
Introduction
The Zeal Sorceress jumps right into the fray, hacking and slashing through enemies like a knife through butter. If you think that the Sorceress is only adept at using abilities from afar, this build turns that notion on its head! Similar to the Dream Paladin, this Sorceress uses Passion-granted Zeal and Dual-Dreams to cut down her foes. This Passion-ate Sorceress can slay any foe, including the Ubers!
Empowered by Lightning Mastery and Enchant, the Zeal Sorceress pumps out incredible amounts of Lightning and Fire Damage (and a smidgeon of Physical Damage from the weapon itself). You can farm anywhere on this build with Infinity equipped on your Mercenary. The main drawback of this build is that it requires expensive and highly specialized gear. With this in mind, the Zeal Sorceress is an incredibly fun and powerful goal for later on in the Ladder Season!
This build guide assumes you have a Character at Level 75 before transitioning to it. Check out our Sorceress Leveling Guide and our General Leveling Strategies to reach Level 75.
Crazy High Damage ✔
Can Farm Everything ✔
2 Primary Damage Types ✔
Easy To Learn And Master ✔
❌ Expensive Gear
❌ Dangerous Playstyle
❌ Repetitive Skill Usage
❌ Somewhat Clunky Playstyle
Skills
Put 1 Skill Point into each of the following Skills:
1. Telekinesis
2. Teleport
3. Static Field
4. Frozen Armor
5. Thunder Storm
Max out the following Skills in this order:
1. Lightning Mastery
2. Enchant
3. Warmth
4. Fire Mastery
Put any extra Skill Points into Teleport to reduce its Mana cost to 1. If you still have any Skill Points left over, put them into Thunder Storm.
Damage
Zeal* is your Primary Damage Skill that is granted by Passion. It swings your weapon up to 5 times in quick succession. Your Character is stuck in its attack animation until the maximum number of swings have been completed. Zeal applies on-hit Lightning Damage from your Dream-granted Holy Shock.
Static Field* is great to use against bosses and other high Life monsters. Each cast uses Lightning Damage to lower nearby monster Life by 25% of their remaining Life. This Skill can reduce monsters' Life to 1 in Normal, 33% of total Life in Nightmare, and 50% in Hell.
Thunder Storm* strikes a nearby enemy with a bolt of Lightning every couple of seconds.
* Increased Attack Speed Skills (IAS)
* Faster Cast Rate Skills (FCR)
Utility
Enchant* temporarily grants on-hit Fire Damage and Attack Rating to a target Character (including your own), Mercenary, or minion based on its Level. Use it on yourself to apply these buffs to your melee attacks.
Teleport* is an essential Sorceress Skill used for mobility. It repositions your Character and Mercenary to your cursor's position. Repeatedly cast it to cover long distances.
Telekinesis* allows you to use a Waypoint, enter a Portal, or pick up utility items (Potions, Scrolls, or Gold) from a distance.
Frozen Armor* increases your Defense rating and briefly Freezes enemies that strike your Sorceress. It doesn't work against ranged attacks.
Warmth* provides you with passive Mana Regeneration based on its Skill Level.
Energy Shield* is a temporary buff that redirects damage to your Mana pool instead of your Life. While active, a percentage (based on this Skill's Level) of all received Damage results in a loss of Mana. If you have 0 Mana in your Mana pool and receive additional damage, this buff expires and needs to be recast.
Note: This is an Optional Skill that is used on the Vs Physical Damage Build Variant (see "Build Variants" below)
* Faster Cast Rate Skills (FCR)
* Skills that do NOT utilize either FCR or IAS
Attributes
Note: This section provides you with the standard Stat Point allocation. Build Variants may require different allocations!
Strength
Allocate enough Stat Points into Strength to equip all of your gear. Take into account how much Strength your gear provides when equipped.
Dexterity
Allocate enough Stat Points into Dexterity to reach max Chance to Block (75%). More Dexterity is needed at higher Character Levels. In addition to Dexterity and Character Level, Shield Bases also affect Chance to Block. Besides Strength requirement, this is why a Tower Shield Dream is used on this build.
Vitality
Allocate any remaining Stat Points into Vitality after meeting Strength, Dexterity and Energy requirements.
