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Path of Exile 2 offers a deep and intricate class system, and the Monk, specifically the Invoker ascendancy, has quickly become a fan-favorite for those looking to specialize in lightning damage. However, despite its potential, many players have struggled with the early leveling process. Fortunately, through careful planning and skill optimization, this journey can be made much easier. In this guide, I’ll share my personal experience with the Invoker Monk build, highlight the skills and strategies that worked for me, and discuss how to progress to insane DPS using lightning-based combos that will make your Monk leveling experience a breeze.

Starting Strong: A Lightning-Based Approach

As an Invoker Monk, the key to success lies in harnessing the power of lightning, specifically through the shock ailment. Shock has always been one of the most powerful debuffs in Path of Exile, and when combined with the Monk’s abilities, it opens up devastating damage potential. The Invoker ascendancy enhances this by allowing you to specialize in lightning or cold damage, but for this build, lightning will be the focus.

Before launch, there was a lot of buzz surrounding the "Cast on Shock" mechanic, which enables you to build energy by applying shock and then automatically casting powerful abilities. This mechanic is especially useful because it removes the need for manually triggering skills like Ball Lightning, which can be costly and time-consuming. The concept didn’t fully apply until reaching level 11 skill gems, but the anticipation led me to optimize my early game to smoothly transition into this powerful late-game setup.

Early Game: Adapting to the Monk’s Challenges

The Monk class presents unique challenges, especially in the early levels. The first few moments are tough because the Monk’s melee abilities are underwhelming compared to ranged skills. I started my journey by using Killing Pal to generate power charges and Falling Thunder to unleash crackling lines of lightning from a safe distance. The ability to apply ranged damage while building power charges was crucial in surviving the early stages. To make things easier, I also used a support gem that allowed me to use the ranged attack multiple times without consuming charges, which further boosted my survivability.

Additionally, I realized early on that melee combat with the Monk can be risky, especially without decent Path Of Exile 2 Items gear or damage scaling. Therefore, I switched to a bow and invested in Dexterity in the skill tree. This allowed me to use ranged lightning attacks like Lightning Arrow and Lightning Rod, which synergize well with the Monk's lightning playstyle. Lightning Arrow hits multiple enemies and triggers Chain Lightning, while Lightning Rod can channel that energy to deal damage over time and even chain to single targets. These skills served me well until I could build up enough damage to transition back into the Monk’s melee abilities.

The Power of Tempest Flurry and Stormwave

Once I reached Act 1 and defeated the King in the Mist boss, I unlocked the Spirit skills, which gave me access to my first persistent buff skill, Herald of Thunder. This skill is essential for this build, as it triggers additional lightning bolts on attacks after killing shocked enemies. While this effect applies when using a bow, it really comes into its own when you begin using melee lightning attacks.

At this point, Tempest Flurry became my go-to melee skill. This high-speed, multi-hit combo applies bonus shock damage on its final strike and serves as a powerful single-target skill. As I progressed, I started augmenting Tempest Flurry with support gems like Crescendo, which gives an additional final strike, and Marshall Tempo, which boosts the attack speed. These modifications allowed me to hit the powerful final strike of the combo twice, significantly increasing my damage output.

For ranged combat, Stormwave came into play. This high-damage lightning skill applies shock and deals significant damage over a long distance. I used Stormwave as my primary ranged skill, especially when fighting groups of enemies or avoiding close-range danger.

Strategic Use of Tempest Bell and Chain Lightning

As I leveled up, I found that Tempest Bell, a skill that creates a bell-shaped object on the ground, could be used in combination with Lightning Arrow and Lightning Rod to deal even more damage. The bell amplifies lightning damage and chains it to enemies in the area, adding a secondary damage source while boosting single-target damage. This skill worked wonders when paired with the Monk's ability to use a Quarter Staff to strike enemies while simultaneously activating the bell's area-of-effect damage.

The interaction between the bell and the Lightning Arrow was a game-changer. By hitting both the bell and the boss, I could double the lightning damage from a single attack. This synergy became even more effective against stun targets, who would remain immobilized, allowing for consistent, amplified damage.

The Mid-Game Shift: Optimizing Damage with Support Gems

As I transitioned into Act 2 and gained access to the level 7 skill gem, I picked up Stormwave as my ranged go-to skill. This skill provides reliable lightning damage that can apply shock over time. Magnified Effect and Concentrated Effect were support gems I used to increase the damage of Stormwave. These two support gems helped me strike a balance between area-of-effect damage and the range of my attacks, giving me a significant DPS boost.

At this point, Tempest Flurry became my primary melee skill for boss fights, with support gems like Crescendo and Marshall Tempo boosting my attack speed. This build became incredibly effective in dealing with tougher enemies and bosses that required quick and consistent damage output.

End-Game: Preparing for the "Cast on Shock" Combo

Looking ahead, my focus is on unlocking Cast on Shock. This skill will be essential for automatically casting Ball Lightning every time I apply shock, turning my Monk into a lightning damage powerhouse. This transition will require leveling up to at least level 11 skill gems, but once unlocked, it will exponentially increase my DPS.

In the meantime, I'm preparing by enhancing my support gem setup. Crescendo and Marshall Tempo remain essential for maximizing Tempest Flurry’s DPS, while Magnified Effect will continue to augment the damage of Stormwave. I'm also planning to add Conduction support to increase the effectiveness of chain lightning when I hit multiple targets.

Conclusion: Lightning-Fueled Monk DPS

The Invoker Monk build in Path of Exile 2 may present some early-game challenges, but with the right setup and a focus on lightning-based attacks, the journey becomes significantly smoother. By adapting early with ranged skills, optimizing the damage output with Tempest Flurry and Stormwave, and leveraging synergies between various skills, POE2 Currency and support gems, I’ve managed to overcome difficult encounters and level up quickly.

With Cast on Shock in the future, the build will only become stronger, unleashing devastating lightning combos that will make even the most challenging bosses fall with ease. The key to success with this build is patience, strategy, and a keen understanding of the Monk’s powerful abilities, which can transform from a tough early experience into an electrifying powerhouse in the late game.