The Arc Lash Sorcerer was a sentimental class in Diablo IV. It was the first class I used during the launch day of the game because I found the Arc Lash skill to be fun.
Before the full game was officially playable for us gamers to play, I enjoyed my time playing the beta. The Sorcerer was the class that grabbed my attention immediately. I’ve always liked magic based characters in my action-role playing games, and I’m also a big melee lover too. The Arc Lash Sorcerer was the perfect hybrid of those two power fantasy, and that build felt like it was designed for me.
I still remember during the beta, I was wondering what kind of abilities would work well within my Arc Lash set up. It was hard to figure these things out because we were only able to play the content within the beta. But I knew the Arc Lash build was going to be the decision I want to heavily invest in.
Check out for more Diablo IV content from us:
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- Is Diablo IV Worth Playing Again? (Season 4: Loot Reborn)
- Diablo IV – Hammer of the Ancients Barbarian Has Not Held Up Well (Season Four)
Arch Lash in Season Zero
When the full game was out, the build was definitely good for its standards back then. However, it wasn’t quite as powerful compared to the tippy top builds like the Hammer of the Ancients Barbarian. I remember the Arc Lash Sorcerer can certainly handle every content without any issue, but Uber Lilith was absolutely not feasible for the build.
My Sorcerer just chillin’ in town.
Ever since Diablo IV has gotten many balance changes and updates, I was wondering how well it would hold up during the current times of Diablo IV. I tried checking out the Hammer of the Ancients Barbarian during Season Four, and it definitely did not age well. The build was so much weaker than what it used to be, but that also made me wonder how the Arc Lash Sorcerer would hold up.
The good thing I can say that in Season Five, the Arc Lash Sorcerer is by far a lot better than I remembered. The overall damage is way better because of the many Aspect changes and the updated Flickering Arc Lash. Originally, that passive ability just increased the movement speed and it wasn’t that great. Now, it provides bonus damage when hitting multiple targets or a boss.
The Damage Boost!
Due to these changes, the Arc Lash is just a lot more consistent in putting out heavy damage. I never knew a build like this would be able to handle Tormented bosses, but I did manage to kill a couple of them without much issue. Keep in mind, this build is not going to be the fastest, but you can certainly kill Tormented bosses. I personally like running Grigoire if I plan on doing some Tormented content with this build.
An old, but amusing screenshot of the Sorcerer.
It’s also just elevating to see a build like this has gotten so much better since launch day. Killing bosses during launch day was an issue because its damage output wasn’t strong enough. Sorcerer was also squishier back in those days and that was another problem.
This build is predominantly a melee character, so survivability is extremely important. Unfortunately, during those days, the Sorcerer definitely suffered in the survivability category. Luckily in current times, it is better in Season Five.
The Power of Ice Blades
Playing the Arch Lash Sorcerer again was a fun experience. Not only because the build is better, but the endgame set up is also rather different. Back then, Frost Nova was mandatory to have on your Arc Lash Sorcerer, but now it’s been replaced with Ice Blades. You should also use the Ice Blades Enchantment too.
Ice Blades is what will make you kill bosses much faster than ever, and it’s also because of the Aspect of Shredding Blades. Since your damage was weaker during launch day, Frost Nova was important to allow your build to do some real damage. With so many buffs to the overall damage of the Arc Lash skill, you no longer have to rely on Frost Nova for dealing heavy damage.
I certainly remember back then, it was wise to teleport on a group of enemies and then you cast Frost Nova afterwards. You no longer have to rely on that style as much now, and it makes the build more interesting to play for experienced users.
Arch Lash Versus The Pit and Infernal Hordes
When I was trying to Pit push, I can definitely say it’s not going to be the best character when it comes to higher tiers. However, it still is fun to play this content because I wasn’t able to during the launch day of Diablo IV. Just running around and blasting hordes of enemies is certainly exhilarating with the Arch Lash build.
Just doing some fast Pit runs for Stygian Stones!
I would’ve never thought a build like this can run The Pit as well as it currently has. I also tried out the new Infernal Hordes content with this build, and it’s definitely mediocre in this realm. The density is just too much for the character on higher tiers which hurts the survivability of the build.
You constantly have to rely on barriers which can be an issue for this build. Cooldowns is something you have to manage, and the game throws in too many deadly enemies that can easily overwhelm you. Due to this design choice, you can end feeling very squishy because you never have the abilities to activate your barriers.
Some Last Mentions
I found myself having to run around mindlessly, and dodging projectiles just to hope I don’t get randomly killed out of nowhere. This is definitely bad, and it can affect your chances of getting high amount of Aether before you fight the Council Members at the end. I definitely don’t recommend this build for higher tiers within the Infernal Hordes. If you don’t mind running lower tiers, this build is certainly fine for it.
Overall, the Arc Lash Sorcerer has definitely held up a lot better than it once was on launch day. I can’t say it’s a “great” build, but it’s definitely viable and it sure is fun to play. If you enjoyed playing this build during the launch days of Diablo IV, it still is a blast to play. It’s even better than you’ll remember, and it’s a bit of a trip down to memory lane too.
Always to make sure to keep you barriers up, and keep on slashing demons in front of you!
