Is Hollow Palm a Viable League Starter in Path of Exile 2?
The short answer: Yes-but with some caveats.
The Hollow Palm Technique is available just 12 points away from Path of Exile 2 Currency the Monk's starting area, meaning you can transition into the build relatively early.
However, the Monk is notorious for a slow leveling process due to fewer early-game damage nodes. The Hollow Palm Technique doesn't magically solve this-it requires investment in Dexterity, attack speed, and critical chance before the build feels strong.
That said, once you have a solid passive tree foundation and the right support gems, this build becomes one of the most fun and visually satisfying ways to progress through the campaign. The endgame viability is still up for debate in 0.3.0, but for campaign and early mapping, it's both effective and entertaining. Players who want smoother gearing may also consider using Path of Exile 2 Items from the trade economy to speed things up.
Passive Tree Setup
Before grabbing Hollow Palm, focus on attack speed and flat damage nodes to help your leveling process. Once you've swapped to bare-handed Quarterstaff combat (around level 25), shift toward scaling crit and Dexterity.
Key Passives to Prioritize:
Jugular and Deadly Force (close to starting area): For early damage scaling.
Careful Assassin and Throat Seeker: Strong mid-game nodes for critical chance and multiplier.
Dexterity clusters: To boost Evasion and support gem requirements.
Attribute Focus:
Dexterity: Primary focus for faster attacks, scaling Evasion, and Deflect status.
Intelligence: Secondary for crit chance scaling if you choose Energy Shield-based gear.
Recommended Ascendancy Notables (around level 40):
Walking Dream: Enhances survivability and damage consistency.
Inner Turmoil: Boosts offensive output by scaling with POE2 Currency for sale multiple damage types.