Thunderstruck Monk Leveling Build

Build Introduction

If you enjoy blasting through mobs with Lightning skills, you’re going to love this leveling build.

We’re using the Invoker Ascendancy for this version, but the same build can also be used with Martial Artist.

The core skills we’ll be using are:

• Storm Wave
• Siphoning Strike
• Falling Thunder

Act 1 can be a little tricky when it comes to dealing with bosses, which is why we’ll use Glacial Cascade to help with single-target damage until we get Siphoning Strike in Act 2. If you prefer, you could use Druid skills early to gain power charges; however, I preferred to keep this to only Quarterstaff skills except Frost bomb.

Once you reach Act 2, the build really starts to shine. You’ll be clearing entire packs of mobs almost instantly while also having very good DPS against bosses and other single-target enemies.

We’re going to use Hollow Palm for this build, which means we don’t have to worry too much about finding a good Quarterstaff early in the campaign.

Finding a decent Quarterstaff early on can be difficult, so Hollow Palm makes the leveling process much easier.

Hollow Palm does start to fall off as you get closer to finishing the campaign. You can definitely continue using it, as I did in the video, but if you find a good Quarterstaff with higher DPS, don’t be afraid to swap over.

Ideally, look for a Quarterstaff with:

• Flat Lightning Damage
• Flat Physical damage or % increased Physical damage
• +1/2 Melee Skills

If your Quarterstaff gives you more DPS than Hollow Palm, it’s worth making the switch.

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Strengths and Weaknesses

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Ascendancy

Select your first Ascendancy after completing the Trial of the Sekhemas in Act 2. The trial is not difficult, so complete it within the level range of 20-30.

Invoker

The first Ascendancy we get is I Am the Thunder, this gives us a 25% chance to create Shocked Ground when Shocking enemies, and Shock is one of the most important ailments for this build.

For your next Ascendancy points, I would go for Unbound Avatar.

The 40% increased Elemental Damage is particularly strong early on, especially against bosses and tankier Elite mobs, while also helping with general clearing.

You don’t really need to worry about getting any more Ascendancy points while leveling.

Completing a third Trial during the campaign can be quite challenging and time-consuming, so I would recommend focusing on finishing the main quest first and picking up the remaining Ascendancy points afterward.

Martial Artist

If you decide to use Martial Artist instead, I would recommend taking Runic Meridians to help boost your defensive stats.

For your second Ascendancy choice, I would go with Way of the Stonefist.

With this setup, look for gloves with a good amount of Flat Lightning Damage.

This is particularly useful because Way of the Stonefist allows that damage to contribute towards Gain Damage as Extra Lightning Damage, giving you another strong source of Lightning damage.

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General Leveling Advice

Path of Exile II’s campaign can be quite challenging when you’re starting out, but this build should make the leveling process much easier.

One of the most important things during the early campaign is to CHECK VENDORS FOR GOOD GEAR. Don’t just run past them! Their inventories change as you level, so make sure to check them regularly whenever you return to town. You can often find some very strong upgrades for very little Gold, especially early in the campaign.

Look for the following gear from vendors:

Until you get the Hollow Palm Technique Keystone, look for Quarterstaffs with:

1. Flat Lightning Damage
2. Flat Added Damage
3. % Increased Physical Damage
4. Attack Speed
5. Flat Lightning Damage

Vendor bad magic or rare items you don’t need for gold, do NOT disenchant anything besides white items with sockets or quality. It is always worth Identifying rare items, even if you have to buy a Scroll of Wisdom during Act 1, as Rare items will always gain more value from being identified than a Scroll of Wisdom costs.

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Leveling Passive Tree

The Passive Tree below can be followed all the way through the campaign and into the endgame. Remember: You will need to choose which attributes to assign to each travel node based on the requirements of your gear and skill gems.

Skill Gems

Listed below are all Skill Gems that should be used during the leveling process. There may be a slight variation depending on which Act you’re currently progressing. Notes for each Act will be listed below the Skill Gem tool.

Build Files

With the introduction of .build files, following a passive tree from a guide has never been easier!

If you would like to have an in-game guide to see the recommended Passive Tree and Skill Gems, you can download this file. It will need to be placed in the folder found at this file-path:

C:\Users[Your Username]\Documents\My Games\Path of Exile 2\BuildPlanner

Please keep in mind that a .build file does not replace a written guide, as there is a lot of information that just cannot be reasonably added to that file in a digestible way. For the best experience, and to make sure you have the most up-to-date information, make sure you refer to both the in-game file and the written guide here!

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Video guide

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Act I Notes

For Act 1 we do need to use Glacial Cascade for boss DPS, supported by Concentrated Area should be enough to clear any bosses in Act 1 from a distance without issues, remember to position yourself in order to hit the boss with the Tip of Glacial Cascade as that is where the big damage comes from, if you do manage to drop/obtain multiple support gems, you can add Cold Attunement in as well for even more DPS.

For AoE clear, lower the mobs HP with Glacial Cascade, execute them with Killing Palm to gain Power charges, and blast everything with Falling Thunder

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Act 2 Notes

This where the build starts to shine, in Act 2 once level 22, you will be able to get the Siphoning Strike & Storm Wave, you will need 2 Uncut Skill Gems level 7.

