Experimenting with various classes and builds is the main focus of Path of Exile 2, and the fast-paced Monk is among the most adaptable classes. Path of Exile 2’s early access edition has six classes (more will be added at launch): mercenary, sorceress, witch, ranger, warrior, and monk. The Monk in PoE 2 isn’t all that different from previous fantasy games in that they mostly use their amazing speed and strong melee attacks to do damage, which is counterbalanced by their extremely poor defense and maximum HP.
However, PoE 2’s Monks can also employ a wide range of elemental spells to do many types of damage, which is a break from the traditional wuxia warrior. The key to playing as a Monk in Path of Exile 2 is to establish a balance between using dangerous, close-range attacks to build up Power and then retreating to unleash powerful magical assaults. Here’s how to become proficient in PoE 2’s Monk class.
Best Equipment For a Monk Build Class In PoE 2
Since mobility is one of the most crucial elements of the class, you want to keep your equipment small when playing as a monk. Despite their high dexterity and intelligence scores, monks usually specialize in lighter, more portable apparel since they lack the strength to wear bulky, metal armor. Seek out body parts with names that include “Garb” or “Robe,” as well as basic Linen Wraps for your hands and Crowns, Masks, or Hoods for your head.
Since the majority of the loot in PoE 2 is completely random, so it’s difficult to suggest a specific piece of armor to equip in each slot. Simply, wearing armor that increases your monk’s speed, damage, evasion, or energy shield is preferable. Your attacking abilities will be enhanced by buffing speed and damage, while the Monk’s comparatively poor defense and HP will be partially offset by evasion and energy shield.
Note – Loot comes in four different rarity tiers: Normal (white text), Magic (blue text), Rare (yellow text), and Unique (orange text).
Although bare-knuckle fighting is the primary characteristic of monks, they may also effectively use quarterstaves as weapons. Anything that boosts your elemental damage, physical damage, and, depending on your build, cold or lightning damage is better. As you go through Path of Exile 2, you will acquire a great deal of equipment, including a lot of items that you will not be able to utilize. You can trade these things with other players, sell them, disenchant them, or store them in your account-wide stash to use with other characters.
Best Skill Gems For a Monk Build In PoE 2
You can acquire new abilities in Path of Exile 2 by transforming Uncut Skill Gems into a variety of different skills. Starting at level 1, Killing Palm is one of the first skills you should purchase. When you kill palm, you jump forward and hit an enemy, instantly killing them if their HP is low. More significantly, using Killing Palm to eliminate an adversary gives you a Power Charge that you can utilize to activate stronger skills later on.
Tempest Bell
Monks should use a level 3 Uncut Skill Gem to get the Tempest Bell skill at level 6. This starts a combo meter, which drops a bell on the battlefield when it is full. If you continue to attack the bell, it will send out destructive shockwaves.
Startling Palm
The Staggering Palm skill should be taken starting at level 6 and with a level 3 skill gem. This functions similarly to Killing Palm, however instead of killing enemies, it stuns them. When you use Staggering Palm to stun an enemy, you will receive a bonus that lets you use your melee attacks to launch projectiles. This will make it easier to strike your Tempest Bell and/or Frozen Locus if you choose to use that ability instead.
Best Passive Skills For a Monk Build In PoE 2
You can use the skill points you receive from each level up in Path of Exile 2 on any number of passives that are dispersed throughout a vast skill tree. Fortunately, the Monk skill tree is so adaptable and all-encompassing that you can take nearly any path you want. Take as many abilities as possible that increase the possibility of a critical hit and its damage (such as Deadly Force), as well as any that increase the quantity of Power Charges you receive from your talents.
Instead of dividing the difference (more on that below), try to concentrate on enhancing either cold damage or lightning damage. Lastly, remember that you can ignore enemy resistance to your elemental spells by taking Overload.
Best Spirit Gem For a Monk Build In PoE 2
You could find things known as Spirit Gems while exploring the world, which let you improve your abilities. Don’t forget to take the Lingering Illusion Spirit Gem if you’re struggling to keep your Monk alive. When you dodge roll, this turns your character into a kind of spectral version that attracts aggro. You can potentially receive a second Power Charge after the Illusion is broken.
Charge Infusion
Every time you have a Power Charge, Charge Infusion increases your chances of getting a Critical Hit by 15%. Level 58 is necessary. It is a useful ally when combined with other goods and skills that increase your Power Charges and credits.
Combat Frenzy
Remember to select Combat Frenzy if you’re going for a cold or lightning build so that you can earn extra benefits when you freeze or electrocute your enemies. When you achieve this, you get a Frenzy charge, which boosts your skill speed by 8% and has some helpful interactions with Charge Infusion. Level 36 and a level 8 gem are needed.
Ascendancies For a Monk Build In PoE 2
After passing the Trial of the Sekhemas in Act 2, ascendancies—what Path of Exile 2 players refer to as subclasses—are selected. Invoker is the first of two classes for Monk. With some options to increase your defense, Invoker is a subclass that focuses largely on elemental damage and is widely regarded as the more powerful of the two. All of PoE 2’s invoker skills are listed here.
| Scatter Them to the Winds | Grants Elemental Expression on melee crit, creating AoEs |
|---|---|
| Faith Is a Choice | You deal an extra 10% lightning damage, and shocking enemies creates Shocked Ground AoE |
| I Am the Blizzard | You deal an extra 10% cold damage, and freezing enemies creates Chilled Ground AoE |
| I Am the Thunder | You deal an exta 10% lightning damage, and shocking enemies creates Shocked Ground AoE |
| And I Shall Rage | Whenever you inflict a status effect, you gain Unbound Fury. With the meter full, you enter an ascended Avatar state |
| And Protect Me from Harm | Evasion rating is decreased by 40%, but you get equivalent physical damage reduction |
| Lead Me Through Grace | Every 6 energy shield and 15 evasion on your body armor grants you 1 Spirit. You can’t gain Spirit from your equipment otherwise |
| Sunder My Enemies | Crits ignore most elemental resistances |
| The Soul Springs Eternal | Meta skills gain 35% more energy |
Acolyte Of Chayula
The other Monk Ascendancy, which is centered on chaos and darkness, is Chayula’s acolyte. It depends on the Flames of Chayula skill and mana leech. The skills you can select from are as follows:
| Chayula’s Gift | Maximum Chaos resistance increased by 10%. Chaos resistance is doubled |
|---|---|
| Consuming Questions | You can no longer recharge your energy shield naturally, but mana leech does so for you |
| Embrace the Darkness | Cannot use Spirit. Base maximum Darkness is set to 100, and you gain 5 more per level. Darkness acts as your energy shield. Darkness reservation lasts 10 seconds. |
| Grasp of the Void | For every 20 unreserved Darkness, gain 1% extra Chaos damage |
| Inner SIlence | Darkness reservation duration is halved |
| Lucid Dreaming | Doubles the duration of Flames of Chayula skill |
| Ravenous Doubts | Mana leech can be cast instantly |
| Reality Rending | 23% chance to gain 25% extra Chaos damage on hits, 13% chance to gain 50%, 7% chance to gain 100% |
| Waking Dream | Grants Into the Breach, a skill that allows you to manifest Flames of Chayula |
That concludes everything about how to construct a monk in PoE 2. There is a lot of leeway here, so feel free to try out different abilities and equipment as you see appropriate. If you think you’ve made a mistake, you can always proceed with the Hooded One. Additionally, be aware that the Monk class may undergo additional changes when early access and the full release of Path of Exile 2 are balanced.
