Build Introduction
The 
Blizzard Sorcerer build hails destruction down on top of enemies. 
Glacial Aspect also explodes highly damaging Ice Spikes from the ground, causing the bulk of the total damage. This build excels at large Area of Effect (AoE) clearing with a high sustained Damage Per Second (DPS) once multiple Blizzards are ramped up.
Blizzard Sorcerer can also be modified to speed farm Nightmare Dungeons. With 
Teleport Enchantment and Raiment of the Infinite, the Sorcerer can zoom through dungeons for quick experience and loot. Check the Telestomp Variant Section for all the details.
Consider the Ice Shards Sorcerer build as well. It has more immediate burst damage output, making it better for speed farming Nightmare Dungeons. Blizzard Sorcerer progresses through general content a little slower, but its higher sustained DPS is better for harder content, like high Tier Nightmare Dungeon pushes or Uber Lilith. Additionally, Blizzard Sorcerer has a safer playstyle which makes it a good choice for Hardcore mode. Choose a build based on your preferences in endgame activities.
This is a well performing endgame build for Sorcerer, but it is not a viable starting build. Level a new character with Arc Lash in the Sorcerer Leveling Guide. We recommend having all offensive Aspects, including an extracted Glacial Aspect with a high flat damage value. You should also consider collecting the recommended gear ahead of time. Check the Aspects Section and Gear Section below for more details.
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The following tables show the full allocation of Skill Points for the Blizzard Sorcerer build. The first table has the most important 52 points to start the build. The second table has the remaining 6 points that are allocated once you obtain all Skill Points from Renown.
| Priority Skills | Cluster |
|---|---|
 Fire Bolt Level 2 (not on Skill Bar, only for Enchantment Slot 1) |  Basic Skill |
 Devastation Level 3  Potent Warding Level 1 |  Core Skill |
Teleport Level 1, Enhanced Teleport, Shimmering Teleport Frost Nova Level 5, Enhanced Frost Nova, Mystical Frost Nova Ice Armor Level 1, Enhanced Ice Armor Flame Shield Level 1, Enhanced Flame Shield, Mystical Flame Shield Glass Cannon Level 3 Elemental Attunement Level 1 |  Defensive Skill |
 Align the Elements Level 1,  Mana Shield Level 3,  Protection Level 3 |  Conjuration Skill |
Blizzard Level 1, Enhanced Blizzard, Mage’s Blizzard Icy Veil Level 3,  Cold Front Level 3 |  Mastery Skill |
 Deep Freeze Permafrost Level 3,  Hoarfrost Level 3,  Icy Touch Level 3 |  Ultimate Skill |
 Shatter |  Key Passives |
| Remaining Renown Points | Cluster |
|---|---|
 Inner Flames Level 1,  Devouring Blaze Level 3 | Mastery Skill |
| Teleport +2 Points | Defensive Skill |
Alternative Skills
Deep Freeze is useful as a panic button in emergencies or as another source of Freeze when Frost Nova is on Cooldown.
The default Skill Tree is our best setup for general farming activities. Alternatively, Deep Freeze can be replaced with the following Skills.
Glinting Frost Bolt can be used to generate Mana if you run into resource problems. Proper Mana Cost Reduction and Maximum Mana should be enough resource management, so Frost Bolt should only be used as a temporary solution.
Inferno has a vortex pull that can be helpful for grouping enemies, especially if you are lacking Raiment of the Infinite. 
Meteor can apply Immobilize with Wizard’s Meteor to gain more damage from Aspect of Control and Devouring Blaze. The vortex pull from Raiment of the Infinite makes it easier to land Meteor on an entire pack of enemies. While this setup is capable of dealing higher DPS, it is not needed unless you are pushing Nightmare Tiers well above your own level. For general farming purposes, Meteor is an unnecessary extra step in the rotation.
Enchantment Slots
Non-Ultimate Skills can be equipped in two available Enchantment Slots. However, a skill must have at least one skill point allocated to it in order to be used in the Enchantment Slot. Skill points that have been granted through gear work as well.
Slot Fire Bolt in the first Enchantment Slot. This applies Burning to enemies for Devouring Blaze and Burning Effects from Paragon. Do not equip Fire Bolt on the Skill Bar.
