Diablo 4 Season 9 Blizzard Sorcerer build guide

The Blizzard Sorcerer is one of the oldest and well-known builds in Diablo 4. With a high damage ceiling from Blizzard and Ice Spike formations using the Glacial Aspect, this build can deal massive amounts of damage to monsters. While this build requires a lot of specific items to work, especially in the endgame, it can be a lot of fun to play once you have everything.

In this guide, we will break down what you need to make this build work, its weaknesses, and how to play it in Diablo 4 Season 9.

Also Read: Diablo 4 Season 9: Best builds for Infernal Hordes

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Pros and cons: Should you play the Blizzard Sorcerer in Diablo 4 Season 9?

If you are looking for a powerful Sorcerer build with a high damage ceiling as well as wave-clearing capability, the Blizzard Sorcerer is the best choice. Once geared up, it can easily melt down Bosses in T1 or T2 difficulty.

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How to play the Blizzard Sorcerer in Diablo 4 Season 9

Blizzard Sorcerers are considered as one of the most all-rounder builds in Diablo 4, even in Season 9 (Image via Blizzard Entertainment)

The Blizzard Sorcerer build completely revolves around dealing damage with Blizzard’s Ice Spikes and making enemies vulnerable using Frost Nova and Ice Blades. Enemies made vulnerable take significantly more damage, allowing for faster clearing of mobs, and Ice Spikes do tremendous amounts of damage to single targets, which is good for boss farming.

While Blizzard acts as your primary skill, Familiar plays an important part in keeping up your damage output, especially when casting it after using any of your Frost skills.

By using the Raiment of the Infinite, every time you teleport, you pull in enemies and stun them; this allows for better positioning.

For defenses, you have Ice Armor working in tandem with the Snowveiled Aspect to give you the Unstoppable stat (immunity from control-impairing effects) and overall damage reduction. Note that this isn't applicable if used in an enchantment slot.

The Avalanche key passive provides increased damage to all vulnerable enemies while costing less mana to cast your skills.

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Build requirements for the Blizzard Sorcerer

With a fully stacked cold skills in their arsenal, the Blizzard Sorcerers can easily melt down bosses (Image via Blizzard Entertainment)

While builds tend to go through changes when shifting to different phases of the game, which often requires mild to complete respeccing, it's easier to follow planned leveling routes. Here’s how to do it:

Diablo 4 Blizzard Sorcerer leveling progression guide: Skill Point allotment

Level (2-3)

• Spark
• Enhanced Spark

Level (4-7)

Initially you are required to use Ice Shards (Core skill) for leveling and then respec it, since we won't be using any core skill.

• Potent Warding
• Devastation
• Potent Warding
• Frost Nova

Level (8-15)

• Ice Armor
• Teleport
• Glass Cannon
• Enhanced Frost Nova
• Mystical Frost Nova
• Enhanced Ice Armor
• Shimmering Ice Armor
• Enhanced Teleport

Level (16-22)

• Familiar
• Ice Blades
• Enhanced Familiar
• Shimmering Teleport
• Enhanced Ice Blades
• Invoked Ice Blades
• Invoked Familiar

Level (23-32)

• Blizzard
• Mana Shield
• Primordial Binding
• Blizzard
• Align the Elements
• Protection
• Enhanced Blizzard
• Mage's Blizzard
• Snap Freeze
• Permafrost

Level (33-60)

• Icy Touch
• Frigid Breeze
• Hoarfrost
• Elemental Synergies
• Evocation
• Deep Freeze
• Prime Deep Freeze
• Supreme Deep Freeze
• Avalanche
• Permafrost
• Permafrost
• Hoarfrost
• Hoarfrost
• Icy Touch
• Icy Touch
• Frigid Breeze
• Frigid Breeze
• Elemental Synergies
• Elemental Synergies
• Evocation
• Evocation
• Blizzard
• Blizzard
• Blizzard
• Inner Flames
• Snap Freeze
• Snap Freeze
• Inner Flames

Level (61-72)

• Teleport
• Teleport
• Inner Flames
• Mana Shield
• Mana Shield
• Primordial Binding
• Primordial Binding
• Protection
• Protection
• Glass Cannon
• Glass Cannon
• Potent Warding

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Skill rotation

The Skill rotation is quite simple for playing the Blizzard Sorcerer optimally. Cast Blizzard and Deep Freeze to make enemies around you Vulnerable and deal damage with Ice Spikes. Here is a breakdown of the optimal skill rotation:

• Cast Blizzard to enshroud enemies, dealing damage with Ice Spikes.
• Teleport in to pull in enemies.
• Use Frost Nova to make enemies around you Vulnerable.
• Cast Deep Freeze to make Vulnerable enemies take up to 200% increased damage bonus.
• Call on your Familiars to deal massive amounts of damage.
• Use Ice Blades when off cooldown to get increased Attack Speed.
• Use Ice Armor as needed.
• Deep Freeze resets the cooldown of other skills. Once reset, just rinse and repeat.

