S-TIER | BUILD MOINE HOLLOW PALM PETALS (@MasterT) | SAISON 5

Build Video

Build Overview

This hollow palm monk build embodies the true barehand monk fantasy in Path of Exile 2: rush into a pack of enemies, hit once or twice, and watch everything disappear. MasterT presents this build as one of the most powerful and enjoyable he has ever played in the entire history of Path of Exile 1 or 2, accessible from a few divines all the way to high-budget variants. The core mechanic revolves around the keystone Hollow Palm Technique — a passive keystone that removes the main-hand weapon and instead grants damage based on skill gem level, critical strike chance based on the Energy Shield of equipped armor, and attack speed based on the evasion of equipped armor. The result: record-breaking attack speed and a critical strike chance that permanently reaches 100%, with a multiplier exceeding 1,400%.

Gameplay revolves around two complementary skills. Shattering Palm implants Ice Shards into enemies with each hit; when an enemy takes enough damage or dies, these shards explode dealing massive area damage. Ice Strike then serves as a supporting skill thanks to its phenomenal attack speed to chain-trigger these explosions. The Eventide Petals amulet plays a central role by generating Arctic Petals that transform into ice crystals; when struck by Shattering Palm, these crystals trigger additional explosions and serve as anchors to summon up to three Tempest Bells simultaneously, creating an avalanche of explosions that melts both map packs and pinnacle bosses.

In addition, Herald of Ice and Herald of Thunder automatically chain through monster density thanks to the Armor Break and Armor Explosion interaction enabled by the Rite of Passage notable Spirit of the Wolf. Switching to Low Life via Animus Exchange (two quick activations) multiplies damage dramatically thanks to Execute III, Dire Strike 2, and notable Killer Instinct — without requiring Atziris Communion, whose price has skyrocketed to over 500 divs. The build is playable from 5 to 10 divines and plays like Flicker Strike, but with the player fully in control.

Strengths / Weaknesses

Skill Gem Setup by Step

This build offers 14 progression steps from leveling to the final build. Select a step to view the corresponding skill gem setup.

End Of Acte 1 End of Acte 2 End of Acte 3 End of Acte 4 End Of Campaign Level 65 – 77 Level 77 – 85 Level 84 – 93 Ultra Low Budget Endgame 1 (Min Budget) Endgame Mid Budget Endgame High Budget Endgame No Voices Highest Budget Min Maxed

