d4EndgameShockmeleeSeason 6Sorceress

Charged Bolts – Sorcerer Build for Diablo 4

Enhanced efficiency. Unmatched mobility. Pure Lightning Power!

LexyuAvatar

Lexyu

WRITER

Theorycraft Build Maker and Content Creator


Updated: Posted:

Charged BoltsTeleportUnstable CurrentsFrost NovaIce ArmorFlame Shield


Vessel of Hatred Banner

Build Introduction

The Charged BoltsCharged Bolts Sorcerer electrifies the entire ground with explosive lightning, leaving your foes with no safe space to survive. Piercing bolts from Aspect of Piercing StaticAspect of Piercing Static combined with exploding lightning novas from Enhanced Charged BoltsEnhanced Charged Bolts enable this build to excel against groups of enemies. Storm through endgame activities with the explosive power of the Charged Bolts Sorcerer!

This endgame guide assumes your Sorcerer character is Level 60 and meets all the Build Requirements. Follow the Sorcerer Leveling Guide for help getting there.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Strengths
  • Explosive Area of Effect (AoE) damage for clearing groups of enemies.
  • Simple playstyle.
  • Multiple Defensive Skills and Crowd Controls for survivability.
Weaknesses
  • Needs specific gear to function well.
  • Melee range combat.
  • Lacks survivability when Defensive Skills or Crowd Controls are inactive.

Check the build tier lists to see how this build compares to others on Icy Veins.

Build Requirements

Charged BoltsCharged Bolts can quickly drain Mana and requires specific gear to perform well. Start with the Chain Lightning Leveling Guide to begin a new Sorcerer character, and then transition to the Chain Lightning Endgame Guide at Level 60. Collect the required items listed below before attempting to switch to this Charged Bolts Sorcerer build.

Skill Tree Points and Skill Bar

Skill Bar Setup for Charged Bolts Sorcerer (order does not matter)
Charged BoltsCharged BoltsTeleportTeleportFrost NovaFrost NovaIce ArmorIce ArmorFlame ShieldFlame ShieldUnstable CurrentsUnstable Currents

The Skill Tree above shows the full allocation of 71 Skill Points for the Charged Bolts Sorceress build. Make sure you obtain the 12 Skill Points available from Renown.

Lightning SpearLightning Spear is not equipped on the Skill Bar. It is instead auto-casted by Unstable CurrentsUnstable Currents to Stun enemies with Invoked Lightning SpearInvoked Lightning Spear.

Alternative Skills

If you are using Tal Rasha's Iridescent LoopTal Rasha’s Iridescent Loop, a third buff stack can be obtained for a 1.45x damage multiplier. Follow the steps below for this maximum damage setup.

  1. Remove all Skill Points from Frost NovaFrost Nova, PermafrostPermafrost, and HoarfrostHoarfrost.
  2. Allocate Ice BladesIce Blades, Enhanced Ice BladesEnhanced Ice Blades, and Summoned Ice BladesSummoned Ice Blades. Equip Ice Blades on your Skill Bar instead of Frost Nova.
  3. Allocate Conjuration MasteryConjuration Mastery Rank 3, which is activated by Lightning SpearLightning Spear automatically casted from Unstable CurrentsUnstable Currents and Ice BladesIce Blades casted from the Skill Bar.
  4. Allocate the last remaining Skill Point into TeleportTeleport Rank 2.

Enchantment Slots

Non-Ultimate Skills can be equipped in two available Enchantment Slots. A skill must have at least one skill point allocated to it in order to be used in the Enchantment Slot. Skill points that have been granted through gear work as well.

Equip Fire BoltFire Bolt in the first Enchantment Slot. This applies Burning to enemies to activate Devouring BlazeDevouring Blaze and other bonuses from Paragon.

Equip TeleportTeleport in the second Enchantment Slot to enable the Telestomp playstyle.

Paragon

After Character Level 60, experience gains are applied to Paragon up to Level 300. A maximum of 228 Paragon Points can be obtained through Paragon Levels, Renown, and Altars of Lilith. Follow the Paragon setup designed for the Charged Bolts Sorcerer to gain a considerable amount of progression for your character.