Siphoning Strike generates Power Charges when used on Shocked targets, so this will be our main Power Charge generator. Make sure Storm Wave is set for Weapons set 2 in the Skill Gem menu, as we will need to benefit from passive points set for Weapons set 2, which increases its Shock chance and Shock Magnitude. For AoE clear, use Storm Wave and also Siphoning Strike; it should clear any monster pack unless they are Lightning resistant, in which case we can use Falling Thunder to execute.

Also remember to complete your first Ascendancy trial in the Trial of the Sekhemas.

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Act 3 Notes

In Act 3 you will find your first guaranteed Lesser Jeweller’s Orb in the Sandswept Marsh, you can find it at the end of the map, usually close to the exit, there are 2 elite mobs close to each other from where it drops. Use it in Falling Thunder ideally for Fist of War II to boost DPS specially for bosses.

The next important gem we will start using in Act 3 is Lingering Illusion this will help us generate even more Power Charges, which will enable Falling Thunder to do more burst damage faster, it creates a an illusion copy yourself whenever you dodge roll. The copy can distract enemies, and copies that are destroyed by an enemy will grant you a Power Charge.

In Act 3 you can also complete the second Ascendancy Trial, continue the main questline until you reach the Temple of Chaos, after completing it, the next ascendancy point to allocate will be Unbound Avatar, which you can use do deal even more damage on tough enemies.

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Act 4 and the Interludes

In Act 4 we do not have massive changes to make, however you will have to focus more on Defensive stats, Evasion/Energy shield, Life and also Resistances.

You can start to look for a decent Quarterstaff specially towards the end of Act 4, ideally with:

• +1/2 to Melee Skills
• Flat Physical or % increased Physical damage
• Flat Lightning damage
• Attack Speed

Once you find one, equip it and check DPS on the main Skill Gems, if your DPS is higher, feel free to un-spec Hollow Palm and invest into more Offensive or Defensive points depending on what you might need.

In the Interludes, you will get +40 permanent maximum spirit when you defeat Lythara, the Wayward Spear, you can use it for Ghost Dance to help regenerate Energy shield.

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Rotation

Cast Frost Bomb(for exposure) -> Storm Wave(to apply Shock) -> Siphoning Strike(to generate power charges) ->Storm Wave(to re-apply Shock) -> Falling Thunder(Finisher)

Also remember to Dodge as Lingering Illusion will generate even more Power Charges.

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Gearing Progression

As you will use Hollow Palm, you wont require to use a Quarterstaff, until close to the campaign end and only once your DPS goes higher because of it.

Offensive Gear

Prioritize the following stats to improve your offensive power.

1. Adds # to # Damage (All Types are valuable but Lighting damage has priority)
2. # to Level of all Melee Skills
3. % increased Elemental Damage with Attacks
4. Adds # to # Physical Damage/ % Increased Physical damage
5. Attack Speed

Defensive Gear

Prioritize the following stats on armor and jewelry pieces to improve your defensive power.

1. Life
2. Resistances
3. Evasion
4. Energy shield

Augments

Socket Runes into your gear to help bring your missing resistances to the base cap of 75%, or to help with meeting attribute requirements.
You can also look for Gloves or/and Amulets with + Level of Melee Skills as this is the most important stat for Hollow Palm, base Unarmed Physical damage replaced with damage based on their Skill Level.
For Rings look for Adds # to # Lightning damage to Attacks, Adds # to # Cold damage to Attacks, Life and Resistances.

Leveling Uniques

This build is entirely League-Start / no-budget viable, and I would advise you to prioritize your budged in getting powerful rare items to help with your Defensive Stats and Offensive ones.

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Return of the Ancients Mechanics

With the Return of the Ancients update, and its accompanying Runes of Aldur League, there are a ton of new tools being introduced that will dramatically change up itemization. One of the additions is the introduction of powerful runes available at low levels that grant powerful stats for specific builds.

If you are struggling with your character or are running low on currency, you should consider engaging with this mechanic often to earn targeted rewards to help boost your power.

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Campaign Buffs

Throughout the campaign, you will encounter several opportunities to gain permanent buffs for your character by completing side-quests. You should choose the following buffs for the Invoker:

• Valley of the Titans Altar (Act 2)
  • 30% increased Charm Charges gained
• Venom Draught (Act 3)
  • 25% increased Mana Regeneration Rate
• Eye of Hinekora (Act 4)
  • Take the Resistances from all three Tattoos.
• Tribal Medicine (Act 4)
  • Rakiata’s Lesson – Evasion as Deflection Rating
• Solitary Confinement (Act 4)
  • % increased Recovery from Life Flasks
• Qimah Pillars
  • These can be changed at will, so you have a lot more flexibility here.
  • Early on, I would use these to help cover any Resistance problems you have.
  • Later, once your gear improves and your Resistances are sorted, you can swap them to things like Global Defenses, Movement Speed, or other bonuses that better suit your character.

For more details, check the guide on Campaign Difficulties and Permanent Stat Bonuses.

Flasks and Charms

While leveling, you will find several flasks and Charms. Upgrade your flasks as you go along and if you fail to find flask upgrades, check vendors to buy them with gold.

Modifiers to look for on your flasks and charms:

• Health and Mana Flasks
  • Prefix: Increased Amount Recovered
  • Suffix: Charges gained per second
• Charm: Stone Charm, Thawing Charm, Staunching Charm/Antidote Charm(Depending on boss type)

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Changelog

• September 3rd, 2026: Guide created for 0.5.5