Best Diablo 4 Chain Lightning Sorcerer builds in Season 5

The Sorcerer received a lot of love in Season 5 of Diablo 4, with the Chain Lightning Sorcerer build getting the best complimentary legendary loot.

Since the Sorcerer is the cream of the crop this season, you’d better nail the build right from the get-go. We’ll show you how to turn your Sorcerer into an endgame beast, covering the best skills, items, Aspects, and Glyphs to snag.

The Chain Lightning Sorcerer build turns your character into a lightning-fueled whirlwind, zapping through mobs with reckless abandon. And, for all you PvP enthusiasts, we’ll give you the lowdown on whether the Chain Lightning Sorcerer is actually worth your time.

Here’s the best Chain Lightning build for both PvP and PvE in Diablo 4 Season 5, as well as how to best level a Sorcerer while focusing on the skill.

Best Chain Lightning Sorcerer leveling build in Diablo 4 Season 5

As you level while playing through either the campaign or the new Season 5 content, you’ll want to make sure that you’re selecting your skills in the following order:

Level	Skill
1	Arc Lash
2	Chain Lightning
3	Enhanced Arc Lash
4	Flickering Arc Lash
5	Enhanced Chain Lightning
6	Greater Chain Lightning
7	Teleport
8	Ice Armor
9	Enhanced Teleport
10	Shimmering Teleport
11	Enhanced Ice Armor
12	Arc Lash
13	Chain Lightning
14	Chain Lightning
15	Chain Lightning
16	Chain Lightning
17	Glass Cannon
18	Glass Cannon
19	Glass Cannon
20	Hydra
21	Enhanced Hydra
22	Summoned Hydra
23	Fireball
24	Unstable Currents
25	Prime Unstable Currents
26	Conjuration Mastery
27	Conjuration Mastery
28	Conjuration Mastery
29	Fiery Surge
30	Fiery Surge
31	Fiery Surge
32	Arc Lash
33	Arc Lash
34	Arc Lash
35	Vyr’s Mastery
36	Fireball
37	Fireball
38	Fireball
39	Fireball
40	Potent Warding
41	Potent Warding
42	Potent Warding
43	Teleport
44	Teleport
45	Teleport
46	Teleport
47	Elemental Attunement
48	Hydra
49	Hydra
Renown 1	Hydra
Renown 2	Hydra
Renown 3	Align the Elements
Renown 4	Mana Shield
Renown 5	Mana Shield
Renown 6	Mana Shield
Renown 7	Protection
Renown 8	Protection
Renown 9	Protection

These skills help you build the ideal Chain Lightning Sorcerer for leveling up your character in Diablo 4. The early game is a breeze: zap foes if you’ve got mana, or whip them if you’re running low.

But it’s not all damage; we’ve included defensive and mobility skills to ensure you stay safe and move around more effectively in combat.

As you progress, you also focus on boosting your main damage abilities and adding enhancements that increase your overall firepower.

One of Chain Lightning Sorcerer’s weaknesses is it can be weak in the face of bosses. To help in that department, we’ve made the most of our Enchantments and Ultimates.

The last few skill points round out your build with defensive passives that bolster your survivability and resilience.

Don’t forget to claim your rewards from the Season 5 Battle Pass and spend your Smouldering Ashes in the EXP boost to reach level 50 in a matter of hours.

Best Enchantment setup for leveling

When a Sorcerer hits level 15, they unlock Enchantments. You need at least one rank in a skill to toss it into an Enchantment Slot, but it doesn’t even have to be on your skillbar.

• Enchantment Slot 1: Fireball
• Enchantment Slot 2: Chain Lightning

This enchantment setup is the best for a leveling Chain Lightning Sorcerer build in Diablo 4. Fireball turns every room into a fiery disaster zone and helps you control mobs in dungeons. Chain Lightning gives you a free cast every three throws, which is just too good to pass up. It’s your secret weapon for those rare boss fights that manage to hang on despite your overwhelming damage.

Best leveling rotation

• Hydra
• Ice Armor
• Chain Lightning
• Teleport
• Arc Lash
• Unstable Currents

Chain Lightning Sorcerers work on a priority system, not some rigid, paint-by-numbers rotation. That said, here’s how you can make the most of your chaos:

Start by dropping Hydra and pop Ice Armor next, because who doesn’t like extra mana and protection.

