Are you ready to take your BG3 gaming experience to the next level?
In this guide, we’ll show you how to create the most powerful monk character in Baldur’s Gate 3.
By following our tips and tricks, you’ll be able to breeze through even the toughest challenges, work seamlessly with your party, and crush your enemies in honor mode.
Let’s get straight into this –
Why Choose the Monk Class?
Monks are the ultimate choice for players who crave intense, up-close combat. Here’s what makes them stand out:
- Unmatched Damage: Monks pack a serious punch, delivering precise and devastating attacks that rarely miss their mark.
- Lightning-Fast Mobility: With unparalleled speed, monks can quickly close in on priority targets, take them out, and retreat with ease.
- Stunning Strike: This unique ability allows monks to stun enemies, taking them out of the fight for an entire turn. This creates openings for extra attacks and lets your party focus on taking down stunned foes.
- Game-Changing Mechanics: In Baldur’s Gate 3, monks have access to features that set them apart from their tabletop counterparts, making them even more powerful. With scaling abilities, synergy with Tavern Brawler, and access to game-breaking mechanics, monks are a top-tier choice for any party looking to optimize their performance.
Things to Keep in Mind
While monks are incredibly powerful, they’re not invincible. Here are a few things to consider:
- Fragility: Compared to other melee classes like Fighters or Paladins, monks tend to have lower armor class (AC) and hit points.
- Limited Gear Options: Although monks don’t compete with other party members for gear, their late-game item selection is somewhat limited.
- Multi-Attribute Dependence (MAD): Monks require a careful balance of four main attributes (Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Wisdom), which can limit flexibility when building your character.
Building the Best Monk: Key Starting Decisions
Race Selection
Choosing the right race is crucial for optimizing your monk build. Look for races with bonuses that work well with monk attributes and abilities:
- Githyanki: Provides medium armor proficiency, which is very helpful early on before monks gain unarmored abilities. Also grants useful spells like Misty Step or Mage Hand.
- Wood Half-Elf: Gives light armor proficiency, shield access, and faster movement speed. Great for mobility and defense.
- Duergar (Dwarf Subrace): Offers invisibility and combat utility. Duergar monks are excellent at starting fights stealthily.
Ability Score Allocation
Monks depend on multiple attributes (MAD), needing to focus on Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, and Wisdom. Here are three good strategies:
Strength-Based Build:
- Main Stats: Strength (top priority) and Dexterity.
- Suggested Allocation: Begin with 12 Strength, 16 Dexterity, 16 Constitution, and 14 Wisdom. At level 4, increase Strength to 17 for Tavern Brawler feat.
- Goal: Increase unarmed damage, allow strong feats, and make the most of the Tavern Brawler effect that relies on Strength.
Dexterity-Based Build:
- Main Stats: Dexterity (top priority) and Constitution.
- Goal: Concentrate fully on Dexterity by giving up Strength. Simpler build but can’t use Tavern Brawler.
Item-Based Build:
- Base Strength only has to be 8. Use Elixirs of Hill Giant Strength for 20 (or 21) Strength each day, letting you put more points in Dexterity, Constitution, and Wisdom.
- Suggested Allocation: 8 Strength, 16 Dexterity, 15 Constitution, 14 Wisdom, 12 Intelligence.
Level Progression
Level 1: Start Strong
Monks start with key features:
- Flurry of Blows: Bonus action letting you make two unarmed strikes, allowing up to three attacks per round.
- Unarmored Defense: AC increases based on Dexterity and Wisdom.
- Athletics Skill: Focus on athletics to control enemies by pushing them into pits or hazards.
Level 2: Improved Mobility
- Unarmored Movement: Adds +10 ft to speed when unarmored. You start to outpace friends and foes.
- Step of the Wind Dash: Grants a bonus-action Dash for great positioning and Jump utility. Ideal for moving around the battlefield.
- Patient Defense: Makes enemies attack at disadvantage, helping you survive when threatened.
