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Discover everything you need to know about a Comprehensive Guide About the Monk Class in Path of Exile 2 including how to play.
Path of Exile 2 has received an initial release on December 6, 2024. The full-release schedule is still TBA, but the developers have confirmed that we will be getting 6 out of the 12 planned Classes in the Early Access itself. Grinding Gear Games has already decided which ones we will see in the Early Access. Monk Class deals massive damage but lacks defensive stats like the Warrior. Unfortunately, the Classes in Path of Exile 2 are gender-locked, meaning you cannot choose the gender of a specific Class as it is predetermined. Explore the Monk Class in Path of Exile 2 and see how she redefines summoner gameplay!
Monk Class Overview in Path of Exile 2
The Monk is a new class with intelligence and dexterity attributes that focuses on applying elemental damage. This class starts near the Shadow class on the passive skill tree. Monks get early access to nodes, increasing lightning and cold damage along with defensive choices like Spell Suppression and Energy Shield. The primary weapon for the Monk is the Quarterstaff which roll attack modifiers. Monk abilities consist of elemental damage with agile melee combat.
Falling Thunder, Killing Palm, and Glacial Cascade are the best massive damage-dealing skills that players can use during fights. Monks specialize further through two Ascendancy Classes, Invoker, and Acolyte of Chayula. While the Invoker focuses on empowering skills, inflicting ailments, and elemental magic, the Acolyte of Chayula on the other hand focuses on using the Spirit of Darkness to deal damage. Tailor your playstyle towards elemental prowess through Ascendancies. The Monks can use attacks to crowd-control mobs, freeze your enemies, and deal AoE damage. Monks depend on constant motion and activity in the game.
Key Features and Mechanics of Monk Class
Monks focuses on Quarterstaves and unarmed combat. Monks are potent to enemies due to their skills, in dealing lighting damage and cold damage. Some abilities apply ailments like freeze or shock, increasing damage output. Use crowd control and high-damage skills to maximize effect. Energy Shield and Evasion focuses on survivability mechanics. Monk in Path of Exile 2 combines area control, mobility, and elemental effects.
The key playstyle elements for this new class are Mobility, Elemental Ailments, and Dynamic Skill Usage. Frozen Locus and Vaulting Impact are the new skills that increase maneuverability. Shocking and freezing skills can cripple enemies and boost damage. Monk is an excellent choice for players who favor elemental power and high-speed combat. This unique class is a balance between offense, defense, and speed.
How to play as Monk Class in POE2?
Monk in Path of Exile 2 involves high mobility along with mastering a fluid. It is a damage-focused class that uses Quarterstaves for better speed, range, and damage modifiers. Apply ailments by focusing on lightning and cold skills. Use Energy Shield for sustainability and Evasion to dodge attacks. The nodes near the Shadow starting area are Lightning and Cold Damage Nodes, boosting skill effectiveness. Prefer maximizing elemental damage and critical strikes when fighting bosses in combat.
Use Acolyte of Chayula Ascendency for chaos-based mechanics. Use the gear that focuses on elemental damage and Critical Strike Chance along with the Evasion and Energy Shield. Equip the weapons that boost lightning, cold damage, or critical damage. Use rings and amulets to enhance elemental ailment effectiveness. Prioritize equipping Armor with Evasion stats and Energy Shield. Dodge heavy attacks by utilizing mobility and carry flask to maximize elemental resistance. If you’re looking to excel as a Monk in Path of Exile 2, then focus on agility, elemental power, and strategic ability.
Monk Class Skills
Path of Exile 2 offers 20 active skills for Quarterstaves which Monks can use. Monks depend on Power Charges to enhance their range, potency, and damage. Here’s the list of all active skills for the Monk Class in Path of Exile 2.
