Monk

Exploding Palm Monk Build

Uliana's Stratagem · Set build · Monk

  • Tier A in Season 40
  • 813 views
  • 2 variants

Uliana's Stratagem Exploding Palm for the Monk: tier A, Season 40, with gear, cube powers, gems and 2 variants.

As of Season 40 · by eRnstl · updated

Changes since Season 39

  • Tier: C → A
  • The fourth cube slot is gone (Season 39 only).

Active Skills

  1. L Exploding Palm Rune: Impending Doom Cold
  2. R Cyclone Strike Rune: Implosion Holy
  3. 1 Seven-Sided Strike Rune: Sustained Attack Physical
  4. 2 Dashing Strike Rune: Quicksilver Lightning
  5. 3 Epiphany Rune: Insight
  6. 4 Mantra of Conviction Rune: Annihilation

Passive Skills

  • Momentum
  • Beacon of Ytar
  • Near Death Experience
  • Seize the Initiative

Equipment

5 set pieces · 8 legendary items

  • HelmMadstoneLegendaryDiamond
  • ShouldersUliana's StrengthSet
  • AmuletSquirt's NecklaceLegendaryBane of the Trapped
  • ChestUliana's HeartSetDiamondDiamondDiamond
  • GlovesUliana's FurySet
  • BracersGungdo GearLegendary
  • BeltGoldwrapLegendary
  • PantsUliana's BurdenSetDiamondDiamond
  • BootsUliana's DestinySet
  • Ring 1Stone of JordanLegendaryBoon of the Hoarder
  • Ring 2Obsidian Ring of the ZodiacLegendaryMolten Wildebeest's Gizzard
  • Main HandThe Fist of Az'TurrasqSanctifiedLegendaryEmerald
  • Off HandIn-geomLegendaryEmerald

Kanai's Cube

  • WeaponThe Flow of EternityLegendaryIncrease the damage of Seven-Sided Strike by 100% and reduce the cooldown of Seven-Sided Strike by 60%.
  • ArmorLeoric's CrownLegendaryIncrease the effect of any gem socketed into your helm by 100%. This effect does not apply to Legendary Gems.
  • JewelryRing of Royal GrandeurLegendary

Gear Stats

  • Madstone

    Helm

    Diamond
    • +626–750 Dexterity ancient +825–1,000
    • Critical Hit Chance Increased by 4.5–6%
    • Increases Exploding Palm Damage by 10–15%
    • Socket
    Your Seven-Sided Strike applies Exploding Palm.
  • Uliana's Strength

    Shoulders

    • +416–500 Dexterity ancient +550–650
    • +91–100 Resistance to All Elements ancient +110–130
    • Chance to Deal 10–20% Area Damage on Hit.
    • Reduces cooldown of all skills by 5–8%.
    • +32–35% Extra Gold from Monsters
    • Increases Gold and Health Pickup by 1–2 Yards.
  • Uliana's Heart

    Chest Armor

    Diamond Diamond Diamond
    • +416–500 Dexterity ancient +550–650
    • +91–100 Resistance to All Elements ancient +110–130
    • Reduces damage from elites by 10–11%
    • Reduces damage from ranged attacks by 6–7%.
    • Increases Gold and Health Pickup by 1–2 Yards.
    • Socket
  • Uliana's Fury

    Gloves

    • +626–750 Dexterity ancient +825–1,000
    • Critical Hit Damage Increased by 26–50%
    • Critical Hit Chance Increased by 8–10%
    • Reduces cooldown of all skills by 5–8%.
    • Increases Gold and Health Pickup by 1–2 Yards.
  • Gungdo Gear

    Bracers

    • +416–500 Dexterity ancient +550–650
    • Cold skills deal 15–20% more damage.
    • +91–100 Resistance to All Elements ancient +110–130
    • Critical Hit Chance Increased by 4.5–6%
    • Increases Gold and Health Pickup by 1–2 Yards.
    Exploding Palm's on-death explosion applies Exploding Palm. Exploding Palm's damage is increased by 75–100%.
  • Goldwrap