Chain Lightning is your bread and butter, so spam that when you’ve got the mana for it. If things get dicey, use Teleport to stay out of harm’s way and keep a safe distance.

If you’re running low on mana, Arc Lash is your go-to for refills and zapping any stragglers. When you’re facing a beefy enemy or boss, hit Unstable Currents to supercharge your damage and watch the sparks fly.

Best leveling Legendary Aspects

Legendary Aspects are going to be your best pals once you hit the endgame grind with your Chain Lightning Sorcerer build in Diablo 4, but hey, you don’t have to wait until you’re level 50 to snag some. You can actually hunt down a few while you’re still plodding through the story. Here’s where you can find them:

Aspect	Power	Dungeon	Region
‍Recharging Aspect	Regain mana each time Chain Lightning bounces	Zenith	Fractured Peaks
‍Aspect of Control	Deal more damage to Frozen enemies	Sunken Library	Kehjistan
‍Prodigy’s Aspect	Using a Cooldown restores Mana	Witchwater	Hawezar
Might	Basic Skills grant Damage Reduction	Dark Ravine	Dry Steppes
Disobedience	Boosts armor based on the damage you deal	Halls of the Damned	Kehjistan

Best Chain Lightning endgame build in Diablo 4 Season 5

Once you hit endgame in Season 5, you can finally respec into the endgame Chain Lightning Sorcerer build in Diablo 4. It’s pretty similar to your leveling build, but with some crucial tweaks in point allocation that we’ll dive into.

First things first, it’s time to overhaul your active and passive skills. With those 50 skill points and any Renown points you’ve racked up, you’ll want to reallocate them strategically to the key skills listed below.

Active Skills

Active Skill	Upgrades	Points allocated
Fire Bolt	–	2
Chain Lightning	Enhanced, Greater	5
Flame Shield	–	1
Teleport	Enhanced, Shimmering	5
Ice Armor	Enhanced, Shimmering	1
Ice Blades	–	1
Unstable Currents	Prime	1

Passive Skills

Passive Skill	Points
Devastation	1
Elemental Dominance	3
Glass Cannon	3
Elemental Attunement	1
Align the Elements	3
Mana Shield	3
Protection	3
Conjuration Mastery	3
Inner Flames	1
Devouring Blaze	3
Static Discharge	3
Invigorating Conduit	3
Coursing Currents	1
Electrocution	3
Vyr’s Mastery	1

The Chain Lightning Sorcerer has a fireworks display every time you zap something. This endgame build is one of the flashiest in the game, frying monsters with a relentless storm of electricity.

It rips through world events and Helltides like they’re nothing, but it’s no slouch in Nightmare Dungeons, either. Chain Lightning, when built properly, is a great all-rounder build.

Chain Lightning and Unstable Currents are your go-to damage dealers here. In the late game, Axial Conduit supercharges Chain Lightning but eats through mana. Luckily, the build has more tricks up its sleeve to handle the mana drain.

Best Enchantment setup for the endgame

These are the best enchantments for the endgame Chain Lightning Sorcerer build in Diablo 4:

• Enchantment Slot 1: Fire Bolt
• Enchantment Slot 2: Teleport

Fire Bolt Enchantment gives you handy bonuses like extra damage and damage reduction from burning. The Teleport Enchantment helps you zap around and gives this build some mobility.

Best endgame rotation

The best rotation for the Chain Lightning Sorcerer build is as follows:

• Teleport
• Ice Armor or Flame Shield
• Chain Lightning
• Ice Blades
• Unstable Currents

Start with Teleport to zip around and dodge trouble and cleanse any pesky status effects. Next, beef up your defenses with Ice Armor for a damage-absorbing Barrier and Flame Shield for an extra shield and to shake off debuffs.

Then, let Chain Lightning do its thing, zapping foes left and right. Toss in Ice Blades to shave off cooldowns and make your other skills come off cooldown faster.

Finally, unleash Unstable Currents to supercharge your lightning spells. Just keep an eye on your mana and cooldowns, and adjust as needed.

