So you finally have your hands on Diablo 4, and you're left wondering, how do I build my character? Well, there are many ways you can go about it, and that can be both a good thing and incredibly intimidating.

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One of the most powerful classes in Diablo 4 is the Sorcerer. They can be a master of the elements, specialize in certain damage types, or just be a glass cannon - able to wipe out any enemy in front of them while simultaneously being a delicate little flower. We've tried just about every major build you can make with the Sorcerer, and here is the best one for leveling.

Skill Tree Overview

Before you can start building the best Sorcerer, you'll need to spend some time unlocking each group of skills on the skill tree. Each time you level, you'll gain a skill point that can be spent to unlock or upgrade abilities. Spend enough points, and you'll unlock a new group of abilities, giving you even more ways to defeat the hordes of hell. Unlocking the first two groups is relatively quick, but you'll need to put in some time if you want to reach the more powerful groups like the Ultimate and Key Passive. Here are all the skill tree groups and the skill point requirements to unlock them.

Related: Diablo 4: How To Gain Experience & Level Up Quickly

Best Skills For Leveling

Each time you level up, you will acquire a skill point that can be applied to the skill tree. You can also acquire skill points by gaining enough Renown in each region to unlock Renown rewards. Since everyone will gain skill points at a different cadence, we have broken out our leveling guide to focus on the point allocation, rather than your character level.

There are dozens of ways to build your Sorcerer. To ensure you have the best skills to help you level quickly, we've tried builds that focus strictly on Fire, Lightning, Ice, and a combination of all three. You can definitely swap some of these skills out to fit your play style, but we found that this particular combination we're calling the Battle Mage provides options for just about any situation, be it offensive, defensive, or evasive. These skills also give you a great balance of close combat and ranged attacks, and will help ensure you are taking advantage of the best upgrade and passive enhancements available.

Paragon Leveling

Even after reaching level 50, you can continue leveling up your Sorcerer using the Paragon system. This system allows you to earn and spend Paragon points to increase various stats that can range from something small like +5 to Intelligence to something big like +20% Damage.

In addition to this, you will now also occasionally find glyphs when defeating enemies. These can range from common to rare and add another layer of customization to your Sorcerer build. For a more comprehensive breakdown of the glyphs, check out our Guide To Sorcerer Paragon Glyphs.

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Best Gear And Stats

Like allocating skill points, there is more than one way to equip your Sorcerer. In general, Sorcerers can use either a two-handed staff or a combination of a single-handed weapon and a magic item. Staves will typically have a slower casting speed but higher damage output, while the wand and magic item combo comes with quicker casting speed but often less total damage. The wand and magic item combo also comes with the added perk of having twice as many item effects since both items will have their own effects, affixes, and Aspects. Sometimes it works out better to do a little less base damage to get the extra stat perks that come with it.

Since weapons and armor all have randomly generated stats, affixes, and Aspects, there isn't a direct way to send you out to find a particular item for this best build. Instead, you'll want to pay attention to what effects show up on the items you find since they will be the most important factor in your leveling build. As a Battle Mage whose Basic Attack requires you to get up close and personal, it is important to focus on ensuring you can get in and out of the action quickly. Your Teleport move will definitely help with that, but you'll also need to be able to dish out maximum damage on your skills and be prepared to take some hits as well.

Related: Diablo 4: All Sorcerer Codex Of Power Locations

Recommended Gems

To really maximize your build, you'll need to choose the right gems for your gear. There are several types of gems to choose from, each with their own effects. On top of that, the kind of gear you socket your gem into will completely change the gem's effects.

Again, there is no one way to go about this, but there are a few gems that are going to work best for you in just about every kind of scenario. When choosing which of these to socket into your gear, one final thing to consider is what the base affixes are for the gear. For example, if you have a bunch of resistance already because of the stats your gear came with, then you can probably reserve one of the gem slots for something damage related instead. Don't be afraid to experiment to find the right combination. You can always unsocket gems by visiting the Jeweler if you don't like your original decision.

Next: Diablo 4: How To Unlock Sorcerer Specialization