Which Melee Skills Received Big Buffs In Path Of Exile 3.25? - Best Melee Skills List

While Path of Exile's complex skill tree system and challenging endgame mechanics are both fascinating, one flaw it often criticizes is its cumbersome and rigid trading system.

Yes, in PoE, if you want to trade an item with another player, you and the seller must be online at the same time. This means that if you encounter a seller who's offline or unresponsive for a long time, you'll have to rely on luck to secure a perfect deal!

On the other hand, the in-game trading system can also be inconvenient for sellers. When you're desperate to sell an item, you have to constantly monitor the chat screen. If someone actually expresses interest in trading, you'll have to drop your map or whatever you're doing to sell it.

Sometimes, you'll receive a message to sell an item, drop what you're doing, only to find that the other party either doesn't show up or tries to sell it for less than you originally requested. It's really frustrating!

But all that's a thing of the past with Path of Exile 2 Patch 0.3.0. The new Asynchronous Trade System in The Third Edict will surprise you every time you log back in!

Here, we'll explain how to unlock and use the brand-new Asynchronous Trade System in Patch 0.3.0. Let's take a look!

How To Unlock Asynchronous Trade System?

Creating A Hideout

To unlock Asynchronous Trade, you must first enter Path of Exile 2 Act 4. Here, you'll meet an NPC named Ange, who will give you a quest called Hostile Takeover, which requires you to find a suitable location to build a hideout.

If you don't have a suitable hideout yet, you can travel to Wakapanu Island, defeat Diamora, and then speak with Ange again in Kingsmarch to unlock Shoreline Hideout. Don't worry, we've got a detailed Diamora boss guide here.

Read More: How To Defeat The Final Boss In Path Of Exile 2 Act 4 Whakapanu Island? - Diamora, Song Of Death Boss Guide

Talking To Ange

Once you have a hideout, head there, and Ange should automatically appear. You can interact with it and perform Asynchronous Trade, which allows you to sell items for a fixed price without having to trade online.

Obtaining Or Converting To Merchant Tabs

To sell items, you need some Merchant Tabs, which can be obtained in-game through the microtransaction store. However, if you own Premium Stash Tabs from before the 0.3.0 update, you can also convert some of them into Merchant Tabs through the official Path of Exile 2 website.

Please note that upgrading tabs is permanent; this system wasn't available in Path of Exile 1. Therefore, if you upgrade here, you will temporarily lose access to these tabs from POE 1.

Also, it's worth noting that the old trading system is still available in-game. Therefore, if you want to continue using this system for any reason, please do not upgrade every Premium Stash Tab you own.

How To Trade Using This System?

Selling Items

After you obtain these Merchant Tabs, click Manage Shop button. You should see your Merchant Tab and an additional Earnings Tab there. To sell an item, place it in Merchant Tab and set a price.

However, it's worth noting that Asynchronous Trade System currently doesn't allow you to set a price for an entire tab like Premium Stash Tab does. I imagine this is to prevent accidentally listing an item in the wrong tab without knowing it.

Also, only items that can't be exchanged for PoE 2 currency can be placed in Merchant Tab. Therefore, items like Currency, Shards, Fragments, Essences, Socketables, and Gems must be sold through Currency Exchange or the legacy trading system.

Once an item is placed in Merchant Tab and priced, you have approximately 30 seconds to freely adjust the price or remove it. After that, it will be registered on Marketplace, locking in its position and price for a short period of time.

Before setting a price, it's recommended to research the selling prices of items with similar attributes to avoid overpricing or underpricing, which could result in unnecessary losses.

If you're still unsure, I recommend setting a slightly higher price. If the item doesn't sell for a long time, you can always lower the price. Regardless, it's recommended to check and lower the price of any unsold items every one or two days to increase your chances of a successful trade.

If someone is interested in an item while you're in hideout, you'll see it appear next to the hideout, ready for players to trade.

If you're online, you'll receive a small notification in the bottom right corner of your screen indicating a successful sale. Even if you're offline, players can still access and trade items, so when you log back in, you'll receive a bonus of POE 2 currency!

If you want to see which items you've sold, you can view your sales history in the top right corner of the merchant window.

