Path Of Exile 2: Best Monk Class Build

Path of Exile 2 is all about experimenting with different classes and builds, and the fast-paced Monk is one of the most versatile of those classes. There are six classes available in the early access version of Path of Exile 2 (with more to come at launch): Mercenary, Sorceress, Witch, Ranger, Warrior, and, of course, Monk. PoE 2's take on the Monk isn't too terribly different from any other fantasy game's: they mainly rely on their incredible speed and powerful melee attacks to deal damage, balanced out by their relatively low defense and maximum HP.

However, in a departure from the archetypal wuxia warrior, PoE 2's Monks can also use a wide variety of elemental spells to deal every manner of damage. Playing as a Monk in Path of Exile 2 is all about balance, building up Power with risky, close-range strikes, then pulling back and blasting them with potent magical attacks. Here's how to master the Monk class in PoE 2.

Best Equipment For a Monk Build In PoE 2

What To Keep & What To Sell

When playing as a Monk, you want to keep your equipment light, as mobility is one of the most important aspects of the class. With all their points in Dexterity and Intelligence, Monks lack the Strength to equip heavy, metal armor, so they'll typically specialize in lighter, more mobile clothing. Look for body pieces whose names contain the words "Garb" or "Robe," along with simple Linen Wraps for your hands, and Crowns, Masks, or Hoods for your head.

Related One Simple Mechanic Makes Path Of Exile 2's Boss Fights Better Bosses in Path of Exile 2 have their healthbars reset upon a players defeat, bringing a level of accomplishment typically absent in the genre.

In PoE 2, most of the loot you get is totally randomized, so I can't recommend a particular piece of armor to equip in each slot. Instead, look for armor that buffs your monk's speed, damage, evasion, or energy shield. Buffing speed and damage will boost your offensive skills, while evasion and energy shield will help compensate for the Monk's relatively low defense and HP.

Loot comes in four different rarity tiers: Normal (white text), Magic (blue text), Rare (yellow text), and Unique (orange text).

As for weapons, Monks are mainly known for their bare-knuckle brawling, but they can also equip Quarterstaves to great effect. Anything that increases your physical damage, elemental damage, and, depending on your build, lightning or cold damage, is preferable. You'll get a lot of equipment as you play through Path of Exile 2, including plenty of stuff you can't actually use. You can either sell these items, disenchant them, put them in your account-wide stash to transfer to your other characters, or trade them with other players.

Best Skill Gems For a Monk Build In PoE 2

Killing Palm

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In Path of Exile 2, you earn new skills by turning Uncut Skill Gems into various different abilities. One of the first skills you'll want to buy is Killing Palm, which is available starting at level 1. Killing Palm causes you to leap forwards, striking an enemy and, if their HP is low, killing them instantly. More importantly, finishing an enemy off with Killing Palm grants you a Power Charge, which you can later use to unleash more powerful abilities.

Tempest Bell

At level 6, and using a level 3 Uncut Skill Gem, Monks should take the Tempest Bell skill. This activates a combo meter that, once full, drops a bell on the battlefield. If you then hit the bell with further attacks, it'll send out damaging shockwaves.

Staggering Palm

Beginning at level 6 and with a level 3 Skill Gem, you should take the Staggering Palm skill. This works a lot like Killing Palm, but stuns enemies instead of killing them. If you stun an enemy with Staggering Palm, you'll get a buff that allows you to shoot projectiles with your melee attacks, which makes it easier to hit your Tempest Bell and/or Frozen Locus, if you take that skill instead.

Best Passive Skills For a Monk Build In PoE 2

Crit Chance, Power Charges, & Damage

Each time you level up in Path of Exile 2, you'll get a skill point that you can spend on any number of passives, spread out along a massive skill tree. Thankfully, the Monk skill tree is flexible and universal enough that you can go almost any route you want. Make sure you take plenty of skills that boost critical hit chance and damage (like Deadly Force), along with any that boost the number of Power Charges you get from your skills.

Try to focus on buffing either lightning or cold damage instead of splitting the difference (more on that below). Finally, don't forget to take Overload, which will allow you to ignore enemy resistances to your elemental spells.

Best Spirit Gem For a Monk Build In PoE 2

Lingering Illusion

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As you explore the world, you may come across items called Spirit Gems, which allow you to buff your skills. If you're having trouble keeping your Monk alive, make sure to take Lingering Illusion Spirit Gem. This creates a sort of spectral version of your character to draw aggro when you dodge roll. Once the Illusion is destroyed, you may also get an additional Power Charge.

Charge Infusion

Charge Infusion boosts your Critical Hit chance by 15% whenever you have a Power Charge. It requires level 58. With other items and abilities that boost your Power Charges and crits equipped, it's a handy ally to have.

Combat Frenzy

If you're going with a cold or lightning build, don't forget to take Combat Frenzy to gain additional effects when you electocute or freeze your enemies. This grants you a Frenzy charge when you do so, which has some useful interactions with Charge Infusion, increasing your skill speed by 8%. It requires leve 36 and a level 8 gem.

Ascendancies For a Monk Build In PoE 2

Invoker

Ascendancies are what Path of Exile 2 calls subclasses, chosen after completing the Trial of the Sekhemas in Act 2. Each class has two, and the first for Monk is Invoker. Invoker is primarily an elemental damage-focused subclass, with some options for boosting your defense, and is generally considered the more powerful of the two. Here's every Invoker skill in PoE 2.

Scatter Them to the Winds Grants Elemental Expression on melee crit, creating AoEs Faith Is a Choice Meditate to double energy shield 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

Acolyte of Chayula is the other Monk Ascendancy, themed around darkness and chaos. It relies on mana leech and the Flames of Chayula skill. Here are the skills you can choose from:

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

And that's everything you need to know about building a Monk in PoE 2. Keep in mind that there's plenty of flexibility here; feel free to experiment with skills and gear as you see fit, and know you can always respec with the Hooded One if you think you've gone wrong. Also know that the Monk class is subject to further change and balancing between early access and Path of Exile 2's full release.