End Of Acte 1

7 skills • 17 gemmes

Déferlement de glaceGlacial Cascade

Terre geléeFrozen Locus

Héraut de la glaceHerald of Ice

Cloche tempétueuseTempest Bell

Frappe de glaceIce Strike

Bombe de givreFrost Bomb

BondissementPounce

End of Acte 2

8 skills • 23 gemmes

Déferlement de glaceGlacial Cascade

Terre geléeFrozen Locus

Cloche tempétueuseTempest Bell

Héraut de la glaceHerald of Ice

Frappe de glaceIce Strike

Déluge céraunienTempest Flurry

Bombe de givreFrost Bomb

BondissementPounce

End of Acte 3

10 skills • 31 gemmes

Déferlement de glaceGlacial Cascade

Terre geléeFrozen Locus

Héraut de la glaceHerald of Ice

Frappe de glaceIce Strike

Reliquats de ManaMana Remnants

Cloche tempétueuseTempest Bell

Déluge céraunienTempest Flurry

Bombe de givreFrost Bomb

BondissementPounce

Main de ChayulaHand of Chayula

End of Acte 4

11 skills • 44 gemmes

Frappe de glaceIce Strike

Paume fracassanteShattering Palm

Déferlement de glaceGlacial Cascade

Terre geléeFrozen Locus

Héraut de la glaceHerald of Ice

Main de ChayulaHand of Chayula

Reliquats de ManaMana Remnants

Hollow FocusHollow Focus

DéchirureRend

BondissementPounce

DévorationDevour

End Of Campaign

11 skills • 44 gemmes

Frappe de glaceIce Strike

Paume fracassanteShattering Palm

Héraut de la glaceHerald of Ice

Cloche tempétueuseTempest Bell

Main de ChayulaHand of Chayula

Reliquats de ManaMana Remnants

Danse fantomatiqueGhost Dance

Hollow FocusHollow Focus

DéchirureRend

BondissementPounce

DévorationDevour

Level 65 – 77

11 skills • 46 gemmes

Frappe de glaceIce Strike

Paume fracassanteShattering Palm

Cloche tempétueuseTempest Bell

Héraut de la glaceHerald of Ice

Main de ChayulaHand of Chayula

Reliquats de ManaMana Remnants

Danse fantomatiqueGhost Dance

Hollow FocusHollow Focus

DéchirureRend

BondissementPounce

DévorationDevour

Level 77 – 85

11 skills • 55 gemmes

Paume fracassanteShattering Palm

Frappe de glaceIce Strike

Cloche tempétueuseTempest Bell

Héraut de la glaceHerald of Ice

Reliquats de ManaMana Remnants

Héraut du tonnerreHerald of Thunder

BondissementPounce

DéchirureRend

DévorationDevour

Hollow FocusHollow Focus

Midnight ZenithMidnight Zenith

Level 84 – 93

13 skills • 72 gemmes

Paume fracassanteShattering Palm

Frappe de glaceIce Strike

Cloche tempétueuseTempest Bell

Héraut de la glaceHerald of Ice

Héraut du tonnerreHerald of Thunder

Régulation des chargesCharge Regulation

Hollow FocusHollow Focus

Hollow ResonanceHollow Resonance

Animus ExchangeAnimus Exchange

BondissementPounce

DéchirureRend

DévorationDevour

Midnight ZenithMidnight Zenith

Ultra Low Budget

15 skills • 82 gemmes

Midnight ZenithMidnight Zenith

Paume fracassanteShattering Palm

Frappe de glaceIce Strike

Cloche tempétueuseTempest Bell

Héraut de la glaceHerald of Ice

Héraut du tonnerreHerald of Thunder

Régulation des chargesCharge Regulation

Hollow FocusHollow Focus

Hollow ResonanceHollow Resonance

Animus ExchangeAnimus Exchange

Spirit VesselSpirit Vessel

BondissementPounce

DéchirureRend

DévorationDevour

Frappe au bâton de combatQuarterstaff Strike

Endgame 1 (Min Budget)

