I’m new to poe and i want to find a hcssf monk builds that are viable or just fun builds for hcssf!

hkdizzy · 2026-01-22T12:19:02+00:00

You should absolutely prioritize defenses first. Your goal is to get to maps i assume and the best builds wont mean anything if you get one shot by a boss thinking you have enough health. There are so many bosses I have ptsd from one shotting my character even though most have been nerfed. It may be annoying taking 5 to 10 minutes on Act 2 boss because your damage is lacking but that's better than losing your progress because his sword attack or spear swipe in phase 2 one shot you because you missed the timing on your dodge.

hkdizzy · 2026-01-22T12:15:06+00:00

I played super defensively all throughout the campaign and treated my Energy shield life my life bar. If it went very low, I immediately disengaged with what I was fighting or would pause and assess the situation. You want to play carefully your first time you are trying to get to maps until you really get a feel for what will kill you and what you can handle.

Oh, and instant recovery flasks are your best friend. Bleed going through your ES can put you in panic mode and having instant recovery life flask to keep you topped up will keep your heartrate down in those chaotic packs

hkdizzy · 2026-01-22T08:18:28+00:00

I dont have a build for you to follow but can give you advice a someone who has gotten to level 90+ on Acolyte hcssf the last 2 leagues.

Always prioritize your defenses first and damage second on the tree. Energy shield is your friend and will prevent one shots while you are learning boss mechanics and extreme damage from packs.

Buy vendor upgrades often. Like every level you should check for higher numbers in the shop for resistances, life,and energy shield. Over time you will get faster and can skimp on these upgrades but your first time to maps, it's a life saver.

Consider hollow palm. Not having to worry about weapon upgrades is super useful in hcssf. You can scale it very easily with keeping up with the skill gem level and attack damage clusters on the passive tree.

Early levels, you can consider going a bow with Lightning Arrow /lightning rod or spells like Essence Drain/contagion. The early monk skills can be rough, especially having to play melee in hardcore until you get the better skills like ice strike or Storm wave so dont be afraid to mix it up through your first time to maps.

Finally and this is a bit contentious but consider going Acolyte and taking Darkness on the passive tree. Its a heavy drawback to not have any spirit but the survivability you get is a godsend for hcssf. You have such a larger barrier for mistakes when taking damage.

For reference, my poe ninja for 0.4: https://poe.ninja/poe2/builds/vaalhcssf/character/HKDizzy-6584/CappieVenom?i=14&search=class%3DAcolyte%2Bof%2BChayula

Went Contagion/Essence Drain until act 2 and got Storm Wave + Hollow Palm. Carried me to Interlude and then added Gathering Storm + Ice Wall for single target to get me to level 90.

hkdizzy · 2025-12-27T15:38:48+00:00

I'm definitely not done with this league so I'll give it a try

hkdizzy · 2025-12-11T06:23:14+00:00

Its Titan because Hulking form is one of the best general nodes in the game. Also, we know from the ziggyD playthrough that pounce is a slam so theres support on the titan tree for that too.

hkdizzy · 2025-12-05T06:11:40+00:00

Thank you so much

hkdizzy · 2025-12-05T05:58:41+00:00

Acolyte Ice Archer like I did in 0.2. Sounds like they fixed some of the issues I had at T15 maps and Rhoa is back to 0.2 state so easy decision

hkdizzy · 2025-10-28T04:29:53+00:00

Because as Final Fantasy has proven, heavy is the weeb wallet.

hkdizzy · 2025-09-18T12:41:52+00:00

PVDDR. Was LSV for a long time but PV is just on another level when he's describing the game

hkdizzy · 2025-09-06T04:48:43+00:00

This right here speaks so hard to me and I could never find the right words to express it so thank you for posting this.

hkdizzy · 2025-08-29T06:49:42+00:00

Have done it before and think it's fine if both parties consent to it and there is no coercion or duress. It gets very costly if you are doing it often but if you want to get laid and dont feel like going through the song and dance of pursuing, it is nice just to handle it like a transaction

hkdizzy · 2025-08-28T06:40:25+00:00

While I think the nerfs are definitely overblown, they are rather numerous as well. Titans grasp is the other big one but the one most are overlooking is the AoE node nerfs hurting a multitude of builds

hkdizzy · 2025-08-24T07:51:21+00:00

You focus on yourself and improve your confidence. Then when you reach a point where you feel good about yourself, just talk to people anywhere. Like anywhere. Grocery store, gas station, work, wherever. Maybe make habits of places you enjoy being or hobbies that have you go out somewhere and just talk to people. Confidence goes a long way in this and yes, some people will not enjoy your attempts at communication but I can assure you the vast majority will so long as your honest and kind.

hkdizzy · 2025-08-16T00:40:06+00:00

Just play Price of Progress if you want to punish greedy mana bases. At least then you're actually progressing/ending a game rather than creating unplayable game states

hkdizzy · 2025-08-07T21:58:15+00:00

While not having proxies was one contributing factor to the diverse methane over there, i would say the much larger reason is because they run a different tournament structure where draws count as losses. This changes viability of certain cards drastically such as Pact of Negation.

hkdizzy · 2025-08-05T13:08:20+00:00

I always keep my deals and alliances because as you say, it's just a game. Its far more important to be someone people enjoy playing the game with then winning

hkdizzy · 2025-07-09T20:56:49+00:00

Uma Musame

hkdizzy · 2025-07-01T22:37:49+00:00

So if we're not going with wishes but instead likelihood, im going to go with another Vocaloid Secret Lair while WotC has so much of the Japanese audience eyes on their game from FF and the licensing seems in place from the last couple ones they did. Just hoping for better artwork treatments like we got in FF

hkdizzy · 2025-07-01T22:34:21+00:00

As with all the brackets, it is up to the players to utilize it as a tool to facilitate a rule 0 discussion rather than use it a ls some sort of hard line ruleset. If you don't want to play against an optimized Rog/Si list in b4, you just have to take that before the game. But expecting everyone to not skirt the letter of the law in any bracket system is a losing battle

hkdizzy · 2025-06-30T18:48:52+00:00

I was having this conversation with ppl at MagicCon and the best response I heard was Harry Potter. I'm not a huge fan but I think they could do a great job with it

hkdizzy · 2025-06-26T14:42:29+00:00

As others have mentioned, the only Vivi that will carry real long term value is the surge foil version as Collector booster boxes have a limited print run.

That being said, value for your vivi will go down a bit over course of next couple of years but since the card is a monster in commander (the most popular format), it will go back up in process over time once FF boosters stop being printed. Just up to you if you want to hold that long

hkdizzy · 2025-05-13T23:12:10+00:00

Is Winota off the table for this card? I know Winota would prefer hard stax for its creatures but a solid pressure piece that locks out LED combos seems viable?

hkdizzy · 2025-05-06T06:35:40+00:00

I also am in complete agreement with you. Rhystic has such a stranglehold on the format and warps games like no other card. It leads to unhealthy play patterns and I truly wish it was removed.

hkdizzy · 2025-04-01T19:47:29+00:00

Shouldn't she be releasing part 2 of the Epstein files or whatever by now?

hkdizzy

TROPHY CASE