With the release of Path of Exile 2 version 0.5 "Return of the Ancients," the skill showcased in GGG's trailer was so powerful that many players doubted it could actually make it into the game. The answer? Not only is it in the game — it's absolutely busted.
Today, we're diving into one of the most highly discussed builds in the community: the Hollow Form Monk, also jokingly referred to as the "Beyblade Monk" or "Ninja Monk." If you're looking for a build that delivers satisfying screen-clearing speed, massive endgame potential, and the ability to take you from zero straight to T15 maps, this guide is for you.
�� Whether you're trying to farm PoE 2 Currency quickly or need a steady supply of PoE 2 Gold to respec and buy gear, this build will supercharge your farming efficiency.
Core Mechanic: The Gloves Are the Real Hero
The core of this build isn't a weapon — it's a single Ascendancy node from the Monk:
▶ Way of the Stonefist
This node transforms the gloves you equip entirely. A simple, low-level white pair of gloves, once worn by a Monk with this node, becomes a powerful piece of gear with the following stats:
• Gain Evasion Rating per character level
• Gain Maximum Energy Shield per character level
• Take reduced damage while on Low Life
• Increased Attack Speed
• Cannot Leech
Hits have a chance to grant Frenzy, Endurance, and Power Charges to nearby allies.
Here's the key interaction: the clones you summon through Hollow Form are considered "allies" by the game, and those clones are effectively extensions of yourself. This creates a beautiful loop — your clones attack and hit enemies, granting charges to "allies" (which means you), allowing you to maintain full charges permanently, which in turn boosts your damage, defense, and attack speed.
That's the beauty of this build — just hold right click, and you'll sail straight to T15 maps with ease.
Skill Links & Gameplay
▶ Main Skill: Hollow Form
Hollow Form is granted by the Ascendancy node. You'll link Whirling Assault as your primary attack skill.
Recommended Support Gems:
• Armor Break – reduces enemy armor
• Heavy Swing – more melee damage
• Magnified Area – huge area of effect, wiping out enemies both on and off your screen
Note: Hollow Form gains additional sockets as you level up. By level 90, you'll have all sockets available.
▶ Burst Skill: Rend
Rend comes from Wyvern Form, which you gain by equipping any Talisman. While in wyvern form, casting Rend adds 50% of your damage as bonus lightning damage, and this buff affects your clones as well.
Recommended Support Gems:
• Prolong Duration
• Rapid Attacks
• Heightened Charges
Gameplay loop: Enter map → Shapeshift into Wyvern → Use Rend for damage buff → Summon Hollow Form → Your clones kill everything automatically. Refresh Rend occasionally.
Gear Selection
▶ Core Item: Low-Level White Gloves (Any Base)
This is the only mandatory unique item. You don't need expensive, unique gloves — just pick up any pair of low-level white gloves from the ground. Way of the Stonefist completely overwrites their stats.
Note: These gloves have become pricier on trading sites due to popularity, but they drop so commonly that you can easily find a pair yourself after a few maps.
Weapon: High DPS Quarterstaff
Prioritize physical DPS as high as possible. Ideally, aim for 900–1000+ DPS with some critical strike chance. There are many excellent quarterstaves available in the current meta.
▶ Armor & Other Slots
Other gear pieces are very flexible. Prioritize:
• Life
• Resistances
• Evasion / Energy Shield
▶ Movement Speed (on boots)
Travic's gear is still far from perfect, but he's already breezing through T12–T15 maps. With a bit more PoE 2 Currency invested in upgrades, this build's potential is absolutely massive.
▶ Auras & Spirit Reservation
Use your Spirit resource wisely. Recommended auras:
• Charge Regulation – provides armor, evasion, energy shield, skill speed, and crit
• Wind Dancer – increases evasion; can link Clarity to help with mana sustain
• Ghost Dance – recovers energy shield when hit; link Cannibalism for life recovery
Passive Tree & Ascendancy
▶ Ascendancy Nodes
• Way of the Stonefist – mandatory for glove transformation
• Hollow Form – mandatory for the core skill
• Way of the Mountain – grants 15% more attack damage and 30% less damage taken; extremely powerful
Remaining points can go into Hollow Focus, Hollow Resonance, or Runic Meridians. Runes are very strong this league — if you can cap resistances through runes, Runic Meridians becomes an excellent choice.
▶ Passive Tree Approach
• Weapon Set 1: Invest heavily in damage, especially critical strike nodes
• Weapon Set 2: Borrow from Jung's approach — take Skill Effect Duration to make your clones last longer
The author is currently level 82, with plenty of passive points left to allocate. The tree still has significant room for growth.
Mana Issues & Solutions
The biggest current drawback of this build is its extremely high mana consumption. Mana gained on kill and mana gained on hit do not appear to work with the clones. Current solutions:
• Spam your mana flask
• Later, consider using a Delirium mana flask for sustained recovery
This is a key area for future optimization.
Pros & Cons
✅ Pros
• Amazing clear speed — clones lock onto enemies automatically and wipe out entire screens.
• Straightforward gameplay — just hold right click and refresh Rend from time to time
• Very early power spike – playable from Act 4 through T15 maps
• High ceiling – damage and survivability scale well with gear and levels
• Efficient with PoE 2 Gold – no frequent respecs needed; straightforward tree pathing
❌ Cons
• Fragile — until your gear is upgraded, even basic white enemies can sometimes stun-lock you and take you down
• Mana intensive — you'll need to use your mana flask constantly
• Requires the gloves – while they're common, if you haven't found a pair yet, you'll need to farm or trade for them
Who Should Play This Build?
This build is a fantastic choice if you:
• Enjoy fast, screen-clearing gameplay with minimal button presses
• Want a build that scales smoothly from early maps to endgame
• Have some PoE 2 Currency and PoE 2 Gold to invest in gear and respecs
• Are you a Monk player looking for a powerful, fun, and visually satisfying build
Final Thoughts
The Hollow Form Monk is one of the most fun and satisfying builds in Path of Exile 2 version 0.5. It not only lives up to the visual spectacle shown in the trailers but also delivers in real combat situations.
If you're a Monk player unsure which direction to take, or if you have some PoE 2 Currency and PoE 2 Gold to respec and gear up, this build comes highly recommended.
From Act 4 onward, hold down right click and let your clones do the work — all the way to red maps. The feeling of dozens of ninjas emerging from the ground to destroy everything is something you have to experience firsthand.
Give it a try. May your clones always be fully charged.