    Belt

    • +416–500 Dexterity ancient +550–650
    • +416–500 Vitality ancient +550–650
    • +91–100 Resistance to All Elements ancient +110–130
    • +10–15% Life
    • +32–35% Extra Gold from Monsters
    On gold pickup: Gain armor for 5 seconds equal to the amount picked up.
  • Uliana's Burden

    Pants

    Diamond Diamond
    • +416–500 Dexterity ancient +550–650
    • +416–500 Vitality ancient +550–650
    • +91–100 Resistance to All Elements ancient +110–130
    • Life per Hit
    • Increases Gold and Health Pickup by 1–2 Yards.
    • Socket
  • Uliana's Destiny

    Boots

    • +416–500 Dexterity ancient +550–650
    • +416–500 Vitality ancient +550–650
    • +91–100 Resistance to All Elements ancient +110–130
    • Increases Exploding Palm Damage by 10–15%
    • Increases Gold and Health Pickup by 1–2 Yards.
    • Health Globes and Potions Grant +20,001–29,713 Life. ancient +32,684–38,625
  • Squirt's Necklace

    Amulet

    Bane of the Trapped
    • Cold skills deal 15–20% more damage.
    • Critical Hit Damage Increased by 51–100%
    • Critical Hit Chance Increased by 8–10%
    • Reduces damage from ranged attacks by 6–7%.
    • +71–80% Extra Gold from Monsters
    • Socket
    While not taking damage, damage dealt is increased by up to 100% and damage taken is increased by up to 50%.
  • Stone of Jordan

    Ring 1

    Boon of the Hoarder
    • Cold skills deal 15–20% more damage.
    • Damage against Elites
    • Reduces cooldown of all skills by 5–8%.
    • +13–15 Maximum Spirit
    • Socket
    Each of your elemental's damage bonus is equal to your highest static elemental bonus to skill.
  • Obsidian Ring of the Zodiac

    Ring 2

    Molten Wildebeest's Gizzard
    • Reduces cooldown of all skills by 5–8%.
    • Attack Speed Increased by 5–7%
    • Critical Hit Chance Increased by 4.5–6%
    • +32–35% Extra Gold from Monsters
    • Socket
    Reduce the remaining cooldown of one of your skills by 1 second when you hit with a resource-spending attack.
  • The Fist of Az'Turrasq

    Main Hand

    Emerald
    • +(981–1,199)–(1,175–1,490) Damage ancient +(1,318–1,560)–(1,609–1,940)
    • +6–10% Damage
    • +626–750 Dexterity ancient +825–1,000
    • Reduces cooldown of all skills by 6–10%.
    • +13–15 Maximum Spirit
    • Socket
    Exploding Palm's on-death explosion damage is increased by 400–500%.
  • In-geom

    Off Hand

    Emerald
    • +(981–1,199)–(1,175–1,490) Holy Damage ancient +(1,318–1,560)–(1,609–1,940)
    • +6–10% Damage
    • +626–750 Dexterity ancient +825–1,000
    • Reduces cooldown of all skills by 6–10%.
    • Socket
    Your skill cooldowns are reduced by 8–10 seconds for 15 seconds after killing an elite pack.
Enchantress

Enchantress

Eirena

Equipment

  • HelmSage's Apogee
  • ShouldersHoming Pads
  • Chest ArmorGoldskin
  • GlovesGloves of Worship
  • BeltSage's Ribbon
  • PantsCain's Habit
  • BootsCain's Travelers
  • AmuletThe Flavor of Time
  • BracersNemesis Bracers
  • Ring 1Ring of Royal Grandeur
  • Ring 2Avarice Band
  • Main HandPig Sticker
  • Off HandEmpty
  • Enchantress FocusEmpty

Skills

  1. Level 15
    • Temporaler Impuls
    • Betören
  2. Level 20
    • Verstärkung
    • Prophetische Harmonie
  3. Level 25
    • Erosion
    • Energieschild
  4. Level 30
    • Aufschub des Schicksals
    • Konzentrierter Geist

Gameplay

The configuration

This setup is stored as a complete build — gear, skills, runes and cube powers work together and are not assembled from individual statistics.