Energy
Don't allocate any Stat Points into Energy. This build gets enough Mana from gear, buffs, Charms, and Mana Potions.
Essentials
Gear Options
While every Stat in the Desirable Stats column is useful for this build, we highlighted the Priority Stats in Teal so you can easily identify the Most Important Stats on them.
Hover over any Item to see a pop-out with the full Item description.
Gear Notes: Any Items with specialized or niche uses have a superscript that refers here.
1) These items are used for optional Enchant pre-buff on this build (especially useful versus Uber Bosses). Items that grant +x to Skills/Fire Skills and/or +x% to Fire Skill Damage can be equipped prior to casting Enchant to greatly boost its granted on-hit Fire Damage. Make sure that you have enough Strength to wear any or all of this gear if you choose to pre-buff Enchant. Re-equip the standard Zeal Sorceress gear after buffing.
2) Use Memory to pre-buff Energy Shield. This is especially useful on certain Build Variants (see "Build Variants" below).
3) Treachery is used for pre-buffing Fade for All Resistances, Curse Length Reduction, and Damage Reduction prior to taking down Uber Bosses.
Slot | Item Options | Desirable Stats |
Weapon | Passion Phase Blade Volcanic Jared's Stone (2x 5%/-x Fire Rainbow Facets)1 Eschuta's Temper (5%/-x Fire Rainbow Facet)1 Memory2 | +x to Fire Skills [Sorceress Only] +x to Sorceress Skills +x% Increased Attack Speed +x% Enhanced Damage x% Bonus to Attack Rating +x% Damage to Undead +x% to Fire Skill Damage +x to Enchant [Sorceress Only] +x to Energy Shield [Sorceress Only] +x to Zeal Hit Blinds Target +x Hit Causes Monster to Flee x% |
Off-Hand | Dream Tower Shield Dream Hyperion Dream Troll Nest Gemmed Monarch (4x 5%/-x Fire Rainbow Facets)1 | 10% Chance to cast Level 15 Confuse when struck Level 15 Holy Shock Aura When Equipped +x% Faster Hit Recovery +x% to Fire Skill Damage +x to Attribute +x Life +x Mana All Resistances +x x% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items |
Weapon-Swap | Call to Arms | +x to All Skills +x to Battle Command +x to Battle Orders |
Off-Hand-Swap | Lidless Wall Spirit Monarch | +x to All Skills +x% Faster Cast Rate |
Helmets | Dream Volcanic Diadem of Atlas (2x 5%/-x Fire Rainbow Facets)1 Volcanic Diadem (2x 5%/-x Fire Rainbow Facets)1 | 10% Chance to cast Level 15 Confuse when struck Level 15 Holy Shock Aura When Equipped +x to Fire Skills [Sorceress Only] +x% Faster Hit Recovery +x% to Fire Skill Damage +x to Attribute Increased Maximum Life x% +x Mana All Resistances +x x% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items |
Body Armor | Guardian Angel (Scintillating Jewel of Fervor) Guardian Angel (Cham Rune) Twitchthroe (Scintillating Jewel of Fervor) Twitchthroe (Cham Rune) Ormus' Robes (5%/-x Fire Rainbow Facet)1 Treachery3 | 5% Chance to cast Level 15 Fade When Struck +x% Increased Attack Speed +x% Faster Hit Recovery +x% Faster Block Rate x% Increased Chance of Blocking +x% to Fire Skill Damage +x to Enchant [Sorceress Only] +x to Attribute +x% to Maximum Poison Resist +x% to Maximum Cold Resist +x% to Maximum Lightning Resist +x% to Maximum Fire Resist All Resistances +x Cannot Be Frozen |
Gloves | Dracul's Grasp Frostburn Chance Guards Rare Gloves Death's Hand (2-Piece Death's Set) Magefist1 | 5% Chance to cast level 10 Life Tap on striking +x to Fire Skills +x% Increased Attack Speed +x% Life stolen per hit x% Chance of Open Wounds +x to Attribute Increased Maximum Mana x% X Resist +x% +x to Life after each Kill Poison Length Reduced by x% x% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items |
Belts | Goldwrap Battle Belt Nosferatu's Coil Arachnid Mesh Caster Crafted Belt Verdungo's Hearty Cord String of Ears Thundergod's Vigor Trang-Oul's Girth Death's Guard Demonhide Sash (2-Piece Death's Set) | +x to All Skills +x% Increased Attack Speed +x% Faster Cast Rate +x% Faster Hit Recovery +x% Life stolen per hit Slows target by x% +x to Attribute +x Life +x Mana Increased Maximum Mana x% Regenerate Mana x% +x% to Maximum Lightning Resist X Resist +x% +x Lightning Absorb Damage Reduced by x% Magic Damage Reduced by x Cannot Be Frozen +x to Mana after each Kill x% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items |