Glyphs are inserted into sockets on each Paragon board and can be found during various activities in Diablo 4. Level up the Glyphs included in the Paragon setup by completing The Pit. Clearing higher tiers of The Pit allows Glyphs to reach higher levels.

Important Notes:

  • Make sure you select the correct Legendary Boards and rotate them into the proper orientation.
  • Attach Legendary Boards in the order shown, as bonus requirements of Rare Nodes increase with their placement order.
  • Prioritize leveling each of your equipped Glyphs to 15 to gain the increased radius, which can be required to meet additional bonus requirements.

1. Starting Board (Unleash)

2. Fundamental Release (Control)

3. Frigid Fate (Flamefeeder)

4. Static Surge (Destruction)

5. Enchantment Master (Expoit)

Paragon boards courtesy of d4builds. Click here for the planner.

Gear, Gems, Elixirs, and Stats

The following sections cover the important systems that are essential to improving the power of your character in the endgame of Diablo 4.

Legendary Aspects

Listed below are all the best-in-slot Aspects for the Charged Bolts Sorcerer build. Salvage Legendary Items with higher Aspect values to unlock them in the Codex of Power, and then imprint them onto Legendary Items with the preferred affixes.

Gear SlotAspectEffect
Amulet (+50% bonus effect)Elementalist's AspectElementalist’s AspectCore or Mastery Skills cast at or above 100 Mana gain a [20.0 – 40.0%] increased Critical Strike Chance.
Dagger or FocusAspect of Piercing StaticAspect of Piercing StaticCharged Bolts pierce, but deal [60 – 40%] less damage to targets hit after the first.
Dagger or FocusStorm Swell AspectStorm Swell AspectYou deal x [15 – 35%] increased damage while Ice Armor is active. This amount is increased by another 15% against Frozen enemies.
Ring Slot #1 (replaced by Ring of Starless SkiesRing of Starless Skies)Aspect of Shredding BladesAspect of Shredding BladesIce Blades’ chance to apply Vulnerable is increased by +20% and the Vulnerable duration is increased by 4 seconds. You gain x [15 – 25%] Vulnerable Damage.
Note: Ice Blades are not required to gain the Vulnerable Damage.
Ring Slot #2 (replaced by Tal Rasha's Iridescent LoopTal Rasha’s Iridescent Loop)Edgemaster's AspectEdgemaster’s AspectSkills 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.
Gloves (optional replacement with Fists of FateFists of Fate)Conceited AspectConceited AspectDeal [15 – 25%] increased damage while you have a Barrier active.
Helm (replaced by Heir of PerditionHeir of Perdition)Snowveiled AspectSnowveiled AspectIce armor makes you unstoppable and grants you 25% Damage Reduction for [3.5 – 5.0] seconds.
Chest (replaced by Raiment of the InfiniteRaiment of the Infinite)Aspect of DisobedienceAspect of DisobedienceYou gain [0.4 – 0.7%] increased Armor for 4 seconds when you deal any form of damage, stacking up to [25 – 40%].
Pants (optional replacement with Tibault's WillTibault’s Will)Everliving AspectEverliving AspectYou take [20 – 25%] less damage from Crowd Controlled or Vulnerable enemies.
Boots (replaced by FlickerstepFlickerstep)Aspect of the Bounding ConduitAspect of the Bounding ConduitGain [25 – 30%] Movement Speed for 3 seconds after Teleporting.

Gems and Runewords

Listed below are the best Gems to socket into gear for each item type.

Weapon GemsArmor GemsJewelry Gems
Grand EmeraldGrand Emerald if Critical Strike Chance is capped at 100% or Grand SapphireGrand Sapphire.Grand TopazGrand Topaz for Intelligence or Grand AmethystGrand Amethyst for increased Barrier Generation.Any Resistance Gems needed or SkullSkull for Armor (up to the 1,000 Armor cap).

Runes are unlocked during the Vessel of Hatred campaign and then start dropping during various activities. A Rune of Offering and a Rune of Invocation can be combined by inserting them into equipment with two available sockets, creating a Runeword. A limit of two Runewords can be equipped.

Insert one of the following Runewords, consisting of a Rune of Offering and a Rune of Invocation, into your equipped Staff. The other Runeword can be inserted into any equipped Helm, Chest, or Pants item. Add sockets to your equipment at the Jeweler if necessary.

