Overview
This Martial Artist build is a tanky frontline mace fighter built around Hollow Form. Volcanic Fissure does the area work, cracking the ground under grouped enemies, while Boneshatter delivers heavy direct hits and stun pressure against rares, elites and bosses. Hollow Form and Hollow Focus provide the Martial Artist identity, adding melee power, blind and extra area coverage.
What separates it from a glass-cannon melee setup is the number of defensive tools. Raise Shield blocks big hits, Ghost Dance adds recovery, and Wind Dancer layers more defence while you stand in melee range. Blind and knockback from the supports make close-range fights easier to control.
The creator rates league start, bossing and mapping at 4/5 each, but is clear that it is more controlled and tanky than a pure speed mapper. Its main appeal is durability while still dealing real damage.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Tanky for a melee build thanks to Raise Shield, Ghost Dance and Wind Dancer
- Volcanic Fissure handles packs; Boneshatter handles tough targets
- Blind and knockback add control in dense fights
- Scales well with weapon upgrades, attack speed and rage
Cons
- Not a fast mapper; built for controlled frontline fighting
- Close range means positioning still matters
- Feels smoother only after attack speed, sustain and weapon upgrades
Key Skills
- Volcanic Fissure — main area clear skill
- Boneshatter — heavy single-target and stun pressure
- Hollow Form / Hollow Focus — Martial Artist melee power, blind and area
- Raise Shield — main defensive button against big hits
- Ghost Dance / Wind Dancer — recovery and extra defence
Gear & Anointments
The video lists stat priorities: mace and physical damage, melee damage, attack speed, rage generation, area damage, life, armour, resistances and recovery. A shield is required for Raise Shield. Specific uniques and anointments to be confirmed against the source video and the linked PoB.
Credits & Source
Build credited to RNGenius. See the source video for the full build’s gameplay footage and commentary: HOLLOW FORM BONESHATTER MARTIAL ARTIST BUILD GUIDE | PATH OF EXILE 2 PATCH 0.5.5.