The Blaze Sorceress is a trailblazer both literally and figuratively. Sporting a unique playstyle, this Sorceress craftily lures her enemies into a raging inferno! Blaze does an incredible amount of Fire Damage to all monsters caught in its wake. Both Inferno and Fire Wall decimate single targets and stragglers. This build excels in The Secret Cow Level where dense packs of Hell Bovines reliably pursue her.
Equipping Infinity, Enigma, and Flickering Flame provides the Blaze Sorceress with high mobility in addition to insanely high damage. The Faster Run/Walk boost from Blaze itself along with her gear allows her to move at the speed of sound. This speed enables this build to quickly bob and weave in-between monster packs, while leading monsters in Hot pursuit into a Sea of Fire! Flame Rift makes it possible for her to go toe to toe with Fire Immune monsters in areas such as Chaos Sanctuary. As fun as this Sorceress is to play, she suffers from a glaring weakness: There are not many areas she can farm with reasonable efficiency. If you can overlook the Blaze Sorceress' low versatility, this niche build promises a quirky, interesting playstyle and surprising effectiveness if used to its full potential!
Patch 2.5 introduced a new way of breaking Immunities: Sunder Charms. Any enemy that would be Immune to your damage type is instead reduced to 95% Resistance, before any other Resistance reductions apply. The Charm also reduces YOUR Resistance against the sundered damage type! Check out our post on Sunder Charms to learn more about these new Charms. The following setup uses Flame Rift, allowing you to farm anywhere you want.
Sunder Charm Setup
Sunder Charm Setup
Gear Changes
To optimize this Sunder Charm you need as much -% Enemy Fire Resistance as possible. Equip Infinity, Flickering Flame, and Ormus' Robes to accomplish this.
Counteract the negative effect of Flame Rift with Flickering Flame, Aldur's Advance, and Fire Resistance Charms. Note: Since Resistances do not apply to damage taken on Energy Shield, this is not as important while Energy Shield is active.
Terror Zones
The new Terror Zone mechanic combined with Sunder Charms open up a wide range of farmable areas. The following list highlights the best and worst Terror Zones for this build. With the Sunder Charm Setup, more Terror Zones become accessible. Learn more about Terror Zones here and see how they stack up in our Terror Zone Tier List.
Put 1 Skill Point into each of the following Skills: 1. Fire Wall 2. Inferno 3. Teleport 4. Static Field 5. Frozen Armor
Max out the following Skills in this order: 1. Blaze 2. Fire Mastery 3. Warmth 4. Telekinesis 5. Energy Shield
Put any remaining Skill Points into Fire Wall past Level 97. Alternatively, allocate additional Skill Points into Static Field for increased range.
Use the Scroll Bar to see Skill Point Progression
Use the Scroll Bar to see Skill Point Progression
Damage
Blaze* is your Primary Damage Skill. When activated, it leaves a trail of Fire behind your Character wherever you run or walk. This trail of Fire persists over a long duration, dealing Fire Damage every frame to enemies caught in its path. This Skill also increases your Run/Walk Speed.
Fire Wall* is primarily used against Single Targets such as Bosses. It creates a discrete wall of Fire at your cursor's position that deals Fire Damage every frame to enemies caught in its path. Note: This Skill has a 1.4 second Cooldown/Cast Delay, during which other Skills can be used. Faster Cast Rate only improves the Skill's cast speed; it does not shorten the interval between casts.
Inferno* is effective against Single Targets and tightly clustered enemies. You can use it to kill stragglers and monsters that don't walk into your Blaze. Channeling this Skill emits a continuous stream of Fire from your Character in the direction of your cursor, while rooting your Character in place.
Static Field* is great to use against Bosses and densely-packed high Life monsters (such as Hell Bovines). 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.
Teleport* is an essential Sorceress Skill used for mobility. It repositions your Character to your cursor's position. Repeatedly cast it to cover long distances. Blaze persists after casting Teleport.
