S-TIER | BUILD CHASSERESSE SOULEATER MONKEY (@DarthMicrotransaction) | SAISON 5

Build Video

Build Overview

The Souleater Monkey is one of the most original builds in Path of Exile 2: a Huntress Beastmaster whose true power lies not in the character itself, but in a companion — a monkey tamed via Tame Beast — transformed into a near-immortal war machine. Where most minion builds focus on keeping their summons alive, this one does the exact opposite: the monkey must die constantly to fuel a self-sustaining damage loop.

The concept becomes clear once broken down. Infernal Legion I burns the monkey down to zero life, which triggers Tecrods Revenge and grants it Soul Eater. Every enemy killed then ramps up its attack speed and size: it grows larger, strikes faster and faster, and tears through entire packs in seconds. The new skill Eternal March instantly revives the monkey thanks to the Runic Ward provided by the The Brass Dome, completely eliminating the 7-second downtime that normally balances the mechanic.

The result is a companion that hits for 1.5 to 2 million damage per strike against bosses and becomes absolutely unstoppable in dense areas like the Abyss, where Soul Eater stacks explode. A build that is simultaneously fun, accessible, and devastatingly effective — a perfect season league starter.

Strengths / Weaknesses

Skill Gem Setup by Step

This build offers 1 progression step from leveling to the final build. Select a step to view the corresponding skill gem setup.

Set 1

Set 1

10 skills • 23 gemmes

Wild Protector

Pureté de la glacePurity of Ice

Étendard de guerreWar Banner

Domptage de bêteTame Beast

Danseur du ventWind Dancer

Danse fantomatiqueGhost Dance

Frénésie dévorante IIFeeding Frenzy II

Marque du tireur d'éliteSniper's Mark

Créatures colossalesHulking Minions

Eternal March

Recommended Equipment

• Helmet — The Vertex : a unique with no attribute requirements, it lets you equip the great club despite having only 97 Strength. The cornerstone piece of this build (around 4 divines).
• Body Armour — The Brass Dome : a unique that provides a massive Runic Ward (close to 988), fueling the instant revive mechanic via Eternal March (around 5 exalts).
• Weapon — Rare great club / two-handed mace : aim for maximum physical damage (692+), even at the cost of a terrible attack speed and an insane Strength requirement. The Spear Walker node grants the monkey the benefit of the mace’s damage (usually just a few exalts, since nobody else uses them).
• Gloves — Giant’s Blood : allows you to wield a two-handed weapon in one hand without investing in that branch of the passive tree (around 1 exalt).
• Amulet — Minion bonus : a +3 (ideally +4) to minion levels with attack damage presence (« deal damage for allies in your presence », a very cheap essence), plus a critical damage bonus. A +2 is more than enough to get started.
• Rings — Breach rings : critical hit chance and damage, nothing more.
• Tecrods Revenge : the key piece that triggers Soul Eater upon the monkey’s death (around 3 divines).

Gameplay Tips

• The monkey MUST die : do not take any elemental resistance or life nodes for the companion — this is intentional and is the entire point of the build.
• Three links are enough for the boss : in single-target, Infernal Legion I and Tecrods Revenge do nothing; only Feeding Frenzy I, Rapid Attacks I and Hulking Minions truly matter.
• Run only one companion : the second is too resilient, breaks the loop, and only provides a bit of haste.
• No cracked gear needed : the video shows the entire game (all pinnacle bosses) cleared with a third of this damage.
• Watch your Runic Ward : it is what funds each instant resurrection of the monkey via The Brass Dome.

The Soul Eater Loop Explained Step by Step

The entire power of this build rests on a cycle that lasts a few seconds and repeats endlessly. First step: Infernal Legion I deals permanent burn damage to the companion and keeps it at zero HP. That is exactly the condition required by Tecrods Revenge, which only triggers on the minion’s death and then grants it Soul Eater.

With Soul Eater, every enemy killed increases the monkey’s attack speed and size. For 20 seconds the companion becomes invulnerable and accumulates these stacks: it grows larger, attacks faster and faster, and clears everything in its path. After those 20 seconds there is normally a 7-second downtime during which the minion is absent — that delay is what balances the mechanic in the base game.

This is where Eternal March comes in. This resurrection skill consumes Runic Ward (roughly the monkey’s life divided by 21, equating to nearly 1 000 Runic Ward) to instantly revive the companion. Since The Brass Dome alone provides approximately 988 Runic Ward, the 7-second downtime disappears: the monkey revives, burns again under Infernal Legion I, Soul Eater resets, and the loop starts over. The higher the enemy density, the faster the stacks build — hence the carnage in the Abyss.

Giant’s Blood and The Vertex: Making the Weapon Viable

The weapon in this build is a rare great club that the market completely ignores: enormous physical damage (692+), but a catastrophically slow attack speed of 72 and an insane Strength requirement. For a spellcaster it is worthless; for this build it is one of the best pieces available, because a Spear Walker node grants the monkey the damage from the club itself.

Two problems still need solving. First, equipping a two-handed weapon: Giant’s Blood gloves allow wielding it in one hand without having to travel all the way through that branch of the tree. Second, the Strength requirement, given that the character only has 97 Strength: The Vertex, a unique helmet with no attribute requirements whatsoever, removes that constraint entirely. These two pieces transform an « unplayable » weapon into the backbone of the build.

Optimizing the Passive Tree: Companion, Crit and Minimal Survivability

The philosophy behind the tree is counter-intuitive: the goal is a fragile companion, not a tanky one. We therefore carefully avoid any elemental resistance or life nodes for the minion — the objective is for it to die quickly and often to keep the loop going. Instead, we pick companion nodes focused on damage, plus a little movement and evasion for the character.

Crit is a major axis: the monkey has 25% base crit chance, and thanks to minion jewels with crit chance and crit damage, we easily reach 98% crit chance — practically 100% even without an additional companion crit mod. We round things out with damage and attack speed jewels.

Trusted Kinship allows two companions, but in practice only one is played: Eternal March cannot revive two minions simultaneously without enough Runic Ward, and a second companion that is too resilient would break the loop. A few evasion and energy nodes, along with Undying Hate (Sacrifice of Flesh), provide minimal survivability without undermining the core concept.

Progression and Budget: From League Starter to Endgame

Good news for budget-minded players: this build is one of the best league starters of the season. The monkey is tamed as early as the campaign with Tame Beast, and the author notes having cleared the entire game — all pinnacle bosses included — with roughly one third of the damage shown in the video. There is no need to chase cracked gear to progress.

On the budget side, virtually every piece is very affordable. The Vertex (around 4 divine) is the only truly non-negotiable expense, followed by Tecrods Revenge (around 3 divine, sometimes up to 10 for min-maxed versions). The rest — The Brass Dome, Giant’s Blood gloves, the great club, rings — can each be found for a few exalts. The +minions amulet can get expensive at +3/+4, but a simple +2 works perfectly fine to get started. Once the core gear is in place, this build clears tier 15 maps and pinnacle bosses without difficulty.

Skill Tree