Best PoE 2 Monk Endgame Build in Early Access

Path of Exile 2 offers players rich opportunities for experimenting with builds, and Invoker Lighting/Frozen Monk stands out among them due to its versatility. This PoE 2 Monk Build combines high survivability, powerful damage, and ease of mastery, making it an excellent choice for endgame content. The successful use of two elements, cold and lightning, in combination with the proper selection of skills and equipment, allows you to fully unlock the potential of the monk class. Today, we will discuss this build and cover every aspect of playing this character, so you are left with no unanswered questions.

Invoker Lighting/Frozen Monk – OP Endgame

This PoE 2 Monk Build is rightfully considered one of the strongest builds for the Monk at the moment. Thanks to the skillful use of two elements — lightning and cold, carefully selected active skills supported by support gems, as well as thoroughly planned equipment and passive skill tree, this build unlocks the full potential of the Monk class on an entirely new level.

The main feature of this build lies in its versatility and efficiency: it not only delivers high damage to enemies but also offers excellent survivability through evasion, energy shield, and well-thought-out defense. Most notably, the build does not require significant resource investment and is relatively easy to master, making it an ideal choice for both experienced players and newcomers looking to tackle endgame content.

Invoker Lighting/Frozen Monk Endgame Skills

To create a good PoE2 Monk endgame build, it is essential to carefully select the skills. And that's exactly what we are going to do now.

Since our build is based on two elements, the first skill we need is Ice Strike. It must be enhanced with Martial Tempo to increase our attack speed, Concentrated Effect, which reduces our AoE by 50% but adds area damage, making it highly beneficial. Primal Armament will add elemental damage to our attacks, and Cold Exposure will reduce enemies' cold resistance for 8 seconds on a critical hit with cold.

The second skill in our build is Tempest Bell. It will be enhanced with Rage, which generates rage charges in melee combat. A highly useful support gem for this skill is Close Combat, which increases the impact radius of Tempest Bell on enemies. Font of Rage will provide rage charges and increase the duration of the skill. While Heavy Swing reduces attack speed, it increases damage, which is more crucial for this skill.

Next, we have Charged Staff, which makes our staff glow with lightning and, most importantly, converts 80% of our physical damage into lightning damage. This skill needs to be enhanced with Persistence, which increases the duration of skill effects by 40%, making it excellent for this skill. Conduction is a superb gem for Charged Staff, as it increases the chance to apply Shock by 100%. Overcharge enhances the damage dealt by Shock, and finally, Lightning Exposure reduces the enemy's lightning resistance when they are affected by Shock.

To round out our PoE 2 Monk Build, we include Herald of Ice, which should be enhanced with Cold Penetration to allow our attacks to penetrate 30% of enemies' cold resistance. Magnified Effect will increase the ability's radius, and Cold Infusion will provide additional cold damage.

Since this build will have a significant amount of Spirit, Herald of Thunder will fit perfectly. The power of this skill lies in its ability to release lightning bolts that deal area damage after killing a shocked enemy with an attack. To enhance it, we need Elemental Focus, which increases elemental damage. Next, Lightning Penetration will allow us to bypass enemies' lightning resistance, and the final gem, Lightning Infusion, will add extra lightning damage to our attacks.

Next, we need the aura Combat Frenzy. It should be enhanced with gems like Profusion, which gives a 50% chance to generate an additional charge when the skill is activated, and Clarity, which increases mana regeneration while the aura is active. This aura also synergizes well with the passive skill Resonance, which we will level in the skill tree.

Hypothermia will be an excellent curse for this build, and we should enhance it with Expanse, which increases the curse's radius, and Heightened Curse, which extends its duration.

Our second aura will be Wind Dancer, which adds a significant amount of evasion and synergizes well with our Ascendancy. It should be enhanced with Blind, which provides a 100% chance to blind enemies on hit while the aura is active. Culling Strike will allow us to instantly kill Rare and Unique enemies when their health drops below 10%. The third gem here will be Vitality, which regenerates 1% of maximum health per second, significantly boosting survivability when combined with health gained from equipment.

Finally, our last skill will be the buff Ghost Dance. It is crucial because, upon taking damage, one Ghost Shroud is consumed to restore an amount of energy shield equal to 5% of your evasion rating. This greatly enhances survivability. Gems like Fast Forward and Cannibalism will further increase energy shield efficiency and allow us to regain health from killing enemies.

Invoker Lighting/Frozen Monk Endgame Passives Tree

As the name suggests, this skill tree has been adjusted specifically for the endgame. We will go through it step by step, from the very first nodes to the final ones. Some elements will naturally overlap with the previous version of the PoE 2 Monk Build from Early Access, as the core gameplay mechanics remain unchanged.

Let’s begin. The first thing we need to do is reach Echo Frost, which is highly useful for our hybrid lightning and cold build. Echoing Frost increases all Elemental Damage by 30% if you have recently Chilled an enemy. The "recently" effect is considered within the last 4 seconds. To get there, we need to pass through the Flow Like Water nodes, which speed up our attacks and skill casting. Next, we go through Crashing Wave, which increases our base damage through critical hits.

Our next step is to move downward and invest in Blinding Strike, which not only increases damage but also grants a 10% chance to blind enemies on hit. After that, we take Killer Instinct, a highly useful skill in the early stages of the game, as it increases our damage by 30% when at full health and by 50% when at low health (around 35% of total health). We finish this section with Tenfold Attacks, which significantly boosts attack speed and provides a small bonus to strength.

Next, we’ll need to move around the passive skill tree a bit. First, invest in Resonance, which converts one type of damage into the type we need most. After that, head upward to unlock Echoing Thunder, which increases incoming Elemental Damage to enemies by 30% if you have Shocked an enemy recently. The "recently" effect applies within the last 4 seconds. Finally, move downward and invest in Serrated Edges, which increases critical strike chance and significantly boosts damage against rare (yellow), magic (blue) enemies, and bosses.

