Diablo 2 Sorceress: Best builds for Resurrected Season 9

For ranged DPS players the Sorceress is likely to draw your eye in Diablo 2’s remaster, Diablo 2 Resurrected, so here are the best builds to help you conquer evil all over again.

Choosing your class in any game truly defines how you play it, and Diablo 2 Resurrected is no different. With seven very different characters to choose from and a whole new (or not so new for Veteran players) world to explore, getting the right build is crucial.

One character who thrives in a variety of different combat settings is the mysterious Sorceress, whose elemental spell-slinging abilities make her a true force of nature. The Sorceress is similar to the same Wizard class in Diablo 3 and Diablo 1 and represents the game’s classic magic user.

So if you’re confused about whether or not to bend the tempest to your whim or conjure fireballs from nowhere, here’s our collection of best builds for the Sorceress in Diablo 2: Resurrected.

Is the Sorceress right for you?

The Sorceress’ gameplay is similar to mages in most other games. Focused on ranged DPS, her collection of AoE abilities and high-damage elemental spells make her devastating on the battlefield.

She excels in long-range combat, though, so if you’re looking to get up close and personal with the hoards of hell then you’d be better off trying out either the Barbarian or Paladin.

Diablo 2 Sorceress: Best builds

For each of these builds, we recommend that players put one point into Energy Shield, Telekinesis, and Teleport. The Sorceress is a hit-and-run style character, so you’ll need to be able to utilize these mobility skills in order to unlock her true potential.

Blizzard Sorceress

Our top build for the Sorceress revolves around maxing out her icy abilities. With Blizzard being the core skill in your arsenal due to its wide AoE range and constant damage over time, you’ll be looking to pick up the Ice Bolt, Ice Blast, and Glacial Spike abilities. Not only do each of these work in tandem with one another, but they also grant Blizzard 5% extra damage per level.

Additionally, you’ll want to put a few points into Cold Mastery. While this doesn’t directly increase your damage (instead lowering the target’s cold resistance) it is essential to making sure your skills pack a punch. Max them out instead to make sure you’re the one who keeps their cool on the battlefield.

In terms of leveling out your stats, be sure to focus on Vitality. You can upgrade your Strength enough to meet weapon requirements, but Vitality needs to be the one plow your effort into.

Fire Ball Sorceress

At the opposite end of the spectrum, we have the Hellfire Sorceress, who throws the flames of the Burning Hells right back at her opponents. Despite being the highest damage build it relies on you funneling all of your points into fire spells, so if an enemy has decent fire resistance then you’re going to struggle. It’s therefore worth putting a point in Static Field to try and prevent you being a sitting duck.

You’ll want to max out the Fire Bolt, Fire Ball, Meteor and Fire Mastery skills, as these all work together and grant each other bonuses. Unlike Cold Mastery, Fire Mastery directly increases the damage of your spells, so you need to max it out, too.

Stats wise, you’re going to be funneling points into Vitality once more, but you can also drop a few in Energy and Dexterity for a little more mana and block.

Frozen Orb Sorceress

For those of you who like to tear down whole swathes of enemies at once, the Frozen Orb Sorceress is your woman. Frozen Orb is this build’s defining ability, but it relies on a hit-and-run playstyle and a lot of back-and-forth. It’s great for climbing the Ladder and decimating bosses, but warn that it leaves your Sorceress very squishy.

Pair the icy orb of death with Ice Bolt, Cold Mastery, and Static Field. The latter serves as a great way to do damage against ice-immune enemies for only one point, while Cold Mastery is essential for eating away at enemy health bars. You’ll also want to put one point into each of your ice armors, as well as a few into Energy Shield. These will make sure you stay healthy while the icy talons of death slowly close around your enemies.

Again Vitality is the one to level, but it’s worth putting a few points into Energy. This is because the Energy Shield is literally this build’s only line of defense.

Meteorb Sorceress

If you want to get the best of both the hot and cold worlds, then the Hot ‘n’ Cold Sorceress is the one for you. With your key skills being Frozen Orb and Meteor, this build negates fear over enemies having immunity to your main element but requires some skill to get right.

On the warm end of the spectrum, you’ll want to max out Fire Ball, Meteor, and Fire Mastery, while also putting some points into Fire Bolt.

To keep cool under pressure you’ll want to max Ice Blast, Ice Bolt, Frost Nova, Glacial Spike, and Blizzard, whilst dropping a point in Cold Mastery for some additional damage.

Stat wise you’ll want to make sure you have around 158 points in Strength to be able to utilize all of the best types of equipment, with over 200 in Vitality because it really is the bread and butter of this build.

Chain Lightning Sorceress

While disappointing, lightning doesn’t always strike twice in Diablo 2. Of all the elemental builds, the Tempest build is probably the weakest. Plagued by long cast times and unreliable damage, you truly are at the mercy of the storm.

Chain Lightning is the primary spell you’ll be utilizing, and we suggest maxing out Charged Bolt, Lightning, Nova, and Lightning Mastery too. Not only do all of these grant Chain Lightening a 4% damage increase per level, but Lightening Mastery provides a 278% bonus to all lightning spells when maxed out. Due to the unreliability of damage, though, we’d suggest picking up two of either Charged Bolt, Lightening or Nova, as well as another spell-like Ice Bolt in case things get rough.

As you may expect, Vitality is the way to go once more, but you want to drop a decent amount of points into Energy too for the same reason as the Frozen Orb Sorceress.

Meleeress

Wait, what? A melee Sorceress? How does that work? This build transforms the long-range spell slinger into a powerful combat fighter but isn’t one for the faint of heart.

In order to become Diablo 2’s most unexpected warrior, you’ll invest points in skills not used for attacking the enemy with magic. These include Frozen Armor, Chilling Armor, Shiver Armor, Cold Mastery, Warmth, Enchant, Fire Mastery, Static Field, Thunderstorm, and Lightning Master.

In order to survive as the Meleeress, you’ll need to max out your Telekinesis, Warmth, Energy Shield and Enchant skills. Warmth enhances your Energy Shield to make you tankier, and Telekinesis works with your mana to increase the amount of absorbed per point. Enchant improves your accuracy in melee combat, meaning you’ll be more likely to hit those killing blows.

In terms of attributes, you’ll want to max out your Dexterity block rate and level your Strength to a point where you can use the best gear. If you’re happy with where your Dexterity and Strength are at, you can also drop some points into Energy to keep Energy Shield up for longer.

Remember there are various character classes in Diablo 2, including the Druid, the Necromancer, and the
Sorceress. You can also learn more about the Horadric Cube and Runewords.