The best Baldur's Gate 3 Monk build balances stealth, elements and unarmed combat, unleashing devastating punches and waves of force on unaware opponents who aren't expecting it. Monks might not be as complicated to play as some spellcasting classes in Baldur's Gate 3, but they do have nuance and it can be difficult to get them right, especially with a smaller pool of equipment to make use of.
The main advantage of the Monk as a BG3 class is that they don't require or need equipment to be devastating, protecting themselves without armor and able to do massive damage with unarmed martial arts strikes. They also lean into superhuman abilities, such as increased speed, long jumps, and the ability to snatch arrows out of the air. They're pretty cool, basically, so here's how to make them as cool as can be, and make one of the best Monk builds in Baldur's Gate 3.
Best Monk build in Baldur's Gate 3
The best monk builds in BG3 usually focus on the following elements:
- Stealth and evasion
- A Martial Arts and Unarmed Attacks master
- Able to manipulate elements for ranged spell attacks
In terms of weaknesses, the Monk's low charisma and intelligence might mean you need to rely on Baldur's Gate 3 party members like Astarion to talk your way out of a situation. Lack of a silver tongue aside, though, the Monk shows surprising strength in melee and spell combat. This can be heightened given you choose the best race and subclass for them.
Here's a top BG3 Monk build to try out for yourself:
- Race: Wood Half Elf
- Highest attributes: Dexterity, Wisdom, Strength, Constitution
- Subclass: Way of the Four Elements
- Background: Soldier
- Class skills: Athletics, Acrobatics, Stealth, Insight, Intimidation
- Equipment: Simple weapons, shortswords, spears, pikes, unarmed attacks, light armor, shields
Wood Half Elves make excellent Monks in Baldur's Gate 3, combining the class's innate stealth proficiency with the Wood Elf's increased movement speed to allow for greater combat mobility. Paired with the Soldier background adding Athletics and Intimidation to the mix, your BG3 Monk will absolutely clean up on the battlefield.
You'll choose your subclass once you've reached Level Three, and although Way of the Open Palm sounds like a logical choice for anyone truly embracing unarmed attacks, I've found Way of the Four Elements is the perfect way to turn the Monk into an excellent magical and ranged attacker. Unarmed attacks are brilliant, but since you need to be up close and within melee range, it's not always the best in terms of applying pressure to enemies across a combat zone. Way of the Elements gives you the advantages of fire and ice to attack foes from a distance, making your Monk a lot more useful and helpful to their companions
Late game Monk builds: Once you reach Level Five, you can choose more Class Action. Gong of the Summit is an excellent AOE choice for the Monk, applying up to 24 damage to enemies in a concentrated area. Fist of Unbroken Air is another incredibly strong Class Action, costing 2 Ki points per use. You have seven Ki points to use up before you need to replenish them with a short or long rest, being the Monk's answer to Spell Slots, so be sure to make use of these powerful spells as you level up.
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