RunewordsEffects
TamTam
GarGar
Gain: 25 Offering — Cast a non-Channeled Core Skill.
Requires: 25 Offering, Cooldown: 1 Second — Gain 2.5% Critical Strike Chance for 5 seconds, up to 25%.
LithLith
OhmOhm
Gain: 25 Offering — Stand still for 0.3 seconds.
Requires: 600 Offering, Cooldown: 2 Seconds — Evoke the Barbarian’s Enhanced War Cry, increasing your Movement Speed and damage dealt.

If you prefer to stutter-step (move in between attacks), replace LithLith with MoniMoni.

Elixirs

Visit the Alchemist in any main town to craft helpful Elixirs, or find Elixirs by killing enemies or opening chests during various activities in Diablo 4. Listed below are the best Elixirs to consume for the Charged Bolts Sorcerer, ranked by importance.

  1. Elixir of PrecisionElixir of Precision provides the highest damage output increase, if not already capped at 100% Critical Strike Chance.
  2. Elixir of AdvantageElixir of Advantage increases damage output, if not already capped at 100% Attack Speed bonus from gear and Paragon.
  3. Elixir of ResourceElixir of Resource helps with Mana issues, if you do not already have the appropriate Mana gear. This elixir is highly recommended for starting characters to maintain constant casts of Charged BoltsCharged Bolts.
  4. Elixir of FortitudeElixir of Fortitude is the best general-purpose option for survivability. Increased Maximum Life grants larger Barriers from ProtectionProtection and Ice ArmorIce Armor.

Stat Priority and Tempering Affixes

Listed below are the affixes to prioritize on gear for Charged Bolts Sorcerers. Each line of affixes are listed in order of importance. Affixes on the same line are considered to be equally important, but their benefits may vary depending on how much is stacked or other character stats. Bolded affixes are the most important targets for Masterworking upgrades.

A One-handed Weapon and Focus setup is preferred over a Staff, due to the beneficial utility affixes available on a Focus. A Dagger is selected for the Damage to Close Enemies implicit stat.

Prioritize Boots with the implicit effect, Attacks Reduce Evade’s Cooldown, for faster resetting of TeleportTeleport Enchantment.

The priority order of Resistances is Lightning > Poison > Fire > Cold > Shadow. Maximum Resistance is 70% by default for each element.

Armor is only needed until capped at 1,000.

If you are using a speed setup with Teleport Enchantment, temper the Evade Cooldown Reduction affix from the Natural Motion Manual onto your Boots and Amulet. Otherwise, temper the Movement Speed or Teleport Cooldown Reduction affixes.

Check the Tempering and Masterworking section for more details on Blacksmith upgrading.

