Build Introduction
The 
Firewall 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. This build utilizes a “fire and forget” playstyle, casting Firewall to build fatal damage and moving on.
Firewall 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.
Skill Tree Points and Skill Bar
Firewall 
Fire Bolt 
Inferno 
Teleport 
Ice Armor 
Frost Nova 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.
| Order | Skill | Cluster |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fire Bolt Rank 1 |  Basic Skill |
| 2 | Enhanced Fire Bolt | Basic Skill |
| 3 |  Fireball Rank 1 |  Core Skill |
| 4 | Enhanced Fireball | Core Skill |
| 5 | Greater Fireball | Core Skill |
| 6 | Flickering Fire Bolt | Basic Skill |
| 7 | Teleport Rank 1 |  Defensive Skill |
| 8 | Frost Nova Rank 1 | Defensive Skill |
| 9 | Enhanced Frost Nova | Defensive Skill |
| 10 | Mystical Frost Nova | Defensive Skill |
| 11 | Fireball Rank 2 | Core Skill |
| 12 | Fireball Rank 3 | Core Skill |
| 13 | Fireball Rank 4 | Core Skill |
| 14 | Fireball Rank 5 | Core Skill |
| 15 |  Glass Cannon Rank 1 | Defensive Skill |
| 16 | Glass Cannon Rank 2 | Defensive Skill |
| 17 | Glass Cannon Rank 3 | Defensive Skill |
| 18 |  Devastation Rank 1 | Core Skill |
| 19 |  Elemental Dominance Rank 1 | Core Skill |
| 20 | Elemental Dominance Rank 2 | Core Skill |
| 21 | Elemental Dominance Rank 3 | Core Skill |
Swap the main damage skill: After spending the first 21 Skill Points, remove 4 points from Fireball (keep 1 point in Fireball for the Enchantment slot) and place them into Firewall Level 4. Firewall replaces Fireball on your Skill Bar and becomes the main damage dealer.
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 Firewall to it.
Build Mechanics and Playstyle
This Fire build is focused around powerful Damage Over Time (DoT) from Firewall. Its damage is enhanced with 
Combustion, by applying other Burning sources from Fire Bolt and Inferno.
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.
- Cast Firewall under enemies.
- Cast Frost Nova to Freeze enemies while they are standing in multiple Firewall placements.
- If needed, use Inferno to group enemies up and freely spam Firewall.
- Spam Fire Bolt to regenerate Mana.
Gear, Gems, Elixirs, and Stats
Season 4 brings an incredible shift in character progression systems. The major rework to itemization and crafting in Patch 1.4.0 changes the core mechanics of Diablo 4, and the changes will remain in effect beyond Season 4. The following sections cover the important systems that are essential to improving the power of your character during the leveling process.
Legendary Aspects
Higher Tier Aspects with stronger effects can be found on dropped Legendary Items. Salvage unwanted Legendary Items at the Blacksmith to unlock these Aspects in the Codex of Power, and the imprint them onto well-rolled Rare Items. Check the in-depth Aspect and Codex of Power guide 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 Name | Legendary Aspect Power | Source |
|---|---|---|
 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 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 |
| Aspect of Control | You deal x [20 – 35%] more damage to Immobilized, Stunned, or Frozen enemies. | Sunken Library, Kehjistan |
| 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 x [15 – 30%] 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 |
 Flamewalker’s Aspect | Coming in contact with your Firewall grants you + [15 – 25%] Movement Speed for 6 seconds. | Cultist Refuge, Fractured Peaks |
| 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 item type.
| Slot | Gems |
|---|---|
| Weapon |  Royal Amethyst for increased Damage Over Time. |
| Armor |  Royal Ruby for increased Maximum Life. |
| Jewelry | Any Resistance Gems needed or  Royal Skull for Armor. |
Elixirs and Health Potions
Visit the Alchemist in any main town 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. Elixirs can also drop randomly from enemies and chests during many activities in Diablo 4. Listed below are the best Elixirs to consume, ranked by importance.
Elixir 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 
Firewall. 
Elixir of Precision provides the highest damage output increase, if not already capped at 100% Critical Strike Chance.
Elixir of Advantage increases damage output, if not already capped at 100% Attack Speed bonus from gear and Paragon.
Elixir of Fortitude is the best general purpose option for survivability. Increased Maximum Life grants larger Barriers from 
Protection and 
Ice Armor.
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.
Stat Priority and Tempering Affixes
Listed below are the affixes to prioritize on gear for Firewall Sorcerers during the early leveling process. 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.
When comparing weapons with similar item levels, Two-Handed Staves are preferred over One-Handed Weapons for higher damage per hit while leveling.
