With Season 10 of Diablo 4 in full swing, Sorcerers have received a powerful new option that stands out as one of the fastest and most efficient farming builds in the game. The Chain Lightning Sorcerer is back in style, and thanks to balance changes and new gear synergies, it has quickly risen to the top tier for speed farming Infernal Hordes, Pit runs, and Aether collection.

In this article, we’ll break down the build in detail—skills, enchantments, gear choices, passives, paragon boards, and playstyle—while also comparing its strengths to other popular Sorcerer archetypes like Fireball and Ball Lightning. If you’re looking for a lightning-fast, auto-targeting powerhouse to grind XP and Diablo 4 Items, this is the guide you need.

Why Chain Lightning in Season 10?

Historically, Chain Lightning has been a flashy but inconsistent skill. Earlier in the game’s lifecycle, it lacked the raw power of Ball Lightning or the utility of Ice Shards. Season 10 changes, however, have turned it into a speed-farming monster.

The key reasons why Chain Lightning is thriving right now:

Auto-targeting mechanics – Unlike Ball Lightning, which requires positioning, Chain Lightning seeks enemies automatically. This makes it perfect for mowing down packs and chasing elusive targets like goblins.

Core skill stacking – Season 10 has emphasized core skill synergies. By stacking bonuses to core skills, Chain Lightning gains incredible damage scaling.

Resource stability – With the right setup, the build achieves near-infinite mana sustain, enabling constant casting without downtime.

Utility in Infernal Hordes – Farming Aether and clearing hordes relies on speed and efficiency. Chain Lightning excels here, rivaling Fireball for farming while still being strong enough for Pit pushing.

In short, the Chain Lightning Sorcerer is no longer just a fun option—it’s a top contender for S-tier Sorcerer builds in Season 10.

Core Skills and Gameplay Loop

At its heart, this is a three-button build with very little complexity. Here’s the rotation you’ll use:

Activate Unstable Currents whenever it’s available. This ultimate provides bonus shock skills, extra attack speed, and sometimes additional Chain Lightning casts.

Spam Chain Lightning as your main damage dealer. It clears screens of enemies in seconds thanks to its bounces and scaling.

Use Teleport for mobility and positioning.

That’s it. The simplicity of the build makes it both beginner-friendly and extremely efficient for long farming sessions.

Skill Breakdown

Chain Lightning – Your main damage source. Every bounce increases its effectiveness, and with the right aspects, it can return to you before chaining again.

Unstable Currents – The ultimate that supercharges your attack speed and casts bonus shock skills.

Teleport – Core for movement, dodging, and repositioning.

Lightning Spear – Primarily used through enchantment, providing consistent stuns and enabling bonus damage against crowd-controlled enemies.

Charge Bolts – Used to fill out skill slots for passives, not as an active source of damage.

Ball Lightning (Optional) – Included on the bar but not invested into; mostly for synergy with Unstable Currents.

Enchantments

Sorcerer enchantments are key to smooth gameplay, and for Chain Lightning, two stand above the rest:

Chain Lightning (Enchant) – Grants automatic casts of Chain Lightning, multiplying your clear speed.

Lightning Spear (Enchant) – Summons Lightning Spears when you absorb Crackling Energy. These spears stun enemies, enabling critical strike multipliers and smoother boss fights.

Gear and Aspects

The build’s gear revolves around maximizing core skill bonuses, reaching 100% crit chance, and enabling powerful procs.

Key Items

Air of Predition (Mythic Helm) – Increases core skill effectiveness. If you don’t have this, you can swap in non-mythic alternatives, but it’s a cornerstone for optimal damage.

Actual Conduit (Chest) – Makes Chain Lightning return to you and then bounce back to enemies. This aspect also boosts Chain Lightning ranks for massive damage scaling.

Banish Lord’s Talisman – Grants Overpower to every other core skill, significantly spiking your damage output.

Crown Evolution – Increases resource costs but boosts damage. Paired with mana generation effects, it creates an “infinite mana” loop.

Lightning Rod Aspect – Chain Lightning has a chance to deal near-double damage, with the chance doubled against stunned or boss enemies.

