Build Introduction
The Incinerate Sorcerer build features an easy playstyle with minimum requirements, making it the perfect starter build for new players. Incinerate pierces through all enemies to kill entire packs, while Flamethrower’s Aspect shotguns tougher elites and bosses with 3 beams at once. This build is highly recommended to start Season 5 of Diablo 4!
The only starting requirement for this endgame build guide is a character around Level 50 in World Tier 3. Use the leveling guide for the Incinerate Sorcerer to start a new character.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Strengths
- High single-target damage
- Simple playstyle
- Easy to build
- Multiple Defensive Skills and Crowd Controls for survivability
Weaknesses
- Damage needs to ramp up
- Need to stand still to channel damage
- Lacks survivability when Defensive Skills or Crowd Controls are inactive
To see how this build compares to the other builds on our site, you can check out our build tier lists.
Skill Tree Points and Skill Bar
Skill Bar Setup for the Incinerate Sorcerer (order does not matter)
Incinerate 
Flame Shield 
Teleport 
Frost Nova 
Ice Blades 
Ice Armor
The Skill Tree above shows the full allocation of 58 Skill Points for the Incinerate Sorceress build. Make sure you obtain the 10 Skill Points available from Renown.
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.
Slot Fireball in the first Enchantment Slot for explosions to help against groups of enemies.
Slot Teleport in the second Enchantment Slot to enable an Evade Teleport. Follow the Telestomp setup to further increase mobility to efficiently speed-farm content.
Paragon Board
Paragon unlocks after reaching Level 50, and the progression system offers a considerable boost to character power. The images below provide a visual of each Paragon Board setup for the Incinerate Sorcerer.
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 (Destruction)
Rotate the Searing Heat board 2 times before attachment. Socket Destruction for increased Critical Strike Damage to scale the bonus damage multiplier on Burning Instinct. The Legendary node on this board is not utilized. Continue to the Board Attachment Gate on the bottom.
4. Elemental Summoner (Control)
Rotate the Elemental Summoner board 1 time before attachment. Socket Control and prioritize leveling it to 15 to obtain the additional bonus. The Legendary Node on this board is not utilized.
5. Enchantment Master (Torch)
Path to the Board Attachment Gate on the left side of the Searing Heat board to continue. Rotate the Enchantment Master board 1 time 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.
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 Incinerate 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 Slot | Aspect Name | Legendary Aspect Power |
|---|---|---|
| Amulet (+50% bonus effect) | Flamethrower’s Aspect | Incinerate splits into 3 beams, each dealing [70 – 85%] of normal damage. |
| Ring Slot #1 (replaced by Ring of Starless Skies | Conceited Aspect | Deal [15 – 25%] increased damage while you have a Barrier active. |
| Ring Slot #2 (replaced by Tal Rasha’s Iridescent Loop) | 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. |
| Sword, Focus, or Gloves | Aspect of Conflagration | While channeling Incinerate, your Burning damage is increased by x [25 – 40%]. Enemies damaged by Incinerate explode, Burning all surrounding enemies for [X] over 6 seconds. This effect occurs once per 3 seconds. |
| Sword, Focus, or Gloves | Aspect of Shredding Blades | Ice Blades’ chance to apply Vulnerable is increased by 20% and the Vulnerable duration is increased by 4 seconds. You gain x [15 – 30%] Vulnerable Damage. |
| Sword, Focus, or Gloves | Storm Swell Aspect | You deal x [21 – 30%] increased damage to Vulnerable enemies while you have a Barrier. |
| Chest (replaced by Raiment of the Infinite) | Aspect of Disobedience | You gain [0.4 – 0.7%] increased Armor for 4 seconds when you deal any form of damage, stacking up to [25 – 40%]. |
| Helm (replaced by Harlequin Crest) | Snowveiled Aspect | Ice armor makes you unstoppable and grants you 25% Damage Reduction for [3.5 – 5.0] seconds. |
| Pants | Everliving Aspect | You take [20 – 25%] less damage from Crowd Controlled or Vulnerable enemies. |
| Boots | 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. |
Gems
Listed below are the best Gems to socket into gear for each item type.
| Weapon Gems | Armor Gems | Jewelry Gems |
|---|---|---|
| Royal Amethyst for increased Damage Over Time. | Royal Ruby for increased Maximum Life. | Any Resistance Gems needed or Royal Skull for Armor (up to the 9,230 Armor cap). |
Elixirs
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 channeling of Incinerate.
