To find out more general information about leveling as a Sorceress in Diablo 4, you can check out our main Leveling Guide.
Leveling GuideBuild Introduction
This ultimate Ice Sorceress leveling build revolves around 
Ice Shards and its Enchantment, accompanied by 
Blizzard for additional “frosty rain”. It enables massive damage against large groups of enemies when combined with 
Frost Nova, while also providing sufficient single-target damage.
This build empowers players to inflict a hefty amount of damage through Frost, Vulnerability, and Chill effects, augmented by passive amplifiers, all while maintaining control over the battlefield through defensive Freeze, Chill, and Slow techniques.
Once your character reaches Level 50 or is ready for World Tier 3, pick one of our Endgame Builds to continue your Sorcerer journey.
For information on Season 4: Loot Reborn, you can check out our Season Hub. Furthermore, the Season 4 Journey will reward you with a set of gear intended for an 
Incinerate build. You can check out our endgame build for it here.
Skill Bar and Skill Tree Points
Ice Armor 
Teleport Frost Nova Blizzard 
Frost Bolt Ice Shards The table presented below outlines the recommended order for allocating your Skill Points. At Level 50, you will have a total of 48 points available and an additional 10 points can be obtained upon completing Renown in each zone, resulting in a grand total of 58 points.
Enchantment Slots
The Specialization of the Sorceress Class becomes available at Level 15. It is recommended to complete the Legacy of The Magi questline, within the Fractured Peaks, as soon as possible to unlock the first Enhancement Slot. The second slot will become available upon reaching Level 30.
Each Non-Ultimate Skill is associated with an Enchantment effect, and any Non-Ultimate Skill can be equipped in an Enchantment Slot. However, 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.
- Ice Shards is slotted into the first Enchantment Slot upon unlocking it at Level 15. Having Ice Shards in the Enchantment slot allows the shards to automatically target Frozen enemies, which greatly benefits this build as enemies will frequently remain frozen, enabling increased damage against them.
- Frost Bolt is then slotted into the second Enchantment Slot after unlocking it at Level 30. Its primary function is to provide additional support for chilling enemies.
Mechanics and Playstyle
The primary damage dealing skills in this build are Ice Shards and Frost Nova. Ice Shards serves as the main single target damage skill, but when enhanced with the ricochet effect, it adds an AoE (area-of-effect) aspect to the build. Placing Ice Shards in the enhancement slot maximizes its potential by sending fully upgraded shards towards already Frozen enemies, allowing them to ricochet between multiple targets, and deal significant damage both individually and to groups.
When combined with a fully upgraded Frost Nova, which has a rather quick cooldown, players can unleash massive AoE damage. Frost Nova effectively Crowd Controls and freezes enemies, enabling the player to target Frozen enemies with Ice Shards that bounce between multiple targets. On top of that, Frost Nova serves as a valuable Vulnerable debuff ability, adding to the overall damage output of the character.
Additionally, Blizzard contributes to the build by inflicting heavy Chill and Freeze effects, while also reducing the mana cost of Core Skills during its activation. This allows players to cast Ice Shards more frequently.
Teleport provides essential mobility, while Ice Armor offers protection.
Damage Rotation
Engage battles at range with the following rotation.
- Teleport to close the gap if needed and gain some damage reduction.
- Ice Armor to gain more protection.
- Blizzard to apply Chill to enemies and reduce Mana cost on Core Skills.
- Frost Nova to freeze everything in place and apply Vulnerability.
- Spam Ice Shards to maximize damage while enemies are Frozen and Vulnerable.
- Use Frost Bolt if in need of Mana.
Mana Generator Rotation
Use the following rotation to generate Mana and finish off wounded enemies.
- Teleport away to avoid danger.
- Use Ice Armor to generate some Mana.
- Spam Frost Bolt to generate more Mana while finishing off remaining enemies at range.
