Leveling Section
This guide is intended for any character in which you can gather all the gear for in advance. The primary unique the build revolves around is a jewel called One With Nothing, giving you the following:
Hollow Palm leveling is the standard way of leveling, and makes leveling a breeze once you reach any jewel node on the outside of the tree, similar to a Cluster Jewel. One With Nothing gives you a massive amount of physical damage to melee skills given enough dexterity, which is incredibly easy to stack thanks to passives like Utmost Swiftness and items like Astramentis.
Due to how Hollow Palm Technique works, you will not be equipping a weapon or any gloves after equipping One With Nothing. This makes gearing incredibly easy, as you do not need to constantly switch weapons. Instead, you increase your damage by gaining dexterity through items and the Passive Skill Tree.
PLEASE NOTE: Putting a cluster jewel like One With Nothing will allow you the ability to allocate a node after it, called Hollow Palm Technique. If you do not use a passive point on this node, you will be punching things without the hundreds of flat damage you otherwise would gain.
**Disable Auto-Equip under Esc->Options->Game-> Auto-Equip. This will prevent you from picking up a weapon or gloves, which will automatically equip in your empty slot.
Gear Overview
Main Hand, Off Hand, and Gloves
Since you cannot equip a weapon or any gloves after equipping One With Nothing on your passive skill tree at level 1, equip both Silverbranch and Lochtonial Caress. The bow allows you to use Caustic Arrow to speed through the early game, and the gloves provide charges on kill. Once you allocate Hollow Palm Technique, unequip both weapons and gloves.
Helmet
Goldrim is an easy way to obtain 39-40% all resistance, on top of being equippable at level 1. Easily the best option the entire way through the Campaign.
Body Armour
Equip a Tabula Rasa at level 1 and you're good to go for the entire leveling process. A 6-link Briskwrap provides more damage once you swap to Hollow Palm, but it is annoying to get 6 white sockets or 5R-1G on a dexterity base like this. To remedy this, you can Corrupt the item and use Tainted Chromatic Orb. Keep in mind that Corrupting an item can potentially destroy it!
Boots
Seven-League Step provides 50% increased movement speed, making these the most ideal choice. The cheaper option would be to use Wanderlust instead, which also provides immunity to freeze!
Amulet
At level 5, equip a Karui Ward for the bonus to projectiles and movement speed. Annoint Proficiency for two Sepia Oil and one Amber Oil.
An Astramentis gives a massive amount of Dexterity, up to 116! Because Astramentis is such a huge power boost, it is not recommended to use a Karui Ward the whole way through. Annoint Utmost Swiftness for one Sepia Oil, one Teal Oil, and one Crimson Oil.
Rings
At Level 1, equip two Blackhearts to gain a huge amount of flat damage early on.
Call of the Void is a new unique which makes all damage with hits chill, and makes enemies chilled by hits to shatter as though frozen. This boosts clear speed tremendously, as Herald of Ice will synergize with this ring extremely well. It also provides a small damage reduction as well!
In the other ring slot, a Le Heup of All provides a small amount of Dexterity, Increased Damage, and all Elemental Resistances. The mod you want to aim for is a high value of all Elemental Resistances (ideally 30%).
Belt
A Darkness Enthroned can be equipped at level 1, alongside two Abyssal Jewels (such as Murderous Eye Jewel of Dexterity) to provide a boost early on. These Abyssal Jewels may be made on your own by a simple Orb of Alteration spam, but try not to add too many mods to the jewels. They will likely increase the level requirement of the Jewel. Alternatively, you may equip a white Rustic Sash from Nessa in town.
A String of Servitude causes implicit modifiers to be tripled, meaning that a 4-6% increase to Dexterity instead becomes a 12-18% increase to Dexterity. This is an obvious choice for DPS. Since this item comes from Incursion, it may not be easily obtainable. Optionally, you may use Darkness Enthroned with two well-rolled Abyssal Jewels.
The cheapest option is using The Magnate at level 16.