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 (except Poison) results in a loss of Mana. Resistances do not apply to damage taken on Energy Shield. If you have 0 Mana in your Mana pool and receive additional damage, this buff expires and needs to be recast.
Telekinesis* allows you to use a Waypoint, enter a Portal, or pick up utility items (Potions, Scrolls, or Gold) from a distance. It also applies Knockback to non-Boss monsters, which can be used to push a target into your Blaze.
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.
Fire Mastery* passively boosts Fire Skill Damage.
* 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 equip all of your gear. Take into account how much Dexterity your gear provides when equipped.
Vitality
Allocate an equal number of Stat Points into Vitality and Energy. This build greatly relies upon Energy Shield for its survivability.
Energy
Allocate an equal number of Stat Points into Vitality and Energy. This build greatly relies upon Energy Shield for its survivability, and Energy Shield requires a lot of Mana.
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.
Slot
Item Options
Desirable Stats
Weapon
Infinity Eschuta's Temper Tal Rasha's Lidless Eye Obsession Volcanic Eldritch Orb of the Magus Spirit
x% Chance to cast level 10 Weaken when struck Level 12 Conviction Aura When Equipped +x to All Skills +x to Fire Skills [Sorceress Only] +x to Sorceress Skills +x% Faster Run/Walk +x% Faster Cast Rate +x% Faster Hit Recovery -x% to Enemy Fire Resistance +x% to Fire Skill Damage +x to Blaze [Sorceress Only] +x to Fire Wall [Sorceress Only] +x to Inferno [Sorceress Only] +x to Fire Mastery [Sorceress Only] +x to Attribute +x Life Increased Maximum Life x% +x Mana X Resist +x% x% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items Level 21 Cyclone Armor [x/x Charges] Socketed [x]
None Level 10-15 Redemption Aura When Equipped +x to All Skills +x% Faster Cast Rate +x% Faster Hit Recovery +x% Faster Block Rate x% Increased Chance of Blocking -x% to Enemy Fire Resistance +x Life +x Mana X Resist +x% Damage Reduced by x% Damage Reduced by x Magic Damage Reduced by x Cannot Be Frozen x% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Weapon-Swap
Call to Arms Harmony
Level 10 Vigor Aura When Equipped +x to All Skills +x to Battle Command +x to Battle Orders
Off-Hand-Swap
Lidless Wall Spirit Monarch None
+x to All Skills +x% Faster Cast Rate None
Helmets
Flickering Flame Volcanic Diadem of Speed Harlequin Crest Crown of Ages Tal Rasha's Horadric Crest Peasant Crown Tarnhelm Lore Temper
Level x Resist Fire Aura When Equipped +x to All Skills +x to Fire Skills +x to Sorceress Skills +x% Faster Run/Walk -x% to Enemy Fire Resistance +x% to Fire Skill Damage +x to Attribute +x Life +x Mana X Resist +x% Fire Absorb x% Damage Reduced by x% Damage Reduced by x Half Freeze Duration +x to Mana after each Kill Poison Length Reduced by x% x% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items Socketed [x]
Body Armor
Enigma Ormus' Robes Jeweler's Wire Fleece of the Whale (4x 5/5 Fire Rainbow Facets) Tal Rasha's Guardianship Enlightenment
+x to All Skills +x to Sorceress Skills +x% Faster Run/Walk +x% Faster Cast Rate -x% to Enemy Fire Resistance +x% to Fire Skill Damage +x to Blaze [Sorceress Only] +x to Attribute +x Life Increased Maximum Life x% X Resist +x% Damage Reduced by x% Damage Reduced by x Magic Damage Reduced by x +x to Life after each Kill x% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Gloves
Magefist Frostburn Chance Guards
+x to Fire Skills +x% Faster Cast Rate Increased Maximum Mana x% Regenerate Mana x% x% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Belts
Arachnid Mesh Verdungo's Hearty Cord Tal Rasha's Fine-Spun Cloth Trang-Oul's Girth Death's Guard Demonhide Sash Goldwrap Rare Belt
