Socket on equipped jewelry. Wrathful Hearts are a special case due to their rarity, and can be placed in any Socket.
Always socket Malignant Hearts instead of a 
Skull in Jewelry. Malignant Hearts provide an Armor bonus that scales with its Item Power.
Listed below is the Malignant Heart Tier List for Sorcerer leveling, ranked by importance. Stats displayed reflect what a Level 20 character would receive as a drop.
Caged Heart of The Barber (Wrathful, Super-World Tier III): Critical Strikes and all subsequent damage within 2.0-4.0 seconds is absorbed by your target. Then, the absorbed damage erupts onto surrounding enemies. Stored damage is increased by 10% per second. – Fixed in Patch 1.1.1 to work with “on hit” effects and Lucky Hit chance.
Caged Heart of Tal’Rasha (Vicious, Offensive): For each unique element you deal damage with, you deal 7-12% increased damage for 3-10 seconds. – Fixed in Patch 1.1.2 to be correctly calculated as multiplicative instead of additive. 
Caged Heart of Determination (Devious, Utility): Resource draining effects are 40-50% less effective. In addition, gain 3.0-8.0% increased Resource Generation.
Caged Heart of Revenge (Brutal, Defensive-World Tier III): 10-20% of incoming damage is instead suppressed. When you use a Defensive, Subterfuge or a Macabre skill, all suppressed damage is amplified by 250% and explodes, dealing up to 1360-2040 Fire damage to Nearby enemies.- Caged Heart of Spellbreaking (Brutal, Defensive): Upon taking Elemental Damage, gain 10-20% Damage Reduction for 5 seconds. – Buffed in Patch 1.1.1 to reduce all damage taken, instead of providing resistances to individual elements.
- Caged Heart of the Dark Dance (Vicious, Offensive-World Tier III): Every 5 seconds while above 60% Life, Core Skills cost 68-51 Life instead of your Primary Resource. Skills that consume Life deal 10-20% increased damage.
- Caged Heart of the Picana (Vicious, Offensive): Critical Strikes electrically charge the enemy for 0.75-2.50 seconds, causing lightning to arc between them and any other charged enemies dealing 68-136 Lightning damage.
- Caged Heart of Tempting Fate (Vicious, Offensive-World Tier III): You gain 40-60% Critical Strike Damage but your Non-Critical Strikes deal 20-15% less damage. – Only use if you have at least 20% base Critical Strike Chance and Elementalist’s Aspect on an Amulet.
- Caged Heart of Omnipower (Wrathful, Super-World Tier IV): Core Skills that launch a projectile consume all of your Mana. For every 45-35 extra Mana consumed, you launch an additional projectile, and the damage is increased by 3.0-5.0%.
Skill Tree Points
The following table shows the order in which to allocate your Skill Points for Chain Lightning Sorcerer leveling. You gain 48 points at Level 50 and 2 points from completing Renown in each Act zone, for a total of 58.
Mechanics and Playstyle
The Chain Lightning Sorcerer leveling build is fairly simple to play due to the Core Skill doing the majority of the damage for both density clearing and single target fights. With five chains, each cast hits the same target three times if there are no other enemies around. Once Chain Lightning reaches level 5, its damage is further increased with 
Elemental Dominance and 
Glass Cannon.
Critical Strike Chance
With Enhanced Chain Lightning and 
Coursing Currents providing Critical Strike Chance, further investment while leveling is worthwhile. 
Conduction and 
Electrocution synergize well with the high Critical Strike Chance in this build.
Damage Rotation
Engage battles at range with the following rotation.
- Cast
Frost Nova near enemies to apply Vulnerable from Mystical Frost Nova - (Optional) Activate
Unstable Currents against tough elites and bosses. - Use Chain Lightning while above 50 Mana to utilize Elemental Dominance for optimal DPS.
- Activate
Ice Armor for 25% Mana Regeneration. - Spam
Arc Lash while below 50 Mana or to finish off enemies.
Enchantment Slots
The Specialization of the Sorcerer can be unlocked at Level 15. Complete the Legacy of the Magi questline as soon as possible to gain access to your first Enchantment Slot, and then assign 
Fireball for group clearing. Once you unlock the second slot at Level 30, assign Chain Lightning to it.
Gear Choice and Stat Priority while Leveling
Make sure to pick up all Rare equipment drops that may be upgrades while you are leveling Chain Lightning Sorcerer. Save Legendary items with useful aspects in your stash to be used later for extraction and imprinting onto well rolled Rare items.