- Flicker Strike
- Killing Palm
- Wind Blast
- Glacial Cascade
- Wave of Frost
- Shattering Palm
- Ice Strike
- Falling Thunder
- Siphoning Strike
- Vaulting Impact
- Charged Staff
- Hand of Chayula
Flicker Strike
Teleport to an enemy and strike them. Consumes Power Charge to perform additional teleporting strikes on nearby enemies. You cannot gain Power Charges while using this skill. Teleport and strikes 3 additional times per Power Charge, with 285% more attack speed. This is a way to close the gaps between you and the enemies and flashy gameplay as well. This biggest issue is the necessity to generate Power Charges which can make Flicker viable only in the proper end game.
Killing Palm
Dash to an enemy and strike them with an unarmed attack, culling enemies if their life is low enough. Each enemy killed by this strike grants a Power Charge. Enemies around you that can be culled will be highlighted. This skill is always performed unarmed, even if you have a Quarterstaff equipped. This attack doesn’t benefit from weapons and grants +7% to critical strike chance. This skill is great for finishing off rares and bosses and to combine with Behead to receive some modifiers from monsters.
Wind Blast
This skill allows you to knock back enemies with a forward strike. The knockback effect changes with the distance and foe size.
Glacial Cascade
Sweep a Quarterstaff upwards, releasing a thin wave of frost which deals damage in a series of small bursts. The final burst of the wave then surges out further with a large spike of ice. Any frozen enemies hit by the final burst also take another, more powerful hit. Converts 60% of physical damage to cold damage. The burst radius is 0.5 meters and the wavelength is 4.8 meters.
Wave of Frost
Leap back and throw an ice wave that creates a significant Freezing condition. You can pair it with Glacial Cascade to move backward and get in a distance for the ice spike damage.
Shattering Palm
This skill allows you to implant an ice bomb on your enemies by a palm strike. The bomb explodes to build up Freeze ailment when killing an enemy or dealing enough damage to enemies.
Ice Strike
This skill allows you to infuse your primary weapon with ice to strike the foes while the ice strike builds up a Freeze ailment.
Falling Thunder
Infuse a staff with electrical energies, then slam the ground to deal damage in a large area in front of you. Consumes any Power Charges you have to fire lightning projectiles forwards from the impact. It converts 60% of physical damage to lightning damage and 25% more damage per Power Charge consumed. The projectiles pierce all targets. It converts 100% of physical damage to lightning damage and a 10% chance to shock enemies. This skill fires 3 projectiles per power charge. It also deals 100% more damage if a Power Charge is consumed.
Siphoning Strike
Dash to a target and strike them with your quarterstaff. If the target is shocked, consume the shock to release a lightning shockwave around the target and grant you a Power Charge.
Vaulting Impact
Leaps forward and slams the ground, sending out a stunning shockwave that is especially potent against Dzaed enemies. Consume Daze on enemies to cause 300% more stun buildup. It also offers 213% of attic damage effectiveness. Due to a one-second cast and a jump animation, it feels more like a combo finisher or combo opener than a spamable skill.
Charged Staff
Consume all Power Charge to infuse your Quarterstaff with electricity for a duration, adding lightning damage and a lightning shockwave to your Quarterstaff attacks. Reusing the skill while the buff is active grants additional duration and damage up to a cap.
Hand of Chayula
Dash to an enemy and strike them with an unarmed attack, applying socketed curses and marks with increased effect. This skill always strikes with your base fist, even if you have a Quarterstaff equipped. It grants 16 to 30 added chaos damage and +9% to critical strike chance and can’t be evaded. It lacks AoE, so needs other skills to clear areas.
Monk Class Ascendancies
Ascendancies are the specializations for your character, granting you additional options to customize them to your playstyle. Path of Exile has three Ascendancy Classes for every Class. At the beginning of the game, only two will be available per Class. As you progress you will unlock powerful ascendancy options to refine further and enhance your build.
Invoker specializes in Ice or Lightning damage and enhancing the skill damage. Invoker Looks like a strong choice for cast on critical builds but lacks some defensive capabilities and the quality of life nodes. This makes it a more damage-oriented Ascendancy choice in Path of Exile 2. It uses elemental magic in its attacks and utilizes abilities more than its counterpart in combat. Invokers change into Unbound Avatars that deal additional damage and enhance the ailments inflicted on foes.