Slot Teleport in the second Enchantment Slot. Equip Boots with Max Evade Charges or Attacks Reduce Evade’s Cooldown as the implicit effect for more Evade Teleports. Teleports are needed to apply Burning to enemies, as Blizzard and Ice Spike do not work with Fire Bolt Enchantment.
Paragon
The following video guides cover the entire Paragon setup and explain the decisions made. The video uses Ice Shards Sorcerer as an example. The Blizzard Sorcerer build uses the same setup, minus the Lucky Hit Chance nodes.
The Paragon progression system unlocks after reaching Level 50, and offers a considerable boost to character power. Within the Paragon Board, there are many different bonuses, ranging from minor stat enhancements on Magic Nodes to more significant gains with Rare Glyphs and Legendary Nodes.
When progressing towards Glyph Sockets and Legendary Nodes, we recommend prioritizing attributes such as Attack Speed, Non-Physical Damage, Intelligence, Resistance, and Life for Normal and Magic Nodes. As you level up Glyphs, their effects expand in radius. Therefore, if you are unable to meet Additional Bonus requirements early on, it might be better to skip allocating extra nodes for now.
Below, we have compiled a list of the most beneficial nodes for the Blizzard Sorcerer build, sorted in the order obtained in Paragon.
Starting Board
- Path right and up to the
Elementalist. Purchase all 4 surrounding Magic Nodes. - Continue up to the Glyph Socket. Insert Elementalist and purchase 40 Intelligence from nodes in radius range.
- Obtain Elemental Balance nearby and 3 Magic Nodes providing Non-Physical Damage.
- Continue down to Resilience and purchase 2 Magic Nodes providing Maximum Life.
- Continue up the left side to the first Board Attachment Gate. Attach Frigid Fate after rotating the board clockwise 1 time. The Glyph Socket should be located in the bottom left quadrant.
Frigid Fate (2nd Board)
The Legendary Node on this board is not used.
- Path left and then up to Oppressive. Purchase all 5 surrounding Magic Nodes.
- Continue up and then right to the Glyph Socket. Insert
Tactician and purchase 25 Dexterity from nodes in radius range. This Glyph needs the increased radius range at level 15 to fulfill the additional bonus. Skip this step or use Enchanter until Tactician is at least level 15. - Obtain Weakness nearby and purchase 3 Magic Nodes providing Vulnerable Damage.
- Continue right to Restorative. Purchase 2 Magic Nodes providing Maximum Life.
- Take the shortest route to the Board Attachment Gate on the right side. Attach Elemental Summoner without any rotations to the board. The Glyph Socket should be located on the top side.
Elemental Summoner (3rd Board)
The Legendary Node on this board is not used.
- Path right and then down to Reservoir and purchase all 5 Magic Nodes.
- Continue right and then down to Swift Conjurer. Purchase 3 Magic Nodes providing Attack Speed.
- Path back up to the Glyph Socket. Insert Flamefeeder and purchase all Dexterity nodes in radius range. This Glyph needs the increased radius range at level 15 to fulfill the additional bonus. Skip this step until Flamefeeder is at least level 15.
- Take the shortest route to the Board Attachment Gate on the bottom side. Attach Burning Instinct after rotating the board clockwise 2 times. The Glyph Socket should be located in the top right quadrant.
Burning Instinct (4th Board)
The Legendary Node on this board is not used.
- Path down and then right to the Glyph Socket. Insert Exploit and purchase all Dexterity nodes in radius range.
- Obtain Smoldering Embers nearby and purchase 3 Magic Nodes providing Damage Reduction from Enemies That Are Burning.
- Obtain Cinders nearby and purchase 3 Magic Nodes providing Damage to Burning Enemies.
Ceaseless Conduit (5th Board)
The Legendary Node on this board is not used.
- From the Frigid Fate board, take the shortest route to the Board Attachment Gate of the left side. Attach Ceaseless Conduit after rotating the board clockwise 3 times. The Glyph Socket should be located in the bottom right quadrant.
- Path left and then up to Hunter Killer. Purchase all 5 surrounding Magic Nodes.
- Path back down to the Glyph Socket. Insert Territorial and purchase all Dexterity nodes in radius range.
- Take the shortest route to the Board Attachment Gate on the bottom side. Attach Searing Heat without any rotations to the board. The Glyph Socket should be located in the top right quadrant.