Best endgame Legendary Aspects

You’ve now got a treasure trove of Legendary Aspects to augment your Chain Lightning Sorcerer build in Diablo 4 and make your primary skills even more ridiculous. Sure, some of them are old favorites from your leveling days, but now you get to play with a bunch of new toys.

Aspect	Power	Dungeon	Region
‍Recharging Aspect	Regain mana each time Chain Lightning bounces	Zenith	Fractured Peaks
‍Aspect of Control	Deal more damage to Frozen enemies	Sunken Library	Kehjistan
‍Prodigy’s Aspect	Using a Cooldown restores Mana	Witchwater	Hawezar
Unbroken Tether	Gives Chain Lightning 5 additional chances to chain	–	Purveyor of Curiosities
Disobedience	Boosts armor based on the damage you deal	Halls of the Damned	Kehjistan
Conceited	Deals more damage while you have a barrier active.	–	Purveyor of Curiosities

Remember, you can also strip these Aspects from their original item and apply them to an item of your choosing.

Paragon Board

At level 50, say goodbye to skill points and hello to Paragon points. This system is a whole different beast, letting you pick upgrades from various boards with their own themes and buffs.

Every path you take is unique, but the upside is that by targeting specific Glyphs on the Paragon Board, you can tailor your Chain Lightning Sorcerer build exactly how you want it.

Best Glyphs

Once you hit Paragon Level 15, start targeting these Glyphs. You’ll unlock more as you rack up Paragon points, but focusing on these specific Glyphs in this order will keep your Chain Lightning Sorcerer build on the straight and narrow path to maximum power.

Level 15

• ‍Destruction
• ‍Flamefeeder
• ‍Exploit
• ‍Elementalist
• ‍Tactician
• ‍Unleash
• ‍Charged
• ‍Reinforced

Level 21

• ‍Destruction
• ‍Flamefeeder
• ‍Exploit
• ‍Elementalist
• ‍Tactician
• ‍Unleash
• ‍Charged

Best endgame item build

Item	Socket	Item type	Power
Snowveiled Runic Skullcap	Ruby	Helm	Casting Ice Armor makes you Unstoppable.
Mage Lord’s Runic Mail	2 Rubies	Chest Armor	Vyr’s Mastery also grants damage reduction.
Fists of Fate	–	Gloves	Attacks deal 1-300% more damage.
Axial Conduit	2 Rubies	Pants	Chain Lightning zaps between you and up to 3 enemies. It costs 6 Mana each time it hits, and after it’s used up 66 Mana, it detonates, dealing 23,058 lightning damage.
Runic Cleats of the Orange Herald	–	Boots	Reduces the cooldown of your Ultimate.
Obsidian Blade of Shredding Blades	Sapphire	Weapon	Ice Blades have an increased chance to apply Vulnerable.
Storm Swell Amulet	Skull	Amulet	Deal increase damage to Vulnerable enemies if you have barrier.
Tal Rasha’s Iridescent Loop	Skull	Ring	Gain increase damage for each type of Elemental damage you deal.
Recharging Circle	Skull	Ring	Get 3 Mana each time Chain Lightning bounces.
Conceited Serpent Stone	Sapphire	Focus	Deal 25% more damage if you have a barrier.

Make sure to farm Mother’s Gifts and clear Infernal Hordes frequently to get some of the best loot this season.

Best Chain Lightning PvP build in Diablo 4 Season 5

The same build you’re using for the endgame can help you clear any PvP encounter as a Chain Lightning Sorcerer in Diablo 4.

However, to fully unleash the Sorcerer’s power, you must grab the Axial Conduit. This piece of gear lets you unleash up to nine Chain Lightnings in one go.

With this kind of burst potential, you could practically one-shot opponents – just make sure your mana pool is big enough to keep up, aiming for at least 175 mana. Because, you know, zapping people into oblivion is thirsty work.

Survivability is your next concern in any PvP encounter. Flame Shield and Ice Armor are your best friends here, providing you with barriers and immunity to shrug off enemy attacks while you prep for your next lightning strike.

Now that you know how to craft this top-tier Sorcerer build, make sure to check out our guides for the Druid, Necromancer, Rogue, and Barbarian.