Path of Exile 2 Guide: Best Monk Leveling Build

The Monk is an exceptional class in Path of Exile 2, perfect for both new players and seasoned veterans. With its blend of elemental attacks and high mobility, the Monk excels in both clearing mobs and taking down tough bosses, offering some of the fastest clear speeds among PoE2 builds.

Leveling a character can be a challenging process, but the Monk’s starting skills provide a solid foundation to carry you through the early Acts. As you progress, unlocking Spirit Gems and more powerful support skills will ensure a smooth journey through the campaign and prepare you for Path of Exile 2’s endgame content.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through the best Monk leveling build, helping you dominate early-game content and set the stage for success in Wraeclast. Let’s get started!

Monk Leveling Build Overview

Pros
• Exceptional damage output
• Outstanding mob-clearing potential
• High mobility for fast progression

Cons
• Limited by melee range
• Requires frequent weapon upgrades
• Relies on effective Power Charge management

This lightning-based Monk build is designed to dominate the campaign with high damage and efficient mob clearing. You’ll start with Glacial Cascade, leveraging its powerful shatter effect to clear early-game content. As you progress, transition to a potent rotation featuring Tempest Flurry, Siphoning Strike, and Falling Thunder to deliver massive damage in combat.

For tougher encounters, Tempest Bell becomes a key skill, significantly boosting your DPS against bosses and rare enemies. With this setup, you’ll have the tools to handle both large packs and single-target threats, ensuring smooth progression through the campaign.

Leveling Skills and Support Gems for the Monk Build

Early Gems: Levels 1-4
• Falling Thunder is your primary damage dealer for tougher enemies, supported by Controlled Destruction and Perpetual Charge.
• Killing Palm is great for executing low-health enemies, paired with Profusion and Life Drain for additional utility.
• Glacial Cascade clears mobs effectively with its wave and shatter effects, enhanced by Cold Infusion and Glaciation.
• Tempest Bell provides strong single-target damage, supported by Concentrated Effect and Rage.

Herald of Thunder: Level 4

Unlock Herald of Thunder for consistent Lightning damage and lightning blasts on kills. Support it with Innervate and Magnified Effect.

Enhanced Damage Skills: Levels 5-7
• At Level 5, add Tempest Flurry to your toolkit for fast attacks and easy Shock application, paired with Conduction and Martial Tempo.
• Replace Glacial Cascade with Storm Wave at Level 7 for a stronger Lightning focus, supported by Lightning Infusion and Longshot.
• Swap Killing Palm for Siphoning Strike at Level 7 to generate Power Charges, supported by Profusion and Life Drain.

Powerful Additions: Level 9
• Unlock Charged Staff to dramatically increase your single-target DPS, supported by Persistence and Primal Armament.

Gameplay and Leveling Strategy

Early Campaign: Levels 1-4

Use Glacial Cascade to clear mobs, leveraging its wave and shatter mechanics to eliminate packs quickly. For tougher enemies, weaken them with Glacial Cascade, finish them with Killing Palm, and follow up with Falling Thunder for significant damage. Deploy Tempest Bell for single-target damage, casting Glacial Cascade into it to amplify your output while staggering bosses.

Transition to Lightning Skills: Levels 5-7

Replace Glacial Cascade with Storm Wave to shift toward Lightning-based gameplay. Combine Herald of Thunder with Tempest Flurry for reliable Shock application and increased Lightning damage. Swap Killing Palm for Siphoning Strike to efficiently generate Power Charges for sustained boss damage.

Endgame Leveling: Level 9+

Add Charged Staff to significantly boost your single-target damage, compensating for weaker gear until around Level 50. Use Siphoning Strike to maintain Power Charges, ensuring you can cast Falling Thunder consistently during longer fights.

Skill Setups
• Falling Thunder: Controlled Destruction + Perpetual Charge
• Glacial Cascade (early): Cold Infusion + Glaciation
• Storm Wave (replace Glacial Cascade): Lightning Infusion + Longshot
• Killing Palm (early): Profusion + Life Drain
• Siphoning Strike (replace Killing Palm): Profusion + Life Drain
• Tempest Bell: Concentrated Effect + Rage
• Herald of Thunder: Innervate + Magnified Effect
• Charged Staff: Persistence + Primal Armament

This setup ensures smooth progression through the campaign, transitioning seamlessly into a Lightning-focused build while delivering strong single-target and area-of-effect damage for all content.

Passive Tree for the Monk Leveling Build

While this passive tree is not fully optimized, it provides a reliable foundation for transitioning into most Monk builds after completing the campaign. Start by prioritizing Evasion/Energy Shield hybrid nodes near the beginning of the tree. These nodes scale your defenses effectively, with Evasion helping you avoid damage and Energy Shield providing a buffer for high-damage boss hits.

