Path of Exile 2 might technically be available, but it’s not quite there yet for the free-to-play fans of the first game. While you wait for the full release and longingly watch gameplay from people who paid for PoE2 Early Access, you can still enjoy the original game. It still has plenty of life in it, and we’re about to show you how you can level up and become super powerful, super fast.
There are a few ways to do this, but this guide will cover PoE Hollow Palm Leveling – a technique well-known in the community for its immense speed and efficiency. In the hands of a decent enough PoE player with the right guidance – it’s possible to get to level 90 in roughly three and a half hours! You’ve probably spent more time than that on way less enjoyable activities, so why not use that time to get the most out of one of the best action RPGs out there?
Let’s get started.
What is PoE Hollow Palm Leveling?
Hollow Palm Leveling is a way to gain levels in Path of Exile fast.
As its name suggests, it utilizes the Hollow Palm technique – a keystone passive skill with a pretty simple effect: it makes the player character’s actions count as Dual Wielding as long as they are Unencumbered. In Path of Exile’s case, Unencumbered means that the character’s hands are completely empty – nothing in the main hand or the off-hand, and no gloves equipped. Completely unarmed.
Now, you’re probably aware that levels are gained in PoE primarily by doing damage, which might make this technique seem counterintuitive. Don’t worry, we’re going to get to that in just a bit.
How Does PoE Hollow Palm Leveling Work?
To start understanding how this all works, let’s take a look at the full description of the Hollow Palm Technique:
Hollow Palm Technique – You count as Dual Wielding while you are Unencumbered. 60% more attack speed while Unencumbered. 14 to 20 added Attack Physical Damage per 10 Dexterity while you are Unencumbered.
As you can see, Hollow Palm grants some serious attack bonuses despite requiring a total lack of weapons. Thankfully, there are other skills and items in PoE that allow us to take advantage of these effects in a big way – scoring big damage even at low levels with the right stats.
What Kind of Character is Best for PoE Hollow Palm Leveling?
It’s possible to make PoE Hollow Palm Leveling work for most character classes, but some are better suited than others. If you’re looking for other powerful builds beyond Hollow Palm, check out our Path of Exile Builds guide for more options. In our experience, the ideal classes for Hollow Palm Leveling are Gladiators, Berserkers, and Champions. If you aren’t currently using one of these types, you should know that it’s pretty common to create a new character to test the technique out.
What Gear and Passives are Best for PoE Hollow Palm Leveling?
After character class, the most important aspects of a build are the gear and passive skills that you equip.
It’s easy to look at the massive skill trees in Path of Exile and become immediately overwhelmed, but it’s not so bad if you know what to focus on. For Hollow Palm Leveling, you want to put all your focus and effort into nodes that affect the following things:
- Attack Speed
- Attack Power
- Total Health
- Dodge Ability
- Overall Defenses
Now, because you’ll be fighting with your bare hands, gear selection is actually pretty simple. You won’t need weapons, but do your best to find armor and other equipment that boosts the abilities you’ll need for the technique. Namely: dodging capability, overall agility, physical damage, and accuracy.
Here is a breakdown of some equipment we recommend:
Goldrim Leather Cap
- Increases Evasion rating
- Increases all Elemental Res.
- Increases Rarity of loot
- Reflects Phys. Dmg. to melee attackers
Briskwrap Sun Leather
- Increases Dex.
- Increases Evasion rating
- Increases Mana Recovery from Flasks
- Increases Cold Res.
- Dmg increased 1% per 15 Dex.
Seven-League Step Rawhide Boots
- Movement Speed increased by 50%
Astramentis, Onyx Amulet
- Increases all Attributes
- -4 Phys. Dmg. received from successful attacks
Call of the Void Sapphire Ring
- Increases Cold Res.
- All Dmg. can cause Chill
- All Dmg. taken can cause chill to wearer
- Chilled enemies can Shatter
Le Heup of All Iron Ring
- Increases all Attributes
- Increases Dmg.
- Increases Rarity of loot
- Increases all Elemental Res.
String of Servitude Heavy Belt
- Increased Aura
- Modifier magnitudes tripled
And finally, the last piece of the puzzle is the item that enables PoE Hollow Palm Leveling in the first place: the One With Nothing Small Cluster Jewel. In order to get this item and the keystone passive skill it enables, you need to make it to Act 2 and successfully complete the Martial Artistry quest contained within it. You’ll be rewarded with the item you need, and you can get started leveling up!
PoE Hollow Palm Leveling Strategies
With all of the necessary gear equipped, you’re ready to go out into the world and do some damage.
To level up quickly, it’s a good idea to focus on quests that will net you large amounts of experience points, skills points, or rewards that align with your overall goal. When you take these missions, you’re going to want to move around as quickly as possible – using skills like Dash or Leap Slam whenever possible to clear large distances and jump into groups of enemies.
Once you get into a groove, all of the enemies exploding and shattering around you will make time – and levels – fly by.
Path of Exile