Level 3: Subclass Choice
This is one of the most crucial decisions. Monks have three subclasses, but Way of the Open Hand is the best pick:
- Adds special Flurry of Blows moves: Push (Move enemy), Topple (Knock enemy down), Stagger (Stop enemy reactions).
- Increases flexibility while keeping huge damage output.
Level 4: Tavern Brawler Feat
This is the game-changing point for monks:
- Tavern Brawler lets monks add double their Strength modifier to attacks and damage.
- The feat also gives +1 Strength, making it even easier to hit and deal max damage.
- This feat is so strong, it breaks the game’s bounded accuracy rules, letting monks almost never miss.
Level 5: Extra Attack & Stunning Strike
- Extra Attack: Monks get one more attack during their main action, for up to four attacks per turn (two main and two Flurry of Blows).
- Stunning Strike: Completely disables targets, making casters lose concentration spells and shutting down dangerous enemies.
Level 6: Manifestation Abilities
Here is where monks gain their most overpowered feature:
- Manifestation of Body, Mind, or Soul: Adds extra damage equal to your Wisdom modifier + 1d4.
- Wholeness of Body: For three turns in a row, monks get an extra bonus action each turn. Using Flurry of Blows three times lets you make six attacks per turn.
Item Optimization
Monks need specific gear to excel. Focus on items that boost damage, mobility, or AC:
Early Game Items:
- Bracers of Defense: Increase AC when unarmored.
- Bow of Awareness: Adds +1 to initiative, making sure monks attack first.
Mid-Game Items:
- Graceful Cloth: Boosts Dexterity for early-game survival.
- Gloves of Dexterity: If worn, guarantees 18 Dexterity when giving up base Dexterity during character creation.
Late Game Items:
- Vest of Soul Rejuvenation: Improves AC and reaction abilities. A great defensive item.
- Boots of Uninhibited Kusho: Adds Wisdom Modifier to damage bonuses.
- Callus Glow Ring: Adds radiant damage per attack (perfect for multi-hit characters like monks).
Multiclassing Options
If you want to make your monk even stronger, multiclassing can be the perfect way to do it. Here are the best options:
Best Multiclass: Monk + Rogue
The combination of Monk and Rogue is unbeatable. By taking six levels of monk and three levels of Thief Rogue, characters get:
- Extra Bonus Actions: Thief gives an extra bonus action, making sure monks deal at least six attacks per turn.
- More Mobility: Thief Rogue gives Cunning Action for free hide, dash, and disengage.
Build Path:
- Build your monk to level 6 for all core features (Tavern Brawler and Manifestation abilities).
- Switch to Rogue levels and unlock Thief subclass by Rogue level 3.
Other Multiclass Options
- Monk + Fighter: Allows Action Surge for another attack action. Use 2 Fighter / 10 Monk for balance.
- Monk + Barbarian: Adds rage for extra toughness and huge damage boosts. Great for Carlac-themed builds or monks focused on survival.
Final Feat Selection
At monk level 12, your character gets a final feat:
- Strength Increase (+2): Increases unarmed damage to the max.
- If using elixirs, consider:
- Lucky: Protects the character from crippling effects.
- Mobile: Increases movement even more and ignores opportunity attacks.
Why This Monk Build Excels in Honor Mode
Honor mode shows Baldur’s Gate 3 at its hardest—small mistakes can wipe out the party. This monk build thrives because:
- Stun Mechanics: Monks shut down dangerous enemies before they act.
- Mobility: Fast movement keeps monks out of danger.
- Unbeatable Damage: High output makes sure bosses don’t live long enough to fight back.
- Item Independence: Monks need fewer shared items, keeping your party well-equipped.
Conclusion
Making the perfect monk in Baldur’s Gate 3 takes planning and precision, but the reward is huge. Whether you focus on stacking damage with unarmed strikes, smashing enemies with Tavern Brawler, or ruling every fight as a rogue-monk mix, monks are clearly one of the strongest classes available.
With unmatched flexibility, speed, and pure destructive power, this guide makes sure you’ll be the ultimate force on the battlefield.
