Quick Links
The Elementalist's Aspect is quite a solid one for Sorcerers in Diablo 4, particularly if you're running a Shock build with an emphasis on Critical Strikes. But how to get it can be rather confusing, and even when you figure out the process, it's still quite the hassle.
If you pin the Elementalist's Aspect on your map from the Codex of Power menu, it will take you to the location of a Stronghold with a bunch of powerful enemies and no indication of where the aspect actually is. The thing is that you're first meant to complete the Stronghold, which will then give you access to the Dungeon that rewards you with the Elementalist's Aspect.
The Ruins of Qara-Yisu Stronghold
The Ruins of Qara-Yisu Stronghold can be pretty tough if you haven't yet maxed out your skill tree. The minimum level for the Stronghold is 33, so you should at least grind to level 30 before you attempt to go for the Elementalist's Aspect. By then, you'll already have had your Ultimate Skill available, and that will be a big help here.
The first step is to destroy 3 Infernal Spires. In usual Diablo 4 fashion, these spires will spawn a lot of mobs, so be ready to blast some AoE damage. These mobs are much more projectile-based than average, and this can be particularly challenging if you're used to attacking from a distance as mobs charge at you.
You're better off staying on the move to dodge the projectiles, and saving your Evade(s) for when you need it the most (like when it's the only way you can dodge a strong attack). This may be rather time-consuming, as you'll be forced to attack sparingly, but if you stay in one place for longer than a few seconds, your health bar will lower quickly.
You'll find the Infernal Spires where the skull icons on your map are, as seen above.
How To Defeat Utulku, The Voice Below
Once all three spires are destroyed, you'll be given the objective of investigating "the disturbance at the mine." You'll get a yellow objective circle on the map and traversing there will put you face to face with the Stronghold's boss, Utulku, The Voice Below, who'd been taunting you as you destroyed the spires.
Utulku, The Voice Below, and his mobs similarly shoot a lot of projectiles, so it's recommended you stay on the move; staying still to maximize damage output will make you a sitting duck.
A good idea would be to use your Ultimate Skill at the start of the fight. This way, you'll take out a good amount of the mobs right away, and get some time alone with the Utulku to damage them as much as possible. Utulku does, of course, spawn more enemies as the fight goes on, but it's not as many as the amount with which they start the fight.
Once he's defeated, you must simply walk to a shrine, which will have a clear indicator on your map, and interact with it. Then, the Stronghold is complete.
The Pallid Delve Dungeon
Immediately, your surroundings and the Stronghold will become Qara Yisu, a small town with a Waypoint and your usual Diablo 4 vendors. Now, you'll have access to the Pallid Delve side dungeon, which you must complete to obtain the Elementalist's Aspect. It will be right outside the town, to the east, as seen above.
The Salt Mines
The first stage of the Pallid Delve dungeon is the Salt Mines. The instructions here are quite simple; slay all enemies. Walk around and kill every mob you see. If you feel you're going around in circles, check your map to see if there's any accessible area that you've missed.
Once every enemy has been slain, a pretty easy elite will spawn, and, upon death, will drop the 'Salt Encrusted Key'. You can use this key to open the gate that leads to the next area. You'll fight another group of mobs and then have to switch two levers. The levers are surrounded by spikes that lift from the ground and deal damage. Simply wait until the moment the spikes lower, evade in, quickly interact with them and run out.
The Cursed Ruins
The next area, the Cursed Ruins, will have you destroy 3 Skeletal Constructs. Diablo 4 dungeons are procedurally generated, so the constructs' exact location can vary. Simply explore the entire Cursed Ruins area, using your map to see if there are any paths you missed, and you should find all three.
The Skeletal Constructs shoot out vacuum vortexes that darken your visibility when you're inside them, so be sure to stay on the move. They also create bone walls around them, which could be a hassle for more direct attackers with no AoE abilities. The bone walls don't really threaten you in any way, but they will make killing the construct go slower, which will allow it to spawn more mobs.
How To Defeat The Tomb Lord
Once the Skeletal Constructs are defeated, you'll head to the final area of the dungeon, which will house its boss, The Tomb Lord. The Tomb Lord also shoots those vacuum vortexes, and it puts bone walls around the terrain to limit your movement options.
The second phase of the Tomb Lord has the vacuum vortexes move, and it now creates bone walls around you, which explode for high damage. You have to destroy the one of the walls and escape the bone wall circle in a few seconds to avoid the explosion, so be sure to save your cooldowns for this.
Why Equip The Elementalist's Aspect
The Elementalist's Aspect grants you 20% increased Critical Strike chance for Core or Mastery skills cast at above 100 mana. This specifically targets Shock Sorcerers as there are many passive bonuses in their skill tree that revolve around Critical Strike.
Some abilities attack twice if it's a Critical Strike, while some get the chance to form a Crackling Energy, an interactable object that deals damage when the Sorcerer walks through it. Other skills increase the Sorcerer's Critical Strike chance, so this aspect works really well holistically with the overall strategy of optimizing Critical Strike.