Diablo 4: Best AOE Class & Build

Looking for the Diablo 4 best AOE class? Well, you have come to the right place. Diablo 4 is the fourth main game in the Diablo series of games and has proven to be an amazingly detailed RPG. Moreover, it can give the players a large choice of builds and playstyles, all very viable, preventing the formation of boring Metas. In addition, you can choose to play the simple way or the complicated way and still be guaranteed to have fun.

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Key Takeaways

• AOE is an entertaining way to play Diablo 4, but that requires special consideration for picking a class and then pursuing a build.
• The best AOE class in Diablo 4 is the Sorcerer class.
• Active Skills for the build: Arc Lash, Chain Lightning, Frost Nova, Flame Shield, Inferno, and Meteor.
• Players must fully upgrade all active skills to five points to get started.
• Passive Skills for the build: Devastation [3 points], Elemental Dominance [3 points], Inner Flames [2 points], Crippling Flames [2 points], Fiery Surge [3 points], Endless Pyre [3 points], Warmth [3 points], and Shatter [1 point].
• The active combined with the passive skills help deal with a lot of AOE damage making this the best AOE build for the Sorcerer class.

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Playing AOE builds is one of the most fun ways to play Diablo 4. Having high single-target damage is good for bosses. Still, when faced with massive hordes of enemies, which you are most of the time in Diablo 4, high AOE damage shines, as nothing is more fun than doing one combo, which incinerates an entire swarm of foes instantly.

For the Diablo 4 best AOE class, Sorcerer is the best as it has a fantastic arsenal compromising multiple AOE skills, which, when combined with the passives, can deal some severe damage. This, along with Sorcerer’s ranged and safety aspect, makes it the best class for an AOE build.

Sorcerer AOE Build

Active Skills

Arc Lash

Skill Type	Basic, Shock
Description	Unleash arcing lightning that deals [59%] damage to enemies before you. Every ten times Arc Lash swipes, it Stuns all enemies hit for 2 seconds. When you use a Cooldown, enemies around you are Stunned for [0.7] seconds.
Upgrades	Enhanced Arc Lash Flickering Arc Lash

Arc Lash is our basic cast in this Sorcerer build. Furthermore, Arc Lash is perfect for AOE damage as, although it is not ranged, it deals lightning damage to enemies in front of you, making it suitable for when you are cornered in a dungeon. Moreover, the Flickering Arc Lash upgrade grants you an additional movement speed of up to +18%, which is great for running away from being cornered.

However, your game plan should not be to play around the Arc Lash as it is close range and does not deal enough damage to clear any enemy in front of you instantly. Moreover, it should only be used if your Mana has depleted and enemies are swarming you.

Chain Lightning

Skill Type	Core, Shock
Description	Unleash a stream of lightning that deals [50%] damage and chains between Nearby enemies and you up to 5 times, prioritizing enemies. Chain Lightning forms automatically after spending 100 Mana.
Upgrades	Enhanced Chain Lightning Greater Chain Lightning

The Core skill Chain Lightning is the cherry on top for our Sorcerer AOE build. This skill is the best for clearing large mobs of enemies in dungeons or when you are out and about in Diablo 4. Moreover, one cast of Chain Lightning makes the lightning bounce off enemies and your character, dealing high amounts of damage to them and clearing out the waves of enemies instantly.

In addition, Chain Lightning is handy when trying to fight bosses as it clears out their minions instantly, providing you some space to focus your other skills on the main boss. Furthermore, the Greater Chain Lightning upgrade deals x10% more damage. So even if your goal isn’t AOE damage, Chain Lightning is a must-have for any Sorcerer’s arsenal.

Flame Shield

Skill Type	Defensive, Pyromancy
Description	Engulf yourself in flames for [2.4] seconds, Burning surrounding enemies for [56%] damage per second. While Flame Shield is active, you are Immune. Flame Shield automatically activates when you take fatal damage. It can only happen once every 120 seconds.
Upgrades	Enhanced Flame Shield Shimmering Flame Shield

Flame Shield is our “get me out of here” card. You will constantly find yourself cornered with Sorcerer class, so Flame Shield should always be a hotkey away. Moreover, Flame Shield does fire damage around you and makes you immune so you can take a breather in between the chaos.

In addition, the Enhanced Flame Shield provides you with a lot of movement speed and, combined with the Flickering Arc Lash, makes you very agile, which is required when playing a squishy character like the Sorcerer. To help with this squishy-ness, Shimmering Flame Shield heals you for 50% of your max health, which is a nice bonus considering how good this skill already is.

