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Whirling Assault Martial Artist

Monk · Martial Artist · Compétence principale: Whirling Assault · Patch 0.5.4

par maxroll (imported) · mis à jour 2026-07-10

A screen-wide melee clearer: Whirling Assault's circular rampage triggers Herald of Ash fire chains, with Tempest Bell + Charged Staff burst for bosses. SSF-friendly and blisteringly fast — roughly a 4-hour campaign and 8 hours to Arbiter — once you land a 400+ PDPS quarterstaff.

Configuration des gemmes — Aspirational

Hollow Focus Ingenuity II Overabundance II Persistence II Blind II Magnified Effect II Rend Persistence II Perpetual Charge Martial Tempo III Rage III Twofold Whirling Assault Magnified Effect II Atalui Bloodletting Garukhan's Resolve Rakiata's Flow Embitter Tempest Bell Ancestral Call II Overabundance II Heavy Swing Heft Close Combat II Mantra Of Destruction Chaos Mastery Persistence II Ailith Lineage Profusion II Empowered Sparks II Charged Staff Persistence II Ice Bite II Glaciation Embitter Innervate Hand Of Chayula Freezing Mark Mark Of Siphoning II Charged Mark Single Out II Rage III Wyvern Devour Profusion II Blazing Critical Thrill Of The Kill II Rage III Persistence II Herald Of Ice Magnified Effect II Armour Explosion Splinter III Uruk's Smelting Ambush Wind Dancer Magnified Effect II Overpower II Rage III Blind II Bludgeon Ghost Dance Ingenuity II Clarity Spirit Vessel Enormity Romira's Requital Amanamu's Tithe
Progression de montée (14 étapes)
Campaign — Level 2: Clearfell
Player Default Quarterstaff Glacial Cascade Frost Bomb
Campaign — Level 2: Defeat Areagne
Player Default Quarterstaff Glacial Cascade Concentrated Effect Frost Bomb
Campaign — Level 3 to 5
Glacial Cascade Concentrated Effect Rage Frozen Locus Frost Bomb
Campaign — Level 6 to 13
Wolf Pounce Glacial Cascade Concentrated Effect Rage Frozen Locus Ice Bite Frost Bomb Herald Of Ice
Campaign — Act 1
Wolf Pounce Glacial Cascade Concentrated Effect Rage Frozen Locus Ice Bite Primal Armament Frost Bomb Herald Of Ice Magnified Effect
Campaign — Level 22 (Storm Wave)
Wolf Pounce Freezing Mark Storm Wave Rage Primal Armament II Glacial Cascade Concentrated Effect Primal Armament II Frozen Locus Ice Bite Primal Armament II Frost Bomb Strip Away Herald Of Ice Magnified Effect Primal Armament Wave Of Frost Deep Freeze Ice Bite
Campaign — Act 2
Wolf Pounce Storm Wave Rage Primal Armament II Innervate Glacial Cascade Concentrated Effect Primal Armament II Frozen Locus Ice Bite Primal Armament II Frost Bomb Strip Away Herald Of Ice Magnified Effect Primal Armament Hand Of Chayula Freezing Mark Elemental Weakness Wave Of Frost Deep Freeze Ice Bite
Campaign — Act 3
Wolf Pounce Storm Wave Rage Primal Armament II Branching Fissures Glacial Cascade Concentrated Effect Primal Armament II Frozen Locus Ice Bite II Primal Armament II Innervate Frost Bomb Strip Away Herald Of Ice Magnified Effect Primal Armament II Unique Skill Gem Herald Of Thunder Concentrated Effect Primal Armament II Hand Of Chayula Freezing Mark Elemental Weakness Wave Of Frost Deep Freeze Ice Bite II Hollow Focus Ingenuity Concentrated Effect Close Combat
Campaign — Act 4
Wolf Pounce Ingenuity II Storm Wave Rage II Primal Armament II Branching Fissures Glacial Cascade Concentrated Effect Primal Armament II Elemental Focus Frozen Locus Ice Bite II Primal Armament II Innervate Frost Bomb Strip Away Herald Of Ice Magnified Effect Primal Armament II Herald Of Thunder Concentrated Effect Primal Armament II Hand Of Chayula Freezing Mark Elemental Weakness Wave Of Frost Deep Freeze Ice Bite II Hollow Focus Ingenuity II Concentrated Effect Close Combat
Campaign — Act 5 / End of Campaign