When comparing weapons with similar item levels, Two-Handed Staves are preferred over Wands for higher damage per hit while leveling.
Stat Priority List
Listed below are the affixes to prioritize on gear for Chain Lightning Sorcerers. Each line of affixes are listed in order of importance. Affixes on the same line are considered to be equally important, since their exact values differ for each character. All stats have an effect that is dependent on how much is already stacked. Bolded stats are the most important and sometimes vital for the build to function properly.
| Gear Slot | Important Affixes |
|---|---|
| Staff or Wand | + DPS value, Critical Strike Damage, Vulnerable Damage, Lightning Critical Strike Damage + Damage to Close Enemies, Core Skill Damage, Intelligence + Damage to Burning or Crowd Controlled Enemies |
| Focus | + DPS value, Cooldown Reduction, Mana Cost Reduction, Lucky Hit Chance to Restore Primary Resource, Critical Strike Chance + Lucky Hit Chance, LHC while You Have a Barrier + Crowd Control Duration + Damage Reduction from Burning Enemies + Intelligence + Resource Generation + Critical Strike Chance Against Injured Enemies |
| Helm | + Cooldown Reduction, Maximum Mana, Armor + Maximum Life, Crowd Control Duration + Lucky Hit Chance while you Have a Barrier, Intelligence + Barrier Generation |
| Chest | + Armor, Damage Reduction, DR from Close Enemies, DR from Distant Enemies, DR from Burning Enemies + Maximum Life, Intelligence + Barrier Generation + Lightning and Shock Skill Damage |
| Gloves | + Ranks of Chain Lightning, Critical Strike Chance, Lightning Critical Strike Damage + Attack Speed, Lucky Hit Chance to Restore Primary Resource + Lucky Hit Chance, Intelligence + Critical Strike Chance Against Injured Enemies + Damage to Injured Enemies |
| Pants | + Armor, Damage Reduction, DR from Close Enemies, DR from Distant Enemies, DR from Burning Enemies + Maximum Life, Intelligence, Ranks of Ball Lightning + Dodge Chance, DC Against Close Enemies |
| Boots | + Mana Cost Reduction + Ranks of Frost Nova, Ranks of Teleport + Movement Speed, Intelligence + Dodge Chance and DC Against Distant Enemies + Damage Reduction while Injured |
| Amulet | + Cooldown Reduction, Mana Cost Reduction, Ranks of the Devouring Blaze Passive + Ranks of All Defensive Skills + Movement Speed + Armor, Damage Reduction, DR from Burning Enemies, DR from Distant Enemies, DR from Close Enemies + Lucky Hit Chance while You Have a Barrier + % Intelligence + Critical Strike Chance Against Injured Enemies + Crowd Control Duration + Shock Skill Damage |
| Rings | + Critical Strike Chance, Critical Strike Damage, Vulnerable Damage, Lightning Critical Strike Damage + Maximum Life, Lucky Hit Chance, Maximum Mana + Damage to Close Enemies + Damage to Burning, Injured or Crowd Controlled Enemies, Lightning Damage + Resource Generation + Barrier Generation |
Legendary Item Aspects and Codex of Power
Recharging Aspect greatly helps with Mana management and is a core part of the Chain Lightning Sorcerer build. Unlock the Aspect in the Codex of Power by completing the Zenith dungeon in Fractured Peaks. This dungeon is near the first main town of Kyovashad and it has a minimum monster level of 1, so clear it as soon as possible. Afterwards, visit the Occultist to imprint Recharging Aspect onto a Rare Ring.
Aspects found on dropped Legendary Items have stronger effects than those applied from the Codex of Power. Additionally, it is important to know that certain Aspects can only be obtained by finding them on a legendary item, and are not accessible through the Codex of Power. Extract Aspects from unusable Legendary Items to imprint them onto well-rolled Rare Items. Avoid imprinting valuable extracted Aspects onto weapons, because weapons they get replaced often while leveling.
We have a dedicated in-depth Aspect and Codex of Power guide that you can check out for more information.
