Build Introduction
The Incinerate Sorcerer leveling build roasts foes with a penetrating beam of burning fire. Incinerate excels at clearing groups of enemies when lined up, and it can be channeled to ramp up devasting damage against bosses.
Season 7 Update (Patch 2.1.0): The patch update allows damage from Enhanced Familiar to scale up with Skill Ranks of Familiar. The Burning damage from Fire Familiar greatly supplements damage output for early leveling!
Check the Sorcerer Leveling Guide Overview for a comparison of all the starter builds on Icy Veins.
Once your Sorcerer character reaches Level 60, switch to the Endgame Guide for the Incinerate Sorcerer to continue this build.
Skill Tree Points and Skill Bar
The following table shows the order in which to allocate your Skill Points while leveling with the Incinerate Sorcerer build. You gain 59 points at Level 60 and 12 points from Renown, for a total of 71.
Enchantment Slots
The Specialization of the Sorcerer can be unlocked at Level 15. Complete the Legacy of the Magi questline as soon as possible to gain access to your first Enchantment Slot, and then assign Fireball for group clearing. Once you unlock the second slot at Level 30, assign Incinerate to it.
Build Mechanics and Playstyle
The Incinerate Sorcerer leveling build is fairly simple to play due to the Core Skill doing the majority of the damage for both density clearing and single target fights. Drag and line up group of enemies to hit them all with the piercing beam of fire. Once Incinerate reaches level 5, its damage is further increased by many Passives in the Skill Tree.
Fire Familiar supplements damage by Burning nearby enemies with Enhanced Familiar. The Burning damage scales with Skill Ranks of Familiar to greatly enhance damage during the early leveling process!
Damage Rotation
Engage battles at range with the following rotation.
- Cast Familiar every 8 seconds. Ensure that the previous Skill cast was a Pyromancy Skill to summon a Fire Familiar. All 3 charges of Familiar can be cast against bosses and tough elites.
- Cast Frost Nova near enemies to apply Vulnerable from Mystical Frost Nova
- Cast Inferno to Pull groups of enemies together.
- Channel Incinerate while above 50 Mana to utilize Elemental Dominance for optimal DPS.
- Spam Fire Bolt to generate Mana and finish off weakened enemies.
Gear, Gems, Elixirs, and Stats
The following sections cover the important systems that are essential to improving the power of your character during the leveling process.
Legendary Aspects
Aspect of Conflagration is the most beneficial Offensive Aspect while leveling an Incinerate Sorcerer. Unlock the Aspect in the Codex of Power by completing the Light’s Watch dungeon in Fractured Peaks. This dungeon is near the first main town of Kyovashad, so clear it as soon as possible. Afterwards, visit the Occultist to imprint Aspect of Conflagration onto a Rare Item. An Amulet is recommended for imprinting important Aspects for a +50% bonus effect, and it doesn’t need to be replaced as often as weapons.
Higher Tier Aspects with more potent effects can be found on dropped Legendary Items. Salvage unwanted Legendary Items at the Blacksmith to unlock these Aspects in the Codex of Power, and then imprint them onto well-rolled Rare or Legendary Items. Check the in-depth Aspect and Codex of Power guide for more information.
Aspect of Elemental Constellation is the most beneficial aspect that can be found on Legendary Item drops. If you are lucky enough to find the aspect with a decently rolled value, imprint it onto a Staff to double the dagger damage.
Listed below are the Aspects found on Legendary Items that are beneficial for the build while leveling, in order of importance. Check the endgame guide for the Incinerate Sorcerer for the best-in-slot Aspect setup.
| Aspect Name | Legendary Aspect Power | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Aspect of Elemental Constellation | Casting Pyromancy, Shock, and Frost Skills conjures a matching Elemental Dagger around you that pierces through enemies dealing [X] damage after 3 seconds. The damage increases by 100% per matching elemental skill you cast. | Random Drop |
| Flamethrower’s Aspect | Incinerate splits into 3 beams, each dealing [70 – 85%] of normal damage. | Random Drop |
| Aspect of Engulfing Flames | You deal x6% increased Burning damage to enemies for each second they remain Burning, up to x30% after 5 seconds. Additionally, you deal x [10 – 30%] increased Burning damage to enemies that are not Healthy. | Random Drop |
| Aspect of Conflagration | While channeling Incinerate, your Burning damage is increased by x [25 – 40%]. Enemies hit by Incinerate explode, Burning all surrounding enemies for [X] over 3 seconds. This effect occurs once per 4 seconds. | Light’s Watch, Fractured Peaks |
| Aspect of Creeping Death | You deal x [5 – 20%] increased damage over time to enemies for each different Crowd Control effect they’re afflicted by. Unstoppable enemies and Staggered Bosses take x [10 – 40%] increased damage over time from you instead. | Random Drop |
| 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. | Oldstones, Scosglen |
| Conceited Aspect | Deal [15 – 25%] increased damage while you have a Barrier active. | Random Drop |
| Storm Swell Aspect | You deal x [15 – 35%] increased damage while Ice Armor is active. This amount is increased by another 15% against Frozen enemies. | Onyx Hold, Dry Steppes |
| Aspect of Control | You deal [20 – 35%] more damage to Immobilized, Stunned, or Frozen enemies. | Sunken Library, Kehjistan |
| Aspect of the Expectant | Attacking enemies with a Basic Skill increases the damage of your next Core Skill cast by [5 – 10%], up to 30%. | Underroot, Scosglen |
| Rapid Aspect | Basic Skills gain [15 – 30%] Attack Speed. | Buried Halls, Dry Steppes |
| Aspect of Might | Basic Skills grant 20% Damage Reduction for [2.0 – 6.0] seconds. | Dark Ravine, Dry Steppes |
| Aspect of the Bounding Conduit | Gain [25 – 30%] Movement Speed for 3 seconds after Teleporting. | Komdor Temple, Dry Steppes |
Gems and Runewords
Listed below are the best Gems to socket into gear for each item type.