Wolf Pounce Ingenuity II Storm Wave Rage II Primal Armament II Branching Fissures Glacial Cascade Concentrated Effect Primal Armament II Elemental Focus Frozen Locus Ice Bite II Primal Armament II Innervate Frost Bomb Strip Away Herald Of Ice Magnified Effect II Primal Armament II Elemental Focus Herald Of Thunder Concentrated Effect Primal Armament II Hand Of Chayula Freezing Mark Elemental Weakness Wave Of Frost Deep Freeze Ice Bite II Hollow Focus Ingenuity II Concentrated Effect Heft
Maps — Early Maps
Hollow Focus Ingenuity II Overabundance II Persistence II Rend Persistence II Perpetual Charge Martial Tempo III Whirling Assault Magnified Effect II Heavy Swing Heft Pinpoint Critical Tempest Bell Ancestral Call II Overabundance II Heavy Swing Mantra Of Destruction Chaos Mastery Persistence II Charged Staff Persistence II Ice Bite II Embitter Hand Of Chayula Freezing Mark Elemental Weakness Mark Of Siphoning II Wyvern Devour Profusion II Blazing Critical Thrill Of The Kill II Herald Of Ash Magnified Effect II Swift Affliction II Fast Forward II Wind Dancer Magnified Effect II Overpower II Ghost Dance Ingenuity II Clarity
Maps — Late Maps
Hollow Focus Ingenuity II Overabundance II Persistence II Blind II Rend Persistence II Perpetual Charge Martial Tempo III Rage III Whirling Assault Magnified Effect II Heavy Swing Heft Pinpoint Critical Close Combat II Tempest Bell Ancestral Call II Overabundance II Heavy Swing Heft Mantra Of Destruction Chaos Mastery Persistence II Charged Staff Persistence II Ice Bite II Embitter Glaciation Hand Of Chayula Freezing Mark Elemental Weakness Mark Of Siphoning II Charged Mark Wyvern Devour Profusion II Blazing Critical Thrill Of The Kill II Rage III Herald Of Ash Magnified Effect II Swift Affliction II Fast Forward II Fire Mastery Wind Dancer Magnified Effect II Overpower II Blind II Ghost Dance Ingenuity II Clarity Spirit Vessel Oil Barrage Strip Away Enormity Romira's Requital Amanamu's Tithe
Endgame — Endgame: HoA
Hollow Focus Ingenuity II Overabundance II Persistence II Blind II Magnified Effect II Rend Persistence II Perpetual Charge Martial Tempo III Rage III Twofold Whirling Assault Magnified Effect II Primal Armament II Atalui Bloodletting Rakiata's Flow Heavy Swing Tempest Bell Ancestral Call II Overabundance II Heavy Swing Heft Close Combat II Mantra Of Destruction Chaos Mastery Persistence II Ailith Lineage Profusion II Empowered Sparks II Charged Staff Persistence II Blazing Critical Innervate Conduction Primal Armament II Hand Of Chayula Freezing Mark Mark Of Siphoning II Charged Mark Single Out II Rage III Wyvern Devour Profusion II Blazing Critical Thrill Of The Kill II Rage III Persistence II Herald Of Ash Magnified Effect II Swift Affliction II Fast Forward II Fire Mastery Acrimony Wind Dancer Magnified Effect II Overpower II Rage III Blind II Bludgeon Ghost Dance Ingenuity II Clarity Spirit Vessel Enormity Romira's Requital Amanamu's Tithe
Endgame — Endgame: HoI
Hollow Focus Ingenuity II Overabundance II Persistence II Blind II Magnified Effect II Rend Persistence II Perpetual Charge Martial Tempo III Rage III Twofold Whirling Assault Magnified Effect II Primal Armament II Atalui Bloodletting Rakiata's Flow Embitter Tempest Bell Ancestral Call II Overabundance II Heavy Swing Heft Close Combat II Mantra Of Destruction Chaos Mastery Persistence II Ailith Lineage Profusion II Empowered Sparks II Charged Staff Persistence II Ice Bite II Glaciation Embitter Primal Armament II Hand Of Chayula Freezing Mark Mark Of Siphoning II Charged Mark Single Out II Rage III Wyvern Devour Profusion II Blazing Critical Thrill Of The Kill II Rage III Persistence II Herald Of Ice Magnified Effect II Armour Explosion Splinter III Uruk's Smelting Ambush Wind Dancer Magnified Effect II Overpower II Rage III Blind II Bludgeon Ghost Dance Ingenuity II Clarity Spirit Vessel Enormity Amanamu's Tithe Romira's Requital

