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. This build is an ideal choice to start a new character in Season 4 due to the Haedrig’s Gift providing equipment for Incinerate Sorcerers.
Once you reach Level 50 in World Tier 3, continue this build with the Incinerate endgame guide. To find out more general information about leveling as a Sorcerer in Diablo 4, check out our main Leveling Guide.
Skill Tree Points and Skill Bar
Incinerate 
Fire Bolt 
Inferno 
Teleport 
Frost Nova 
Ice Armor The following table shows the order in which to allocate your Skill Points for Incinerate Sorcerer leveling. You gain 48 points at Level 50 and 2 points from completing Renown in each Act zone, for a total of 58.
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.
Damage Rotation
Engage battles at range with the following rotation.
- 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. - Activate Ice Armor for 25% Mana Regeneration.
- Spam
Fire Bolt to generate Mana and finish off weakened enemies.
Gear, Gems, Elixirs, and Stats
Season 4 brings an incredible shift in character progression systems. The major rework to itemization and crafting in Patch 1.4.0 changes the core mechanics of Diablo 4, and the changes will remain in effect beyond Season 4. 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 and it has a minimum monster level of 1, 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 stronger 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 the imprint them onto well-rolled Rare Items. Check the in-depth Aspect and Codex of Power guide for more information.
Listed below are the Aspects found on Legendary Items that are important for the Incinerate leveling build. They are listed in order of priority.
| Aspect Name | Legendary Aspect Power | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Flamethrower’s Aspect | Incinerate splits into 3 beams, each dealing [70 – 85%] of normal damage. | Random Drop |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| Aspect of Control | You deal [20 – 35%] more damage to Immobilized, Stunned, or Frozen enemies. | Sunken Library, Kehjistan |
| Rapid Aspect | Basic Skills gain [15 – 30%] Attack Speed. | Buried Halls, Dry Steppes |
| Conceited Aspect | Deal [15 – 25%] increased damage while you have a Barrier active. | Random Drop |
| Storm Swell Aspect | You deal [15 – 30%] increased damage to Vulnerable enemies while you have a Barrier. | Onyx Hold, 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 |
| Aspect of Engulfing Flames | You deal [10 – 30%] bonus Burning damage to enemies who are below 50% of their total Life. While enemies are affected by more Damage Over Time than their total Life, you deal [80 – 100%] increased Burning damage to them. | Random Drop |
Gems
Listed below are the best Gems to socket into gear for each item type.
| Slot | Gems |
|---|---|
| Weapon |  Royal Amethyst for increased Damage Over Time. |
| Armor |  Royal Ruby for increased Maximum Life. |
| Jewelry | Any Resistance Gems needed or  Royal Skull for Armor. |
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 and pick up the necessary crafting materials during your adventures; they randomly spawn around the world. Elixirs can also drop randomly from enemies and chests during many activities in Diablo 4. Listed below are the best Elixirs to consume, ranked by importance.
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 again when you reach Level 20, 30, 45, 60, 70, 80 and 90, 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 or 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. Incinerate Size is the most beneficial temper to prioritize while leveling. All other tempers may not be worthwhile during early levels if you are consistently replacing gear with new item upgrades.
| Slot | Gear Affixes | Tempering Affixes |
|---|---|---|
| Wand | 1. Maximum Life 2. Intelligence, Damage Over Time, Critical Strike Damage, Vulnerable Damage |  Pyromancy Augments (Weapon): Incinerate SizeNatural Finesse (Offensive): Damage to Close Enemies |
| Focus | 1. Cooldown Reduction, Resource Cost Reduction 2. Maximum Life, Intelligence | Pyromancy Augments (Weapon): Incinerate SizeNatural Finesse (Offensive): Damage to Close Enemies |
| Helm | 1. Mana per Second, Cooldown Reduction 2. Resistances, Armor 3. Maximum Life, Intelligence | Natural Schemes (Utility): Crowd Control DurationWorldly Endurance (Defensive): Armor or Maximum Life |
| Chest | 1. Mana per Second, Ranks to Defensive Skills 2. Resistances, Armor 3. Maximum Life, Intelligence | Natural Schemes (Utility): Crowd Control DurationWorldly Endurance (Defensive): Armor or Maximum Life |
| Gloves | 1. Ranks to Incinerate, Resource Cost Reduction 2. Resistances, Armor 3. Maximum Life, Intelligence, Damage Over Time, Vulnerable Damage, Critical Strike Damage | Natural Finesse (Offensive): Damage to Close EnemiesNatural Schemes (Utility): Crowd Control Duration |
| Pants | 1. Resistances, Armor 2. Maximum Life, Intelligence | Natural Schemes (Utility): Crowd Control DurationWorldly Endurance (Defensive): Armor or Maximum Life |
| Boots | 1. Mana per Second, Movement Speed 2. Resistances, Armor 3. Maximum Life, Intelligence | Natural Motion (Mobility): Evade Cooldown ReductionNatural Schemes (Utility): Crowd Control Duration |
| Amulet | 1. Ranks to Endless Pyre or Glass Cannon, Cooldown Reduction 2. Resource Cost Reduction, Movement Speed 3. Resistances, Armor | Natural Motion (Mobility): Evade Cooldown ReductionNatural Finesse (Offensive): Damage to Close Enemies |
| 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 ReductionNatural Finesse (Offensive): Damage to Close Enemies |
Paragon
Paragon unlocks after reaching Level 50, and the progression system offers a considerable boost to character power. The images below provide a visual of an early Paragon board setup for the Incinerate Sorcerer.
Important Notes:
- Make sure you select the correct Legendary Boards and rotate them into the correct orientation.
- Attach Legendary Boards in the correct order, as bonus requirements of Rare Nodes increase with their placement order.
- Additional bonus requirements on Rare Glyphs may not be obtainable until they gain increased radius range at Level 15.
1. Starting Board (Territorial)
Socket 
Territorial in the starting board for some valuable Damage Reduction.
2. Burning Instinct (Reinforced)
The Burning Instinct board does not need to be rotated before attachment. Socket 
Reinforced for another source of valuable Damage Reduction. Tactician is another viable choice if you prefer a damage multiplier. Obtain the Legendary Node to enable a Burning damage multiplier that scales with Critical Strike Damage and Intelligence.
3. Searing Heat (Torch)
Rotate the 
Searing Heat board 2 times before attachment. Socket Torch for a large boost in Burning damage increased from 2 sources. The Legendary node on this board is not utilized.
Paragon Board images courtesy of d4builds.gg. Click this link for the Paragon planner.
Changelog
- May 15th, 2024: Priority Affixes updated with game changes made since the Season 4 PTR.
- May 14th, 2024: Guide created for Season 4 (Patch 1.4.0).