Flasks
Two Life Flasks, one Mana Flask, and two Quicksilver Flasks are more than sufficient for the entire leveling process.
Inexpensive Hollow Palm
Leveling this build on a budget is easy to do, and can still be comfortably done a few days into a new league. This version showcases some of the cheaper alternatives to a hollow palm, while touching on more expensive alternatives found in the Best Setup tab.
Body Armour
Equip a Tabula Rasa at level 1 and you're good to go for the entire leveling process. A 6-link Briskwrap provides more damage once you swap to Hollow Palm, but it is annoying to get 6 white sockets or 5R-1G on a dexterity base like this. To remedy this, you can Corrupt the item and use Tainted Chromatic Orb. Keep in mind that Corrupting an item can potentially destroy it!
Boots
Seven-League Step provides 50% increased movement speed, making these the most ideal choice. The cheaper option would be to use Wanderlust instead, which also provides immunity to freeze!
Amulet
At level 5, equip a Karui Ward for the bonus to projectiles and movement speed. Annoint Proficiency for two Sepia Oil and one Amber Oil.
An Astramentis gives a massive amount of Dexterity, up to 116! Because Astramentis is such a huge power boost, it is not recommended to use a Karui Ward the whole way through. Annoint Utmost Swiftness for one Sepia Oil, one Teal Oil, and one Crimson Oil.
Rings
Call of the Void is a new unique which makes all damage with hits chill, and makes enemies chilled by hits to shatter as though frozen. This boosts clear speed tremendously, as Herald of Ice will synergize with this ring extremely well. It also provides a small damage reduction as well!
In the other ring slot, a Le Heup of All will provide a small amount of Dexterity, Increased Damage, and all Elemental Resistances. The mod you want to aim for is a high value of all Elemental Resistances (ideally 30%).
Belt
A String of Servitude causes implicit modifiers to be tripled, meaning that a 4-6% increase to Dexterity instead becomes a 12-18% increase to Dexterity. This is an obvious choice for DPS. Since this item comes from Incursion, it may not be easily obtainable. Optionally, you may use Darkness Enthroned with two well-rolled abyssal jewels.
The cheapest option is using The Magnate at level 16.
Flasks
Two Life Flasks, one Mana Flask, and two Quicksilver Flasks are more than sufficient for the entire leveling process.
Main Hand, Off Hand, and Gloves
This is a idealized and expensive version of Hollow Palm. Cheaper alternatives will not be considered, and optimization of equipment will be noted. While this leveling setup is more expensive than the budget version, it provides an easier and faster time leveling.
Body Armour
A 6-link Briskwrap provides 15% increased dexterity and 1% increased damage per 15 dexterity, a best in slot choice. A six-link of this item may be troublesome to find, but even more annoying is trying to get 6 white sockets or 5R-1G on a dexterity base like this. To remedy this, you can Corrupt the item and use Tainted Chromatic Orb. Keep in mind that Corrupting an item can potentially destroy it!
Boots
Seven-League Step provides 50% increased movement speed, making these the most ideal choice. Enchanting these is typically a very minor upgrade, and often results in the boots being worth less, as they would then have a level requirement on them.
Amulet
At level 5, equip a Karui Ward for the bonus to projectiles and movement speed. Annoint Proficiency for two Sepia Oil and one Amber Oil.
Swap to an Astramentis at level 16. It is highly recommended to use Intrinsic Catalyst 20 times to boost the stats given by this amulet by 20%. Annoint Utmost Swiftness for one Sepia Oil, one Teal Oil, and one Crimson Oil.
Rings
Call of the Void is a new unique which makes all damage with hits chill, and makes enemies chilled by hits to shatter as though frozen. This boosts clear speed tremendously, as Herald of Ice synergizes with this ring extremely well. It also provides a small damage reduction as well! Use Prismatic Catalyst 20 times on this ring for more Cold Resistance.
