Damagelevelingrangedsorcerer

Firewall Sorcerer Leveling Build Guide for Diablo 4 (Season 2)

Burn foes to a crisp with this fiery leveling build.

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Lexyu

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FirewallFire BoltTeleportFrost NovaIce ArmorInferno


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Build Introduction

The FirewallFirewall Sorcerer burns foes to a crisp, leaving only ashes and scorched ground behind. This is your 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!

The Firewall Sorcerer deals Burning Damage to eventually melt enemies with Damage Over Time (DoT). This build utilizes a “fire and forget” playstyle, casting FirewallFirewall to build fatal damage and moving on.

FirewallFirewall excels at killing large groups of enemies, but can struggle to kill tougher elites and bosses, especially if they tend to move around often. Alternatively, check out our Chain Lightning Leveling Guide for the best build to start a new Sorcerer character.

Once your Sorcerer character reaches Level 50 or enters World Tier 3, switch to the Endgame Guide for Firewall Sorcerer to continue this build.

To find out more general information about leveling as a Sorcerer in Diablo 4, check out our main Leveling Guide.

Season of Blood

Season 2 Patch Updates

The following list details the changes in the Season 2 Update (Patch 1.2.0) that may pertain to leveling a Sorcerer character.

  • Resistances now stack additively and no longer become less effective with each additional source, while also contributing their full value to Non-physical Damage Reduction. Resistance values on equipment, Elixirs, and Paragon have been increased to more easily reach the new 70% cap. Furthermore, Intelligence now gives +0.025% All Resistance per 1 Intelligence instead of 0.05% All Resistance to compensate.
  • Increased Critical Strike / Vulnerable Damage affixes are now additive with other damage increases instead of being multiplicative. This change is a nerf to make Critical Strike Damage and Vulnerable Damage comparable to other damage increase options. All classes are affected by this change, therefore it doesn’t necessarily make Sorcerers weaker compared to other classes.
  • Armor no longer contributes to Non-physical Damage Reduction and now only reduces damage against Physical damage.
  • +% Total Armor affix has been increased by 160%.
  • Aspect of DisobedienceAspect of Disobedience – Armor % value has been increased from a maximum of +30% Armor to +66% Armor.
  • Supreme Unstable CurrentsSupreme Unstable Currents – Additional functionality added to make Crackling Energy pulse 25% faster while Unstable Currents is active.
  • Potent WardingPotent Warding – Resistance to All Elements increased to +3/6/9% from +2/4/6%.
  • Align the ElementsAlign the Elements – Bonus now persists for 2 seconds after taking damage.

Best Vampiric Powers Tier List for Sorcerer Leveling

The Season 2 theme introduces Vampiric Powers that provide build-altering bonuses. Spend Potent Blood, acquired from vampiric enemies, to unlock and upgrade Vampiric Powers. Make sure your equipped Chest Armor, Pants, Gloves, Boots, and Helm contain the appropriate Pacts (Ferocity, Divinity, and Eternity) that match the activation costs listed on the powers.

A Vampiric Curse status effect has been added to complement the new powers: Killing an enemy affected by your Vampiric Curse stores their soul. Casting a Defensive, Macabre, or Agility Skill will unleash stored souls to attack nearby enemies. You can hold up to 8 souls.

Listed below is the Vampiric Power Tier List for Sorcerer leveling, ranked by importance. Stat values displayed reflect maximum Level 3 Vampiric Powers.

  • Major Vampiric Powers (6 Pacts Required):
    1. Metamorphosis (2 Ferocity, 2 Divinity, 2 Eternity): When you Evade you turn into a cloud of bats, becoming Unstoppable for 4 seconds. Enemies along your path take 160% Physical damage and are inflicted with Vampiric Curse.
    2. Moonrise (6 Ferocity): Hitting an enemy with a Basic Skill grants you 4% Attack Speed for 10 seconds, stacking up to 5 times. Upon reaching maximum stacks, you enter a Vampiric Bloodrage, gaining 160% Basic Skill damage and 15% Movement Speed for 10 seconds.
    3. Accursed Touch (6 Divinity): Lucky Hit: Up to a 44% chance to inflict Vampiric Curse on enemies. Enemies with the Vampiric Curse have a 15% chance to spread it to other surrounding enemies. Accursed Souls deal 200% increased damage.
  • Minor Vampiric Powers (1–3 Pacts Required):
    1. Anticipation (1 Divinity): Your Ultimate Skills gain 20% Cooldown Reduction. Your Ultimate Skills gain 12% increased damage for each nearby enemy affected by your Damage Over Time effects.
    2. Prey on the Weak (2 Ferocity): You deal 16% increased damage to Vulnerable enemies. Enemies are Vulnerable while affected by a Vampiric Curse from your other Vampiric Powers.
    3. Domination (1 Ferocity): You deal 24% increased damage to enemies who are Stunned, Immobilized, Frozen, or Feared. If they’re also Injured and not an Elite, they’re instantly killed.
    4. Sanguine Brace (1 Divinity, 1 Eternity): When you kill an enemy, Fortify for 6% of your Base Life. While you have more Fortify than half of your Maximum Life, you gain 8% Critical Strike Chance.
    5. Hectic (3 Divinity): For every 5 Basic Skills you cast, one of your active Cooldowns is reduced by 2 seconds.