Searing Heat (6th Board)
The Legendary Node on this board is not used.
- Path right and then down to the Glyph Socket. Insert
Control and purchase all Dexterity nodes in radius range. - Continue down and left to Combustion. Purchase 2 Magic Nodes providing Critical Strike Damage.
The remaining 3 Paragon points can be put into Potion Healing and All Resistance. Click this link and check the Paragon page on the planner for a visual of the entire tree.
Mechanics and Playstyle
The Blizzard Sorcerer requires careful management of resource and multiple cooldowns. Only 1 Skill Point is allocated in Blizzard, as this build does not rely on the Damage Over Time portion of the skill. Instead, Ice Spikes from Glacial Aspect deal almost all the damage in the build.
Casting Frost Nova to freeze an entire pack of enemies enables damage increases from Enhanced Blizzard, Aspect of Control and Control. Mystical Frost Nova is our only source of Vulnerable application.
Shatter is used as the preferred Key Passives in this build. 
Avalanche is better for boss fights, but not worthwhile for general use due to the low Lucky Hit Chance of Blizzard.
Use Deep Freeze as a last resort to save you with Immunity.
Damage Rotation
Use the following rotation to optimize damage.
- Activate Flame Shield immediately for 25% Mana Cost Reduction. Alternatively, you can save it to use reactively to break Crowd Controls or prevent fatal damage.
- Pre-cast Blizzard a few times from a distance to start ramping up damage and Chill.
- Use Teleport offensive on top of enemies to activate Fire Bolt Enchantment and apply Burning status. This is more effective with Raiment of the Infinite for the Stun (see Telestomp variant).
- Cast Frost Nova to Freeze the entire pack of enemies.
- Activate Ice Armor for 25% Mana Regen.
- Continue casting Blizzard until enemies are defeated.
- (Optional) Cast Deep Freeze during difficult fights to become Immune while remaining Ice Spikes kill enemies.
Gear Choice and Stats
While farming with your Blizzard Sorceress, make sure to pick up all Rare Item drops that may be upgrades. Additionally, save Legendary Items that have useful aspects in your stash to be used later, or for extracting and imprinting onto well rolled Rare Items.
Starting Gear Requirements
Collect the required gear before you make the switch to Blizzard Sorcerer. Wait until you have at least Sacred Items from World Tier 3 with all the possible Cooldown Reduction and Mana Cost Reduction mods.
A Staff is preferred over a Wand and Focus for the +100% bonus effect to Aspects on a Two-Handed Weapon. Glacial Aspect gains double damage on a Staff from multiplying the base damage of Ice Spike by 2. In addition, the 25%[x] increased damage to Frozen enemies goes to 50%[x]. The Aspect bonus effect on a Staff contributes an additional 2.4 times multiplier on total damage from Ice Spikes!
Mana Cost Reduction is an important stat to spam more casts of Blizzard. It can be found on a Focus, Amulet and Boots. Get at least 25% Mana Cost Reduction before starting the build. In addition, Maximum Mana on Rings and Helm helps with resource management.
Higher Item Level gear provides higher stat values. Replace outdated gear often, and upgrade new gear at the Blacksmith to increase Item Levels further.
Stat Priority List
Listed below are the Affixes to prioritize on gear for Blizzard Sorcerer. Each line of Affixes are listed in order of importance. Affixes on the same line are considered to be equally important, since their exact values differ for each character. All stats have an effect that is dependent on how much is already stacked. Bolded stats are the most important and sometimes vital for the build to function properly.
Legendary Aspects and Codex of Power
Listed below are all the best-in-slot Aspects found on Legendary Items that are important for the Blizzard Sorcerer build. Aspects from the Codex of Power can be used if you cannot find the proper Legendary drops, but they have weaker effects. Extract Aspects from lower level Legendary Items and imprint them onto better Rare Items with preferred stats.
Glacial Aspect contributes almost all of the base damage output in this build. Aspects with flat damage values scale up every 10 Item Power, and they can be extracted to maintain the same flat damage value once imprinted. Follow the step below to optimize the flat damage value on Glacial Aspect.
- Find a Legendary Item with Glacial Aspect that has a high Item Power and a high flat damage value within the given range.
