Glacial Cascade is an amazing skill that has incredible synergies with Freeze that allows us to absolutely delete bosses. We're also able to pair 
Frozen Locus with 
Herald of Ice to instantly destroy large groups of enemies.
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Monk
Martial Artist
Frozen Tipper - The Ultimate Monk League Starter
MonkMartial ArtistStarter
0.5 RotA
Mirror Tier
Creator
Build Overview
Strengths and Weaknesses
- Insane Boss Damage
- Great AOE Clear
- Main combo unlocked at level 2
- Optimal Boss Rotation is a bit complicated
Build Variants
Level 1-13
Level 14-30
31-65
65-90
Act 1 is the toughest part of the Monk experience but if you follow the steps laid out below this will actually be pretty easy. Our goal in Act 1 is to basically rush to 
Hollow Palm Technique as fast as possible for the gigantic damage increase.
Part of what's so great about this build is that we actually get our main combo at level 1, being Frozen Locus and Glacial Cascade.
Regex: "!(uiv)" "melee|quarter|mov|[egdl] da.* to a"
Chest/Helmet: Evasion >> Resistance > Max Life
Rings: Adds Damage >>> Resistance > Attributes. TBH in Act 1 all that matters is damage.
Boots: Movement Speed >>> Evasion > Resistance > Max Life. I would never run boots without movement speed
Quarterstaff: Adds Lightning Damage > Adds any damage >> Melee Skills >> Attack Speed. If you're unsure which quarterstaff to use, just equip both and compare their damage.
Gloves: +1 Melee is Mandatory. Hollow Palm Technique has insane damage scaling with +Melee. Do everything you can to find a +1 Melee pair of gloves in Act 1 as they are more common here. Check the shop in town literally every level looking for gloves, and once you get them NEVER replace them unless your new gloves have +Melee.
Amulet: You'll almost never find +Melee, but if you do hang onto it and cherish it. Otherwise look for: Attributes > Resistances > Evasion > Energy Shield
Skill Gems
Level 1-13
Level 14-30
31-65
65-90
Support Gem Requirements:
Str 10
Dex 0
Int 20
1
Glacial Cascade
Level 16
2
Frost Bomb
Level 14
3
Contagion
4
Frozen Locus
Level 16
5
Herald of Ice
Level 14
6
Pounce
Level 11
Gem Priority
+6
Important Skill Gems Pickups
Early Act 1 can be tricky if you don't play it right, but if you complete everything in this list you will be very powerful in just a few minutes, allowing you to annihilate Act 1 with ease.
1. Clearfell: We're going to be initially making Glacial Cascade and 
Frost Bomb which will give very solid early bossing damage. Make sure you're hitting the tipper on Glacial Cascade!
2. Devourer: Most people want to skip this optional Clearfell boss but on Monk its actually a time save to kill it because you gain so much character power! Make sure you kill him so you can craft 
Contagion at level 2 as well as Concentrated Area for Glacial Cascade for a massive bossing damage increase.
3. Witch: Make sure to kill the witch in the Grelwood for the support gem to craft Cold Attunement.
4. Red Vale: Make sure to do the league mechanic to get another level 2 skill gem, which we will use to make Frozen Locus. At this point we will have great AOE damage, and our single target will also be solid with tipper Glacial Cascade + Frost Bomb.
5. Freythorn: Use this Spirit Gem to craft Herald of Ice and at this point we drop Contagion. We now have access to our strongest AOE tool, being Frozen Locus + Herald of Ice.
Rotation
AOE
1. Run past the pack, and cast Frozen Locus behind you
2. Cast Contagion if you're still using it
3. Destroy the Frozen Locus with Glacial Cascade to kill the pack
Single Target
1. Keep up Frost Bomb exposure
2. Spam Glacial Cascade, making sure to tipper every attack for that gigantic damage boost. If you're not in position to tipper, you can get away from the boss by using Frozen Locus which will allow you to reposition while also adding damage.
Passive Tree
Level 1-13
Level 14-30
31-65
65-90
main:
123
123
set 1:
20
20
set 2:
20
20
Take the notables in the order listed!
Get your ascend asap, killing the boss in Traitor's Passage to get the Trial of Sekhemas key.
Quest Rewards
Check which quests you’ve completed on your character
Clearfell — Beira of the Rotten Pack
Not Specified1 choice
Hunting Grounds — The Crowbell
Not Specified1 choice
Freythorn — The King in the Mists
Not Specified1 choice
Ogham Farmlands — Una's Hut
Not Specified1 choice
Ogham Manor — Candlemass, the Living Rite
Not Specified1 choice
Keth — Kabala, Constrictor Queen
Not Specified1 choice
Valley of the Titans — Medallion
Not Specified2 choices
Deshar — Final Letter
Not Specified1 choice
The Spires of Deshar — Sisters of Garukhan
Not Specified1 choice
Jungle Ruins — Mighty Silverfist
Not Specified1 choice
The Venom Crypts — Venom Draught
Not Specified3 choices
Jiquani's Machinarium — Blackjaw, the Remnant
Not Specified1 choice
The Azak Bog — Ignagduk, the Bog Witch
Not Specified1 choice
The Molten Vault — The Molten Vault
Not Specified1 choice
Aggorat — Blood Sacrifice
Not Specified1 choice
Journey's End — Captain Hartlin
Not Specified1 choice
Eye of Hinekora — Navali's Rest
Not Specified1 choice
Halls of the Dead — Yama The White
Not Specified1 choice
Halls of the Dead — Tawhoa's Test
Not Specified2 choices
Abandoned Prison — Goddess of Justice
Not Specified2 choices
Halls of the Dead — Tasalio's Test
Not Specified2 choices
Halls of the Dead — Ngamahu's Test
Not Specified2 choices
Wolvenhold — Oswin, the Dread Warden
Not Specified1 choice
The Khari Crossing — Akthi and Anundr
Not Specified1 choice
The Khari Crossing — Molten Shrine
Not Specified1 choice
Qimah — Tabana's Pillar
Not Specified7 choices
Kriar Village — Lythara, the Wayward Spear
Not Specified1 choice
Howling Caves — The Abominable Yeti
Not Specified1 choice
How it Plays
We use synergies between Frozen Locus and Glacial Cascade to destroy both packs of monsters and enemies. For a full in depth rotation guide, check the skill gems sections for each level breakpoints.
How it Works
This build feels amazing to play. Frozen Locus freezes everything and does insane damage while procing Herald of Ice. Glacial Cascade shreds bosses with its powerful tipper. Later in the campaign we combine these skills to freeze bosses and deal an insane amount of burst thanks to the massive damage multiplier from Glacial Cascade against frozen enemies. As we progress our character, we eventually become able to stack a ton of multiplying buffs during this freeze window to one shot most bosses.
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