I can’t wait to show you my Ice Shards Sorcerer build for Diablo 4 Season 3 today. It’s been a lot of fun to play with. However, it’s important to note that this build isn’t particularly optimized for the Gauntlet. If you’re looking to tackle the Gauntlet, you might want to consider a different build. Nevertheless, it performs admirably in other situations and gameplay scenarios.

Skills

Teleport: This serves as our source of Unstoppable and can transform into lighting.

Ice Armor: Provides a barrier for defense and utility. While active, 5% of damage dealt is added to the barrier. Attacking vulnerable enemies contributes 50% more to the ice armor’s barrier. While active, your mana regeneration is increased by 25%.

Flame Shield: Grants immunity to all damage for 2.5 seconds. Also provides a 25% movement speed and mana cost reduction.

Deep Freeze: Grants immunity for 4 seconds and resets the cooldown of all other abilities. Upon its end, gain a barrier equal to 10% of your base life for 6 seconds for each frozen enemy. It also damages all enemies around you.

Lightning Spear: Another source of vulnerability.

Ice Shards: Launches 5 shards that deal 25% increased damage to frozen enemies. They have a 40% chance to ricochet and always ricochet off of frozen enemies. Hitting an enemy with 5 shards makes them vulnerable for 2 seconds.

Fire Bolt: Causes all abilities to apply burning damage, which amplifies fire damage.

Gear & Aspects

For the helm, use Harlequin Crest. It’s not required, but if you don’t have this Uber Unique, I would suggest using the Everliving Aspect. You take 20 to 25% less damage from crowd controlled or vulnerable enemies.

For the chest, use the Aspect of Shared Misery. When you hit a crowd control enemy, there’s up to a 50% chance for that crowd control effect to spread to another unaffected enemy.

For the gloves, use Frostburn. This gives you a 25% chance to freeze enemies for 2 seconds. If you do not have Frostburn, you could use gloves with attack speed, critical strike chance, and plus skills to Ice Shards. For the aspect, I would use Accelerating or Aspect of Control. Which gives you 25% increased attack speed or you deal up to 35% more damage to immobilize, stunned, or frozen enemies.

For the pants, use Tibault’s Will. You deal up to 40% increased damage while Unstoppable and for 4 seconds after. You also gain 50% of your primary resource. So every time you use teleport, you’re going to increase your damage and gain mana.

For the boots, use Esu’s Heirloom. Your critical strike chance is increased by up to 30% of your movement speed.

For the main hand, use Aspect of Piercing Cold. Ice Shards Pierce up to 4 times dealing 20% less damage per subsequent enemy hit.

For the off-hand, use Storm Swell. You deal up to 30% increased damage to vulnerable enemies while you have a barrier. Another good option would be the Accelerating Aspect.

For the first ring, use X'Fal's Corroded Signet. Your damage overtime effects have up to a 50% chance to erupt, dealing up to 40,000 damage of the same type to nearby enemies. This is great for this build because with the Fire Bolt Enchantment, we will be applying burning damage to all enemies hit and Ice Shards ricochet toward other enemies.

For the next ring, use Tal Rasha's Iridescent Loop. For each type of Elemental damage you deal, gain up to 15% increased damage for 4 seconds. Dealing Elemental damage refreshes all bonuses. This is going to essentially be a 45% increased damage buff at all times as long as you’re attacking something.

And for the amulet, use Ancient Flame. While both bonuses from the Esu’s Ferocity key passive are active, your attack speed is increased by up to 75%. Of course, you can also choose appropriate gear based on the amount of Diablo 4 Gold you have.

Skill Tree

For the skill tree, our basic attack is going to be Fire Bolt. For the core skills, I put 5 points in Ice Shards, 1 point in enhanced and Destructive Ice Shards, 1 point into Devastation, and 3 points into Elemental Dominance.

Defensive Skills: Put 1 point into Flame Shield, Enhanced and Mystical Flame Shield, 1 point into Teleport, Enhanced and Shimmering Teleport, 3 points into Glass Cannon, 1 point in Ice Armor, Enhanced and Mystical Ice Armor, 1 point in Elemental Attunement, 3 points into Precision Magic, 1 point in Align the Elements, 3 points into Mana Shield, and 3 points into Protection. 1 point of Inner Flames and 3 points in Devouring Blaze.

Ultimate Skills: We’re going to be putting 3 points in Permafrost or Frost and Icy Touch, and then 3 points in the Frigid Breeze. Full damage against vulnerable enemies has up to a 20% chance to generate 15 mana. For the Ultimate Deep Freeze, 1 point in the Prime and Supreme Deep Freeze, 1 point of Fiery Surge for extra mana regeneration.

Key Passive - Esu’s Ferocity. This is currently bugged where it will buff all your damage, not just fire. Ice Shards will receive 25% increased critical strike damage and 5% increased critical strike chance against enemies that have above 50% of life. When you kill an enemy with a critical strike or hit a boss, you will be granted both bonuses for 3 seconds, which will give us the 75% increased attack speed from the Ancient Flame aspect.

Seneschal Construct

For the construct, I recommend using Flash of Adrenaline and Tactical Support. Then comes Genesis. If you do not have Genesis, you can also use Safeguard. Next, use Tempest. Resource Support, Efficiency Support and Arcing Support. If you have Evernight, you would replace Arcing Support.

Paragon Boards

Winter: Whenever you chill or freeze an enemy, you deal 3% increased skull damage for 10 seconds, up to 15%. This effect stacks and refreshes, remaining active as long as you are attacking. It also buffs non-physical damage and resistances.

Burning Instinct: The legendary node is not taken. The glyph, Unleash, triggers after spending 50 mana, granting 7% increased damage and 7% mana regeneration. This is crucial for maintaining a steady flow of Mana between Ice Shards.

Enchantment Master: The glyph is Elementalist. Killing fire, cold or lightning damage to an enemy increases all damage you deal to them by 5% for 10 seconds, stacking once per element. This buff stacks up to 15% of increased damage and refreshes with continued attacks.

Frigid Fate: The legendary node is taken. You deal bonus damage to vulnerable enemies equal to 10% of the total amount of your bonus damage with cold, up to a maximum of 30%. The glyph, Flamefeeder, grants 10% increased direct damage to burning enemies.

Ice Fall: The legendary node is also taken here. Your Frost skills deal 15% increased damage to vulnerable enemies, doubled if the enemy is also Frozen. The glyph, Control, provides 10% increased damage to slow or chilled enemies, or 20% increased damage to stunned or frozen enemies.

Searing Heat: The glyph, Exploit, increases your damage by 1% for 6 seconds, stacking up to 10%, when dealing damage to a vulnerable enemy.

Ceaseless Conduit: The glyph, Destruction, increases all damage the enemy takes from you by 2% for 10 seconds, up to 12%, upon landing critical strikes. This effect stacks and refreshes.