Trading Items

If you want to acquire an item, you have two options. You can use the new Asynchronous Trade Marketplace or Currency Exchange in Path of Exile 2.

To open Trade Marketplace in-game, select it from the menu. From there, you can enter exactly what you're looking for and search.

When you find an item, you can click Travel to Hideout to instantly teleport to that player's hideout and trade there.

Alternatively, if you're using the old trading system, you can click Direct Whisper. The other options are essentially the same.

My Thoughts

Honestly, I think the new Asynchronous Trade system is a vast improvement in PoE 2. The old system was notoriously bad, and a real hindrance for both buyers and sellers.

The only problem with the new system is that it requires players to enter Act 4 of the new league before they can trade, which is why some people still use the old system. I really hope this changes, at least by making it available in towns in the early stages.

Today, our guide to the final boss fight in Path of Exile 2 Act 4 is finally here! This mysterious boss is Tavakai, the Chieftain, and he's the most dangerous enemy in the campaign so far.

This three-phase boss fight is quite lengthy, and Tavakai's powerful attacks will definitely put your build and gear to the test. Therefore, I sincerely recommend that you upgrade your character to at least level 56 or higher before attempting Tavakai, unless you're willing to invest a large amount of POE 2 currency in crafting a complete set of crafted gear.

Preparation is also essential before every brutal boss fight, and you'll have to ensure you have auto-recharged life and mana flasks; otherwise, you'll have a hard time surviving. If you're ready, follow along as we tackle the final battle in Path of Exile 2 Act 4!

How To Find Tavakai?

To find Tavakai, you'll first need to travel to Whakapanu Island. Next, you'll need to fight your way through two of Path of Exile 2's largest and most challenging maps: Ngakanu and Heart of the Tribe.

So, take your time and explore every corner. You'll find him in Heart of the Tribe area.

Phase 1 - Tavakai, the Chieftain

Once you've found Tavakai, the Chieftain, Phase 1 begins.

Honestly, this is the easiest phase, so your goal is to use as few flasks as possible to advance to the next phase, as you'll need them later.

Tavakai's attacks in this phase are very simple, primarily using his axe for physical attacks. Fortunately, these attacks are easily dodged, as he moves slowly, allowing you to counterattack with Momentum.

His powerful attack creates Jade Crystals, which then explode. Stay away from them to avoid the explosions, which provides another opportunity for a counterattack.

The key to completing this phase quickly is to dodge attacks and counterattack, allowing you to continue stacking damage on the boss.

Note that when Tavakai's health reaches 50%, he stops attacking and transforms into Tavakai, the Fallen. When this transformation occurs, a shockwave will hit you, knocking you to the ground. This officially begins Phase 2.

Phase 2 - Tavakai, the Fallen

Follow Tavakai, the Fallen to another arena, where you'll find Makoru in Altars. This is where the final battle begins.

In Phase 2, Tavakai becomes even more powerful, regenerating his health. Additionally, he gains new attacks that deal significant damage. Let's take a look at them.

• His first move is to swing his axe skyward, followed by a rain of jade spikes. This attack covers the entire arena, so try to watch where it lands to avoid being hit.
• Tavakai can also summon three to five jade statues that explode when they get close to you, dealing area damage.
• Another powerful attack occurs when he says, "Lend me your hunger, Father of Chaos!" A pool of blood will appear on the ground, and he'll stomp on it, dealing area damage.
• Then, when he says, "Weakness becomes you!", several bloody tentacles will sprout from his hands. If these tentacles hit you, they'll inflict Shock, Ignite, and Fire Resistance debuffs.
• Another powerful attack during this phase occurs when he says, "Unleash yourself, Valako!" He'll slam his bag into the ground, creating several waves of jade spikes that fly upward. The best way to avoid this attack is to stay close to Tavakai, as it covers the entire arena.

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However, the problem with phase 2 is that Tavakai's boss attacks continuously, making it impossible to predict the exact timing of your counterattack. However, during our testing, he would first unleash waves of jade spikes, then summon jade statues, followed by blood tentacles, and finally a rain of jade spikes. It felt like everything was happening simultaneously. It was complete chaos.

However, my advice is: you must deal damage first, then pause and run away to survive, then return to attack. Of course, the problem with this is that you'll never be able to stack a significant amount of damage, and the battle will be stretched out again, but it's the only way to survive.