Équipement (15 emplacements)

Ultimate Life Flask
Flask1 · magic
Gargantuan Mana Flask
Flask2 · unique
Stone Charm
Charm2 · magic
Thawing Charm
Charm1 · unique
Golden Charm
Charm3 · unique
Razor Quarterstaff
Weapon · rare
Primal Markings
BodyArmour · unique
Secured Wraps
Gloves · rare
Drakeskin Boots
Boots · rare
Gold Amulet
Amulet · rare
Gold Ring
Ring · rare
Prismatic Ring
Ring2 · rare
Heavy Belt
Belt · unique
Ancestral Tiara
Helm · rare
Changeling Talisman
Weapon2 · unique

Arbre de passifs (111 alloués)

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Clés de voûte et notables (30)

Guide complet

Whirling Assault Martial Artist — Full Guide (0.5.4)

Source: maxroll.gg/poe2/build-guides/whirling-assault-martial-artist-build-guide Version: Path of Exile 2 — 0.5.4 (Return of the Ancients) Class: Monk → Martial Artist | Main skills: Whirling Assault Author: havoc616 | Last updated: 2026-06-26

Build Overview

This is a melee Monk (Martial Artist ascendancy) build with Whirling Assault as its core clearing tool. Whirling Assault's circular quarterstaff rampage covers nearly the entire screen in AoE, and paired with Herald of Ash "fire chain explosions", the clear speed is superb.

Single-target comes from Tempest Bell plus Charged Staff lightning shockwaves for massive burst.

The core loop: Charged Staff buff up → Devour / Rend for charges → Whirling Assault into the pack → Herald of Ash fireball chains — the author's numbers: ~4 hours for the SSF campaign, ~8 hours to Arbiter.

⚠ Note: Whirling Assault needs a 400+ Physical DPS Quarterstaff to run smoothly, so level with other Monk skills (cold/lightning) and transition once you have a qualifying staff.

Strengths / Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Skill Breakdown

Leveling

You don't level with Whirling Assault. Start with Monk's native cold skills, then transition into lightning:

Level Skill Notes
2 Frozen Locus Places ice crystals for later detonation by cold skills
10 Herald of Ice Shatter explosion chains
22+ Storm Wave Detonates Frozen Locus from range
After Act 3 Herald of Thunder Optimized clear, lightning finisher

Utility skills:

💡 At level 13 you can allocate Hollow Palm Technique on the tree — SSF leveling works fine even without a staff.

Mapping

Once you hit maps, your main clearing package:

Act 4 guarantees 1 Greater Jeweller's Orb — save it for Whirling Assault to get your 4-link online early.

Bossing (single target)

  1. Mark the boss with Hand of Chayula — applies Freezing Mark + Elemental Weakness
  2. Throw Frost Bomb for Cold Exposure
  3. Activate Charged Staff
  4. Slam down Tempest Bell for concentrated shockwave damage
  5. Keep channeling Whirling Assault; once the Freeze lands, burst with a detonation skill (Glacial Cascade early on)

Auras / Buffs

Skill Rotations

Clearing rotation

Whirling Assault → Herald of Ash triggers → chain explosions clear the screen
Between packs: Devour / Rend to refill Power Charges / maintain buffs

Single-target rotation

Hand of Chayula mark → Frost Bomb Exposure → Charged Staff buff
→ Tempest Bell down → Whirling Assault keeps triggering the Bell + direct damage

⚠ Known bug: swapping to a Talisman while Charged Staff is active can leave the buff visually on but dealing no damage. Workarounds:

  • While mapping, only use Devour / Rend after Charged Staff expires
  • During bosses, avoid any Talisman skill swaps while Charged Staff is up
  • Don't bind Talisman skills to keys you press habitually

Ascendancy (Martial Artist)

Take the nodes in order:

  1. Hollow Focus Technique — periodic shockwave bells; synergizes with your clear and Tempest Bell early
  2. Way of the Stonefist — crit damage amplification, your main DPS ascendancy (second node)
  3. Runic Meridians — rune bonuses, further damage stacking
  4. Way of the Mountain — the final burst node

The 3rd and 4th ascendancies are massive power spikes — finish those Trials as soon as possible.