+x to All Skills +x% Faster Cast Rate +x% Faster Hit Recovery +x to Attribute +x Life Increased Maximum Mana x% +x Mana X Resist +x% Damage Reduced by x% Cannot Be Frozen x% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Boots
Natalya's Soul Aldur's Advance War Traveler Caster Crafted Boots Rare Boots Ruby Heavy Boots of Acceleration
+x% Faster Run/Walk +x% Faster Hit Recovery +x to Attribute +x Life Increased Maximum Mana x% +x Mana X Resist +x% x% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Amulets
Volcanic Amulet of Luck Blood Crafted Amulet Mara's Kaleidoscope Tal Rasha's Adjudication Volcanic Amulet of the Apprentice Volcanic Amulet
+x to All Skills +x to Fire Skills [Sorceress Only] +x to Sorceress Skills +x% Faster Run/Walk +x% Faster Cast Rate +x to Attribute +x Life +x Mana X Resist x% x% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Rings
The Stone of Jordan Raven Frost Rare Ring Rare Ring Fortuitous Ring of Fortune Nagelring
+x to All Skills +x% Faster Cast Rate +x to Attribute +x Life +x Mana Increased Maximum Mana x% X Resist x% Cannot Be Frozen x% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Charms
Burning Grand Charm of Inertia Burning Grand Charm of Vita Burning Grand Charm of Balance Burning Grand Charm Shimmering Small Charm of Inertia Ruby Small Charm of Inertia Shimmering Small Charm of Good Luck Ruby Small Charm of Good Luck Shimmering Small Charm of Vita Ruby Small Charm of Vita Shimmering Small Charm of Balance Serpent's Small Charm of Vita Shimmering Small Charm Small Charm of Vita Resistance Small Charm
+x to Fire Skills [Sorceress Only] +x% Faster Run/Walk +x% Faster Hit Recovery +x Life +x Mana X Resist +x% x% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Monster Fire Immunity is Sundered +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, bad layouts, or monster pathing.
Anything that has a ✔ in the "Starter" column can be farmed with the Starter Variant.
A Mercenary is detrimental to the Standard Blaze Sorceress since it prevents monsters from pathing into Blaze's Fire. The Inferno Build Variant (see Build Variants below) uses an alternative playstyle that requires a Mercenary.
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. You can also use Telekinesis to knock stubborn monsters into your Blaze's path, which is especially effective against ranged attackers. You can use Telekinesis to open chests and pop other clickables for loot as well.
If you have Harmony equipped on Weapon-Swap, use it to travel faster through town and to escape encroaching monsters while using Blaze.
Before starting your Magic Find/Experience run, cast Frozen Armor and Energy Shield once each on whichever weapon loadout has the most + to Skills. Refresh these buffs as soon as they expire.
Use Teleport to travel to your Farming Spot and to reposition when necessary. Blaze persists after casting Teleport.
Lead monsters into the Fire created by Blaze using the Zig-Zag Technique: After casting Blaze, run back and forth in place or diagonally directly in front of a pack of monsters, inching away from them as they move towards you. Try to match the width of the monster pack as you run. Melee monsters programmed to chase you are most easily killed using this approach.
For Single Targets/Ranged Enemies:
Fire Wall and Inferno are often more effective than Blaze against Single Targets such as Bosses and troublesome ranged enemies that that are difficult to lure. That being said, Blaze is incredibly effective against Andariel and Mephisto. While Andariel runs straight towards you, Mephisto doesn't move until you are at the edge of the screen. He runs in the direction of your Character and passes it when he travels, so pulling him across the screen multiple times maximizes burn upkeep and minimizes the time he spends casting ranged spells.
You can also weave in-between ranged enemies with Blaze before moving away from them in a straight line to have them follow you, increasing their likelihood of pathing into it.