| Weapon Gems | Armor Gems | Jewelry Gems |
|---|---|---|
| Amethyst for increased Damage Over Time. | Topaz for Intelligence. | Any Resistance Gems needed or Skull for Armor (up to the 1,000 Armor cap). |
If you are playing the Season of Witchcraft (Season 7), visit Gelena at the Tree of Whispers to craft Occult Gems. The recommended Occult Gems are included in the Incinerate Sorcerer endgame build guide due to their high crafting costs.
Runes are unlocked during the Vessel of Hatred campaign and then start dropping during various activities. A Rune of Offering and a Rune of Invocation can be combined by inserting them into equipment with two available sockets, creating a Runeword. A limit of two Runewords can be equipped.
Listed below are the best Runewords utilizing Magic and Rare Runes that are beneficial for this build. The best-in-slot Runewords utilizing Legendary Runes are in the Endgame Guide for the Incinerate Sorcerer.
| Runewords | Effects |
|---|---|
| Neo Ton | Gain: 200 Offering — Deal damage after not taking any within 2 seconds. (Resets if Invulnerable.) Requires: 20 Offering, Cooldown: 1 Second — Evoke the Sorcerer’s Meteorites, dealing damage to enemies. |
| Feo Lac | Gain: 1000 Offering — Become Injured or Crowd Controlled (Cooldown: 10 seconds). Requires: 400 Offering, Cooldown: 1 Second — Evoke the Barbarian’s Challenging Shout, reducing your damage taken for 3 seconds. |
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 for Bundled Herbs during your adventures; they randomly spawn around the world. Elixirs can also drop randomly from enemies and chests during many activities in Diablo 4.
- 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.
Return to the Alchemist every 10 Levels 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 during the early leveling process. Each line of affixes are 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 compared to other character stats.
When comparing weapons with similar item levels, Two-Handed Staves are preferred over One-Handed Weapons for higher damage while leveling.
Critical Strike Damage becomes beneficial once you obtain Burning Instinct in Paragon.
Tempering Manuals are randomly dropped while leveling, and they need to be found to unlock their usage at the Blacksmith. Each manual has Magic, Rare, and Legendary rarities that determine the range of values available. Rare Items can inherit 1 tempering affix, while Legendary Items can inherit 2 tempering affixes from different categories.
The most beneficial tempering affixes while leveling are included below. If tempering materials (Iron Chunk and Veiled Crystal) are limited, prioritize the Resource, Weapon, and Offensive categories. The best-in-slot tempering affixes are available in the Endgame Guide for the Incinerate Sorcerer.
| Slot | Gear Affixes | Tempering Affixes |
|---|---|---|
| Weapon | 1. Damage Over Damage 2. Maximum Life, Dexterity | 1. Pyromancy Augments — Fiery (Weapon): Chance for Incinerate to do Double Damage 2. Pyromancy Finesse (Offensive): Fire Damage or your highest available damage increase temper |
| Focus (optional) | 1. Cooldown Reduction, Resource Cost Reduction 2. Maximum Life, Intelligence | 1. Pyromancy Augments — Fiery (Weapon): Chance for Incinerate to do Double Damage 2. Pyromancy Finesse (Offensive): Fire Damage or your highest available damage increase temper |
| Helm | 1. Mana per Second, Cooldown Reduction 2. Resistances, Armor 3. Maximum Life, Intelligence | 1. Worldly Endurance (Defensive): Armor |
| Chest | 1. Mana per Second, Ranks to Defensive Skills 2. Resistances, Armor 3. Maximum Life, Intelligence | 1. Worldly Endurance (Defensive): Armor |
| Gloves | 1. Ranks to Incinerate, Resource Cost Reduction 2. Resistances, Armor 3. Damage, Over Time, Maximum Life, Intelligence | 1. Pyromancy Finesse (Offensive): Fire Damage or your highest available damage increase temper |
| Pants | 1. Resistances, Armor 2. Maximum Life, Intelligence | 1. Worldly Endurance (Defensive): Armor |
| Boots | 1. Mana per Second, Movement Speed 2. Resistances, Armor 3. Maximum Life, Intelligence | 1. Natural Motion (Mobility): Movement Speed or any available Movement Speed temper |
| Amulet | 1. Ranks to Endless Pyre, Hoarfrost, and Inner Flames 2. Intelligence, Cooldown Reduction, Resource Cost Reduction, Movement Speed 3. Resistances, Armor | 1. Worldly Stability (Resource): Resource Generation or Resource Cost Reduction 2. Pyromancy Finesse (Offensive): Fire Damage or your highest available damage increase temper |
| Rings | 1. Resource Cost Reduction 2. Maximum Life, Intelligence, Damage Over Time, Vulnerable Damage, Critical Strike Damage | Worldly Stability (Resource): Resource Generation or Resource Cost Reduction 2. Pyromancy Finesse (Offensive): Fire Damage or your highest available damage increase temper |
Witchcraft Powers
In the Season of Witchcraft (Season 7), earn seasonal reputation to unlock Witchcraft Powers. Equip the following Witchcraft Powers to enhance this build during the leveling process. Lost Powers are not considered in this list due to the difficulty of finding them.
