The Monk is one of the six classes available in the early access version of Path of Exile 2. This versatile class combines both melee and ranged abilities, offering a variety of build options that can be highly rewarding when utilized effectively. Although the Monk may appear somewhat underpowered at the beginning of the game, its strength significantly increases as you progress, culminating in a formidable endgame character.
If you're looking for guidance on how to build your Monk or which skills to prioritize, our comprehensive guide below has all the information you need. When you first start playing as a Monk, you'll have access to a basic quarterstaff melee attack and some initial ranged elemental skills. The Monk can leverage both lightning and frost damage, as well as air skills that can damage and/or stun enemies. In the early stages, it's advisable to use any skill available to you, regardless of its damage type. However, as you level up and reach your teens, focusing on one or two damage types will help you synergize your build and make it easier to navigate the passive ability skill tree.
Regardless of your level, it's crucial to maximize your Dexterity and Intelligence attributes. The Monk is a highly mobile class that relies on dodging both close-range and long-range attacks. Dexterity enhances your mobility, while Intelligence ensures you have sufficient mana to cast your elemental skills. Eventually, you may want to abandon your basic quarterstaff melee attack in favor of focusing solely on elemental skills. In the early game, however, these melee attacks will likely deal the most damage, so use them liberally when needed. Additionally, quarterstaff attacks don't consume mana, which is beneficial in the early levels. As you advance, you'll typically have enough mana to use other skills without running out.
Now that you have a better understanding of the Monk in Path of Exile 2, let's discuss the skills you should consider using. Currently, the optimal approach for a Monk is to utilize most of the lightning skills available to the class. However, pairing these with one or two air skills is also recommended. In the early game, feel free to mix lightning and air skills with a frost skill, as you'll have space on your hotbar. Glacial Cascade is an excellent frost skill that can be highly effective against bosses. This ranged skill creates a line of frost on the ground that explodes after reaching a certain point, dealing significant damage and freezing the boss, making them vulnerable to additional attacks.
While we won't be using Glacial Cascade in our final build, which focuses on lightning and air skills, here are the recommended skills for a Monk in Path of Exile 2: Your build truly begins when you reach level 12 and unlock the Tempest Flurry skill. This can replace your basic quarterstaff attack, as it's a combo melee skill that inflicts lightning damage. After completing a full combo, the skill ends with a powerful, AoE lightning strike. You can use Tempest Flurry in conjunction with the Tempest Bell, which requires you to achieve a four-hit melee combo. Once completed, you can deploy a large bell that deals damage each time you strike it. The bell deals air damage by default, but if you hit it with a lightning attack, it will deal the same type of damage.
Placing down the Tempest Bell and standing still to hit it will require a full shield/HP bar, as enemies will continue to attack you. If there are too many enemies around, using the Falling Thunder skill to clear large groups is an effective strategy. Falling Thunder relies on the power charge system, which grants you stronger attacks when fully charged. When enemies are at low health from your attacks, finish them off with Killing or Staggering Palm. At higher levels, you'll unlock skills like Whirling Assault, Gathering Storm, and Flicker Strike. Flicker Strike, in particular, is a valuable addition, allowing you to jump from enemy to enemy while dealing damage, providing extra mobility to stay out of harm's way. If you want to clear out hordes of enemies, Whirling Assault is your best option.
With the basic skills covered, you can now equip these skills with the appropriate Support Gems. You'll also start to receive Spirit Gems, which can be used to equip your Monk with additional buffs. Here are some recommended Support Gems for a few skills, along with the best Spirit Gems to use: In general, you should prioritize Dexterity Support Gems when kitting out your Monk. There are numerous solid options that increase elemental damage, improve charge potential, and enhance area of effect. Every time you level up with the Monk, you'll receive points to allocate into the Passive Ability skill tree. For the most part, you'll want to focus on nodes that deal with lightning damage, but there are specific nodes you should prioritize as soon as possible.
Finally, after leveling your Monk sufficiently, you'll need to choose an Ascendancy. In the early access version of Path of Exile 2, only two Ascendancies are available for the Monk: The Invoker and the Acolyte of Chayula. For our build, The Invoker is the logical choice. This Ascendancy emphasizes the use of elemental attacks and buildup, meaning you'll deal more damage with your lightning attacks and have a higher chance to shock enemies. Specifically, The Invoker has a passive ability called "I am Thunder" that grants you extra lightning damage and the ability to shock the ground around you.
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