Boots | War Traveler Rare Boots Caster Crafted Boots Gore Rider Goblin Toe | +x% Faster Run/Walk +x% Faster Hit Recovery Adds x Damage x% Chance of Crushing Blow x% Deadly Strike x% Chance of Open Wounds +x to Attribute +x Mana Increased Maximum Mana x% Regenerate Mana x% X Resist x% x% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items |
Amulets | Highlord's Wrath Mara's Kaleidoscope Caster Crafted Amulet Volcanic Amulet of Atlas1 Volcanic Amulet1 | +x to All Skills +x to Fire Skills [Sorceress Only] +x to Sorceress Skills +x% Increased Attack Speed +x% Faster Cast Rate +x to Attribute +x Mana Regenerate Mana x% X Resist x% x% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items |
Rings | Raven Frost Rare Ring Rare Ring Rare Ring The Stone of Jordan Bul-Kathos' Wedding Band Wisp Projector Nagelring Dwarf Star Nature's Peace | +x to All Skills +x% Faster Cast Rate +x to Attack Rating +x% Mana stolen per hit +x% Life stolen per hit Slain Monsters Rest in Peace +x to Attribute +x Life +x Mana Increased Maximum Mana x% X Resist x% Cold Absorb x% Lightning Absorb x% Fire Absorb x% Damage Reduced by x Magic Damage Reduced by x Cannot Be Frozen x% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items |
Charms | Sparking Grand Charm of Vita Sparking Grand Charm of Balance Sparking Grand Charm Burning Grand Charm1 Serpent's Grand Charm of Vita Serpent's Grand Charm of Balance Shimmering Grand Charm of Balance Shimmering Grand Charm Serpent's Large Charm of Vita Shimmering Small Charm of Good Luck Shimmering Small Charm of Vita Shimmering Small Charm of Balance Serpent's Small Charm of Vita Serpent's Small Charm of Balance Small Charm of Good Luck Small Charm of Vita Shimmering Small Charm Resistance Small Charm | +x to Lightning Skills [Sorceress Only] +x to Fire Skills [Sorceress Only] +x% Faster Hit Recovery + Life + Mana X Resist +x% x% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items |
Unique Charms | Gheed's Fortune Sorceress Hellfire Torch Annihilus | +x to All Skills +x to Sorceress Skills +x to All Attributes All Resistances +x +x% to Experience Gained x% Extra Gold from Monsters x% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items Reduces all Vendor Prices x% +x to Light Radius |
Farming Spots
The areas below are efficient farming locations that make use of the build’s strengths. Other farming spots might not be as effective due to Immunities or bad layouts.
Act 1
Area | Rewards | ||
The Countess | Runes Key of Terror | ||
The Pit | All Item Types Max Area Level Leveling | ||
Andariel | Uniques Sets Jewelry |
Act 2
Area | Rewards | ||
Ancient Tunnels | All Item Types Max Area Level Leveling | ||
Summoner | Key of Hate |
Act 3
Area | Rewards | ||
Arachnid Lair | All Item Types Max Area Level Leveling | ||
Ruined Temple | All Item Types Max Area Level Leveling | ||
Mephisto | Uniques Sets |
Act 4
Area | Rewards | ||
River of Flame | All Item Types Max Area Level Leveling | ||
Chaos Sanctuary | All Item Types Max Area Level Leveling | ||
Diablo | Uniques Sets Leveling (Level 97-99) |
Act 5
Area | Rewards | ||
Eldritch the Rectifier | Gearing Gold Leveling | ||
Shenk the Overseer | Gearing Gold Leveling | ||
Pindleskin | Gearing Gold Leveling | ||
Thresh Socket | Gearing Gold | ||
Drifter Cavern | All Item Types Max Area Level Leveling | ||
Nihlathak | Key of Destruction Leveling (Level 97-99) | ||
Worldstone Keep / Throne of Destruction | All Item Types Max Area Level Leveling | ||
Baal / Waves | Uniques Sets Max Area Level Leveling (Baal for Level 97-99) |
Mercenary
Your Mercenary serves an incredibly important role to the overall success of your build. They can be a front line tank, provide a pivotal Aura, and/or deal Physical Damage to kill enemies with Immunity to your Skill set.