This is also where your auto-recharged flasks come in handy; they're invaluable, otherwise a few combos from the boss will easily kill you.

Anyway, keep fighting, and soon Tavakai will unleash his most powerful attack of this phase: Daughter of the Moon. This is when a massive beam or icicle strikes the ground for several seconds. If you're hit, your chance of death is very high.

Phase 3 - Tavakai, the Consumed

Continue to deal damage, and as Tavakai's health drops to 25%, the final phase begins. At this point, the boss transforms into his final form, Tavakai, the Consumed. He's fully healed again, which is terrible.

Unsurprisingly, the final phase is the hardest, as his attacks are once again buffed.

• Tavakai's first attack is a weapon combo attack, culminating in a series of Leap Slams. You'll want to dodge these attacks and avoid counterattacks.
• He also has an attack that opens rifts, from which Shadow Dragons spawn. They're clearly from another dimension, as you can see stars within the rifts. These dragons will inflict debuffs on you, so stay away from them.
• Next, Tavakai will cover the entire arena with greenery. Standing in it triggers Tawhoa's Forest debuff, which essentially reduces all damage taken while you're there. The only safe zone is in the center of the map, but Tavakai is likely there.
• The boss also has a new attack during this phase: he summons a series of exploding blood crystals from the ground. Try to avoid standing on or near them.
• If you're tempted to head to the center of the arena, think twice, because Tavakai summons a small sun that rises and explodes there. The explosion leaves behind an even smaller sun and burning ground. Once the sun hits the ground, it deals massive area damage.
• If all these attacks aren't enough, he can also summon an erupting volcano that spews flames onto the ground. And the more health you deplete, the more attacks the boss will have, making the fight more difficult. So, you can see why this fight is so frantic.

However, the real problem is that you can't attack continuously, which is why defeating Tavakai is so difficult.

Basically, you need to constantly survive, wait for things to cool down before striking back. Then interrupt your attacks again, and repeat this process, making sure your life and mana flasks don't run out.

Towards the end of the fight, Tavakai will also cast lightning bolts that chase the player. These attacks will shock you and slow you down, making you more vulnerable to all his other attacks.

All in all, it's a tough fight, and I think a bit of luck is ultimately required. Because your life and mana flasks are crucial to your survival!

When you finally defeat Tavakai, the Chieftain, The Hooded One will appear, and Tavakai will return his weapon to him. The Hooded One will rescue Makoru and restore Tavakai to his mortal form.

Yes, that concludes our guide to the toughest bosses in Act 4 campaign! Enjoy your victory!

Today, we'd like to share our league starter build for Path of Exile 2 Patch 0.3.0: Acolyte of Chayula Hollow Palm Monk.

The core of this build is the new Hollow Palm Technique Keystone, added in The Third Edict update. This grants physical damage based on your skill level and attributes, creating a powerful unarmed build.

Players earn Keystones by progressing through the passive skill tree and can build around it, utilizing skills like Ice Strike or Storm Wave to deal massive damage through stacked attack speed and critical hits even without a weapon equipped.

This flexible build allows players to focus on stacking evasion and energy shield to unlock massive damage, creating powerful unarmed melee or spellcaster builds.

Especially for a class like Monk, Hollow Palm Technique can be used to become a powerful unarmed fighter, stacking evasion and energy shield to gain massive attack speed and critical chance.

I expect this Acolyte of Chayula Hollow Palm Monk build to be fairly easy to level up throughout the campaign and scale well into the late endgame. Let's take a look at how to maximize this build's potential during the different stages of The Third Edict!

Ascendancy Class

I imagine your first question is why play this Hollow Palm Monk with Acolyte of Chayula Ascendancy? Is it the best Ascendancy class in PoE 2? Personally, I think it's definitely not; it's just slightly above average.

If it were in Patch 0.2.0, I would definitely say the best Ascendancy for Hollow Palm Technique would be Deadeye without a doubt.

However, in PoE 2 The Third Edict, the developers gave Acolyte of Chayula a major overhaul, adding mechanics like Volatility, which deals a significant amount of chaos damage when detonating stacks, and the ability to leech chaos damage via the renamed Sap of Nightmares node. So, I'm really curious to see how it performs.