For High Player Count:
When encountering high mob density with high Life (such as Hell Bovines with 5-8 Players in the Game or /Players5-8 on Single Player) first cast Static Field 1-3 times at close range, and then finish them off with Blaze.
Immunities
Flame Rift sets allImmune to Fire monsters to 95% Fire Resistance, allowing any sources of -x% to Enemy Fire Resistance to take effect (including Conviction Aura from Infinity at 1/5th effectiveness).
You can break several Fire Immunes using a Lower Resist Charge Wand on Weapon-Swap before obtaining Flame Rift and/or Infinity.
Skip unbreakable Fire Immunes unless you are using the Inferno Build Variant (see "Build Variants" below). In this case, you can "Telestomp" them with your Mercenary to kill them with his Physical DamageJab attack.
Always skip Unique monsters that are both highly Fire and PhysicalResistant or Immune.
Late-Game
Before starting your Magic Find/Experience run, first cast Battle Command 2 times and then Battle Orders once using Call to Arms. Refresh these buffs as soon as they expire (approx. every 2-3 minutes).
Wield Infinity for the massive amount of -x% to Enemy Fire Resistance its Conviction Aura provides. Its Faster Run/Walk, Magic Find, and Cyclone Armor Charges are also incredible stats for this build.
Optimal Loot/Experience Farming Strategies
The Secret Cow Level with any number of Players in the Game - The Blaze Sorceress was born to make ground beef. The Hell Bovines move at an ideal pace and path directly into Blaze. After gathering as many "Cows" as possible, use the Zig-Zag Technique described above for optimal killing speed!
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 to 105% FCR can be utilized for Teleport casting speed. 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
Faster Hit Recovery (FHR)
Faster Hit Recovery is not required for this build's survivability, but Breakpoints up to 86% FHR can be utilized.
The Blaze Sorceress is not Hardcore viable and/or would require drastic changes to the overall design to become viable. This build has a treacherous playstyle; it is not recommended for Hardcore gameplay.
Build Variants
Starter
Standard
Inferno
Setup
The Starter variant of the Blaze Sorceress meets the minimum gear requirements for farming the Starter ✔ tagged areas in the "Farming Spots" section above. These areas can be Solo-farmed by this setup (/Players1 on Single Player) in both Nightmare and Hell difficulty. Prioritize + to Skills, Faster Run/Walk, Resistances, Life, and Mana on your gear. Cannot Be Frozen is optional on this build, and can be obtained by equipping Raven Frost, Trang-Oul's Girth, or an Upgraded Death's Guard. A Harmony on Weapon-Swap allows this setup to quickly move through town and to move even faster while using Blaze when necessary. You can also use a Lower Resist Charge Wand on Weapon-Swap to reduce the Fire Resistance of Bosses and Elites. The Starter build achieves the 105% Faster Cast Rate Breakpoint for Teleport cast speed and 55% Faster Run/Walk. Follow the Sorceress Leveling Guide to get your Sorceress to Level 75.
Mercenary
The Starter Blaze Sorceress does not use a Mercenary. They interfere with monsters pathing into Blaze.
Skills
Put 1 Skill Point into each of the following Skills: 1. Fire Wall 2. Inferno 3. Teleport 4. Static Field 5. Frozen Armor
Max out the following Skills in this order: 1. Blaze 2. Fire Mastery 3. Warmth 4. Telekinesis 5. Energy Shield
Put any remaining Skill Points into Fire Wall past Level 97. Alternatively, allocate additional Skill Points into Static Field for increased range.
Attributes
Allocate enough Stat Points into Strength to wear your gear. Put all remaining Stat Points into Vitality.
Setup
This is the Standard Best in Slot (BiS) Blaze Sorceress featured in the beginning of the guide. It is the version designed for farming its best areas well, particularly The Secret Cow Level at any Player Count. It carefully balances Damage, Magic Find, Defensive Stats, and mobility (primarily Faster Run/Walk). Cannot Be Frozen is optional on this build, and can be obtained by equipping Raven Frost or Trang-Oul's Girth. With Flame Rift this build can kill Fire Immunes. The Standard setup achieves the 37% Faster Cast Rate Breakpoint for Teleport cast speed and 196% Faster Run/Walk (in addition to Blaze's move speed bonus).
