[SUGGESTION] True Unarmed Combo-Based Monk Archetype

I’ve been playing Monk in PoE 2 using Hollow Palm Technique, just like I did in Path 1, because I simply love the unarmed "my fists are my weapons" style.

But in PoE2, just like in PoE1, while the keystone itself is cool, the overall experience doesn’t really feel like playing an unarmed fighter. Right now it mostly feels like a different way to scale stats, not a different way to play.

You’re technically fighting without weapons, but mechanically you’re still using skills that don’t really care whether you have fists or a weapon.

What I’m missing is an actual unarmed identity.

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The main problem

Hollow Palm encourages you to drop weapons, but:

- There are no skills that truly feel built around fists
- Nothing really changes in how combat flows
- The Monk doesn’t feel that different from any other melee character, just with different numbers

So the fantasy of being a disciplined, precise, brutal hand-to-hand fighter just isn’t there yet.

Example of an unarmed monk fighter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkQ3XGl_8DY

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Idea: combo-based unarmed skills

One idea that would fit PoE 2’s more deliberate combat is TRUE combo-based unarmed gameplay.

Not flashy anime stuff, but grounded, physical, brutal combos where:

- The order of skills matters
- Different sequences create different results
- You’re rewarded for planning and execution, not just holding one button

My main inspiration for this archetype is the Monk from Ragnarok: Online.

Players who really dominated the combo-style Monk were highly praised in the community for their mechanical skill. It wasn't a skillset any and everyone would addapt to.

Monk in Ragnarok Online: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ez8m7zKNWYw


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For example (just conceptually):

- A palm strike to close the distance to an enemy;
- A three-hit combo skill to daze;
- Into an elbow could heavily stun or lower enemy armor
- The same opener into a different finisher could deal big single-target damage
- Another combo might apply a stacking debuff that makes the enemy take more damage from unarmed hits

This kind of modular system would give the Monk a real skill ceiling and a strong identity.

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Ascendancy / identity support

Ideally, this would be supported by a dedicated Ascendancy path focused on unarmed combat:

- Scaling unarmed damage properly
- Improving combo effects
- Making debuffs more effective against bosses
- Maybe defensive tools tied to timing or successful combos

If a full Ascendancy isn’t realistic, even a smaller transformation inside the Monk Ascendancy that fully commits to “your fists are your weapons” would already go a long way.

Right now Hollow Palm feels like a cool idea without enough systems built around it.

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Intended role: boss killer, not screen clearer

This wouldn’t need to be a fast-clearing build. In fact, it shouldn’t be.

The niche could be:

- Strong single-target damage
- Reliable debuffs (stun, armor break, vulnerability-style effects)
- Very good boss performance if played well
- Less AoE, more precision. More risk, more payoff.

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Why this fits PoE 2

PoE 2 is clearly moving toward more intentional, skill-based combat. An actual unarmed Monk with combo gameplay fits that direction perfectly.

Hollow Palm is already there. It just needs:

- Skills that acknowledge it
- Mechanics that reward playing around it
- A clearer identity

Right now it feels like the foundation is solid, but the archetype itself is still missing.

Thanks for reading, and for all the work going into PoE 2!