Frost Nova

Skill Type	Defensive, Frost
Description	Unleash a torrent of frost, Freezing enemies around you for 3 seconds. Lucky Hit: Your Conjuration Skills have up to a 30% chance to unleash a Frost Nova when hitting enemies.
Upgrades	Enhanced Frost Nova Shimmering Frost Nova

Frost Nova is a pretty basic and self-explanatory skill. You freeze enemies around you in a radius, preventing them from doing damage to you for some time. Moreover, the Shimmering Frost Nova upgrade generates Mana per enemy hit, enabling you to cast more skills without worrying about your Mana running out.

Furthermore, the Enhanced Frost Nova upgrade makes this skill better, which reduces the cooldown of the Frost Nova by 1 second for killing 1 Frozen enemy, which can be increased up to 4 seconds. Moreover, when combined with the Shatter passive skill, Frost Nova suddenly becomes potent. When the Freeze of Frost Nova ends, Shatter explodes the enemies for 25% of the damage you dealt to them when they are Frozen.

Meteor

Skill Type	Mastery, Pyromancy
Description	Summon a meteor that strikes the target location, dealing [112%] damage and Burning the ground for [49%] damage over 3 seconds. Lucky Hit: Up to an 8% chance for a Meteor to fall on enemies.
Upgrades	Enhanced Meteor Wizard’s Meteor

Meteor is our big AOE damaging skill here. The skill does precisely what it says; it strikes a meteor wherever you target it, dealing high damage and burning the area. Moreover, this is the perfect skill for fighting a boss as not only will it do a significant amount of damage to the boss, it will instantly incinerate its minions.

Moreover, the Enhanced Meteor upgrade has a 30% chance to strike another Meteor if the original Meteor hits three enemies. Furthermore, the Wizard’s Meteor upgrade Immobilizes the enemy for 2 seconds, giving you space to reposition better for fighting the enemies, and can be a great crowd control skill if the Meteor hits again.

Inferno

Skill Type	Ultimate, Pyromancy
Description	Summon a fiery serpent that continually constricts the target area, Burning enemies for 295% damage over 8 seconds.
Upgrades	Prime Inferno Supreme Inferno

The Inferno skill is the Ultimate skill of the Sorcerer AOE build. The skill summons a serpent and burns the enemies for insane damage. When combined with the Meteor skill dealing excessive amounts of AOE damage, this is a very overpowered skill.

Moreover, the Prime Inferno upgrade pulls the enemies into the center, ensuring the Meteor hits the enemies wreaking havoc on them. Furthermore, the Supreme Inferno skill makes all the pyromancy skills use no mana, so you can spam the Flame Shield skill without worrying that your mana will run out.

Also, check out the Diablo 4 Sorcerer builds.

Passive Skills

These are the Passive Skills to go with your Active Skills for this Sorcerer AOE damage build.

Skills	Description	Points Allocated
Devastation	Your Maximum Mana is increased by [9].	3
Elemental Dominance	Your Core Skills deal x [9%] increased damage when cast above 50 Mana.	3
Inner Flames	Your Pyromancy Skills deal x [6%] increased damage while you are Healthy.	2
Crippling Flames	Lucky Hit: Your Pyromancy Skills have up to a [10%] chance to Immobilize enemies for 2 seconds. This chance is doubled while you are Healthy.	2
Fiery Surge	Killing a Burning enemy increases your Mana Regeneration by [30%] for 3 seconds.	3
Endless Pyre	You deal increased Burning damage to enemies for each second they remain Burning, up to [15%] after 5 seconds.	3
Warmth	Every 1 second, you Heal for [0.9%] of your Maximum Life for each Nearby Burning enemy. Healing increased to [1.8%] from Bosses.	3
Shatter	After Freeze expires, enemies explode for 25% of the damage you dealt them during Frozen.	1

The Passive Skills should be pretty self-explanatory from the description. They are a mix of Mana regeneration and damage skills with a sprinkle of a healing skill with the Warmth skill, which heals you for 0.9% of your maximum health while the enemies around you burn.

The Sorcerer class is enjoyable to play in Diablo 4, so why not play it with an AOE build and wreak havoc on your enemies? Furthermore, Sorcerer is the best class for AOE playstyle in Diablo 4. Moreover, with the insane amount of chaos that will be conjured with the combination of the Frost Nova, Meteor, and Inferno skills, even Lilith will learn to fear the walking hell you will be.

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