ATTRIBUTES

1. Strength - you need approximately 95 total Strength to equip all the required gear (or 156 if you have chosen to use Spirit Monarch).  After being able to wear all your desired gear, spend not a single point here
2. Dexterity - barely enough to equip all the equipment. In most cases, you will spend 0 points here
3. Vitality - you should aim to have at least 500 unbuffed Life with your Sorceress. Around 90% of the damage will go to your Mana, but you still need some Life to survive the hits for the remaining 10%
4. Energy - spend the rest of your Points here. In order to use Energy Shield, you need a substantial Mana pool, and Energy is the attribute associated with it. This is your primary Attribute for this build, though initially (during leveling) you should spend points on Vitality

COLD SPELLS

The Tree where your main damage-dealing ability: Frozen Orb can be found. You basically need it maxed out, alongside all its' synergy skills, and you need the mandatory 1 point in Shiver Armor that boosts your defenses

Skills:

1. Frozen Armor [1/20] - the best Sorceress defensive Spell that boots your Defense Rating and freezes attackers for a brief duration. Just spend one point here, the Skill's level will be increased by all your equipment
2. Ice Bolt [20/20] - Frozen Orb's synergy that increases its' damage and is most likely the first damaging ability you are going to use during leveling
3. Ice Blast [1/20] - prerequisite only
4. Glacial Spike [1/20] - prerequisite only
5. Frost Nova [1/20] - prerequisite only
6. Blizzard [1/20] - prerequisite only
7. Frozen Orb [20/20]  - primary Spell used in this build so it's a must-have 20 points here. In our recommended setup, it's basically the only DPS ability that you are going to use both to farm groups of enemies and take down Bosses
8. Cold Mastery [X/20] - boosts your Cold Damage by Penetrating monsters' Cold Resistance. You should primarily aim to max this skill, but sharing some points with Warmth can be also considered in this build, as Warmth increases your Mana regeneration and as a result, boosts your defenses

LIGHTNING SPELLS

Lightning Tree contains a lot of important abilities for this build, however, all the ones you are going to use are utility skills that are not generally focused on dealing damage directly (with one situational exception)

Skills:

1. Telekinesis [20/20] - allows you to pick up items and grants easier access to your stash/portals, etc. You need to get 20 points here, as it increases the effectiveness of your Energy Shield, by directly reducing the amount of damage taken from your Mana. Telekinesis also deals physical damage and can be used to kill Cold immune monsters 
2. Teleport [1/20] - the best mobility Spell in Diablo 2 which makes the Sorceress such a popular character class. Just 1 point in here is enough
3. Charged Bolt [1/20] - a prerequisite to Energy Shield only
4. Lightning [1/20] - same as above
5. Chain Lightning [1/20] same as above
6. Energy Shield [20/20] - a great defensive Spell that boosts your defenses by redirecting some of the incoming damage to your Mana pool. It should be used only when your character is fully geared and has a solid Mana pool and mana regeneration rate. At the maximum level, with all the bonuses from your gear, it should redirect over 90% of incoming damage to your mana, which is then reduced nearly by half with maxed out Telekinesis
7. Static Field [1/20] - a great utility Spell bigger packs of enemies and non-Lightning immune Bosses. It substantially lowers the maximum life of affected enemies, allowing you to kill them much quicker

You are only going to take Warmth Passive from this Tree, which is a mandatory Skill for any Energy Shield Sorceress characters. 

Skills:

1. Warmth [X/20] - Warmth is a passive that increases your Mana Regeneration Rate. You should add extra points here, possible at the cost of not maxing out Cold Mastery when you feel like your Mana is depleting too fast when taking damage

As always, you want to increase the level of All Skills/All Sorc Skills or Cold Skills to the highest level possible. In terms of DPS and overall performance, Fastest Cast Rate is the second most important affix you can find on your items - and realistically you should be able to get to the 105% FCR breakpoints in this build. You should also prioritize items with bonuses to Mana, Mana regen, and Mana on Kill to boost the effectiveness of your Energy Shield. Faster Hit Recovery, Magic Find, Resistances, are all also extremely important additions on your equipment.

HELMETS

Harlequin Crest (Shako) - a great option with bonuses to All Skills, Mana, and a lot of Magic Find stat that makes it one of the most popular all-around Helmet in the game

• +2 to All Skills
• +1-99 to Life(1 per character level)
• +1-99 to Mana(1 per character level)
• Damage Reduced By 3-5% (varies)
• 50% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
• +2 to All Attributes

Nightwing's Veil (Spired Helm) - offers the highest possible DPS bonus bot no bonuses to Magic Find. A good rolled one, with a high Cold Damage increase, outclasses any other Helmet in the game in terms of raw damage

• +90-120% Enhanced Defense
• +2 To All Skills
• +8-15% To Cold Skill Damage
• +10-20 To Dexterity
• +5-9 Cold Absorb
• Half Freeze Duration
• Requirements -50%

