S-TIER | BUILD MOINE ICE STRIKE MARTIAL ARTIST (@FastAF) | SAISON 5

Build Video

Build Overview

Here is a Monk Martial Artist build focused on Cold DPS for Season 0.5 (Return of the Ancients) of Path of Exile 2. The core idea is simple yet devastatingly effective: turn Ice Strike and Shattering Palm into machines that Freeze and Shatter everything in your path. With massive Cold DPS, every hit applies a guaranteed Freeze, paving the way for chains of devastating explosions.

The core damage system relies on Embitter, paired with the Way of the Stonefist keystone: your gloves convert raw damage into « added damage, » which is then fully converted to cold. On top of that, Hollow Resonance provides huge comfort (DPS and mana leech), along with a buff rotation powered by Killing Palm. The result: packs evaporate in a single dash and bosses melt against the Ice Strike + Tempest Bell combination.

Keep in mind: this is not a league starter build, but a mid-budget Endgame setup. It is an offensive build that requires some investment (particularly in crit chance) and a basic awareness of positioning, but rewards you with exceptional Clear speed and boss-killing potential.

Strengths / Weaknesses

Skill Gem Setup by Step

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

Default

Default

10 skills • 49 gemmes

DéchirureRend

Frappe de glaceIce Strike

Cloche tempétueuseTempest Bell

Paume fracassanteShattering Palm

Paume meurtrièreKilling Palm

Sensibilité aux élémentsElemental Weakness

Héraut de la glaceHerald of Ice

Danseur du ventWind Dancer

Berserk

Régulation des chargesCharge Regulation

Recommended Equipment

This setup relies on a few unique items that massively amplify the build’s potential. The interactive equipment grid below details each slot; here are the truly game-changing pieces:

• Polcirkeln : the ring that turns Herald of Ice into a machine that chains cold explosions across frozen packs
• Amor Mandragora : the unique staff for the second weapon set (weapon swap), to alternate with your main rare weapon depending on the situation
• Laviangas Spirits : the unique mana flask that, combined with the ring’s mana leech, secures your resource regeneration in the heat of combat
• Arakaalis Gift : the unique charm that completes your defensive and utility toolkit
• Stat priorities : focus first on critical hit chance (essential for DPS), then cold damage, attack speed, and evasion

Gameplay Tips

• Pack clear : use Shattering Palm as your main clear skill — it literally blows up packs of enemies like a second Herald of Ice
• Single target / bossing : place Tempest Bell then hammer it with Ice Strike to melt bosses in seconds
• Buff generation : Killing Palm lets you cull enemies and proc the Thrill of the Kill II and Blazing Critical buffs that greatly boost your damage output
• Situational curse : Elemental Weakness only comes into play occasionally against the most resistant targets — your base DPS is sufficient most of the time
• Survival : never tank hits head-on — stay mobile, dodge the heavy attacks, and let Freeze do the crowd control for you

How to Play the Build: The Rotation

The build’s Cold DPS is so high that everything you touch suffers a massive Freeze. The rotation revolves around two distinct playstyles: clearing packs and single target.

In clear, Shattering Palm is your main skill — yes, really. It automatically explodes groups of enemies, acting like a second Herald of Ice. And the Herald of Ice + Polcirkeln combo chains cold explosions effortlessly, turning even the smallest pack into a chain reaction. For single target and boss fights, it’s the Ice Strike + Tempest Bell combination that takes over and melts targets at an impressive pace.

Alongside that, Killing Palm plays a key role: it lets you cull enemies to generate on-kill offensive buffs, while also helping to apply Cold Exposure via Hollow Focus. Rend adds extra damage on top, while Elemental Weakness remains a situational tool, reserved for the toughest targets — you already deal so much damage that this curse is rarely necessary.

The Damage Engine: Why Embitter?

The question everyone asks when they look at this build is: why Embitter? The answer comes down to three mechanics that combine to produce a colossal cold damage spike.

First, the keystone Way of the Stonefist makes your gloves convert all of your raw damage into « extra damage of a type. » Then, Killing Palm inflates that base further through the Thrill of the Kill II and Blazing Critical buffs. Finally, Rend adds a damage bonus when it consumes a power charge.

In the end, all of this « extra damage » is funnelled through Embitter to be converted into a massive amount of Cold DPS. This is precisely what makes Freeze so easy to apply on any enemy. And since the build relies primarily on ice skills, every point invested in cold damage translates directly into more power — it’s the best possible scaling for this archetype.

Freeze and Shatter: The Core Mechanic

The entire DNA of this Martial Artist revolves around the Freeze then Shatter loop. Your cold damage is so concentrated that enemies freeze almost instantly. Once frozen, they become vulnerable to Herald of Ice explosions, which chain together thanks to Polcirkeln.

Hollow Resonance further bolsters the setup by providing a solid DPS boost. On the resources side, the ring’s mana leech and the unique mana flask Laviangas Spirits maintain the pace without ever running out of mana. It is this synergy between guaranteed freeze, chain explosions, and resource sustain that allows the build to melt the endgame while maintaining exceptional clear speed.

Skill Tree