S-TIER | BUILD MOINE POWER CHARGE MARTIAL ARTIST (@P4wnyhof) | SAISON 5

Build Video

Build Overview

The Power Charge Martial Artist is one of the most inventive builds of Season 5. It revolves around the new Martial Artist ascendancy techniques: Hollow Focus summons bells that orbit the player and explode in physical shockwaves, while Hollow Resonance places an additional bell behind the Monk — and that bell explodes with every critical strike. Since every hit landing on the Hollow Focus bell is automatically a critical, the loop is permanent: each strike triggers an explosion, and each explosion chains into the next. The result is a relentless torrent of physical and lightning damage that obliterates packs within seconds.

Leveling is remarkably smooth from Act 1 all the way to endgame. Thanks to the Hollow Palm technique, the Monk plays unarmed during the early acts, treating every melee skill as if wielding a Quarter Staff. It is only at Act 4 (level 41) that notable Whirling Assault becomes available: the signature skill that spins the player around their enemy while continuously triggering bell explosions. From that point on, the build reaches full cruising speed — nearly immortal, a constant generator of Power Charges, and capable of erasing everything in its path.

Pros / Cons

Gem Setup by Stage

This build offers 6 progression stages from leveling to the final build. Select a stage to view the corresponding gem setup.

For Ingame Build Planner Act 1 Act 2 Act 3 Act 4 Interludes

For Ingame Build Planner

11 skills • 38 gemmes

Hollow Focus

Hollow Resonance

Bâton chargéCharged Staff

Danseur du ventWind Dancer

Évocation de RavageurReaper's Invocation

Paume meurtrièreKilling Palm

Paume stupéfianteStaggering Palm

Grondement de tonnerreFalling Thunder

Héraut du tonnerreHerald of Thunder

Assaut tourbillonnantWhirling Assault

Cloche tempétueuseTempest Bell

Act 1

8 skills • 16 gemmes

Grondement de tonnerreFalling Thunder

Rafale de ventWind Blast

Coup d'aileWing Blast

DévorationDevour

Bondissement

Héraut du tonnerreHerald of Thunder

Paume meurtrièreKilling Palm

EnchevêtrementEntangle

Act 2

9 skills • 22 gemmes

Hollow Focus

Rafale de ventWind Blast

Coup d'aileWing Blast

DévorationDevour

Bondissement

Charges abondantes ICharge Profusion I

Vague orageuseStorm Wave

Héraut du tonnerreHerald of Thunder

Grondement de tonnerreFalling Thunder

Act 3

11 skills • 31 gemmes

Hollow Focus

Hollow Resonance

Coup d'aileWing Blast

DévorationDevour

Bondissement

Danseur du ventWind Dancer

Charges abondantes ICharge Profusion I

Grondement de tonnerreFalling Thunder

Main de ChayulaHand of Chayula

Héraut du tonnerreHerald of Thunder

Vague orageuseStorm Wave

Act 4

11 skills • 37 gemmes

Hollow Focus

Hollow Resonance

Bâton chargéCharged Staff

Danseur du ventWind Dancer

Main de ChayulaHand of Chayula

Paume meurtrièreKilling Palm

Paume stupéfianteStaggering Palm

Grondement de tonnerreFalling Thunder

Héraut du tonnerreHerald of Thunder

Assaut tourbillonnantWhirling Assault

Cloche tempétueuseTempest Bell

Interludes

11 skills • 38 gemmes

Hollow Focus

Hollow Resonance

Bâton chargéCharged Staff

Danseur du ventWind Dancer

Évocation de RavageurReaper's Invocation

Paume meurtrièreKilling Palm

Paume stupéfianteStaggering Palm

Grondement de tonnerreFalling Thunder

Héraut du tonnerreHerald of Thunder

Assaut tourbillonnantWhirling Assault

Cloche tempétueuseTempest Bell

Recommended Gear

During leveling, prioritize armour pieces offering a « +2 to all melee skill gems » bonus — this modifier directly boosts Hollow Palm and multiplies bell effectiveness from the very first acts. Armour and life-focused gear is more than sufficient until Act 4. Also make sure to equip a Talisman (amulet) as early as possible, since the Hollow Palm technique forbids you from wearing a weapon while active: the amulet replaces your main weapon slot and can provide valuable offensive bonuses.