WEAPONS

The Oculus (Swirling Crystal) - a great and inexpensive Sorceress Orb which adds up to 3 Skills, high FCR, and bonus Magic Find

• +3 To Sorceress Skill Levels
• +5 To Mana After Each Kill
• All Resistances +20
• 25% Chance To Cast Level 1 Teleport When Struck
• +30% Faster Cast Rate
• +20 To Vitality
• +20 To Energy
• +20% Enhanced Defense
• 50% Better Chance Of Getting Magic Items

Death's Fathom (Dimensional Shard) - easily the best Weapon for a Cold Sorceress thanks to the high Cold Damage multiplier

• +3 To Sorceress Skill Levels
• +20% Faster Cast Rate
• +15-30% To Cold Skill Damage
• Lightning Resist +25-40%
• Fire Resist +25-40%

Heart of the Oak (Runeword) - another exceptionally powerful Caster weapon in Diablo 2 Resurrected. Best obtained by socketing the needed Ko Vex Pul and Thul runes in a Flail for low attribute requirements

• +3 To All Skills
• +40% Faster Cast Rate
• +75% Damage To Demons
• +100 To Attack Rating Against Demons
• Adds 3-14 Cold Damage, 3 sec. Duration (Normal)
• 7% Mana Stolen Per Hit
• +10 To Dexterity
• Replenish Life +20
• Increase Maximum Mana 15%
• All Resistances +30-40
• Level 4 Oak Sage (25 Charges)
• Level 14 Raven (60 Charges)

Call to Arms (Runeword) - this Rune Word consisting of Amn • Ral • Mal • Ist • Ohm runes should be used on Weapon swap. You can cast the Warcries to buff your stats and then switch back to your regular weapons. It's best to be combined with a Shield with extra FCR and +2 to All Skills like Spirit assuming you have enough stats to use it

• +1 To All Skills
• +40% Increased Attack Speed
• +250-290% Enhanced Damage
• Adds 5-30 Fire Damage
• 7% Life Stolen Per Hit
• +2-6 To Battle Command
• +1-6 To Battle Orders
• +1-4 To Battle Cry
• Prevent Monster Heal
• Replenish Life +12
• 30% Better Chance Of Getting Magic Items

SHIELDS

Spirit (Runeword) - the best caster shield in D2R that's most commonly seen in Monarchs. It requires only low to mid-level runes that include Tal Thul Ort and Amn, making it presumably the most cost-effective Runeword in Diablo 2 Resurrected as well. It also offers very high bonus Mana, making it perfect for this Energy Shield build

• +2 To All Skills
• +25-35% Faster Cast Rate (varies)
• +55% Faster Hit Recovery
• +250 Defense vs. Missiles
• +22 To Vitality
• +89-112 To Mana (varies)
• Cold Resist +35%
• Lightning Resist +35%
• Poison Resist +35%
• +3-8 Magic Absorb (varies)
• Attacker Takes Damage of 14

AMULETS

Tal Rasha's Adjudication - one of the best Amulets for this build. It grants +2 to All Skills and extra Life and Mana making it a perfect option. You are not advised to use other parts of the set, so we will not focus on the additional Set bonuses it could potentially provide

• +2 To Sorceress Skill Levels
• Lightning Resist +33%
• Adds 3-32 Lightning Damage
• +42 To Mana
• +50 To Life

Mara's Kaleidoscope - one of the most popular Amulets in Diablo 2 Resurrected. The best part about it (on top of having all the important stats) is that it can be later used on pretty much any alt that you are going to build on your account

• +2 To All Skills
• All Resistances +20-30
• +5 To All Attributes

Caster Crafted Amulet - potentially the BiS option but also extremely hard to get (or simply expensive). You should look for bonuses to all Skills, FCR, and other valuable stats like Life, Mana, Resistances, or Attributes

Required Level: varies
Stats to look for:

• +# To All Skills/+# to Cold Skills
• Faster Cast Rate
• Attributes
• Life
• Resistances
• Mana

ARMORS

Chains of Honor (Runeword) - the best all-around armor for this build which grants high bonuses to All Skills, massive damage bonuses vs Demons and Undead, and tons of defensive utility. It consists of Dol Um Ber and Ist runes that should be socketed in an armor that doesn't exceed the Strength requirement of your Spirit/Monarch Shield

• +2 To All Skills
• +200% Damage To Demons
• +100% Damage To Undead
• 8% Life Stolen Per Hit
• +70% Enhanced Defense
• +20 To Strength
• Replenish Life +7
• All Resistances +65
• Damage Reduced By 8%
• 25% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items

Skin of the Vipermagi (Serpentskin Armor) - an amazing caster body armor that offers bonuses to all Skills and what's most unique FCR bonus

• +120% Enhanced Defense
• +1 To All Skills
• 30% Faster Cast Rate
• Magic Damage Reduced By 9-13
• All Resistances +20-35