Gear, Gems, Elixirs, and Stats
When considering gear choices in Diablo 4, it is important to understand the concept of Item Power. Item Power, displayed beneath the item name and type, represents the strength of your gear and directly impacts the capabilities of your character. Higher Item Power generally indicates stronger gear, but it is important to also consider the affixes and effects that align with your class and build. In some cases, a lower Item Power item might outperform a higher one if it has a special stat that synergizes well with your skills or playstyle. So, when making gear decisions, keep an eye on both Item Power and the specific attributes that complement the build.
In the early levels, selling gear for gold is a good option, but in later levels, try to find a balance between selling and salvaging items. Additionally, prioritize upgrading weapons and jewelry, as they affect combat performance the most.
Two-Handed Staves are preferred over Wands for higher damage per hit. Armor should only be improved if it has relevant stats or bonuses for the build.
Legendary Aspects
To unlock Aspects in the Codex of Power, you must complete the corresponding Dungeon where the specific Aspect drops. Visit the Occultist to imprint Aspects onto items.
Once an aspect is unlocked in the Codex, either through completing the necessary dungeon or finding it as a random drop, it will be registered inside the Codex of Power forever and can be upgraded by salvaging the same aspect, up to a maximum of 16 times. If you get lucky and directly find a legendary aspect with the best roll possible, it will automatically be upgraded to max rank (16/16).
We have a dedicated in-depth Aspect and Codex of Power guide that you can check out for more information.
Listed below are all the Aspects that are important for the Ice Sorceress leveling build. Equip any aspect from this list in the slot it drops for, as they are all useful while leveling with this build. However, if you need a specific pointer as to which aspect to get first, the 
Aspect of Piercing Cold would be the most beneficial during leveling. You can unlock this aspect by completing the Dead Man’s Dredge Dungeon in Fractured Peaks.
| Aspect Name | Legendary Aspect Power | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Aspect of Piercing Cold | Ice Shards pierces [3-4] times, dealing [25-20%] less damage per subsequent enemy hit. | Dead Man’s Dredge, Fractured Peaks |
| Aspect of Biting Cold | When you Freeze an enemy, there is a % chance they become Vulnerable for 3 seconds. | Forgotten Depths, Dry Steppes |
 Snowguard’s Aspect | While within your own Blizzard, you take % less damage. | Fetid Mausoleum – Hawezar |
| Aspect of Control | You deal more damage to Immobilized, Stunned, or Frozen enemies. | Sunken Library, Kehjistan |
| Frostblitz Aspect | Frost Nova gains an additional Charge but the Cooldown per Charge is increased by #%. | Random Drop / Obols Gambling |
| Aspect of Elements | Gain 20-30% (additive damage) [+] increased damage to a set of damage types for 7 seconds. This effect alternates between 2 sets: – Fire, Lightning, and Physical. – Cold, Poison, and Shadow. | Random Drop / Obols Gambling |
| Edgemaster’s Aspect | Skills deal up to x% 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 x%, up to x%. | Underroots, Scosglen |
| Snowveiled Aspect | Casting Ice Armor makes you unstoppable for x seconds. | Sarat’s Lair, Scosglen |
| Storm Swell Aspect | You deal x% increased Damage to Vulnerable enemies while you have a Barrier. | Onyx Hold, Dry steppes |
 Aspect of Adaptability | – When cast below 50% Maximum Resource, Basic Skills generate 3 of your Primary Resource, once per cast. – When cast at or above 50% Maximum Resource, Basic Skills deal 40–80% increased damage. | Random Drop / Obols Gambling |
| Aspect of Disobedience | You gain % increased Armor for 4 seconds when you deal any form of damage, stacking up to x%. | Halls of the damned, Kehjistan |
 Aspect of the Bounding Conduit | Gain x% Movement Speed for 3 seconds after using Teleport. | Komdor Temple, Dry Steppes |
Gems
Listed below are the best Gems to socket into gear for each item type.
| Weapon Gems | Armor Gems | Jewelry Gems |
|---|---|---|
 SapphireFor Vulnerable Damage |  RubyFor increased Maximum Life. |  Skull For more Armor. |
Which Elixirs Should You Use?