15 skills • 82 gemmes

Midnight ZenithMidnight Zenith

Paume fracassanteShattering Palm

Frappe de glaceIce Strike

Cloche tempétueuseTempest Bell

Héraut de la glaceHerald of Ice

Héraut du tonnerreHerald of Thunder

Régulation des chargesCharge Regulation

Hollow FocusHollow Focus

Hollow ResonanceHollow Resonance

Animus ExchangeAnimus Exchange

Spirit VesselSpirit Vessel

BondissementPounce

DéchirureRend

DévorationDevour

Frappe au bâton de combatQuarterstaff Strike

Endgame Mid Budget

11 skills • 60 gemmes

Frappe de glaceIce Strike

Paume fracassanteShattering Palm

Héraut de la glaceHerald of Ice

Héraut du tonnerreHerald of Thunder

Cloche tempétueuseTempest Bell

Animus ExchangeAnimus Exchange

Régulation des chargesCharge Regulation

Midnight ZenithMidnight Zenith

Marque du tireur d'éliteSniper's Mark

DéchirureRend

BondissementPounce

Endgame High Budget

11 skills • 60 gemmes

Frappe de glaceIce Strike

Paume fracassanteShattering Palm

Héraut de la glaceHerald of Ice

Héraut du tonnerreHerald of Thunder

Cloche tempétueuseTempest Bell

Animus ExchangeAnimus Exchange

Régulation des chargesCharge Regulation

Midnight ZenithMidnight Zenith

Marque du tireur d'éliteSniper's Mark

DéchirureRend

BondissementPounce

Endgame No Voices

11 skills • 61 gemmes

Midnight ZenithMidnight Zenith

Paume fracassanteShattering Palm

Frappe de glaceIce Strike

Héraut de la glaceHerald of Ice

Héraut du tonnerreHerald of Thunder

Cloche tempétueuseTempest Bell

TrinitéTrinity

Marque du tireur d'éliteSniper's Mark

BondissementPounce

DéchirureRend

Régulation des chargesCharge Regulation

Highest Budget Min Maxed

11 skills • 61 gemmes

Midnight ZenithMidnight Zenith

Paume fracassanteShattering Palm

Frappe de glaceIce Strike

Héraut de la glaceHerald of Ice

Héraut du tonnerreHerald of Thunder

Cloche tempétueuseTempest Bell

TrinitéTrinity

Marque du tireur d'éliteSniper's Mark

BondissementPounce

DéchirureRend

Régulation des chargesCharge Regulation

Recommended Equipment

• Amulet — Eventide Petals: the core piece of the build, obtainable via Rune Mastering on the Vericium anvil (search « rune mastered » then filter by « +2 cold skills » as implicit). Aim for +2 cold skills, high critical strike chance, and high intelligence. Do not buy +1 unless you plan to divine it up to +2.
• Gloves — Wave of the Stone Fist: top priorities — flat defense tier 1 (converts to +4 evasion and +1 energy shield per level, directly benefiting keystone Hollow Palm Technique), +2 melee skill gems (becomes +1 with quality), attack speed (becomes Onslaught on hit), mana leech on attack damage (or on a ring), and bonus physical damage as extra to fuel Armor Break.
• Temple Limbs: best-in-slot limbs for an evasion build — grant attack speed, suppression, evasion, and movement speed while sprinting. Keep an eye out for the short guide MasterT was planning to publish on how to obtain them easily.
• Runic Meridian: rune slots to configure according to your budget. Options: curse immunity (combined with the tree node), recharge speed, magnitude of non-damage effects. On a high budget, socket the Legacy of Crown of Thorns (keystone Pain Attunement = +30% to critical strike multiplier while Low Life).
• Belt — Ingenuity: mandatory for its multiplicative effect on rings. You must verify that the charm charges modifier reads « reduced charges used » (or is absent) and not « increased » — an Ingenuity with « increased » breaks your charms and Rends Rite of Passage non-functional.
• Body Armour: maximize evasion and energy shield for resistances and Hollow Palm. On a low budget, use a body armour with the Spirit Vessel effect (bear companion, suppression, bonus evasion/energy shield).
• Helmet: prioritize energy shield and resistances. In endgame, aim for two sinister sockets via a Raven’s Touch Shard (anoint with Zerox’s Gift to obtain the first sinister socket).
• Boots: evasion, energy shield, movement speed — and at least one suppression attribute somewhere on the character to approach the 95% cap.
• Rite of Passage — notable Spirit of the Wolf (~60–70 divs): essential for Herald chaining via Armor Break + Armor Explosion. On low budgets, Heralds work normally but without the chain explosions covering the screen.
• Endgame Ring: one high-quality main ring, then use Kalandras Touch (Mirrored Ring) to mirror that exact ring. Avoid having mana leech on both rings — put it on the gloves instead.
• Flask — Laviangas Spirits: unique mana flask to replenish reserves in an emergency (a « mana donut » can drain your entire mana in one shot). Never use a Life Flask in a map — it would push you above the Low Life threshold.

Gameplay Tips

• Mapping Rotation: Dash with Shattering Palm into the pack → Ice Strike × 2 to trigger the shard explosions → Shattering Palm toward the next pack. Use Pounce between packs to maintain the Freezing Mark buff, and Rend for its skill duration buff (~30 seconds).
• Boss Rotation: Pounce onto the boss → Ice Strike × 2 → Tempest Bell (the crystals will spawn 3 bells simultaneously) → Shattering Palm × 2. If the boss is still alive, repeat from Ice Strike × 2. On a low budget (with Devour), eat a bell first to recover a power charge, then begin the rotation.
• Low Life Management: at each map checkpoint (the waypoints that restore your life), recast Animus Exchange × 2 before continuing. Without Low Life, you lose approximately 42% of your total damage — this is the main cause of a build that « doesn’t hit hard » according to MasterT.
• Dire Strike 2 at the Start of Each Zone: due to an active Spirit bug, unequip and re-equip Dire Strike 2 in Midnight Zenith at the start of each map to get the attack damage bonus for free. Two clicks, then Animus Exchange × 2, and you’re ready.
• Prioritize Breaches and Density: the higher the monster density, the further the Heralds chain and the more the build « explodes ». Breaches are ideal for experiencing the build’s full power.
• Never Use a Life Flask in Maps: a Life Flask brings you back above the Low Life threshold and forces you to recast Animus Exchange. On a low budget without Trinity, the only flask is Laviangas Spirits for mana.

Why Choose This Hollow Palm Monk Build?