Act 2 Desert Mercenary
The Act 2 Desert Mercenary is hired from Greiz.
He can be equipped with a Spear or a Polearm, a Body Armor and a Helmet.
Every Act 2 Mercenary has access to an Aura and uses Jab as his base Attack. The Aura activates once the Mercenary has engaged in combat and remains active between traveling to and from town. The Auras available are based on what difficulty you hire the Mercenary from.
Infinity, Holy Freeze
Use a Desert Mercenary with Holy Freeze Aura for its powerful Crowd Control. A Mercenary with Might Aura isn’t used since this build doesn't rely on the Mercenary's damage or benefit much from the Physical Damage increase it provides.
Equip him with Infinity to reduce enemy Resistances and Defense with its Conviction Aura, drastically boosting damage. This Aura is also capable of breaking some Immunities, including both Lightning and Fire.
Gear Progression
Early-Game | Mid-Game | Late-Game |
Insight (Any Polearm) | Insight (Ethereal Elite Polearm) | Infinity (Ethereal Elite Polearm or Spear) |
Smoke (Any Body Armor) | Treachery (Any Body Armor) | Fortitude (Ethereal Body Armor, 700++ Base Defense) |
Wormskull (Helmet With Life Leech, Resistances, and/or Life) | Tal Rasha's Horadric Crest | Andariel's Visage (Ethereal Preferred) |
The Mercenary is hard to keep alive until you have the minimum gear recommended in this guide. Remember you can drag Healing Potions onto the portrait, or shift + 1/2/3/4 to directly feed them a Healing Potion from your Belt. The Mercenary also gains bonus Resistances from Thawing Potions and Antidote Potions.
If your Mercenary dies in battle, you can revive them from any of the Mercenary NPCs in each Act. This does come with an increasing cost, capping at 50,000 Gold. Keep that in mind and decide if the Mercenary is currently worth the cost.
Playstyle
General
- Cast Telekinesis on Waypoints to activate them, on Town Portals to get in or out of town, and on Red Portals to go through them. This allows you to travel through the game faster. Telekinesis can also be used to open chests and pop other clickables for loot.
- Before starting your Magic Find/Experience run, first cast Battle Command 2 times and then Battle Orders once using Call to Arms on Weapon-Swap. And while still on your + to Skills-granting Weapon-Swap, also cast Enchant (on yourself, your Mercenary, and any other Party members/Mercenaries if applicable), Frozen Armor, Thunder Storm, and Energy Shield (optional). Refresh these buffs as soon as they expire.
- While still on your Weapon-Swap (granting Faster Cast Rate), Teleport to travel to your Farming Spot or between Elite Packs.
- Upon encountering an Elite Monster, swap to your main weapon loadout with Passion and use Teleport to "Telestomp" the Elite, jumping directly into the Elite Pack.
- Use Zeal until the Elite and its surrounding minions are dead.
- Whenever monsters in an immediate area have been slain, use Teleport to quickly relocate to nearby Elite Packs for smooth transitions.
For High Monster Density:
- When encountering high mob density with high Life (e.g. Baal Waves, High Player Count + any high density), first cast Static Field 1-3 times at close range before engaging with Zeal.
For Bosses:
- First cast Static Field 2-5 times in range of Act Bosses (such as Baal), Uber Bosses, or Diablo Clone in order to weaken them down to or near the 50% Life cap (in Hell). Then proceed to finish the Boss off with Zeal.
Immunities
- It is often best to skip Unique monsters that are Immune to both Lightning and Fire, or that are extremely hard to kill (combination of both high Lightning and Fire Resistance) even with Infinity equipped on your Mercenary.
