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Continue ShoppingThe Spirit Walker has quickly become one of the strongest Huntress ascendancies in Path of Exile 2 Patch 0.5, and Kripparrian's "BIG MONKEE" Tame Beast build is one of its most popular endgame setups. Rather than relying on traditional melee skills, the build revolves around taming a powerful Unique Beast that acts as your primary source of damage while your own attacks amplify its effectiveness. As you progress into higher-tier maps, investing in the right POE 2 Items and managing your POE 2 Currency efficiently becomes essential for maximizing both damage and survivability.
The build is centered around the Spirit Walker ascendancy and the Tame Beast skill. Instead of summoning ordinary companions, you capture a powerful Unique Beast that permanently fights alongside you.
The recommended target is Mighty Silverfist during the campaign, eventually upgrading to Zekoa, the Headcrusher in endgame maps. Both monsters possess exceptional offensive scaling, allowing them to outperform most standard companions when properly optimized.
Unlike traditional minion builds, Companion Damage also contributes to your own attacks, meaning both your character and your tamed beast continuously strengthen each other throughout combat.
Although Tame Beast becomes available as a Tier 7 Skill Gem, most experienced players recommend delaying the transition until Act 3 or after completing the second Ascendancy Trial.
Before that point, Twister-based leveling offers significantly smoother progression and requires fewer specialized POE 2 Items. Once enough passive points and Spirit are available, switching into the companion-focused build becomes much more efficient.
Having additional POE 2 Currency ready for passive respecs and early gear upgrades also makes the transition considerably easier.
Several skills define the build's playstyle.
Tame Beast
This is your primary damage source. Your chosen Unique Beast performs the majority of the heavy lifting throughout mapping and boss encounters.
Wolf Pack
Summons multiple wolves that create extra bodies on the battlefield, improving both offense and defense by distracting enemy packs.
Pounce
Acts as your mobility skill while simultaneously generating Rage and quickly engaging enemy groups.
Maul
Your primary melee attack that benefits from Companion scaling while helping sustain Life Leech.
Pain Offering
Reserved for elite enemies and bosses, this buff dramatically increases companion damage during difficult encounters.
This build doesn't require a full collection of expensive uniques to function, but several equipment priorities stand out.
Focus on gear that increases:
· Companion Skill Levels
· Minion Damage
· Maximum Life
· Maximum Mana
· Armour
· Runic Ward
Kripp also recommends converting equipment to Runic Ward whenever possible while favoring Armour-based pieces over pure Evasion in several slots. Additional Companion Skill Levels on helmets, weapons, and amulets provide some of the largest damage increases available.
As your gear improves, expect to spend increasing amounts of POE 2 Currency crafting high-end POE 2 Items with ideal companion modifiers instead of relying solely on random drops.
The strongest version of this build depends heavily on obtaining the right monster.
During early progression, Mighty Silverfist is more than capable of carrying the campaign. Once you reach endgame mapping, however, most players transition to Zekoa, the Headcrusher, whose naturally high critical strike values make it one of the highest-damage companions currently available.
Rolling powerful Rare Modifiers on the beast dramatically improves performance, although doing so often requires repeated farming and multiple mapping attempts.
Because finding the ideal beast can take time, many players choose to save their POE 2 Currency specifically for map preparation and crafting resources that improve the odds of securing a stronger tame.
Despite focusing heavily on companions, the BIG MONKEE setup is surprisingly durable.
Its defenses combine several mechanics:
· Large Life pool
· Strong Life Leech
· Mana Leech
· Mana gained on Kill
· Damage redirected to the Bear Companion
· Armour converted through Iron Reflexes
· Additional Armour bonuses while in Bear Form
Meanwhile, Wolf Pack companions continuously block enemies from surrounding the player, creating additional defensive value during dense mapping.
Managing your companion correctly is just as important as gearing.
Keep Tame Beast active on only one weapon set. Quickly swapping weapons can reposition your companion whenever it becomes stuck or falls behind during fast mapping.
Against bosses, activate Pain Offering before major damage windows instead of using it on cooldown.
Prioritize Companion Skill Levels over small defensive upgrades whenever possible, as increasing your beast's damage generally produces the largest overall performance gain.
Finally, don't rush into expensive crafting projects too early. Build a healthy reserve of POE 2 Currency, acquire foundational POE 2 Items, and upgrade gradually as stronger companion equipment becomes available.
For players looking for a unique companion-focused playstyle, Kripp's BIG MONKEE Spirit Walker remains one of the strongest and most enjoyable endgame builds in Patch 0.5. Its combination of massive companion damage, excellent survivability, and flexible progression makes it suitable for both mapping and difficult boss encounters.
Although acquiring the perfect tamed beast and optimized gear can require significant farming, smart investment in POE 2 Currency and carefully selected POE 2 Items allows the build to scale exceptionally well into the highest tiers of Path of Exile 2 endgame content.
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