SlotGear AffixesTempering Affixes
Dagger1. Maximum Life, Intelligence, Vulnerable DamageShock Augments —  DischargeShock Augments —  Discharge (Weapon): Chance for Charged Bolts Projectiles to Cast Twice
Shock FinesseShock Finesse (Offensive): Shock Critical Strike Damage
Focus1. Critical Strike Chance, Cooldown Reduction
2. Resource Cost Reduction, Lucky Hit Chance to Restore Primary Resource
3. Maximum Life, Intelligence
Discharge (Weapon): Chance for Charged Bolts Projectiles to Cast Twice
Shock FinesseShock Finesse (Offensive): Shock Critical Strike Damage
Helm1. Cooldown Reduction
2. Any uncapped Resistances or Armor
3. Mana per Second, Maximum Life, Intelligence
Natural SchemesNatural Schemes (Utility): Crowd Control Duration
Worldly EnduranceWorldly Endurance (Defensive): Armor up to 1,000 cap, otherwise Frost CageFrost Cage: Ice Armor Duration
Chest1. Ranks to Defensive Skills
2. Any uncapped Resistances or Armor
3. Mana per Second, Maximum Life, Intelligence
Natural SchemesNatural Schemes (Utility): Crowd Control Duration
Worldly EnduranceWorldly Endurance (Defensive): Armor up to 1,000 cap, otherwise Frost CageFrost Cage: Ice Armor Duration
Gloves1. Ranks to Charged Bolts, Critical Strike Chance, Attack Speed
2. Any uncapped Resistances or Armor
3. Resource Cost Reduction, Lucky Hit Chance, Maximum Life, Intelligence
Shock FinesseShock Finesse (Offensive): Shock Critical Strike Damage
Natural SchemesNatural Schemes (Utility): Crowd Control Duration
Pants1. Any uncapped Resistances or Armor
2. Maximum Life, Intelligence
Worldly FortuneWorldly Fortune (Utility): Lucky Hit Chance to Freeze
Worldly EnduranceWorldly Endurance (Defensive): Armor up to 1,000 cap, otherwise Frost CageFrost Cage: Ice Armor Duration
BootsImplicit Stat: Attacks Reduce Evade’s Cooldown
1. Movement Speed
2. Any uncapped Resistances or Armor
3. Mana per Second, Maximum Life, Intelligence
Natural MotionNatural Motion (Mobility): Evade Cooldown Reduction
Natural SchemesNatural Schemes (Utility): Crowd Control Duration
Amulet1. Ranks to Devouring Blaze, Glass Cannon, Hoarfrost, Elemental Dominance
2. Critical Strike Chance, Cooldown Reduction
3. Attack Speed
Worldly StabilityWorldly Stability (Resource): Resource Generation or Resource Cost Reduction
Shock FinesseShock Finesse (Offensive): Shock Critical Strike Damage
Rings1. Critical Strike Chance, Attack Speed
2. Lucky Hit Chance, Resource Cost Reduction, Maximum Life, Intelligence
Worldly StabilityWorldly Stability (Resource): Resource Generation or Resource Cost Reduction
Shock FinesseShock Finesse (Offensive): Shock Critical Strike Damage

Unique and Mythic Items

Listed below are the recommended and optional Unique Items for the Charged Bolts Sorcerer build. Each item description includes the most important affix to target for Masterworking upgrades.

  • Raiment of the InfiniteRaiment of the Infinite (required) enables the Telestomp playstyle for Charged BoltsCharged Bolts to shotgun with piercing bolts and exploding lightning novas.
    • Masterworking Priority: Ranks of the Glass Cannon Passive
  • Tyrael's MightTyrael’s Might (optional) is the best defensive option for a Chest Armor, although this Mythic Unique Item can be difficult to obtain. The divine barrage does not contribute a significant portion of the total damage in this build.
    • Masterworking Priority: Damage Reduction
  • FlickerstepFlickerstep (recommended) synergies well with the Telestomp setup, as the unique effect works with the Evade Teleport to provide more uptime on Unstable CurrentsUnstable Currents. The Evade Cooldown reduction in the implicit effect has a higher 2.5 second value than the 1.5 second value available on Legendary Boots.
    • Masterworking Priority: Damage Reduction from Close Enemies
  • Heir of PerditionHeir of Perdition (highly recommended) grants the highest damage increase for the slot.
    • Masterworking Priority: Critical Strike Chance or Ranks to Core Skills
  • Harlequin CrestHarlequin Crest (optional) is helpful for additional Ranks to Charged BoltsCharged Bolts, 20% Damage Reduction, and a boosted Cooldown Reduction affix.
    • Masterworking Priority: Cooldown Reduction
  • Tal Rasha's Iridescent LoopTal Rasha’s Iridescent Loop (recommended) can provide up to a 75% damage multiplier with 3 elemental stacks.
    • Masterworking Priority: Cooldown Reduction
  • Ring of Starless SkiesRing of Starless Skies (recommended) is the best Mythic Unique Item for the Charged Bolts Sorcerer. The unique effect provides a 1.5x damage multiplier and solves any Mana issues.
    • Masterworking Priority: Critical Strike Chance or Ranks to Core Skills
  • Fists of FateFists of Fate (optional) increases overall damage by 50% with a perfect 300% value on the unique effect and is comparable to well-rolled Legendary Gloves with +4 Ranks to Charged BoltsCharged Bolts, Attack Speed, Critical Strike Chance, and an Offensive Aspect.
    • Masterworking Priority: Attack Speed or Critical Strike Chance
  • Tibault's WillTibault’s Will (optional) can be utilized if additional Mana generation is needed. Alternate activations of the unique effect with TeleportTeleport, Flame ShieldFlame Shield, and Ice ArmorIce Armor (with Snowveiled AspectSnowveiled Aspect).
    • Masterworking Priority: Maximum Life, Maximum Resource, or Damage Reduction while Unstoppable
  • Staff of Lam EsenStaff of Lam Esen (optional) allows piercing Charged BoltsCharged Bolts to hit enemies multiple times when combined with Aspect of Piercing StaticAspect of Piercing Static (imprint on Legendary Gloves).
    • Masterworking Priority: Ranks of Charged Bolts