- Doom Orb: Eldritch Power
- An ominous orb of pure Eldritch energy circles you damaging any enemy it touches for [X] Fire damage. Doom Orb may launch itself at distant enemies before returning.
- Kills or damage to Bosses empower the orb’s damage by 5%. After 100%, the orb explodes dealing [X[] Fire damage to nearby enemies before reforming 3 seconds later.
- Hex of Shattering: Psyche Power
- Damage done by your Witchcraft Effects afflicts enemies with Hex of Shattering causing them to deal [20%] reduced damage for 5 seconds.
- At Rank 8: When any Hex Effect is applied to Headrotten, all damage will be guaranteed Critical Strikes for 5 seconds.
- Soul Harvest: Growth and Decay Power
- Whenever you use a Cooldown, you gain x1% Primary Core Stat per surrounding enemy. This bonus lasts for [15.5] seconds.
- While there are surrounding enemies, Soul Harvest has infinite duration.
- Aura of Lament: Psyche Power
- The first time you damage an enemy, you contaminate them with Aura of Lament for [31] seconds. Enemies within are Slowed by 70% and each grant you 3 Primary Resource each second. If its host dies, Aura of Lament transfers to a new one, retaining its duration.
- You can only create an Aura of Lament once every [31] seconds. Only 2 may exist at a time.
- Aura of Misfortune: Growth and Decay Power
- You inflict non-Boss enemies near you with Aura of Misfortune, Slowing them by 30%. When an affected monster would attack, they have a [31%] chance to stumble and do nothing instead.
- You gain +15% Movement Speed.
- Aura of Siphoning: Growth and Decay Power
- Conjure an aura of decay that deals [X] Poison damage to enemies every second.
- At Rank 10: Each time Aura of Siphoning deals damage, you are healed for 1% of Maximum Life.
Mercenaries
Once the Den is unlocked during the main questline in the Vessel of Hatred expansion for Diablo 4, complete Mercenary key quests to acquire them. Hire a Mercenary and enlist a Reinforcement in the following setup.
- Hired Mercenary: Raheir
- Skills: Ground Slam, Raheir’s Aegis, Bastion, Inspiration
- Reinforcement: Varyana
- Skill: Ancient Harpoons
- Opportunity: Ice Armor
Paragon
After Character Level 60, experience gains are applied to Paragon up to Level 300. A maximum of 228 Paragon Points can be obtained through Paragon Levels, Renown, and Altars of Lilith. Follow the Paragon setup designed for the Incinerate Sorcerer to gain a considerable amount of progression for your character.
Glyphs are inserted into sockets on each Paragon board and can be found during various activities in Diablo 4. Level up the Glyphs included in the Paragon setup by completing The Pit. Clearing higher tiers of The Pit allows Glyphs to reach higher levels.
Important Notes:
- Make sure you select the correct Legendary Boards and rotate them into the proper orientation.
- Attach Legendary Boards in the order shown, as bonus requirements of Rare Nodes increase with their placement order.
- Prioritize leveling each of your equipped Glyphs to 15 to gain the increased radius, which can be required to meet additional bonus requirements. Afterward, level each Glyph to 46 to unlock its Legendary Bonus and gain another radius increase.
- 2 Paragon setup tabs are available! The Base Setup is designed to quickly unlock the essential Glyph sockets and Legendary Nodes at a moderate Paragon Level. The Full Setup additionally includes the remaining beneficial nodes.
Changelog
- January 24, 2025: Recommended Witchcraft Powers that are easier to obtain while leveling.
- January 19, 2025: Guide updated for Season 7 (Patch 2.1.0).
- October 16, 2024: New Paragon tool added.
- October 4, 2024: Guide updated for Season 6 (Patch 2.0.2).
- August 6, 2024: Guide updated for Season 5 (Patch 1.5.0).
- May 14, 2024: Guide created for Season 4 (Patch 1.4.0).