Acolyte of Chayula uses this magic to deal damage and absorb power in the fight. They trade their Spirit resource for Darkness to deal and absorb damage. Acolyte of Chayula solves the mana issue together with an easier way to leech energy shield and can have some additional defense layers too. Even if other passives will not be amazing, the 30% of additional Chaos damage can be fit in some particular builds for a bigger benefit.
Invoker
- …and Scatter Them to the Winds- Trigger Elemental Expression on Melee Critical Strike. Elemental expression will create waves of elemental power to damage enemies around and could be a build in cast on critical.
- Faith is a Choice- It provides Monk with Meditate skill, which you can channel to double energy shield. Initially, it looks pretty strong, but the channeling part needs to be clarified. It can also stack with cast while channeling skill gem which can trigger any particular skill.
- I am the Blizzard…- Gain 10% of Damage as Extra Cold Damage. On Freezing Enemies create Chilled Ground.
- I am the Thunder…- Gain 10% of Damage as Extra Lightning Damage. 25% chance of Shocking Enemies to create a Shocked Ground.
- …and I Shall Rage- When you apply Elemental Ailments to enemies, gain Unbound Fury. Once you have enough, transform into an Avatar, dealing more damage and inflicting more Ailments. This passive is strong but not really consistent and should work best with hybrid builds that will utilize a few elements to shock, chill, and ignite.
Acolyte of Chayula
- Embrace the Darkness- It removes all the spirits, so you can’t use reservation skills anymore. The Base Maximum Darkness is 100. For each Life or Energy Shield lost to Damage, reserve 1 Darkness instead if possible. Darkness Reservation lasts for 10 seconds. +5 Maximum Darkness per Level. This passive works very well with Mind Over Matter again since it protects your life and energy shield and would combine with Ravenous Doubts. It does not sound that good initially since the Darkside is big, but it stacks well with Grasp of Void.
- Grasp of the Void- Gain 1% of Damage as extra Chaos Damage per 20 Unreserved Darkness. When nothing is hitting you it will give you up to. 30% of additional damage as Chaos at the maximum. It can add Chaos damage to any other type of damage including Chaos itself.
- Chayula’s Gift- It doubles the Chaos Resistance and adds +10% of maximum Chao Resistance. The effectiveness of this passive is based on two things, how many monsters deal Chaos damage and is damage taken as Chaos a thing. If it doubles the negative resistance, then it will be crucial to have a +1% Chaos resistance minimum.
- Ravenous Doubts- It makes all Mana Leach instant and that’s the reason why Acolyte looks so strong. Monk is Mana hungry and should solve this problem.
- Consuming Questions- You cannot Recharge Energy Shield and Mana Leech effects also Recover Energy Shield. Combine it with Ravenous Doubts to make energy shield recovery from man instant as well. Keep in mind that Consuming Questions is not stacking well with Eldritch Battery because it removes your energy shield completely.
- Waking Dream- It gives Acolyte into the breach skill. It grants us the chance to drop flames of Chayla which grants life, mana, and damage.
FAQs A Comprehensive Guide About the Monk Class in Path of Exile 2
Q1: Is Monk a Good Class in Path of Exile 2?
Monk is a good class in Path of Exile 2 because it has intelligence and dexterity attributes that focus on applying elemental damage. The primary weapon for the Monk is the Quarterstaff which roll attack modifiers.
Q2: Should you choose Monk Class in Path of Exile 2?
Monk is a good class to choose from because it specializes further through two Ascendancy Classes, Invoker, and Acolyte of Chayula. Monk abilities consist of elemental damage with agile melee combat.
Q3: What Gender is the Monk Class in Path of Exile 2?
The Monk Class in Path of Exile 2 is a male character, much like in the original Path of Exile. The gender choice does not affect gameplay mechanics or Class capabilities.
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