Are you looking for a build that can unleash a stream of lightning that deals massive damage and chains between nearby enemies and you? Do you want to combine the amazing AOE from Chain Lightning with the high damage basic skill Arc Lash to destroy your enemies? Do you want to take advantage of Frost Nova, Ice Armor and Teleport as your main defensive skills? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then this guide is for you!
In this guide, I will show you how to level up and gear up a Chain Lightning Sorcerer in Diablo 4. This is one of the best leveling builds for any class, and it can also transition smoothly into the endgame. You will learn how to use your skills, modifiers, enchantments and aspects to maximize your damage and survivability. You will also learn how to deal with the long cooldowns of Unstable Currents and how to optimize your mana management.
Skills
Your core skills are Chain Lightning and Arc Lash. Chain Lightning is a Destruction Lightning spell that unleashes a stream of lightning that deals 42% damage and chains between nearby enemies and you up to 4 times, prioritizing enemies. Arc Lash is a Basic Lightning skill that lashes out with a whip of lightning that deals 30% damage and hits all enemies in front of you.
You will also use Unstable Currents as your ultimate skill. Unstable Currents is a Destruction Lightning spell that creates an unstable current around you that deals 60% damage per second for 10 seconds. Enemies hit by this current are also hit by Chain Lightning.
Your defensive skills are Frost Nova, Ice Armor and Teleport. Frost Nova is a Control Cold spell that creates an explosion of frost around you that deals 20% damage and freezes enemies for 2 seconds. Ice Armor is a Utility Cold spell that surrounds you with a barrier of ice that absorbs 20% of incoming damage for 10 seconds. Teleport is a Utility Arcane spell that teleports you to a location within 15 yards.
Leveling Skill Tree
- Arc Lash (5/5 points)
- Devastation (3/3 points)
- Elemental Dominance (3/3 points)
- Chain Lightning (5/5 points)
- Teleport (5/5 points)
- Ice Armor (1/5 points)
- Frost Nova (1/5 points)
- Align the Elements (1/3 points)
- Mana Shield (1/3 points)
- Protection (1/3 points)
- Icy Veil (1/3 points)
- Prime Unstable Currents
- Coursing Currents (1/3 points)
- Electrocution (1/3 points)
- Convulsions (1/3 points)
- Vyr's Mastery
Once above level 40 you can finish off some of the masteries/passives that only have 1 point in each.
Once you hit 50 and get end game gear you can also swap to the fire enchanted arc lash build that most sites recommend (maxroll.gg, icy-veins, wowhead, etc) but I've been sticking to this leveling build and having no issues in T2/T3 content.
Modifiers
You will use the following modifiers for your skills:
- Enhanced Chain Lightning: Chain Lightning bounces to 1 additional enemy.
- Greater Chain Lightning: Chain Lightning deals x5% increased damage per enemy hit.
- Flickering Arc Lash: Arc Lash grants you 10% movement speed for 3 seconds.
- Mystical Frost Nova: Frost Nova applies Vulnerable to enemies, increasing their damage taken by 15% for 4 seconds.
- Enhanced Ice Armor: Ice Armor grants you 10 Mana per second while active.
- Shimmering Teleport: 5% chance of getting ice armor when hit.
Enchantments
You will use the following enchantments for your skills:
- Chain Lightning Enchantment: Chain Lightning forms automatically after spending 100 Mana.
- Ice Armor Enchantment: Fire Bolt forms automatically after spending 100 Mana.
These enchantments will give you free casts of Chain Lightning and Fire Bolt, which will help you deal more damage and trigger more bounces of Chain Lightning.
Aspects
You will use the following aspects for your gear:
- Recharging Aspect: Each time Chain Lightning bounces off you, gain 4 Mana.
- Amplifying Aspect: Each time Chain Lightning bounces off an enemy, gain 5% Spell Damage for 3 seconds.
These aspects will help you regenerate mana and increase your spell damage as you cast Chain Lightning.
Gameplay
Your gameplay revolves around casting Chain Lightning as much as possible, while using Arc Lash as your filler skill. You want to position yourself in a way that allows Chain Lightning to bounce off as many enemies and yourself as possible. This will maximize your damage, mana regeneration and spell damage buff.
You also want to use Frost Nova whenever it’s available, especially on elite packs and bosses. This will freeze them, apply Vulnerable to them, and allow you to deal more damage with your spells. You can also use Teleport to reposition yourself, escape danger, or take advantage of the Critical Strike Chance buff. You can use Ice Armor whenever you need some extra protection or mana regeneration.
You should only use Unstable Currents on big elite packs or bosses, since it has a long cooldown of 70 seconds. This skill will create an unstable current around you that will deal massive damage over time and also trigger Chain Lightning on enemies hit by it. This will create a devastating chain reaction of lightning that will obliterate anything in your vicinity.
My typical playstyle revolves around gathering up a large pack of mobs, teleport to mid, cast frost nova to freeze, pop unstable currents and spam chain lightning until freeze wears off. Then use ice armor for protection and mana regen. Continue to spam until unstable currents ends, then teleport out of the pack and alternate chain lightning and arc lash until you're done. By the next big pack you will have everything off cooldown again.
Conclusion
The Chain Lightning Sorcerer is a fun and powerful build that can level up and gear up quickly in Diablo 4. It has great AOE damage, mobility, and utility. It also has some challenges, such as managing your mana and cooldowns, and dealing with melee enemies. However, with the right skills, modifiers, enchantments and aspects, you can overcome these challenges and electrify your enemies with ease.
I hope you enjoyed this guide and found it useful. If you have any questions or feedback, feel free to leave a comment below. Thanks for reading and happy hunting! ⚡