Speculation regarding whether Path of Exile 2 Patch 0.5.0 would introduce a new class has finally come to an end, as it has been confirmed that Return of the Ancients on May 29th will bring two new Ascendancy classes.
Among them, Martial Artist will debut as the third Ascendancy option for Monk base class. This means that if you are a Monk player, you will be able to enjoy a wider variety of builds and associated playstyles during Runes of Aldur league.
Based on all currently available information regarding Martial Artist, POECURRENCY.com has compiled a preliminary guide to help you quickly adapt to this new Ascendancy once Patch 0.5.0 officially goes live!
Martial Artist overview
First and foremost, Martial Artist belongs to Monk base class, a melee-oriented archetype that primarily scales off Intelligence and Dexterity. Although Monk typically utilizes staves and unarmed combat, the class also possesses unique magical capabilities.
Building upon this foundation, Martial Artist introduces a host of exclusive abilities. These new skills are expected to synergize effectively with the traditional weapon types available to Monk class.
However, if you wish to maximize the potency of these synergies, it’s best to buy PoE 2 currency at POECURRENCY.com. Different currencies provide distinct gear-enhancing effects, thereby expanding and enriching the ways in which Martial Artist can be utilized in combat.
Hollow techniques in-depth look
Martial Artist features six exclusive abilities, but the core of Ascendancy lies in three specific Hollow Techniques: Hollow Form, Hollow Focus, and Hollow Resonance.
Hollow Focus
Based on the footage showcased during the livestream, Hollow Focus may appear underwhelming at first glance; however, a closer analysis reveals that it is far more powerful than you might imagine.
Specifically, Hollow Focus generates a bell on the battlefield every 4.1 seconds. These bells inherently possess the cold attribute and are primed for stone the very instant they spawn.
The moment a bell takes its first hit from an attack, it immediately shatters, emitting a shockwave that radiates outward in all directions. If you manage to raise the skill gem’s level to 20, this shockwave delivers a massive base damage multiplier of up to 341%.
While the raw statistics of Hollow Focus may not appear particularly impressive on their own, the true value of the skill lies in the various synergistic mechanics hidden beneath the surface.
First, you can utilize Killing Palm skill to detonate these bells, thereby allowing you to quickly and consistently generate Power Charges during boss fights. The higher the monster’s level, the more stacks of charges it provides.
While the exact potency of these bells remains to be seen, it is certain that, either before a boss encounter or while the boss is in an invulnerable phase, you can pre-stack Power Charges without having to rely on other cumbersome mechanics.
Hollow Resonance
The effect of this technique is to affix a bell to your back, which chimes once every 0.5 seconds. When triggered, it emits a shockwave capable of dealing damage equivalent to up to 224% of your base damage.
Much like Hollow Focus, the value of Hollow Resonance lies in providing a more convenient means to trigger various buffs or crowd-control effects, such as Blind, Stun, Life Leech, and Rage.
For instance, by pairing it with Blind Support gem, you can achieve a nearly permanent, 360-degree AoE blind. Alternatively, you can utilize Stun nodes on Passive Skill Tree or additional Support gems to further enhance the stun effect.
This allows you to slot these utility-focused Support gems into Hollow Resonance rather than being forced to link them to your primary damage-dealing skill; this frees up those slots, allowing you to insert other support gems that directly boost your damage output.
This not only increases the flexibility of how you configure Support gems alongside your main damage skill, but it also effectively serves as a direct buff to Strike skills in PoE 2.
This is because, for Strike skills, an increase in AoE damage constitutes a significant buff: when you dash forward to deliver a heavy blow to a single target, all surrounding enemies take damage as well.
Furthermore, Hollow Resonance possesses the inherent ability to reduce its own cooldown duration.
By combining this with cooldown reduction nodes on Passive Skill Tree, specific gear modifiers, or support gems, you can further shorten the cooldown, thereby increasing the frequency at which the effect triggers.
Hollow Form
This ability grants you access to a unique channeled skill. When you enter this channeled state, you summon a clone that mirrors your actions, casting the attack skills you have socketed into your gear.
Additionally, you can consume Power Charges to summon up to two additional clones.
The standout feature of Hollow Form is its compatibility with virtually any Martial melee skill. This means that weapon-specific skills, unique to various weapon types, can be socketed into Hollow Form and cast simultaneously by your Clones while you are channeling.
Furthermore, the developers have publicly confirmed that you are free to move while channeling Hollow Form, thereby dispelling previous concerns players may have had regarding this mechanic.
Additionally, you can further optimize this experience and boost your movement speed while channeling by selecting specific passive nodes or utilizing support gems.
You have likely already realized that the effectiveness of these three techniques scales significantly with the power of your gear. Therefore, if you plan to play Martial Artist in patch 0.5.0, prioritizing PoE 2 currency farming is absolutely essential.
Overview of other abilities
The three remaining Martial Artist abilities are Way of the Mountain, Runic Meridians, and Way of the Stonefist.
Way of the Mountain grants you 20% more damage, a small amount of damage reduction against hits, and a 50% increase to your stun threshold.
These effects can be continuously triggered and ideally maintained at maximum stacks by attacking the bells generated by your Hollow Techniques.
Runic Meridians allows you to socket runes directly into your character’s body rather than relying on gear slots. Moreover, Path of Exile 2 Patch 0.5.0 will introduce over 160 brand-new runes!
This opens the door to unlocking a vast array of incredibly powerful combinations and synergistic effects, opportunities that are simply unavailable to any other Ascendancy Class!
As for Way of the Stonefist, it grants your equipped gloves entirely unique effects while preserving their original explicit modifiers, and provides an additional defensive implicit modifier.
Conclusion
Although some details remain somewhat unclear, it is evident that Martial Artist is an Ascendancy Class with an exceptionally high skill ceiling, one that is particularly well-suited for players who enjoy theory crafting their own tactics and builds.
If you count yourself among them, why not use this guide, compiled by POECURRENCY, to start preparing right now?
