Monks have remained a mysterious class out of the total 12 classes since the early access days. Monks hide many useful features under their black belts, most of which can make you feel invincible in the game. For instance, you can choose from over 3 unique subclasses, each leading to some iteration of the best Monk build.
However, with so many options at hand and the game leaving you on your own, most newcomers are bound to feel lost. Even though you can make up for your wrong choices through the respec, upgrade, and multiclassing options, planning your build can greatly ease things for you. Therefore, this article provides the best Monk build in Baldur’s Gate 3, explaining everything from character creation to level 12 upgrades.
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Meet Monks, The Warriors from Tibet
Monk is a distinct class in Baldur’s Gate 3 that specializes in melee combat and unarmed defenses. They have higher mobility speed, better unarmed attack moves, and may even cast spells with certain subclasses. Furthermore, Monks are backed with their unique Ability Points known as Ki, which power most of their skills.
As for their stats, Monks prefer Dexterity and Wisdom over Strength and Intelligence. As they follow the true Way of the Buddha, Monks remain pretty calm most of the time. However, they aren’t very good at socializing and talking their Way out of trouble.
Lastly, Monks have a hit die of d8, so they will gain +8 Hit Points for each level up. However, they aren’t proficient in wielding huge weapons and wearing sturdy armor. The good news is that not wearing any protective gear increases your mobility, and unarmed attacks will yield extra bonuses.
Best Monk Build: Way of Shadow
Before we can move on to create the best Monk build in BG3, you must conduct a small self-evaluation. Ask yourself questions like what your playing style is, whether you prefer magic or melee, and what sort of character you have in mind. Once you answer these questions, you will end up with the skeleton for your build. The same process applies to creating the best builds for every class in BG3.
For this article, our main focus is on the Way of Shadow Monk build. When you start as a Monk, you can choose from 3 unique subclasses, i.e., Way of Shadow, Way of the Four Elements, and Way of the Open Hand. Each subclass offers unique features and abilities, so you can go another way if you like and still end up with a buffed-up build.
So, without further delay, here are the basics of creating the best Monk build that you have ever seen:
Race for Best Monk Build:
Right after choosing your class, the next step in the character creation menu is to choose your race. Fortunately, you can’t make a wrong choice here as the races are mainly for ornamental purposes, and they don’t affect the outcome of your build. However, certain races will bring major buffs that can make the difference between life and death in some cases.
You can choose from about 40 different races and subraces in BG3. Most of them don’t affect your build, but some can synergize with your main stats. So, here is a list of races that offer bonuses with Dexterity and Wisdom:
- Guthyanki: +1 Int, +2 Str, Githyanki Psionics, Decadent Mastery.
- Human: +1 point to all stats and higher weight-carrying capacity.
- Lightfoot Halfling: +1 Cha, +2 Dex, Halfling Nimbleness, Lucky, Brave.
- Tiefling: +1 Int or Dex (Depends on class), +1 Cha, Darkvision, Infernal Legacy, and Hellish Resistance.
- Wood Elf: +1 Wis, +2 Dex, Keen Senses, Darkvision, Fleet of Foot, Mask of the Wild.
You can choose any race from the above list to create your Monk build. However, we found that the Wood Elf synergizes the most with the Way of Shadow build. It offers the same attribute bonuses as yours, and the acquired skills will benefit your stealth strategies.
Still, if you have a different type of character background in mind, feel free to experiment with your own choices. I guarantee that if you follow the rest of the guide, the race won’t have much impact on the end result.
Background and Proficiencies for Best Monk Build:
Moving further down the character creation menu, you will find options for your character’s background. Now, this is an important step for the Way of the Shadow build, as it provides you the required stealth and combat elements. Most players would tell you to choose Urchin with your eyes closed, as it covers the DPS and damage bonuses.
However, what they don’t consider is that stealth is the deadliest weapon in Baldur’s Gate 3. So, if you want to survive even the toughest battles, you should always base your strategies around stealth and surprise attacks. In this regard, having a Criminal background will serve you the best.
Still, if you aren’t feeling confident enough with the Stealth and Deception points of Criminal, you can go with the Urchin background. You will miss out on the stealth bonuses, but at least your character will come with a legal backstory.