  • Set: Uliana's Stratagem
  • Rating: tier A across all classes
  • Kanai's Cube: The Fist of Az'Turrasq, Spirit Guards, Ring of Royal Grandeur
  • Skills: Way of the Hundred Fists (Assimilation), Seven-Sided Strike (Sustained Attack), Epiphany (Desert Shroud), Cyclone Strike (Implosion), Dashing Strike (Blinding Speed), Exploding Palm (Impending Doom)
  • Passives: Beacon of Ytar, Mythic Rhythm, Harmony, The Guardian's Path
  • Variants available: Torment 16 / Nephalem rifts, GR push
Use the variant switcher above to move between the versions. What changes between them is spelled out below — read it before you rebuild.

What the set does

This build wears Uliana's Stratagem. These bonuses apply once the matching number of set pieces is equipped — the damage multiplier hangs on them, not on the individual stats of the pieces:

  • 2 pieces: Every third hit of your Spirit Generators applies Exploding Palm.
  • 4 pieces: Your Seven-Sided Strike deals 777% its total damage with each hit. All damage taken is reduced by 77% for 7 seconds after applying Exploding Palm to an enemy.
  • 6 pieces: Increase the damage of your Exploding Palm by 12,500% and your Seven-Sided Strike detonates your Exploding Palm.

How the variants differ

Measured against the push version. Anything not listed here stays the same:

  • Torment 16 / Nephalem rifts: swaps in skills Dashing Strike (Quicksilver), Epiphany (Insight), Mantra of Conviction (Annihilation); cube The Flow of Eternity, Leoric's Crown; gems Boon of the Hoarder, Molten Wildebeest's Gizzard.

Sockets and gems

The 3 legendary gems (Bane of the Trapped, Bane of the Stricken, Gogok of Swiftness) belong in the jewellery slots (rings and amulet). Urshi can upgrade them after a Greater Rift whether they are socketed, in your inventory or in your stash.

The remaining 8 sockets are filled with regular gems: Diamond (6) and Emerald (2).

On the season theme

In Season 40, Angelic Crucibles sanctify a legendary item: perfect Ancient-level stats plus one of three powers of your class at random. You can only wear one Sanctified item at a time. For this build the Way of the Hundred Fists and Seven-Sided Strike powers apply, because it uses those skills. Which item is sanctified depends on the version: The Fist of Az'Turrasq (Torment 16 / Nephalem rifts) and Shenlong's Fist of Legend (GR push). Since the power is rolled at random, a Sanctified item can be sanctified again with another Crucible. All powers are listed on the Season 40 page.

FAQ

How good is the Exploding Palm Monk build (Uliana's Stratagem) in Season 40?

Good: it is rated tier A across all classes, just behind the top. It ranks #4 of our 7 Monk builds this season.

Which skills does the Exploding Palm Monk build (Uliana's Stratagem) use?

The skill bar holds Exploding Palm, Cyclone Strike, Seven-Sided Strike, Dashing Strike, Epiphany.

What goes into Kanai's Cube for the Exploding Palm Monk build (Uliana's Stratagem)?

Weapon: The Flow of Eternity, Armor: Leoric's Crown, Jewelry: Ring of Royal Grandeur.

Which legendary gems does the Exploding Palm Monk build (Uliana's Stratagem) use?

The legendary gems are Bane of the Trapped, Boon of the Hoarder, Molten Wildebeest's Gizzard.

Which variants of the Exploding Palm Monk build (Uliana's Stratagem) are there?

2 variants: GR push, Torment 16 / Nephalem rifts. Switch between them with the variant selector above; the differences are listed in the gameplay section.

Which follower suits the Exploding Palm Monk build (Uliana's Stratagem)?

Recommended follower: Scoundrel, equipped with Cain's Insight, Gloves of Worship, Homing Pads, Cain's Habit.

Which stats matter for the Exploding Palm Monk build (Uliana's Stratagem)?

Prioritize these stats: Dexterity, Cooldown Reduction, Pickup Radius, All Resistance, Critical Hit Chance, Gold Find.

What are the alternatives for the Monk?