Since the Monk deals damage with staves, Martial Artistry is an excellent choice for this build. When using a staff, it grants increased attack speed, critical strike chance, and damage — everything needed to create the best PoE 2 Monk build. Coming Calamity, located just below, further increases elemental damage. After that, go back and invest in Sharp Sight, which provides a 5% boost to attack speed and improves accuracy against strong enemies, including bosses.

Next, we need to address mana management, so we take Manifold Method, which also applies Ailments to enemies. These ailments provide various bonuses to the build whenever we deal elemental damage.

To make our Path of Exile 2 Monk build even stronger, we need to go back and invest in the smaller nodes around Echoing Thunder to further increase our elemental damage. Alongside this, Essence of the Storm works exceptionally well for our build. This node adds 5% of all damage as extra lightning damage. Additionally, we take Essence of the Mountain, which, like Essence of the Storm, adds 5% of all damage as extra cold damage.

We now return to our staves and invest in One with the Storm, which provides a significant damage boost through the heavy use of Power Charges. After that, we also take Whirling Assault and One with the River, both of which enhance our damage and provide additional defense — an essential aspect of this Path of Exile 2 Monk endgame build.

Our attacks will be extremely fast and powerful, and what could complement this combination better than critical strikes? Exactly, crits — and that’s what we’ll focus on next. We need to invest in the nodes True Strike, For the Jugular, Deadly Force, and Moment of Truth. These nodes provide an incredible boost to critical strike chance and critical damage. Additionally, they grant +10 to Dexterity and +10 to Intelligence, which are essential for creating the strongest PoE 2 Monk buildOur next steps involve a clever move that solidifies this as the best Path of Exile 2 Monk build currently available. First, we invest in Spectral Ward, Beastial Skin, and Enhanced Reflexes, which increase our armor and enhance our Ascendancy, which we’ll discuss in detail shortly.

The final step is to further boost our critical strikes. For this, we take all the major nodes: Heartstopping, followed by Struck Through, and finally Heartbreaking. These nodes not only increase critical strike chance and critical damage but also provide bonuses to Strength and Intelligence.

If you've read all this and are wondering, "What if I didn't follow this path from the start?" don't worry. You don't need to create a new character. Simply reset your passive skill points, and we’ll gladly explain How To Refresh Passives in PoE 2 to help you adjust your build.

Invoker Lighting/Frozen Monk Endgame Ascendancy

The core of this PoE 2 Monk Build revolves around the Ascendancy, specifically "...and Protect me from Harm". This Ascendancy modifies how physical damage reduction from armor works, now basing it on the combined values of armor and evasion. This synergy makes the build incredibly strong and almost unkillable. Before this, we invested in "Lead me through Grace…", which provides a significant amount of Spirit.

With substantial armor and overall survivability in place, it’s time to add more damage to ensure this build remains top-tier even in future patches. For this, we take "I am the Blizzard…", which increases cold damage from attacks and creates Chilled Ground when freezing enemies, slowing them down. Finally, we complete the build with "...and I Shall Rage", granting access to the powerful ability Unbound Avatar. This ability provides the Unbound effect, which adds +40% to elemental damage, +40% ailment buildup speed, and +80% chance to inflict ailments. On paper, it looks intimidating, but in the game, it’s even more impactful.

Invoker Lighting/Frozen Monk Endgame Items

As you might have guessed from the passive skill tree and Ascendancy, our PoE 2 Monk Build heavily relies on evasion. That’s why we focus on buying, crafting, or finding armor with the highest possible evasion values. Since the amount of evasion directly impacts our armor and overall survivability, it is a top priority. Additionally, ensure that your gear provides sufficient resistance to various elemental damage types.

Weapon. Our weapon, of course, is a staff, and it should have as much physical damage as possible—the higher, the better. Elemental damage from attacks directly scales with flat physical damage. It’s also beneficial if the staff has attack speed and, if possible, resistance to various damage types.

Gloves. Aim for gloves with high evasion or physical damage. If you manage to roll both mods together, that will be ideal.

As for other items, we focus on survivability by prioritizing evasion, armor, and resistances. Additional bonuses like increased damage, health, or attributes will also be beneficial. For boots, look for the highest possible movement speed bonus to maximize mobility.

How to play Invoker Lighting/Frozen Monk in PoE 2 Endgame

The gameplay of this build is straightforward and easy to grasp. We’ve created a build that combines incredible survivability with devastating damage, allowing you to focus on eliminating enemies rather than managing complex skill rotations. All you need to do is spam the combination of Charged Staff and Ice Strike, cutting through hordes of enemies.

For tougher opponents, including bosses, use the Hypothermia curse to reduce their cold resistance, and Tempest Bell to deliver powerful additional damage. You don’t need to memorize intricate sequences or worry about skill execution—just press your buttons and enjoy the game.

With high armor, an enhanced energy shield, and health regeneration from monster kills, there’s rarely a need to use health flasks. This makes the build comfortable for chaotic fights against large groups of enemies and intense battles with bosses. Your Monk will always be ready for combat, maintaining stability and efficiency throughout the game.

Conclusion

Invoker Lighting/Frozen Monk is a balanced and practical build, perfectly suited for conquering challenging content in Path of Exile 2. Its simplicity requires no complex skill rotations, while its high survivability and well-thought-out damage make it suitable for a wide range of playstyles. This build will be a reliable tool for players aiming to progress efficiently and enjoy the game to its fullest. We sincerely hope that this Path of Exile 2 Monk build brings you plenty of positive and memorable experiences.