Optional Pre-Buff
- Equip items granting +x to Skills/Fire Skills and/or +x% to Fire Skill Damage (see "Gear Options" above) before casting Enchant. Re-equip the standard Zeal Sorceress gear after. Pre-buffing Enchant greatly increases your on-hit Fire Damage and the duration of the Enchant buff. Even though this is not necessary/required, it makes a big difference when up against Lightning Immune or Lightning Resistant monsters. Pre-buffing Enchant is also especially impactful when preparing to kill Uber Bosses, particularly Uber Mephisto.
Optimal Loot/Experience Farming Strategies
- Max Level Areas - Having mobility, decent Magic Find, and insane hybrid Damage, the Zeal Sorceress efficiently farms nearly all Max Level Areas on any Player Count. The Pit, Ancient Tunnels, and Worldstone Keep are especially good Farming Spots for this build. Make sure to target Elite Packs.
- Ubers - The Zeal Sorceress is among the best builds for defeating the Uber Bosses and acquiring a Hellfire Torch. Dealing insanely high single target DPS (Damage Per Second), this build slaughters the Ubers with the proper setup and pre-buff (see the "Ubers" Build Variant below).
Breakpoints
Breakpoints in Diablo 2 are the minimum values required to reduce the frames of an action. Below are the important breakpoints considered for this build. For more information on the mechanics involved, check out our in-depth Resource: Breakpoints.
Faster Cast Rate (FCR)
Faster Cast Rate is not required for this build, but Breakpoints up through 63% FCR can be utilized. Note: FCR only controls the animation speed of the Character, and not any internal Cooldowns spells have.
Frames | 13 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 |
FCR | 0 | 9 | 20 | 37 | 63 | 105 | 200 |
Increased Attack Speed (IAS)
Increased Attack Speed speeds up your attack animations. Weapon Bases have different IAS Breakpoints. Reach at least the 30% IAS Breakpoint on this build (65% IAS in most cases is recommended). Consult the d2planner for other bases.
Passion Phase Blade
Frames | 49 | 47 | 44 | 43 | 41 | 38 |
Zeal IAS | 5 | 15 | 24 | 30 | 54 | 65 |
Faster Hit Recovery (FHR)
Faster Hit Recovery increases survivability. Aim for at least the 60% FHR Breakpoint.
Frames | 15 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 |
FHR | 0 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 20 | 30 | 42 | 60 | 86 | 142 | 280 |
Faster Block Rate (FBR)
Faster Block Rate is not required for survivability in this build, but reaching the 27% FHR Breakpoint with Guardian Angel helps with smoother gameplay.
Frames | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 |
FBR | 0 | 7 | 15 | 27 | 48 | 86 | 200 |
Hardcore
For all Hardcore gameplay, your primary focus is increasing your Resistances, Damage Reduction, Chance to Block and Maximum Life. This can mean sacrificing overall power level for a more secure playstyle.
The Zeal Sorceress can become Hardcore viable with key changes to Gear and Skill Point allocation. Review the changes below before building this character in Hardcore, as some of these changes differ significantly from the Standard Build.
Gear Changes
- Damage Reduction: The only truly good place to put % Damage Reduction on this build is the Belt slot. Either Verdungo's Hearty Cord or String of Ears does the trick. A Ber Rune in your Guardian Angel or Twitchthroe would also provide much needed Damage Reduction. All of these options would come at the expense of Attack Speed, which can be made up elsewhere in the build.
- Maximum Life/Mana: Because the Zeal Sorceress struggles to reach high % Damage Reduction, it is highly recommended (even more so than on most Hardcore builds) to use as many Life-granting Charms as possible. Life + Mana Charms are especially desirable for taking advantage of Energy Shield.
- Stacking Resistances: Stack your Fire/Lightning/Cold Resistances beyond the Guardian Angel-granted maximum values of 90 each (190 total in Hell). Stacking 85 additional Resistances in Hell completely negates the Conviction Aura of any Elite Boss or the Oblivion Knight's Lower Resist Curse. Beware of encountering both at the same time! Consider the primary damage type(s) of the monsters in the area you want to farm. Boots, Jewelry, and Charms are ideal sources of Resistances on this build.
- Lightning Absorb: Equip Thundergod's Vigor when farming Worldstone Keep or Teleporting to the Throne of Destruction to avoid getting destroyed by the Burning Souls that often spawn there. With 90% Lightning Resistance made possible by Guardian Angel, however, Thundergod's Vigor is optional.