So, I'm going to talk about some of the advantages that Acolyte of Chayula has in Hollow Palm.

First, in PoE 2 patch 0.3.0, Acolyte of Chayula now grants chaos damage via Volatility mechanic, granting 1% increased chaos damage per stack of Volatility detonated. So, essentially, I think Acolyte of Chayula is a good starting class for leagues, as it does deal a lot of free damage, right?

On top of that, we'll also get the leech effect of Sap of Nightmares node. Honestly, I think in this league, if you're playing a melee, offensive character, Energy Shield is pretty hard to come by outside of a few specific classes. So, as a melee Monk character, a class that can leech Energy Shield, this is quite viable.

But the main reason I chose Monk Acolyte of Chayula as my starting Ascendancy class is because it has the closest skill to Hollow Palm Technique on the skill tree. So if you want to master it as quickly as possible, then Acolyte of Chayula is the one for you.

However, if you want a smooth leveling experience, this might not be the best approach. Quarterstaffs generally don't truly master Storm Wave until level 22, and before then, you might struggle to stack more critical damage into your build.

Leveling

If you're looking for fast leveling with this build, I'd recommend starting with Spear instead of Quarterstaff, as I find it easier to level up than Quarterstaff. Especially since Frozen Locus skill gem, a key item for Quarterstaff build damage stacking, was significantly nerfed in 0.3.0, reducing its damage range at all gem levels. This makes Quarterstaff no longer always a must-have for Monk builds.

In the early game, to obtain and maximize Spear, it's recommended to first head to Clearfell Encampment and spend a small amount of PoE 2 currency from the vendor there to obtain a Hardwood Spear, which will allow you to use Whirling Slash and obtain Uncut Skill Gem from Renly.

After that, when you reach the next map, you can travel to Abandoned Stash, pick up Twister, and start using Whirling Slash Twister.

Next, head to Mud Burrow and find Frozen Locus dropped by Devourer boss to obtain the next Uncut Skill Gem.

From there, you can start leveling up. This is until you reach level 13, when you begin to unlock Hollow Palm Keystone.

Campaign

However, if your goal is to complete the campaign, you can actually start using more Quarterstaff-based skills, such as Ice Strike, Tempest Bell, and Glacial Cascade.

This is because the developers reworked the mechanics of Wind Blast and Vaulting Impact in patch 0.3.0. Furthermore, Vaulting Impact triggers a skill called Broken Stance, which allows you to deal more damage with smaller attacks.

Therefore, we'll be using Ice Strike and Wind Blast for a lot of minor attacks to help us gain an advantage in single-target attacks going forward.

This will now be how we level throughout the campaign, starting at level 13, and we'll continue using these skills until the endgame begins.

Endgame

Right now, I've chosen to use Ice Strike as my primary skill for leveling, and we'll eventually switch to Storm Wave. However, during the endgame, we'll still use Ice Strike for single-target attacks.

This build has a lot of single-target options, since Hollow Palm isn't really a skill-based build, but more of a playstyle, right? So you can use a lot of skills with it, but for the foreseeable future, I'd choose Ice Strike as my primary single-target skill.

However, you don't have to use Ice Strike and Tempest Bell exclusively for single-target attacks. In fact, I do think skills like Falling Thunder, which deals damage based on Power Charges, can be very useful when paired with fast-paced skills like Flicker Strike, which consumes Power Charges to quickly teleport to the enemy and deal damage. Therefore, these two skills might be more suitable for late-game boss fights.

For endgame mapping, we'll rely on Shattering Palm, which has undergone a bit of a redesign and no longer has its own damage, but the nice thing about it is that it scales with our weapon's damage. Since weapon damage in this build is provided by Hollow Palm Technique, I suspect Shattering Palm will be even more powerful than before. This way, we can truly rely entirely on Shattering Palm to clear the map.

That's it for this Acolyte of Chayula Hollow Palm Monk build guide. This build is a great choice for everything from early leveling to campaign and endgame challenges. We'll see how it performs!

Although Path of Exile 2 still shows no signs of leaving early access and officially launching, it has released two major updates since April, continuously enriching and optimizing the game's content and quality.