Critical Strike Damage becomes beneficial once you obtain 
Burning Instinct in Paragon.
Tempering Manuals are randomly dropped while leveling, and they need to be found to unlock their usage at the Blacksmith. Firewall Size is the the most beneficial temper to prioritize while leveling. All other tempers may not be worthwhile during early levels if you are consistently replacing gear with new item upgrades.
| Slot | Gear Affixes | Tempering Affixes |
|---|---|---|
| Wand | 1. Maximum Life 2. Intelligence, Damage Over Time, Critical Strike Damage, Vulnerable Damage |  Pyromancy Augments (Weapon): Firewall SizeNatural Finesse (Offensive): Damage to Close Enemies |
| Focus | 1. Cooldown Reduction, Resource Cost Reduction 2. Maximum Life, Intelligence | Pyromancy Augments (Weapon): Firewall SizeNatural Finesse (Offensive): Damage to Close Enemies |
| Helm | 1. Mana per Second, Cooldown Reduction 2. Resistances, Armor 3. Lucky Hit Chance, Maximum Life, Intelligence | Natural Schemes (Utility): Crowd Control DurationWorldly Endurance (Defensive): Armor or Maximum Life |
| Chest | 1. Mana per Second, Ranks to Defensive Skills 2. Resistances, Armor 3. Maximum Life, Intelligence | Natural Schemes (Utility): Crowd Control DurationWorldly Endurance (Defensive): Armor or Maximum Life |
| Gloves | 1. Attack Speed, Resource Cost Reduction 2. Resistances, Armor 3. Lucky Hit Chance, Maximum Life, Intelligence, Damage Over Time, Vulnerable Damage, Critical Strike Damage | Natural Finesse (Offensive): Damage to Close EnemiesNatural Schemes (Utility): Crowd Control Duration |
| Pants | 1. Resistances, Armor 2. Maximum Life, Intelligence | Natural Schemes (Utility): Crowd Control DurationWorldly Endurance (Defensive): Armor or Maximum Life |
| Boots | 1. Ranks to Firewall, Mana per Second, Movement Speed 2. Resistances, Armor 3. Maximum Life, Intelligence | Natural Motion (Mobility): Evade Cooldown ReductionNatural Schemes (Utility): Crowd Control Duration |
| Amulet | 1. Ranks to Endless Pyre or Glass Cannon, Cooldown Reduction 2. Resource Cost Reduction, Movement Speed, Lucky Hit Chance 3. Resistances, Armor | Natural Motion (Mobility): Evade Cooldown ReductionNatural Finesse (Offensive): Damage to Close Enemies |
| Rings | 1. Attack Speed, Resource Cost Reduction 2. Maximum Life, Intelligence, Damage Over Time, Vulnerable Damage, Critical Strike Damage | Worldly Stability (Resource): Resource Generation or Resource Cost ReductionNatural Finesse (Offensive): Damage to Close Enemies |
Paragon
Paragon unlocks after reaching Level 50, and the progression system offers a considerable boost to character power. The images below provide a visual of an early Paragon board setup for the Firewall Sorcerer.
The Paragon boards in this leveling guide are designed as a temporary setup for characters that have recently reached Level 50. Continue your progress with the fully optimized Paragon setup in the Firewall endgame guide.
Important Notes:
- Make sure you select the correct Legendary Boards and rotate them into the correct orientation.
- Attach Legendary Boards in the correct order, as bonus requirements of Rare Nodes increase with their placement order.
- Additional bonus requirements on Rare Glyphs may not be obtainable until they gain increased radius range at Level 15.
1. Starting Board (Territorial)
Socket 
Territorial in the starting board for some valuable Damage Reduction.
2. Burning Instinct (Reinforced)
Attach the Burning Instinct board without any rotations. Socket 
Reinforced for another source of valuable Damage Reduction. Tactician is another viable choice if you prefer a damage multiplier. Obtain the Legendary Node to enable a Burning damage multiplier that scales with Critical Strike Damage and Intelligence.
3. Searing Heat (Torch)
Rotate the 
Searing Heat board 2 times before attachment. Socket Torch for 2 sources of increased Burning damage. The Legendary node on this board is not utilized.
Paragon Board images courtesy of d4builds.gg. Click this link for the Paragon planner.
Changelog
- May 15th, 2024: Priority Affixes updated with game changes made since the Season 4 PTR.
- May 14th, 2024: Guide updated for Season 4 (Patch 1.4.0).
- March 5th, 2024: Guide updated for the Mid Season 3 Update (Patch 1.3.3).
- January 22nd, 2024: Guide updated for Season 3 (Patch 1.3.0).
- October 17th, 2023: Guide created for Season 2 (Patch 1.2.0)
