Content: Diablo 4 recently buffed all five classes in the game, but Sorcerers still feel left out compared to Barbarians or Druids. Dealing with complex attribute systems and various features like the Paragon Board, as well as a multitude of Uniques and Legendary items, makes balancing classes a challenging task. The developers have been listening to player feedback since the Open Beta, but ironically, this has caused Sorcerers to lag behind other classes in Diablo 4.
During the Server Slam, the nerf to Sorcerers exposed the underlying issues that currently plague the class. Removing the third Passive Enchantment has greatly limited Sorcerers' build variety. The Fireball Enchantment is essential for any Sorcerer in Diablo 4, but the last slot is usually dependent on the primary element of choice. However, the problems go beyond that. Sorcerers often have to rely on three or four Defensive Skills just to survive in endgame content.
khrucible on the Diablo 4 subreddit outlined the key challenges faced by Sorcerers in a remarkable manner. This feedback is incredibly valuable to developers who have demonstrated a willingness to address the shortcomings of Diablo 4. However, despite the class buffs in the latest update, the Sorcerer's issues remain largely unresolved. These issues include a lack of survivability, conditional requirements for meaningful damage, the need to make trade-offs for power, and the Core Skills being largely ineffective.
In Diablo 4, the Paragon Boards offer Rogues up to 4400 potential Armor, Barbarians receive 2750 Armor, Druids get 2250 Armor, and even Necromancers receive 1350 Armor. The itemization within Diablo 4 heavily favors Armor as the primary means of reducing damage, while Sorcerers are left with no choice but to prioritize their survivability through Resistance, which is considered to be a less effective option. Additionally, the barriers that scale off of Base Health further hinder a Sorcerer's defense, as there are no available methods of increasing Base Health through equipment.
In Diablo 4, Sorcerers have no trouble killing enemies. However, their damage output heavily relies on using skills like Teleport and Frost Nova. This is mainly due to the Aspect of Control, a trait that boosts damage against immobilized, stunned, or frozen enemies by 70% when using a two-handed weapon. Additionally, Paragon traits also encourage Sorcerers to use the same set of skills (Teleport, Frost Nova, Flame Shield) in all builds, limiting their gameplay diversity.
Both the Core Skills and Mastery Skills for Sorcerers in Diablo 4 require a significant amount of Mana and present mechanical challenges. As a result, some players are requesting Blizzard to simplify the class and provide more freedom in terms of gameplay options.
Diablo 4 is available on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.