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Enchantments

Enchantments allow you to use two extra skills from your skill tree, for this build we will be using the Teleport and Familiars (Image via Blizzard Entertainment)

• Teleport is always a solid choice for enchantment; it replaces your evade and gives you 30% damage reduction.
• Familiar Enchantment allows you to summon one familiar every time you cast a conjuration spell other than Familiar.

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Diablo 4 Blizzard Sorcerer: Best Gears and Aspects

The Blizzard sorcerer requires specific items to work properly in Diablo 4. While collecting them will take some time, with proper guides it's easy to acquire. Here are all the items you need for this build.

Best Gears to look for in Diablo 4

These unique items can be easily acquired in Diablo 4, but may require some tactical farming across Sanctuary (Image via Blizzard Entertainment)

1) Harlequin Crest

• 20.0% Cooldown Reduction (masterworking priority)
• +800 Maximum Life
• +18 Maximum Resource
• +350 Armor
• Gain 20% Damage Reduction. In addition, gain +4 Ranks to all Skills.

2) Raiment of the Infinite

• +94 Intelligence
• +2 to Elemental Attunement
• +2 to Shocking Impact
• +2 to Glass Cannon (masterworking priority)
• After using Teleport, Close enemies are Pulled to you and Stunned for 3.0 seconds, but Teleport's Cooldown is increased by 20%[x].

3) Blue Rose

• +12.5% Resistance to All Elements
• +12.5% Cold Resistance
• +350.0% Ice Spike Damage
• +170.0% Cold Damage
• +11.0% Critical Strike Chance
• +35.0% Chance for Ice Spikes to Explode Twice
• Lucky Hit: Up to a 30% chance to form an exploding Ice Spike, dealing 775 Cold damage. Triple this chance if the enemy is Frozen.

4) Ring of Starless Skies

• +12.5% Resistance to All Elements
• +12.5% Resistance to All Elements
• +17.5% Attack Speed
• +12.5% Critical Strike Chance
• +12.5% Lucky Hit Chance
• +2 to Core Skills
• Spending your Primary Resource reduces the Resource cost of your Skills and increases your damage by 10%[x] for 3 seconds, up to 50%[x].

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Best Aspects for the Blizzard Sorcerer in D4

Aspects can be found randomly from monster carcasses or loot chests found hidden in Diablo 4 (Images via Blizzard Entertainment)

1) Aspect of Frozen Memories

• The Avalanche Key Passive now reduces the cost of Frost Skills by an additional 30% and its damage to Vulnerable enemies is increased to 75%[x].

2) Snowveiled Aspect

• Casting Ice Armor makes you Unstoppable and grants 25% Damage Reduction for 5.5 seconds.

3) Aspect of the Orange Herald

• Lucky Hit: Up to a 13.0% chance to reduce the Cooldown of your Ultimate Skill by 2 seconds. Can only happen once per Skill cast.

4) Aspect of the Frozen Wake

• While Ice Armor is active, you leave behind exploding Ice Spikes that deal 387 damage.
• Spawning an Ice Spike increases their damage by 3%[x] for 2 seconds, up to 30 times.

5) Aspect of the Frozen Tundra

• While Deep Freeze is active, exploding Ice Spikes form in the area, dealing 775 Cold damage. Your Ice Spikes have a 50% increased explosion radius.

6) Glacial Aspect

• Blizzard periodically spawns exploding Ice Spikes that deal 1162 damage. Your Ice Spikes Chill enemies for 23%.

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Best Gems, Jewels, and Runes for the Blizzard Sorcerer

Best-in-slot Horadric Jewels in Season 9

1) Idol from Below

• +120 Armor and 6% Resistance to All Elements
• You gain 6%[x] Primary Core Stat, 6%[x] Maximum Life, and Unhindered.
• However, you will be hunted in Sanctuary's darkest places by Jewel Guardians who were entombed to protect this relic.

2) Scornful Light

• +120 Armor and 6% Resistance to All Elements
• You deal 20%[x] more Elemental damage and take 10%[x] more.

3) Reverie Horn

• +120 Armor and 6% Resistance to All Elements
• After you injure or kill an enemy, your Summons are empowered, growing larger and dealing 50%[x] more damage for 4 seconds.

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Best-in-slot Runes for Runecrafting

1) Neo-Ohm

• Neo - Avoid health damage while fighting for 2 seconds.
• Ohm - Invoke the Barbarian's War Cry Skill, increasing your damage dealt by 15% for 6 seconds.

2) Tam-Gar

• Tam - Cast a non-Channeled Core Skill.
• Gar - Gain 2.5% Critical Strike Chance for 5 seconds, up to 25%.