- Upgrade the Legendary Item at the Blacksmith for an increase to the range of the flat damage value every 10 Item Power. A value rolled near the top of the range will maintain its high position in the new range when upgraded.
- Extract the Glacial Aspect from the Legendary Item. The extracted Aspect maintains the flat damage value.
- Imprint the Glacial Aspect on a well rolled Rare Item. Weapon DPS does not matter much, as Ice Spike base damage is determined by the flat damage value on the Aspect. Therefore, only 725 Item Power is necessary for the highest stat ranges on item affixes. Prioritize getting a Rare Item with the top affixes recommended in the Stat Priority List.
Frostblitz Aspect seems like it has a bad tradeoff of increasing the Cooldown on Frost Nova, but it has an unexpected interaction (possible bug) with Enhanced Frost Nova. The Cooldown effect double dips when you have 2 maximum charges, reducing Cooldown by 2 seconds for every kill, up to 8 seconds total. This interaction makes Frostblitz Aspect worth using when it normally would not be used.
Prodigy’s Aspect is needed to help with Mana generation.
Aspect of Frozen Wake does not increase the damage of Ice Spikes from Blizzard. Instead, it is used to Freeze enemies faster during general farming.
Aspect of Binding Embers provides Immobilize to activate more damage from Aspect of Control and Devouring Blaze. In addition, the unhindered movement helps if you get stuck on monsters with the Telestomp Variant.
| Gear Slot | Aspect Name | Legendary Aspect Power |
|---|---|---|
| Staff (+100% bonus) | Glacial Aspect | When you cast Blizzard it will periodically spawn exploding Ice Spikes that deal [X] damage. Your Ice Spikes deal 50% increased damage to Frozen enemies. |
| Amulet (+50% bonus effect) | Aspect of Control | You deal [25 – 35%] more damage to Immobilized, Stunned, or Frozen enemies. |
| Ring Slot #1 | Prodigy’s Aspect | Using a Cooldown restores [15 – 25] Mana. |
| Wand, Focus, Gloves or Ring Slot #2 | Aspect of the Frozen Tundra | While Deep Freeze is active, exploding Ice Spikes form in the area, dealing [X] Cold Damage. Your Ice Spikes have [50%] increased explosion radius. |
| Wand, Focus, Gloves or Ring Slot #2 | Aspect of Frozen Wake | While Ice Armor is active, you leave behind exploding Ice Spikes that deal [X] damage. Your Ice Spikes Chill enemies for 10%. |
| Wand, Focus, Gloves or Ring Slot #2 | Storm Swell Aspect | You deal [11 – 20%] increased damage to Vulnerable enemies while you have a Barrier. |
| Wand, Focus, Gloves or Ring Slot #2 | Conceited Aspect | Deal [15 – 25%] increased damage while you have a Barrier active. |
| Chest (gets replaced by Raiment of the Infinite) | Everliving Aspect | You take [20 – 25%] less damage from Crowd Controlled or Vulnerable enemies. |
| Helm or Pants | Aspect of Disobedience | You gain [0.25 – 0.50%] increased Armor for 4 seconds when you deal any form of damage, stacking up to [25.00 – 50.00%]. |
| Helm or Pants | Frostblitz Aspect | Frost Nova gains an additional Charge but the Cooldown per Charge is increased by [40 – 30%] . |
| Boots | Aspect of Binding Embers | Flame Shield lets you move unhindered through enemies. Enemies you move through while Flame Shield is active are Immobilized for [2.0 – 3.0] seconds. |
Unique Items
Raiment of the Infinite
Raiment of the Infinite Unique Effect – After using Teleport, Close enemies are Pulled to you and Stunned for [2 – 3] seconds, but Teleport’s cooldown is increased by 20%.
This Unique Chest Armor synergizes well with the most Sorcerer builds. It groups enemies up and Stuns them to active damage increases from Aspect of Control and Control.
Fists of Fate (Not Recommended)
Fists of Fate Unique Effect – Your attacks randomly deal 1% to [200 – 300%] of their normal damage.
These Unique Gloves gloves can be worth using if they roll 300%, increasing overall damage by 50%. The Lucky Hit Chance to Immobilize can activate Devouring Blaze and Aspect of Control for more damage. Unfortunately, Blizzard does not activate Lucky Hit often enough to be reliable.