The Hollow Palm Monk build stands out from all other Path of Exile 2 Season 5 builds through one unique property: reaching 100% critical hit chance without investing a single crit chance node in the passive tree. All crit chance scaling is provided automatically by the keystone Hollow Palm Technique (0.1% base crit per 10 Energy Shield on equipped armour pieces), freeing up every passive point and equipment suffix to maximise the critical hit multiplier. The result: over 1,400% critical hit multiplier in endgame — a figure no quartstaff build can match.

MasterT compares it to Flicker Strike, but with the player fully in control rather than following a random teleport. The feeling of speed is identical, with the added benefit of full movement control. For any player who has always dreamed of the bare-handed Monk archetype — dash, strike, devastation — this build is the perfect realisation of that fantasy in Path of Exile 2 patch 0.5.

How the Hollow Palm Technique Works

The keystone Hollow Palm Technique radically transforms how all attack skills function. First, damage no longer comes from the weapon (which is unequipped) but from the skill gem level — hence the importance of scaling gem levels through equipment. Second, you gain 1% attack speed per 75 evasion on equipped armour pieces, which explains the complete focus on evasion. Third, you gain 0.1% base critical hit chance per 10 Energy Shield on your equipped armour pieces.

This last point is crucial: it is base crit (like that of a weapon), not « increased » crit. This base crit is then amplified by every « % increased critical hit chance » node found on the tree or equipment. With good gear, the character reaches approximately 81% crit with no buffs active, and 100% once auras and buffs are up. No quartstaff build reaches this value as naturally, and this is precisely what makes Rend Hollow Palm so ideal for synergy with the Eventide Petals amulet.

The Eventide Petals Amulet and Arctic Petals

The Eventide Petals is the build’s primary damage engine. It grants the passive skill Midnight Zenith, which generates 1 Arctic Petal per enemy killed via a critical hit, and 3 Arctic Petals on a critical hit against a rare or unique target. When 10 petals are accumulated, they automatically transform into 5 ice crystals. These crystals behave exactly like Frost Wall: hit by Shattering Palm, they in turn trigger the explosions of Shattering Palm, and since they have no scaled health, they explode instantly with each hit received.

Each explosion of Shattering Palm can deal approximately 2 million damage, and the build triggers these explosions ten times per second — sometimes more. This is why showcases show pinnacle bosses melting in mere moments. The decisive advantage of Hollow Palm over quarterstaff builds using these crystals is simple: at 100% guaranteed crit, petal generation is maximal and permanent, whereas a build with 70–80% crit rate sees erratic and less reliable generation.

The Low Life Setup Without Atziri’s Communion

With Atziris Communion at over 500 divs in patch 0.5, MasterT designed an accessible alternative: Animus Exchange. This skill drains a large portion of life in two quick uses via Second Wind I 2 and a few cast speed supports, allowing you to reach the Low Life threshold (below 35% life) in under two seconds, smoothly and with a distinctive sound effect. Unlike Life Tap (too slow, requires many uses) or other alternatives that also drain the Energy Shield, Animus Exchange only affects life.

The benefits of Low Life are considerable: Execute III 3 provides an average of +41 to 42% additional damage to all skills (30% more permanently + 30% more if the enemy is Low Life), Dire Strike 2 grants +70% attack damage while Low Life, and notable Killer Instinct +60% additional. At high budget, keystone Pain Attunement via the Legacy of Crown of Thorns adds another +30% to the critical strike multiplier. The main drawback remains the Vulnerability to bleeding and poison, which bypass the Energy Shield and hit directly against near-zero life — hence the importance of charms with increased charges.

The Triple Tempest Bell Technique

Since patch 0.5, Tempest Bell has been reworked: it can now have up to three active instances simultaneously and benefit from the support Ancestral Call I, which makes it appear on several nearby targets. In single target, summoning three bells seems impossible — but the crystals generated by Midnight Zenith count as valid enemies for Ancestral Call I. When Tempest Bell is activated in the presence of ice crystals on the ground, three bells appear instantly.

These bells generate a shockwave with each hit received — whether it deals real damage or is a zero-damage spell like a crystal explosion. This shockwave is independent of the triggering hit’s power and generates its own attack damage. In combination with all the explosions of Shattering Palm, the looping crystals and proccing Heralds, the amount of simultaneous damage per second in single target becomes truly colossal — which explains the near-instant boss kills visible in the build’s showcases.

Skill Tree