To gain an edge in your adventures, head to the Alchemist in any main town, and craft Elixirs that increase your stats and experience gain for 30 minutes. Remember to gather the necessary crafting materials by foraging plants! Craft an 
Elixir of Advantage to boost Attack Speed, or either an 
Elixir of Momentum for increased Movement Speed, or an 
Elixir of Iron Barbs or 
Elixir of Fortitude to increase your defense a little bit until other options become available.
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
During your leveling journey, you may stumble across items with very good affixes. Tempering these items can provide you with a significant boost in character power, so make sure you understand how it works:
Items in the game have been adjusted to reflect their rarity: Normal Items have no affixes, Magic Items have 1 affix, Rare Items have 2 affixes, Legendary Items have 3 affixes, and Unique Items have 4 affixes. Upgrading a Rare Item to a Legendary Item won’t add a third affix, making default Legendary Items the best choice for maximizing your character’s potential. Tempering adds 2 extra affixes to Rare or Legendary Items, with Ancestral Legendary Items supporting up to 5 affixes.
Tempering is only possible if you have already found a few Tempering Manuals while leveling!
Tempering GuideKeep an eye out for the following stats and modifiers that are particularly beneficial for this build (listed in order of importance):
| Gear Slot | Important Affixes (ranked by priority) | Tempering Recipes and Affixes |
|---|---|---|
| Weapons | 1. Intelligence 2. Damage to Crowd Controlled Enemies 3. Core Skill Damage |  Frost Augments (Weapon): Chance for Ice Shards Projectiles to Cast TwiceFrost Finesse (Offensive): Cold Damage |
| Focus | 1. Mana Cost Reduction, Cooldown Reduction 2. Resource Generation 3. Resource Cost Reduction | Frost Augments (Weapon): Chance for Ice Shards Projectiles to Cast TwiceFrost Finesse (Offensive): Cold Damage |
| Helm | 1. Armor, Resistances 2. Cooldown Reduction 3. Intelligence, Maximum Life | Natural Schemes (Utility): Crowd Control DurationWorldly Endurance (Defensive): Maximum Life |
| Chest | 1. Armor, Ranks to All Defensive Skills 2. Tesistances, Maximum Life 3. Armor | Natural Schemes (Utility): Crowd Control DurationWorldly Endurance (Defensive): Maximum Life |
| Gloves | 1. Ranks of Ice Shards 2. Critical Strike Chance, Attack Speed 3. Vulnerable Damage | Natural Schemes (Utility): Crowd Control DurationFrost Finesse (Offensive): Blizzard Damage |
| Pants | 1. Armor, Intelligence 2. Maximum Life 3. Resistances | Natural Schemes (Utility): Crowd Control DurationWorldly Endurance (Defensive): Maximum Life |
| Boots | 1. Mana Cost Reduction, Movement Speed 2. Ranks of Frost Nova 3. Resistances, Armor | Natural Motion (Mobility): Movement SpeedNatural Schemes (Utility): Crowd Control Duration |
| Amulet | 1. Cooldown Reduction 2. Ranks of All Defensive Skills 3. Resource Cost Reduction, Resource Generation | Natural Motion (Mobility): Movement SpeedNatural Finesse (Offensive): Damage to Crowd Controlled Enemies |
| Rings | 1. Resource Generation 2. Maximum Life 3. Critical Strike Chance, Vulnerable Damage | Worldly Stability (Resource): Resource Generation or Resource Cost ReductionNatural Finesse (Offensive): Damage to Crowd Controlled Enemies |
Capstone and Early Paragon
Once you hit Level 50 with this build, you will be ready to tackle your first Capstone Dungeon and unlock World Tier 3. We recommend using the following Paragon boards and Glyphs for your first few levels after 50, as you transition into your preferred endgame build. Please keep in mind that the information provided is just intended to assist you in spending points for a few levels, and we strongly advise you to choose an endgame build guide to truly enjoy the game at world tier 4 and beyond.