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Best-in-slot Gems for the Blizzard Sorcerer

1) Topaz - + [10 - 60] Intelligence

2) Sapphire - + [8.0% - 48.0%] Vulnerable Damage

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Mercenary and reinforcement

You can choose between four different mercenaries in Diablo 4, each offering unique and valuable skills (Images via Blizzard Entertainment)

Mercenaries can be accessible if you have the Vessel of Hatred expansion of Diablo 4. Out of the four available mercenaries, we will go with:

1) Raheir - Hired

• Ground Slam - Raheir’s Aegis - Bastion - Inspiration

2) Varyana - Reinforcement

• Varyana casts Bloodthirst every time you cast Blizzard.

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Paragon Board and Glyphs

Leveling up the Paragon Boards properly is key to making prominent progress in the endgame of Diablo 4. You can acquire a total of 328 Paragon Points from multiple sources and further level up after you reach Level 60.

Best Paragon Boards for the Blizzard Sorcerer

1) Fundamental Release

• Each time you apply Vulnerable, Burning, or Critically Strike an enemy, they take 10%[x] increased damage from you, up to 50%[x].
• Your Ultimate Skill damage is increased by 10%[x] of your Non-Physical Damage bonus, up to 40.0%[x].

2) Icefall

• Your Frost Skills deal 35%[x] increased damage. This Bonus is doubled and granted to all Skills if the enemy is Frozen or a Boss.

3) Frigid Fate

• You deal bonus damage to Vulnerable enemies equal to 200%[x] of the total amount of your Bonus Damage with Cold, up to a maximum of 60%[x].

4) Elemental Summoner

• Your Conjuration Skills have a 10%[x] reduced Cooldown or Mana Cost.
• They also deal bonus damage equal to 10%[x] of the total amount of your Bonus Damage with Fire, Lightning, and Cold, up to 60%[x].

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Best-in-slot Glyphs for the Paragon Boards

1) Winter

• Whenever you Chill or Freeze an enemy, you deal 4%[x] increased Cold damage for 10 seconds, up to 18%[x].
• Increase damage to Crowd Controlled targets by 14.2%[x].

2) Cryopathy

• Enemies deal 15% reduced damage to you for 5 seconds after they are no longer Frozen.
• Increase Cold damage by 10.4%[x].

3) Conjurer

• Conjuration Skills have 15% increased Critical Hit Chance.
• Increase Conjuration Skill damage by 14.2%[x].

4) Eliminator

• You deal 10%[x] increased damage to Elites.
• Increase damage to Elites by 14.2%[x].

5) Exploit

• Dealing damage to a Vulnerable enemy increases your damage by 1%[x] for 6 seconds, up to 10%[x].

Also Read: Diablo 4: Is the Paragon 300 grind worth it?

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Seasonal powers: Horadric Spellcrafting

The seasonal power of Diablo 4 Season 9 is the Horadric Spellcrafting, which allows you to craft and customize your own spells. For this build, we will be using:

Catalyst:

1) Cosmic Anomaly

• Active: Command your Anomalies to all converge and implode, dealing 495%[x] damage per detonation.
• Passive: Manifest up to 5 Anomalies that emit particles which deal 123.75%[x] damage over 4 seconds.
• Level 10 bonus: While at 5 Anomalies, you are Unstoppable and the next series of implosions will deal double damage.

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Infusion

1) Glacial Nimbus

• Your Catalyst now deals Cold and or Frostbiting damage. Enemies damaged by it are Chilled for 16%. This effect happens once per enemy every 1 second.
• While equipped, your Cold Damage Bonus is equal to that of your highest Damage Type Bonus.
• Deactivates monster Explosive effects for 8 seconds.

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Arcana

1) Bloody Charm

• Your catalyst gains a specialized Execute effect for non-Boss enemies with 12% or less life.
• Successful Executions increase your Attack Speed by 20% for 8 seconds.

2) Fractured Core

• Your Catalyst deactivates monster Damage Resistance Aura effects for 5 seconds, but you take 15% more stacking damage for the same duration.

3) Reactive Ooze

• Invoking your Catalyst grants 8% Maximum Resource Generation per second for the next 10 seconds.

Also Read: Diablo 4 Season 9 Arcana Spells guide: Drop rate, how to farm, and more

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In conclusion, if you want to play as a Sorcerer in Season 9, this build is a viable option. Even though it requires a lot of specific items to perform optimally, most of these items can be easily found in Diablo 4. Hope this guide helps you, and happy hunting.

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Check out our other guides:

• Diablo 4 Season 9: Are the new Nightmare Dungeon affixes enough to make them worthwhile?
• Diablo 4: How to get Hail of Verglas and its Unique Effects
• 5 best low-APM lazy builds to chill in Diablo 4
• Diablo 4: Mighty Throw Barbarian endgame build guide
• Diablo 4 Season 8: 7 Best Rogue Uniques to build around
• Diablo 4: Best Companion Druid endgame build guide
• How to get and use Betrayer’s Husk in Season 8

Edited by Abu Amjad Khan