- Elixir of Fortitude is the best general purpose option for survivability. Increased Maximum Life grants larger Barriers from Protection and Ice Armor.
- Elixir of Iron Barbs can provide a high amount of Physical Damage Reduction. Armor becomes more effective as you approach the Armor cap (9,320 against monster level 100 and above).
- Specific Resistance Elixirs can be utilized to survive against Uber Bosses with elemental attacks.
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 Incinerate Sorcerers. Each line of affixes is 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.
When comparing weapons of similar item levels, One-Handed Weapons are preferred over Two-Handed Weapons, as a Focus provides more beneficial utility affixes. A Sword is selected for the highest damage per Hit and the Critical Strike Damage implicit stat.
Critical Strike Damage is beneficial due to it increasing the bonus multiplier on Burning Instinct.
The priority order of Resistances is Lightning > Poison > Fire > Cold > Shadow. Maximum Resistance is 70% by default for each element and can be increased to 85% by various sources.
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.
| Slot | Gear Affixes | Tempering Affixes |
|---|---|---|
| Sword | 1. Maximum Life 2. Intelligence, Damage Over Time, Critical Strike Damage, Vulnerable Damage | Pyromancy Augments (Weapon): Incinerate Size Pyromancy Finesse (Offensive): Fire Damage Over Time |
| Focus | 1. Cooldown Reduction 2. Resource Cost Reduction 3. Lucky Hit Chance to Restore Primary Resource, Maximum Life, Intelligence | Pyromancy Augments (Weapon): Incinerate Size Pyromancy Finesse (Offensive): Fire Damage Over Time |
| Helm | 1. Cooldown Reduction 2. Mana per Second, Resistances, Armor 3. Maximum Life, Intelligence | Natural Schemes (Utility): Crowd Control Duration Worldly Endurance (Defensive): Armor or Maximum Life |
| Chest | 1. Ranks to Defensive Skills 2. Mana per Second, Resistances, Armor 3. Maximum Life, Intelligence | Natural Schemes (Utility): Crowd Control Duration Worldly Endurance (Defensive): Armor or Maximum Life |
| Gloves | 1. Ranks to Incinerate, Resource Cost Reduction 2. Resistances, Armor 3. Maximum Life, Intelligence, Damage Over Time, Vulnerable Damage, Critical Strike Damage | Pyromancy Finesse (Offensive): Fire Damage Over Time Natural Schemes (Utility): Crowd Control Duration |
| Pants | 1. Resistances, Armor 2. Maximum Life, Intelligence | Natural Schemes (Utility): Crowd Control Duration Worldly Endurance (Defensive): Armor or Maximum Life |
| Boots | Implicit Stat: Attacks Reduce Evade’s Cooldown 1. Movement Speed 2. Mana per Second, Resistances, Armor 3. Maximum Life, Intelligence | Natural Motion (Mobility): Evade Cooldown Reduction Natural Schemes (Utility): Crowd Control Duration |
| Amulet | 1. Ranks to Endless Pyre or Glass Cannon, Cooldown Reduction 2. Resource Cost Reduction, Movement Speed, Resistances, Armor | Natural Motion (Mobility): Evade Cooldown Reduction Pyromancy Finesse (Offensive): Fire Damage Over Time |
| Rings | 1. Resource Cost Reduction 2. Intelligence, Critical Strike Damage, Damage Over Time, Vulnerable Damage, Attack Speed | Worldly Stability (Resource): Resource Generation or Resource Cost Reduction Pyromancy Finesse (Offensive): Fire Damage Over Time |
Rotation and Playstyle
Optimize DPS with the following rotation.