Skill Point Changes
- Put 1 Skill Point into Energy Shield. 1-Point Energy Shield provides a Hardcore Zeal Sorceress with great protection (particularly against Physical Damage) that can be recast at any time.
- Max out Telekinesis last instead of Thunder Storm to increase the effectiveness of Energy Shield. You can even sacrifice Skill Points in Teleport (normally for Mana cost reduction) in favor of more Points into Telekinesis.
See the "Hardcore" Build Variant below for additional suggestions and visuals.
Build Variants
Setup
This is the Standard Best in Slot (BiS) Zeal Sorceress featured in the beginning of the guide. It is the balanced "jack-of-all-trades" version of the Zeal Sorceress, capable of performing the most tasks well. This variant is the point of comparison for all other variants. It carefully balances Damage, Magic Find, and Defensive Stats. This setup achieves the 20% Faster Cast Rate Breakpoint on Weapon-Swap.
Mercenary
The Standard Zeal Sorceress uses an Act 2 Holy Freeze Mercenary with Infinity, Fortitude, and Andariel's Visage socketed with a Ruby Jewel of Fervor.
Skills
Put 1 Skill Point into each of the following Skills:
1. Telekinesis
2. Teleport
3. Static Field
4. Frozen Armor
5. Thunder Storm
Max out the following Skills in this order:
1. Lightning Mastery
2. Enchant
3. Warmth
4. Fire Mastery
Put any extra Skill Points into Teleport to reduce its Mana cost to 1. If you still have any Skill Points left over, put them into Thunder Storm.
Attributes
Allocate enough Stat Points into Strength to wear your gear and enough into Dexterity to achieve maximum Chance to Block (75%). Put all remaining Stat Points into Vitality.
Setup
This variant is designed to withstand large amounts of Physical Damage from monsters like Death Lords, Dark Archers, or Undead Stygian Dolls. The Vs Physical Damage variant often performs better in Farming Spots where these types of monsters are found such as Worldstone Keep, Throne of Destruction, Drifter Cavern, Pindleskin, and The Pit. This is especially the case in High Player Count games or /Players5-8 on Single Player. Using The Stone of Jordan, Frostburn, Caster Crafted Boots, Life + Mana Charms, and Twitchthroe, this variant relies on the damage mitigation power of Energy Shield. This build comes with costs to survivability versus Elemental Damage, Block Rate, and Damage. It achieves the 20% Faster Cast Rate Breakpoint on Weapon-Swap.
Mercenary
All of the Zeal Sorceress variants use an Act 2 Holy Freeze Mercenary with Infinity, Fortitude, and Andariel's Visage socketed with a Ruby Jewel of Fervor.
Skills
This variant heavily relies on the power of Energy Shield to provide additional tankiness against high amounts of Physical Damage. Put 1 Skill Point into Energy Shield and (optionally) use Memory for Energy Shield pre-buff. Max Telekinesis at the expense of Skill Points in Fire Mastery and Thunder Storm to maximize the effectiveness of Energy Shield.
Attributes
Allocate enough Stat Points into Strength to wear your gear and enough into Dexterity to achieve maximum Chance to Block (75%). Put all remaining Stat Points into Vitality and Energy at a ratio between 75/25 and 50/50.
Setup
This variant achieves the 37% Faster Cast Rate (FCR) Breakpoint on its main weapon loadout and the 63% FCR Breakpoint on Weapon-Swap for improved Teleport mobility. Decreased Teleport travel time and smoother transitions between Elite Packs improves efficiency in Farming Spots such as The Pit. Achieving these FCR Breakpoints comes at the expense of Attack Speed. Arachnid Mesh and a Caster Crafted Amulet are essential to achieving these Breakpoints while maintaining other key aspects of a solid Zeal Sorceress build.
Mercenary
All of the Zeal Sorceress variants use an Act 2 Holy Freeze Mercenary with Infinity, Fortitude, and Andariel's Visage socketed with a Ruby Jewel of Fervor.