Frostburn (Not Recommended)
Frostburn Unique Effect – Lucky Hit: Up to a [15 – 25%] chance to Freeze enemies for 2 seconds.
These Unique Gloves might seem attractive for a cold build, but are not worth using. Blizzard does not activate Lucky Hit often enough to be reliable.
Iceheart Brais (Not Recommended)
Iceheart Brais Unique Effect – Enemies that die while Frozen, have a [11 – 20%] chance to unleash a Frost Nova.
These Unique Pants can keep a pack of enemies Frozen for longer, but you should not need them to finish off enemies. They do not help while moving from pack to pack. Well-rolled Legendary Pants with Damage Reduction Affixes and an Aspect are better.
Gems
Listed below are the best Gems to socket into gear for each slot type.
- Weapon: Sapphire for Critical Strike Damage to Crowd Controlled Enemies.
- Armor: Ruby for Maximum Life.
- Jewelry: Skull for Armor.
Elixirs and Health Potions
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 and pick up the necessary crafting materials during your adventures; they randomly spawn around the world. Craft a Precision Elixir for Critical Strike Chance and Damage.
Return to the Alchemist again when you reach Level 20, 30, 45, 60, 70, 80 and 90, to upgrade your potion. The extra healing is essential to survival.
Telestomp Blizzard Sorcerer Build Variant
Telestomp Ice Shards Sorcerer is a Stun variant build created by Lexyu. It is designed to speed farm Normal or Nightmare Dungeons even faster for more experience and loot. Telestomping is the act of using Teleport offensively right on top of enemies to vortex and Stun them.
This version of the build requires the Unique Chest Armor, Raiment of the Infinite. It can drop globally in World Tier 3 or 4 with an extremely low chance, so keep farming with the original version of the build until you find it.
Stun is used to activate Crowd Control damage bonuses, reducing the dependency on Frost Nova and its long Cooldown. In addition, Evade is transformed into another Teleport with a Cooldown that is reduced by the proper implicit effect on Boots. Teleport your way quickly through dungeons, sucking up and Stunning enemies with the Raiment of the Infinite Blizzard Sorcerer!
Skill Tree Points for Telestomp Ice Shards Sorcerer
With Raiment of the Infinite, Telestomp Blizzard Sorcerer puts more focus on Teleport instead of Frost Nova. The only recommended change to the Skill Tree is moving extra points from Frost Nova to max out Teleport instead.
Paragon for Telestomp Ice Shards Sorcerer
Stun effects in Paragon are utilized once Raiment of the Infinite is obtained. Replace Ceaseless Conduit with Static Surge. The Legendary Node restores 10 Mana on Stunning Close Enemies can fill an entire Mana pool with a telestomp.
Click this link and check the Paragon page on the planner for a visual of the entire tree.
Mechanics and Playstyle for Telestomp Ice Shards Sorcerer
Stun provides an alternative way to Crowd Control (CC) enemies, reducing the dependency on Frost Nova for Freezing. Most enemies can be killed quickly after telestomping. Reserve Frost Nova for tougher elites and larger groups of enemies.
Use the Evade Teleport foremost and often, as the cooldown is easily reduced with the Boots implicit effect, attacks reduce evade’s cooldown by 1.2 Seconds. Make sure to upgrade the Boots 5 times to get the highest effect possible. Use the normal Teleport on the Skill Bar as a backup whenever Evade Teleport is unavailable. Get into a rhythm of pre-casting Blizzard from a distance, telestomping into the pack of enemies, and moving on to the next pack while the remaining AoE finishes enemies off.
Gear Choices for Telestomp Ice Shards Sorcerer
Most of the stat priorities stay the same for the Telestomp version of Blizzard Sorcerer. The major differences are listed below.
- Boots with the implicit effect, attacks reduce evade’s cooldown by 1.2 Seconds, are required.
- +4 Ranks to Teleport is preferred in addition to +4 Ranks to Frost Nova on Boots.
- +3 Ranks to All Defensive Skills on the Amulet is more important than before.
- Aspect of Retribution replaces Storm Swell Aspect or Aspect of Frozen Wake for more damage to Stunned enemies.
- Use Aspect of Binding Embers on Boots for unhindered movement if you get stuck on monsters after telestomping.
