Overview
This entry covers the league-start Monk that MeShaMaaN plays in the 0.5 league. Most of the source video is a review of the patch and the new league (campaign changes, endgame bugs, the new Atlas passives). The build section is short, so treat this page as a digest of that section, not a full guide.
The build runs Whirling Assault with Hollow Palm on the new Monk ascendancy, which the creator calls the Martial Artist and rates as the strongest class in the league right now. Hollow Palm summons clones that attack beside you, and spending Power Charges makes more of them. The core interaction is a pair of unique gloves whose effect also works on the clones. The clones then keep generating charges, and the charges pay for more clones and more damage, so the build snowballs.
Before the clone setup, the creator played plain Whirling Assault with a quarterstaff and says it already felt fine. The skill lets you keep moving while you deal damage, which the video shows against the new Expedition spider boss.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- The ascendancy greatly boosts gloves, so your gloves act almost like a second weapon slot. This also works on unique gloves.
- The ascendancy adds five extra rune sockets. At league start these nearly cap your resistances, and you can swap them freely.
- Bells add damage and help you build Power Charges.
- Whirling Assault keeps you moving while you deal damage, so it plays well against bosses with big telegraphed attacks.
Cons
- The strongest version depends on one unique glove interaction, so it is gear-gated.
- The video covers the build only briefly. There is no full passive tree or gem setup.
- The creator says balance is poor in 0.5 overall. A setup that relies on an item interaction could be changed in a later patch.
Key Skills
- Whirling Assault: your main melee skill, a moving spin that keeps you mobile while it hits
- Hollow Palm: creates the clones that attack alongside you; spend Power Charges for more clones
- Bells: extra damage, plus a source of Power Charges through cooldown-based skills
Gear & Anointments
The build revolves around unique gloves whose effect applies to Hollow Palm clones. The clone hits then generate charges for you. Check the exact glove name against the source video. Use the extra rune sockets from the ascendancy to cover resistances early. Specific uniques beyond the gloves are to be confirmed against the source video.
Endgame Notes
The creator used this setup on the new Expedition boss, a spider that deals mostly cold damage. It has three phases: melee sweeps and spit, then leaps and barrages, and finally a web whose segments launch glaives when you step on them. Keep moving and vary your distance so the glaives don’t stack on you.
Credits & Source
Build credited to MeShaMaaN. See the source video for gameplay footage and commentary (in Russian): PoE 2 0.5 league review.