As long as the Diablo franchise has existed, mages have been a popular class for its players. In Diablo IV, Blizzard has brought back the Sorcerer/Sorceress, an elemental magician of great and terrible power. However, this character class is well known for being a bit of a glass cannon. So, when you’ve just started the game, do you choose the best abilities to keep you alive and capable of mowing down the armies of hell? Let’s break down your best options.
The best early skills for Sorcerers in Diablo IV
As you begin working through Diablo IV and build out your skill tree, every skill and ability brings something unique to the table. If you want to be as strong and survivable as possible, though, certain skills are better for clearing all those waves and waves of frightening hell monsters.
Frost Bolt
Cold damage is a great way to fend off enemies in early Diablo IV. Turning your basic attack into a bolt of cold damage can keep hellish foes at bay and, if you stack enough cold damage on them, cause the enemies to freeze in place. As you’ll play, you’ll learn that Diablo IV is a little more punishing with early gameplay than some of its previous iterations. Therefore, being able to slow enemies with cold abilities can be a real game-changer to your survival.
Chain Lightning
Another Diablo staple is fighting enemy mobs. While the mobs aren’t as threatening in the earliest parts of the game, multi-target attacks like Chain Lightning can make a big difference to help clear foes all at once. The lightning will bounce back and forth between close-by enemies, doing damage to multiple targets with each cast. That’s why, early on, it’s inherently more effective than something like Charged Bolts. While the Charged Bolts are powerful, they scatter randomly, making Chained Lightning more deliberate and easy to control.
Related: The best Barbarian skills and abilities to get first in Diablo IV
Incinerate
In Diablo II and III, Incinerate was one of the most useful and effective magic abilities in the game, bursting down enemies with a beam of fire. While a lot of the other best early Sorcerer skills balance survival and raw damage, Incinerate has the kind of burst that can bring demons to their knees. So, if you want early burst damage, Incinerate’s always a good call.
Teleport
For glass cannon classes like the Sorcerer, being able to get away from a fight is invaluable. That’s why Teleport will become your early-game best friend. If you’re ever in a jam, this can move you to a new spot with the click of a button. Considering Diablo IV enemies are impassable, it becomes particularly important if you’re ever surrounded by demons and need an escape.
Related: How to respec skills in Diablo IV
Flame Shield
When you can’t just blip away with a cheeky little cast of Teleport, one of the next most helpful things you can do is get yourself Flame Shield. A mix of Ice Armor and Diamond Skin from Diablo III, Flame Shield does fire damage to your enemies while giving you immunity for a few seconds, helping you escape hairy situations in a fiery blaze. It’s a bit better than the Diablo IV Sorcerer’s Ice Armor because this Ice Armor’s ice and freezing damage isn’t innate. You’d have to activate a special add-on talent for that. Flame Shield just does the damage and the defense from the first point you put into the skill.