Skill Tree Points

The following table shows the order in which to allocate your Skill Points for Firewall Sorcerer leveling. You gain 48 points at Level 50 and 2 points from completing Renown in each Act zone, for a total of 58.

OrderSkillCluster
1Fire BoltFire BoltBasic SkillBasic Skill
2Enhanced Fire BoltEnhanced Fire BoltBasic SkillBasic Skill
3FireballFireballCore SkillCore Skill
4Enhanced FireballEnhanced FireballCore SkillCore Skill
5Greater FireballGreater FireballCore SkillCore Skill
6Flickering Fire BoltFlickering Fire BoltBasic SkillBasic Skill
7TeleportTeleportDefensive SkillDefensive Skill
8Frost NovaFrost NovaDefensive SkillDefensive Skill
9Enhanced Frost NovaEnhanced Frost NovaDefensive SkillDefensive Skill
10Mystical Frost NovaMystical Frost NovaDefensive SkillDefensive Skill
11FireballFireball Level 2Core SkillCore Skill
12FireballFireball Level 3Core SkillCore Skill
13FireballFireball Level 4Core SkillCore Skill
14FireballFireball Level 5Core SkillCore Skill
15Glass CannonGlass CannonDefensive SkillDefensive Skill
16Glass CannonGlass Cannon Level 2Defensive SkillDefensive Skill
17Glass CannonGlass Cannon Level 3Defensive SkillDefensive Skill
18DevastationDevastationCore SkillCore Skill
19Elemental DominanceElemental DominanceCore SkillCore Skill
20Elemental DominanceElemental Dominance Level 2Core SkillCore Skill
21Elemental DominanceElemental Dominance Level 3Core SkillCore Skill

Respec main damage skill: After spending the first 21 Skill Points, remove 4 points from FireballFireball (keep 1 point in Fireball for the Enchantment slot) and place them into FirewallFirewall Level 4. Firewall replaces Fireball on your Skill Bar and becomes the main damage dealer.

OrderSkillCluster
22FirewallFirewall Level 5Mastery SkillMastery Skill
23Enhanced FirewallEnhanced FirewallMastery SkillMastery Skill
24Mage's FirewallMage’s FirewallMastery SkillMastery Skill
25InfernoInfernoUltimate SkillUltimate Skill
26Prime InfernoPrime InfernoUltimate SkillUltimate Skill
27Supreme InfernoSupreme InfernoUltimate SkillUltimate Skill
28Ice ArmorIce ArmorDefensive SkillDefensive Skill
29Enhanced Ice ArmorEnhanced Ice ArmorDefensive SkillDefensive Skill
30Inner FlamesInner FlamesMastery SkillMastery Skill
31Inner FlamesInner Flames Level 2Mastery SkillMastery Skill
32Inner FlamesInner Flames Level 3Mastery SkillMastery Skill
33Fiery SurgeFiery SurgeUltimate SkillUltimate Skill
34Endless PyreEndless PyreUltimate SkillUltimate Skill
35Endless PyreEndless Pyre Level 2Ultimate SkillUltimate Skill
36Endless PyreEndless Pyre Level 3Ultimate SkillUltimate Skill
37CombustionCombustionCapstone SkillCapstone Skill
38Elemental AttunementElemental AttunementDefensive SkillDefensive Skill
39Enhanced TeleportEnhanced TeleportDefensive SkillDefensive Skill
40Shimmering TeleportShimmering TeleportDefensive SkillDefensive Skill
41Align the ElementsAlign the ElementsConjuration SkillConjuration Skill
42ProtectionProtectionConjuration SkillConjuration Skill
43ProtectionProtection Level 2Conjuration SkillConjuration Skill
44ProtectionProtection Level 3Conjuration SkillConjuration Skill
45Mana ShieldMana Shield Conjuration SkillConjuration Skill
46Mana ShieldMana Shield Level 2Conjuration SkillConjuration Skill
47Mana ShieldMana Shield Level 3Conjuration SkillConjuration Skill
48Fire BoltFire Bolt Level 2Basic SkillBasic Skill
49Fire BoltFire Bolt Level 3Basic SkillBasic Skill
50Fire BoltFire Bolt Level 4Basic SkillBasic Skill
51Fire BoltFire Bolt Level 5Basic SkillBasic Skill
52WarmthWarmthUltimate SkillUltimate Skill
53WarmthWarmth Level 2Ultimate SkillUltimate Skill
54WarmthWarmth Level 3Ultimate SkillUltimate Skill
55Frost NovaFrost Nova Level 2Defensive SkillDefensive Skill
56Frost NovaFrost Nova Level 3Defensive SkillDefensive Skill
57Frost NovaFrost Nova Level 4Defensive SkillDefensive Skill
58Frost NovaFrost Nova Level 5Defensive SkillDefensive Skill

Mechanics and Playstyle

This Fire build is focused around powerful Damage Over Time (DoT) from FirewallFirewall. Its damage is enhanced with CombustionCombustion, by applying other Burning sources from Fire BoltFire Bolt and InfernoInferno.