Patch 0.3.0, The Third Edict, released recently on August 29th, not only added more items and endgame features, but also further expanded the main storyline by incorporating Act 4.

However, to unlock all the storylines in the act, you must complete the corresponding quests, most of which require you to defeat difficult bosses. Fortunately, in addition to the necessary items, boss battles also reward you with POE 2 currency.

With this in mind, this time we'll provide a guide for The Prisoner. His daunting task is his multiple combat phases and damage types, requiring careful handling.

Where Can You Find This Boss?

Once you begin the new main questline, you'll need to explore various islands within the newly added archipelago zone. The Prisoner is located on one of these islands, called Abandoned Prison.

This island is divided into a main area and a sub-area. While the main area offers rugged terrain, it's not dangerous. The real challenge lies in the sub-area, Solitary Confinement.

Once you reach this sub-area, you'll need to navigate to its end, where The Prisoner lies.

However, be careful when traversing Solitary Confinement. Try to climb as high as possible to avoid being swept by the water, as this will slow you down. Also, be careful not to provoke too many enemies in the water.

Key Features Of The Prisoner

Before understanding the boss's abilities and combat style, it's important to understand that this enemy primarily deals physical and cold damage, and is particularly effective against players who are close to it.

So, before engaging in battle, ensure you have cold-resistant gear. If not, exchange it by currency immediately. Also, remember to maintain as much distance as possible from the boss during the fight.

Phase 1

Initially, The Prisoner will only use his standard attacks, making them easy to dodge. Simply run around the arena while dealing damage and keep your distance.

The boss's abilities during this phase include:

• Claw Swipe: The boss will swing his arms at you, aiming for you to avoid them by rolling.
• Crushing Fist: This skill has two forms: one causing the boss to dash forward and punch the ground; the other causing the boss to slam both fists into the ground, dealing area-of-effect damage.
• Ice Strike: The boss will thrust his hands into his chest and launch ice towards you. You'll need to predict the direction of the attack and dodge it.
• Spike Chamber: When the boss's health reaches around 75%, he will create a mass of ice and then slam the ground, shattering it to damage you. You can dodge by sprinting to the other side of the arena or finding a gap between the spikes.

Phase 2

When the boss's health reaches 50%, he ceases to move, and Phase 2 begins. A prompt will pop up onscreen, prompting you to activate one of the three ballistas in the arena. This must be done quickly, or the boss's health will regenerate.

In addition, during this phase, The Prisoner will unearth a ballista bolt from his chest, further expanding his attack range and upgrading the skills utilized in Phase 1:

• Claw Swipes are replaced by Spear Swipes.
• Crushing Fist is replaced by Spear Slams.
• Ice Strike is replaced by a shockwave attack (faster attack speed).
• Spike Chamber's spikes are larger, have a larger blast radius, and provide protection against magical attacks.

Phase 2 also adds a new skill, Creeping Frost. This skill allows the boss to draw freezing energy from his chest and implant it into the ground, creating a circle of cold air that slowly spreads across the arena.

This skill's effects are unavoidable, and even if you're out of range, you'll still be affected by the slowdown. Your only recourse is to try to move to the edge of the arena to get more movement time for yourself.

Phase 3

Entering this phase marks the climax of the boss fight. The Prisoner gains new skills through blood power, and all of his attacks deal heavy damage.

• Bloody Slash: The boss swings his spear, spraying a large amount of blood across the arena. Roll behind the boss to avoid it.
• Blood Spatter: The boss raises his hand and sprays a large amount of blood. This blood will follow you and damage you. Keep moving and away from it.
• Blood Blast: The boss unleashes a large explosive slam, dealing area-of-effect damage. This skill is indicated by a red ring on the ground; roll away if you see it.

In addition, Creeping Frost skill introduced in Phase 2 remains active, now with a damaging blood effect.

After mastering the above tips and ultimately defeating The Prisoner, you'll summon The Hooded One to obtain the weapon piece crucial to completing the mission. All you have to do now is travel to other locations and defeat more bosses to obtain all the pieces.

Although The Prisoner is incredibly dangerous, as long as you memorize his abilities and phase changes, and maintain agility and vigilance, you can easily defeat this boss fight! Best of luck!