In endgame, transitioning to evasion and energy shield makes you nearly invulnerable. A good Quarter Staff becomes essential from Act 4 (level 41) to unlock notable Whirling Assault — look for physical damage, lightning damage, and attack speed modifiers. On your other pieces, favour items that simultaneously amplify physical and lightning damage to maximize bell explosion output.

Gameplay Tips

The secret of the build is to stay close to your targets: the Hollow Resonance bell explodes behind the Monk, so if you move away from the boss the explosion misses its target. On large bosses, literally hug them so that every strike triggers the explosion behind you within their hitbox. For pack clearing, the Devour → Falling Thunder loop is your best friend: Devour consumes bells and corpses to regenerate your life, while Falling Thunder clears everything still standing.

Against bosses, use Wing Blast to stun your target and generate a burst of Power Charges. Before triggering Falling Thunder, always cast Rend first: this skill applies a debuff that amplifies the lightning damage received by the enemy, multiplying the impact of your bell explosions. In endgame, anticipate the rotation: notable Staggering Palm for the stun, Charged Staff for the charges, then notable Whirling Assault to unleash the storm — once the flow is internalized, the gameplay becomes hypnotic.

The Hollow Focus and Hollow Resonance Techniques

Hollow Focus and Hollow Resonance form the beating heart of the Martial Artist ascendancy. Hollow Focus summons bells that orbit the Monk and explode in physical shockwaves when triggered. Hollow Resonance goes further: it systematically places an additional bell behind the player, and that bell explodes with every critical strike. The key mechanic is that every hit landing on the Hollow Focus bell is automatically a critical, creating a self-sustaining chain reaction.

In practice, each combat cycle produces a double explosion: the orbital bell from Hollow Focus and the dorsal bell from Hollow Resonance fire nearly simultaneously, flooding the area with physical damage. Combined with support gems Brutality I and Magnified Area I, these explosions cover a considerable area of effect and devastate both packs and bosses in just a few rotations.

Maintaining Power Charges Continuously

The build’s strength lies in its multiple Power Charge sources, all active simultaneously. Killing Palm generates charges in melee; Devour produces them by consuming bells and corpses; Siphoning Strike steals them with each hit; Wing Blast creates them on stun. In endgame, Reapers Invocation completes this arsenal by generating additional charges on executions. The result: your Power Charges never drop to zero as long as you are in combat.

High and permanent Power Charges directly amplify your critical strike chance and overall damage, which in turn increases the frequency of Hollow Resonance explosions. It is a virtuous loop: more charges → more criticals → more explosions → more charges generated by kills. This self-feeding design explains why the build feels increasingly powerful as monsters fall.

Hollow Palm Technique: Playing Unarmed Until Act 4

The Hollow Palm technique is one of the Monk’s most original passive abilities: it allows all melee skills to be used as if the player were wielding a Quarter Staff, as long as no weapon is equipped. In practice, this means farming the first 13 passive points as quickly as possible to unlock this technique, then removing any weapon from your equipment. The empty weapon slot becomes your strength — staff stats are simulated by the technique itself.

In place of a weapon, equip a Talisman: the amulet replaces your main offensive slot and can carry damage, speed or resistance modifiers that are very useful for Acts 1 to 3. This weaponless window lasts until level 41 (Act 4), when notable Whirling Assault becomes available and a real Quarter Staff finally makes sense. During this phase, progression is surprisingly smooth thanks to the bell explosions that more than compensate for the absence of a weapon.

Whirling Assault and Endgame Gameplay

notable Whirling Assault is the pivot of the endgame build. Available at level 41, this skill spins the Monk around their target in a chain of rapid strikes — each one triggering bell explosions, creating a continuous storm of physical and lightning damage. Gameplay changes radically at this point: gone is the leveling Falling Thunder sequence, replaced by a permanent and fluid whirlwind that keeps the boss in constant contact with all active bells.

The endgame rotation revolves around notable Staggering Palm to stun the target, Charged Staff to rapidly reload Power Charges, then notable Whirling Assault for primary DPS. Between each blast, Wing Blast handles additional stuns and Devour keeps your life topped up. Once this rhythm is internalized, the build becomes almost automatic: you spin, the bells explode, the charges recharge, and bosses melt within seconds.

Skill Tree