Passive Tree

Pathing Priorities / Key Notables

The maxroll planner data requires JavaScript rendering, so the full node ID sequence can't be fetched over plain HTTP. Open the planner URL for the complete tree: https://maxroll.gg/poe2/planner/yu2okf0n

Core directions:

Stat Priorities

Offense

Priority Affix Target
1 Quarterstaff Physical DPS 400+ early / 550+ midgame / top tier late
2 Critical Strike Chance 100% crit on Whirling Assault
3 Attack Speed Higher Herald trigger frequency
4 Crit Multiplier Multiplies with Stonefist
5 +Level to Melee Skills (gloves/amulet) 4-5 levels
6 Flat Elemental Damage The base for Herald explosion damage
7 Item Rarity Found 100% early / 150% as fast as possible

Herald of Ice chains need: enough Physical → Armour Break; enough Cold → Freeze + Shatter; 40-50% crit early, 100% crit eventually.

Defense

Priority Affix Target
1 Maximum Energy Shield Primary defensive layer
2 Evasion Rating Wind Dancer / Ghost Dance synergy
3 Deflection Rating Second defensive layer
4 Elemental Resistance All capped
5 Life (hybrid during maps) Transitional
6 Chaos Resistance Get it positive

Defensive layering:

Charms:

Gearing Strategy

Campaign

Slot Priority
Quarterstaff Whatever drops → high Phys DPS first
Boots 10%+ Movement Speed
Body / Helmet / Belt Life above all
Gloves Flat elemental damage / +level to melee
Amulet +level to melee skills

Early Mapping (1-5 Exalted budget)

Late Mapping (5-10 Ex / 1-2 Divine)

Endgame Aspirational

Key Uniques Overview

Unique Slot Role
Horns of Bynden Helmet Cheap trade-league unique, transitional defense
Luminous Pace Boots Cheap trade-league unique, movement speed / Evasion
Forgotten Warden Body Armour Spirit Vessel companion, a late-game upgrade target
Garukhan's Resolve Lineage Gem High damage scaling (late-game Lineage)
Rakiata's Flow Lineage Gem Elemental damage scaling
Atalui's Bloodletting Lineage Gem Physical damage + attack speed scaling (see planner)

Rite of Passage Spirits (priority)

  1. Spirit of the Stag — movement speed / skill speed / lightning damage
  2. Spirit of the Cat — movement speed / skill speed / crit / Evasion
  3. Spirit of the Wolf — movement speed / skill speed / Armour Break
  4. Spirit of the Owl — Energy Shield / damage / cold conversion
  5. Spirit of the Bear — Life / Stun Threshold

Mana Sustain

Item Rarity Strategy

Weapon Set Points

Playstyle Tips

FAQ

Q: What does the Herald of Ice chain need to work? A: Enough Physical Damage to trigger Armour Break; enough Cold Damage for Freeze + Shatter; high crit (40-50% early, 100% eventually).

Q: I keep dying — what do I do? A: Upgrade the ES + Evasion bases on Body / Helmet / Boots, add defensive nodes, cap resistances, and fill out your Charms.

Q: Damage feels weak? A: Get a higher-PDPS quarterstaff → take Way of the Stonefist → push crit to 100%.

Summary

Whirling Assault Martial Artist is one of the top SSF speed picks among Monk builds in 0.5.4.

The only real gate is the quarterstaff dependency — the build truly takes off once you can farm a 400+ PDPS Sinister Quarterstaff in maps. Trade-league players can bridge the gap early with Horns of Bynden + Luminous Pace.

Full planner: https://maxroll.gg/poe2/planner/yu2okf0n