Overview
This is a levelling route, not an endgame list: a beat-by-beat plan for taking a Monk from the Clearfell coast to early maps on the way to a Hollow Form Elemental Whirling Assault Martial Artist. Every skill gem, support gem and small gear decision is tied to the quest or boss that hands it to you, so the guide doubles as a campaign checklist.
The early engine is Falling Thunder, fed by energy charges. Entangle chips enemies into a culled state, Killing Palm executes them, and each execute returns the charges Falling Thunder is hungry for. Later, ethereal bells from the Martial Artist ascendancy take over as a guaranteed charge source, which is the point at which the build stops feeling charge-starved.
The route bakes in a weapon-swap talisman early so that Wolf-form skills — Leap, Wind Rush, Devour, Rupture — are available when the build wants them, and it front-loads the Sekhema Trial so the ascension happens as soon as it is legal rather than several acts late.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Every gem and support is pinned to a specific quest reward, so nothing is left to guesswork
- Falling Thunder’s wide cone lets you line up multi-boss fights like Ek’bab and Ik’tab together
- Martial Artist’s Hollow Palm technique solves the energy-charge generation problem outright
- Leap is both a movement skill and a wall-skip, cutting real time off map traversal
- Almost no gear dependency — flat physical damage on anything found or vendor-bought carries the campaign
Cons
- Charge generation is fragile before the ascendancy, so early acts require the Entangle → Killing Palm loop to be played deliberately
- Melee range means you eat boss AoE through the whole campaign
- Cold resistance is a recurring weak point; the guide has you shopping for Sapphire rings before Count Geonor
- It stops at early maps — no endgame scaling is covered
Key Skills
- Falling Thunder — the main damage skill from the coast onward, charge-hungry and wide-coned
- Entangle — fast small hits that push enemies into a cullable state
- Killing Palm — executes cullable enemies and returns energy charges
- Wind Gust — replaces the basic staff attack; easier stun and stagger setup
- Leap — mobility and wall-skipping from the Eternal Cemetery onward
Gear & Anointments
Flat physical damage anywhere on the character is the levelling priority; an Iron Ring from the Eternal Cemetery sarcophagus is an early target. Pick up a talisman in the Red Vale as soon as possible to enable the Wolf-form weapon swap. Sell unwanted drops to vendors and re-check merchant stock in town — the guide leans on vendor upgrades rather than drops. Herald of Thunder is the first spirit gem, taken after the Mist King. Specific uniques to be confirmed against the source video.
Credits & Source
Build credited to Barricade. See the source video for the full build’s gameplay footage + voice commentary: Whirling Assault Martial Artist Monk Leveling Guide | PoE 2 Patch 0.5.5.