Mercenary
The Standard Blaze Sorceress does not use a Mercenary. They interfere with monsters pathing into Blaze.
Skills
Put 1 Skill Point into each of the following Skills: 1. Fire Wall 2. Inferno 3. Teleport 4. Static Field 5. Frozen Armor
Max out the following Skills in this order: 1. Blaze 2. Fire Mastery 3. Warmth 4. Telekinesis 5. Energy Shield
Put any remaining Skill Points into Fire Wall past Level 97. Alternatively, allocate additional Skill Points into Static Field for increased range.
Use the Scroll Bar to see Skill Point Progression
Use the Scroll Bar to see Skill Point Progression
Attributes
If needed, allocate enough Stat Points into Strength and Dexterity to wear your gear. Then, allocate about an equal number of all remaining Stat Points into Vitality and Energy for a strong Energy Shield.
Setup
This variant is more versatile than the Standard Build, using both Blaze and Inferno interchangeably. Groups of monsters with ideal pathing can be lead into Blaze, while monsters that are more challenging to lure (think ranged enemies) can be roasted by Inferno. This version of the Blaze Sorceress is better at farming areas with diverse monster types such as Stony Tomb, but worse at farming The Secret Cow Level. It is possible to make the Inferno variant Hardcore viable by using either a Gerke's Sanctuary or Stormshield socketed with a Shael Rune for Faster Block Rate. This would require exclusively using Inferno, however. Flame Rift enables this variant to more easily kill Fire Immunes. The Inferno Blaze Sorceress achieves the 105% Faster Cast Rate Breakpoint for Teleport cast speed.
Mercenary
The Inferno Blaze Sorceress uses an Act 2 Holy FreezeMercenary for Crowd Control. Equip him with Infinity for -85% to Enemy Fire Resistance from its Conviction Aura. Fortitude and Andariel's Visage socketed with a Ruby Jewel of Fervor maximize this Mercenary's damage and survivability.
Skills
The Inferno Blaze Sorceress maxes out Inferno instead of Energy Shield. The rest is the same as the Standard Build.
Put 1 Skill Point into each of the following Skills: 1. Fire Wall 2. Teleport 3. Energy Shield 4. Static Field 5. Frozen Armor
Max out the following Skills in this order: 1. Blaze 2. Fire Mastery 3. Warmth 4. Inferno 5. Telekinesis
Put any remaining Skill Points into Fire Wall past Level 97.
Use the Scroll Bar to see Skill Point Progression
Use the Scroll Bar to see Skill Point Progression
Attributes
Allocate enough Stat Points into Strength to wear your gear. If you choose to use Stormshield, put enough Stat Points into Dexterity to achieve maximum Chance to Block (75%); otherwise, put none. Allocate about an equal number of all remaining Skill Points into Vitality and Energy for a strong Energy Shield.
Video Guide
Video Guide by DarkHumility
Summary
Zig-zag in front of approaching monsters with Blaze for maximum DPS! Use Fire Wall and Inferno to burn down single targets like Bosses and Elites.
Don't hire a Mercenary unless you plan to mainly use Inferno with Blaze as a secondary Skill. A Mercenary gets in the way of monsters pathing into Blaze.
Faster Run/Walk is one of the most important stats on a Blaze Sorceress, as it allows her to quickly evade and lure monsters into a sea of Fire.
Use Flame Rift to farm areas with Fire Immunes such as Terror Zones.
The Secret Cow Level is your temple. It is your sanctuary. Feel free to burn rubber here, or beef rather, to your heart's content. Run circles around em'!
We hope you enjoy this build! Its a real barn burner. BBQ Cows like there is no tomorrow! And to all other builds...you're too slow!