Mercenaries

Once the Den is unlocked during the main questline in the Vessel of Hatred expansion for Diablo 4, complete Mercenary key quests to acquire them. Hire a Mercenary and enlist a Reinforcement in the following setup.

Advanced Information

Additional details are provided in the following sections for a more in-depth explanation of the Charged Bolts Sorcerer. Read this advanced information after understanding the basic overview of the build in the previous sections.

Build Mechanics

The Charged Bolts Sorcerer relies on a Telestomp setup to group enemies so they can all be hit with Charged BoltsCharged Bolts modified by Aspect of Piercing StaticAspect of Piercing Static. Use the Evade TeleportTeleport foremost and often, as the Cooldown is quickly reduced. Get into a rhythm of Telestomping a group of enemies from a distance to engage, spamming Charged Bolts, and then moving on to the next pack to repeat.

Frost NovaFrost Nova freezes entire packs of enemies to activate HoarfrostHoarfrost and applies Vulnerable with Mystical Frost NovaMystical Frost Nova.

Ice ArmorIce Armor activates Snowveiled AspectSnowveiled Aspect for another source of Unstoppable and an increase in Armor. Shimmering Ice ArmorShimmering Ice Armor and Icy VeilIcy Veil help reduce the Cooldown on Ice Armor.

Unstable CurrentsUnstable Currents has a 25% chance of double casting Charged BoltsCharged Bolts while providing Attack Speed with Prime Unstable CurrentsPrime Unstable Currents.

Damage Rotation

Use the following rotation to optimize DPS.

  1. Engage in combat by casting TeleportTeleport into the midst of enemies (or near the boss for single-target encounters).
  2. (Optional) Activate Unstable CurrentsUnstable Currents against tough elites and bosses.
  3. Cast Frost NovaFrost Nova to Freeze all surrounding enemies.
  4. Spam Charged BoltsCharged Bolts to deal damage.
  5. Activate Ice ArmorIce Armor or Flame ShieldFlame Shield for protection and Unstoppable when needed.

Telestomp with Raiment of the Infinite

Raiment of the InfiniteRaiment of the Infinite allows the Charged Bolts Sorcerer to use 2 sources of TeleportTeleport offensively. Teleporting on top of enemies to Stun and group them up is called “Telestomping”. This playstyle can quickly clear groups of enemies and keep them Crowd Controlled (CC) for safety, perfect for speed-farming Helltides, Nightmare Dungeons, and The Pit!

The Telestomp Charged Bolts Sorcerer is the default version of the build in this guide. Make sure you are utilizing the following setup.

  • Equip Raiment of the InfiniteRaiment of the Infinite to enable Telestomps. Target-farm Raiment of the Infinite from Varshan or Lord Zir for the best chances of it dropping.
  • Equip TeleportTeleport in an Enchantment Slot.
  • Equip Boots with the implicit effect, Attacks Reduce Evade’s Cooldown, which work with the Evade Teleport.

Obol Gambling

Obol gambling is a great way to potentially find item upgrades or items missing from your build. Use Obols on your target equipment for a chance to receive Greater Affixes. Check out the new tool from Icy Veins for gambling Obols in the link below.

Obol Gambling Optimization Tool

Changelog

  • October 4th, 2024: Guide updated for Season 6 (Patch 2.0.2).
  • August 6th, 2024: Guide updated for Season 5 (Patch 1.5.0).
  • May 14th, 2024: Guide updated for Season 4 (Patch 1.4.0)
  • January 22nd, 2024: Guide updated for Season 3 (Patch 1.3.0).
  • October 17th, 2023: Guide updated for Season 2 (Patch 1.2.0).
  • July 18th, 2023: Guide updated for Season 1.
ARPG Vault Logo

Have feedback or questions about our guides? Join our ARPG Discord community and let us know!