In the other ring slot, a Le Heup of All provides a small amount of Dexterity, Increased Damage, and all Elemental Resistances. The mod you want to aim for is a high value of all Elemental Resistances (ideally 30%). Use Intrinsic Catalyst on this ring 20 times to gain even more attributes.
Belt
A String of Servitude causes implicit modifiers to be tripled, meaning that a 4-6% increase to Dexterity instead becomes a 12-18% increase to Dexterity. This is an obvious choice for DPS. Since this item comes from Incursion, it may not be easily obtainable. Optionally, you may use Darkness Enthroned with two well-rolled abyssal jewels.
Flasks
Use one Life Flask, one Mana Flask, two Quicksilver Flasks, and a Taste of Hate. Removing one of the life flasks for this new Sapphire Flask provides you with extra mitigation towards Physical and Cold Damage, while also providing additional Physical Damage as Extra Cold Damage.
Campaign Step By Step
Pre-purchase all gems
- If you have completed the quest Fallen from Grace on any character in the league, you can buy gems from Lily Roth in your hideout! This quest is in Act 6, to clear the Twilight Strand.
- Purchase the following gems for Act One:
- Caustic Arrow
- Pierce Support
- Chance to Poison Support
- Mirage Archer Support
- Volley Support
- Burning Arrow
- Mirage Archer Support
- Frostblink
- War Banner
- Flame Dash
- Purchase the following gems for the Hollow Palm Swap:
- Smite
- Ancestral Call Support
- Ruthless Support
- Ancestral Protector
- Added Fire Damage Support
- Herald of Ice
- Elemental Damage with Attacks Support
- Faster Attacks Support
- Trinity Support
- Elemental Weakness
- Purity of Elements
Level 1
- Link up Caustic Arrow and Burning Arrow with the provided supports in the tool above to clear everything.
Level 4
- At level 4, add Mirage Archer Support and Volley Support to your Caustic Arrow setup. At this point you will be obliterating packs of monsters.
- Frostblink is your new mobility skill until it gets replaced at level 10 by Flame Dash.
- If you do not have enough Intelligence to equip Flame Dash then keep using Frostblink. If you do not have enough Intelligence to equip Frostblink, then just run without a mobility skill.
- War Banner is the first Aura you can acquire that gives a big impact on gameplay. Gain 50 stacks of this buff by killing 50 monsters, then press War Banner again to gain Adrenaline for 100% increased damage, 25% increased Attack, Cast, and Movement Speed, as well as 10% additional Physical Damage Reduction. This buff does not last very long, only lasting 2.5 seconds at 50 stacks, but with optimal usage of War Banner can drastically change boss fights.
Level 12 (Hollow Palm Swap)
- Level 12 (typically) allows you with the Dweller and Fairgraves skillpoints to equip your One With Nothing on the outer Jewel Socket of your tree.
- Unequip your weapon, quiver, and gloves. Now that you are unarmed, the best option is to swap to a Smite setup.
- At this point, add an Ancestral Protector as it boosts your attack speed.
Level 16
- Level 16 gives you Herald of Ice. Combine this Call of the Void at level 16, and your clear speed will go up substantially.
- Level 18 gives Trinity Support. This new support gem requires you to deal different elemental types, which is achieved through Smite dealing lightning and cold damage.
Level 24
- Use Elemental Weakness on any bosses you encounter while leveling. If a monster is elemental resistant, it may be necessary to use this when a monster doesn't get one-punched.
- Swap War Banner out for Purity of Elements. You will no longer struggle with resistances, and you are immune to ailments like Freeze, Shock, and Ignite.
Pantheon
For information on the Pantheon read our Pantheon Guide!
For Major Pantheon, select Brine King to gain Immunity to Freeze and Reduction of Chill Effect. This bonus is not baseline and needs to be acquired with a Divine Vessel.
For Minor Pantheon, select Garukhan. This gives 60% Reduced Effect of Shock on You and You cannot be Blinded/Maimed.