With enough damage, weaker enemies can be dragged through Firewalls while you move forward to the next group of enemies. Freeze tougher opponents, or run circles around them, to keep them from moving out of multiple Firewall placements.

Damage Rotation

Optimize DPS with the following rotation.

  1. Cast FirewallFirewall under enemies.
  2. Cast Frost NovaFrost Nova to Freeze enemies while they are standing in multiple FirewallFirewall placements.
  3. If needed, use InfernoInferno to group enemies up and freely spam FirewallFirewall.
  4. Spam Fire BoltFire Bolt to regenerate Mana.

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 FireballFireball for group clearing. Once you unlock the second slot at Level 30, assign FirewallFirewall 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 Firewall 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 Firewall 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 stats are the most important and sometimes vital for the build to function properly.

Season 2 Update (Patch 1.2.0): Critical Strike Damage and Vulnerable Damage affixes are changed to be additive with other damage increases. All additive damage increases of the same amount are equal in value, as long as their conditions are active.

Gear SlotImportant Affixes
Staff, Dagger or Wand+ Damage to Close Enemies, Intelligence
+ Vulnerable Damage
+ Damage to Crowd Controlled Enemies
Focus+ Cooldown Reduction, Mana Cost Reduction
+ Crowd Control Duration
+ Damage Reduction from Burning Enemies
+ Intelligence
+ Resource Generation
+ Lucky Hit Chance to Restore Primary Resource, Critical Strike Chance
+ Lucky Hit Chance, LHC while You Have a Barrier
Helm+ Cooldown Reduction, Maximum Mana, Armor
+ Maximum Life, Crowd Control Duration, Intelligence
+ Barrier Generation, Lucky Hit Chance while you Have a Barrier,
Chest+ Armor, Damage Reduction, DR from Close Enemies, DR from Distant Enemies, DR from Burning Enemies
+ Maximum Life, Intelligence
+ Barrier Generation
+ Fire and Pyromancy Skill Damage
Gloves+ Attack Speed, Intelligence, Critical Strike Chance
+ Lucky Hit Chance to Restore Primary Resource, Lucky Hit Chance
Pants+ Ranks of Firewall, Damage Reduction, DR from Burning, Close and Distant Enemies
+ Maximum Life, Armor
+ Dodge Chance, DC Against Close Enemies, Intelligence
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 All Mastery Skills, Ranks of All Defensive Skills
+ Ranks of Elemental Dominance, Inner Flames, Endless Pyre or Hoarfrost
+ Movement Speed
+ Armor, Damage Reduction, DR from Burning Enemies, DR from Distant Enemies, DR from Close Enemies
+ % Intelligence
+ Crowd Control Duration, Pyromancy Skill Damage
Rings+ Vulnerable Damage, Damage to Close Enemies
+ Maximum Life, Lucky Hit Chance, Maximum Mana, Resource Generation+ Fire Damage
+ Barrier Generation, Critical Strike Chance

Legendary Item Aspects and Codex of Power

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 Firewall Sorcerer leveling build. They are listed in order of priority.

Aspect NameLegendary Aspect PowerSource
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.Oldstones, Scosglen
Aspect of the ExpectantAspect of the ExpectantAttacking enemies with a Basic Skill increases the damage of your next Core Skill cast by [5 – 10%], up to 30%.Underroot, Scosglen
Aspect of ControlAspect of ControlYou deal [25 – 35%] more damage to Immobilized, Stunned, or Frozen enemies.Sunken Library, Kehjistan
Rapid AspectRapid AspectBasic Skills gain [15 – 30%] Attack Speed.Buried Halls, Dry Steppes
Conceited AspectConceited AspectDeal [15 – 25%] increased damage while you have a Barrier active.Random Drop Only
Storm Swell AspectStorm Swell AspectYou deal [11 – 20%] increased damage to Vulnerable enemies while you have a Barrier.Onyx Hold, Dry Steppes
Aspect of MightAspect of MightBasic Skills grant 20% Damage Reduction for [2.0 – 6.0] seconds.Dark Ravine, Dry Steppes
Frostblitz AspectFrostblitz AspectFrost Nova gains an additional Charge but the Cooldown per Charge is increased by [40 – 30%].Random Drop Only
Flamewalker’s AspectFlamewalker’s AspectComing in contact with your Firewall grants you + [15 – 25%] Movement Speed for 6 seconds.Cultist Refuge, Fractured Peaks
Aspect of the Bounding ConduitAspect of the Bounding ConduitGain [25 – 30%] Movement Speed for 3 seconds after Teleporting.Komdor Temple, Dry Steppes
Aspect of Searing WardsAspect of Searing WardsAfter spending [200 – 100] Mana your next Firewall is free to cast and will destroy incoming Small Missiles.Random Drop Only

Gems

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

  • Weapon: AmethystAmethyst for Damage Over Time.
  • Armor: RubyRuby for Maximum Life.
  • Jewelry: SkullSkull 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 ElixirAssault 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.

Changelog

  • October 17th, 2023: Guide created for Season 2 (Patch 1.2.0)
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