Key Passive Nodes
1. Dreamer
A crucial early node that restores mana on kills, solving most resource issues during the leveling process.
2. Blinding Strike
Found near Dreamer, this node grants your attacks a 10% chance to inflict Blind, reducing enemy accuracy by 30% and significantly increasing your ability to evade attacks.
3. Power Charge Nodes
Path toward Power Charge nodes to scale the damage of Falling Thunder and enhance your ability to maintain a high Power Charge count.
4. Quarterstaff Nodes
Found near the eastern side of the tree, these nodes improve your damage output and offer synergy with nearby Evasion and Herald nodes, perfect for scaling both survivability and damage during the mid-game.

Ascendancy Choice: Invoker

For leveling and early endgame, the Invoker Ascendancy is the most effective choice for Monks. While Acolyte of Chayula offers powerful late-game options with significant investment, Invoker provides balanced utility and excellent scalability throughout the campaign and into Maps.

Key Ascendancy Nodes
1. I Am the Thunder
This node is exceptional for leveling, creating shocked ground to ensure consistent shock application. This synergizes well with Siphoning Strike, converting shocks into Power Charges to boost your damage output.
2. And I Am the Storm
Ideal for boss fights, this node provides a massive damage boost, making it a strong choice for your second notable, especially during challenging encounters.
3. Lead Me Through Grace
An alternative second notable for boosting Spirit. This node becomes especially valuable once you acquire endgame gear, ensuring you can sustain key abilities like Falling Thunder and Herald of Thunder in extended battles.

Passive and Ascendancy Summary

Focus on Dreamer and Blinding Strike early for resource management and survivability. Transition into Power Charge and Quarterstaff nodes to enhance your damage and utility as you progress. For your Ascendancy, Invoker provides a smooth leveling experience and excellent synergy with the build’s core mechanics, ensuring a seamless transition to the endgame.

Equipment for the Monk Leveling Build

Weapon: Quarterstaff

Your primary focus should be on obtaining a strong quarterstaff, as it is the cornerstone of your damage output. Look for a staff with the following attributes:
• Percent Physical Damage increases
• Flat Physical Damage rolls

These stats will significantly boost your damage and make clearing multiple Acts much easier. If you’re unable to find an ideal staff, any weapon with decent flat damage rolls will suffice until you secure a better option.

Armor and Defensive Gear
• Prioritize gear with Evasion and Energy Shield bases for a balance of survivability and damage mitigation.
• If you’ve invested in the Subterfuge Mask node in your passive tree, aim for an Energy Shield-focused helmet to fully utilize the Evasion bonus from the node.
• Look for armor with affixes that provide flat HP and elemental resistances. These stats are essential for staying alive in tougher encounters.

Optimization Tips

There’s no need to stress over perfect stats during the campaign. Focus on gear that provides HP and resistances to keep you alive, and save more detailed min-maxing for after you’ve completed the campaign. A well-balanced set of defensive stats and a solid quarterstaff will carry you through the early and mid-game with ease.

Build Tips for the Monk Leveling Build

1. Leverage Tempest Bell for Bosses and Rares
Always deploy Tempest Bell during boss fights and against rare monsters. It provides a significant damage boost, amplifying your single-target DPS and making challenging encounters much easier.
2. Utilize Glacial Cascade and Storm Wave for Safety
When facing enemies that are too risky to engage in melee range, rely on Glacial Cascade or Storm Wave. These abilities allow you to deal consistent damage from a safe distance, keeping you out of harm’s way.
3. Maximize Power Charge Generation
Build up Power Charges whenever possible to unleash devastating damage with Falling Thunder. Proper charge management ensures you can handle tougher enemies efficiently and quickly eliminate high-priority targets.

By following these tips, you’ll maximize your damage output while maintaining flexibility and safety in various combat scenarios.

Conclusion

The Monk Leveling Build in Path of Exile 2 offers an excellent balance of mobility, damage, and survivability, making it a top choice for players looking to progress smoothly through the campaign. By leveraging powerful skills like Falling Thunder, Glacial Cascade, and Tempest Bell, along with smart Power Charge management, this build handles both mobs and bosses with ease.

With the right gear, optimized passive tree nodes, and an effective playstyle, the Monk becomes a versatile and highly efficient class for clearing content. Whether you’re new to the game or a seasoned veteran, this guide provides all the tools you need to master the Monk, dominate Wraeclast, and prepare for Path of Exile 2’s challenging endgame. Embrace the power of the Monk and enjoy an electrifying journey through the campaign!