RINGS

The Stone of Jordan - the single best Ring you can use here. The bonus to all Skills and Mana makes it the best Unique piece you can use in this slot

• +1 to All Skills
• +25% Mana
• +1-12 Lightning Damage
• +20 Mana

Raven Frost - mainly for the Freeze immunity, as the game gets much harder if you get slowed down by cold hits. The 20% Cold Absorb is also an amazing defensive bonus here

• +150-250 Attack Rating (varies)
• 15-45 Cold Damage
• +15-20 Dexterity (varies)
• +40 Mana
• Cold Absorb 20%
• Cannot be Frozen

Rare Rings - good rolled Rare Rings with 10% FCR, 20%+ Magic Find are the best option. You can also get some extra Attributes and Resistances on them

• 10% Faster Cast Rate
• 20%+ increased Magic Find
• Attributes
• Resistances

GLOVES

[BIS] Magefist (Light Gauntlets) - the best Gloves to maximize your DPS. They make it so much easier to reach the 105% FCR breakpoint and increase your Mana Regeneration Rate. The +1 to Fire will only apply to your Warmth Passive, but that doesn't prevent this pair from being far ahead of anything else you could potentially want to equip in this slot

• +20-30% Enhanced Defense (varies)
• +10 Defense
• +1 To Fire Skills
• 20% Faster Cast Rate
• Regenerate Mana 25%
• Adds 1-6 Fire Damage

BOOTS

War Traveler's (Battle Boots) - the best pair for this particular setup thanks to high Magic Find bonus

• +150-190% Enhanced Defense (varies)
• 25% Faster Run/Walk
• +10 to Vitality
• +10 to Strength
• Adds 15-25 Damage
• +40% Slower Stamina Drain
• Attacker Takes Damage Of 5-10 (varies)
• 30-50% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items (varies)

Sandstorm Trek (Scarabshell Boots) - great Boots with high defensive utility. The extra FHR bonus comes in very handy when monsters get into melee range

• +140-170% Enhanced Defense
• +20% Faster Hit Recovery
• +20% Faster Run/Walk
• + (1 Per Character Level) +1-99 Maximum Stamina (Based On Character Level)
• +10-15 To Strength
• +10-15 To Vitality
• 50% Slower Stamina Drain
• Poison Resist +40-70%
• Repairs 1 Durability In 20 Seconds

Aldur's Advance (Battle Boots) - another extremely powerful pair of Boots for this build. They offer massive Fire Resistance (which is critical if you want to farm Chaos Sanctuary) and also, redirect an extra 10% of incoming damage to your Mana which is one of the core defensive mechanics in this build

• Indestructible
• 40% Faster Run/Walk
• +180 Maximum Stamina
• 10% Damage Taken Goes To Mana
• Heal Stamina Plus +32%
• +50 To Life
• Fire Resist +40-50%

BELTS

[BIS] Arachnid Mesh (Spiderweb Sash) - the best caster belt in the game which offers a bonus to all Skills, high FCR and slows your target. The increase the Max Mana is also extremely valuable for this Energy Shield build

• +90-120% Enhanced Defense
• Slows Target By 10%
• +1 To All Skills
• +20% Faster Cast Rate
• Increases Maximum Mana 5%
• Level 3 Venom (11 Charges)

CHARMS

1. Gheed's Fortune - just use it if you want some extra Loot, and well, who doesn't?
2. Hellfire Torch - again, the BiS Unique Large Charm which increases your All Skills, Attributes, and Resistances. A must-have for all builds in Diablo 2, and it's limited to 1 in your inventory
3. Annihilus - similar to Hellfire Torch, this Unique Small Charm boosts All Skills, All Attributes, and All Resistances. Again a mandatory Charm for any build
4. Grand Charms - with Cold Skill and FHR, MF, or Resistances
5. Small Charms - if your Resistances aren't all capped at 75 you can get small charms with some MF and Resistances

MERCENARY

We recommend picking up Act 2 Might Mercenary for the highest bonus damage, which will help you to get through Cold Immunity monsters quickly. Mercenary is a critical part of this build since you are going to deal basically just one type of Elemental Damage

1. Infinity Runeword in Ethereal Elite Spear for Conviction Aura. It will offer the highest DPS for your Merc but also increase your effective Cold DPS thanks to the Aura. For extra Mana (and on lower-budget chars) this can also be replaced with Insight Runeword
2. Fortitude Runeword in Armor - for the best defensive utility and massive damage bonuses to your Merc
3. Andariel's Visage - basically the Best Helmet for A2 Merc thanks to high Life Steal and IAS bonuses

ENDNOTE

This is the Energy Shield version of one of the most popular Cold Sorcerer builds in Diablo 2 Resurrected. If you would like us to make alternative versions of this build, please let us know in the comments below. We would consider adding Guides for Life/MF or possibly hybrid Fire/Cold builds if we found that there is a demand for that.

Either way, stay tuned for new Build Guides and constant updates of our Diablo 2 Resurrected content!