Path of Exile 2 introduces the Monk, a class that starts weak but grows incredibly strong, offering both melee and ranged abilities.
As you embark on your journey as a Monk, you’ll notice that your early skills include a mix of quarterstaff melee attacks and elemental abilities. These can involve lightning and frost damage, or even air skills to stun foes. At the beginning, just use whatever skills you find, even if they seem weak or random.
Once you hit your teenage levels, though, it’s smart to start focusing on one or two specific damage types. This will help you plan your passive skill tree better and pick the right Ascendancy for your Monk later on.
Dexterity and Intelligence are crucial attributes for Monks. Dexterity keeps you nimble and able to dodge attacks, while Intelligence ensures you have enough mana to cast your fancy elemental spells.
As time goes on, you might want to stop using your basic quarterstaff attack and focus more on elemental skills. But early on, that melee attack is pretty strong and doesn’t use mana, so it’s handy when you’re low on resources.
When it comes to choosing skills, Monks shine with lightning abilities paired with a few air skills. At first, mixing in a frost skill like Glacial Cascade can be helpful for dealing with bosses. It creates icy explosions that can freeze and damage enemies.
However, by the end of your build, you’ll likely want to drop the frost abilities in favor of full-on lightning and air skills. Here’s a list of skills that can make your Monk unstoppable:
- Falling Thunder
- Killing Palm
- Staggering Palm
- Tempest Bell
- Tempest Flurry
- Whirling Assault
- Gathering Storm
- Flicker Strike
Fans love the thrill of crafting the perfect character build!
At level 12, unlocking Tempest Flurry is a game-changer. It’s a combo attack that ends with a powerful lightning strike, making it a great replacement for your basic melee attacks.
Pair Tempest Flurry with Tempest Bell for even more damage. After landing a four-hit combo, you can summon a bell that deals damage each time you hit it. If you use a lightning attack on it, it’ll cause more damage.
Standing still to hit the Tempest Bell requires you to be at full health, as enemies will keep attacking you. When surrounded, Falling Thunder can clear groups quickly, but it relies on building power charges for maximum effect. Finish off weak enemies with Killing Palm or Staggering Palm.
As you level up, you’ll get access to more skills like Whirling Assault, Gathering Storm, and Flicker Strike. Flicker Strike is particularly useful as it lets you teleport between enemies, avoiding damage while attacking.
For extra power, equip Support Gems and Spirit Gems. Support Gems enhance your skills, while Spirit Gems provide additional buffs. Here are some recommendations:
Support Gems
- Perpetual Charge (Falling Thunder)
- Lightning Infusion (Falling Thunder)
- Ruthless (Tempest Bell)
- Magnified Effect (Tempest Bell)
- Life Drain (Killing Palm)
- Profusion (Killing Palm)
- Overpower (quarterstaff attack)
- Conduction (Tempest Flurry)
Spirit Gems
- Herald of Thunder
- Lingering Illusion
Monks should focus on Dexterity Support Gems to boost their elemental damage and enhance area effects.
As you level up, you’ll earn points for the Passive Ability skill tree. Focus on nodes that boost lightning damage, but grab these ones as soon as you can:
- Conservative Casting
- Killer Instinct
- Flow Like Water
- Step Like Mist
- Essence of the Storm
- Immortal Infamy
Lastly, choosing an Ascendancy is a big decision. For Monks, The Invoker is the best choice as it enhances your elemental attacks and increases the chance to shock enemies. It even has a passive ability called “I am Thunder” which boosts your lightning power.