As for the proficiencies, you don’t have to think a lot as your Monk comes with an instruction manual. All you need to do is to choose proficiencies in Acrobatics, Stealth, Deception, and Perception.
Stats and Ability Points:
The final step before you can enter the dreaded lands is to set your character attributes. The Monks have an affection for Dexterity and Wisdom by default, but you can respec and even have 2 additional Ability Points.
As the Way of the Shadow build mainly focuses on Dexterity-based skills, you shouldn’t decrease its value. The same goes for the Wisdom stat, as it governs your Ki points and certain moves. Lastly, you can opt for either Charisma or Strength, depending on your playing style.
So, you should keep the default values and invest the additional points as follows:
- Dexterity: 17
- Wisdom: 16
- Constitution: 15
- Strength: 8
- Charisma: 8
- Intelligence: 8
Weapons for Best Monk Build:
Monks are famous for their Unarmed Movement feature. However, for this feature to work, you must avoid all armor and shields when going to the battlefield. Furthermore, Monks only have proficiency for simple weapons and Shortswords, so there is no use picking the heaviest weapon that you can find.
Keep it simple, keep it real, and let the Blackbelt Monk dance with bare hands. However, it doesn’t mean that you don’t have to get anything to create the Way of the Shadow build. Firstly, you must get some form of protection without disrupting the Unarmed Movement. Fortunately, gloves and gauntlets will be of great use to you.
To make things clearer, here is a list of the best gear that you can acquire for your Way of the Shadow Monk Build:
- Weapon: Gold Wyrmling Quarterstaff (early game)
- Headgear: Haste Helm (early game)
- Necklace: Amulet of Misty Step (early game)
- Gloves: Bracers of Defence (early game)
- Gloves 2: The Sparkle Hands (early game)
- Ring: Ring of Protection (early game)
- Ring 2: Anything of your choice
- Boots: Swiresy Shoes (early game)
- Robe: The Mighty Cloth (Start of Act 2)
- Robe 2: Icebite Robe: (Act 2)
- Shortbow: Darkfire Shortbow. (Start of Act 2)
- Cloak: Cloak of Protection (Start of Act 2)
- Additional Items:
- Markoheshkir Quarterstaff (late game Act 3)
- Vest of Soul Rejuq venation (late game Act 3)
- Ring of Regeneration (late game Act 3)
The Way of the Shadow Monk Build Level Progression:
Level Progression is the key to creating the most powerful Monk build in Baldur’s Gate 3. There are 12 level-ups in the game, each acquired after completing certain requirements. In most levels, the game will give you several options to choose from: abilities, subclasses, and skills.
So, it is up to you how you want to shape your build by the time you reach the endgame sequence. In this regard, you don’t need to worry about the first 2 levels, as the game will automatically give you all the required bonuses.
At level 3, you must choose the Way of the Shadow if you want this build. Otherwise, you can choose from the remaining subclasses. So, here’s a detailed progression guide to create the Way of the Shadow Monk Build:
- Level 1: Ki, Flurry of Blows ability, Unarmored Defense passive, Martial Arts: Dextrous Attacks/Deft Strikes/Bonus Unarmed Strike
- Level 2: Unarmored Movement passive, Patient Defense ability, Step of the Wind: Dash/Disengage abilities
- Level 3: Subclass (Way of the Shadow), Deflect Missiles reaction
- Level 4: Feat (Tavern Brawler), Slow Fall reaction
- Level 5: Extra Attack, Stunning Strike: Melee/Unarmed abilities
- Level 6: Unarmored Movement distance improvement, Improved Ki attacks
- Level 7: Evasion passive, Stillness of Mind passive
- Level 8: Feat (Alert or Ability Improvement)
- Level 9: Unarmored Movement difficult terrain improvement
- Level 10: Unarmored Movement distance improvement, Purity of Body passive
- Level 12: Feat (Savage Attacker)
Conclusion:
That’s it! If you follow this guide without missing anything, you will end up with the Way of the Shadow Monk Build. Playing as a Monk is a bit different from a conventional D&D 5E game.
However, if you master the fighting mechanics and abilities, you can even learn to transmute every dice roll in your favor. Hopefully, this guide helps you in creating your dream Monk build. If you can’t find something, then feel free to ask questions in the comments section.
