S-TIER | BUILD MOINE KILLING PALM FLICKER (@Spud The King) | SAISON 0.5

Build Video

Build Overview

This Monk build, designed for Path of Exile 2 Season 0.5, pursues a simple goal: to recapture the feel of Flicker Strike… from level 1. Creator Spud The King repurposes Killing Palm, an unavoidable dash attack that grants power charges with every enemy killed, to chain from target to target like a true melee teleporter. The result is a snappy, fast and surprisingly satisfying leveling experience that clears the campaign long before you actually unlock the real Flicker Strike.

The gameplay loop is straightforward: you generate power charges by killing monsters with Killing Palm, then spend them on Falling Thunder to unleash a devastating burst of lightning. The more you kill, the harder you hit — and the intensity never drops as long as there are enemies on screen. Against packs it’s a true feast; the only time the action slows down is against bosses, with no small monsters to harvest to refill your charges.

Important note: the video was recorded in 0.4 with the Acolyte of Chayula ascendancy, since the Martial Artist wasn’t available yet. But the whole build is tuned for 0.5 and the arrival of this new ascendancy, which will precisely fix its main weakness: boss fights. Most of your power comes from your weapon — a Quarter Staff with big physical damage — far more than from rare or expensive gear, which makes it an excellent candidate to start a league.

Strengths / Weaknesses

Skill Gem Setup by Step

This build offers 4 progression steps from leveling to the final build. Select a step to see the corresponding gem setup.

Act 1 Act 2 Act 3 Interludes

Act 1

7 skills • 14 gemmes

Paume stupéfianteStaggering Palm

Paume meurtrièreKilling Palm

Grondement de tonnerreFalling Thunder

Attaques rapides IRapid Attacks I

Cloche tempétueuseTempest Bell

Terre geléeFrozen Locus

Héraut du tonnerreHerald of Thunder

Act 2

7 skills • 16 gemmes

Paume stupéfianteStaggering Palm

Paume meurtrièreKilling Palm

Grondement de tonnerreFalling Thunder

Attaques rapides IRapid Attacks I

Cloche tempétueuseTempest Bell

Héraut du tonnerreHerald of Thunder

Héraut de la glaceHerald of Ice

Act 3

9 skills • 27 gemmes

Paume stupéfianteStaggering Palm

Mantra de destructionMantra of Destruction

Attaques rapides IRapid Attacks I

Cloche tempétueuseTempest Bell

Bâton chargéCharged Staff

Héraut de la glaceHerald of Ice

Paume meurtrièreKilling Palm

Héraut du tonnerreHerald of Thunder

Grondement de tonnerreFalling Thunder

Interludes

9 skills • 30 gemmes

Paume stupéfianteStaggering Palm

Attaques rapides IRapid Attacks I

Cloche tempétueuseTempest Bell

Bâton chargéCharged Staff

Paume meurtrièreKilling Palm

Critiques névralgiquesPinpoint Critical

Héraut du tonnerreHerald of Thunder

Héraut de la glaceHerald of Ice

Danseur du ventWind Dancer

Recommended Equipment

• Weapon — Quarter Staff: this is the centerpiece. Look for the highest physical damage possible and spend your currency on it first. It carries the entire build, from start to finish of the campaign.
• Amulet: a plain Stellar Amulet is enough for the campaign. A unique amulet offering skill speed scales the build very well, but is entirely optional.
• Gloves and rings: favor added damage, especially elemental, to maximize your DPS.
• Boots — Trample Tour: if you don’t start the build day-one, these unique boots are strongly recommended: combined with Killing Palm, they turn the campaign and early endgame into a speedrun.
• Endgame: aim for runic meridians to fix your resistances (the big defensive weakness) and Way of the Stone Fist to unlock the many glove interactions of 0.5.

Gameplay Tips

• Respect the sequence: first prime an enemy, finish it with Killing Palm to recover Power Charges and buffs, then unleash Falling Thunder or your charged attacks.
• Frost Bomb before big enemies: place it to reduce their resistances and make damage spikes easier.
• Tempest Bell against bosses: this bell alone adds a massive amount of damage, even with a basic attack.
• Ice Strike as a boss supplement: use it for single-target when you’re low on charges, and drop your bell as soon as possible.
• Heralds and auras: Herald of Thunder from Act 1, Herald of Ice in Act 3, and Wind Dancer in the interlude — the author even recommends taking Wind Dancer earlier for better survivability.
• Open everything: chests, caches and refined arms are your best sources of weapon upgrades during the campaign.

The Killing Palm / Falling Thunder Loop

The entire build revolves around a simple yet devastating rotation. Killing Palm is an unstoppable rush that propels you onto a target and executes it; each enemy killed grants Power Charges. Once a few charges have built up, you chain dashes like with Flicker Strike, leaping from monster to monster without ever stopping.

These charges don’t just serve movement: they fuel Falling Thunder, which transforms into a massive lightning discharge when consumed. The Thrill of the Kill support adds lightning damage to each kill, creating a snowball effect: you kill, you gain power, you hit harder, you kill even faster. notable Staggering Palm rounds out the arsenal by stunning enemies and unlocking a very useful projectile buff.

Why Quarter Staff over Hollow Palm

The question comes up often: does this build work with Hollow Palm? Technically yes, it’s playable and viable. But the author compared both approaches and the verdict is clear: a good Quarter Staff offers a far greater damage jump (around 1.4k to 2k damage in his test), while Hollow Palm hits a ceiling faster.

The reason is simple: all of the build’s scaling runs through the weapon’s physical damage. A well-rolled Quarter Staff from early Act 2 can carry you comfortably all the way to Act 3. That’s why it’s recommended to spend your currency on the weapon first, rather than on armor or jewelry.

Acolyte of Chayula now, Martial Artist in 0.5

In the video, the author plays Acolyte of Chayula, unable to access the Martial Artist in 0.4. The latter arrives with 0.5 and is a game-changer, especially against bosses — the build’s Achilles’ heel. The first ascendancy point goes into Hollow Focus, which spawns bells around you: every hit on them is a critical strike, and they can be frozen and stunned.

In practice, this lets you generate power charges before or during a boss fight, without relying on small monsters to kill. You thus permanently keep your charges and your notable Staggering Palm buff, which makes the build far more stable. Later, Way of the Stone Fist and runic meridians open up many glove interactions and fix your resistances.

Endgame Scaling and League Start Potential

In endgame, the plan is to push the Martial Artist to its limits: bells everywhere guarantee critical hits, and when a Flicker Strike critically strikes a bell, it snapshots the damage. The goal then becomes scaling the critical damage bonus to turn the build into a one-shot machine. The Hollow Resonance technique, which creates a bell behind you that resonates on every critical, completes the picture.

Is it a good League starter? The answer is nuanced. If you know the game and understand when and how to upgrade your weapon without wasting your currency, you’ll have a great time and blaze through the campaign in under 7 hours. If you’re newer or looking for something more stable, this leveling build remains challenging due to its fragility. But for those who want fun and speed, experiencing the feel of Flicker Strike from level 1 is hard to match.

Skill Tree