Ring of Starless Skies – Reduces the resource cost of core skills over time, further sustaining your mana pool.

Other Gear Priorities

Stack core skill ranks wherever possible.

Reach 100% critical strike chance—this is non-negotiable, as much of your multipliers depend on critting.

Once crit is capped, prioritize critical strike damage, vulnerable damage, and shock damage.

Gems and Runes

Skulls (Armor) – Extra survivability.

Topaz (Weapon) – Scales your Sorcerer damage.

Runes – Start with Serve Vex, Au, and Gar to hit crit cap. Once you’ve reached 100% crit, swap to SE for more consistent vulnerability application.

Skill Tree Priorities

Max Chain Lightning – Each rank increases bounce damage, making it your bread-and-butter nuke.

Destructive Bolts – Provides damage reduction when free-cast by Unstable Currents.

Lightning Spear Passive – Enables crit-based vulnerability application and stuns.

Static Discharge + Invigorating Conduit – Generates Crackling Energy to fuel Lightning Spears and resource sustain.

Glass Cannon – For increased damage at a manageable defensive tradeoff.

Overflowing Energy (Capstone Passive) – Big multipliers for lightning damage.

Paragon Board Setup

Your paragon boards should enhance crit scaling, lightning damage, and mana sustain. A suggested path looks like this:

Destruction – Boosts critical strike damage.

Frigid Fate (with Eliminator) – Adds bonus damage.

Static Surge (with Exploit) – More damage against vulnerable targets.

Ceaseless Conduit (with Tactician) – Increases damage after using Teleport.

Enchantment Master (with Unleash) – Improves mana regeneration.

After this, invest points into surrounding intelligence nodes, prioritizing those near Eliminator for combined damage and mana benefits.

Playstyle and Farming Strategy

The build shines in speed farming, particularly in:

Pit Levels 60–80 – Instead of grinding Pit 100, Chain Lightning excels in lower levels where fast clears yield maximum XP per minute.

Infernal Hordes – The auto-targeting makes it one of the best builds for farming Aether. Goblin encounters melt instantly.

Chaos Armor Progression – The efficiency in Infernal Hordes means you’ll progress faster toward chaos armor unlocks.

For pushing Pit 100 and higher, Chain Lightning is viable but may not outperform Ball Lightning or Ice Shards in raw single-target DPS. However, its farming efficiency places it among the top two Sorcerer builds alongside Fireball.

Non-Mythic Variant

Not everyone will have access to mythics like Air of Predition or Ring of Starless Skies. The build still works well without them:

Replace Air of Predition with Lockins Helm.

Use a standard legendary ring with Intercom Aspect.

Compensate for lost crit chance through offensive category affixes and runes like Gar.

The gameplay remains the same; you’ll just need to prioritize reaching 100% crit via alternative paths.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Strengths

Auto-targeting makes farming smooth and brainless.

Infinite mana sustain means you can spam endlessly.

Top-tier Aether farming in Infernal Hordes.

Flexible gearing allows both mythic and non-mythic variants.

Tanky enough to survive comfortably without heavy defensive investment.

Weaknesses

Not the best for pushing max-level Pits. Fireball or Ball Lightning may outscale it for single-target DPS.

Reliant on crit cap. Without 100% crit chance, much of the build’s synergy breaks down.

Movement speed tradeoff. The build often drops boots for Crown Evolution, meaning mobility can feel slightly sluggish.

Final Thoughts

The Chain Lightning Sorcerer is one of the most enjoyable and effective builds in Diablo 4 Season 10. It strikes the perfect balance between simplicity, buy Diablo 4 Items, and raw power. Whether you’re farming Infernal Hordes for Aether, grinding Pits for XP, or chasing chaos armor unlocks, this build will carry you smoothly.

While it may not dethrone Fireball or Ball Lightning for ultimate pushing potential, its speed farming dominance secures it a solid spot in the S-tier. If you want an auto-targeting, mana-sustaining, crit-chaining Sorcerer that feels both powerful and effortless, this is the build for you.