After many delays, the highly anticipated Path of Exile 2 early access will finally be officially launched on December 6. The first game in POE series has been well received by many players for its rich content and perfect mechanism, and Path of Exile 2 will surely be even better on this basis.
Of course, compared with the first game, Path of Exile 2 also has many new changes. For example, gold will become the new mainstream currency, you can move and attack in battle, experience new couch co-op gameplay, etc.
In terms of class playability, according to the current known information, there are 6 classes for you to choose from in POE 2 early access. Some of them have appeared in Path of Exile 3.25 or even earlier games. The relevant information at POECurrency.com can provide you with some introductions for your reference.
But POE 2 is a new game after all. So if you want to play those newly added classes in POE 2, you must know them in advance. Based on this, we will focus on introducing you to how to play the new Monk class in Path of Exile 2.
Monk Class Overview
As a new playable class in POE 2, Monk allows you to deal amazing damage to enemies in close combat. However, to balance this, you will find that Monk does not have high defense attributes like Warrior, so you can think of it as more of a glass cannon than a professional fighter.
In specific battles, Monk can use elemental attacks to control monsters and cause huge single-target damage to a single boss, and is particularly good at using ice elements. It can be said that freezing enemies, creating totem-like objects that can be detonated to cause area damage, and sprinting on the battlefield are all essential skills for Monk.
Skills Available For Monk In POE 2
If you want to fully utilize the power of Monk, you need to keep moving and active. Specifically, you need to hit enemies with basic attacks to enhance your powerful skills, but once you find the flow of Monk skills and support them with specific Path Of Exile 2 Items, AOE damage and crowd control effects you can create will be amazing.
The current skills that Monk can use in POE 2 and their corresponding functions are as follows:
- Falling Thunder: Allows you to deal lightning damage to enemies by slamming into the ground.
- Glacial Cascade: Creates sharp ice shards that damage enemies while slowing them down.
- Killing Palm: If you get an enemy’s health below a certain threshold, you can use this skill to kill them instantly.
- Frozen Locus: Using this skill allows you to jump backwards and create an ice crystal. Both you and your enemies can damage this ice crystal, and when it is destroyed, it will cause AOE damage to enemies.
- Tempest Bell: After using this skill, you can throw a large bell onto the battlefield. Hitting this bell will cause AOE damage. If you use elemental attacks during the process, you can also increase the damage value.
- Vaulting Impact: Jump forward and slam the ground, creating a shockwave that helps you charge forward, stunning enemies hit by the shockwave.
- Wind Blast: Knock back enemies by swinging your weapon.
- Ice Strike: Infuse your weapon with frost to deal more damage to enemies. More suitable for melee situations.
- Siphoning Strike: Using this skill allows you to rush at enemies and hit them. If the target is suffering from shock, this skill can consume this effect and cause additional damage.
- Shattering Palm: This skill allows you to hit them with unarmed attacks by rushing at them. And this attack can cover the enemy in ice fragments, which will explode with subsequent attacks to cause more damage.
- Flicker Strike: Teleport you to the enemy to cause damage.
It is worth noting that in POE series, each class has available Ascendancy. In POE 2, Monk has two Ascendancy:
- Invoker: This sublimation allows you to use skills more frequently than your opponent by using elemental magic in your attacks.
- Acolyte of Chayula: It helps you absorb the enemy’s power while dealing with damage.
Apparently, Ascendancy allows you to further expand the power of Monk skills you use. Therefore, it is necessary to buy POE 2 Currency and skill points before taking on dangerous challenges so that you can immediately consume them to obtain Ascendancy effect when needed.
What Is The Best Build For Monk?
The core combat mechanism of Monk class is the accumulation and use of skill combinations. So before building and using Monk build that suits you, you need to first determine the type of damage you want to cause and ensure that you can use these skills as much as possible under the build.
Based on the characteristics of Monk’s use of elements to attack, we recommend that you try Frost Monk Build. This build combines crowd control capabilities with powerful damage output capabilities, allowing you to deal with large groups of enemies easily. In addition, the single-target damage of Shattering Palm can eliminate single bosses with higher efficiency.
How To Use Monk Build?
Besides exchanging POE 2 Currency for some weapons and equipment to match, in fact, no matter what build, the core of causing damage is still skills. So, using a Monk build, you first need to unlock each of the new skills.
To do this, you need to collect skill gems, which are items you can find in most places in the game. Each skill gem corresponds to a level in Monk skill tree. Once you have enough skill gems, you can open Monk skill tree by clicking on them, and then choose the skills you want to unlock.
The beauty of unlocking skills this way is that you can create a build tailored to you from the beginning, choosing the exact skills you want to match, rather than being limited to a fixed path. However, when browsing the passive tree, it is recommended that you focus on melee and elemental damage unlocks first, and then choose keystones based on your play style.
If you were planning to try Monk class, I believe that after this introduction you already have a preliminary plan to help you level up and fight smoothly as a Monk when you enter Path of Exile 2. Thank you for reading.
Singh is an experienced spiritual writer and the resident author at Guruvanee.com. With a deep passion for exploring the mystical aspects of life, Singh delves into various spiritual traditions, philosophies, and practices to inspire readers on their spiritual journeys.