- If you have Raiment of the Infinite, teleport on enemies to group and stun them.
- Cast Frost Nova to Freeze and apply Vulnerable to groups of enemies. Alternate casts of Frost Nova and Ice Blades to maintain Vulnerable against Bosses.
- Channel Incinerate as long as possible to ramp up damage.
- Cast Flame Shield or Ice Armor for protection and Unstoppable when needed.
Unique and Mythic Items
Listed below are the recommended and optional Unique Items for the Incinerate Sorcerer build. Each item description includes the most important affix to target for Masterworking upgrades. Check the Mythic Unique Farming guide for information on target-farming them.
- Raiment of the Infinite (highly recommended) enables the Telestomp playstyle to group and Stun enemies.
- Masterworking Priority: Ranks of the Glass Cannon Passive
- Tal Rasha’s Iridescent Loop (recommended) can provide up to a 45% damage multiplier with 3 elemental stacks.
- Masterworking Priority: Cooldown Reduction
- Ring of Starless Skies (recommended) is the best Mythic Unique Item for the Incinerate Sorcerer. The unique effect provides a 1.5x damage multiplier and solves any Mana issues.
- Masterworking Priority: Ranks to Core Skills
- Harlequin Crest (recommended) provides additional Ranks to Incinerate, Ranks to All Defensive Skills, and 20% Damage Reduction, if you are lucky enough to find this Mythic Unique Item.
- Masterworking Priority: Cooldown Reduction
Advanced Information
Additional details are provided in the following sections for a more in-depth explanation of the Incinerate Sorcerer. Read this advanced information after understanding the basic overview of the build in the previous sections.
Build Mechanics
Incinerate deals high Fire Damage Over Time by Burning enemies with a beam that ramps up damage over 2 seconds. The piercing beam makes it easy to clear groups of enemies that are lined up. Flamethrower’s Aspect is important to enable the Incinerate Sorcerer to deal high single-target damage against bosses. All 3 beams can shotgun an individual target, outputting some of the highest damage possible for a Sorcerer in the early stages of the game.
Vulnerable status is applied to groups of enemies with Mystical Frost Nova, while Ice Blades is used against bosses for more uptime. Ice Blades deals Cold damage to grant a third buff stack from Tal Rasha’s Iridescent Loop.
Critical Strike Damage is applied to Burning Damage with Burning Instinct from Paragon. This allows us to benefit from Critical Strike Damage on gear.
Telestomp with Raiment of the Infinite
Raiment of the Infinite allows the Incinerate Sorcerer to use 2 sources of Teleport 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!
Use the following setup for the Telestomp Sorcerer.
- Equip Raiment of the Infinite to enable Telestomps. Target-farm Raiment of the Infinite from Varshan or Lord Zir for the best chances of it dropping.
- Slot Teleport into 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 ToolSeason 5: Infernal Hordes
The following list details the changes in the Season 5 Update (Patch 1.5.0) that may pertain to Incinerate Sorcerers. Check the Changelog for all the other guide updates.
- Teleport
- Cooldown increased from 11 to 14.
- Base damage increased from 25% to 35%.
- Incinerate
- Damage increased from 84% to 101%.
- Flame Shield
- Cooldown begins when Invulnerability ends.
- Ice Armor
- Max Life Base Shield amount increased from 25% to 40%.
- No longer gains increased Shield based on damage.
- Snowveiled Aspect
- Previous: Ice armor makes you unstoppable and grants you 30% armor for 3.5-5 seconds.
- Now: Ice armor makes you unstoppable and grants you 25% Damage Reduction for 3.5-5 seconds.
- Burning Instinct
- Critical Strike Bonus changed from 1% per 25 Intelligence to 1% per 20 Intelligence and now caps at 80%[x].
Changelog
- August 6th, 2024: Guide updated for Season 5 (Patch 1.5.0).
- May 18th, 2024: Guide created for Season 4 (Patch 1.4.0).