Listed below are the Aspects found on Legendary items that are important for the Chain Lightning Sorcerer leveling build. They are listed in order of priority.
| Aspect Name | Legendary Aspect Power | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Recharging Aspect | Each time Chain Lightning bounces off you, gain [1.5 – 3.0] Mana. | Zenith, Fractured Peaks |
| Aspect of the Unbroken Tether | Chain Lightning has a [30 – 40%] chance to chain 4 additional times. | Random Drop Only |
| Aspect of the Expectant | Attacking enemies with a Basic Skill increases the damage of your next Core Skill cast by [5 – 10%], up to 30%. | Underroot, Scosglen |
| Edgemaster’s Aspect | Skills deal up to [10 – 20%] increased damage based on your available Primary Resource when cast, receiving the maximum benefit while you have full Primary Resource. | Oldstones, Scosglen |
| Aspect of Control | You deal [25 – 35%] more damage to Immobilized, Stunned, or Frozen enemies. | Sunken Library, Kehjistan |
| Accelerating Aspect | Critical Strikes with Core Skills increase your Attack Speed by [15 – 25%] for 5 seconds. | Random Drop Only |
| Rapid Aspect | Basic Skills gain [15 – 30%] Attack Speed. | Buried Halls, Dry Steppes |
| Conceited Aspect | Deal [15 – 25%] increased damage while you have a Barrier active. | Random Drop Only |
| Storm Swell Aspect | You deal [11 – 20%] increased damage to Vulnerable enemies while you have a Barrier. | Onyx Hold, Dry Steppes |
 Aspect of Might | Basic Skills grant 20% Damage Reduction for [2.0 – 6.0] seconds. | Dark Ravine, Dry Steppes |
| Frostblitz Aspect | Frost Nova gains an additional Charge but the Cooldown per Charge is increased by [40 – 30%]. | Random Drop Only |
| Elementalist’s Aspect | Core or Mastery Skills cast at or above 100 Mana gain a [20.0 – 40.0%] increased Critical Strike Chance. | Pallid Delve, Dry Steppes |
 Aspect of the Bounding Conduit | Gain [25 – 30%] Movement Speed for 3 seconds after Teleporting. | Komdor Temple, Dry Steppes |
Gems
Listed below are the best Gems to socket into gear for each slot type.
- Weapon:
Emerald for Critical Strike Damage to Vulnerable Enemies. - Armor:
Ruby for Maximum Life. - Jewelry: Malignant Hearts if playing Season 1. Otherwise, Skull for Armor.
Elixirs and Health Potions
Visit the Alchemist in Kyovashad to craft helpful Elixirs that increase stats and experience gain for 30 minutes. Make sure to forage plants and pick up the necessary crafting materials during your adventures; they randomly spawn around the world. Craft an 
Assault Elixir to boost Attack Speed.
Return to the Alchemist again when you reach Level 20, 30, 45, 60, 70, 80 and 90, to upgrade your potion. The extra healing is essential to survival.
Crackling Energy Variant for Chain Lightning Sorcerer
If you are lucky enough to receive a decently rolled Elementalist’s Aspect on a dropped Legendary Item, switch to the Crackling Energy Variant. This is the superior setup for infinite Mana without a Basic Attack, used in the endgame Chain Lightning build guide. The changes from the starting leveling build are outlined below.
- Elementalist’s Aspect imprinted on a Rare Amulet (+50% bonus effect) for a huge boost in Critical Strike Chance. Additional Critical Strike Chance is highly recommended on gloves, rings and focus.
- Switch to Destructive Chain Lightning to form Crackling Energy.
- Remove Skill Points from Arc Lash to gain
Invigorating Conduit Level 3 for Mana generation. You still need 2 points in the 
Basic Skill cluster as a prerequisite, but Arc Lash can be removed from the Skill Bar. 
Mystical Flame Shield or 
Invoked Lightning Spear can be equipped instead. - Switch to
Overflowing Energy to utilize Crackling Energy to cooldown 
Teleport and Unstable Currents.
Changelog
- August 15th, 2023: Caged Heart of Tal’Rasha fixed in Patch 1.1.2 to be correctly calculated as multiplicative instead of additive.
- August 9th, 2023: Crackling Energy Variant added.
- August 9th, 2023: Malignant Heart rankings reevaluated for Patch 1.1.1 changes.
- Caged Heart of The Barber no longer prevents “on hit” effects and Lucky Hit chance from working.
- Caged Heart of Spellbreaking now reduces all damage taken, instead of providing resistances to individual elements.
- Caged Heart of Tal’Rasha bonus was found to be additive with other damage increases, instead of separate multiplier.
- August 7th, 2023: Build move to its own separate page.
- August 4th, 2023: Guide updated for Patch 1.1.1.
- July 18th, 2023: Guide updated for Season 1.
- July 11th, 2023: Added Ice Sorcerer leveling build.
