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PoE 2 Build

DonTheCrown's Cold Monk Leveling

Monk

Invoker

DonTheCrown

Verified

Starter

0.1 Early Access

By DonTheCrown

LIVE

Updated on Apr 2, 2025

Apr 2, 2025

Build Overview

This build focuses on using cold staff skills to output major damage while locking down enemies with powerful freezes. By following along you'll be able to conquer the campaign and get to endgame quickly.

For an endgame focused guide please refer to: Endgame Variant

Equipment

Set 1

Set 2

Equipment Priority

Helmet

Expert Hunter Hood

Main Hand

Expert Slicing Quarterstaff

Left Ring

Ruby Ring

Right Ring

Sapphire Ring

Amulet

Jade Amulet

Body

Expert Studded Vest

Gloves

Advanced Bound Bracers

Belt

Heavy Belt

Boots

Advanced Embossed Boots

For your weapon you want to keep your eyes out for +# Damage of any type. Having +#-# Physical Damage and % Increased Physical Damage is the best option. For suffixes look for attack speed, critical strike chance or damage, or melee levels.

For Armor you can run Evasion or hybrid Evasion/Energy Shield pieces. While leveling the defenses are less important but having life on your gear is key! Try to find gear that has life on every piece!

Runes: Flat damage (Phys is best) in weapons and resists in armor.

Charm: I recommend Thawing Charm because becoming Frozen is almost always a death sentence and this will save you.

Venom Draught Options: Stun | Chaos Resistance

Skill Gems

Support Gem Requirements:

Str 25

Dex 40

Int 60

Expand all

Quarterstaff Strike

Item

Ice Strike

Tempest Bell

Elemental Invocation

Wave of Frost

Hand of Chayula

Herald of Ice

Killing Palm

Unbound Avatar

Gem Priority

+28

Early Game
Start with Glacial Cascade and Frozen Locus. Glacial Cascade is rather strong early on but needs to be used at range, use Frozen Locus to freeze enemies and then Glacial Cascade them to death.
Replace Glacial Cascade and Frozen Locus with Ice Strike and Wave of Frost as you unlock them.

Tempest Bell is a great skill for extra damage because it causes damage in an area every time it is hit. We use Elemental Invocation to store up Ball Lightning to be released when we drop the bell. Just drop the bell and then activate Elemental Invocation and watch the bell go crazy!

Note that you want to keep Ball Lightning at the lowest level possible because it is not there for damage! It is only there to ring the bell and raising its level only increases mana costs.

Spirit
Elemental Invocation costs 60 Spirit so you might need some spirit on your gear to run it with all the supports on Herald. Chest and Amulet are good spots to look for this. You will have 100 Spirit by the end of the campaign: +30 from Act 1, +30 from Act 3, and +40 from Act 6 (Act 3 Cruel).

Jeweler's Orb Priority
Prioritize Ice Strike always then Elemental Invocation and Tempest Bell. You can save currency by not 5-linking anything past this due to the cost of the 2nd orbs.

Skill Breakdown

Ice Strike - Main Damage
Elemental Invocation - Use this to ring the Bell like crazy with Ball Lightning!
Hand of Chayula - Use this attack to apply curse/mark instantly, you must place Hypothermia into the support spots on Hand of Chayula in order to add Heightened Curse.
Wave of Frost - Freezes enemies almost always, this keeps you safe.
Killing Palm - Good for Finishing Bosses
Unbound Avatar - Ascendancy Skill
Tempest Bell - Best boy, this thing gives a lot of damage and some extra attack range, also Rage from having it down. Note that any skill can hit this including Ball Lightning!

Passive Tree

main:

123

set 1:

set 2:

Attribute Nodes
For traveling stat nodes you're going to need 113 Int for but always prioritize whatever stats you need for gem upgrades.

Leveling
Take the Notables near the start -> Flow Like Water Flow State Mindful Awareness Step Like Mist Essence of the Mountain Crashing Wave and then proceed out towards Whirling Assault and Coming Calamity while taking any side nodes you think are important. Skip Throatseeker until you have more crit chance.

Ascendancy order
I am the Blizzard...
...and I Shall Rage
Lead me through Grace...- if you need spirit
The Soul Springs Eternal - if you have spirit on gear

How it Plays

Use Ice Strike to close the gap with enemies.
Drop Tempest Bell to help do more damage and use your Elemental Invocation to hit the bell a much.
Wave of Frost is a solid 'oh crap' button that will freeze a large area. Hand of Chayula will apply our curse and mark which makes enemies easier to kill.