Skills
Put 1 Skill Point into each of the following Skills:
1. Telekinesis
2. Teleport
3. Static Field
4. Frozen Armor
5. Thunder Storm
Max out the following Skills in this order:
1. Lightning Mastery
2. Enchant
3. Warmth
4. Fire Mastery
Put any extra Skill Points into Teleport to reduce its Mana cost to 1. If you still have any Skill Points left over, put them into Thunder Storm.
Attributes
Allocate enough Stat Points into Strength to wear your gear and enough into Dexterity to achieve maximum Chance to Block (75%). Put all remaining Stat Points into Vitality.
Setup
The Ubers variant specializes in defeating the Uber Bosses, including mini-Ubers such as Lilith. Crushing Blow, Open Wounds, Damage Reduction, Resistances, and Life are priority stats on this setup. Dracul's Grasp becomes even more essential on this variant for procing Life Tap. Nosferatu's Coil maintains maximum Attack Speed while providing Slows Target. Goblin Toe provides Crushing Blow, which is especially helpful against Uber Mephisto. Swapping in Thundergod's Vigor and stacking Lightning Resistance allows this build to tank Uber Mephisto. Pre-buff Fade with Treachery prior to engaging the Ubers for massive boosts to Resistances and Damage Reduction. Pre-buffing Enchant (see "Gear Options" above) makes toppling the Ubers even easier.
Mercenary
All of the Zeal Sorceress variants use an Act 2 Holy Freeze Mercenary with Infinity, Fortitude, and Andariel's Visage socketed with a Ruby Jewel of Fervor.
Skills
1 Skill Point into Energy Shield can provide a great deal of survivability versus Uber Bosses. Memory can also be used to pre-buff Energy Shield. Max Telekinesis instead of putting Skill Points into Teleport (more than 1) and Thunder Storm to maximize the effectiveness of Energy Shield.
Attributes
Allocate enough Stat Points into Strength to wear your gear and enough into Dexterity to achieve maximum Chance to Block (75%). Put all remaining Stat Points into Vitality.
Setup
For the Hardcore mode variant, aim for having decent Damage Reduction and overcap Resistances beyond the 90% cap provided by Guardian Angel if possible - this is to counteract hostile Conviction or Lower Resist. This setup achieves the 20% Faster Cast Rate Breakpoint on Weapon-Swap. Consult the “Hardcore" section for more detailed information.
Mercenary
All of the Zeal Sorceress variants use an Act 2 Holy Freeze Mercenary with Infinity, Fortitude, and Andariel's Visage socketed with a Ruby Jewel of Fervor.
Skills
1 Skill Point into Energy Shield can provide a great deal of survivability (particularly against Physical Damage) for a Hardcore Zeal Sorceress. Memory can also be used to pre-buff Energy Shield. Max Telekinesis last instead of Thunder Storm to maximize the effectiveness of Energy Shield.
Attributes
Allocate enough Stat Points into Strength to wear your gear and enough into Dexterity to achieve maximum Chance to Block (75%). Put all remaining Stat Points into Vitality.
Video Guide
Summary
- The Zeal Sorceress requires a Passion (for Zeal), Dream Helmet, and Dream Shield at a bare minimum. An Infinity on the Mercenary is also needed for this build to reach its full potential.
- A Guardian Angel or Twitchthroe is needed to achieve maximum Chance to Block on this build, providing much needed survivability. Guardian Angel also provides Faster Block Rate, making for cleaner gameplay.
- Pre-buff Enchant for a massive boost to your Fire Damage. Equip +x to Skills/Fire Skills and/or +x% Fire Skill Damage-granting items (such as those listed in "Gear Options") prior to casting Enchant.
- With an Energy Shield-focused build, you are incredibly tanky versus Physical Damage. Consider this approach if aiming to farm areas such as Worldstone Keep/Throne of Destruction, where there are often powerful melee monsters such as Death Lords or Undead Stygian Dolls.
- The Zeal Sorceress can farm virtually anything. With decent Magic Find and absurdly high Lightning-Fire hybrid Damage, this build dominates practically every Max Level Area. Even farming Uber Bosses for Hellfire Torches is highly effective on this build.
We hope you enjoy this build! Slice em' and dice em' with a Sorceress' fury!
Good luck!
Credits
Written by DarkHumility
Reviewed by MacroBioBoi
Changelog
Updated to Patch 2.4