It is usually suggested to choose Rare Glyphs over Magic Glyphs because they offer stronger bonuses. However, if you do not have the recommended rare glyph, the lower rarity versions are good enough for the start.
Starting Board
- Grab the
Resilience node first to gain extra Resistance to All Elements. - Then the non-physical damage boost node
Elementalist, because you are still vulnerable during leveling, so you should focus on better resistances before aiming for more damage. - If you have it, insert the
Destruction or, alternatively, 
Subdue Glyph, and grab surrounding nodes.
Frigid Fate Board
Turn the board three times before attaching!
- Start putting points toward the
Frigid Fate legendary node first. - Then head to the glyph socket, insert either
Frostbite or Advantage, and take surrounding nodes. - After, grab the
Chilling Cold Resistance nodes and 
Weakness nodes for more Vulnerable Damage. Head out on the right.
Icefall Board
Do not turn this board and simply attach it as it is!
- Move toward the glyph socket. If you have this rare glyph already, insert
Elementalist into the socket. The alternative magic glyph option would be Wisdom. - Afterwards, grab the
Frosts rare node as well as the surrounding magical nodes for increased Damage to Chilled Enemies and Damage Reduction. - Finally, grab the Icefall legendary node, and then, if you still have paragon points left to spend, grab the Frigid and nearby magical nodes for even more Damage Reduction.
Paragon Board images courtesy of d4builds.gg
Once you have enough paragon points to move on to the fourth board, you can switch to an endgame build. Keep in mind that the boards above are simply transitional paragon boards until you are ready to jump into an endgame build!
Season 4 Changes
The following list details the changes in the Season 4 Patch Update that may pertain to leveling an Ice Sorceress.
Skills and Passives
- Mastery Skills are now also considered Core Skills.
Enhanced Ice Armor: - Mana Regeneration increased from 25% to 30%.
- Shimmering Ice Armor:
- While Ice Armor is active, you reduce its Cooldown by 1 2 seconds for every 50 Mana you spend.
- Mystical Ice Armor:
- While Ice Armor is active, you periodically Chill Close enemies for 20% and deal 15% increased damage to Frozen enemies.
Shimmering Frost Nova: - Frost Nova grants 3% Dodge Chance per enemy hit, up to 15%. Hitting a Boss gives the maximum amount. For the next 8 seconds, you keep this effect, and successful Dodges generate 20 Mana.
Enhanced Teleport: - You gain 30% Movement Speed for 3 seconds after Teleporting.
- Mystical Teleport:
- Teleport deals 500% increased damage. It also forms a Crackling Energy for each enemy it hits, up to 3.
Ice Shards: - Damage increased by 28% (1.25 to 1.6).
- Enhanced Ice Shards:
- Ricochet chance increased from 40% to 50%.
Mana Shield: - Damage Reduction increased from 7% to 8%.
Elemental Attunement: - Cooldown reset chance increased from 5% to 7%
Elemental Dominance: - Damage increased from 3% to 4%
Aspects and Gear
- Snowguard’s Aspect
- Damage reduction increased from 10-25% to 15-30%.
- Aspect of the Bounding Conduit
- Teleport’s Cooldown is reduced by 1.0-2.5 seconds. After Teleporting, Crackling Energy hits 2 additional enemies for 5 seconds.
- Aspect of Disobedience
- Armor stacks no longer fall off independently. They now refresh or reset at the same time.
- Armor gain changed to 25-40%.
Changelog
- May 10th, 2024: Updated for Season 4.
- Updated stat priorities.
- Added Tempering Affixes.
- Added three Paragon Boards with basic glyph recommendations.
- Added Season 4 change list.
- March 5th, 2024: Updated for Patch 1.3.3.
- January 22nd, 2024: Updated for Season 3.
- October 17th, 2023: Updated for Season 2.
- August 7th, 2023: Moved this build to its own separate page.
- August 5th, 2023: Updated for Patch 1.1.1.
- July 18th, 2023: Updated for Season 1.