Post-Campaign
If you are not level 60 by the time you finish Act 10, stay in the Blood Aqueducts in Act 9 for more EXP. Typically players will respec their twink leveling over to the build of their choice once entering maps, or around level 70. This is the level bracket which allows you to equip level 20 Skill Gems, as well as being able to equip most end-game gear.
After completing the Campaign, there are three standard routes of leveling your character. In order from cheapest to most expensive, they are:
- Farm White Maps and kill monsters yourself
- Farm Breachstones, often by having someone carry you
- Buy EXP carries for a 5-way Legion
Farming White Maps
Farming White Maps is the most straight forward way of leveling. Farming white maps is virtually free, but it is less efficient than breachstones or 5-ways. Just use an Orb of Alchemy on Tier 1 maps, slowly working your way up.
Breachstones
Putting a Xoph's Breachstone, Esh's Breachstone, or Tul's Breachstone into the map device once you switch your build over provides a massive amount of experience at a fairly cheap cost. The biggest downside of this strategy is that these can be scarily dangerous, and some builds struggle to complete these. If this is the case, it is recommended to see if a friend, guild mate, or someone else to help you with a few breachstones. To incentivize the other person you can say something like "my EXP your loot."
The old strategy of Breachstone Rota's (Rotations), is mostly dead thanks to five-way Legions being faster. If you wish, you can still buy a Pure Breachstone and attempt to find 5 other people to each contribute one Pure Breachstone for a rotation. One good place to find other players for this is typing /global 820 in game. A Rota means you only have to pay for one Breachstone, but you get the EXP from 6. Do not do Pure Breachstone Rota's below level 72.
5-Way Legion farming
This is the holy grail of leveling a character quickly, but it isn't cheap. Joining global 820 might be one place you can look for players boosting for 5-ways, but it is recommended to join The Forbidden Trove, a trading discord used for Path of Exile. Maxroll has no association with TFT, and we do not support any of the members of TFT that actively engage in RMT. That being said, it is the easiest avenue in which to find players boosting 5-way legions for EXP. Most 5-way farming comes at a cost of a few divines for a few runs, and you can typically just AFK at the entrance.
Just because you're AFK at the start doesn't guarantee your safety. It is paramount to have a high amount of Chaos resistance, as well as a high amount of EHP, or Effective Health Pool. This means changing Auras that you might use while mapping like Wrath or Hatred over to Determination or Grace. Make sure that your Elemental Resistances are capped, and try to respec nodes on your passive tree over to Life. Dying during these rotations means that you will not be able to re-enter the 5-way for the remainder of that specific run, and you will not receive a refund.
**If you have problems with motion sickness or crashing, it is recommended to open your Passive Tree to mitigate both of these issues.
5-Ways might sound expensive, but their costs can be mitigated in a number of ways.
- Some carry services will let you join for free if you are good at resetting the waves. Do not attempt this if you have not ran 5-ways in the past.
- Level gems in every open socket. Use Poe.ninja to look up popular gems, and level them up to 20. You can sell a level 20 gem with a Gemcutter's Prism to the vendor for a level 1 version of the gem with 20% quality. Then you can relevel it to be level 20 with 20% quality, and use a Vaal Orb to attempt to get a level 21 version of the gem with 20% quality. Some gems do not require quality, such as the majority of Auras. For example, quality on a skill like Wrath does not benefit most players, as the majority of the playerbase plays solo.
- If you don't want to click a bajillion gems a bazillion times, you can use Awakened Gems, Enlighten Support, or Empower Support.
Summary
- Twink Leveling with Hollow Palm is zoom zoom fast fast gogo pew pew.
- One With Nothing, Astramentis, and Call of the Void are essential items to have to get the job done.
- Once you finish the campaign farm maps, breaches, or get carried in 5-ways to level up.
- Check out Palsteron's Caustic Arrow Ballista Trickster guide for a strong build in the end-game!
Credits
Written by Tytykiller
Reviewed by Facefoot